Border region struggles with influx

Peter Biles, BBC News, South Africa The deserted road that runs parallel to the Limpopo offers a fine view of the river once described by Rudyard Kipling as "great, grey-green and greasy". The fortified fence fails to deter those desperate to flee The crocodile-infested Limpopo forms a natural barrier between South Africa and Zimbabwe, but the illegal migrants who try to cross the border on a daily basis, also face a man-made barrier. A triple line of fencing and barbed wire is meant to prevent the influx of Zimbabweans into South Africa. Heading eastwards, close to the Beitbridge border post, I see two young men scurrying across the road. When they hear my car approaching, they disappear into the bush. But a third man, trailing behind his friends, is still trying to find a way through the fortified fence. As I drive past, he quickly turns back down the slope towards the river bank to avoid being seen. Thousands of Zimbabweans, including women and children, are now risking the perilous border crossing in a desperate bid to flee a country that has descended into political and economic chaos over the past six years. "The border fence is no deterrent", says Annette Kennealy who speaks for the farmers' union in Limpopo Province. "These Zimbabweans are hungry, destitute and driven to crime. We find a lot of them staying on local farms temporarily, but others move southwards, trying to reach the big cities; Johannesburg and Pretoria". 'Rights abuses' Every Thursday, a train pulls into the station at Musina, South Africa's most northerly town. Several hundred illegal Zimbabwean migrants who have been arrested, and held at a detention centre near Johannesburg, are being deported from South Africa. Under police escort in Musina, they wait in groups on the station platform, before being crammed into police trucks and driven to the border. In Zimbabwe, we're dying of hunger. I used to drive taxis, but now there are no jobs and no money there Enoch Mafuso A recent report by Human Rights Watch claimed that migrants from Zimbabwe were vulnerable to human rights abuses in South Africa. It further alleged that police and immigration officials had violated the lawful procedures for arrest, detention and deportation. However, Inspector Jacques du Buisson of the South African Police Service (SAPS) denies that police have maltreated Zimbabwean migrants: "If they're arrested around here, they're brought to the police station in Musina, where they receive food and medical treatment if that's required. "Then, on the same day, they'll be deported. We've never mishandled any illegal foreigner" Support centre According to new figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the South African authorities have deported nearly 31,000 Zimbabweans since the beginning of June. This would seem to represent a sharp increase in the number of deportations. Annette Kennealy says the problem is escalating In response, the IOM, in collaboration with the Zimbabwean government, has opened a reception and support centre at Beitbridge, on the Zimbabwean side of the border. This provides humanitarian assistance for the deportees on their return to Zimbabwe. "We're counting 100,000 people a year in need of immediate help, on their arrival back in Zimbabwe", says Hans-Petter Boe, the IOM's Regional Representative. The problem is that while some of the illegal migrants may go back to their homes in Zimbabwe, many make repeated efforts to re-enter South Africa in the hope of finding work. Zimbabwe's economic collapse, with inflation in excess of 1,100% per annum, has led to increasing hardship. Political will Musina is a South African frontier town, but Zimbabwean rhythms fill the air at the main taxi rank and traders can be seen carrying bundles of near worthless Zimbabwean bank notes. Musina's taxi rank is full of Zimbabweans Enoch Mafuso, 21, who entered South Africa legally last month, describes his predicament: "In Zimbabwe, we're dying of hunger. I used to drive taxis, but now there are no jobs and no money there. I want to stay here in South Africa, but it is very difficult to get a job". No-one is sure how many Zimbabweans are in South Africa, but the estimates range between two and three million. With no end in sight to Zimbabwe's woes, Ms Kennealy of the local farmers' union warns of an impending crisis in South Africa: "We're on the frontline here in Limpopo Province. People living further south don't realise what we're facing. "If our government had the political will, they would patrol the borders, introduce more regulations and stop these people from coming in. This problem is escalating and the long term effects for the rest of South Africa are going to be enormous."

Zim grain trade boss charged with corruption

Mail and Guardian

Harare, Zimbabwe

26 August 2006 04:42

      The head of Zimbabwe's main state grain marketing board has been
arrested on graft charges, police said on Saturday, days after another top
executive was jailed in a new drive against growing corruption.

      President Robert Mugabe ordered a crackdown on graft last month
to try to resolve Zimbabwe's economic crisis, blamed by critics on his
policies in the potentially-rich Southern African country he has ruled since
independence from Britain in 1980.

      Police spokesperson Inspector Andrew Phiri said retired army
colonel Samuel Muvuti, the acting chief executive officer of the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB), was arrested on Friday on charges of defrauding the
GMB of Z$950 000 ($3 800).

      Phiri said Muvuti -- who denies the charges -- was accused of
paying some of his private farm workers from the GMB salary coffers, and
would soon face formal charges of corruption in the lower magistrate court.

      On Monday, a Harare court sentenced the head of Zimbabwe's state
bus company to two years in jail for soliciting a $85 000 bribe to award a
bus procurement tender.

      It was the first high-profile conviction since Mugabe announced
his new crackdown on graft in July.

      Mugabe says rising corruption is threatening his government's
efforts to revive an economy in recession over the last eight years and
which is now struggling with the world's highest inflation rate of nearly 1
000%. - Reuters

'Dabengwa abused Nkomo's property'

Zim Standard

      BY gibbs dube

      BULAWAYO - Equipment worth billions of dollars sourced by the
late Vice President Joshua Nkomo in 1997 has been reduced to a wreck by a
top ruling party official.

      The equipment has been clandestinely used to process timber in
Matabeleland North.

      According to authoritative sources, Zanu PF politburo member and
former Cabinet Minister Dumiso Dabengwa used the equipment between 2003 and
2004 after it was cleared from the Container Depot (Condep) in Bulawayo
where it was kept by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) for almost five
years due to non-payment of customs duty.

      One of the sources said: "Dabengwa recommended to the
Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) that the equipment should be stored at
the Cold Storage Commission (CSC) premises soon after it was cleared by
ZIMRA. Little did some of us know that he was clandestinely using it for
processing timber sourced from Nkayi and Lupane.

      Nkomo set up DTZ and Dabengwa is a board member.

      "The equipment that is available now is a wreck and has been
ferried by the DTZ to Nyamandhlovu where it is awaiting repairs. It is
almost impossible to account for some of the equipment as it has been
looted. We suspect that the same ruling party official and other people in
the DTZ are involved."

      Another source said Dabengwa never entered into an agreement
with the DTZ to use the equipment for processing prime timber in the region
but had indicated that it was safely kept at the CSC premises.

      The source said: "We were informed recently that the equipment
is now a total wreck. Experts in heavy duty machinery have informed us that
it will cost more than $30 million (revalued) to repair the equipment that
can be accounted for."

      The project was set to benefit people in Matabeleland North
where more than 3 000 jobs would have been created. Revenue generated from
the project was supposed to be ploughed back into the community.

      Former Matabeleland North Governor, Welshman Mabhena, who was
the chairman of Forestation Folliage (Pvt) Limited - a company formed by
Nkomo to spearhead the timber project in 1997 - noted that this was not the
first time that Dabengwa had appropriated property sourced by Nkomo for
community projects.

      Mabhena said: "Apart from using the timber equipment for
personal purposes, this official (Dabengwa) utilised tomato dryers and other
equipment sourced overseas by Nkomo for an agricultural project at Balu
Estate nearBulawayo for his own use."

      Dabengwa refused to comment on the allegations claiming that he
was having difficulties in speaking due to a toothache.

      "I can't speak to you right now. I am just coming from the
dentist," Dabengwa said.

      When put to him that the allegations were serious, he said: "I
have told you that I am feeling pain due to a toothache. I just left the
dentist five minutes ago and I am driving." He then switched off his mobile
phone.

      However DTZ corporate affairs executive, Wellington Chando,
confirmed that the timber equipment was once used by "a certain individual
soon after it was cleared by ZIMRA from the Condep Customs yard in
Bulawayo".

      Chando, who declined to name the official, indicated that the
timber equipment needed repairs although it has since been ferried to
Nyamandhlovu to kick-start the timber project next month in accordance with
Nkomo's vision of empowering the Matabeleland North communities settled in
timber-rich areas.

      He said: "I do not want to mention names in this case but all I
can say is that the Bulawayo person's timber project was not successful. He
used the equipment but I cannot tell you much about the whole thing. At the
same time I cannot say how much is needed to repair the machines in
Nyamandhlovu.

      "I can confirm that some motors of mobile band saw mills and
multi-cut horizon saws are missing. It was a very expensive exercise to keep
all the equipment together."

       He also noted that DTZ was negotiating a deal with "a certain
individual" and a company from Manicaland for the processing of timber in
Matabeleland North using this particular equipment.

      "There are several people who were interested in the deal but
the board has settled for this individual and the Manicaland company. I
cannot name this person. We are going into a partnership although we have
not yet informed the other interested parties," he said.

      The Standard has established that it is Dabengwa and a company
linked to another top government official (name supplied) who are likely to
benefit from the arrangement.

      Nkomo sourced 10 million pounds from the National Westminster
Bank in 1997 and used part of the funds to purchase the equipment.

Tungamirai poisoned,says wife

Zim Standard

      By Valentine Maponga

      THE late Air Chief Marshall Josiah Tungamirai died after he ate
poisoned food, his widow claimed yesterday.

      Tungamirai, who was the Minister for Indigenisation, died on 25
August 2005, at the Garden City Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa after
being flown there for treatment.

      He had had a kidney transplant in South Africa in 2000 and
officials said he succumbed to a kidney related ailment.

      But on the first anniversary of the national hero's death, his
widow, Pamela, was prepared to tell the public that he had died after eating
food laced with poison.

      She told The Standard yesterday she felt the need to tell the
nation the truth about the circumstances leading to Tungamirai's death. She
said Tungamirai was poisoned on his way from Masvingo where he had attended
a Zanu PF Co-ordinating Committee meeting.

      Along the Harare-Masvingo highway, Pamela said Tungamirai
decided to eat something before taking his medication. He then sent his
official driver, who Pamela identified, to buy chips and chicken.

      She said the driver brought chips only as there was no chicken.
"After eating two mouthfuls, he started vomiting. When they were in Chivhu,
he phoned and told me that he was not feeling well," she said.

      Tungamirai, according to the wife, went straight to their farm
in Darwendale. "He was vomiting and looked very frail. He also started
having diarrhoea and we decided to take him to hospital. I took him to the
Avenues Clinic where he was examined by Doctor Chiratidzo Ndhlovu," she
said.

