Zim Online
by Wayne Mafaro Thursday 13 December
2007
HARARE – Conditions in Zimbabwe’s crowded
prisons have deteriorated so
much that the lives of both inmates and guards
are at risk, according to the
Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS).
In
a document prepared for the parent Ministry of Justice, the ZPS
said the
under-funded prisons lacked everything from food to toilet paper to
even
padlocks for various exit and entry points compromising security at the
jails.
The prison authority said it was through “sheer luck”
that there had
been no major fire outbreak at the crowded jails some of
which were built as
far back as 1898 and do not have fire fighting
equipment.
"The general state of our 43 prison physical
infrastructures are a
threat to life and security,” the ZPS said in the
document entitled:
Estimate of Expenditure 2008.
The undated
document produced after the presentation of the 2008
national budget in
Parliament about two weeks ago analyses budgetary
allocations to the prison
department. The department was allocated Z$149
trillion against a total $287
trillion it had requested.
As President Robert Mugabe’s government
– grappling with its worst
ever economic crisis - scrounges to pay foreign
suppliers of food,
medicines, fuel, electricity and other essential imports,
there is very
little cash left to fund prisons.
On several
occasions, inmates have had to survive on a single meal of
sadza (a thick
porridge of ground maize) and vegetables boiled in salted
water a day
because there is no money to buy adequate supplies.
An outbreak of
pellagra disease earlier this year killed at least 23
inmates at Zimbabwe’s
notorious Chikurubi Maximum prison. Pellagra is a
vitamin deficiency disease
caused by a shortage of vitamin B3 and protein.
Highlighting the
extent of the decay, the ZPS said some of its jails
lacked even the most
basic requirements of a jail such as adequate uniforms
for inmates, adequate
handcuffs, leg irons and padlocks.
“Padlocks play a very
significant role in the security of the prison.
Currently most prisons do
not have padlocks to use at various entry and exit
points therefore security
is being compromised,” the prison authority said.
Handcuffs and leg
irons used to restrain dangerous inmates were few or
malfunctioned because
they had reached their life span.
Prison halls, workshops, farms
and staff quarters did not have
adequate fire fighting
equipment.
"It is through sheer luck that fire has not broken out
in our prisons
and we cannot keep on relying on lady luck in matters
concerning outbreak of
fire,” the ZPS said.
Zimbabwe’s jails
hold about 25 000 prisoners against a designed
carrying capacity of 16 000
inmates.
Both Zimbabwe Prison Services (ZPS) spokeswoman Elizabeth
Banda and
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa were not immediately available
for
comment on the matter.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of a
debilitating political and economic
crisis that is characterised by
hyperinflation, worsening poverty and
unemployment. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Patricia Mpofu Thursday 13 December
2007
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday
threatened a fresh
crackdown against businesses he accused of overcharging
and exploiting
consumers.
Addressing the 72nd ordinary session
of the ZANU PF central committee
meeting in Harare, Mugabe said the
government was keeping a close eye on
businesses that continue to charge
high prices in pursuit of super profits.
“It does not matter what
shrill denials they may be (but) business
should know that while we accept
the need for profitable operations, they
must give due regard to the well
being of the people,” said Mugabe.
The Zimbabwe government last
June banned price increases and ordered
businesses to slash down prices by
50 percent, arresting and fining business
executives who defied the order in
a campaign it said was meant to tame
runaway inflation.
Inflation at more than 8 000 percent as at the end of September is the
most
visible sign of Zimbabwe’s deep economic recession that has left more
than
80 percent of the labour force without jobs and shortages of food, fuel
and
foreign currency.
The government price ban backfired terribly,
triggering severe
shortages of basic commodities after consumers, taking
advantage of low
prices to stockpile on basic commodities, swept clean shop
shelves, while
businesses failed to restock after being forced to sell goods
at below
market value.
Mugabe, whose policies are largely
blamed for ruining Zimbabwe’s once
brilliant economy, said his government
would continue to take a tough line
against business people who were
“worshipping at the altar of stupendous
profits to the detriment of the
people.”
