War over Mujuru death

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Friday, 19 August 2011 09:07

HARARE - Zanu PF is battling to contain tension and anger swelling within
its ranks following the suspicious death of “kingmaker” retired army
commander Solomon Mujuru.

Zanu PF factions battling to succeed President Robert Mugabe are said to be
at each others’ throats over the controversial death of the popular former
top army man.

Mugabe was expected to deal with an explosive situation on his return from
the just-ended Sadc summit in Angola as party members point fingers at each
other.

The party moved swiftly to ban all party members, except spokesman Rugare
Gumbo, from commenting on the death.

In another measure to contain the volatile situation, Mujuru’s wife, Joice
asked for calm to cool tempers as tension gripped the party.

Joice is Mugabe’s deputy in Zanu PF and government.

Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Constantine Chiwenga followed this
up yesterday by pleading against violence at a military funeral parade for
Mujuru.

Mujuru was burnt beyond recognition at his Beatrice farm on Tuesday morning
after a mysterious fire.

He was so badly charred that his remains were packed in a plastic bag.

Party members, particularly those aligned to his faction, are pressing for
answers as the situation in the party remains explosive.

Zanu PF was already in turmoil before Mujuru’s death over the race to
succeed Mugabe, who at 87, is at the end of his political career.

Mugabe has led Zanu PF since the 1970s. His long stay and refusal to groom a
successor has fuelled serious infighting among factions eyeing his post.

Mujuru led one of the main factions seeking to succeed Mugabe while Defence
Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly leads the other faction in the nasty
succession battle that has torn the party apart.

The former army general’s suspicious death has plunged the party into new
depths of volatility, with insiders and analysts warning the issue could
turn bloodier if it was discovered that Mujuru’s death was a result of foul
play.

“We agreed that all of us should now hear what is being said but should
desist from saying anything that we want with regard to this matter,” Mutasa
told mourners at Joice’s residence in Harare. We will confine the job of
communicating the party’s views to the party’s spokesperson Rugare Gumbo.
Isu vamwe tinofanira kubata miromo
yedu (we should all keep quiet),” said Mutasa.

Joice pleaded with both party insiders and outsiders to stop fuelling
allegations of foul play until investigations are completed.

Chiwenga told people gathered for the military parade at 1 Commando Barracks
in Harare that violence would only worsen the situation.

“He (Mujuru) was at the fore front of denouncing violence in all its forms
and I call upon all Zimbabweans to desist from acts of lawlessness as these
violate the core values of the liberation struggle,” said Chiwenga.

Police spokesman senior assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday
said police were still carrying out investigations in the “full scale” probe
launched after the incident.

Circumstances surrounding Mujuru’s death have left more questions than
answers because of failure by authorities to satisfactorily explain how the
veteran military man succumbed to the unexplained fire.

There are many loopholes to the issue that most people suspect foul play.

In an interview with the Daily News, Gumbo sought to water down the tension.

“We have said that police are investigating this matter and there seems to
be some people pushing an agenda,” said Gumbo.

“There are people trying to tarnish the image of the party. There are
forensic experts that have been called in to carry out research. Those
investigations, coupled with those of the police, are what we should all be
waiting for. We have to base our comments on facts and those facts are going
to be published by the police after they have
concluded their investigations,” Gumbo said.

Herald pulls the plug on Mujuru story as tensions run high

http://www.swradioafrica.com

 

By Lance Guma
19 August 2011

The state owned Herald newspaper was on Wednesday evening forced to remove, before publication, a story on the death of retired army General Solomon Mujuru.
Sources who spoke to SW Radio Africa claimed editors at the paper were told to bin a story containing important details of what happened on the night Mujuru died in a farm house fire.
Mujuru's body was found by the window as indicated by the dark patch on the floor See more pictures of the house

A senior editor at the Herald said journalists at the paper were amongst the first to arrive at the farm, which is 60 km outside Harare. They conducted several interviews and were told that a gun belonging to Mujuru was missing and so were the keys to the house. They argued that the keys could not have melted in the fire.

Those interviewed also claimed the house is connected directly to a ZESA grid and they found it strange that there was no electricity on that night. But the most significant witness statement was that on the night of the fire a male visitor was seen heading towards Mujuru’s house at around 10pm.

These details were allegedly removed from the Herald story and instead the paper ran a plea from Mujuru’s wife and Vice President Joice Mujuru, appealing for calm. The story entitled “Solomon Mujuru death: Wife speaks” quoted Mrs. Mujuru discouraging people from wild speculation that they could not back up with facts.

Speaking to mourners Mujuru also said: “I appeal to you to avoid too much history, and talking bad things and listen to good things. We agreed with Solomon every time that even if we hear anything coming from anywhere, we won’t comment whether it’s a lie or not. Only one person (God) will comment, good or bad.”

Tensions are reportedly running high within ZANU PF, with members from the two main Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa factions pointing fingers at each other. This was clearly visible when hundreds of ZANU PF youths marched to the Mujuru house in Chisipite, demanding answers about the death.

Jim Kunaka, the Harare leader of ZANU PF’s youth wing, reportedly said: “As youths we want to get to the bottom of it and find out whether it was a normal death; an electrical fault or whether it was the work of enemies.”

Police claim preliminary investigations suggest the fire was caused by a candle left burning in the house. By late Thursday they had interviewed four witnesses, with spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena saying they are collecting all the relevant evidence. It’s reported all the security agencies, including the police forensic unit, and Zesa Holdings who provide electricity, are part of the investigation.

Displaced commercial farmer Guy Watson-Smith, kicked out of the farm by Mujuru in 2001, added to the intense speculation by saying the roof of the house “makes it absolutely fire-proof, and the walls were brick and cement.”

“All that could have burned was roofing timbers and ceilings, and to imagine the fire spreading quickly without help is hard to do. Finally there were more doors and windows than holes in a colander. Our main bedroom alone had 3 doors out of it and 4 double windows. How do you get trapped inside that?” he asked.

 

 

'Mujuru opposed Gukurahundi'

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Friday, 19 August 2011 17:03

HARARE - The late former army general Solomon “Rex Nhongo” Mujuru differed
with government on the deployment of the military in Matabeleland and
Midlands provinces that resulted in the massacre of tens of thousands of
civilians.

Children and pregnant women were part of the 20 000 people killed during the
1980s operation, according to a report on the massacres.

After failing to get Mujuru’s endorsement, government deployed the brutal
North Korean trained Fifth Brigade in an operation largely known as
Gukurahundi, sources said.

Gukurahundi is a term used to refer to water that cleans all the chaff and
leaves the soil clean.

Sources in Zanu PF revealed yesterday that Mujuru had refused to be part of
the command that issued instructions on how the “clean-up” operation was to
be carried out.

This was despite the fact that he was the commander of the national army at
the time.

Mujuru served as commander of the Zimbabwe National Army from 1980 and was
promoted to a full general in 1992, the year he later retired.

“Despite the issue that many people thought he was callous owing to the
military training he obtained, Rex was a man who had a heart for other
people. “This is evidenced by the way he helped people who were faced with
problems in the country and in his own area. That on its own made him refuse
to be part of Gukurahundi,” said a senior Zanu PF politburo member.

Gukurahundi mainly targeted Zanu PF’s rival liberation war party Zapu but
ended up netting civilians as well.

Dumiso Dabengwa, an ex-Zanu PF politburo member and now leader of the
revived Zapu party who worked closely with Mujuru during his days in Zanu
PF, told the Daily News yesterday that Mujuru had confided in him that he
had refused to buy the Gukurahundi plan.

“It is important to note that when the Gukurahundi era started I was
incarcerated. I can’t tell precisely what role he played in that operation,”
said Dabengwa.

“But I have to highlight that when I asked him about Gukurahundi upon my
release, he told me that he did not like what had happened. He also said
that it was not his decision to deploy those Fifth Brigade soldiers in
Matabeleland and Midlands provinces,” said Dabengwa.

Analysis - Mugabe succession race could turn ugly

http://uk.reuters.com/

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE | Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:17am BST

(Reuters) - The death of a top Zimbabwean army general in a bizarre fire has
changed the dynamics in internal ZANU-PF battles over President Robert
Mugabe's succession, but analysts say the issue remains unsettled and could
lead to some bruising battles ahead.

General Solomon Mujuru, a key figure in Mugabe's party for nearly four
decades, was, according to authorities, burnt to ashes when his farmhouse
caught fire.

This official version, suggesting the authorities do not suspect foul play
although police are still probing the death, has sparked rumours that the
general was murdered.

Mujuru, 67, popularly known by his guerrilla name Rex Nhongo, was married to
Vice-President Joice Mujuru, and was deputy head of Mugabe's liberation army
ZANLA in the 1970s and the country's first black army commander.

Many saw him as a strongman able to stand up to Mugabe, 87, who has led
Zimbabwe for more than three decades.

Mujuru headed a ZANU-PF faction which wanted Joice Mujuru to succeed Mugabe
as party and state president, jostling against another faction led by
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Recently rumours surfaced that the general was pressing Mugabe to step down
and that his ZANU-PF faction also courted the main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) of rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for a
possible coalition after general elections likely to be held in the next two
years.

Political analysts see the Mujuru faction as the moderate wing of a party
whose current political and economic policies are driven by hardliners who
helped Mugabe's fightback to power in a disputed poll in 2008.

