http://www.timesonline.co.uk
December
14, 2008
Sophie Shaw,
Harare
The terrifying ordeal of Jestina Mukoko, a television news anchor
turned
human rights activist, began at 5am on December 3 when seven men and
one
woman forced their way into her house at gunpoint in Norton, a quiet,
leafy
town 25 miles west of Harare.
The intruders were not in
uniform, although one of the men claimed to be a
police officer. They
refused to let her dress, find her spectacles or pick
up the blood pressure
pills that she is supposed to take three times a day.
Her 17-year-old son
Takudzwa and a six-year-old niece, Tofara, who was in
her care, were left
shocked and alone after seeing her led away in her
nightdress.
Mukoko, 51, who was widowed 13 years ago, has not been
seen since by family,
friends or lawyers. The regime of President Robert
Mugabe has said nothing
about her whereabouts or her condition. Fears for
her safety are growing.
Last week supporters assembled in Zimbabwe's
capital to turn a celebration
of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations
Declaration of Human Rights
into a demonstration for her release.
Lawyers
marched through the streets in their robes calling for an end to
"extrajudicial abductions". But even among activists there is no consensus
about who has taken Mukoko.
Some believe it is the work of the secret
police - the Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO). Others speculate that
she was kidnapped on the orders of
a leading figure in Zanu-PF, the ruling
party, irritated by her criticism of
the regime.
Certainly Mukoko has
been a thorn in Mugabe's flesh. She resigned from state
television to become
director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, a human rights
monitoring network,
and has been one of the regime's most intelligent,
influential and informed
critics.
She has collected evidence of tens of thousands of abuses in the
past
decade. Her monthly reports have detailed the routine tyranny of
violence,
the shortage of food and the denial of free speech that
characterise
Zimbabwean life today, particularly in rural
areas.
Mukoko pioneered the use of information technology to map
Zanu-PF's attacks
on its opponents. Before elections last March she
presented her findings
publicly in a Harare hotel. She knew her audience
included members of the
CIO but nevertheless set out patterns of violence in
the 2002 and 2005
elections and predicted where trouble would occur in
2008.
The places she identified - such as Manicaland and Masvingo
provinces - were
indeed subjected to Zanu-PF campaigns of mass eviction,
communal beating and
murder. Opposition figures believe much of Zimbabwe's
current tragedy might
have been avoided if international observers had
followed her advice and
gone to such trouble spots.
Mukoko has been
an outspoken critic of Zimbabwe's system of supplying food.
Her analysis
shows food is supplied to those showing loyalty to the ruling
party and is
denied to opposition supporters.
While activists still hope for the best,
many fear that Mukoko has already
been murdered. Lawyers have visited police
stations in Norton and Harare to
search for her.
The High Court
stalled for five days before hearing an urgent application
for her release.
On Tuesday a judge, Anne-Marie Gorowa, ordered the police
"to dispatch a
team . . . to search for Jestina Mukoko". The authorities
simply ignored the
ruling. Police said they had no jurisdiction to search
military or
intelligence premises.
Other members of the Zimbabwe Peace Project have
also been targeted. Three
were arrested for photographing uncollected
refuse, bank queues and cholera
victims. Their lawyers say they were
released after three days when the
police conceded that they could not bring
any charges.
Nobody knows exactly why Mugabe chose this moment to silence
Mukoko; but the
abduction is seen as a sign of his desperation and a
reflection of the
mounting pressure on him.
Mugabe demonstrated in a
rambling speech last Thursday that he is infuriated
by television coverage
of the cholera epidemic, which his officials have
blamed on "biological
warfare" waged by Britain. The United Nations estimate
the death toll at
nearly 1,000, but it may be twice as high. His claim that
cholera has been
eradicated backfired as local commentators queued up to
refute
it.
Cholera is by no means the only serious threat to life. The UN
estimates
that 5m people will soon need food aid. The economy is in
freefall. Four
months after launching a new currency, the central bank has
bowed to
hyperinflationary pressure and issued Zim $500m notes.
