HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s party won’t
accept a new draft constitution without amendments to reforms seen as
undermining its traditional powers, state media reported
Tuesday.
Spokesman Rugare Gumbo said the draft was unacceptable in its
present form and “we cannot commit ourselves to positions which are
untenable,’ according to The Herald newspaper, which is controlled by Mugabe
loyalists.
He alleged the draft did not reflect the views of many voters
and his party supporters who were canvassed countrywide and said it
contained “alien ideas” that were not aired at public meetings during an
outreach campaign to gather the people’s contributions, the paper
reported.
The ZANU-PF politburo, the party’s top policy making body, is
scheduled to meet Wednesday to finalize objections to the draft that include
the proposed election of ten provincial governors from all parties. Mugabe
appointed the governors in the past. The draft also calls for an independent
prosecuting authority to replace Mugabe appointees in the justice ministry
and parliamentary controls over military and security
deployment.
Mugabe has vowed to call elections next year without a
rewritten constitution if no agreement is reached on the 150-page
draft.
Under Zimbabwe’s power-sharing coalition brokered by regional
leaders, the proposed constitution must be put to a referendum before fresh
elections can be held. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former
opposition leader, has urged his party to support the draft with a “yes”
vote in a referendum planned before the end of this year.
His party
has expressed fears that if the reforms are abandoned there could be a
repeat of the violent and disputed elections in 2008 that led to the
formation of the shaky coalition in 2009. It has accused Mugabe loyalists of
trying to sabotage negotiations on the new draft that ZANU-PF
representatives took part in creating over three years of delays and
bickering.
Veritas, an independent constitutional and legal think
tank in Harare, said Tuesday the former opposition in the coalition with
Mugabe insisted the draft was the result of “hard negotiation” between top
representatives mandated by their party leaders to reach consensus on the
draft by the time it was finally completed last month.
Tsvangirai’s
Movement for Democratic Change and a smaller former opposition party were
adamant negotiations were now closed and no new concessions to ZANU-PF could
be entertained, Veritas said.
But Gumbo, the Mugabe party spokesman, said
he was confident disputed passages can be recast “to improve the draft,” add
public views and save the lengthy constitutional process from
collapse.
“They want us to agree to something that is unacceptable. We
are talking about a constitution for generations to come. We are sticking to
what the people have said and you will see the difference” in the party’
final amendments, the Herald quoted Gumbo saying.
August 07,
2012 HARARE — Zimbabwe's national census, due to begin next week, is up in
the air after the government stopped preparations in order to remove army
officials who had bulldozed their way into the process. Some analysts say
the army wants to get involved in order to intimidate citizens ahead of the
next elections.
Preparations for Zimbabwe’s census, which is
scheduled to start next week, were thrown into disarray after the government
halted the process this week. The move came after army officials got
involved in the counting process. Traditionally the census in Zimbabwe is
done by teachers.
“We shall not divert on that culture [of employing
teachers to enumerate] because the results [of] that count of our census has
had the credibility in the region, in the country and international results.
We shall adhere to that ritual," said Zimbabwe’s acting finance minister,
Gorden Moyo, speaking to reporters in Harare. Moyo. "That doesn’t mean the
army doesn’t have a role to play, to protect our enumerators. And then they
[have a] limited role in their own military cantons, in the
barracks."
In Zimbabwe, many people associate the army with intimidating
civilians. In the 1980s, President Robert Mugabe’s government used soldiers
to intimidate and to commit violence against perceived dissidents in the
southern part of Zimbabwe. In the disputed elections of 2008, the army was
said to be involved in violence against supporters of the then-opposition
MDC party.
Analyst Claris Madhuku, who heads Platform for Youth
Development (PYD), said the involvement of the army in the census might be
meant to appease them as the soldiers are poorly paid.
"Secondly,
since we are close to the forthcoming elections, soldiers would want to
interact with the community members," said Madhuku. "As they go through the
process of counting, they want to provide some form of intimidation so that
the community in the next election, they must vote for ZANU-PF [Robert
Mugabe's party] or else."
Zimbabwean army officers have said the past
they would not support anyone who is not from ZANU-PF, which fought the
country’s liberation struggle from Great Britain.
Zimbabwe's last
census was held in 2002. That census showed Zimbabwe had about 11.6 million
people.
There was drama at Marange High school on Tuesday when a
group of police officers invaded the premises and confiscated census
equipment meant to be used by teachers in the forthcoming
exercise.
It appears the over 200 police officers, who have been barred
from taking part in the exercise, were angry at their exclusion from the
money spinning program and decided to grab a few valuables as compensation
for loss of earnings.
The officers also brought the training of
enumerators at the high school to a standstill and vowed not to leave until
they’re reinstated to participate in the exercise.
‘They even took
with them bottled water and a few foodstuffs meant for the teachers. This
proves how desperate they were to be involved in this exercise where they’re
entitled to receive $90 a day for a week and a one-off payment fee of $800,’
a teacher in Mutare said.
In Bulawayo 60 soldiers stormed the
polytechnic, the venue for training enumerators, and demanded that the
supervisors start the training again. Our correspondent Lionel Saungweme
told us the soldiers arrived some hours after the training started and
demanded they be included in the exercise.
‘When the supervisors refused
to include them, they ran riot and ransacked the college canteen and took
all foodstuffs, including vouchers meant for the enumerators. As it stands
nothing is happening and the training has been abandoned,’ Saungweme
said.
Preparations for the 2012 population census have been engulfed in
controversy after ZANU PF manipulated the exercise and brought in CIO’s,
police and army officers instead of teachers.
The Ministry of Finance
was last night forced to suspend the exercise for a day, to allow an audit
of the enumerators hired for the exercise. Traditionally the census has
always involved teachers from both primary and secondary schools
countrywide, but this year the armed forces tried to do things
differently.
A teacher based in Gweru told SW Radio Africa that political
leaders and other powerful people in the government had infiltrated the
exercise. The teacher called for the expulsion of anyone who joined the
census program illegally.
Raymond Majongwe, the Secretary General of
the Progressive Teachers Union, said they are continuing to receive
disturbing news about teachers being removed from being census
enumerators.
But he alleged that teachers from unions aligned to ZANU PF
(Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association and Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe) are being
engaged.
‘This is the height of discrimination and prejudice which is
reminiscent of apartheid South Africa. The head office was inundated
yesterday (Monday) with telephone calls from our members country-wide who
had been struck off from the list of those who were supposed to train as
census enumerators.
‘Allegations are that only PTUZ members are being
targeted, including those with dual (union) membership. Teachers’ freedom of
association must be respected and we wish to remind those behind this
barbarism that we are watching them closely,’ Majongwwe said in a
statement.