“The party (ZANU PF) will keep an eye on what seems to be
a resurgence
of high prices and our people can take comfort from knowing
that we will not
abandon them to the caprices of business,” Mugabe
said.
The veteran Zimbabwean leader also criticised some senior
ruling ZANU
PF party officials he did not name but who he said were assisted
by the
party to enter into business and were now exploiting the poor by
charging
exorbitant prices.
Turning to the 2008 elections,
Mugabe said supporters must ensure that
ZANU PF registers an emphatic
victory against the main opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
Party.
“Our win should be thunderous, whether it be local
government,
parliamentary or Presidential. We should speak one more time,
with our more
loud and unambiguous voice, that Zimbabwe will never be a
colony again,” he
said.
Mugabe is on Thursday expected to
deliver the keynote address at the
ZANU PF extra-ordinary congress that
began on Tuesday whose main agenda is
the endorsement of the 83-year old
leader as the party’s presidential
candidate for next year’s election. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Patricia Mpofu Thursday 13 December
2007
HARARE – United States (US) sanctions against President
Robert Mugabe’s
government will not undermine a regional initiative led by
South Africa to
find a lasting solution to the Zimbabwe crisis, a top
Harare-based American
diplomat has said.
The US, which has since 2001
maintained targeted sanctions against about 130
top Zimbabwe officials, last
week announced that it was widening sanctions
to include 40 more individuals
with close ties to Mugabe’s government.
South African deputy Foreign
Minister Aziz Pahad on Tuesday slammed the US
move calling it “absolutely
nonsensical collective punishment” that could
harm attempts by President
Thabo Mbeki to broker a solution to Zimbabwe’s
problems.
US public
affairs officer in Harare Paul Engelstad said Washington backed
the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) initiative led by Mbeki
although there
were differences over the issue of sanctions.
Asked whether widening
sanctions would not undermine the SADC initiative,
Engelstad responded: “Not
at all. We support the SADC initiative without
reservation and commend
President Mbeki for his leadership and public
commitment to deliver free and
fair elections in Zimbabwe.”
The diplomat said the US had expanded
sanctions against the Harare
administration to “make the point that the
violence and intimidation must
stop now in order for free and fair elections
to occur,” adding that America
would consider more punitive measures if
necessary.
SADC last March tasked Mbeki to lead efforts to resolve
Zimbabwe’s crisis by
facilitating dialogue between Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF
party and the main
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
party.
Mbeki has said he is happy with progress in talks between ZANU PF
and the
MDC but analysts say he must urge Mugabe to end political violence
and
repeal tough security and press laws if next year’s polls are to be free
and
fair.
Western nations and rights groups accuse Mugabe of
widespread human rights
violations and wrecking his country's economy,
forcing many Zimbabweans into
poverty.
The European Union, Australia,
Switzerland and New Zealand have also imposed
visa and financial sanctions
against Mugabe’s government, with Wellington
announcing on Wednesday that it
was widening travel sanctions against
Harare.
New Zealand Foreign
Minister Winston Peters said an existing travel ban had
been extended to
block adult children of Mugabe's top officials from gaining
student visas
and permits for entry to New Zealand.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel has defended her scathing attack
on Mugabe’s controversial human
rights record at the European Union- Africa
summit, which saw Harare
officials labelling her a racist.
"Freedom and tolerance, democracy and
human rights form the foundation for
existing side-by-side in dignity,"
Merkel told lawmakers in the German lower
House of Parliament on
Wednesday.
Addressing the summit that took place in Lisbon last weekend,
Merkel
criticised Mugabe saying the Zimbabwean leader’s controversial rule
“was
damaging the image of the new Africa.”
Zimbabwe’s Information
Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, speaking from Harare,
accused Merkel of being a
racist and said she should shut up.