The
prospect of a unity government seems further away than ever. The
Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) of Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition
leader, won
elections in March but has been unable to take power. Fifteen
MDC members
were snatched from their homes in Mashonaland in late October.
Two senior
party officials were arrested in Bindura in November; last week
Gandhi
Mudzingwa, Tsvangirai's former personal assistant, was abducted.
Nothing has
been heard of them since.
Many in the MDC believe the regime is moving
onto a war footing. Mugabe has
been shocked by calls from Archbishop Desmond
Tutu and Raila Odinga, the
Kenyan prime minister, for him to be removed, if
necessary by force.
Eddie Cross, an MDC MP, has suggested that the regime
is fuelling an
expectation of conflict by planting stories on the internet
alleging that
the Zam-bian army is building up forces on Zimbabwe's northern
border. Cross
thinks the CIO has also circulated neighbouring governments
with a dossier
of fabricated evidence that Bot-swana is training a guerrilla
army to invade
Zimbabwe.
Mugabe may hope that by exaggerating the
threat of invasion he can justify
the crackdown on opposition groups.
Activists argue that if a woman of
Mukoko's prominence can be made to
disappear with impunity, there is no
limit to the regime's readiness to
destroy its critics.
Catalogue of tyranny
Jestina Mukoko recorded
20,143 incidents between January and September 2008
including:
- 202
murders
- 463 abductions
- 41 rapes
- 411 cases of
torture
- 3,942 assaults
- 907 cases of malicious damage to
property
- 444 cases of unlawful detention
- 10,795 cases of
harassment/intimidation
- 73% of victims are said to be supporters of the
opposition MDC
- 80% of perpetrators of violence are claimed to be
Zanu-PF supporters
Source: Zimbabwe Peace Project
http://www.latimes.com
For decades, the Zimbabwe leader has
carefully calibrated his actions to a
level of 'acceptable' violence that
escapes condemnation while destroying
opposition.
By Robyn
Dixon
December 13, 2008
Reporting from Harare, Zimbabwe -- For a very
literal example of Robert
Mugabe's staying power, look no further than a
recent crisis summit of
southern African leaders designed to settle the
political impasse that has
seen the longtime Zimbabwean leader stubbornly
cling to the presidency.
The leaders wanted him to leave the room so they
could deliberate in
private. He refused.
Between their
misguided politeness and his famous capacity to intimidate,
the presidents
meekly backed down. Mugabe stayed.
Be it with his fellow African leaders,
the West or the Zimbabwean
opposition, the 84-year-old Mugabe has
outmaneuvered -- and outlasted -- his
critics for more than a quarter of a
century, through a careful calibration
of the international reaction to and
domestic effect of his actions. As
close as the end sometimes seems, Mugabe
has managed to survive.
To help understand his staying power, one need
only rewind to the 1980s and
the massacres of his early years in power, when
he was a conquering hero who
had thrown out the white minority regime of Ian
Smith.
The name of the murderous operation, Gukurahundi, was as lyrical
as a haiku:
the wind that blows away the chaff before the spring
rains.
Mugabe's political opponents were the chaff. The spring rains were
supposed
to signify the golden era of a one-party state (or rather, a
one-man state).
Western leaders and news media ignored the massacres of
the "dissidents" by
the army's crack Five Brigade in Matabeleland province
in southern Zimbabwe.
Some estimates put the dead at 20,000.
Mugabe
drew his most important lesson from the West's blase reaction,
analysts
believe: that there's a level of "acceptable" violence that will
escape
international condemnation, but still destroy any threat to his
power.
"He's never, ever been frightened of war," said analyst Tony
Reeler of the
Research & Advocacy Unit, an independent think tank in
Harare, the capital.
Mugabe learned that he could get away with "subliminal
terror" that would
not trigger international intervention, he
said.
"It's just below the threshold that upsets people, and it's
deliberately
so," he said.