      She added: "My husband told me that the chips had caused his
illness. 'If anything happens to me, he said, you should know it's because
of the chips'," said Pamela.

      Tungamirai's condition became worse and he was flown to South
Africa. "When we arrived in South Africa the doctor who was treating him, Dr
Viljeon, described the condition as mysterious. He never recovered."

      Dr Ndhlovu yesterday confirmed that she saw Tungamirai before he
was taken to South Africa. "If there was anything like that (food
poisoning), it would include the police. The person who signed the death
certificate knows the cause of death and files on his initial condition can
only be found at the Avenues Clinic."

      Pamela's sensational claims are also contained in an
advertisement she placed in The Herald on Friday.

      Pamela said in the advert: "What gives me relief is the obvious
signs of hell on earth on all those who had a hand in the lacing of poison
on those fresh chips you ate, and brought home the remains, and told me all
that resulted in your immediate illness leading to your death."

      Pamela is currently locked in a bitter legal wrangle with
Solomon Mujuru, a retired army commander over the late Tungamirai's estate.

Gono says sorry

Zim Standard

      BY OUR STAFF

      RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono has admitted that
the campaign to harvest old bearer cheques had "rough edges" and apologised
unreservedly to Zimbabweans who were inconvenienced during the process.

      Gono made the apology at a Press conference on Friday in Harare
where he reviewed implementation of the campaign that took senior government
officials, including Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa, by surprise.

      He admitted there were "hurtful consequences" that arose when
police and ruling-party militias laid siege in many parts of the country
searching and seizing travellers' bearer cheques. He however did not discuss
any possibility of compensation for people who suffered losses at numerous
roadblocks mounted by police and militias during the past three weeks.

      There were disturbing reports of women being stripped naked and
people losing their money and valuables to the marauding militias.

      "One rough edge was the inconvenience of numerous roadblock
searches and occasional misunderstandings that occurred there," Gono said.

      "Whatever bad experiences that some of you experienced at those
roadblocks while our teams were carrying out their lawful duties, we
sincerely apologise unreservedly."

      He said these mishaps formed part of lessons that would be used
in future when similar programmes are carried out.

Starving Bubi villagers barter cattle for grain

Zim Standard

      BY GODFREY MUTIMBA

      BEITBRIDGE - As hunger and starvation continue to stalk
thousands of people in Matabeleland South, residents of Bubi in Beitbridge
have resorted to bartering their cattle for maize-meal.

      Reports from Matabeleland South indicate that more than 500 000
people in the province are in need of food aid as humanitarian agencies
stopped assisting them after the government assured the international
community of a good harvest.

       However, the perennially drought-prone province received poor
rainfall resulting in food shortages.

      A recent visit to the province by The Standard revealed that
hungry villagers are exchanging a beast for seven 50kg bags of maize-meal in
a bid to survive.

      A beast ranges from $80 000 to $160 000 (revalued) yet the cost
of a 50kg bag is about $1 000. This means that desperate villagers are
giving away their cattle.

      Villagers who spoke to The Standard said it was better to lose
their valued beasts rather than starve to death.

      "We just can't do anything because if we try to keep our cattle
we will starve to death. We are aware that we are losing thousands of
dollars but we don't have an option because we will die of hunger," said
Sibongile Tshanda, a villager from Bubi.

       Another villager, Arnold Dube, said the Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) has not been supplying grain to their area, believing that they had a
good harvest.

      "We hear that grain has been stuck at the Beitbridge Border Post
for the past two weeks at a time villagers here are starving.

      "GMB has not been supplying us with grain to buy but have
assured the nation of enough food supplies in the country. We always need
assistance but the government has barred aid agencies saying we had a good
harvest," he said.

      Some villagers are also using their sheep and goats in exchange
for grain as they battle to save their families from starvation.

      The villagers complained that if they do not get assistance from
the government or well-wishers they will lose all their domestic animals as
they seek to ward off starvation.

      The Standard could not get comment from Matabeleland South
governor, Angeline Masuku. She was said to be out of her office.

Shocking squalor at Harare Airport

Zim Standard

      By Foster Dongozi

      ZIMBABWE may hold lofty ambitions of wooing tourists, especially
during the 2010 World Cup in neighbouring South Africa, but all that could
be wishful thinking.

      A visit to Harare International Airport last week established
that service delivery has deteriorated to shocking levels.
      For most of Tuesday last week there was no water in the toilets
at the airport.

      In some, there were no lights, a development which would have
exposed travellers to muggers.

      Women travellers also reported that there were no lights in
ladies' toilets, which also did not have toilet  paper.

      As if to confirm that the standards had sunk to an all-time low,
the public address system was not functioning, exposing travellers to the
risk of being left behind by their flights.

      Harare International Airport was at one time one of the busiest
in the region and hosted international airlines such as Lufthansa, Air
France, KLM, Swissair, Balkan Airlines, Qantas, Alitalia and TAP, the
Portuguese airline.

      Following the economic  political crisis which began in 2000,
many airlines began to shun Zimbabwe.

      Harare Airport now resembles a ghost town as the arrival or
departure of a plane now draws excitement. The few people operating gift
shops at the airport said they were struggling to survive because of very
low tourist arrivals.

      Prominent businessperson, Senator Aguy Georgias, has also made
public his concern about the declining state of the country's tourist
attractions after he took his family to Kariba recently.

      "One wonders why there has been such a decline in standards in
an industry that used to be our nation's pride. Our service and hospitality
came second to none on the entire continent. Not anymore," he declared.

      Senator Georgias said in Kariba he had come across stuffy and
smelly hotel rooms, poor food quality and indifferent waiters.

      The Senator appealed to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and
the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Zimbabwe to come up with urgent
solutions to save the country's tourism industry.

      Karikoga Kaseke, the chief executive officer of the ZTA,
acknowledged that there were problems at the international airport.

      "The service at the airport cannot be separated from the issue
of tourism. We have received similar complaints about the shoddy service
being provided at the airport. We are very concerned about what is going on
and only yesterday, we toured the airport and made very bold statements to
the Civil Aviation Authority. We gave them three weeks to improve service
delivery or face the music."

Unity, the new buzzword in MDC

Zim Standard

       newsfocus by Walter Marwizi
      UNITY is now the new buzzword in the divided Movement for
Democratic Change, just a few weeks after leaders of
      opposition parties made a public pledge to work together to
remove Zanu PF from power.

      In February, when the two factions officially split, it was hard
to conceive that the warring parties would ever talk unity.
      Their pre-occupation was with going separate ways; holding
separate congresses and denigrating each other.

      But the past two weeks have seen heightened manoeuvres aimed at
building a consensus on the new way forward.

      "It seems, everyone has made a belated realisation that we are
members of the same family," said a pro-Senate MDC official who had
originally opposed the reunification of the factions.

      A statement issued by Gabriel Chaibva, spokesperson of the
faction led by Professor Arthur Mutambara, last week confirmed that unity
had become a priority issue in his camp.

      "(Mutambara's) call for reunification of all democratic forces
in Zimbabwe was unanimously adopted by the supreme policy-making body, the
National Council, and unity has been our first prize," Chaibva said.

      This was the first time a senior official of the faction
disclosed the quest for unity had taken centre stage at their meetings
though officials of the anti-Senate appeared reluctant to disclose how their
faction was handling the new thrust towards unity.

      But what has prompted the two factions to start unity overtures?

      While there had been suggestions that donors may have played a
part in bringing the rival politicians together, it has emerged that both
Morgan Tsvangirai and Mutambara have realised that they may never make it to
State House if they continue squabbling.

      "Mutambara and Tsvangirai have realised what almost everyone had
known - they won't be able to beat Zanu PF when they are fighting each
other," a top official of the Mutambara faction said.

      "A divided MDC would do badly at the polls in 2008. This would
mean the two would have to wait for another six years. So the only option is
to forget about all the supposed differences between Mutambara and
Tsvangirai and fight against a common enemy," the official said.

      Over the past few weeks, Mutambara has wasted no time in
stressing the need for national interest above personal interests to members
of his faction's inner circle. He even took his crusade to the National
Council where he got the endorsements for the secret negotiations with the
Tsvangirai group.

      Under a compromise deal, still far from being concluded and
whose details still remain sketchy, Tsvangirai would retain his position as
President with Mutambara becoming Vice President.

      The fate of the other officials would be decided once the two
leaders agree on the way forward. Officials who are against the process risk
being sacrificed, The Standard was told.

       Mutambara's associates said the professor was willing to play
second fiddle to Tsvangirai for "the sake of national interests". He derived
consolation, they said, from the fact that this would strategically position
him for the leadership of the united party once
      Tsvangirai's constitutional term ended in 2011.

      Tsvangirai pledged at his faction's congress that he would not
seek an extension to his term of office.

      But before Tsvangirai and Mutambara form the MDC's presidium,
insiders warn the process of bringing the two factions together is no easy
task.

      Both camps have structures from grassroots to the top, which
would have to be disbanded.

       While not many problems are expected to arise from this process,
sources from both camps say Professor Welshman Ncube's case would present a
conundrum.

      Would he be retained as the secretary general of the united
party or be given an inconsequential post in the new arrangement?

      Ncube, who was the cornerstone of the old MDC's administration,
is thought to be the schemer who holds sway in the pro-Senate faction

       He is considered the think-tank of the group that broke away
from Tsvangirai on 12 October 2005.

       Would he also be prepared to reconcile with Tsvangirai after the
major fallout over the Senate?

       "That could be a sticking point," an official of the Tsvangirai
faction said.

      "It might take a bulldozer to bring these two (Tsvangirai and
Ncube) to share the same table again," he added.

      But Chaibva says it's absurd for anyone to suggest that Ncube is
opposed to unity.

      Tendai Biti, the Secretary General of the Tsvangirai faction
says his party is also prepared for unity although "there are no talks over
the issue".

      "Anyone in Zimbabwe who doesn't want unity is not a true
democrat," says Biti. Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson of the faction also
said no talks were taking place.

      But Chaibva probably explains why there has to be secrecy over
the talks. "Any discussions around the subject of unity shall remain
confidential until such time it may be necessary to make statements in that
regard."

Steep maternity fees drive women to 'Kumasowe'

Zim Standard

      By Sandra Mandizvidza

      A FEW months ago when Eunice Munyoro realised she was pregnant
she went to an apostolic sect instead of a local clinic, the reason being
the prohibiting maternity costs charged by our health institutions.