SW Radio Africa has been informed that investigations by the
Ministries of Education and Finance established the corrupt nature of the
census exercise. Top government officials turned it into a scheme to award
themselves and friends with an opportunity to make a quick buck.
‘We
understand there was an instruction from ZANU PF to each district education
officer to include members of the security forces in the exercise for them
to make money as well as monitor the program. Although politicians will deny
this, all census data is used to reapportion parliamentary and senatorial
seats across the country, so the stakes are high that ZANU PF wants to force
into the exercise their trusted foot soldiers as they believe all teachers
in Zimbabwe are aligned to opponents of Robert Mugabe,’ one MDC-T MP said.
Written by Fungi Kwaramba, Staff
Writer Tuesday, 07 August 2012 12:04
HARARE - Zanu PF’s plot
to use soldiers in the population census has been exposed with the ministry
of Finance moving in quickly yesterday evening to suspend the registration
of enumerators.
As reported in the Daily News last week, soldiers and
Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives had hijacked the census
process in a desperate bid to prop up the faction-riddled Zanu
PF.
Acting minister of Finance, Gorden Moyo, called an urgent press
conference yesterday evening to announce the postponement of registration
exercise by a day to clear the swelling issues surrounding the soldiers’
participation in the programme.
“To date the training of national,
provincial, district and enumeration area supervisors has been completed. We
are now in the stage where enumerators themselves are going to be trained,
however the registration of the enumerators at various training centres will
have to be postponed by a day,” said Moyo adding that, “further details on
their requisite qualifications will be provided in due course by my ministry
through the Zimbabwe national statistics agency Zimstat.”
Government
officials involved in the 2012 census preparations said the hastily arranged
press briefing was meant to expose the Zanu PF plot.
Moyo, according to
the officials is today expected to table the contentious involvement of the
soldiers in the 2012 census before Cabinet for final
determination.
There were reports from around the country’s
enumeration centres of hordes of soldiers who turned up seeking to be
registered for the lucrative civilian enumeration tasks.
But Moyo
clearly stated yesterday evening that the men in uniform’s role in the
process should be limited to providing security.
“This will be our fourth
(census). There were censuses in 1982, 1992, 2002 and the fourth one in
2012. Throughout this trajectory, we have had the ministry of Education
through their teachers taking the lead and other various departments of
government participating and we shall not deviate from that culture because
the results that have come out of the population censuses over the years
have had the credibility and international integrity,” said Moyo while
answering questions from journalists.
“Those figures have been used
in the country, regionally and internationally and we shall adhere to that
ritual. That does not mean that other departments such as the military have
no role to play. They have a role to play to protect our enumerators and
ensure that there is peace and stability in the country because this is a
very critical exercise of the country.”
In addition, Moyo who was flanked
by Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Finance William Manungo and
Zimstat director general Mutasa Dzinotizei said the men in uniform “have a
limited role in as far as enumeration is concerned in their own areas,
platoons, barracks, police camps, in those areas they have a role to play.
But otherwise the process will follow what has been the case in the
past.”
“The security personnel have always had a role in counting
themselves, they have always done that in 2002, 1992 and backwards and they
will continue to do so,” he added.
The national census which will be
used for government planning purposes, provide statistics to national,
regional and international organisations and for budgeting purposes will be
launched on August 15 in Harare.
Asked what will happen if security
forces sought to highjack the programme as has been widely reported around
the country, Moyo said, “The launching of this programme by the highest
office in the land should be security enough.
If the principals of this
government are launching this programme, then we expect everyone to tow the
line until this process is completed. We don’t anticipate any deviation, if
there is going to be any deviation, it shall be dealt with at that
level.”
Following clashes among government employees keen to participate
in the lucrative process, the Zimstats office which is in charge of the
programme had to abandon a meeting yesterday at Girls High.
Since
1980, Zimbabwe has successfully conducted three population counts with the
first one having been carried in 1982.
This year’s census is the fourth.
The country’s national census is held after every 10 years.
The major
highlight of the population census for 2012 is that it comes just before the
country goes for the much awaited plebiscite. Statistics from the counting
will be critical in constituency delimitations.
Zimbabwe will later this
year or early next year vote in a referendum for the parliamentary Select
Committee draft constitution which was penned by Zanu PF and the two MDC
formations.
Since 2000, there has been a subtle involvement of soldiers
in major events in the country.
Soldiers who are accused of backing
Zanu PF’s long stay in power were instrumental in ensuring that President
Robert Mugabe remained in power even after losing the first round of
elections.
But his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai failed to
garner a majority triggering a run-off that was characterised by violence
which involved soldiers.
Written by Sydney Saize Tuesday, 07
August 2012 12:36
HARARE - Teachers from Chipinge district told
the Daily News Zanu PF supporters within the ministry of Education sport Art
and culture had weeded out names of teachers suspected to be members of the
MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The teachers have voiced
their apprehension over their removal from a list to participate in the
census programme which runs from August 18 to 27 2012 on suspicion they are
MDC members.
A teacher from Mt Selinda Mission told the Daily News he had
been initially pencilled to take part in the exercise, but realised his name
had been deleted.
“I was told I could not take part in the census as
I was a member of MDC. A Zanu PF supporter whom I know who works at the
Chipinge district education offices told me I was not eligible since the
programme had to benefit Zanu PF members,” said the teacher who preferred to
remain anonymous for security reasons.
Another teacher from Chibuwe
secondary school said the census exercise had been hijacked by the Central
Intelligence Organisation, (CIO), Zanu PF and other security sectors aligned
to Zanu PF.
“The census is going to be conducted by the CIO, Zanu PF
supporters and soldiers,” said the teacher who identified himself as
Tichaona Murwira.
The census exercise is financially rewarding and for
the 10 days the least-paid in allowances will pocket about
$500.
Edgar Mangezi of Chikore Mission complained he had his name struck
off for the same reason.
Mangezi had approached the responsible
authorities who could not give him a satisfactory response over the deleting
of his name from the original list of participants.
“It is still a
mystery as to why I have been left out of the programme after having been
informed I would take part in the exercise.”
Officials from the ministry
of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture in Chipinge district refused to
comment on the matter referring questions to acting education director for
Manicaland, Chigumira who was said to be out of his office on
business.
Teacher representative organisations, the Progressive Teachers’
Union of Zimbabwe, (PTUZ) and the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association, Zimta
condemned the action calling it segregatory and unfortunate.
Kevin
Ndumiyana of the PTUZ said, “As a union we have to categorically state that
we are saddened by such a development which is unwarranted. It is the duty
of any deserving civil servant to participate in national exercise
irrespective of political affiliation."