"Deliberate" is a word that defines
Mugabe. Bony and severe, he is a
teetotaler who freezes debate in Cabinet
sessions with silence, former
associates say.
His family history may
help explain his chilly, calculating nature. His
father abandoned the family
after the death of Mugabe's older brother, the
father's favorite. His mother
was a strict, pious woman who believed that
God had great plans for her son,
a bookish loner with no real friends, after
a Jesuit priest at the local
school said the boy was destined to be a
leader.
His destiny proved
to be a ruthless one.
The shadow of the Gukurahundi campaign has haunted
Zimbabwe since the early
1980s. Mugabe repeatedly revived its message that
opponents would be killed
or tortured. But those who felt the rushing "wind"
that was Gukurahundi
needed no reminding.
"It's painful to remember.
It's a story told in blood," said a 61-year-old
retired military officer who
was attached to the Five Brigade when the unit
"cleansed" villages in 1982,
arresting the men, interrogating and torturing
them to identify opposition
guerrillas. Like others cited in this report, he
spoke on condition of
anonymity, fearing repercussions.
He said he saw thousands of people
killed. Women were shut into thatched
huts and burned alive. Even the
children were targets.
"They would take these young boys about a year old
and they would say, 'This
one will grow up to be a dissident,' and they
would smash his head against a
tree, or against a wall, or against the
ground."
Others who were behind Gukurahundi are now among Mugabe's
closest and most
trusted allies.
Emerson Mnangagwa was head of
security when the massacres started and is now
Mugabe's heir apparent. He
was succeeded as security chief in the 1980s by
Sydney Sekeremayi, now
defense minister. The Five Brigade was commanded by
Perence Shiri, the
current air force commander.
Like Mugabe, all are obsessed with hanging
on to their assets and avoiding
prosecution. Their only guarantee of that is
clinging to power.
Mugabe has rekindled the terror whenever he has
perceived a political
threat. He unleashed violence in elections in 2000 and
2002 after the rise
of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. He
seized land from white
farmers beginning in 2000 because many supported the
MDC. In 2005, he
launched Murambatsvina, or Operation Clean Out the Filth,
evicting 700,000
urban people in MDC strongholds from their
homes.
With every operation, he grew less popular among the people -- but
more
feared. It seemed that he no longer could distinguish between the
two.
On election day in March of this year, Mugabe affected the air of a
leader
so popular that he needn't concern himself with the opposition. He
had shown
extraordinary energy in the campaign, blitzing several rallies a
day clad in
his favorite election garb: a peaked cap and a yellow, lime
green or red
suit decorated with his own grinning face.
"Why should I
cheat?" he said, fixing the camera with a beady eye after
casting his vote.
"The people are there supporting us, day in, day out. The
moment people stop
supporting you, then that's the moment you should quit
politics."
After his shocking defeat by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
in the first-round
presidential vote, he blamed traitors in his ZANU-PF
party, according to
several party sources. Enraged, he accused top ZANU-PF
figures of
"de-campaigning," or campaigning against him.
He told
military and ruling party leaders that he was ready to step down,
according
to numerous party sources. But rather than ceding control to the
"securocrats" and generals, he has instead strengthened his position with
these hard-line forces in the party, the sources say.
"It was done
strategically," a ZANU-PF insider said.
"It was to jolt people into
action, and it had the desired effect. There was
a lot of lethargy and
despondency in the party at the time, and people
thought Tsvangirai was
coming in. Mugabe told some people he was willing to
concede defeat and this
jolted them into action.
"These are people who depend on Mugabe for their
own political existence.
Without Mugabe, they're nothing. They realized they
could not afford to let
Mugabe concede, for their own reasons."
So,
in the most recent echo of Gukurahundi, the military and war veterans
recruited youthful militants and set up hundreds of militia bases, beating
thousands of MDC supporters, burning their houses and torturing and killing
opposition activists. At least 130 people died, though the figure could be
higher because much of the violence occurred in remote rural areas out of
sight of human rights groups and journalists.