      The 23-year-old Budiriro woman is now battling for her life
after she suffered a miscarriage. The foetus was buried Kumasowe during
worship.

      Munyoro, who is being cared for by a "prophet", has not reported
the matter to the police and has no intention of doing so anytime soon.

      She is just one of many pregnant women who have fallen victim to
the current economic meltdown which has pushed maternity fees through the
roof.

      Many pregnant women, especially in Budiriro and other
high-density suburbs of Harare, now resort to the apostolic sects for
pre-natal check-ups.

      The sects have midwives who can assist the women at little or no
cost, especially if one is a member.

      Speaking at a workshop jointly conducted by the Women's Action
Group (WAG) and the Community Working Group on Health  held in Budiriro
recently, many of the women from the suburb expressed concern over the
ever-rising cost of maternity fees.

      Maternity fees at council clinics, which used to be affordable,
are now $11 500 (revalued), a figure that is far beyond the reach of many
ordinary Zimbabweans.

      This has resulted in limited access to maternity and antenatal
care by women who desperately need such services.

      Budiriro Satellite Clinic, known for detaining patients who fail
to pay fees, always refers pregnant women who develop complications to
Harare Hospital.

      What bothers most women is that they are asked to pay again at
the referral hospital.

      "I paid $11,5 million dollars at Budiriro Clinic but when I went
there  during my ninth month, I was told that I had high blood pressure. I
was referred to Harare Hospital where I was asked to pay more," said
Cleopatra Musabaiwa of Budiriro.

      The women also complained about being detained at clinics and
hospitals if they failed to pay the hospital fees.

      "Personally I don't want to go to Harare Hospital because I won't
forget the trauma my aunt was subjected to after failing to pay the money.
If I cannot find the money I would rather go Kumasowe, they also have
midwives," said Mazvita Gumbo, also from Budiriro.

      Edinah Masiyiwa, WAG's director, said it was important for
expectant mothers to go to clinics and hospitals where they are assured of
expert advice.

      She said that health care service providers such as the City of
Harare should be sensitive to the plight of the poor and less advantaged by
charging affordable maternal health care fees.

      "Systems should be put in place to ensure the poor and less
advantaged women are not denied services during pregnancy, child birth and
during the post-natal period because of their inability to pay for the
services," Masiyiwa said.

Awash with cash, but investors retreat

Zim Standard

       Market Watch By Deborah-Fay Ndlovu

      A record surplus of $31,3 billion on the money market sparked by
the currency reforms kept interest rates low fuelling a flight of investors
to the stock market last week.

      A decline of deposit rates to nearly 0% for seven days also
contributed to the flight of investors from the money market and the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe did not help the situation either when it issued a 181-day
Treasury Bill at 250%, a rate too low to attract any interest.

      Investors preferred to stay away from the 181-day Treasury Bill
in anticipation of a rise in interest rates and the re-introduction of the
91-day TB which has been on suspension for the last three weeks. The 91-day
TB was put on hold as part of efforts to restructure government debt by
"borrowing longer and cheaper money".

       However analysts see interest rates rising although to
"manageable levels" and predict that the money market will shift to a
deficit position once the hype about the currency reform is over.

       "There is so much cash on the market because of Operation
Sunrise and, of course, TB maturities. There are deposits coming in from
outside the banking system. Normally the RBZ would sweep off the excess
balance from commercial banks in surplus positions but has not been doing
that because of the currency change-over.

      "But once the dust is settled as far as the currency reform is
concerned we will see the central bank coming back into the market to sweep
off the excess cash, then interest rates will go up," he said.

      This will be mostly to discourage speculation, the analyst said,
adding that moves to prevent individual depositors from withdrawing $100
million at a time would also help in "win the fight" against speculators.

      On the opposite side of the investment market, the equities fed
off the depression in interest rates to gain 4.09% points last Wednesday to
close at 202 020.23 points.

       Econet propelled the gains after landing at an impressive $2 200
followed closely by

      Hippo, which rebounded $15 to $125.  Other gains included DZLH,
which upped $13 stronger at $72.

      Among the losers was Old Mutual which slid $100 to $3 400.
Natfoods also had its share of bad luck shedding $30 to $320 as profit
taking took its toll on the counter. Seedco closed $20 weaker at $100 amid
reports of a drop in agricultural production.

       The mining index however bucked the trend after losing 9.05%
points to close at 120 789.64 points.
      Rio Zim lost $500 to $3 500 owing to profit taking while
Bindura, Falgold and Hwange traded unchanged at $220, $50 and $70
respectively.

Cash squeeze stalls Beitbridge plans

Zim Standard

       FROM GODFREY MUTIMBA

      BEITBRIDGE - Plans by the Beitbridge Rural District Council to
develop the border town ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa could be
crippled by a shortage of funds, a move that will impact negatively on the
government's efforts to benefit from the grand event.

      Government plans to benefit from the influx of tourists who are
set to watch the world's most important soccer showpiece that will be held
in Africa for the first time, but most development projects have not started
as government is failing to provide requisite funding.

       A council official who declined to be named said the local
authority proposed construction of a stadium in the border town to enable
countries that might want to stay in Zimbabwe to hold their training
sessions, as well as an airport for direct links to Beitbridge. Nothing,
however, has taken off on the ground so far.

       "There are several plans that were put in place for the town
and the country at large to benefit from tourists who will come to South
Africa for the World Cup but are being affected by shortage of funds which
the government is yet to disburse. If the delay in disbursing funds
continues, the country will not benefit from the occasion as tourists will
continue to shun the country," he said.

       The council needs funds to upgrade road infrastructure at the
border post. Work on the pothole-infested roads had started but progress is
very slow due to financial problems and shortage of fuel.

       However, Beitbridge Rural District Council chief executive
officer, Albert Mbedzi, told The Standard in an interview that his council
was looking forward to benefiting from the World Cup as government had
allocated $3 trillion (in old currency) for the development of the town.

       "We have quite a number of projects lined up by the local
authority that we think if completed, our town will get the much-needed
development that will enable us to benefit from World Cup  2010 in South
Africa," Mbedzi said

      "The  government will avail $3 trillion for all the projects,"
he said, adding: "Firstly we want to construct a stadium that will match the
FIFA standards so that countries that might choose to stay here will have
somewhere to train before the matches kick off.

      "Secondly, we proposed to government  to construct an
international airport here so that tourists and soccer fans, who want to
stay here during the games will fly there directly so as to save them from
the long journey from Harare or Bulawayo," said Mbedzi.

       He also said the border town needed a five-star hotel if it was
to take full advantage of 2010 soccer extravaganza as most of the hotels
there do not match international standards. Beitbridge Holiday Inn Express
with a three-star rating is the only quality tourist facility in the border
town.

      Mbedzi said: "We have  appealed to hoteliers and the Rainbow
Tourism Group have indicated interest in building a five-star hotel here
before the World Cup event."

       He said funds were also needed to upgrade the road
infrastructure both in the town and Gonarezhou National Park that is now
under the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, the unfolding joint tourism
project between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa .

Survivors of the land invasions

Zim Standard

      AFTER the initial chaos of Zimbabwe's farm invasions, a tenuous
truce based on a survival philosophy of negotiations, barter and political
alliances has left about 600 white farmers on their land.

      Sustained by a belief that things "will get better", after
nearly 4 000 other white farmers were driven off their land by the Zanu-PF
government's fast-track land redistribution programme that started in 2000,
these die-hards are overcoming the insecurity that their farms can be taken
in an instant.

      The trade-off for dairy farmer Alan Geluck is downscaling of the
Midlands Province farm he acquired in the 1970s: his dairy herd once roamed
5 000ha, now it makes do with 1 000ha.

      "Most of my dairy cows were stolen during the height of land
invasions, and much of the equipment was vandalised. My farm was drastically
reduced to accommodate new settlers, who are growing maize even though the
land is hardly suitable for crops."

      Geluck is negotiating with some of the province's "high-ranking"
politicians to relocate some of the new farmers and reacquire some land. He
said it was a proposal that ruling party officials were warming to because
the resettled farmers have not been producing enough and the country is
again facing food shortages.

      Most of Zimbabwe's white farmers gave up hope and took their
agricultural skills to Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique,
New Zealand, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia, but he has chosen to stay in
Zimbabwe, the only home he knows, with his son and daughter-in-law - all his
other relatives have made new homes in South Africa and Australia.

      While Geluck has found favour with the province's politicians,
other farmers are embroiled in the politics of land. Thomas Beattie, farmer
in Mashonaland West Province, is in a court tussle with the deputy minister
of information, Bright Matonga.

      Beattie claims that Matonga seized his workshop and farmhouse,
and harvested soya beans and maize seed worth millions from his Chigwell
farm, after the government carved up the land for Agricultural 2 (A2)
farmers. The A2 model is for those with the financial means and agricultural
skills to maintain a commercial farm.

      It is one of the incidents in the past month that the Commercial
Farmers' Union (CFU), which represents white farmers, has blamed for a fresh
wave of farm disturbances.

      "We continue to be aware of the disruptions to farming and the
appearance of eviction notices, which some farmers have received in certain
districts in the country," the CFU said.

      "Despite assurances that these matters are being dealt with, and
that farmers should continue producing food for the nation, we are aware
that in certain areas of the country difficulties remain."

      In a speech this month to commemorate National Heroes' Day,
President Robert Mugabe called for an end to farm invasions, saying they
were counter-productive. But the government continues to run print media
adverts announcing the acquisition of more farms from white farmers.

      After a conciliatory gesture by Denford Chimbwanda, chairman of
the black-dominated Grain and Cereal Producers' Association, that "we can
learn a lot from them (white farmers)", and a government at odds over
whether white farmers should have farms returned, the CFU has been urging
"those still farming, and those wishing to get back to farming . . .  (to)
apply for A2 status as a matter of urgency".

      Renson Gasela, former secretary of agriculture for the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, said "those who are
opposed to giving support to the white farmers are the ones who still want
to grab their land, while those who are sympathetic to them, like Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, realise that for agriculture to get
back on its knees they need them back".

      He said the remaining white farmers had abandoned their
previously combative stance and adopted a new tactic."They do not have a
choice but to appear nice to the government, because they would easily be
kicked out. What I noticed is that most of the farmers whose farms were not
touched were those that were sympathetic to Zanu-PF or had won the trust of
neighbouring black people."