"There is no doubt that Mujuru's death is a major blow to his faction, and
could be a game changer in the succession saga," said Eldred Masunungure, a
political science professor at the University of Zimbabwe.

"There is nobody in his faction with his stature, his political pedigree and
his courage to rally support for his wife and to cut political deals," he
told Reuters.

Masunungure said an outbreak of political infighting could now be expected
because there were other ZANU-PF figures eying Mugabe's position besides
Joice Mujuru and Mnangagwa, for years regarded as Mugabe's preferred
successor.

Over the last few months, a number of local media reports dismissed by
government officials have suggested that the current army commander, General
Constantine Chiwenga, has presidential ambitions.

MUGABE INFLUENCE

Lovemore Madhuku, head of the National Constitutional Assembly pressure
group said Mugabe is likely to have a big say on his eventual successor and
may use Mujuru's death to take a hard look at problems in his party.

"I think Mugabe is going to have a big say on how this will all end, because
although his critics say he is a big liability he is also a big asset in
ZANU-PF because he wields authority, and is a renowned strategist," he said.

Mnangagwa, a secretive political figure known as "the crocodile," has worked
with Mugabe since the 1960s when he was jailed as a teenager after training
as a guerrilla fighter and being captured by Rhodesian forces during a
botched operation.

In public, Mnangagwa denies he has any ambition for the presidency, but many
say Mugabe has tended to gravitate towards his longtime personal assistant
for his toughness, his temperament and his loyalty.

Analysts say Mugabe has probably maintained the balance of power in ZANU-PF
by playing one faction against the other but his advancing age, the threat
posed by Tsvangirai and the MDC and Mujuru's tragic death could push him to
resolve the thorny succession issue.

Although he remains ZANU-PF's presidential candidate, Mugabe may not cope
with the pace of an election campaign, especially if the poll is held in two
years' time, when he is 89 years old.

Mugabe was forced into a coalition government with the MDC two years ago
after disputed elections and the two are still haggling over democratic
reforms and the timing of fresh polls. Tsvangirai has expressed fears over
hardline ZANU-PF elements, but had appeared to warm to Mujuru over the
years.

Many say top ZANU-PF officials, including second vice-president John Nkomo,
State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi and ZANU-PF national chairman
Simon Khaya Moyo, also see themselves as possible successors to Mugabe.

"The game is definitely not over, and we may see some bloody confrontations
before we see the winner," Masunungure said.

Factbox: Leading figures in Mugabe succession race

http://news.yahoo.com/

Reuters By Cris Chinaka | Reuters – 10 hrs ago

(Reuters) - The death of retired Zimbabwean army general Solomon Mujuru, a
key figure in internal battles over President Robert Mugabe's succession in
his ZANU-PF party, has sparked a fresh debate on who will eventually take
over from the veteran leader.

Below are some of the figures seen as key players in the succession race:

JOICE MUJURU, 56

- Joice Mujuru became one of Mugabe's two vice-presidents in ZANU-PF and
government in 2004. Her rise to these positions was engineered by her
husband, General Mujuru, a veteran liberation war fighter who combined the
skills of a tough political fixer and a subtle campaigner to build a
business-backed faction that leaned on Mugabe to support his wife for the
post.

- The general's death has dealt her ambitions to succeed Mugabe a heavy but
not fatal blow, according to the faction.

- Mujuru's biggest handicap are doubts over her own capacity and strength of
character to chart a coherent political and economic program, with critics
saying she is unconvincing.

- But her supporters say Joice Mujuru, whose guerrilla name was "Spill The
Blood," will be able to fight and win her own battles.

EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, 65

- Emmerson Mnangagwa, currently Zimbabwe defense minister, has served in
Mugabe's government since independence in 1980, holding posts such as state
security, justice and speaker of parliament.

- Analysts say the death of General Mujuru, who led a rival faction in the
Mugabe succession battle, could see Mnangagwa consolidating his drive.

But critics say Mnangagwa, a hardline figure and legendary political
survivor commonly referred to as "The Crocodile" is seen as too close to
Mugabe and is identified with most of his controversial policies and
crackdown on the opposition.

- His supporters say he commands authority and can provide strong leadership
needed in a transition.

SYDNEY SEKERAMAYI, 67

- Sydney Sekeremayi is state security minister and, like Mnangagwa, has been
in cabinet since independence and has held portfolios including defense,
health, lands and rural resettlement.

- A quiet and unassuming political operator, Sekeramayi has always been
regarded as the dark horse in the succession race who could be picked by
Mugabe as a compromise candidate.

- His public image as a figure able to stay above the political fray is seen
as his biggest asset, but critics say he lacks the strength to mobilize
support for himself and could be a liability against a strong opposition.

JOHN NKOMO, 77

- John Nkomo is one of Mugabe's vice-presidents alongside Joice Mujuru who
also got the president's nod for the post in a crowded scramble ahead of a
ZANU-PF congress two years ago.

- The veteran politician, who was a senior official in founding nationalist
Joshua Nkomo's ZAPU before its merger with Mugabe's ZANU-PF in the 1980s, is
seen by many as an efficient administrator but also a temperamental leader.

- Critics say age and ill health may count against him.

CONSTANTINE CHIWENGA, 55

- Constantine Chiwenga, a liberation war veteran, is the current commander
of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

- Although the general has not personally commented on whether he is gunning
for the presidency, a top army officer has warned that the military would
not allow ZANU-PF's main rival Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) to assume power. Both Mugabe and his generals say
the MDC is a stooge of Western powers seeking to reverse their nationalist
economic policies.

- Critics have over the years complained about the militarisation of
Zimbabwean politics, and ZANU-PF may prefer to field a civilian candidate
for a higher political post in its tradition of "subjecting the gun to
politics."

- There have been suggestions in the local media that Chiwenga may seek to
retire from the army to join politics.

SIMON KHAYA MOYO, 66

- Simon Khaya Moyo, a boisterous figure, is currently ZANU-PF national
chairman after serving as a government minister and top diplomat.

- Analysts say Moyo may have very slim chances at this stage, but don't rule
out that he could try to use his ZANU-PF position to build support in the
party that may help him rise to the top.

SADC summit takes no action on Zim

Leaders skirt Mugabe confrontation

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Own Corespondent     Friday 19 August 2011

LUANDA – A summit of southern African leaders that ended here on Thursday
avoided confronting President Robert Mugabe on political reforms needed to
stabilise Zimbabwe and instead only urged the veteran leader to continue
working with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in drawing up a roadmap to new
elections.

Analysts say any elections held without Zimbabwe first implementing
extensive constitutional and legislative reforms could plunge the country
back into political violence, while Tsvangirai has previously hinted he
could boycott any polls held without a new constitution and wide ranging
electoral reforms

A communiqué released at the end of the two-day summit urged the Zimbabwean
parties to, “remain committed to the implementation of the agreement (global
political agreement that gave birth to unity government) and finalise the
roadmap for resolving outstanding issues."

The regional leaders also undertook to, “review progress on the
implementation of the (agreement) and take appropriate action."

The southern African country has been a top subject at every summit of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) since 2008 following the
violent re-election of veteran Present Robert Mugabe, which embarrassed even
the staunchest supporters of the octogenarian leader.

Regional civil society groups that met in Johannesburg ahead of the Angola
summit had urged regional leaders to confront Mugabe who continues to block
democratic reforms while using loyal security forces to crackdown on
Tsvangirai’s supporters.

The groups also urged the SADC to tackle the political situations in Malawi,
Swaziland and Madagascar.

A security forces crackdown on anti-government protests in Malawi last month
left 19 people dead, while Swaziland has in recent weeks witnessed growing
protests against King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch. Madagascar
was plunged into crisis following the 2009 army-backed ouster of former
president Marc Ravalomanana.

But Thursday’s communiqué was silent on action, if any, the SADC would take
regarding the various countries, only saying the bloc remained committed to
further mediation efforts to resolve the crises in Harare and
Antananarivo. -- ZimOnline

Eyebrows Raised As Zimbabwe AG Office Represents Grace Mugabe in S. Africa

http://www.voanews.com/

18 August 2011

Four drivers employed by Johannesburg-based businessman Ping Sung Hsieh were
under house arrest in Harare after being detained when they delivered four
trucks Ping had contracted with Mrs. Mugabe to supply

Violet Gonda | Washington

A South African court this week rejected a bid by the Zimbabwean Attorney
General's Office to extradite a former business partner of Grace Mugabe,
wife of President Robert Mugabe, so he could stand trial in Harare for
allegedly defrauding the first lady.

Mrs. Mugabe is said to have paid Johannesburg-based businessman Ping Sung
Hsieh $1 million to purchase six haulage trucks and trailers in 2008, but
Ping failed to deliver.

But some wondered why the Office of the Attorney General and an officer of
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe traveled to South Africa to argue on on Mrs.
Mugabe's behalf.

Zimbabwean state prosecutor Chris Mutangadura was unsuccessful in his legal
bid in Gauteng Province as the magistrate found the case to be a civil
dispute.

Sources said the magistrate criticized Mr. Mutangadura for submitting a
contradictory affidavit and for failing to prove that fraud had been
committed.

Four drivers employed by Ping were under house arrest in Harare after being
detained when they delivered four trucks Ping had contracted with Mrs.
Mugabe to supply. The deal went back to 2008, involving funds transferred by
the Reserve Bank, an alleged partnership in a Chinhoyi gold mine, and an
undercover Zimbabwean police woman.