Tsvangirai pulled out
of the second round in June because of the violence,
and African observers
condemned the result.
After his electoral setbacks, Mugabe initially
seemed like a badly mauled
lion, unlikely to survive a night of circling
hyenas. In July, when he was
trapped by TV cameras at an African Union
conference in Cairo, video of his
rattled, seething responses surfaced
almost instantly on YouTube.
Yet since then, he has pulled back from the
brink and, amazingly, remains in
power, still recognized as president by
African leaders despite his lack of
a legitimate mandate.
Even
opponents grudgingly concede that it has been a masterful recovery.
Mugabe
has taken advantage of the jumble of motives among ZANU-PF figures,
buying
loyalty by doling out rewards such as farms and benefits. None of
them is
clean, so all feel vulnerable.
"There are some people who are just in it
for the money and other people who
might fear retribution if the opposition
party comes in to power. There are
some people who believe that for
ideological reasons Mugabe is the best
person to lead the country. And you
have other people steeped in the
liberation struggle who don't believe they
can let ZANU-PF decline," said
the ZANU-PF insider. "You have a mixed bag of
people with the same goal."
Southern African leaders meeting as the
Southern African Development
Community have the job of settling the crisis,
but Mugabe has cleverly
played on the feelings of the old boys' club of
African liberation
movements, most of which see the rise of a strong
opposition as an unwelcome
precedent in the region.
"He's managed to
get SADC to endorse his position," the ZANU-PF insider
said. "There's still
this belief at all costs that liberation movements
cannot be
replaced."
Many analysts believe the regime is dying. But it's all in
slow motion, like
a protracted death scene in a bad movie.
The
victims of the Gukurahundi campaign are waiting.
Solomon Nsingo's wife
was bayoneted to death by the Five Brigade in front of
the couple's four
children.
"I think about her all the time," he said, "at night and in the
day."
He wants Mugabe to pay. "He killed my wife. How can I ever forgive
him for
that?"
Dixon is a Times staff writer.
robyn.dixon@latimes.com
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=8767
December 13, 2008
By Our
Correspondent
BULAWAYO - Disgruntled senior Zanu-PF officials officially
split from
President Robert Mugabe's party on Saturday, dealing a severe
blow to the
84-year-old leader who is facing a growing chorus of calls to
step down.
Mugabe has been under pressure to relinquish power in the
face of a
political and humanitarian crisis blamed on his
misrule.
The former Zanu-PF officials, mainly from the southern region,
announced
their breakaway from Mugabe's party at a convention on held in
Bulawayo on
Saturday.
One of Mugabe's former ministers, Dumiso
Dabengwa, is understood to have
championed the split. He said his party
would challenge Mugabe and Zanu-PF
in elections.
The re-launch of the
Patriotic Front Zimbabwe African People's Union (PF
Zapu), effectively
ending a 21-year- old political marriage with Zanu-PF.
Zanu-PF and PF
Zapu signed a unity accord in 1987 following a state
crackdown in the
southern region where PF Zapu commanded its main support.
The operation
resulted in the death of over 20 000 civilians, according to
the Catholic
Commission of Justice and Peace (CCJP).
The crackdown, which was
code-named Gukurahundi, saw Mugabe send a crack
troops to Matabeleland
ostensibly to suppress dissents allegedly associated
with PF
Zapu.
The operation was also seen as a way of applying pressure on PF
Zapu to
agree to be partners with his Zanu-PF and to force a one party
state.
The two day re-launch of PF Zapu, held at MacDonald Hall in
Mzilikazi
suburb, was attended by hundreds of members of the party's former
armed
wing, ZIPRA, Bulawayo residents and delegates from across divide from
the
country's ten provinces.
All members of the former Bulawayo
Zanu-PF provincial executive attended the
PF Zapu convention. They all quit
Zanu-PF last month just before the holding
of the provincial executive polls
last week.
Former speaker of parliament, Cyril Ndebele,
attended.