      Jo Stomberg, a maize farmer who managed to retain 700ha of an
original 1 200ha farm in Mashonaland East Province, attributes his survival
as a farmer to good relations with the local community. - IRIN-

Mahoso's attack of the Law Society of Zimbabwe

Zim Standard

      Commentary from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

      ZIMBABWE Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) read with dismay the
sentiments expressed by Tafataona Mahoso in The Sunday Mail on 5 August 2006
in his article entitled "Lawyers' Body Fights for Return of Rhodesia".

       It is clear from this article that he has a limited
understanding of the functions and relevance of the Law Society of Zimbabwe
(LSZ).

      To put the record straight, the LSZ is a statutory body
established in 1981 by the Legal Practitioners Act [Chapter 27:07] ("the
 Act").
      It is an autonomous and self-regulating body tasked with a
mandate spelt out by Section 35 of the Act. This is: to promote the study of
law; to contribute, undertake or make recommendations on legal training; to
control the admission of members to the profession; to maintain a register
of members; to regulate the profession; to promote justice, defend human
rights, rule of law and the independence of the judiciary; and to generally
control and manage the legal profession in Zimbabwe.

      The Council of the LSZ is empowered by Section 26 of the Act to
facilitate disciplinary tribunals for members who may have breached the code
of conduct and/or brought the legal profession into disrepute.

      This means that even where a member has been cleared of any
criminal conduct by a court of law, the Council has the right to enquire
into the member's conduct in so far as it may impact negatively on the
reputation of the profession. Decisions by the LSZ Council may be appealed
against to the High Court.

      Mahoso errs and misleads the public when he asserts that the LSZ
only has legal standing in court where the organisation or its members'
rights are at stake.

      It is clear, and there is comparative regional and international
precedent, that the LSZ also has legal standing on issues that affect the
fundamental rights and freedoms of the general public, despite the
regrettable precedent recently set by the current Supreme Court.

      Mahoso offers comical relief by presenting himself as the voice
of the so-called disgruntled section of the legal profession and by
conveniently ignoring or intentionally suppressing critical facts from his
long-suffering readers.

      Unlike the unfortunate situation currently afflicting the media
profession in Zimbabwe, the Council of the LSZ is not imposed on the legal
profession. Every year members of the LSZ attend a duly-constituted annual
general meeting and vote Councillors of their choice into office.

      The elections are democratic and the present composition of the
LSZ Council reflects the wishes of members of the legal profession. This has
happened consistently since 1992 - the year that Mahoso has chosen to be the
cut off date for purposes of his highly porous article.

      It is this elected body that then governs the affairs of the
legal profession for the benefit of the profession, the rule of law and the
efficient administration of justice.

       Members of the legal profession know how to remove a member of
the LSZ Council from office if s/he stops representing their interests. It
is therefore fairly obvious that no reasonable, knowledgeable and efficient
lawyer would wish to be "represented" by a man such as Mahoso - whose claim
to fame to date has been to close independent newspapers, render journalists
jobless and literally obliterate people's rights to freedom of expression in
Zimbabwe - when  his victims could take adequate and effective steps
themselves in terms of the law to remedy an unwanted situation.

      Mahoso, in regrettably inciting language for a tired argument,
accuses the LSZ of harbouring intentions to bring back Rhodesia or a
Western-controlled regime to this country.

       Many committed lawyers have fought courageous battles against
the implementation by this very government of colonial legislation in
policies that are dangerous to humanity and negatively affect people's
fundamental rights and freedoms.

      It is a matter of public record that a glut of colonial statutes
were used as a "legal basis" for the implementation of "Operation
      Murambatsvina" and resulted in displacements, homelessness and
loss of life and livelihoods for millions of innocent people who ordinarily
look to the State for protection. Victims of "Operation Murambatsvina" are
still homeless over a year after they were dumped. Mahoso needs to visit
Hopley Farm to see for himself how the implementation of such colonial laws
by the State has dehumanised Zimbabweans.

      It is no secret that the government intentionally did not repeal
select colonial laws after independence in order to be able to use them
mercilessly against its own people.

      One example is the Miscellaneous Offences Act passed in the
1960s by the colonialists which is still used by those whom Mahoso seeks to
defend time and again as a pretext to arbitrarily arrest and detain innocent
Zimbabweans.

      ZLHR represents no less than 1 000 people on average per year
arrested and detained under this and other obnoxious pieces of colonial
legislation. The Law and Order (Maintenance) Act, struck down many years
after independence by the Supreme Court after sterling work done by members
of the LSZ, was re-incarnated with more vicious provisions in the name of
the Public Order and Security Act.

      Thereafter thousands of Zimbabweans have not only been
arbitrarily arrested and detained, but have also been deprived of their
liberty and other fundamental rights since 2002 in a manner reminiscent of
the Rhodesian era if not worse.

      Mahoso also conveniently overlooks his own tool, the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which he and others have used
mercilessly to suppress the collective rights of thousands of Zimbabweans to
free speech, assembly and association.
      It is strikingly clear who the real culprits are in bringing
Rhodesia back to Zimbabweans under the guise of pan-Africanism!

      It is clear that Mahoso does not want the legal profession to be
the leading opinion maker in legal matters. He would like politicians to
draft the law, interpret it and ultimately enforce it. This would violate
the settled principle of separation of powers which provides checks and
balances in any free society. Separation of powers - which understandably is
hated by dictators and their apologists - saves humanity from the unbridled
power of the Executive.

      The Council of the LSZ is obliged to speak out when human rights
violations are perpetrated under the guise of enforcing the law, as when the
Reserve Bank Governor unleashes the notorious and discredited Youth Brigade
to effect "policing duties" against innocent Zimbabweans and instead plunder
and loot people's hard-earned money and property.

      The LSZ Council has a duty to, and will, protest the
promulgation of repressive pieces of legislation such as POSA, AIPPA, the
Broadcasting Services Act, The Criminal Law (Codification) Act,
Constitutional Amendment Act No. 17, and the Interception of Communications
Bill, to name a few.

      The Council of the LSZ has a duty to, and will, protest the
selective use of repressive legislation by government-controlled bodies such
as Mahoso's Media and Information Commission to shut down media houses,
stifle a free press, deprive Zimbabweans of full enjoyment of freedom of
expression, and render journalists unemployed.

      More importantly the LSZ Council has a duty to, and will,
continue to defend the authority of the Courts of Zimbabwe to preside over
any dispute and will continue to frown at laws that are passed to oust or
undermine the jurisdiction of the Courts.

      This it does and will do as duly elected representatives
mandated and supported by a free legal profession.

      The LSZ is an autonomous body. It is not an extension of the
Executive and owes no allegiance, unlike Mahoso in his regulation of the
media, to the Executive.

      A body like the LSZ should be a model for media practitioners
and ZLHR has no doubt that given the choice on how to self-regulate in the
media, people like Mahoso would be part of a tiny and insignificant
minority.

      The legal profession is acutely aware of, and not happy with,
the drastic deterioration of national well-being and the erosion of
fundamental rights and freedoms in Zimbabwe since approximately 1999.

      The country is in the midst of crisis on almost all fronts,
resulting from the collapse of good governance, economic mismanagement and
the dramatic deterioration in human rights and the rule of law.

      ZLHR supports and stands together with the LSZ and the majority
of its members in the legal profession in Zimbabwe in continuing to provide
an important voice and conscience in the defence of the rule of law,
constitutionalism, the independence of the judiciary and the promotion and
protection of human rights.

      ZLHR further remains confident that Mahoso's strategy to stir
disharmony and disaffection in, and hatred for, the independent legal
profession to achieve the chaos he has unleashed and achieved on the media
profession will not work.

Gono chasing a political mirage

Zim Standard

       sunday view by Philip Pasirayi

      IT was no surprise to hear that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Governor, Dr Gideon Gono, has entered the murky waters of  Zanu PF politics
and  may be eyeing the most coveted of posts - the country's presidency.

      While this might have come as a surprise to many unsuspecting
Zimbabweans and members of the ruling party,  for those of us who have been
following closely the politics of succession within the rank and file of
Zanu PF, it was self-evident that the governor was increasingly getting more
fascinated by raw politics rather than economics.

      Since his appointment as RBZ Governor in December 2003, Gono has
long strayed from his role as chief executive officer of the central bank
and has added to his duties and responsibilities at the RBZ too many
political assignments, including being the country's next President
designate. But Gono is obviously biting more than he is able to chew and
only time will tell.

      Addressing business executives in Gweru recently, Gono was
quoted saying: "We will not let the Presidium and the long-suffering
majority of workers, the rural folk, urbanites, pensioners, students and
civil servants down.

      "The turnaround of the economy should not be based on the
politics of patronage, fear or favour. Everyone must participate and benefit
or burn depending on individual actions." We wonder which students Gono is
referring to, when thousands of students cannot afford the recently
introduced fees. We also wonder which workers and civil servants the
governor was referring to, as the majority of them live below the Poverty
Datum Line (PDL) and their paltry incomes have been seriously eroded by
inflation.

       Since his assumption of office, Gono has always used words meant
to placate the suffering masses, whereas he should be the enemy who has
recommended some of the most heinous crimes such as "Operation
 Murambatsvina" that left thousands homeless, jobless and much poorer than
they were before.

      It was Gono's complaints that the informal sector and shanty
areas like Matapi in Mbare and other high-density areas where the poor live
are havens of criminal activities such as money laundering, black market
forex dealings and it was upon his recommendation that the government
implemented "Operation Murambatsvina".

      The same military tactics reminiscent of the way "Operation
Murambatsvina" was implemented were evident recently when hordes of youth
militia and State security agents manned roadblocks and subjected
Zimbabweans to all forms of torture  soon after the presentation of the
Mid-Year Monetary Policy Review Statement under the guise of searching for
bearer cheques.

      Mutumwa Mawere argues: "Through a combination of patronage and
intimidation, (that) Gono is now a feared man in Zimbabwe.

      He is effectively the CEO of Zimbabwe Inc. and has effective
control of the State machinery and anyone who dares challenge him risks a
lot".

      President Mugabe's endorsement of Gono and the RBZ is telling in
Zanu PF politics of succession, if analysed through the same lens that Joice
Mujuru became Vice-President. Gono's fascination with politics came about as
a result of his increased interaction with Mugabe. Gono was always part of
"a high-powered delegation" accompanying Mugabe on the many foreign trips.

      The duties of the governor of the RBZ are spelled out in Section
6 of the Constitution of the RBZ Act which only empowers Gono as the
incumbent "to look into monetary policy which addresses interest rates,
money supply and exchange rate".