An official from Zimta Mutare
office said if the allegations are anything to go by it was an injustice to
deny other people a chance to participate in financially rewarding national
duties due to political party affiliation.
Civil servants, commercial
companies and indigenous business people here have been forced to contribute
towards the hosting of the provincial Heroes’ Day celebrations to be held in
the city this weekend. 07.08.1207:49am by Tony Saxon
Angry
civil servants told The Zimbabwean last week that they were forced to fork
out varying amounts according to seniority. “We were forced to pay between
$2 and $20 - depending on one’s position,” said a member of the Zimbabwe
National Army based at the 3 Brigade Army headquarters.
“I was forced to
pay $2. Failure to pay meant one would be victimized and labelled an MDC-T
supporter. We are earning peanuts yet they are coming to take away our hard
earned cash,” said a junior soldier at 3 Brigade. Business people were also
forced to pay cash and supply commodities to be used at the commemorations.
“They demanded $300 and some of my farm produce. I had no option but to give
them. If I refused it was going to backfire for me as I would be labelled an
enemy of Zanu (PF) and this would jeopardize my business,” said a local
farmer.
“I saw some Zanu (PF) officials accompanied by youths visiting
all shops here demanding cash and goods. They demanded $200 from me and I
gave them some drinks and beers. They also forced some butcheries to give
meat. It is unfortunate that business people are always victims of Zanu (PF)
abuse when there is a function. We do not have any option,” said a
businessman in the city.
“We were informed that we should donate
money for the celebrations, but because we make very little profit here, we
argued that donations must not be compulsory,” said a general manager at a
Mutare company.
“They said they have blacklisted the company and it would
soon be earmarked for indigenization. They said they will inform Kasukuwere
to facilitate the indigenization and empowerment programme so that the
company can be handed over to Zanu (PF) supporters,” he said.
Another
source from a local company said: “We were labelled as an MDC company after
we failed to pay the contributions. They said they would use an unspecified
force to show us that Zanu (PF) is in power. I told them that I am only an
employee and I referred them to the company bosses in South Africa.”
Amos Rufuse (63) is
having sleepless nights after some war veterans and Zanu (PF) militia
besieged his homestead in Zimunya. 06.08.1206:27pm by Tony
Saxon
Rufuse, a survivor of the Chimoio attack in Mozambique in
1976, is a former member of Zanu (PF) Mutare district coordination
committee. He left Zanu (PF) and joined the popular MDC-T in 2008. Late last
year he was targeted by war veterans and Zanu (PF) militia during the
constitution outreach programme, because he spoke out against the party’s
policy of warning villagers to either shut up or support Zanu (PF)’s views
on the new constitution.
“About two months ago, members of the youth
militia accused me of being a sell-out. I told them that I was no longer
interested in Zanu (PF). But they threatened to burn my house and told me
that they would kill me if I did not follow their orders, so I was forced to
attend their rallies,” Rufuse told The Zimbabwean in an exclusive
interview.
“I am living in hell here. They are always monitoring my
movements and they sometimes camp at my house. They fear that I might
influence other war veterans to jump ship and join the MDC,” he said. The
former fighter, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Groundforce, has a painful
story to tell:
“I fought and survived the Chimoio attack. I went to the
war to liberate this country. A lot of blood was shed and many died. But
today some people who claim to be war heroes are running the country. All
those people you see in higher places in Zanu (PF) are fake comrades. They
do not have the true war credentials, but they claim they are the heroes of
the liberation struggle.
“Look at me today, I am almost destitute. I
truly liberated this country. We have been used by these cronies at Zanu
(PF). There are a lot of true war veterans who are in my same
predicament.
“As we approach the Heroes’ holiday, I want to take this
opportunity to tell the world that true war veterans are fed up with Zanu
(PF). The party is full of looters and crooks. I am a victim of the June
2008 elections violence and still live in fear. Even though we were living
in peace following the formation of the inclusive government in February
2009, the ghost of violence and fear is returning. I have challenged them to
finish me off, because I am already dead and useless”.
“These militia
stole and killed my cattle because I am now a member of the MDC-T. My close
relatives have gone away in fear of death. But I am prepared to die until
sanity prevails in this country. If they are normal can they steal cattle
and kill people like me, who is also a hero?”
“Now they have embarked on
numerous meetings in this area where they force me to attend and contribute.
They force me to carry supporters to their meetings using my Mazda F13
truck. They said I would influence other war veterans and few remaining Zanu
(PF) supporters to join MDC-T. The people in the community respect me
because of my war credentials. I am popular because I tell them the
truth”.
“It is very painful that Zanu (PF) is in tatters because of their
bad policies. This is not what our true cadres died for. The majority of us
are suffering yet a few at the top are enjoying through our sweat, blood and
tears. Look at me I have scars and wounds from the war and there are many
like me. A person who fought a true war will never support Zanu (PF).”
Written by Fungi Kwaramba, Staff
Writer Tuesday, 07 August 2012 13:56
HARARE - On November 11
2011, three political party principals stood on a pedestal at the Harare
International Conference Centre (HICC) to preach peace.
President
Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and leader of the smaller
MDC party Welshman Ncube spoke passionately about the urgent need to build
peace in the country.
Their messages, coupled with moves towards enacting
a new Electoral Act and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Act, the
country appeared to be well on a path to peace.
But months after
their public declaration the three leaders have failed to follow their word.
Their joint declaration for peace remains largely on paper since November
11.
With the country slowly drifting towards the referendum and a
possible election, which Zanu PF wants held this year, many Zimbabweans have
expressed concern for their safety if the country’s political environment
remains unchecked.
Harare residents still live in fear of the
marauding Chipangano gang (a shadowy vigilante group aligned to Zanu PF)
which has taken control of virtually all business facets in most parts of
the capital, particularly in the small-scale business hub of Mbare
Musika.
Human rights groups say the police who are accused of supporting
Zanu PF are not doing anything to bring the culprits to
book.
Residents’ pressure groups such as Harare Residents Trust (HRT)
maintain that lucrative markets in Mbare remain an enclave of people
associated with Zanu PF.
“As Harare residents what we want to hear is
tolerance. If Chipangano leaders are arrested for the crimes they are
committing against residents of Harare then we would say there is movement
in terms of progress towards peace."
“However, the situation is as it
was three years ago. MDC offices in Mbare are still closed and the police
have not done anything to protect the people,” said HRT chairperson Precious
Shumba.
Calls for reforms which can put a stop to the chaos have largely
fallen on deaf ears and institutions like the police have remained in the
spotlight for failing to nab Chipangano.