Dabengwa, a former member of Zanu-PF's supreme decision-making
body, the
Politburo, said PF Zapu split from Mugabe's party as it no longer
wanted to
be associated with the Zimbabwean leader's one-man rule of nearly
three
decades.
"PF Zapu will forge alliances with other political
parties to challenge
Mugabe's one man rule and to dislodge him from power,"
said Dabengwa, one of
the co-coordinators of the revival of PF Zapu
said.
"We will contest any election against Zanu-PF and against Mugabe in
particular."
Elections to choose an interim leadership will be held
on Sunday, Effort
Nkomo, the spokesperson of the revival of PF Zapu
confirmed
Dabengwa is expected to lead PF Zapu.
A Bulawayo based
political analyst Max Mnkandla, commenting on the split,
said although it
left Zanu-PF weakened, the party might not be taken
seriously as it had a
"tainted leadership".
Zanu-PF has been accused of leading acts of
violence against MDC supporters
and politicizing food, he said.
"How
is the revived Zapu going to address the gross human rights violations
since
most of them collaborated or are implicated in by virtue of their
association with Zanu-PF or activity?" he said. "Can people take Zapu
seriously with tainted leadership?
"And having been part and parcel
of Zanu-PF ideology over 20 years, some at
the highest level of politburo,
there is a likelihood of a transfer of
Zanu-PF culture to the revived
Zapu.
"The culture of violence, corruption, intolerance, indiscipline
cannot be
erased that easily after being practiced for so many
years."
The PF Zapu convention came against a backdrop of allegations
that Zanu-PF
members had been spreading rumours within Bulawayo and outside
that the
convention had been postponed to a later date.
| |
President George Bush recently denounced the illegitimate Mugabe regime, calling once again for a government that would end the repression and express the will of the Zimbabwean people.
On March 29, the citizens of the country voted decisively to change their leaders. They demanded a better government.
But their demands have been largely ignored by the losers of the election, hence Bush’s reference to an illegitimate regime. And the Mugabe regime continues to forfeit its legitimacy on a daily basis, by failing to meet the most basic obligation of government — to care for its people.
Governments are created to protect their citizens. Zimbabwe’s government has largely abdicated this responsibility and the work of caring for many suffering Zimbabweans has fallen to the international community.
I am proud of the leading role the US is playing in this regard, but we should not lose sight of the fact that we are doing what the government of Zimbabwe should do, but chooses not to do.
In the past year, the US has provided more than 218-million in humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe. We are the leading food donor, providing 211-million in food commodities to address the food emergency.
The US provides nearly 70% of all international food aid distributed in Zimbabwe through non-governmental organisations and the UN World Food Programme. It spent nearly 30-million last year on HIV/Aids programmes, in addition to paying for 33% of the Global Fund’s various programmes. And it is providing an additional 600000 in emergency aid to combat the cholera epidemic that is devastating Zimbabwe.
What is the Mugabe regime doing? It is buying hundreds of cars so that every minister and governor can have multiple vehicles. It is buying plasma televisions for judges. It is stifling the private sector so that mines and factories are forced to close, laying off workers and harassing NGOs that are trying to provide support to suffering Zimbabweans.
The widespread hunger in Zimbabwe, the cholera epidemic and the collapse of education and healthcare systems are not the result of any targeted sanctions. These disastrous failures result from decisions by a few Zimbabwean leaders to put personal interests ahead of the public interest.
Instead of spending scarce resources on water purification chemicals that might stop the cholera epidemic, they are manipulating currency to make a personal profit. Instead of ensuring that hospitals and clinics remain open, staffed and supplied, they enjoy lives of luxury in gated compounds. Instead of paying teachers a living wage so that the next generation can learn, they fly around the world on shopping sprees.
The US is committed to continue its support of Zimbabwe’s people with food, medical supplies, water and sanitation improvements, and whatever else is needed to save lives. I only wish the illegitimate leaders of this country could find the same compassion and commitment for their own people.