The short version of the tangled saga is that Ping initially failed to
deliver the haulage trucks, but eventually did so in part, leading to the
arrest of the drivers.

Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, representing the four drivers, told VOA Studio 7
reporter Violet Gonda that it was baffling to see senior government
officials in South Africa acting in what she says was a private extradition
case.

“What interest is it for the Reserve Bank if I have been cheated by my
business partner?” Mtetwa demanded. She noted that the Attorney General’s
office rarely if ever dispatches prosecutors to other hearings in South
Africa, even in robbery cases.

“Even if it was criminal the attorney general does not need to be there
because the application in South Africa is by the state of South Africa to
the South African court,” added Mtetwa, a prominent human rights defender.

Arnold Tsunga, director of the Africa Program of the International
Commission of Jurists, said it is an abuse of state power for the Office of
the Attorney General to step into a civil matter involving private
individuals. “This is one of those examples which shows the ‘big-man
syndrome’ in Africa where the big man becomes bigger than state institutions
and is seen as operating beyond equality of the law," Tsunga said.

Efforts to obtain comment on the case from the Office of the Attorney
General and the Reserve Bank were unsuccessful.

Zimbabwe gives foreign firms 14-day ultimatum

http://af.reuters.com

Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:58pm GMT

* Foreign banks, mines risk losing licences

* Announcement could harm economic recovery - cbank

By Nelson Banya

HARARE, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's government has given foreign companies
including miners and banks a 14-day ultimatum to submit plans on how they
propose to transfer majority stakes to local owners or risk losing permits,
state media reported on Friday.

But central bank governor Gideon Gono immediately issued a statement
criticising the announcement, saying it had created panic in the financial
sector and risked halting the country's fragile economic recovery.

The targeted firms include platinum miners Zimplats, which is majority owned
by Impala Platinum (Implats) , and Mimosa, an Implats' 50-50 joint venture
with Aquarius Platinum .

Others include Rio Tinto's Murowa diamond mine, British American Tobacco and
local units of British banks, Standard Chartered and Barclays .

Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere wrote to the
companies on July 28, informing them they had failed to provide acceptable
details of how they propose to transfer 51 percent shareholdings to local
people within the five years stipulated by law, the state-controlled Herald
newspaper said.

The companies risk losing their operating licences if they do not submit
plans on transfer of ownership that are deemed acceptable, the newspaper
reported.

Gono said, however, the central bank remained the sole authority to issue
and withdraw bank licences and had no intention of taking action against the
foreign-owned banks.

His comment was a sign of the divisions within the government over the
controversial empowerment policy.

"As stated before ... the financial sector ought to be treated with a great
deal of circumspection," Gono said in a statement.

"This is necessary in order to avoid fly-by-night, reckless and excitable
flexing of muscles and decisions that overlook certain fundamentals that
could irreparably harm the nerve-centre of our recovering economy."

In March, Kasukuwere gave mining firms 45 days to file empowerment plans and
imposed a Sept. 30 deadline for the transfer of ownership.

The deadline to submit empowerment plans has since passed.

Last month, Kasukuwere said the government had rejected 175 empowerment
plans from mines, which mostly had proposed selling 25 percent of their
shares and making social investments in infrastructure, health and education
to obtain credits for another 26 percent.

Zimbabwe's coalition government set up by President Robert Mugabe and his
rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai two years ago following disputed
elections is divided over the implementation of the empowerment law, enacted
in 2008 and championed by the president's ZANU-PF party.

Tsvangirai has warned that the law threatens Zimbabwe's economic recovery,
which started after the formation of the power-sharing government in 2009,
following a decade in which GDP shrank by as much as 50 percent, according
to official figures.

Central Bank Says No Intention to Withdraw Foreign Bank Licenses

http://www.bloomberg.com/

By Gordon Bell - Aug 20, 2011 1:50 AM GMT+1000

Zimbabwe’s central bank Governor Gideon Gono said the bank doesn’t have “any
immediate or foreseeable intention” of withdrawing the operating licenses of
registered banks in the country.

People should refrain from “tendencies toward firing harmful verbal economic
gunpowder” that may damage the financial industry and harm the southern
African nation’s economy, Gono said in a statement on the Harare-based bank’s
website today.

Zimbabwe’s Herald newspaper reported Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister of
indigenization, had written to foreign banks and other companies, including
Barclays Plc and Standard Chartered Plc, to give them two weeks to present
proposals to meet a target of selling 51 percent of their local units or
risk losing their licenses.

Gono savages Kasukuwere

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

19/08/2011 18:57:00    by

HARARE - The Zimbabwe Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono on Friday launched
an astonishing attack on Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, hours
after the latter gave two banks and several mining firms an ultimatum to
comply with black empowerment laws or lose their licences.

Without referring to Kasukuwere by name, Gono said the minister’s threats to
take-over Barclays and Standard Chartered Banks “could irreparably harm the
nerve-centre of our recovering economy”.

“Tendencies towards firing harmful verbal economic-gunpowder must be
minimised by all stakeholders in the interest of the economy and the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe Board forewarns people playing with economic gunpowder to
leave the game to those well-trained in its use and safe custody, lest the
unintended will happen, to everyone’s future regret,” Gono warned in an
ill-tempered statement.

Gono’s attack on Kasukuwere will be seen as the latest evidence of confusion
within the coalition government over a law designed to secure a minimum 51
percent stake for Zimbabweans in all foreign-owned firms.

The law has been criticised by foreign companies who have made
counter-offers of at least 30 percent equity for locals – proposals already
shot down by Kasukuwere.

Gono warned the two banks that his intervention should not be “misconstrued
to imply that the Reserve Bank condones or encourages non-compliance with
the law by any institution operating under its purview”, adding: “The law of
the land is the law and it must be complied with.”

But the central bank chief said “dishing out threats to sensitive
institutions that are custodians of people’s hard earned savings” smacks of
“irrational exuberance during these times of necessary soberness.”
“There are ways of achieving the same objectives as intended by the law
through non-confrontational means …,” Gono said.

He added that the Reserve Bank was the only authority empowered to “issue or
take away banking licences”, adding: “The RBZ has neither given notice to
nor does it have any immediate or foreseeable intention(s) to withdraw
operating licences from any registered financial institution under its
supervision.”
Gono’s slap down of Kasukuwere came on the same day that a gold mine
revealed it had been threatened with seizure.

Gwanda-based Blanket Gold Mine, majority-owned by Canadian firm Caledonia
Mining Corporation, issued a statement on Friday accusing Kasukuwere of
exceeding his “legal powers” after it emerged the minister had asked his
mines counterpart, Obert Mpofu, to cancel its operating licence.

“Caledonia has received a copy of a letter sent from the Minister for
Indigenisation to the Minister of Mines, in which he requests that the
Minister of Mines cancels Blanket's operating licence on the grounds that
Caledonia's (indigenisation) proposal does not meet the legislated
indigenisation requirements,” the statement said.

“Caledonia believes the Minister for Indigenisation has exceeded his legal
powers both in terms of his assessment of Caledonia's proposal and his
request to the Minister of Mines.”

The company said it was seeking legal advice.

Mugabe appoints anti-corruption team

http://www.iol.co.za/

August 19 2011 at 08:57am

Zimbwean President Robert Mugabe has appointed a nine-member Anti-Corruption
Commission to stem out corruption in the country, according to a report in
Zimbabwe's Herald Online on Friday.

Denford Chirindo, who previously worked in the ministries of defence and
justice and legal affairs, would chair the commission. He also worked with
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as a senior logistics administrator from
February 2006 to January this year.

Chirindo's deputy would be policy consultant Teresa Mugadza. She previously
worked at the Women in Politics Support Network.

The other members are Goodwill Shana, Zivanai Rusike, Anna Chitsike,
Emmanuel Chimwanda, Shepherd Gwasira, Elita Sakupwanya and Lakayana Duve.

In a statement this week, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet
Misheck Sibanda said the appointments were done in consultation with Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in
line with the constitution of Zimbabwe and provisions of the Global
Political Agreement.

“All the members appointed to the commission are persons of integrity chosen
for their knowledge of and experience in administration or the prosecution
or investigation of crime and/or for their suitability for appointment,”
Sibanda said.

The commission would be sworn-in by Mugabe at a date to be advised. - Sapa

Strike-ridden Air Zimbabwe ready to soar with new aircraft

http://mg.co.za

RAY NDLOVU Aug 19 2011 10:19

In spite of a continuing pay strike by pilots, Zimbabwe's struggling
national airline, Air Zimbabwe (AirZim), has bought two new A340-200 Airbus
passenger planes from France, the Mail & Guardian has established.

The deal is believed to have been financed by Mbada Diamonds, the company
involved in the controversial Marange diamond fields.

According to Eads, the French aircraft manufacturer, a 340-200 Airbus
passenger plane costs between $200-million and $250-million.

A source at the airline said this week a group of hand-picked pilots and air
stewards had left for Madrid, Spain, on Sunday to undergo a month's training
on the new aircraft.

Another group is understood to have received similar training in Toulouse,
France, last month.

Delivery of the planes was expected this week, but has been delayed. AirZim
chairperson Jonathan Kadzura said: "Let's talk about this next week. I am
not yet in a position to comment about this."