      Since his appointment, Gono has dabbled in sectors that have
nothing to do with monetary policy, money supply and exchange rate and has
usurped the powers of Ministers of Agriculture, Finance and Home Affairs, to
mention but a few.

      In other words, Gono is now a de-facto Prime Minister whose role
is to liaise with President Mugabe and implement policies that even some
cabinet ministers and the two Vice-Presidents, Joice Mujuru and Joseph Msika
may not be aware of.

      But Gono's ambitions to be the next President of Zimbabwe are
doomed because of his lack of a solid grounding in party politics.

      The fact that Gono now appears to be gunning for the Presidency
must be looked at within the context of the Mujuru camp having fallen out of
favour with Mugabe. At 82, Mugabe does not know who to trust and the Mujuru
camp could be one of those groups.

      But again Gono has always been Mugabe's right hand man or the
most trusted "induna" who has been consistent and unwavering in supporting
the status quo.

      To Mugabe, Gono is an honest, hardworking and loyal cadre who
has bailed out the ruling party each time it faced financial problems since
his time at the helm of the Jewel Bank, aka Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe
(CBZ).

      In some circles, both within and without Zanu PF, Gono is viewed
as an untainted and less controversial political figure compared to Joice
Mujuru, Emmerson Mnangagwa or Simba Makoni because he has kept his
"distance" from party politics and the factional fighting that has
characterised Zanu PF's politics of succession in recent years. As such,
some see Gono as the natural successor to the aging and tired Mugabe.

      The reason why Gono's political project to become the country's
next numero uno after Mugabe is doomed has everything to do with his lack of
political legitimacy, his lack of popularity, his lack of a sound, genuine
academic background and the intensity of Zanu PF factionalism which will
leave the party in a much weaker position as the 2008 presidential poll
approaches.

       Gono is a beneficiary of the patronage politics he blames today
for causing the country's economic woes. His meteoric rise is one that can
be attributed to patronage politics. Gono derives his political legitimacy
from Mugabe, not Zanu PF or the people of
      Zimbabwe in whose language he wants to speak each time he
appears in public.

      Gono's ambitions to be the next President of Zimbabwe are doomed
because of his lack of a solid grounding in party politics.

      Although he has overzealously defended the policies of Zanu PF,
he is not known in either cell or branch of the party. His rivals Mnangagwa,
Mujuru and Makoni have leverage over him because they are heavily involved
with Zanu PF and have a defined constituencies.

      Even a fragmented MDC will easily win a presidential election
against Gono whose political career to date is only recognisable in
appointed posts rather than ones in which he contested and was elected.

      But perhaps Zanu PF could be using Gono in the same manner they
did  Professor Jonathan Moyo whom they later dumped, disowned and ridiculed
after he had worked so tirelessly and diligently to prop up the party's
waning support and to communicate the Zanu PF rallying message  - "The Land
is the Economy and the Economy  is the  Land".

      Gono comes from a banking background where principles of
accountability, transparency, integrity and good professional and ethical
conduct are given prime consideration.

      These notions are inimical to the culture of violence, the
politics of fear, and corruption which define the way of doing politics in
Zanu PF.

Don't demonise the Diaspora

Zim Standard

       sundayopinion by Conrad Nyamutata
      IT's good to be back on the pages of a Zimbabwean newspaper,
sharing experiences and discussing a wide range of issues relating to our
existence at home and abroad.

      Today, I find myself sitting in front of a computer, miles away
from Trustee House, central Harare. You will probably wonder about the
relevance of this particular location. It was the original home of The Daily
News for which I was a reporter.

      Recently, I used the programme "google earth" to locate Trustee
House. It was a vague image of course when I spotted it but memories of our
experiences at this building, and outside it, came flooding back with the
vividness and force of a tsunami.

      But I am just but one of many here holding either fond or
painful memories about lives we left behind.

      It never ceases to amaze me when President Robert Mugabe takes
every opportunity to fire pot-shots at Zimbabwean migrants. Call them
economic or political migrants, we don't give a damn.

      The two categories are inevitable by-products of authoritarian
rule and mismanagement of the economy. Both vices are evident in Zimbabwe
today under Mugabe's rule.

      The growth of the Zimbabwean diasporic community is a direct
result of these ills.

      Today, the community spans across the UK with its rich mix of
refugees, asylum-seekers, illegal immigrants, businessmen and professionals.

      Yet is it the assumption of Mugabe that every Zimbabwean in the
UK or abroad is toiling in some filthy old people's home.

      And as part of his dry humour - which draws applause and
ululation from the pathetically obsequious - he has suggested those abroad
will return as paraplegics in wheelchairs. It is nonsense, of course, but
Mugabe should not be surprised by the exodus of Zimbabweans to neighbouring
countries. People do not just leave their motherland for no reason.

      And please, don't trot out this "British-influence" drivel. It
is just sick and tired propaganda. To suggest that Tony Blair or George W
Bush or any other person for that matter, has to remind us we are hungry,
jobless and harassed is akin to grossly undermine our collective
intelligence.

      Equally disgraceful is that his scorn knows no bounds. He uses,
or rather abuses funerals for his incoherent ramblings. The utterances
vacillate between utter scorn and shameful desperation.

      It is difficult to understand if the derision is meant to exhort
Zimbabweans to return or just to insult them. On the other hand, Gideon Gono
beseeches us to offer our foreign currency to the sharks down there.

      I would rather Mugabe used these opportunities to articulate
serious remedial measures to rescue the country from the debilitating
meltdown. But I still believe funerals should remain occasions for grieving
instead.

      His tirades, targeted at the opposition, the British and
migrants, are proving to be just cheap diversionary tactics
      meant to hoodwink us from the rot burrowing through the fabric
of our once-vibrant nation. It is this festering decadence, both political
and economic, which prompted mass migration. As if he didn't know.

      Mugabe ought to be told one thing though, he can pour buckets of
scorn on Zimbabwean migrants and all he wants but the fact remains there's
not a single one who wishes to return to the wretched country that is
Zimbabwe now.

      Young men and women are using every tactic to leave the country.
It has become common to find Zimbabweans in possession of Malawian passports
here. Having failed to secure the travel documents from Tobaiwa Mudede's
office, they have had to resort to innovative alternatives just to find a
way out the misery in Zimbabwe.

      Today, those facing deportation are almost paralytic with fear,
one even committed suicide months ago after an immigration decision went
against him. And many Zimbabweans here face the dreadful prospect of
deportation now that a judgement suggested it was safe for failed
asylum-seekers to be returned to Zimbabwe - a prospect which Mugabe appears
to relish.

      One thing is certain: those facing ejection will go down
fighting. Go underground I mean. They have the option to pursue the legal
route further, although prospects look extremely dim on this front. All
these measures are resorted to because the prospect of deportation is just
too ghastly to contemplate.

      The determination in the AA case states: "A failed asylum-seeker
returned involuntarily to Zimbabwe does not face on return a real risk of
being subjected to persecution or serious ill-treatment on that account
alone."

      The determination does accept that those who may be linked with
Zimbabwean opposition parties or have military or criminal records (or
warrants outstanding) may be at greater danger of serious mistreatment
during interrogation by Zimbabwean authorities.

      People in this category should discuss their situation with
their lawyers.

      Otherwise the choice is to play cat-and-mouse with immigration
than accept a one-way ticket to Harare.

      Even the £3 000 bait dangled by the International Organisation
for Migration as reward for voluntary repatriation has not found many takers
among Zimbabweans.

      The largesse is viewed as a short term gain before one sinks
into poverty.

      Unfortunate Zimbabweans have been bundled onto planes, kicking
and screaming. Now, Mugabe ought to ask himself why?

This government is a serious danger to its people

Zim Standard

Comment

      THE government has not learnt from its previous disastrous
programmes the simple fact that you do not improve or register growth by
destroying something.

      After the chaotic "agrarian reform", the so-called "clean-up",
and "Operation Sunrise" the government should by now be wiser.

      The one common thread running through these three is that they
were all clearly anti-ordinary people and legendary in their destructive and
vindictive nature.

      The "agrarian reform" threw out of work and displaced more than
350 000 farm workers. "Operation Murambatsvina" rendered nearly a million
people homeless and "Sunrise" was an operation against the poorest of the
poor.

      Its fascist impact is still yet to be fully grasped. All three
rank as the most anti-people exercises ever undertaken by a government that
claims to have the interests of the common man at heart.

      Still unsatisfied with the damage it continues to inflict on the
economy, the government last week unleashed another "Murambatsvina" against
the hospitality sector.

      The rationale behind this latest attack is that they are
unregistered under the terms of the Tourism Act. Implementation of this
regulation has demonstrated that the government has a singular pursuit: to
ensure people suffer.

      Common sense would have counselled that closure of the more than
100 restaurants and tour operators countrywide was going to render hundreds
of workers employed by the various enterprises jobless.

      The other revelation is that there is no meaningful dialogue
between the sector and the umbrella body, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
(ZTA). Dialogue would have enabled the ZTA to appreciate the position of the
sector; however unjustified it might have been to the ZTA.

      But Zimbabwe is fond  of directives and threats of consequences.

      The tragic results are there for all to see.

      With a national unemployment rate of more than 80% we expected
measured action from the government. But it is drunk with power and
intolerant of dissent. action from the government. But it is drunk with
power and intolerant of dissent.

      If the closure is based on the assumption that tourists visit
the places affected by the directive, the whole exercise becomes farcical.

      Tourists will visit curio shops, they will visit Mbare Musika to
buy artefacts and Mereki to see how ordinary Zimbabweans live and sample
indigenous dishes. There is insignificant interaction between them and
foreign tourists.

      But even more worrying is what happens to ordinary people
visiting cities but who cannot afford to put up in ZTA-rated facilities.
This is one example of how these regulations punish ordinary people. The
exercise could have been handled better without appearing vindictive.

      What is unsettling is that each time the situation appears to
return to normal, the government comes up with ideas that leave a trail of
devastation.

      Just when everyone thought the fuel supply situation had
stabilised the government decided it had to do something. Its action has
resulted in scarcities of petroleum products and the return of fuel queues
and an increase in parallel market activities.

      Fares and transport costs can be expected to rise. Again it is
the ordinary person in the street who suffers while Zanu PF fat cats laugh
all the way to the bank.

      The mining industry was still trying to consult on how they
could prevail on the government to proceed with caution over its proposal to
force a flawed indigenisation policy when the Minister of Mines Amos Midzi
came out breathing fire.