I challenge the leaders of Zimbabwe to set aside their personal greed and commit to spending even a quarter of what the US and other donors will spend this year to meet citizens’ humanitarian needs.
The amount of aid the US gives Zimbabwe is an open fact. The Mugabe regime should open its books and tell the world how much it is spending on the people of Zimbabwe, and how much is being spent on luxury vehicles, the campaign of brutal violence against its own people and the desperate struggle to stay in power at all costs.
The bottom line is that the so-called leaders of this country must stop feeding their insatiable greed and take care of the poor.
Up to five million people will need food aid in the coming months. More than 15500 have suffered from cholera, with 746 deaths, and the epidemic is just starting. Untold thousands have suffered or died because they cannot gain access to medical care.
We remain ready to help.
However, right now the international community isn’t just helping. We’re being forced to lead by the Mugabe regime’s criminal negligence. It’s time for the regime to take responsibility for problems it has created.
Zimbabweans deserve better. They have asked for better through their votes. How long must they suffer before their government responds?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
GlobalPost.com | December 13, 2008 04:21
PM
By GlobalPost's correspondent in Harare (who cannot be named because
of
Zimbabwe's press restrictions)
There is plenty of gallows humor
circulating in Zimbabwe these days. One
joke goes: "Q: What's the definition
of an optimist? A: A Zimbabwean who
thinks the country has hit rock
bottom."
As the cholera outbreak kills hundreds and still rages through
the country,
it is obvious that Zimbabwe's already dire political and
economic crisis has
drastically worsened and plunged the country into a
humanitarian crisis.
The plight of the most vulnerable has received
understandable international
attention. The poor have grown steadily poorer
and died while President
Robert Mugabe's ruling clique has
prospered.
But less attention has been paid to the fate of Zimbabwe's
middle class,
once the country's backbone, which has been decimated in
recent years. The
skilled have left en masse. Architects, artisans,
electricians, mechanics,
doctors, nurses, teachers - all gone to the
burgeoning diaspora, now
estimated at 5 million out of a total population of
13 million.
This mass migration at least provides a flow of funds from
those working
outside Zimbabwe to those who remain. Zimbabwe is one of the
world's newest
remittance economies.
Yet some of the country's middle
class remain, determined to see the current
crisis through.
"Every
day I am sad and infuriated by the misery of so many people, but I
still
love this country," says Joy, 61. "I have a wonderful feeling about
the
people I work with. We are all struggling to get by, but we are doing it
together. This government cannot last forever and I believe Zimbabwe will
once again become a magical place to live. I don't want to give
up."
Joy conducts workshops with township children, promoting
self-confidence and
artistic expression, even though many badly need a good
meal. Her husband
James, 51, came to Zimbabwe in the 1980s to escape
military service in
apartheid South Africa. He is an artist and sells his
paintings to diplomats
and others with access to foreign
currency.
Like most people who are "staying on", James and Joy doubt that
they would
ever find a country to match Zimbabwe's almost perfect weather
conditions.
But life can be frustrating. For example, electricians from the
power
utility demand fuel or transport to repair faulty lines.
"The
power shortages are infuriating," James says. "But just as we swear we
can't
stand it another day, the lights come back on!"
The middle class is both
white and black. "A few months ago our water
stopped and my daughter didn't
know what to do," says Mildred (not her real
name), a black Harare
accountant. "I told her to wash from a bucket of water
we had saved. She
didn't know how! In the rural areas everyone knows how to
wash from a bucket
of water. She didn't know how to be an African."
Fred, 31 and black,
lives in a township on the eastern outskirts of Harare.
He has his own small
home, a telephone line and occasionally running water.
He has a small garden
where he grows vegetables. He is well-off compared to
the majority of his
countrymen. The only way he can afford to stay in
Zimbabwe is by traveling
to South Africa to buy goods in short supply at
home such as flour and rice
and then selling them in his township.