The German Foreign Ministry on
Tuesday summoned the charge d'affaires at the
Zimbabwean embassy in Berlin
to protest at Ndlovu's undiplomatic outburst. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Nqobizitha Khumalo and Chenai Maramba Thursday 13
December 2007
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwe's state-run rail firm
has suspended services between
Harare and Bulawayo, diverting all trains to
ferrying delegates to the
ruling ZANU PF party congress taking place in
Harare, ZimOnline has learnt.
A notice posted at the main platform in
Bulawayo said train services between
Harare and Bulawayo were suspended from
the 11th to the 14th of December -
the days when the ZANU PF congress takes
place - because of "technical
problems."
National Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) public relations manager Zephania
Taruvinga denied services
had been cancelled to accommodate ZANU PF
delegates.
But he gave a
different version why there were no services, saying NRZ had
temporarily
stopped carrying ordinary passengers between the two major
cities after
being over flooded by too many block bookings from churches and
other
groups.
"It's not true that ZANU PF hijacked the train services. ZANU PF
delegates
were booked on the train like other passengers but we had too many
block
bookings from churches and other groups," Taruvinga said.
ZANU
PF regularly hijacks NRZ trains or buses from state-owned Zimbabwe
Passenger
Company (ZUPCO) to transport members to its various functions
while
President Robert Mugabe often leaves Air Zimbabwe passengers stranded
after
commandeering the airline's few working jets to take him on his many
trips
out of the country.
The three state transport companies have regularly
made losses while the
International Monetary Fund has urged the government,
which has to regularly
bail out these and other loss-making parastatals, to
sell them away and save
cash.
The cancellation of the train service
left thousands of commuters who rely
on the cheaper service stranded. A trip
from Bulawayo to Harare by train
costs Z$3 million, while private buses
charge Z$12 million for the same
journey.
Silibaziso Mhlanga, who was
scheduled to travel from Bulawayo to Harare,
some 420km away, said she was
stunned to find that there were no trains on
Tuesday.
"When we
arrived at the station, we were told that the train will be
transporting
ZANU PF delegates the whole of this week and that services were
suspended to
the general public this week. I think the whole thing is just
unfair," said
Mhlanga.
Meanwhile, a ZimOnline correspondent based in Mashonaland West
province
reports that ZUPCO buses operating in the province have all been
re-routed
to ferrying delegates to the ZANU PF congress.
Some of the
country's most remote districts are in the province and are
serviced only by
ZUPCO buses.
''Its unfortunate that I have to spend these days holed here
in Karoi (town
in Mashonaland West) when I could have gone to my rural area
in Kazangarare
where we have only the ZUPCO bus plying the route," said
Marko Tagara, one
of many travellers who depend on ZUPCO services.
At
least 10 000 delegates drawn from around the country are expected to
listen
to Mugabe delivers the keynote address to congress tomorrow. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Cuthbert Nzou Thursday 13 December
2007
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU PF party forced members
to fork out Z$10
million each to bankroll the party’s five-day
extra-ordinary congress that
began in Harare last Tuesday, ZimOnline has
learnt.
Sources within the party said ZANU PF secretary for finance David
Karimanzira last week ordered members of provincial executives, districts,
the youth and women’s wings to pay the money “without fail.”
“We were
asked to pay $10 million each. Karimanzira said the money would go
towards
food and accommodation for the 4 000 delegates at the congress. It
was an
order from the secretary for finance.
“There was no room for excuses,
which I think was a bit unfair. Most of our
members are finding it difficult
to make ends meet and cannot afford to
pay,” said a member of the ZANU PF
politburo who refused to be named.
ZANU PF is meeting in Harare for an
extra-ordinary congress that is expected
to, among other things, endorse
President Robert Mugabe as the party’s
candidate in next year’s presidential
election.
Karimanzira yesterday confirmed that the ruling party had asked
its members
to help foot the costs of the congress adding that the move was
“nothing
new” as the party had done so in the past.
“This is not the
first time we have asked our members to contribute towards
the funding of
the congress," Karimanzira said.
“Apart from asking for money and
material support from our members, we have
also appealed to companies and
our friends locally and abroad for
assistance,” he added.