      These politicians are a threat to the well-being of this country
and its citizens. They are the real enemies of attempts to turn around the
economy.

Zim Standard Letters

Are SADC leaders afraid of Mugabe?
      THANK you for producing a newspaper that is bold enough to
continue to tell it like it is.

      Thank you again for your support in allowing readers like me
from far off places to continue to make contributions to the debate on the
situation in the country.

      The economic confusion and turmoil which is gripping Zimbabwe is
a direct result of failure by those in power to properly manage the affairs
of our country. Fingers can be pointed at so-called enemies of the state,
real or imagined, but the bitter truth is that Zimbabweans are their own
enemies.

      Zanu PF and President Mugabe in particular should be bold enough
to accept responsibility for the collapse of our state as he has been in
power since 1980.

      What is disturbing is the realisation that some of us are
prepared to be used by the oppressors to prolong the people's suffering.
Mugabe has managed to reduce this country to the level of his personal
property.

      And the fact that we have a parliament that only serves to
rubber stamp Zanu PF's agenda does not help. An even greater tragedy is
found in the judiciary because those on the bench who try to deliver
judgements that are just and fair are living in constant fear.

      The effect has been selective application of the law.

      Mugabe has all the powers to appoint or disappoint ministers,
heads of parastatals, governors, service chiefs - the list is endless.

      Of late we have heard Mugabe confessing to the corrupt
tendencies within the ranks of his lieutenants, but he has stopped short of
taking decisive action against the corrupt elements. It is pity that this is
only as far as he is prepared to go. It is also a pity that he is no longer
listened to by his lieutenants.

      If his lieutenants listened to him, they would have respected
the policy on land distribution, which is "one-person-one-farm". As I write,
there are known high-ranking officials in his government who own more than
one farm. Can we therefore assume that even our president is the victim of
circumstances?

      Fellow Zimbabweans, let us remember that what is happening now
will have a bearing 20 years from now. What this country needs are brave men
and women.

      The man-made problems require collective responsibility because
it is clear that Zanu PF's agenda is not for the good of the generality of
Zimbabweans but for a few individuals.

      Sensing defeat in 2000 by the opposition MDC, Mugabe embarked on
a counter-productive project of trying to own Zimbabwe.

      I have nothing personally against Mugabe, but as Head of State
in a country I live in, I am entitled to question his actions because at the
end of the day I am affected either positively or negatively.

      Yes, he may have played an important role in the past, but
surely that is not a licence to cling onto power when his role and policies
are no longer relevant to the well-being of this country.

      In our village, old oxen are rested while younger ones are
enspanned for ploughing the fields. They are rested in recognition of the
immense contribution during their days. Why is this not applicable to
politics? Why should leaders want to hang on until they drop dead?

      It is disheartening that SADC's response to the crisis in
Zimbabwe is far from forthright. Perhaps it is because they are benefiting
from the exodus of human resources from Zimbabwe to theirs.

      It is not only good for Zimbabwe but for the whole region and
SADC leaders to tell their neighbour to behave. Are we to assume that SADC
leaders are afraid of Mugabe?

      In my view, what is in no doubt is that Zimbabwe needs a
political solution not the current currency reforms. The Reserve Bank
governor, Dr Gideon Gono, as with his previous wars against so-called
economic enemies, will soon find out that he is headed for a dead end.
Piecemeal measures will not work.

      Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that there is no growth
without change.

      Maunganidze M V Mlambo
      Checheche
      Chipinge South

----------

Why no one takes Heroes' Day commemorations seriously anymore
      BEHIND all the self-congratulatory messages lies reality that is
worrying. If anyone cared to look, you would have seen that the people who
attended recent Heroes' Day commemoratioan were the ever-present Apostolic
sect members, prison officers and soldiers in their uniforms and Zanu PF
women's league members.

      There are several reasons for this worrying factor. People are
requested to be at the "usual pick-up" points as early as 5AM - who in their
right minds thinks up these unearthly hours?

      In order to be at the "usual pick-up points" at requested times
one would have to get up at 4AM. In my view this is one of the reasons why
many people are no longer enthusiastic about going to such occasions.

      All that is required is common sense to know that if the times
are changed to 8AM more people would be able to prepare themselves to
attend.

      The people who draw up the timetables are very unrealistic and
have a very low opinion of the ordinary people. When we start showing some
respect for the "povo" they will respond. But as long as we believe that we
can order them around, we will never get their support.

      And for God's sake this is Harare where people were abused by
"Operation Murambatsvina" and are daily penalised by the likes of Sekesai
Makwavarara, who Zanu PF appears totally incapable of dealing with.

      If the government and the ruling party really care about getting
the support of the urban masses, they could do themselves a big favour by
just listening to what the people say instead of trying to prescribe ideas
for them.

      The other reason is ordering the closure of Mbare Musika and
Mupedzanhamo for such occasions as Heroes' Days. Forcing people to do what
they are against is an act of self-deception. Ian Smith tried this
unsuccessfully during the war and we all know what the outcome was.

      And I have never ceased to wonder: There we are at Heroes' Acre,
where we are supposed to honour our own gallant sons and daughters in our
mother tongue, but no, we will go out of our way to expropriate George W
Bush and Tony Blair's mother tongue.

      We are masters of hypocrisy! We should not be surprised when
people do not take us seriously because we are even foreign to our own
citizens.

      Tirivanhu Mhofu
       Emerald Hill
      Harare

---------
      Why spare Gono in anti-graft drive?
            I hope this letter will be published in the public
interest. The "owners" of our country have decided to trample over our
property, human and economic rights all in the name of "revolution".

            Of late there has been a national crackdown on so-called
"unscrupulous traders" and those who keep "mini central banks" at home.
However it seems there is a lot of hypocrisy in the whole exercise.

            Former finance minister, Chris Kuruneri was arrested and
detained for a year on the basis of a Sunday Times (SA) report about his
property investments in Cape Town.

             That same report also mentioned Dr Gideon Gono as the one
who authorised transfer of large amounts of foreign currency to South Africa
on Kuruneri's behalf.

            Gono also sourced forex for the First Family's trips
abroad, presumably on the parallel market. Another Sunday Times report
detailed how Gono lost tens of thousands of US dollars and British Pounds to
his domestic workers.

            In fact, it was reported that he kept hundreds of
thousands of US dollars and British Pounds purchased on the black market as
well as Zimbabwe dollars stashed in drawers at his Borrowdale home.

            This was at a time when the country was going through its
worst foreign currency crisis. Needless to say, we never saw Gono being
arrested or even questioned when the report came out.

            Are we to assume that he is above the law? Why didn't our
parliament pursue these matters when they came out? Where were our
independent journalists when all these stories where being published? Were
they afraid?

            In their zeal to end corruption the authorities have used
extra legal measures, some of which have seen ordinary people losing their
hard-earned money while the really corrupt ones are actually dictating
policy.

            How come those who stole equipment from farms like Kondozi
Estates were actually sitting at the high table during Gono's address?

            If the government wants to be taken seriously in its
anti-corruption drive then all those who engaged in corrupt activities,
including Gono should be investigated and arrested. Society must never
create mini gods and saints out of mere mortals. Everyone must face the
music!

            Michael Chifamba
            Bradfield
             Bulawayo

      ------------
            Sanity can only return to Town House after Makwavarara
leaves
                  SEKESAI Makwavarara's tenure in office has been
characterised by perennial deterioration of service delivery in the city.
                  Residents have endlessly passed votes of no
confidence in the commissioner but the Minister for Local Government,
Ignatious Chombo, however,  strangely thinks she has done a "good" job.

                  Even some members of her own party, Zanu PF, have
expressed concern at her inability to properly administer Town House.

                  Sanity will only return to Town House when
Makwavarara vacates the office. The illegal commissioner has, of late
embraced the media fraternity following her shocking re-appointment as the
chairperson of the Harare city commission.

                    But the only achievement she has managed is to
squander the ratepayers' money while the city lies in a sorry state. I urge
every responsible resident of Harare to lobby for the removal of this
political turncoat who has reduced the city of Harare to a dung hill.

                    Service delivery is not improving contrary to
Chombo's claims. Basic service delivery is not being carried out and is
characterised by potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure that is not being
fixed, uncollected refuse, erratic water supplies and burst sewer pipes are
becoming a perennial problem.

                   As if that is not enough, rates have been increased
to atrocious levels without corresponding service delivery or justification.

                   It is surprising to note that the illegal
commissioner had the audacity to fire Town Clerk, Nomutsa Chideya for
incompetence. The state that the city of Harare is in is a true reflection
of gross incompetence on the part of the leadership of which she is the
head.

                   We actually thought she is not conscious of the
fact that useless officials should be fired since she has held on to the
post of commissioner despite her lack of usefulness to the city's
well-being. Makwavarara has become a nuisance to the city of Harare.

                  We want an elected council that is accountable to
ratepayers. We are tired of leaders who are imposed on us.

                   Residents of Harare should stop this madness at
Town House that is making their lives increasingly unbearable.

                  Central government seems reluctant to remove her
from office hence it is up to the residents who love the city of Harare to
stop her from inflicting further damage on the city.

                  Residents should adopt the culture of resistance to
the daylight robbery practised at Town House. Makwavarara must go!

                  Loraine Mupasiri
                   Harare

            -----------
                   Flashes of political genius in Mutambara
                        ON 11 August 2006, we were in town drinking
when a friend suggested that I should accompany him to the Quill Club where
he had been invited for a Press Conference that was due to be addressed by
Arthur Mutambara, the leader of the pro-Senate faction of the MDC.

                        I had neither seen Mutambara nor had the
privilege of attending any of his meetings. I graciously acceded to the
suggestion and the two of us went to the venue. Minutes after our arrival,
he pitched up accompanied by a few senior MDC officials among them, Job
Sikhala, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Gabriel Chaibva.

                         Mutambara was smartly dressed in a designer
black suit and walked confidently to the front to take up his seat, flanked
by two journalists.

                        The routine introductory remarks were made and
thereafter he took to the stage and addressed a packed room. The theme of
his address was A resolution of the Zimbabwean Crisis-A Strategic Framework
For Change.

                        For the better part of the first 20 minutes
the pro-Senate leader bellowed and thundered like a preacher at the pulpit
with only interruptions from intermittent rounds of applause from the
responsive and captivated audience.

                        He eloquently delivered an explosively loaded
and inspiring speech reminiscent of the great speeches delivered by renowned
historical leaders such the Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Fidel Castro of Cuba.
He spoke about building democratic institutions, Pan- Africanism, the
technocratic challenges, the land question and alliances within opposition
political parties. He acquitted himself well as a political leader.