And that is not
all.
Across the country observers note a resurgence of political
intimidation and violence from Zanu PF supporters targeting MDC leaders and
their supporters.
Soldiers continue meddling in politics.
The MDC
says its secretary-general Tendai Biti who is also Finance minister, has
been banned from visiting Mashonaland West Province.
Reports from various
civil groups such as the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn), paint a
gloomy picture on the ground.
Centre for Community Development Zimbabwe
(CCDZ), a grassroots watchdog group that works in communities warned that
tensions are rising and that people will not be able to freely express
themselves during the constitutional referendum and elections.
CCDZ
noted that people in different areas made specific mention of the
politically motivated violence which took place during the 2008 Presidential
run-off elections as a reason why there is a need to wait until the
political environment is conducive before elections are held.
Zanu PF
insists elections should be held this year, but civilians fear going to
polls without adequate reforms would tailspin into further turmoil for the
country. In its latest ballot update Zesn noted that human rights are not
being religiously observed in some constituencies.
“Human rights are an
inalienable fundamental right to which a person is inherently entitled
simply because he or she is a human being and as such Zesn believes that
these rights ought to be guarded jealously.”
“However, in a number of
areas reports from observers have shown how these rights are being infringed
with citizens unable to enjoy their fundamental freedoms. Reports from
Goromonzi West have noted that some residents were arrested upon commenting
on the prevalence of road blocks in the constituency, a clear infringement
of their freedom of expression. Observers in some constituencies have
reported fear instilled in citizens by people masquerading as Central
Intelligence Operatives (CIO) and their inability to exercise their freedoms
particularly freedom of association, assembly and expression.”
Zesn
also notes that in areas such as Hatcliffe, MDC members are living in fear
of intimidation and harassment.
Commenting on the lifting of sanctions by
the European Union (EU), Tsvangirai expressed concern on the upsurge of
political intimidation.
“We are taking stock of the positive aspects and
of course the situation is that significant areas of concern remain,” he
said in apparent reference to acts of violence by Zanu PF supporters against
members of his MDC party.
Media watchdog Misa-Zimbabwe, while
acknowledging the improvement in the media situation, says more still needs
to be done.
“Misa-Zimbabwe reiterates its calls for comprehensive media
reforms that would facilitate the repeal of the country’s broadcasting laws
to facilitate the establishment of a representative independent broadcasting
regulatory board that promotes the licensing of all aspiring private and
independent broadcasters,” stated Misa in a recent
statement.
Freelance reporter, Thomas Madhuku was arrested simply because
he sought to inspect the closely-guarded voters’ roll.
Madhuku is
being charged for allegedly tempering with the voters’ roll.
The MDC-T have issued a statement saying one of the 29 MDC
members facing false charges of murdering a Glen View policeman, has been
admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital.
Nyamadzawo
Gapare was first taken to a private hospital last month after his health
worsened and Justice Chinembiri Bhunu finally ordered his transfer from
Harare Prison Hospital. The MDC-T say his health has continued to
deteriorate, due to the severe assault he suffered at the hands of police at
Harare Central Police Station.
While he remains in hospital the murder
trial has been postponed and his colleagues remain incarcerated.
Two female Midlands State University students
were on Friday kidnapped by unknown persons in an incident that resulted in
the death of one of them. 06.08.1206:37pm by Brenna Matendere
Munyati
The deceased, Roseline Zvirikuzhe (19) of Senga, died
upon admission at Gweru General Hospital the same day after having jumped
from the speeding vehicle of the kidnappers. Her colleague, Brenda Nyakamha
of Old Highfields in Harare, escaped unhurt.
Police said the two were
picked by the assailants who were driving a white pick-up truck with a
canopy at Cathedral Hall in the city centre while they were seeking
transport to reach Daylesford surbub along the Shurugwi-Gweru
highway.
When they reached their destination, they indicated that
they wanted to disembark but the kidnappers sped on.
“It is then that
the vehicle slowed down a bit and the deceased’s friend, Brenda, jumped off.
Brenda did not sustain any injuries but the driver did not stop. Roseline
was rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon
arrival,” said police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Emmanuel
Mahoko.
It is the second time that the varsity has lost students in sad
circumstances on the Gweru Shurugwi road. Previously, two students died in a
horrific car crash while travelling on same highway.
The sale of independent newspapers,
including the Daily News, NewsDay and The Zimbabwean, is not allowed at the
airport in Bulawayo and individuals are being searched by soldiers in remote
rural areas of Matabeleland, it has been revealed.
Trusted sources at
Bulawayo’s Joshua Nkomo Airport told SW Radio Africa correspondent Lionel
Saungweme that there is an unspoken rule, known by the vendors, that these
papers are not to be sold there.
Saungweme, who visited the Bulawayo
Airport this week, said: “The only papers allowed at the airport are the
ones published by the state. Workers were actually told not to sell those
other independent papers. And most of the security staff at airports are
intelligence agents, CIOs.”
Saungweme added that the “compounds” around
the airport, where military and security personnel live with their families,
also have no access to any independent newspapers.
According to our
correspondent, residents and travellers in remote rural areas of Nkayi and
some parts of Matopos district are also being subjected to body searches by
police and soldiers looking for newspapers and leaflets.
Any leaflets
with political messages or educational materials are considered contraband
and confiscated. Saungweme said people have been beaten or tortured just for
having a newspaper to read on the bus.
The revelation comes just days
after two more newspapers were licensed by the Zimbabwe Media Commission
(ZMC), in a move that some critics said gives the impression there is some
progress being made. The fact is that existing newspapers and media
practitioners still face major obstacles.
The ZMC last week licensed The
Zimbabwean, which has already been in Zimbabwe for some time, and The
Observer, a new daily newspaper whose publisher said they were still
sourcing funds.
Distribution of independent newspapers is unofficially
banned in many rural parts of the country, as ZANU PF thugs enforce the
illegal ban with impunity. Vendors in urban areas like Harare and Bulawayo
have also not been immune to assaults and intimidation by ZANU PF
supporters.
ZANU PF has consistently resisted implementing key media
reforms that were agreed to in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). In
addition the Minister for Information, Webster Shamu, has ignored orders
from the principals to reform the boards of the Mass Media Trust, the Media
Commission and Zimbabwe Broadcasting.
The Elected Councillors’ Association of Zimbabwe
has accused Local Government and National Housing Minister, Ignatius Chombo,
of using special interest councillors to spy on council
affairs. 07.08.1201:37pm by Christopher Mahove
In a letter to
Chombo dated July 31, 2012, Ecaz accused the minister of making all his
decisions based on clandestine meetings he held with the special interest
councillors.