The conclusion of the Airbus deal and the training of new staff to run the
aircraft is seen as the key reason for the government's relaxed attitude to
the pay strike. The suspicion is that striking staff members will be sacked.

A recent parliamentary report on AirZim's operations found that the pilots'
demands were too high and that the national airline had a bloated workforce.
Pilots earn between $1200 and $2 500 a month.

The government is hoping that the Airbus deal will reverse the fortunes of
the parastatal, weighed down by debts of more than $100-million, a series of
wage strikes by pilots and an obsolete fleet of three Boeing 737-200 planes.

Zimbabwe's tourism sector, which brought in $634-million last year, up from
$523-million in 2009, has been the biggest casualty of AirZim's woes.
Karikoga Kaseke, the chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, said
this week: "The main problem is that travellers have lost confidence in Air
Zimbabwe. Those who have been inconvenienced have not been affected just
once or twice but many times."

The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe grounded the airline's Boeing
737-200 fleet earlier this year, saying that it had outlived its 20-year
lifespan. South African Airways and SA Airlink have cashed in on the crisis,
grabbing nearly 60% of Zimbabwe's airline market. The cost of return flights
from Harare to Johannesburg has doubled to $800 in line with the increased
demand.

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti has repeatedly refused to bail out
AirZim, citing the lack of funds to do so and a $700-million black hole in
this year's budget.

Mbada Diamonds has increasingly taken on a parallel role of financing the
country's cash shortfalls, a sore point with Biti who has called for the
remittance of diamond revenue directly to his ministry.

Mbada is also understood to have financed recent salary increases for public
servants in July, although it has denied sidelining the treasury.

Zuma to Appoint Zimbabwe Monitoring Team

http://www.radiovop.com

Luanda, August 19, 2011 -Regional Southern African Development Community
(SADC) leaders have tasked the body’s organ troika on politics, defence and
security to develop terms of references for a team of officials which will
join the South African President, Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team to monitor
political developments in Zimbabwe.

The summit communiqué which was released at the end of the summit reaffirmed
the decisions of the last SADC summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa
tasking the SADC organ troika on politics, defence and security to appoint a
team of officials to work with the Joint Monitoring and Implementation
Committee (JOMIC).

“Summit took note of progress in the implementation of its decisions taken
during the Extra Ordinary Summit in June 2011. Summit urged the parties to
the Global Political Agreement to remain committed to the implementation of
the agreement and finalise the roadmap for resolving outstanding issues,”
read the communiqué, released yesterday afternoon at the end of the summit
at the Talatona, Convention Centre in Luanda.

“Summit reaffirmed its decision of the Sandton Extra Ordinary Summit and
urged the troika of the organ to appoint a team of officials to join the
facilitation team and work with the JOMIC to ensure monitoring, evaluation
and implementation of the GPA. The troika shall develop the terms of
reference, time frames and provide regular progress reports. Summit will
review progress on the implementation of the GPA and take appropriate
action.”

Zuma is the new chairperson of the SADC organ troika on politics, defence
and security.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza was elected by the 31st SADC summit as
the deputy chairperson of the regional body. He will take over as SADC
chairperson next year. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete Mrisho was also
elected as Zuma’s deputy at the SADC organ troika.

The summit also discussed political problems in Madagascar, Lesotho and DRC.

Malawi president, Bingu wa Mutharika who did not attend the Luanda meeting
was said to have sent a letter telling the regional leaders the steps he was
taking to deal with the political problems in his country.

Zimbabwe Defence Forces in plot to delay elections

http://bulawayo24.com/

by Mathula Lusinga
2011 August 19 17:49:53

In rather disturbing political developments in Zimbabwe, word on the street
now has it that senior Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) officers want to delay
elections as much as possible in order for them to boost their share in
businesses that have already been taken over or are at threat of being taken
over under the new indigenisation rules. I hear that the military has even
set up a special office specifically to accumulate wealth for themselves and
senior Zanu PF officials. Unsurprisingly the unpopular Joint Operations
Command (a group of the Army, Police, Prisons and the Central Intelligence
heads which meets regularly to coordinate military and security affairs) is
involved, plus serving and retired military and other security officials who
have come to direct all key national and governance issues rather than
cabinet.

Raiders of the last companies!

I recently wrote an essay on the system the Army officials' used to loot
DRC's resources during the conflict in that country – it seems to me there
are many similarity between that and the way that Zimbabwean Army Officers
have teamed up with politicians and businessmen to form political and
economic interest groups investing in lucrative business ventures such as
platinum, diamonds, gold mining, safari and tourism (ok well one day tourism
will lucrative again I'm sure!). They have set up systems which are clearly
manipulating the indigenisation process. Originally put in place to help
ordinary Zimbabweans, these senior Zanu PF and ZDF officials are using the
new rules for their own gain and it seems they have no intention of sharing
their huge wealth with the lower ranks of ZDF, and certainly not the masses.
Everyone knows now that the army boys want total control of the
indigenisation market and my business friends tell me no negotiations with
foreign companies over platinum and other key resources can be carried out
by anyone other than the senior ZDF officials. This even includes the
Ministry of Mines, who are not allowed in on any deals to do with key
resources – not that I sympathise with them of course…

Deals, slush funds and percentages – The making of the domestic bourgeoisie

It is now an open secret in Zimbabwe that a lot of deals involving foreign
investors have only gone through because of senior ZDF involvement. Usually,
a deal would see senior ZDF officers getting 10 – 20% cut of each company's
Zimbabwe operation (The Big Boys with Guns running the show). Although this
might seem high, this would be much better when compared with the 51%
indigenisation rule. A journalist friend of mine recently told me how a
South African was allowed to stay in Zimbabwe after paying undisclosed sums
of money delivered in cash to known ZDF officials in Harare. Asked if he
would have preferred to pull out of the deal seeing Zimbabweans are not
benefiting, the South African just said that's how things are in Zimbabwe
and once you deal with the guys, there seem to be no easy way out. Some
companies are securing much lower indigenous ownership through the patronage
of well-rewarded senior Zanu PF or ZDF officers and I hear that companies
associated with senior and retired military figures have been able to
negotiate down to 20 – 30% Zimbabwean ownership only. Apparently some of the
cut usually goes into a slush-fund for other senior Zanu PF figures.

…and now the Army talks, everybody must shut-up

Remember, this is the first time in Zimbabwe where ZDF has spoken about
politics openly and the way things are now it looks like the army may be
able to have the final say on when elections will be held. The Nyikayarambas
of this world are out there on the loose and we seem to have no power to
stop them. We don't need the army to tell us when elections should happen.
They should just do their job of protecting the country and let politicians
do politics!

MDC welcomes SADC summit resolutions

Friday, 19 August 2011

The MDC welcomes the decision of the Heads of State of SADC for reaffirming
the terms of the communiqué on Zimbabwe made in June 2011in Sandton, South
Africa which among other issues calls for the full implementation of the
Global Political Agreement (GPA) and the adoption of a clear roadmap before
holding of a free and fair election in Zimbabwe.

The MDC is happy that contrary to the desires of Zanu PF to oust South
Africa President Jacob Zuma from the position of facilitator, the just ended
summit in Angola reaffirmed that President Zuma will remain the SADC
facilitator on Zimbabwe.

The MDC welcomes the position taken by the SADC leaders in encouraging the
three political parties to the GPA to remain committed to the agreement and
finalise the roadmap by resolving all outstanding issues.

SADC reaffirmed its decision of the Sandton, Extra-Ordinary Summit and urged
the Troika of the Organ to appoint a team of officials to join the
facilitation team and work with the Joint Monitoring Committee (JOMIC) to
ensure monitoring, evaluation and full implementation of the GPA.

We are aware that Zanu PF tried to resist the appointment of these officials
to sit in JOMIC but this has come to naught.

We are happy that the SADC Troika shall develop the terms of reference, time
frames and provide regular progress reports on the implementation of the
outstanding GPA issues and take appropriate action.

As a party, the MDC is satisfied with the outcome of the summit.However, MDC’s
position is that holding of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe is only
possible if all the parties’ signatory to the GPA respect the agreement and
come up among other things, with a firm date for a referendum on a new
Constitution.

The MDC further salutes SADC for remaining unwavering in its solidarity with
the people of Zimbabwe in their fight for democracy and good governance.

Together, united, winning, voting for real change!!!

--
MDC Information & Publicity Department

NCA, GZF Dismiss Sadc Summit As Routine

http://www.radiovop.com/

By Trust Matsilele, Johannesburg, August 19, 2011- The leading Zimbabwe’s
constitutional pressure group, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
has dismissed the just ended Sadc summit as “routine and same old story”, on
the sidelines of feedback by civic leaders who attended the Sadc summit in
Angola.

Regional co-coordinator of the NCA, Munjodzi Mutandiri took a swipe at Sadc
leaders arguing they did not have capacity to bring any meaningful reform in
Zimbabwe.
Mutandiri in an exclusive interview with Radio VOP said it was up to
Zimbabwean leaders to find common ground among themselves as nothing was
going to come out of the Sadc summit, Sadc special summit or Sadc
extra-ordinary summit.

“There is nothing new which was said in the just ended Sadc summit in
Luanda, which has not been said since the inception of the inclusive
government and clearly what Sadc is hoping to achieve is that
political parties in Zimbabwe may find each other”, said Mutandiri.