                        After his address, it was time to respond to
questions from the floor. This was the moment Mutambara showed exceptional
intellectual broadness, resilience and sharpness of mind in the manner he
responded to questions raised by the audience.

                        I am not able to state verbatim Mutambara's
eloquent response to a question raised from the floor regarding how his
party would deal with the land question in the face of an already polluted
atmosphere emanating from the government's failed land reform that is
characterised by political opportunism and patronage.

                        His response was so powerful that it sent the
whole house into rapturous roars of applause in approval.

                        One journalist asked Mutambara to tell the
house when exactly he had obtained the MDC membership card, to which he
responded by disclosing that he was the only member of the MDC since its
formation, who had publicly declared his membership to the party by placing
an advertisement in the Financial Gazette of 16 April 2000.

                        He went further and produced a copy of the
newspaper that carried the advertisement, to the amusement and delight of
the audience.

                        Then came this other member of the audience
who stood up and when everyone expected him to ask his question, he said
that he had not stood up to ask a question but to make a remark on the MDC
President's address. He said: "Today is the closest I have been to real
democracy in my life.

                        The Professor has been asked every question
and he has answered all the questions to the satisfaction of everyone. I
wish to thank the Professor."

                        The remarks sent the whole house into ecstasy
and profound jubilation as the audience acknowledged Mutambara's exceptional
skills in responding to some of Zimbabwe's contentious issues such as the
land question in an incisive and pragmatic manner.

                        I was impressed by Mutambara and I think he
has a very bright political future and much more to contribute to Zimbabwe.
I am not surprised that one faction of the MDC has seen it fit to bestow the
responsibility of leading the party on this man. He is indeed Presidential
material.

                        Tendai Muzondirira
                         Hatfield
                         Harare

                   ----------
                        Suffering under the yoke of 'Zesa power of
darkness'
                          ZIMBABWEANS are suffering at the hands of a
management that lacks vision and strategic planning.

                          Zimbabwe boasts 26 years of independence
within the context of a swelling population and worsening social and
economic conditions including power blackouts such as we are experiencing.

                           This problem arises out of a few
individuals who think they have divine powers to abuse others and an
insatiable desire to create feudal vassals out of the masses.

                           This handful of people is bent on punishing
the country through their lack of vision, a mission oriented approach and a
strategic plan for the people.

                           These powers of darkness by the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority have eclipsed future planning and service
provision. The problem started small and was ignored because the power
utility  could rip off the public and still get their fat salaries and
perks.

                          Now the problem is widespread, intense,
affecting everyone and every place.

                           A case in point is the area around Chitubu
Bar in Glen Norah in Harare. The place has gone for weeks without
electricity. The people have no alternative sources of energy for their
cooking needs.

                           They have now resorted to breaking up and
using some of their wooden furniture for firewood. In the past people could
use paraffin as an alternative but this is not available anymore at the fuel
stations. The land around Harare is also now a desert and there are no more
trees for firewood.

                           ZESA has remained mum over when power will
be restored around Chitubu area.

                           This situation is unacceptable. The people
of Chitubu are calling on those not willing to serve the public to quit and
go elsewhere.

                          We hope that the minister responsible for
Energy and Power Development, Michael Nyambuya will bring the culprits to
book.  While it is accepted there is a deficit in electricity generation,
inefficiency remains a major factor at Zesa

                          Elimon Taundi
                          Chairperson Waterfalls Residents' Committee
                           CHRA

                         ---------
                        Dialogue brings renewed hope
                        NEWS that our opposition leaders  met and now
vouch to work together to remove our one single "biggest national liability"
has brought much renewed hope.  It reflects a great level of maturity and
unselfishness on their part.

                        We pray that they keep aside any temptation of
self-interest and remain focussed on bringing all Zimbabweans together, for
the benefit of all.

                        In turn, I invite the whole nation regardless
of personalities and background to unite and follow their example. As a
nation we have had our differences, as indeed they have had theirs. The time
is now upon us to emulate their great example.

                        Zanu PF is no longer providing the leadership
we need. They are   just a bunch of panic-stricken individuals busy
apportioning  blame to others while attempting to convince us of their
innocence.

                        As an educated people with democratic values
at heart, we look to a new leadership that will lead us out of poverty and
hunger and bring back our self-esteem as proud Zimbabweans.

                        Waiting 2 B led
                        Borrowdale
                         Harare

                         ---------

                        Charity begins at home

                        DURING the commemoration of the Zimbabwe
Defence Forces Day on 15 August 2006, President Robert Mugabe praised the
police as well as the army officers attached to the United Nations peace
missions.

                        They were praised for a job well done and yet
at home they violate at will human rights by torturing fellow Zimbabweans.
Charity begins at home.

                        There is the UN Day Against Torture. If the UN
is serious and concerned about torture, why does it engage Zimbabwean
officers whose country is on record for the worst violations  of human
rights?

                        The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, should
definitely discontinue this puzzling engagement of Zimbabwe in UN peace
missions otherwise this will be seen as UN double standards of the worst
kind.

                         DRM
                        Mutare

Failed asylum seekers ask Tories for help

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By a Correspondent

      LONDON - Zimbabwe's failed asylum seekers yesterday visited the Tory
party's head office in London and presented a petition asking the British
opposition party to help their cause by putting their case on the order
paper for discussion in the House of Commons.

      The petition, marked for the attention of the Conservative chairman,
Francis Maude, talked about the crisis facing the estimated 7 000 failed
asylum seekers that the British government is trying to deport back to
Zimbabwe.

      An official of the Tory party accepted the petition and promised the
protesting Zimbabweans they would hear from them soon. The House of Commons
is currently on its 11-week summer break and the failed asylum seekers hope
parliamentarians from all parties in the House will discuss their plight.

      Efforts by Kate Hoey, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on
Zimbabwe, to have at least a 100 MPs from across the House to sign a
petition seeking to force the British government into allowing the failed
asylum seekers to work in the UK and to have extensive debate on the issue
in parliament have not been successful. The last time
zimbabwejournalists.com wrote about the issue, only 37 MPs had appended
their signatures to the petition.

      Their spokesperson, Noble Sibanda said it was incumbent for the failed
Zimbabwean asylum seekers and their community here in the UK to unite and
continue to put their case on the agenda.

      "We are targeting the political parties here in the UK because we feel
that the Labour government has got double standards and all they are seeking
to do now is return us to Zimbabwe while ignoring the other glaring factors
about the situation back home," said Sibanda.

      "We are happy that we were received well at the Tory party head
office, they were very positive so we hope when the House resumes sitting
they will discuss our plight. We are also continuously seeking dialogue with
the Labour government and we will in the next few weeks be going to the
Liberal Democrats to concientise them about the issues affecting us."

      The protesters also visited the South African embassy where they were
given a cold treatment by officials in Trafalgar Square. Ambassador Lindiwe
Mabuza was said to be away in South Africa and her deputy sent security
guards to talk to the protesters. They refused to accept the petition.

      "We must say that we were really surprised by the actions of the
deputy High Commissioner. We are going to express our disappointment to
President Thabo Mbeki's office and also write to organisations that support
the cause of the ordinary person in Zimbabwe like COSATU," said Sibanda.

      "We are not shouting at South Africa but are seeking dialogue with
them on several issues affecting our country and our colleagues in South
Africa. We are trying to bring everybody on board and these demonstrations
are meant to raise the profile of our asylum issue."

      He said the protesters would soon target all Southern African
Development Community (Sadc) missions in the UK as well as Kenyan and
British Airways and other airlines being used to deport failed asylum
seekers back to Zimbabwe. The coalition of Zimbabwean organisations in the
UK will soon be sending a four-man delegation to the Home Office to speak
about the asylum issue.

      Meanwhile the number of illegal Zimbabwean immigrants being held in
various detention centres in the UK is said to be growing with figures of up
to 500 being mentioned.

      Sibanda said as far as his organisation was concerned, they had heard
from at leas 20 failed asylum seekers who have been put into detention. Most
of those in detention were picked up for drink driving offences, especially
after Oliver Mtukudzi's shows last weekend.

Raining Leaves

http://africantears.netfirms.com/thisweek.shtml

Saturday 26th August 2006

Dear Family and Friends,
This week I write about peculiar and mixed messages. This is very similar to
what our lives have become here - disjointed, fragmented, confusing and
almost always with nothing guaranteed.

Everyone thought there would be an extension to the 21 days given by the
Reserve Bank to hand in old currency and convert to the new money - that
isn't really money and has been pruned of three digits. It seems we
Zimbabweans haven't learnt a thing though, least of all the lesson that what
we most expect is that which is least likely to happen. There was no
extension to the deadline and in the first week of the new money most people
were totally confused. Having just got used to counting zeroes and being
able to distinguish between hundreds of thousands, millions and even
billions, now suddenly we are back to hundreds and thousands. Our purses,
pockets and handbags are frighteningly light in weight and most people are
adding on three zeroes in their calculations to try and work out just
exactly how much things really cost. The loss of three zeroes really is an
illusion and it is just going to take a bit of time to get used to less
digits which still don't buy enough and still leave you stone broke.

On the first night after the old notes had gone, the newsreaders on ZBC TV
were on a propaganda high, glowing and grovelling and singing the praises
about what they said had been a smooth changeover. This was despite
monstrous queues at banks, building societies and cash machines which were
painfully slow and clearly visible. By the next day the propaganda had done
a complete U turn and ZBC was talking about people swarming banks and police
having to control crowds who were stranded with the old money. Then on the
third day the spin was back and the reports were about the happiness of the
"Transacting Public." You simply had to laugh by then and wonder about which
clever cookie had come up with the phrase Transacting Public!

Five days after the money changeover deadline had passed came a speech from
the Governor of the Reserve Bank. This was serious stuff now and his vote of
thanks included everyone who is anyone in Zimbabwe and went on for some
considerable time. Nothing was said about the fact that neither the old
money nor the new is backed up by adequate gold reserves. Everything assumed
elevated proportions in the Governors speech and ordinary words became
proper nouns and were given capital letters. We were told that a Special
Window had been opened for Special Cases of people in remote areas in a Mop
Up Programme to hand in their old money. This was apparently the last
attempt to recover 10 trillion dollars of money that had not been accounted
for. You have to shake your head in wonder at the utterly absurd though of
desperately poor people living in dusty villages without electricity or
running water having 10 trillion dollars buried in their back gardens!