Emmanual Chinanzvavana, who is Secretary for the Welfare and
Community Development committee, signed the letter. Ecaz said the special
interest councillors represented no constituency and had no capacity to
speak on behalf of Harare residents.
“As elected councillors with the
people’s mandate we would like to remind your office that Special Interest
Councillors have no constituency and therefore have no capacity to speak on
behalf of councils,” reads the letter. ‘‘It is equally important that the
Special Interest Councillors’ constituency is your ministry, hence holding
sporadic meetings with your nominees about the people’s council constitutes
running a parallel government structure at the expense of public
funds.”
Ecaz said the special interest councillors should be put on the
Ministry of Local Government payroll as they were playing an intelligence
role for the ministry and not benefitting council. It said the councillors,
who were handpicked by Chombo, were confusing council technocrats as they
had no defined role.
“It is therefore important that you define or
redefine the role of these gentlemen in councils to allow progress because
they have destroyed constructive debate in council since they have become
spies rather than members,” the letter concludes.
Chombo denied ever
meeting the special interest councillors clandestinely, saying they had only
written to him expressing concern over the non- availability of a strategic
plan at the City of Harare.
He added that Ecaz was a group of
‘‘uneducated MDC councillors’’ who were not qualified to run council. He
rubbished claims that the special interest councillors had become his spies,
saying they were merely doing their job of advising council where necessary.
Pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) has criticised
the new draft constitution for containing too many compromises by the MDC
parties in government.
Both MDC formations have thrown their support
behind a ‘yes’ vote for the draft charter, despite ongoing criticism of the
document. Analysts and observers have dismissed the document for not
reflecting the will of the people, while still too closely resembling the
contested Kariba Draft.
The document meanwhile has also been slammed for
not diminishing the executive powers of the president or allowing dual
citizenship. Issues like property rights are also left very insecure in the
new charter, while discrimination has been written in to the document, in
the controversial land clauses.
WOZA meanwhile has said the
constitutional reform process has been “too dependent on political
negotiation,” and the result has been a draft charter with too many
compromises.
WOZA leader Jenni Williams told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday
that their members agree “there are too many compromises by the MDC and they
appear to be looking more at their own interests than the people’s
will.”
However, she said a ‘yes’ vote was still the likely campaign WOZA
would undertake, despite the shortfalls of the constitution.
“We know
that the culture of dictatorship is not going to die over night, and the MDC
most likely has betrayed our hopes and desires on the presidential front. So
we said we should be a little bit more patient and hope that if the draft is
passed we can seek better amendments in the future,” Williams
said.
She added: “We are definitely not as happy as we would have been.
But, unless ZANU PF decides to be a prima donna and change this draft, then
a ‘yes’ campaign is likely what we are going to do.”
WOZA meanwhile
warned the MDC to be aware that the Mugabe regime is renowned for
‘backtracking’, and there is no guarantee yet that Zimbabwe is safe from
future violence. Williams said they are very concerned about safety issues,
because their members continue to face persecution and
harassment.
South Africa’s government has resumed its battle to keep a
controversial report on Zimbabwe’s elections hidden, launching a fresh angle
of defence for the secrecy of the document.
The Mail & Guardian
newspaper in South Africa has been trying to have the report released since
2008, amid widespread speculation that it contained evidence showing that
the 2002 disputed election in Zimbabwe was not free or fair.
The then
South African President Thabo Mbeki had commissioned two judges to visit
Zimbabwe and report back on the state of the election. This report was
handed over to Mbeki but never made public, although the former President
insisted the electoral process in Zimbabwe was completely
democratic.
The newspaper’s efforts to access the details of the report
were repeatedly denied, leaving it little choice but to seek the
intervention of the High Court. The government, now under President Jacob
Zuma’s leadership, was then ordered more than a year ago to release the
report.
But a lengthy appeals process was launched by President Zuma and
the case eventually ended up in the Constitutional Court. That court late
last year referred the case back to its starting point in the High Court,
saying that court needed to invoke its rights to see the report and then
make a decision on whether it could be released.
High Court Judge
Joseph Raulinga has since had his ‘judicial peek’ into the document, and the
case resumed in court this week.
Nic Dawes, the editor in chief of the
Mail & Guardian, told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that the SA government
is sticking to its argument that there is no reason why the report should be
made public. He explained that the government has also introduced new
evidence, in the form of affidavits signed by Mbeki and Zuma, stating that
the information in the report has been and is still used to formulate
policy, and therefore can’t be released.
“They still have not released
any details of the report to support this argument. And in any case, if the
judges were co-opted into policy-making, then it violates the separation of
the powers of the executive and judicial arms of government,” Dawes
said.
Zuma’s affidavit stated the report continues to be relevant to his
policy-driven interventions in Zimbabwe and held that the “premature and
piecemeal disclosure of information” could have a serious and negative
impact on South Africa’s relationship with Zimbabwe. Zuma is still the
regionally appointed mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis and has been
trying steer the fragile unity government towards a free and fair
election.
Dawes however said that Zuma’s argument is questionable,
considering that “the situation is much changed in Zimbabwe since the report
was released a decade ago.”
“I doubt the report is still being used
to inform policy ten years down the line,” Dawes said.
Judge Raulinga
has reserved judgment on the matter. But Dawes said that even if the Judge
rules in their favour, the newspaper “is in for a long fight to see the
details of the report”
The government has handed over seven farms with a total
area of 5 673 hectares to the City of Harare, increasing the capital’s size
to 1 457 square kilometers, The Zimbabwean has
learnt. 07.08.1201:44pm by Thabani Dube
The decision by the
government is in response to the sharp rise in Harare’s population. Old
figures indicate that the capital is home to about 1.5m people, but
unofficial estimates put the figure at more than four million.
Harare
City Council’s Environment Management Committee has approved the gazetted
new boundaries which incorporate Rumani Farm (494.7 ha), Acorn Farm
(744.5ha), Echo Farm (972.7ha) and Chirika Extension Farm
(116.0ha).
Also gazette for expansion are: Lot J of Borrowdale Estate
(657.7ha), Gurlyn Burton Farm (48.8ha) and Caledonia Farm (2 638.9
ha).
The council, through the Department of Urban Planning Services, was
consulting on the state of the farms.
“The Director of Urban Planning
Services reported that most of the farms were not developed. He was further
requested to submit the status of each farm in liaison with the urban
settlement in terms of what percentage of land had been allocated and what
was left,” read the council minutes.
It is most likely that the council
will use the farms for residential purposes as the city’s stands waiting
list has a backlog of over a million.