“Without consensus by the political parties themselves Sadc can not do
anything more other than continue encouraging them to find each other,
implying that the resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis can only come
from Zimbabweans themselves”, added Mutandiri.

Norah Tapiwa of the Global Zimbabwe Forum (GZF) said the past Sadc summits
never yielded anything fruitful other than empty statements
that have become a common feature of Sadc summits.

“The just ended Sadc summit was just another routine similar to drinking
tea, hence can not be expected to yield any different result”.

The views by NCA and GZF demonstrates the extend of disharmony among
Zimbabwe’s civics as the Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe described the summit
as a success.

“There has been disharmony among governing parties on when referendum and
elections will be held posing serious challenges to Sadc as the regional
body seeks resolve the crisis”, said the NCA.

The NCA urged Zimbabweans to realign their priorities insisting that it
should be Sadc supporting Zimbabwean civics positions on way rather than
Zimbabwe civics supporting Sadc.

Civics Hail Sadc Summit As A Success

http://www.radiovop.com

By Trust Matsilele, Johannesburg, August 19, 2011- Leading Zimbabwe civic
organisations have hailed the just ended 31st Southern Africa Development
Community (Sadc) summit as a success.

Speaking to media in Johannesburg, Friday, Crisis in Zimbabwe coalition
spokesperson Philip Pasirayi said the resolution of the summit reflected
their preferred outcome.

“The Sadc reaffirmed the Sadc troika resolutions of Sandton, Johannesburg
that called for the reinforcement of the facilitation
team”, said Pasirayi.

The Sadc summit held in Sandton mandated the Sadc troika to expand the
facilitation team that will see more monitors being deployed on the ground;
however this expanded team is yet to find financial resources
needed.

Dewa Mavhinga, a human rights lawyer and regional co-coordinator for the
group added that Zanu (PF) was dealt a resounding blow at the summit.

“Zanu (PF)’s mooted 2011 election bid was thrown out, President Jacob Zuma’s
mediation role was extended that is going to assist with continuity as
Zimbabwe seek finality to the 10 year old economic and
political meltdown contrary to Zanu (PF)’s call to have the South African
leader relieved of the facilitation role”, said Mavhinga .

The civics called on the country’s military forces to be recalled from
countryside where they are being accused of brutalizing innocent and
defenseless civilians.

Mavhinga lamented Africa’s pathetic human rights record stating that
Zimbabwe civic organisations leaders were detained at the airport prior to
the summit and their advocacy material impounded.

“Its unfortunate that other Sadc countries fail to respect basic human
rights, our advocacy material we had translated into Portuguese was
impounded at the airport and is yet to be released”, added Dewa.

The meeting was addressed by representatives from Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition-Dewa Mavhinga and Philip Pasirayi, Dzimbabwe Chibwa from Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights and Tawanda Chimhini from Election
Resource Centre.

Human rights violations case against MDC members referred to Supreme Court

Friday, 19 August 2011

A Harare magistrate, Shane Kubonera has ruled that the lives of 24 MDC
members who were arrested in May on false charges of murdering a police
officer are at stake and referred their application to the Supreme Court.
The 24 members raised complaints on their initial remand in court that they
had been severely assaulted while in police custody prompting the magistrate
to order the state to carry out investigations on the complaints.

However, for over two months now the Attorney General’s Office has failed to
bring affidavits of the investigations to court. Magistrate Kubonera today
ruled that the complaints made by the MDC members were justified and their
lives were at stake. The complainants had said that their individual rights
had been infringed upon as they were assaulted while in police custody and
denied access to lawyers.

Magistrate Kubonera further referred the matter to the Supreme Court saying
he had no jurisdiction over the matter as it was a constitutional issue.

Of the 24 members, seven remain in remand prison while the other 17 were
granted bail in July.  Those in remand are; Councillor Tungamirai Madzokera
of Ward 32, Glen View, Rebecca Mafukeni, Musarurwa, Manjoro, brothers
Stanley and Lazarus Maengahama, Standford Chitanda, and Phineas Nhatarikwa.

Their routine remand date was postponed to 7 September.

However, the defence lawyers said they would file a notice for refusal of
further remand if the state failed to set a trial date on 7 September.

Together, united, winning, voting for real change!!!

--
MDC Information & Publicity Department

Tsvangirai to address rally in Mutare

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
19 August, 2011

Prime Minster Morgan Tsvangirai is scheduled to address a rally at Sakubva
Stadium in Mutare on Sunday, where the MDC-T said thousands of supporters
are expected to turn out.

The MDC-T President will update supporters on the outcome of the SADC summit
that took place in Angola this week, as well as the performance of the party
and the status of the inclusive government.

A statement from the MDC-T said several senior members of their National
Executive Committee, Ministers and MPs will also be at the rally and some
will address the supporters.

The party described the event as the “Real Change People’s Peace Rally” and
similar events have already been held in Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo, Chegutu
and Kwekwe.

With elections expected in Zimbabwe next year after a referendum on a new
constitution, the country’s political parties have already gone into
election mode and posters are reportedly being plastered around the country.
Yet no specific date has been set yet.

But as always, elections in Zimbabwe bring harassment, intimidation and
violence - mostly directed against supporters of the MDC formations and
human rights activists.

ZCTU congress starts amid factionalism

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
19 August 2011

The annual congress of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) got
underway on Friday in Bulawayo, amid serious factionalism that had spilled
over into the courts this week.

The weekend congress will see a new ZCTU leadership emerge from the fray.
But the congress was almost brought to a halt after a group of eight ZCTU
affiliates approached the High Court, seeking to bar the meeting from taking
place.

The groups, led by the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), are
backing incumbent ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo to remain at the helm of
the union grouping. They are meanwhile opposed by a faction said to support
Lucia Matibenga, the MDC-T MP for Kuwadzana, to take over. The MDC-T
meanwhile this week denied allegations that it was imposing a party official
into the leadership of the ZCTU, arguing that Matibenga is a respected trade
unionist.

But the Matombo faction argued in court papers Monday that the outgoing ZCTU
Secretary General Wellington Chibebe had nominated ‘individuals,’ with no
affiliation to the trade union confederation, to vote at the congress. A
clear reference to Matibenga being nominated to the post.

The PTUZ’s Raymond Majongwe, who is in the Matombo camp, also told
journalists in Harare on Monday that ZCTU members who attend the weekend
congress would have automatically “expelled” themselves.

"Those who want to expel themselves from the ZCTU should go and partake at
the congress," he said.

The High Court’s judgement was initially delayed on Thursday, but the case
was eventually dismissed. SW Radio Africa’s Bulawayo correspondent Lionel
Saungweme reported on Friday that “they found that the plaintiffs were
wasting the court’s time, because they had already agreed to the dates of
the congress.”

Saungweme explained that the opening day of the congress was focused on the
accreditation of delegates, some of whom are representatives from European
groups. But he said it was quite telling that Lovemore Matombo, despite
being the incumbent President on the ZCTU, was not there.

“If he doesn’t come this weekend then it seems quite clear that he would
have lost,” Saungweme said.

Saungweme meanwhile spoke briefly to Matibenga who insisted that “the
workers will elect a leader of their own choosing.”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai meanwhile opened the congress, with a
message of solidarity and a commitment to the welfare of Zimbabwe’s workers.
He acknowledged the unity government’s failures to bring the country out of
the crisis it was suffering as a result of ZANU PF, and explained that:
“These are problems that can only be solved when we finish the political
processes currently being shepherded by SADC to ensure a free and fair
election in this country. It is only a free and fair election that can yield
a legitimate government that can be able to address the concerns coming from
the various sectors, workers included.”

 

Murerwa flown to SA on ill health

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, August 19, 2011 - Another Zimbabwe Cabinet minister, Herbert Murerwa
has been flown to South Africa said to be in a critical condition, official
government sources said Friday.

Murerwa joins vice-president John Nkomo who is also currently in South
Africa on ill health. Murerwa, currently the Lands resettlement minister was
flown to South Africa earlier this week after his situation deteriorated
rapidly.

Murerwa once fell ill in 2003 which saw him resign from his cabinet post in
2004.

“It’s really not looking good for Herbert,” a close source said.

“He has been ill previously, but this time he was really bad.”

Murerwa also resigned following his “unworkable relationship” with central
bank governor, Gideon Gono during the time when the Reserve bank governor
was most powerful more than cabinet ministers when he was printing money.

His departure to South Africa also comes weeks after another cabinet
minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro died while receiving medical attention in the
neighbouring country.

Deputy prime minister, Thokozani Khupe, was also flown to South Africa was
diagnosed after being diagnoside with breast cancer.

Senior government officials or even President Robert Mugabe always prefer to
receive medical attention outside the country as local hospitals do not have
enough medical equipment, medical experts and medicine.

Zimbabwe Activists Vow Legal Action Against Mbada Diamonds Over Dog Attacks

http://www.voanews.com

18 August 2011

Chiadzwa Community Development Trust said villagers Jealousy Nyakuni and
Lazarus Mazite of Chipindirwe were badly injured when a security guard for
Mbada set dogs on them this week for allegedly trespassing

Sandra Nyaira | Washington

A Zimbabwe group representing villagers living near the Marange diamond
workings says it intends to take Mbada Diamonds, a joint venture partner of
the government, to court over alleged abuses including the setting of attack
dogs on local residents.