There are some good things about life in Zimbabwe this week - it's raining
leaves and summer is almost upon us. The temperatures are warming up and
everything in the garden has started growing again. For this we are
thankful.
Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy.
Thanks Sister
Saturday 19th August 2006

Dear Family and Friends,
In the dying days of Zimbabwe 's old Bearer Cheques which have served as
money, but are not really money, the change over has been messy, confusing
and in many cases downright unfair. Regardless of the pronouncement by the
Reserve Bank Governor that the old money would remain valid until Monday the
21st August, many establishments stopped accepting it almost a week before
the cut off date. Shops and companies that were still accepting the old
notes, did not have any new notes and therefore either couldn't give you any
change at all or gave you back old notes. As the cut off date drew closer
there was less and less new money in circulation and everywhere people were
desperately trying to get rid of old money.

There was a double page, high gloss, pull out advert printed in 3 languages
in the press which said:"Zero To Hero, let the hero rise in all of us." Then
followed all sorts of smart subheadings in shiny blue, pink, orange and
green boxes which answered all the questions people may have about the new
bearers cheques. It told us how to write cheques, how to pay bills and how
to round up or down figures when converting to the new Bearer Cheques. (Yeah
right, as if anything, of any description is ever rounded down in the
country with the highest inflation in the world!) At the bottom of the page
was a picture of a nifty little white pick up truck. "Mobile Cash Swap Team
" it said, "Coming to a town near you. Bearing good news." And written
underneath the truck in purple print: "Money on the mooove!"

After reading the advert you sort of feel encouraged and think OK, this all
looks smart, efficient and professional. For a moment you forget the body
and vehicle searches for "illegal money" that are going on at the endless
road blocks all over the country. You forget the queues out of the doors of
the banks as people still try and deposit box loads of old money and you
forget the fact that the electricity is off again and there's still no fuel
to buy - even if you could afford it. Of course, the more you look for the
nifty little Money On The Moove, mobile cash swap team truck, the more
elusive it becomes and you are left wondering if in fact it ever existed at
all.

Three days before the deadline I took myself off to the supermarket to spend
the last of my old money. I had 1.8 million dollars. Just six years ago I
could have bought a 4 year old Mercedes Benz 250D car with all the extras
and in immaculate condition for 1.8 million dollars. I wandered around the
supermarket doing mental maths in my head, and in the end settled on a
packet of salt, a box of custard powder and 20 plastic clothes pegs.
Standing in the line to pay, it was obvious everyone was doing the same as
me - buying little things to get rid of the last of the money. The woman in
front of me had a packet of soup, a bar of soap and a jar of peanut butter.
Her bill came to 1 million and 70 thousand dollars - she only had a million.
I gave her 70 thousand out of my purse, she clapped in thanks and the man in
line behind me said: "Good, thanks sister, I'll help you if yours is short!
" Then the man behind him said "and I'll help you!" This is the real face of
Zimbabwe and this is what makes our country so special.

Please note that I write this letter for free, my mail server sends it out
for free and no one has my permission to sell it.
Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy.
Purple Paper
Saturday 12th August 2006

Dear Family and Friends,
Two weeks into the change of Zimbabwe's currency and there is no shortage of
horror stories about some of the things that have gone on. Stories of people
being dehumanized at road blocks - ordered to strip and then being subjected
to indecent searches in the hunt for concealed currency. Stories of multiple
billions of dollars being seized, of mourners being ordered to open coffins
and of huge bribes being demanded and given, to bypass the regulations and
get old currency back into the banking system. The banks are full to
bursting with depositors, the lines endlessly long, the whirring and
clacking of the note counting machines incessant. In the queues are men,
women and even children with shopping bags, cardboard boxes, suitcases of
all sizes and shapes, canvas kit bags, tin trunks and huge steel safes - all
full with money. The tellers behind the counters are literally encased in
money tombs - huge walls of bank notes rising around and above them, against
the walls, under their feet, alongside their elbows and slowly engulfing
them almost completely from view.

In the towns and suburbs there are stories of people going on massive
spending sprees buying anything and everything they can in order to use up
the old money that they cannot bank. All of these stories, however, fade
into insignificance for the great majority of desperately poor ordinary
people in Zimbabwe. This week I talked to a man from a rural village and the
whole hullabaloo about money hardly featured in his worries. There had been
a late frost last week and the man and his wife had lost their entire
vegetable garden of tomatoes and leaf vegetables. The tomatoes were just a
few days away from picking but the frost burnt the tops of the fruits,
turning firm flesh into brown mush. The rape leaves were almost big enough
to start picking but the frost turned them crisp and yellow and worthless.
When I asked why the man hadn't built grass frost shelters around the garden
he said that as far as you could see in every direction there is no grass
left - every blade has been burnt. There is no grass for the cattle to eat
and bushes and shrubs have also been burnt. All unprotected maize stover has
gone too in the uncontrolled fires that are sweeping across mile after mile
of countryside. The man said that he hears on his radio the news that people
starting fires would be arrested but every day great plumes of smoke rise up
but the police never come.

I asked the man if he knew about the money being changed and he said that
the villagers had been called to meetings and told they had to spend all
their money as it was about to worthless. The man said many people did not
believe the news, especially older people who hid their money in buckets and
tins - buried it in the ground in the middle of their huts. The man said he
had come to town to spend all his savings. He had five million dollars
(equivalent of five pounds sterling) and wanted to buy one bag of
fertilizer. His friend had found and priced the fertilizer for him at a big
farm supply outlet - it was exactly five million dollars for a 50 kg bag.
Just four days later the man went with his handful of money and found the
price had gone up. The bag of fertilizer now cost six million four hundred
thousand dollars. The man stood looking at his handful of purple paper and
his hunched posture spoke volumes; in a few days it would be as worthless as
his garden of burnt vegetables.

If the Zimbabwe government put anywhere near as much energy into growing
food as they have into confiscating people's own money, we would be fat, fit
and flourishing.
Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy

Zimbabwe's Cash Crisis Deepens

OhMyNews

      War veterans protest as people go without food and fuel

      Nelson G. Katsande (NELKA)

     Published 2006-08-26 13:41 (KST)

Zimbabwe's cash crisis has worsened, with veterans of the War of
Liberation threatening to hold anti-government protests.

This comes after the government's introduction of a economic reforms
on Aug. 1 2006 in an attempt to stop inflation. Three zeros were removed
from every banknote and the people of Zimbabwe were given until Aug. 21 to
change their old money.

            Related Articles    Zimbabwe Rocked by Protests

The latest development comes amid reports that the new currency is
still in short supply. Ordinary consumers, including the war veterans, are
now feeling the pinch of the government's economic reforms. Some transport
operators have hiked their fares and are reported to be refusing to carry
passengers who have none of the new money. As a result, people are having to
trudge long distances to and from work.

In Kadoma's suburb of Waverley, a group of war veterans on Thursday
was mobilizing support among the people to hold mass protests. The recent
political and warring factions in Zimbabwe will no doubt be a cause for
concern to President Mugabe.

With the war veterans publicly voicing their concerns, Mugabe faces a
tough battle ahead. The planned peaceful demonstration was intended to air
the people's grievances, but the war veterans vowed to retaliate if attacked
by the militia. This statement of defiance is viewed as pitting the brutal
militia against the much-feared war veterans -- and who prevails is anyone's
guess.

There was calm in the cities of Harare and Bulawayo, with the police
presence having been increased in the latter.

Mugabe's economic reforms have created chaos in the financial sector.
Retailers increased the price of commodities, with some hoarding commodities
for possible resale on the black market. The country is also experiencing an
acute shortage of fuel. Some local authorities have no choice but to buy
fuel on the black market.

While the people have no food and are failing to pay hospital fees,
the government-controlled newspaper, the Herald, reported Friday that the
government had bought 127 new cars for use by militia personnel, with
another 194 expected to be delivered soon. This will be seen as a mockery of
the recovery of the ailing economy.

Reserve Bank Governor Gono insists that the economic reforms will
succeed and that the currency reform was just the beginning of more measures
to come. Both Mugabe and Gono are playing the blame game, with Gono blaming
"some forces" for trying to sabotage the reforms, while Mugabe on the other
hand blames Britain and white commercial farmers for his country's woes. But
analysts believe Mugabe's haphazard seizure of white-owned farms ruined the
country's economy.

Zimbabwe's economy is teetering on the brink of collapse. The job
market has shrunk and college graduates are failing to secure employment in
their chosen careers, while corruption among government officials is on the
increase. Most people are illegally crossing into neighboring South Africa
(dubbed "the promised land") as they try to escape from the country's
problems. There have been reports of Zimbabweans drowning in the
crocodile-infested Limpopo River in a desperate attempt to reach "the
promised land."

The militia is now regarded as partisan, following its close alignment
with the Zanu PF (the ruling party) and its love of harassing opposition
supporters. Off-duty security agents are often seen wearing T-Shirts with
pro-Mugabe and Zanu PF messages.

The opposition sees Mugabe as a stumbling block to economic recovery.
He has has shunned efforts by other statesmen in Nigeria and South Africa to
broker peaceful talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

The people of Zimbabwe are no doubt desperate for change. They are
optimistic that a new government would help bring in much-needed foreign
exchange and help boost the economy.

Zimbabwe's main energy supplier, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority (ZESA) has resorted to load shedding. Most parts of the country go
for days without electricity because of constant power cuts. Hospitals, too,
have been badly affected, and disgruntled patients have renamed ZESA as
Zimbabwe Electricity Sometimes Available.

Indian Steel Firm Withdraws From Venture With Harare, Cites Interference

VOA

By Blessing Zulu
Washington
25 August 2006

Global Infrastructure of India has scuttled a proposed US$400 million
investment in the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company, citing demands by unnamed
senior officials for a stake in the deal. Senior officials said the Indian
firm withdrew Lalit Kumar Sehgal, assigned to run ZISCO as chief executive
officer while the deal was finalized.

ZISCO sources said  Alois Gowo is now acting CEO. Global Steel planned to
make the US$400 million investment over 20 years, and some 5,000 jobs may
have been lost.

The parastatal's vice chairman, Jonathan Kadzura, refused to comment, saying
that Harare is negotiating directly with the company and the board is not
involved.

Anti-Corruption and State Enterprise Minister Paul Mangwana told reporter
Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 that the joint venture remains under
negotiation.

Economist James Jowa said the withdrawal by Global Infrastructure, part of
the Mittal international steel concern, has much wider implications for the
economy.