"I don't want to leave when I have
a home and a family dependent on me," he
says. "But I can only survive by
cross-border trading. It's now a way of
life for me."
Zimbabweans
across the old racial divide have been brought together in
coping with the
intensifying crisis. At a bowling club in the city center
where the greens
are still immaculate, whites of the old school share tales
of adversity with
their black compatriots.
"It will all get better once he goes," one
member suggests to wide approval.
Everybody knows who "he" is but no one
utters Robert Mugabe's name for fear
of being arrested by one of the secret
police - to publicly denigrate the
president is a crime.
No one knows
when Mugabe will go, but the stubborn rump of Zimbabwe's middle
class seems
determined to hang on.
GlobalPost.com launches January 12, 2009.
http://www.lastrhodesian.blogspot.com/
I wake up,
the sun is shining, the sky blue and cloudless and the Heuglin
robin outside
in the garden is singing madly . I lean out of bed and switch
on the bedside
light. No light! Oh no, that means the power is off again!.
Go to the
bathroom to wash my teeth, turn on the tap and it gurgles and
hisses at me.
Ooops no water either! Use the remaining water in the hot tap
and burn my
mouth and face. Great! Oh well maybe it will help not to get
Cholera!!
Right, better phone the Zesa and water authorities. What a
joke!! Phone
rings and rings, no answer to either, although I have tried
every number in
book. Let's try the cell phone! Hmm should have known
better, Network busy!
and "the number you have called is not available, try
later!" Impossible to
phone anyone, even my neighbours. Give up and shout
across fence. Yes they
too have no water and lights. Oh well, I suppose they
will come on again
sometime!
A quick breakfast and off to the shops.
Oh, forgot no electricity and the
gas has run out for the camp stove. The
milk is sour anyway and eggs. Oh
well it's good for the figure.
I
drive to the gate, but have to get out and manually push it open, as the
motor was stolen some time ago and we have not got round to get another.
Damn the rubbish bag is STILL there, put it out days ago. Beggars been
scrabbling in it too so paper all over the place. .Must remember to do
something about it when I come back.
Turn on to the main rd, but have
to edge half way into the road as all the
sisal plants and bush on the side
walk just left to go wild hide the road .
Off down the main rd I
go.
OH my goodness!!! There is a huge yellow Hummer (huge tank like
American
car, been brought in to country, latest trend!) heading straight
for me!! Is
he mad!!! Phew, no he is just dodging pot holes and manages to
miss me.
Now I have to do the "slalom" skiing thing as well, and
dodge round the many
potholes, but OW!!! Did not see that huge one, and hit
it with a thump! Hope
it did not break a spring or something.
Looking
at the beautiful blue sky and the brilliant red blossom of the
Flamboyant
trees, wow, aren't they great, but my eye goes down the trunks to
see the
over grown broken side walks and piles of rubbish lying in the
grass. Sigh!
The odd rusted street light lies broken in half too. No wonder
it's so dark
at night.
Need to get some Zim cash now too. Oh no! What is that crowd of
milling
people???? Is it a riot? No, just the daily crowd queuing outside
banks to
get their daily 500,000m $ cash each. Some are asleep on ground
next to the
wall, looks promising!
Fight my way through into the
bank. No the queue is just too long, it will
take me all day. Will just get
my account balance instead, that is a shorter
queue so I wait. You get to
hear all sorts of things in these 'Q's and make
"new friends". No one very
cheerful today tho. Lots of muttering about the
general situation, no water
etc. .
O.K get to the counter. Lethargic attendant, tosses her brassy
coloured
dreadlock styled hair out of her eyes and says "the lines are
down." Well
what do I do?? Know I have at least 50 billion dollars in my
account, but
could be weeks each queuing to get it out, and no one accepts
cheques these
days. What a good way to save money! Pity it devalues daily as
well.
So muttering off I go, scrabble in my purse and find a few 2
million Zim $
and a 50 US$ note, so that should be fine.