Last month,
ZimOnline reported that ZANU PF was coercing teachers in rural
areas to
contribute Z$300 000 each towards the hosting of the Harare
congress while
headmasters were being forced to part with Z$500 000 each.
The
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, which has several strikes by
teachers demanding more pay and better working conditions, condemned the
move calling it a simple case of extortion.
Karimanzira rejected
charges that teachers were being coerced to contribute
towards the congress
adding that such reports were being fabricated by
people bent on tarnishing
the image of the party. - ZimOnline
The Telegraph
By Sebastien
Berger in Harare
Last Updated: 2:23am GMT 13/12/2007
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party will meet today to acclaim Robert
Mugabe as
its candidate for next year's presidential elections - but behind
the chants
of victory and denunciations of its enemies, the organisation is
utterly
divided.
Ibbo Mandaza, a leading Zanu-PF member, has provided an
unprecedented
insight into the party's current infighting, revealing the
extent of the
discontent with Mr Mugabe, 83, who has ruled since
1980.
"Right now 99 per cent of the country wants Mugabe to retire
peacefully and enable Zimbabwe to move into a new era," he told The Daily
Telegraph during an interview in Harare. "That's a fact and that goes across
the political spectrum.
"Zanu-PF has been reduced to the
figurehead of one person and very far
from what it stood for
originally.
"I think those saying Mugabe should stay on are lying.
If he was to
retire tomorrow Zanu-PF would win a landslide," said Mr
Mandaza, who is also
executive director of the Sapes Trust
think-tank.
Dr Mandaza's comments are oddly reminiscent of
Britain's Conservative
party in 1990, when its members decided that a once
visionary leader had
become an electoral liability.
Joseph Msika,
Zimbabwe's vice-president, is Geoffrey Howe, while
Solomon Mujuru, the
former army commander, is Michael Heseltine, the
lightning-rod for
discontent.
However, unlike Mr Howe, whose devastating resignation
speech
triggered Margaret Thatcher's downfall, when Mr Msika talked of
stepping
down last month he was swiftly persuaded to change his mind, and
declared
that once elected, rulers should be entitled to their position for
life.
Mr Mandaza said: "I know the majority of the politburo wanted
Mugabe
to retire in December. Three or four people getting up and saying,
'please
sir, retire,' that would be enough. It's clear that he fears
that.
"I think the main thing that motivates him is that he wants
to die in
office. The monarchist thread in nationalist politics is quite
strong."
Mr Mandaza is close to Mr Mujuru, who has loyalists in
senior
positions throughout the armed forces and has long been seen as the
most
likely leader of a palace coup.
Many of Mr Mugabe's moves
in recent months have been aimed at
neutralising the internal opposition
against him, using his long successful
combination of patronage and
intimidation. A law has been passed requiring
foreign firms to become 51 per
cent Zimbabwean-owned, opening the way to a
new series of handouts to his
cronies.
"It's very sad what's going on," said Mr Mandaza. "The
country is
burning, a country in which everybody knows what's going wrong
and nobody
can do anything about it."
Eldred Masunungure,
professor of politics at the University of
Zimbabwe, said that Mr Mujuru is
manoeuvring to ensure his favoured
candidate, the highly regarded Simba
Makoni, eventually succeeds Mr Mugabe.
"He is Machiavellian. He will lie low
and strike at the right time."
iafrica.com
Thu, 13 Dec
2007
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono has broken his
silence on
the country's cash shortage, assuring the nation that the central
bank will
remedy the situation before Christmas, the state-controlled Herald
reported
on Thursday.
Gono told the Herald that investigations by the
central bank had shown that
the cash crisis "was the manifestation of a web
that would soon be
untangled".
"A practical solution is on its way
very soon and before the festive season.
Let us not despair, for failure can
never be a viable option for us as a
people. The destiny of our future is
squarely in our hands," Gono reportedly
said.
However, he neither
gave details of the solution nor when he would launch
the second phase of
the currency reform programme and details of its nature,
the Herald
said.