OXFAM International, the United
Kingdom-based donor agency, has secured 2 million Euro for two projects in
Zimbabwe, a spokesman for the agency has revealed. Oxfam also have an office
in Harare, Zimbabwe. 07.08.1208:51am by Ngoni Chanakira
Harare
"We will be using 2 million Euro for two projects in Gutu
and Mutare District," the spokesman said in Harare. "The projects will
promote the use of micro-hydro and solar energy by rural people around the
Ruti and Himalaya Irrigation Schemes in Zimbabwe.
"To share
information and learning on the implementation of renewable energy
technology for socio-economic development in Zimbabwe." He said the project
would last four years and this cash would be sufficient for the purpose, but
could be beefed up if the need arose.
The project target groups
include 300 irrigation farming house holds, two clinics, one school, 10
local entrepreneurs, five solar technicians and one agribusiness
centre.
"In total 19,200 men, women and children will benefit from the
project which is being implemented in two districts of Zimbabwe these being
Gutu District and Mutare District," he said.
"The project is being
implemented over four years beginning in August, last year, and will utilise
two technologies namely solar and hydro-power."
In 2011 Oxfam
International in partnership with Practical Action, another Zimbabwean donor
agency, was awarded the European Commission ACP-EU Energy Facility Grant
from the 10th European Development Fund for the project.
The project is
entitled - "Rural Sustainable Energy Development in Zimbabwe".
"The
overall objective of the project is to increase access to modern, affordable
and sustainable renewable energy services for the rural population in
Zimbabwe," the spokesman said.
The move comes at a time when the
cash-strapped Government of Zimbabwe is not receiving any cash for projects
from the donor community especially those based in the UK and the United
States of America (US).
Even Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway and
Denmark, have stopped dishing out much needed cash to the broke southern
African nation currently led by President Robert Mugabe.
One of the victims of the bloody 2008 election
violence, Brian Mapuranga, could not hide his tears last week when The
Zimbabwean attended the official opening of his new
home. 07.08.1207:55am by Tatenda Kunaka
“June 23 is the day
ZANU (PF) youths came to my house when we were asleep and started to beat us
before forcing me to burn my own house,” said the MDC-T councillor for ward
9 in Makoni North.
The youths also beat his 87-year-old mother who is
still suffering from an arm fracture. He managed to escape and rushed to
Mayo Police Station, but the police then arrested him for causing public
violence.
He and his family lived in a ragged hut since then. But with
the help of the community, they have managed to build a three-roomed
house.
His wife, Theresa Mukaratirwa, could not hide her joy. “Imagine we
were staying with our children in one kitchen – but today I am happy that
God has provided,” she said.
Efforts to get comment from Mayo police
station were fruitless. Nelson Chamisa, the MDC-T organizing secretary, has
said the party is ready to compensate those who lost their property during
the violent presidential run-off. “It will take time - but we are going to
compensate,” he said.
FINANCE Minister Tendai Biti has said treasury would soon
establish a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to address the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe’s (RBZ) US$1.1 billion debt as well as help recapitalise the
virtually insolvent institution.
Recapitalisation of the central bank
is expected to help stabilise the country’s fragile financial services
sector which recently saw the closure of two banks while most of those
remaining are now scrambling to meet a ten-fold increase in minimum capital
requirements.
Biti would not disclose further details Monday only saying
that treasury was keen to revitalise the country’s apex bank adding the SPV
would establish how the debt was accrued and audit the obligations before
they are taken over by the State.
Critics blame the massive debt on
RBZ chief Gideon Gono’s so-called quasi-fiscal operations in the last decade
which saw the bank print money to fund various activities including
elections, acquisition of farm implements and luxury vehicles for government
officials.
Some of the debts include about US$610 million spent on seed,
grain and fertiliser imports, a US$200 million support facility for Air
Zimbabwe, about US$100 million spent on power imports as well as the US$198
million used on the farm mechanisation programme.
Gono however,
argues that the expenditure was necessary to help mitigate the worst effects
of sanctions imposed by the West adding all the programmes funded by the
bank were at the express request of successive finance ministers.
“We
at RBZ asked for specific letters authorising us to mobilise forex resources
for government, with limits being placed by government in relation to how
far and how much the Ministry of Finance wanted RBZ to mobilise on its
behalf,” Gono said last November.
“This we insisted upon in order to
avoid the kind of irrational debate we are currently having as a
nation.”
Gono also said the central bank could easily liquidate its
obligations if the government paid up its own debt of US$1.4 million to the
institution.
“If government was to repay RBZ US$1,4 billion that it owes
the apex bank tomorrow, the bank would in turn be able to pay its US$1,1
billion debt to creditors and still remain with US$300 million for its
capitalisation, lender of last resort operations, day-to-day needs and then
focus on its core mandate!”Gono said last year.
“It is also
recommended that without any further delays, the Hon Minister of Finance
(Tendai Biti) be advised to acknowledge and take over these government debts
from RBZ books and work out amicable repayment plans with
creditors.”
The RBZ chief also clashed, recently, with Zanu PF
legislator and prominent Harare businessman Paddy Zhanda over the farm
mechanisation programme after it emerged that most of the beneficiaries had
not paid for the equipment.
Gono declined a request by Zhanda to reveal
the names of the scheme’s beneficiaries a during hearing before a
Parliamentary committee.
“Section 60 (1) of the RBZ Act [Chapter 22:15]
forbids bank staff from disclosing information relating to the affairs of
the bank or a customer unless lawfully required to do so by any court or
under any enactment,” Gono said.
“Anybody who contravenes the section
shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level seven
or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to both such fine
and such imprisonment.”
The trial of The Standard editor Nevanji Madanhire, journalist
Patience Nyangove and Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) group resources manager
Loud Ramakgapola, has been pushed to 4 December 2012.
The three are
being charged with criminal defamation and their trial hangs in balance
since the Supreme Court is still to make a constitutional determination on
the matter.
They appeared briefly at the Harare Magistrates Court on
Wednesday 1 August 2012 where they were remanded to 4 December 2012 while
awaiting the Supreme Court ruling on the
appeal.
Background
The trio is being charged with criminal
defamation following the publication of a story in The Standard issue of 26
June -2 July 2011 titled: MDC-T fears for missing Timba.The three made an
application in terms of section 24(2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe in
December 2011, challenging that the charge infringed on their right to
freely express themselves and disseminate information without fear or
favour.
Written by Gift Phiri in South
Africa Tuesday, 07 August 2012 12:52
JOHANNESBURG - A UK-based
Zimbabwean bankrolled expelled ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius
Malema’s lavish stay at the five-star Corinthia Hotel in London over the
past week.