Chiadzwa Community Development Trust said villagers Jealousy Nyakuni and
Lazarus Mazite of Chipindirwe were badly injured when a security guard for
Mbada set dogs on them this week for allegedly trespassing on the company's
diamond workings.

The guard was identified only as Van Heerden, the group said.

Calls to Mbada went unanswered. But a company spokesman previously told VOA
that the firm would look into alleged attacks by guard dogs on local
residents.

Community Development Trust Project Manager Melanie Chiponda told reporter
Sandra Nyaira that Mbada ignored calls and e-mails regarding the continuing
dog attacks.

But upon learning that the organization was moving to file a civil suit the
company proposed a meeting on Monday, she said.

"We are going to proceed to meet with Mbada representatives on Monday but it
does not mean that we will necessarily abandon our plans," Chiponda said.

"We want to talk to Mbada about the villagers who are still living in their
[mining zone] and are meeting abuses every day. There must be a way through
which they should co-exist.There are many issues that worry us that we need
to discuss with them, including employment practices, relocations and food
rations."

Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire said his office was not aware of the
alleged attacks on residents, but promised to investigate the complaints.

Victory in Court for WOZA

Press statement Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)

Victory for 8 Pumula members and Trial starts for 6 Iminyela members

Eight members Grace Moyo, Stella Chivunge, Sikhangezile Sibanda, and
Simangaliphi Msimanga, 16yr old Cecelia Ncube, Siboniso Siziba, Miriam Moyo,
and Memory Matandare arrested on 24 May 2011 appeared in Western Commonage
Magistrate Court on the 15th of August 2011. The Magistrate Themba Chimiso
ruled that the state must withdraw the charges before plea. This followed an
application by the defence team from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
challenging the charges.

The accused were charged with two counts: 1. Intentional engaging in a
disorderly or riotous conduct as defined in section 41(a) of the Criminal
Law Codification and Reform Act 9:23. Alternatively Encumbering or
obstructing the free passage along any street, road, throughfare, sidewalk
or pavements as defined in section 46(2)(f) of the Criminal law codification
and Reform act.

Lawyers Lizwe Jamela and Nosimilo Chanayiwa cited a Supreme Court ruling
obtained by WOZA leaders Williams and Mahlangu for a 2008 protest related
arrest. Lawyers argued that the charges were similar to the section 37 (1) a
(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act, the subject of the Supreme Court ruling. As a result of this
ruling, it followed that WOZA members should not be arrested under similar
conditions as they infringe on their constitutional right to freedom of
expression and freedom of assembly, section 20(1) and 21(1) of the
Constitution. This argument rendered the Prosecutor D. Ndebele dumb and he
had no option but to withdraw the charges before plea and record this in the
docket. The members, including a 3 month old baby Rejoice had spent a night
in custody. They were arrested during a peaceful protest in the Pumula
suburb of Bulawayo at their local Electricity supply office demanding a
decent electricity service. WOZA members were conducting a 'power to poor
people'
campaign targeting the Zimbabwe Electricity company which has a monopoly and
overcharges its service.

Six members accused of writing messages about the poor electricity service
appeared in Tredgold Magistrates Court, Bulawayo on 18th of August 2011. The
six members, Janet Dube and 5 others were in the dock for most of the
morning facing Trial. The Trial is being heard by Magistrate Roselyn Dube
and the state prosecutor is Jeremiah Mutsindikwa. They are defended by
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights,
Lizwe Jamela and Nosimilo Chanayiwa. They are charged with
contravening section 140 of Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act)
Chapter 9:23, malicious damage to property. The property being the tar road
connecting the Pelandaba to the City centre.

Malicious damage to property reads: Any person who, knowing that another
person is entitled to own, possess or control any property or realising that
there is a real risk or possibility that another person may be so entitled,
damages or destroys the property. (a) intending to cause such damage or
destruction; or (b) realising that there is a real risk or possibility that
such damage or destruction may result from his or her act or omission; shall
be guilty of malicious damage to property, and liable to. (i) a fine not
exceeding level fourteen or not exceeding twice the value of the property
damaged as a result of the crime, whichever is the greater; or (ii)
imprisonment for a period not exceeding twenty-five years.

Two police officers who arrested the accused gave evidence. Shepherd Sipili
and Lawrence Chademana's evidence seemed to contradict their own written
statements. They admitted arresting Sibekezele and Therezia, saying the
other accused could have been arrested by other officers who were not in
court. The trial will continue on the 1st of September where the Engineer
Lengama Douglas Ncube from City Council must explain how he calculated the
USD 349 damage apparently caused by the women's graffiti. The six women were
arrested on Wednesday 18 May
2011 by armed police officers. During their detention they were denied
access to food and lawyers, split up and help in inhumane conditions in
suburban police stations and held for longer that the 48 hours allowed by
law. WOZA would like to thank Jamela and Nosimilo Chanayiwa of Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human rights for delivering a legal victory for the Pumula
members and look forward to another victory for the six accused of writing
'power to poor people'.

Human Rights Abuses Perpetrated Against “Criminals”

http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/6936

August 19th, 2011

Recently, The Chronicle published an article on a suspected armed robber,
featured on the police’s most-wanted list.  He was killed in police custody
and according to the police, the suspect died after he tried to shoot
detectives during crime scene investigations.

A question arises: since when, in the life of a professional police force,
does an armed robber go for investigation without being manacled? In some
cases, the accused is bound in long chains so an officer can control his
movements like a dog on a leash. All the more worrying is that this is the
sixth or perhaps seventh time that the media has reported a robber killed
after “attempting to shoot and kill police” during investigations.

As a result, there is now a profound fear among inmates on remand that a
suspect is most at risk once the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) say they
require investigations to be made with the assistance of the accused. Not
surprisingly, but confirming their fears, a former CID officer recently
testified in a Bulawayo court that fellow detectives deliberately shot and
killed an accused in their custody. The retired policeman alleges his
colleagues committed perjury when they submitted that a suspect had
physically resisted officers.

Regardless, how and where does an accused, bound in chains, get the
strength, let alone a gun, to attack those holding him captive? So whilst
human rights activists protest against the death penalty, Zimbabwe could be
allowing the ZRP to carry out extra-judicial deaths with impunity.

This entry was posted by Scribe on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at 11:27 am

Bangladesh finally beat Zimbabwe to break drought

http://cricket.yahoo.com

19 August 2011

Bulawayo, August 19, 2011 (AFP) - Bangladesh made a long-awaited
breakthrough in their ODI series against Zimbabwe by winning the fourth of
five one-day internationals at Queens Sports Club on Friday.

After bowling out the home side for 199, Bangladesh coasted home, scoring
203 for four avoiding a tour whitewash as Zimbabwe lead the series 3-1. It
was a welcome victory after their three previous ODI defeats and a Test
reversal by the home side.

Zimbabwe were asked to bat by Shakib Al Hassan and only skipper Brendan
Taylor held them together with his fourth century in ODIs, scoring a six and
seven fours to reach 106.

Only Elton Chigumbura stayed with him, though at fewer than a run every two
balls. They put on 94 runs for the fifth wicket, Chigumbura's share being
31.

Zimbabwe lost five wickets in 12 balls as the lower middle order and
tail-enders collapsed.

The die was actually cast for Zimbabwe when Hamilton Masakadza was
mistakenly given out caught behind by local umpire Owen Chirombe without
scoring and Tatenda Taibu was run out by Nasir Hossain going for a run while
partner Forbes Mtizwa stood his ground. He had managed only seven runs.

Rubel Hossain did the most damage with four wickets for 31. Mushfiqur Rahim
took four catches, adding further lustre to his first ODI century at Harare
on Tuesday.

Bangladesh started with fireworks in reply when Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal
rattled up 24 runs in the first two overs and were 45-0 at the end of the
fourth. Kyle Jarvis conceded 15 runs in each of his first two overs.

Tamim went on to score 61, passing the 3,000-runs mark in internationals. It
was an easy task thereafter, with incoming batsmen Siddique and Rahim taking
their time over reaching the target.

The job was finished off by a rejuvenated Bangladesh, captain Shakib scoring
39 not out in a 74-run fifth-wicket partnership with Shivagoto Hom who made
an undefeated 35.

The final ODI will be played here on Sunday.

Correction: Kinnock article was from 2002

We regret to advise that the article posted on this website yesterday under
the headline: "Glenys abandons EU summit in Mugabe protest" was posted in
error. The article is an old one, originally published in the London Daily
Mail in 2002. The error is sincerely regretted.

For the record, Mrs Kinnock is no longer an MEP.