"As the Reserve Bank has already given out to the public, there
will
definitely be Sunrise II coming any time from now, mainly to deal with
the
cash shortages as well as administering a decisive deterrent blow on the
speculators."
Drilling holes of instability in economy
He said
it was unfortunate that "some senior members of the community" had
been at
the forefront of telling their runners on the streets to ignore and
dismiss
the notice on the imminence of Sunrise II.
"I want to also point out that
as governor of the central bank, I am deeply
sad that among those that are
drilling the holes of instability in our
economic systems are some who hold
very respectable stations in our society,
people to whom our upcoming
children are supposed to be looking up for
inspiration, guidance and
protection from the chilly whims of today's
fast-paced global landscape, and
yet their heads are buried deep in the
shafts of economic destruction," he
said.
The central bank chief cited cash barons as the largest culprits in
the cash
crisis, saying the reserve bank had enough evidence to that
effect.
According to Gono, as at 15 November, cash in circulation stood
at
$58-trillion, but banks were holding an average market-wide float of
$1-trillion, leaving $57-trillion "floating somewhere out
there".
Total currency was in people's pockets
This meant that
98.3 percent of the total currency in issue was in people's
pockets or
circulating outside formal channels, Gono said.
Cash barons dwelling in
banks, under the guise of wholesalers and retailers,
and other briefcase
tycoons were wreaking havoc in the market through
illegal dealings, he
said.
The "wait-and-see attitude" adopted by the central bank was meant
to give "a
diplomatic tap on shoulders of those that are flirting with
illicit parallel
market trading and smuggling activities to realise that
their ways cannot be
allowed to sway the momentum of efforts meant to
stabilise our economy".
The Herald said that in recent weeks, some
employees at a number of banks
caught up in the cash web had been dismissed
from work, reflecting the
magnitude of banks' involvement.
High
levels of complicity, negligence and co-participation by banks in this
instance had already been established and disciplinary measures on the
banks' shareholders, boards and management teams would soon be instituted,
Gono said.
Overall — he said — a more holistic approach was required
to deal decisively
with the challenges confronting the
economy.
Sapa
IPSnews
By Ignatius
Banda
BULAWAYO, Dec 13 (IPS) - Easily portable, consumable goods from
Zimbabwe are
increasingly finding their way into neighbouring countries as
cross-border
traders search for deals to earn much-needed foreign
currency.
At the railway station in Bulawayo, the second largest city in
Zimbabwe,
chaos reigns as large numbers of traders drag enormous bags behind
them and
crowd into the cheap Bulawayo-Victoria Falls train heading for the
border.
This happens despite regulations by the rail utility that bulk
goods have to
be carried by special coaches with the traders paying for the
shipment of
such goods. Passengers and goods compete for space, creating
pandemonium as
traders trek to Victoria Falls where they then cross the
Zambezi River in
search of foreign currency earnings.
Zimbabwe is
battling acute foreign exchange shortages as its political and
economic
crisis drags on.
This kind of trade is a response to the biting shortages
that have led to
many businesses and major supermarkets recording massive
losses. It was
exacerbated by President Robert Mugabe’s controversial
government decree to
slash prices of basic commodities by half.
The
decree came after Mugabe accused businesses of deliberately attempting
to
sabotage the economy by making unjustified increases which left many here
unable access goods and services.
Beer, soft drinks and cigarettes
are some of the products which are being
exported to neighbouring Zambia by
unlicensed traders.
They risk prosecution by law enforcement agents as
they smuggle the goods
through illegal entry points into the country that
shares the world-renowned
UNESCO World Heritage Site Victoria Falls with
Zimbabwe. UNESCO is the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation.
For the 29-year-old Jonathan Psvarayi, the lure of the US
greenback has just
been too much. He has acquired a sixth sense which leads
him to the scarcest
commodities in Bulawayo's densely populated suburbs
where he dashes to make
bulk purchases.
He hangs around shops where
these commodities are rumoured to be available
and waits patiently before he
pounces.