Malema and suspended ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu’s
London trip has provoked a storm here after claims that Malema’s close ally
Fikile Mbalula, South Africa’s sports and recreation minister had used
government funds to finance the controversial former ANCYL president’s
trip.
Mbalula angrily denied charges that he abused government funds to
fund Malema’s trip and described the claims as “rubbish.”
It has now
emerged that Zimbabwean businessman Conrad Mwanza who allegedly has close
ties to President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, organised Malema’s
trip.
During his trip, the self-styled economic freedom fighter had a
talk with Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, and never missed an opportunity to
express his confidence that President Jacob Zuma will be unseated at the
forthcoming ANC congress scheduled for Mangaug in December.
Reports
that Mbalula was bankrolling Malema’s trip had reached fever pitch here
after it was reported that Juju, as he is affectionately known to his
supporters, had checked himself into the Corinthia Hotel to be close to
Mbalula — a man he wants to replace Gwede Mantashe as ANC secretary
general.
Mbalula was in the UK for the Olympic Games.
But it has
since emerged Mwanza was picking up Malema’s tab at the five-star hotel,
where a deluxe room is going for £517 while a top-end suite is going for £1
950 per night.
Mwanza, a Zimbabwean of Zambian descent, settled in London
after spending a considerable amount of time in Zimbabwe’s second city of
Bulawayo.
Mwanza is into events management, and has organised beauty
pageants such as the Miss Southern Africa. He is also the man behind the
Zimachievers Awards, a competition that recognises outstanding Zimbabweans
in the Diaspora in various fields.
The Zimachievers competition was a
successor to the Zimawards UK.
During Malema’s trip, Mwanza hosted a
networking meeting where Malema was the guest speaker for which patrons
forked out £20 as cover charge.
Sources in London said the event was sold
out.
Mwanza, whose phone rang unanswered when the Daily News attempted to
obtain a comment from him yesterday, told the Sowetan newspaper his events
management company had invited Malema.
“Julius is very popular among
the Caribbean community in the United Kingdom,” Mwanza said.
“They
believe in what he advocates in terms of the economic emancipation of the
African people. They see him as someone who is fighting to improve the lives
of the people of Africa.”
“We applied for his (travel) papers at the Home
Office and we arranged all the meetings and interviews he
attended.”
Mwanza recently invited Supa Mandiwanzira to the UK just
before he was dethroned as the president of the Affirmative Action Group
(AAG) — Zimbabwe’s leading voice for economic empowerment.
Mwanza is
also behind the Zimbabwe Business Network in the UK.
Besides being a source of national
pride, working for the military offers some people the hope of breaking a
vicious cycle of poverty. Not in Zimbabwe. Our local correspondent finds that
joining the Zimbabwe National Army may mean being reduced to abject poverty.
By Misheck Rusere,
Harare
“When I joined the Zimbabwe National Army, this
was my only option,” says Private Anold Madya. “My father had just been
retrenched from Olivine Industries, where he was working. He was left without a
form of income. Luckily, I had just completed my grade 12, and it gave me the
advantage of being recruited.”
The 27 year old joined the ZNA in 2004, a time
when most companies in the private sector were, as he put it, “retrenching due
to the economic meltdown then”. Circumstances were accordingly not conducive to
Madya pursuing his ambition at the time. “I wanted to become a lawyer but, in
the end, I had to settle down to become a soldier,” he says.
He had hoped the army would provide a
comfortable cruise in life. Nine years later, the soldier finds he can’t even
pay for his transport fees to and from work, let alone feed his six-member
family.
Having to split his paltry monthly earnings
between personal expenditures and job-incurred incidentals is bad enough. But as
Madya struggles to put food on the table at home, the government is apparently
too broke to feed its soldiers.
“Going dangerously
hungry” The ZNA is touted as one of the most highly trained
militaries in southern Africa. Yet recent revelations by the country’s defence
minister suggest that the army is itself poverty-stricken.
This past May, Defence Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa told the Council Of Ministers, chaired by Prime Minister Tsvangirai,
that the soldiers were “going dangerously hungry”. The statement came as
Mnangagwa requested extra funding from Zimbabwe’s finance minister in order to
pay for more soldiers. That request was turned down, with Minister Tendai Biti
arguing that the army had recruited illegally without treasury
approval.
Trying to establish whether Mnangagwa’s food
shortage proclamations were true, RNW contacted army spokesperson Colonel
Alphios Makotore. He would neither confirm nor deny the development. Over the
telephone he said: “I understand these statements were said by the minister [of
defence] in a cabinet meeting, and my department does not comment on issues
raised by ministers.”
Buying the Zanu PF
story Like other soldiers in the ZNA, Farai Nyika complains of bad
remuneration and insufficient provisions, yet he buys the Zanu PF story of
blaming such shortages on the sanctions that Western countries imposed on the
current leadership.
“Yes, there is no food. We don’t get food
rations these days, but you must understand that Tsvangirai called for sanctions
against this country,” he says. “And here we are, suffering. It [ZNA], however,
remains my best form of employment. We no longer receive any food rations as we
used to do because our bosses say the government is broke so we have to rely on
our own money for everything.”
Joining the army came as an unexpected bonus in
Nyika’s life. The young man, identified here by a pseudonym to respect his
concern that revealing his identity will cause victimization, had few job
prospects. Because his widowed mother could no longer afford to pay school fees,
he never made it to secondary school.
Yet Nyika prides himself in graduating from a
youth militia that the Zanu PF has used to terrorize voters during elections. In
fact, he cites this as his only professional qualification, saying that joining
the ZNA came as a well-deserved reward for leading a campaign crusade for
President Robert Mugabe in the last elections.
“I only did grade 7 and then I trained with the
National Youth Service… as a pre-admission entry into the army,” explains Nyika.
“I was then attached to Manicaland to campaign for the President in early 2008
before joining the army.”
Hope? Despite being forced
to pay allegiance to President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party, both soldiers interviewed
for this article wish the current coalition government to stay in power longer
as there is a marked improvement since the 2008 economic meltdown. Their only
hope could come in the form of a democratic government which will be able to
attract foreign direct investment.
Presumably, more food would be welcome too.
Nyika can’t help but recall the thick porridge served with relish that soldiers
were served during his time in the National Youth Service. “We had our daily
meal in the form of sadza and cabbage for the whole course,” he says.
But in a country where unemployment is hovering
at a staggering 94 percent, many young men still opt for the army, knowing very
well that it comes without porridge and is far from being a comfortable cruise
in life.