2012: A Looming Humanitarian Armageddon in Zimbabwe

2012 is a 2009 American science fiction apocalyptic film directed by Roland
Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson and our own,
Zimbabwean born, Thandie Newton. The plot follows one man as he attempts to
bring his estranged wife and family to refuge and attempt to escape the
heightened change in the earth elements.  The plot starts in 2009 when an
American geologist, visits astrophysicist Dr. Satnam Tsurutani in India and
learns that neutrons from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature
of the Earth's core to increase. The geologist gives a report on this to
White House Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) who ends up taking
him to meet the President of the United States.
The film plot follows that in 2010, President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover)
and other international leaders begin a secret project to ensure humanity's
survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board "arks" that are
constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas. By 2011, humanity's
valuable treasures are moved to the Himalayas under the guise of protecting
them from terrorist attacks with the help of art expert and First Daughter
Dr. Laura Wilson (Thandie Newton). Everything about this movie is so
captivating even the quote on the DVD cover; “We were warned!” leaves you
with every desire to watch the movie up to the epilogue.
This Hollywood movie and together with the catastrophic famine and
unprecedented human mortality happening in the Horn of Africa in Somalia,
Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia is what has caused me to write this
article. Like the captivating quote on the 2012 movie DVD cover; “We were
warned!” I believe much of the human life loss in Somalia and Horn of Africa
would have been averted if Governments, International donors and the
humanitarian community had taken seriously the Early Warning Data and
historical information about the possible occurrence of a drought of such
calamitous levels. With this data and indicators, all possible disaster risk
reduction mechanisms and disaster risk mitigation measures would have been
put in place rather than to wake up to skyrocketing child malnutrition and
mortality levels in Daadab refugee camp in Kenya and Dollo Ado refugee camp
in Ethiopia despite being armed with all the necessary pre-emptive early
warning data being collected on a day to day basis by NGOs and governments,
historical and geo-spatial  data collected by agencies like Fewsnet, Nasa,
Google and Governments. "Geospatial information" is simply data concerning a
place, collected in real time. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS),
geospatial information can now be layered and analyzed to understand complex
situations like climate trends, economic trends, natural disasters, ocean
levels, military action, or even population shifts. However, it thus defies
logic to understand why despite being armed with such data, and in this day
and age of such supra-knowhow we still fall behind the lethargic forces of
nature and end up playing catch-me-if-you-can with nature leaving us with no
other option than to go back to the unsustainable reactive and curative ways
of dealing with disasters.
With this thinking, the purpose of my thesis in this article, is to argue
that; from the Horn of Africa situation comes a pregnancy of lessons to
learn for the Government, Donors and Humanitarian actors in Zimbabwe and in
actual fact the whole of Southern Africa, lest we say “We were warned” as in
the movie 2012. To highlight in bold the link between my thesis and the
movie 2012 one would need to rewind to 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002 to know
that this cyclical trend in the history of Zimbabwe is associated with
droughts and this is also true for Southern Africa as a whole if my
knowledge and memory are correct. Fast forward to 2012 one does not need to
be a NASA scientist to easily postulate that all indicators give odds that
2012-2013 is thus most likely  going to be a dry year for Zimbabwe. Rewind
again to 1992 in particular; the 1992 drought in Zimbabwe was recorded as
the worst drought in living memory. It was experienced throughout Southern
Africa. The drought transformed Zimbabwe from a food surplus position to a
net food importer. Thanks only to the robust Primary Health Care system and
a Sound Education System that the malnutrition levels were contained as
people were more knowledgeable of the nutrition practices. Nonetheless one
would note again that this drought came at the time just after the all-time
worst drought in Ethiopia which killed thousands and from which Ethiopia,
during the military rule, became the face of hunger due to somewhat over
dramatization of the whole situation by tabloids and International media
through the pictures that we all saw on our TVs and the press in 1984 and
years to come. However we did not learn anything from this as a country and
instead we went ahead and liquidated or, for political correctness should we
say monetized, our Strategic Grain Reserves in the late eighties in
compliance with the advice from the Bretton Woods Institutions’ driven
Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP).  Without an SGR the country
was caught wanting when nature unleashed the great drought in 1991-92 and
the country produced virtually nothing from its land.
Coming back to 2011 and 2012 one would be forgiven to think that our
Government and Donors and the Humanitarian community have put mechanisms and
contingency plans in place in preparation for this more obvious drought in
order to avoid a 2012 Armageddon in Zimbabwe and minimize human life loss
and morbidity due to malnutrition. The events happening on the ground in
Zimbabwe, however, paint a completely different picture and it seems people
are still caught in a hangover of the cosmetic economic recovery and flying
and on a fantasy cloud nine of prospective two digits GDP growth and as such
we are not watching the events in the Horn Of Africa and we are forgetting
the imminent 2012 cyclical equation. On the other hand donors’ apathy
continues if the recent underfunding of the Consolidate Appeal (CAP) is
anything to go by. Below I try to look at different stakeholders and what
they are doing and or rather they are not doing in order to prepare the
country for this looming disaster;

The Exchequer: The politics of the stomach in the time of the recovering GDP
In recent years the King of Bhutan caught International headlines when he
said that countries should focus on Gross National Happiness instead of
Gross National Product if you really need to measure the progress and
development of a country. This brings me to the questions; Is our Government
really preparing the Country for the 2012 drought? Have we learnt from the
past about the importance of preparedness and disaster risk reduction? Are
we using properly our early warning systems to advise us of mitigation
measures if disaster is to strike us? Are we learning anything from the Horn
of Africa situation? If all answers to these questions are YES then why is
it that the Finance Ministry recently re-introduced the duty on all food
items when we are getting to the eve of the drought year and most families
will erode whatever meager savings they had made whilst trying to feed the
children and send them to school at the same time. Why is it then that all
the Economic Recovery strategies that have so far been put in place by the
Government since formation of GNU, including the STERP 1 and STERP 2 (Short
Term Economic Recovery Programme) all do not put public social safety nets
and social insurance, social protection and social risk management as
pillars to economic development. This is despite the fact that social
transfers have been proven to be an important social risk management tool
for the poor since they reduce poverty resulting from shocks (drought,
floods, sudden food price increases etc). They also reduce vulnerability and
strengthen coping mechanism and they reduce the impact of shocks on
livelihoods nationally by stimulating overall economic activity, and they
protect households by reducing the impact of shocks on productive assets.
For example, economic shocks are less likely to force households to sell
their productive assets like livestock if social safety nets help them cope
with the loss of income. So how is our government really prepared for the
worst to come? In the worst case scenario the drought will have
comparatively exaggerated consequences in Zimbabwe as compared to our
neighbours given our fragile economy which is just coming from more than a
decade of recession, and with more than a million possible returnees from
South Africa if the looming deportations go ahead then the need for fiscal
policy change cannot be further emphasized. On one hand the returnees will
cause a stampede on the already scarce resources and put a strain on the
little social benefits schemes. On the other hand the deportations will also
mean a loss of vital source of remittances which has bankrolled the country
and families for the past decade.
Humanitarian Actors: Step Up or Risk Losing the Plot and Relevance
The challenge to us humanitarian and development actors in Zimbabwe and to
future generations of this country is to avoid falling into similar crises
by adopting alternative tried and tested strategies to ensure food security
within the limitations of natural hazards such as droughts, floods, pests,
etc. It’s painful to note that principles of disaster risk management have
been tried and tested in many different countries for a decade now and have
been shown to have great impact in saving lives yet in Zimbabwe they still
remain rhetoric and confined to academics. NGOs and humanitarian sector in
Zimbabwe preach disaster risk management (DRM) which includes disaster risk
reduction, disaster risk mitigation, disaster preparedness, recovery and
rehabilitation, but yet all this stops short of putting these mechanisms
into action but rather suffers still-birth in costly high profile five star
hotel meetings with not much being converted into tangible results. Most
NGOs have early warning data which indicates to them that 2012 is most
likely to be a disaster year yet all indications show that they are waiting
for the Consolidated Appeals to get money for reaction to the imminent
drought so that they provide humanitarian aid to the needy. Yet recent
history has shown that Zimbabwe is suffering from donor apathy and as such
it is cost effective to invest in preventing or reducing consequences and
impact of the disaster rather than wait for the disaster to strike.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, studies show that a
dollar invested today in disaster risk reduction saves four or more dollars
in the future cost of relief and rehabilitation. If you look at Ethiopia
today, despite this crisis in the Horn of Africa, the country has proved
relatively resilient to this biggest famine in 60 years mainly because of
the robust Disaster Risk Reduction mechanisms put in place by the UN
Agencies, NGOs and Donors. Ethiopia boasts one of the successful Productive
Safety Nets Programmes in Africa targeting millions of poor people with food
and cash in exchange for their community labour and this is one programme
which has saved a lot of Ethiopian lives from the scathing drought
bombarding the region. This safety net programme (PSNP) together with
another one called Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transitions to
More Sustainable Livelihoods (MERET) are disaster risk reduction strategies
employed by the Ethiopian Government and United Nations World Food Programme
(WFP) to get chronically food-insecure communities involved in Climate
Change initiatives through environmental rehabilitation and sustainable
income- generating activities that improve their livelihoods and also create
and maintain community assets like roads, bridges, contour ridges etc. The
World Food Programme also normally known for distributing food is going
steps further by funding the Ethiopia Meteorological Department in
procurement of modern and state of the art weather systems which are used
for collecting accurate weather data which is used for early warning and
preparedness.  The organization is also running a successful programme
called Purchase for Progress (P4P) which aims at supporting small scale
farmers through providing a market for them with competitive prices for
their produce and this produce is used in- country by WFP for their other
programmes. The P4P also provides insurance for small farmers against risk
associated with droughts, crop failure etc and as such farmers are covered
even if there is a drought. With these entire lessons one can be sure that
if NGOs and the humanitarian community in Zimbabwe could gear up themselves
and engage in such programmes which are sustainable then they risk losing
the plot and relevance in avoiding the looming disaster in 2012 in Zimbabwe.
The use of cash instead of food has also been proven to be more effective in
countries where markets are functioning as cash gives people the flexibility
to make their own plans using the money instead of food handouts which are
more like a prescribed remedy without much flexibility. Given the fact that
markets are currently working in Zimbabwe, thanks to the dollarization of
the economy, then NGOS need to put more focus on using cash as a mode for
humanitarian aid so that people can have the flexibility of buying let’s say
seed if need be so that they can make their own produce instead of getting
food. At the same time contingency should be put to support the strategic
grain reserve so that if need be then there would be food available to save
lives in any emergency case scenario. In conclusion I believe the
Humanitarian sector, UN Agencies and NGOs need to change strategies, work
more closely with the government for sustainability. Drought or Disaster
Risk Preparedness measures and Disaster Recovery strategies should form the
basis of their project documents and Humanitarian appeals and they should be
the backbone of their overall strategies since they are important aspects of
alternative food policies in drought prone countries like Zimbabwe. Above
all they need to be pro-active, pragmatic and committed in order to
eliminate hunger and suffering in the country.