Shop owners have learnt to limit the number of purchases as they
are aware
that people horde the commodities for resale on the illegal
parallel market.
But Psvarayi has discovered a way to beat this.
‘‘I
ask whoever I see at the shops, especially school children, to buy
something
for me until I have enough,’’ he told IPS.
He is one of many in this city
of more than 2 million reeling from harsh
economic conditions who buy beer
at cheap retail prices in Bulawayo’s
teeming high density suburbs for resale
in Zambia. ‘‘The money is good,’’ he
said.
A crate of about 12 litres
of the locally produced ‘‘clear beer’’ fetches 40
dollars (about 48 million
Zimbabwean dollars on the parallel market). The
same quantity sells for 6
million Zimbabwean dollars in Zimbabwe’s licensed
liquor stores.
Last
month the country’s largest beer manufacturer, National Breweries,
announced
that they were experiencing viability problems due to a lack of
foreign
currency to purchase raw materials after the government decree to
slash
prices, power outages and water cuts affected production.
Justin Bhebhe,
an economics lecturer at Bulawayo’s National University of
Science and
Technology says illegal cross-border trade is not surprising
given the
hardships Zimbabweans are presently going through.
‘‘Zimbabweans now
depend largely on foreign currency which still has value
compared to the
increasingly useless local dollar,’’ Bhebhe told IPS. The
local currency is
rapidly being eroded by galloping inflation.
Some estimates put the
number of economic refugees from Zimbabwe at around 4
million people who
have left the country for jobs abroad and in neighbouring
countries.
Remittances have sustained many families amid the hardship.
Apart from
Zambia, neighbouring Botswana is another popular destination for
traders
bearing cigarettes and other commodities. Botswana’s pula remains
one of the
most sought after currencies here.
The minister of industry and
international trade, Obert Mpofu, warned
recently that it is illegal to move
goods to neighbouring countries without
an export licence.
But Bhebhe
points out that ‘‘in Zimbabwe, a lot of things that the
authorities say are
illegal are what is sustaining many families. We can
expect more illegal
trade as long the economy remains in this state.’’
Zimbabwe is going
through its worst economic crisis since independence from
Britain in 1980 as
inflation hovers around 10,000 percent and labour union
officials put
unemployment at some 80 percent.
An official with the Cross Border
Traders Association in Bulawayo told IPS
it is difficult to document and
estimate the volume of trade in Zimbabwean
goods being exported to
neighbouring countries as the bulk of the traders
are not members of the
association.
‘‘But what we know is that tariffs at the borders have not
fed the national
fiscal trough as much of the goods are smuggled into our
neighbours --
especially into Zambia as border controls appear to be very
porous,’’ the
official said.
Bulawayo’s unemployed young people like
Psvarayi vow that illegal
cross-border trade has given them
hope.
‘‘There is always the possibility of having these commodities
confiscated by
customs officials. But as with everything else, we have
learnt to beat the
system. If it is not beating the system through some
other daredevil means
like crossing the border illegally, it’s outright
bribery,’’ he told IPS.
Traders and shoppers say this is a phenomenon
that has come to define many
if not most dealings at Zimbabwe’s border
posts. Human traffic at the border
posts has surged in the past months as
people move across borders to buy
basics and sell bootleg goods.
(END/2007)
Further to our last posting we want to record our gratitude to the Lisbon
human rights organisation, ADDHU (Associação de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos)
who were so helpful. Our meeting with them was joyous with much singing and
dancing. Also with us were Miguel (a Portuguese journalist) and his team
who were doing a documentary on our visit - they accompanied us throughout
our time there and they were a great support. We were so happy to be joined
by friends from Zimbabwe: Jenni Williams of WOZA, Promise Mkwananzi and
Washington Katema from ZINASU, Primrose Matambanadzo (Zimbabwe NGO Human
Rights Forum) and Sidney Chisi (Youth Initiative for Democracy). There were
other supporters from around the world; Marianna and Robbo from Germany who
arrived with a big banner and wearing Mbeki and Mugabe masks. A Zimbabwean
farmer, Peter Horsman, now living in the Algarve, came up on his own to
demonstrate and was delighted to find our group to join. There were other
Zimbabweans of Portuguese descent now living in Lisbon who joined our
protest. The Swedish MP, Birgitta Ohlsson travelled to Lisbon with Kate Hoey
and was there in support. Roy Barretto, former Zimbabwe soccer coach, was
protesting with us. He was interviewed by Lance Guma
(http://www.swradioafrica.com/news121207/coach121207.htm).