THE
LEGAL AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS MILITATING AGAINST LIMITATIONS ON THE HUMAN
RIGHTS JURISDICTION OF THE
SADC TRIBUNAL --------------------------------------
• “Where the President
considers that any deceased person who was a citizen of Zimbabwe has served well
his/her country on account of his/her outstanding, distinctive and distinguished
service, he may by notice in the gazette, designate such a person a national,
provincial or district hero.” - Chapter 10:16 of the National Heroes
Act
by The ZimbabweanHarare
• “This may be a good time for Zanu (PF) to come
out and tell the country that the tax payer has been funding what is essentially
a misnamed Zanu (PF) honorary club and burial society.”
— Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga
referring to the National Heroes Acre on debate over hero status for Gibson
Sibanda, the founder leader of the MDC, 2010.
• “All the people who lie there (Heroes Acre)
are politicians and most are of dubious credentials. The situation is made worse
by the fact that Zanu (PF)’s so-called politburo, a party appendage composed of
Mugabe’s hand-picked stooges, decides who is and who is not a national hero. The
result is that the Heroes Acre, which is supposed to be a national shrine,
continues to fill up with mediocrity as “entry requirements” are always altered
for personal and political expediency.” — Tanonoka Joseph Whande, social
commentator, 2009.
• “Heroism is not bestowed; heroism is earned
and cannot be denied. It is born from the selfless yielding of one’s own self to
one’s people. Do we remember how Guy Clutton-Brock, the only Caucasian to be so
honoured by Zanu (PF), came to rest at the Heroes Acre? -
Whande
• “The national shrine was constructed for those
who supported the struggle as well as those who gave their lives for the
socio-economic development of Zimbabwe. It is for everyone who has been
outstanding to the success of Zimbabwe. It’s a misconception that it is a Zanu
(PF) thing. It’s for Zimbabweans. We need to separate Zanu (PF) and national
events.”- Curator militaria, Lieutenant-Colonel Kingston Kazambara,
March 2009.
• “Ndlovu (a Zanu (PF) senator and emissary),
came to the family house to discuss the issue and I told him to go back to tell
Mugabe to leave us in peace, not in pieces. Zanu (PF) should stop wasting our
time because my brother had nothing to do with that party anymore. We are not
accepting the national hero status because Mabhena said he didn’t want to be
buried at a Zanu (PF) shrine.” - Norman Mabhena after the death of his
brother, Welshman, a former Zanu (PF) stalwart and Provincial Governor who
abandoned the party.
Edgar Tekere
• “One hopes that the nation honours this man
(Edgar Tekere), like it has honoured some. It would be a travesty of history if
the nation denies him a seat which he earned, a seat which was denied James
Chikerema, Ndabaningi Sithole and many others like them. Tekere fits into that
category of founding nationalists of this country. It is important for the
history of this country and nation building that we are seen to acknowledge
without bias where a person has made his or her mark .We hope that the nation
will honour him. The National Heroes’ Acre should be a national institution.”
- Ibbo Mandaza, author of A Lifetime of Struggle, Tekere’s
biography.
An analysis of the current voters roll has
shown many discrepancies that observers fear may lead to many being
disenfranchised if elections were to be held without a major
overhaul. 06.08.1206:35pm by Byron Mutingwende
Tineyi (30),
not his real name, works for a non-governmental organisation. He registered
to vote in the last election and with the talk of elections in the near
future, he recently went to the RG’s office to check his name.
“I could
not believe what I saw on the voters’ roll. My ID number had changed and so
had my address, date of birth and names. Before the 2008 harmonised
elections, I suffered the same predicament and underwent the cumbersome
process of correcting the anomalies so that I could vote,” he
said.
He was astonished to learn that other human rights activists
had their details constantly altered on the voters’ roll. “I call upon
people not to relax until the election date. They will be turned away if the
details appearing on the voters roll differ with what is on their identity
documents,” he warned.
Kumbirai Mafunda, communications officer for
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said tampering with the voters roll to
disenfranchise voters was a violation of human rights. “If reports of
tampering are true, it is scandalous in a country that claims to be
democratic,” he said.
According to law, voter registration is voluntary
and continuous and closes 24 hours before nomination day. It is done by the
constituency registrar, who is subject to the supervision of
ZEC.
Applicants simply present national identity cards and proof of
residence and are issued with registration certificates. The voters’ rolls
are supposed to be open to public inspection at the constituency registrar
during office hours and copies must be supplied to the public on payment of
a prescribed fee.
“When I got at Makombe Building in Harare to check
my details, I was presented with a new form on which the official wrote my
new details to correct the wrong ones. He told me to keep the form safely
until election date in order to reconcile any discrepancies if any,” said
Charity (27), who also felt it was unsafe to disclose her real
identity.
“The department of births and deaths became computerised a long
time ago. It is baffling that the names of people long dead still appear on
the voters’ roll. Workers at the RG’s office should use computers rather
than doing the process manually – which leads to lots of mistakes,”
complained Rosemary Marimba.
Analysis of the roll by the Election
Support Network last year showed a high presence of ghost voters and a high
level of ignorance among voters. ZEC is tasked by law with conducting voter
education that is adequate, accurate and unbiased.
According to ZEC
chairperson, Justice Simpson Mtambenengwe, Registrar General Tobaiwa
Mudede’s sole control of the country’s electoral system ceased in 2004. But
ZEC officials, who have conducted elections since 2005,said they could not
alter anything on the voters’ roll as it was still a prerogative of the RG’s
office.
“We normally get the voters roll from the RG’s Office a few days
before election date. We have no power to amend anything,” said a ZEC
official who requested anonymity for fear of a backlash.
Both wings
of the MDC accuse Mudede of manipulating the voters’ roll to favour
President Mugabe’s former sole ruling party and rig elections. They are
clamouring for access to the roll, which Mudede consistently denies.
“We
have not fully spelt out how to carry out this exercise, but we must produce
a voters’ roll that’s credible to all political parties and voters,”
Mtambanengwe told reporters earlier this year.
Just thinking about Marko’s blog on
the national census, have you noticed the large, full colour adverts about
the census in our newspapers? The latest advert suggests that if you
cooperate with the census process your participation will help ensure the
provision of water … something that we haven’t had a consistent supply of
for the last several years. You’ve really just got to wonder at the lengths
the Zimbabwe government will go to with their propaganda on the one hand,
and their heads up their arses on the other. I mean, let’s face it, the
mismanagement of the economy and a politics based in patronage and self
enrichment have been central to the erosion of the standard of living of the
average citizen in this country. A national census isn’t going to remedy
this. Kicking out all the useless politicians will.
This entry
was posted on August 7th, 2012 at 9:54 am by Bev Clark