The ultimate choice of how our country is going to use lessons learned from
the Horn of Africa, the multitude of historical trends and early warning
data, satellite and geospatial data that we have at our disposal will be
subjective, political and hopefully informed by this evidence that we have.
The following three-step outline summarizes the key issues I raised above,
providing a starting point for making the necessary decisions.

1.    The first step is for our Government, NGOs, UN and donors to accept
that there is a looming disaster and nothing much has been done to prepare
for this 2012 cyclical drought. We need to accept that we can learn from the
disaster in the Horn of Africa and prevent our country going through the
same loss of life. If we move from this denialism we can easily and quickly
identify and quantify the magnitude of this possible disaster and we will be
better placed in knowing what our needs will be and where they will be.
2.    The second step is to use all the necessary data that we have so that
we can build robust disaster risk reduction systems from national level up
to the micro-level. These systems should be reflected from the Policy level
including Fiscal decisions and commitments and also in the projects and
programmes that NGOs and other non-state actors are involved in with much
emphasis being given to social safety nets and inclusion programmes and also
to support the Government institutions like the Meteorological department,
Food and Nutrition Council, the University Institute of Food and Nutritional
Sciences and other Research Institutes.
3.    Finally we have to put back Strategic Grain Reserves in place and
initiate community based reserves like the Zunde Ra Mambo as part of long
term strategies to deal with shocks and also instill food security both at
National and community levels
These three steps above though not exhaustive frame a starting point for our
country to avoid an almost inevitable catastrophe and lest we will say “We
were warned.” Like in the 2012 movie we need to start on this journey to
guarantee survival of humanity in Zimbabwe and preserve life.
Perseverence F Ganga is a Zimbabwean Humanitarian Worker working in Ethiopia
writing in his own capacity and in this article he expresses his own views
and does not represent any organization. The author can be contacted on
perseverenceganga@gmail.com

My ideal Zimbabwe

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 19/08/11

I am sure nobody would like their time wasted by us going over some of the
hate mail I have received which is the other side of emotions!! For the not
so hateful responses others showed the usual prejudices which are best
illustrated by part of one email which said:

“Your articles are full of zeal but sometimes you are lost in the desire
(that I sometimes feel oozes from a need to be accepted in your adopted host
country) to impress your hosts up there in the North. (Now that I know you
have business interests up there I do understand you) Now you are entangled
between the real you and the farce that you pretend to be on paper and
 mail.”

I did not bother addressing the abusive and misplaced assumptions in that
quote because they are sadly suggestive of lack of principles and endemic
corruption in order to run a successful business. I wonder how much more
abuse would have been shoved at me had I said I am living in a drain pipe.

Others were itching for an un-intellectual argument. That was not for me. I
was born and bred in Rhodesia including the war days, and left Zimbabwe in
2001 at the height of the farm seizures. I did not agree with the farm
seizures and the impunity that had taken hold since the Willowgate Scandal.
That is the gist of my argument.

My “standard” reply today was as follows:

I agree emotions can become a distraction, however in this particular case
some people would have been very happy if I had disowned the liberation
struggle. While many wrongs happened on both sides of the struggle, I
believe in a non-racial society.

I also believe that there was no need to kill white farmers in order to get
the land after independence because the State could have simply taxed unused
land until it was surrendered for redistribution in a transparent way -
regardless of political persuasion, race, tribe or anything else.

The state had enough machinery to monitor any properties that it may have
suspected of being used for speculative reasons through annual returns and
progressively taxing “low yield and no-yield farms” until the “speculator/s”
realised it was unsustainable and finally released the land for sale to
government for re-settlement.

There was no need for violence or jambanja and murder of innocent farmers
and their hardworking labourers especially as the war was over and most
people had accepted the policy of national reconciliation.

I am not pretending to be anything or to please anybody but just to be a
realist and a pragmatist. I also know the importance of apologising when you
make mistakes. Mugabe should have done that by now for Gukurahundi and for
revoking reconciliation which he had announced at independence.
Zimbabweans had accepted reconciliation only to be plunged into a deep
economic recession and political instability enough to trigger a massive
brain drain because someone got paranoid when people rejected the draft
constitution in 2000.
I have an interesting question for those who are trying to grab Western
banks, in the guise of indigenisation or economic empowerment.
What would they do if, after seizing Barclays Bank for example and were
later slapped with a multimillion dollar reparations bill by victims of
slavery, since it has reportedly admitted companies it bought over the years
may have been involved in the slave trade?
According to The Observer, Sunday 1 April 2007, “The New York-based
Restitution Study Group has uncovered evidence that two prominent slave
trading bankers, Benjamin and Arthur Heywood from Liverpool, founded
Heywoods Bank in 1773 on profits from the slave trade. Heywoods was taken
over by Martins Bank in 1883 which itself was bought by Barclays in 1968.”
My example of pragmatism and realism is having a Barclays account because
they have enough resources for stability in a turbulent global market but
knowing its history.
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London
Zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

A letter form the diaspora

Friday, August 19th 2011

Another Summit and another failure of African leadership; yet again we have
no resolution on Zimbabwe but, “There’s ongoing progress,” says Salamao,
SADC’s Executive Secretary, “Let’s be fair to them.” I wonder, is that the
same as turning a blind eye?

Jacob Zuma, who is still the Facilitator despite Zanu PF’s best efforts to
get rid of him, was rather more forthright, declaring at the end of the SADC
Summit that leaders in Zimbabwe must stop delaying the resolution of the
political crisis. “They are running out of time,” said the South African
president. “They cannot perpetually have unity government. They must hold
elections but they must prepare for them.” Zanu PF has once again used the
‘sovereign state’ argument. “We are a sovereign state, no one else can tell
us what to do” though that doesn’t stop them accepting aid from the US and
EU., both at the top of the list of donors.

Perhaps the real reason for SADC’s inaction on Zimbabwe is explained by the
fact that Robert Mugabe at 87 is older than the Tribunal itself. Respect,
not always warranted, for age is an African reality not often understood in
the west. The fact that Mugabe is seen as a Liberation hero makes it even
less likely that the SADC leaders will openly condemn him. On Heroes Day
Mugabe listed the countries he considered friendly to Zimbabwe: China,
Russia, Cuba and Brazil. None of them are noted for their adherence to human
rights or democratic governance. The fact that the chair of the SADC
Tribunal has just been taken over by Angola gives little hope that a
solution to Zimbabwe’s problem will be found any time soon. It was, after
all, the Angolan government which detained civic leaders when they arrived
in Luanda for the Summit.

The death of General Solomon Mujuru totally dominated the news at home and
even here in the UK. there was analysis of the political implications of his
death in the leadership struggle.

Contacts inside the country tell me that Zimbabweans talk of nothing else
but how the General came to die in such a manner. The former white owner of
the farm argues that it was impossible for the General to be trapped inside
the farmhouse, bearing in mind the number of windows and doors on that side
of the house through which he could have escaped. In a chilling reminder of
Zanu’s propensity for violence, the Daily News published a list of prominent
Zimbabweans who have died in suspicious circumstances.
For some reason the US Ambassador was barred from paying his respects to the
late Liberation hero; it’s often hard to fathom the actions of Zanu PF
officialdom but this is typical of the vindictive spite they show towards
so-called enemies, even those who top the donor list!

Meanwhile, in the real Zimbabwe, outside the bubble where politicians live,
farm invasions continue unabated and often with horrible cruelty, wrapping a
farmer in barbed wire because he did not chant Zanu PF slogans is one
particularly barbaric example. Gangs just arrive at the farm gates and order
the owners and workers off. The truth is that the absence of law and order
in the country enables anyone who feels like it to take whatever they want.
The ex-communicated ‘Bishop’ Kunonga is actually accompanied by the police
as he turns bona fide Anglican priests out on the streets and takes over
their houses. This week we hear that Kunonga has won a High Court action
giving him control of all Anglican parishes until the matter is finalised
before the courts. Why is this allowed to happen? There’s one simple answer:
Kunonga supports Robert Mugabe. Salamao talks of ‘Progress in Zimbabwe’; but
he is certainly not referring to the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans. The UN
reports 1.5 million Zimbabweans are facing starvation unless food aid is
rapidly forthcoming – from those detested western donors no doubt.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka. Pauline Henson author of the
Dube books, detective stories set in Zimbabwe with a political slant,
available from lulu .com