For
an independent view check the following links to articles from Lance
Guma
who was with us in Lisbon:
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news101207/lancediary101207.htm,
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news101207/zimvig101207.htm,
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news071207/Lisbon081207.htm
and
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news071207/summit071207.htm
.
Lance has also posted photos and videos on the following links.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/lisbon/index.html
and
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lanceguma&search=Search
The
London Vigil was very busy while the Lisbon group was away. There were
crowds at the Vigil on Saturday - 183 signed the register on a cold, wet and
blustery day. Luka Phiri attended the ACTSA demonstraton outside the
Portuguese Embassy on Thursday. He reports that it was raining. Kate Hoey
was there with David Banks. Two Zimbabweans from Leeds / Bradford came all
the way to join the protest - a valiant effort. As usual there were more
British than
Zimbabweans at the demo which Luka felt was pathetic. He
says this is a
Zimbabwean strugle and we as Zimbabweans should be in the
forefront of all
demos. Aljazeera filmed the demo and Vigil supporters
Innocient Chichera and
Rosemary Manyere were taken for an interview with the
BBC World Service.
Luka reports that he has had many calls from the media
worldwide about the
protest in Lisbon: Belgium, United States and Germany to
name a few.
Apologies for late posting of photos - we are getting these
on as fast as we
can.
Vigil co-ordinator
The Vigil, outside the
Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place
every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of
human rights by the current
regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in
October 2002 will continue
until internationally-monitored, free and fair
elections are held in
Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
VOA
By Chris Gande
Washington
12
December 2007
Zimbabwean crisis resolution talks unfolding in
Pretoria under South African
mediation hit another snag on Wednesday,
sources said, as negotiators for
the ruling party said they cannot conclude
an agreement until after
ZANU-PF's congress this weekend.
South
African mediators had been hoping to wrap up the negotiations this
weekend.
Sources close to the talks said the ZANU-PF negotiators
appeared to be
intending to stall on signing any agreement until after
national elections
set for March.
The opposition Movement for
Democratic Change wants to see an agreement in
place before the elections,
which it says should only be held six months
after the conclusion of talks
so that accords on elections can be properly
implemented.
Deputy
Secretary General Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga of the MDC
formation led
by Arthur Mutambara, which is flanked in the talks by the
faction headed by
Morgan Tsvangirai, said the talks could continue after the
deadline if no
accord is set.
Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe addressed the ruling
party’s central
committee in Harare Wednesday on the eve of the official
opening of the
ZANU-PF extraordinary congress during which his bid for
re-election is
likely to be endorsed.
Sources said Mr. Mugabe ordered
loyalists to gear up in constituencies,
districts and party cells to ensure
a “thunderous” election victory in March
when a new parliament is also to be
elected. Local council elections are
tentatively set for January.
The
sources said Mr. Mugabe acknowledged in the central committee meeting
that
some ZANU-PF members were exploiting the economic crisis, and he warned
that
the government will crack down harder on business found to be
overcharging.
Mr. Mugabe underscored his desire to see black
Zimbabweans acquire a
majority stake in mining companies under a pending
black empowerment scheme
which the opposition has denounced as a populist
election-year ploy.
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
12 December
2007
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs in
conjunction with 42 international aid agencies this
week launched a $316
million consolidated appeal to fund humanitarian
assistance to Zimbabwe
during 2008.
The U.N. agency said the loss of
livelihoods, food insecurity, widening
malnutrition and outbreaks of disease
are further stressing an already
vulnerable population.
The aid
umbrella agency said the government's 2005 Operation Murambatsvina,
a forced
eviction and demolition campaign, combined with the trend of
urbanization
and the impact of land reform which drove significant numbers
of people off
the land since 2000, have created a large population of mobile
and
vulnerable migrants.
Such populations "often lack access to education and
are highly vulnerable
to unemployment, food insecurity and deterioration in
health," it said.
The statement issued by the U.N. agency said that
despite crisis resolution
talks in progress under South African mediation,
"vulnerable populations
continue to be impacted by contentious governance
and human rights issues."
The agency said Zimbabwe's current highly
polarized political environment
makes it harder to reach and assist target
populations. But it urged aid
groups to give priority to relieving HIV/Aids
orphans who are estimated to
number 1.6 million.
OCHA said the
government’s capacity to respond to humanitarian needs has
been diminished
by the intensifying financial crisis. Economists say
hyperinflation, last
officially measured at 8,000%, could now be running at
some
30,000%.
ActionAid Emergency Adviser Zvidzai Maburutse told reporter
Blessing Zulu of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that conditions in Zimbabwe
have now become
desperate.
The Namibian (Windhoek)
13
December 2007
Posted to the web 13 December 2007
Christof
Maletsky
Windhoek
NAMIBIA'S power utility, NamPower, is to pump an
additional N$60 million
into the expansion and renovation of the Hwange
power station in Zimbabwe
after it became clear that the initial costs were
underestimated.
NamPower Managing Director Paulinus Shilamba said
yesterday that US$10
million would be added to the U.S.$40 million that was
set aside earlier
this year.
The money would come from the
parastatal's N$2 billion reserve fund.
In return, Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply Authority Holdings (ZESA) has
undertaken to guarantee five years of
electricity supply to NamPower -
albeit at a cost.
According to the
agreement signed in February this year, NamPower will be
supplied with 150MW
for five years.
Shilamba said his company would now get an additional
30MW to make it 180MW.
The two power utilities and Zimbabwe's Electricity
Distribution Company
(ZEDC) signed a loan and power-purchase agreement under
which NamPower would
advance the money on a loan basis and buy electricity
from Zimbabwe.
The expansion and renovation of the four generators at
Hwange has already
started.
"So far the project is on track and we
expect to receive the first 40MW
flowing from Zimbabwe to Namibia in January
2008 as agreed," Shilamba said.
The plan is to have the last generator
fully repaired by August next year.
Mines Minister Erkki Nghimtina and
his Zimbabwean counterpart, retired
Lieutenant General Mike Nyambuya,
recently visited Hwange to familiarise
themselves with the work at the
plant.
Shilamba told the media yesterday that the project was scheduled
for
completion by the end of next year and that finer details of the latest
US$10 million loan would be discussed between the power utilities during
today's meeting at Victoria Falls.
The four generators are capable of
generating 480MW but have operated on and
off as Zimbabwean power suppliers
have struggled to cope with frequent
equipment breakdowns and coal
shortages.
The rehabilitation of the Hwange power station would have
major benefits for
not only Zimbabwe and Namibia but also the rest of the
southern African
region.
Namibia currently faces an electricity
shortfall of around 300MW.
At present, Namibia imports about 50 per cent
of its electricity, mainly
from the Koeberg nuclear plant in South
Africa.
When SA had power problems last year Namibia introduced
load-shedding -
alternating power outages in specific areas.
South
Africa generates more than 75 per cent of the electricity used in the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Shilamba said
earlier that even the 180MW from Hwange would come through SA,
because the
Caprivi power line linking Namibia and Zimbabwe will only be
completed by
the year 2009.
Namibia also imports power from Zambia and Mozambique
through the Southern
Africa Power Pool (SAPP).
When South Africa's
Eskom had power problems, Namibia was forced to
reactivate the coal-fired
Van Eck power station in Windhoek.
South Africa is experiencing an
increased local demand for electricity and
Eskom has stated on several
occasions that it cannot continue supplying
electricity to other countries
at the same scale.