I pop into
TM and Bon Marche first. Oh, looks like they having a closing
down sale?
Just rows of empty shelves!! Most of the shop sort of closed off.
Obviously
it's loo paper and cornflakes day, as 2 shelves have only those
spread out
to look like a lot.! A few tired veg and a few other odd goods
spread out.
Takes not even 5 mins to rush round with a trolley, and still
come out
empty. Edgars is the same, big empty shop with a few rails of
garments in
one corner. Look at the prices of a blouse and nearly freak. HOW
many
zero's???? Maths was never my strong subject at school, but can't even
figure it out, definitely millions, could be trillions?? Lethargic assistant
busy talking on cell phone so can't ask her.
So off I go to another
part of the suburbs! Drive thro a "river". No wonder
we have no water! See a
huge hole on the side where water is just pumping
out, someone put a huge
branch off a tree in luckily as one could just drive
into it! Come up to
some traffic lights, hesitate, are they working? Is that
a red light ? Yes,
but also a green!! That gets confusing. All cars hesitate
but whoosh, some
smart fellow in a brand new latest Merc. doesn t even
pause, drives past us
all loud music blaring and talking on his cell phone.
GRRR!
Another
traffic light! Well that is just not working at all so I edge my way
through
it. Get to the post office and have to negotiate thro a pile of
gravel and
an open hole in the tar (been like that for months) and across a
shallow
ditch. Feels as if I am on the Dakar rally. No wonder so many people
have 4
x 4 cars in town!. No one in post office and I cough loudly.
Eventually a
young girl comes out of the office. I have come to collect a
parcel from
Germany that friends sent us over a month ago.
"I think there is
something that is rotten in it" she says giving it to me .
It has been at
the main sorting office for about a month, but they have no
fuel to deliver
parcels and post to the satellite post offices, she
explains. (discover
later, the "rotten "smell is a piece of Brie cheese that
they sent with some
other goodies, and has got VERY ripe after so long, and
was escaping from
it's packaging!)
Now I get to a SPAR supermarket. Wow! That's better,
shelves stocked, Xmas
decorations, music playing. Actually feels like the
good old days. However
EVERYTHING marked in US $. No wonder it is so
stocked. Well that's just
great, but my 50 us is not going to go far judging
by the prices!!
A large black lady in front of me doesn't seem to worry
though, her trolly
is full! And she pulls out wads of notes from her purse.
Meanwhile a little
old pensioner is holding 1 peach wondering if she can
afford it! Another
ordinary older black guy looks at a packet of ration
bones, shakes his head
and puts it back on the shelf..Meanwhile I buy a few
items take it to the
till and when I hand over the 50 note, get told they
have no small change,
but he will give me a credit note for 1.75 cents!
Great! Now how will I
remember to use that on my next shop trip, even if I
can find the slip of
paper again!
However no fresh milk, sugar etc
being sold, so on to my next stop. A friend
sells milk, cheese and butter
from her back door, from a farmer (amazingly
there are still a few
endangered species about) who brings it in twice a
week. Hand over my own
containers and get my milk, a cup of coffee and a
chat. On to the next
shopping centre. Look around, sure enough a fellow
selling veggies sidles
up. "you want cigarettes, toilet paper, mealie
meal??" I tell him I need
sugar, so off he goes, back in a few minutes,
looks over his shoulder and
hands me 2kgs sugar and tells me it will cost me
2 Us ( pronounced Yoosa) or
4 million Z $ but he would prefer the "yoosa".
Luckily I have got small
change so take it.
This is getting quite exhausting! Time I
went home, but still need eggs. See
some guy is selling trays of eggs and
big packets of loo paper on the side
of the road, but a bit dubious as to
how long eggs have been sitting in the
sun, go instead to another shopping
centre where a small gift shop sell eggs
as well??
Last but not least
stop to get a loaf of bread but need to use Zim $ for
that , however find a
loaf is now 3 million, so don't have enough.
Head for home, but see I
need fuel, pull in at garage, but see I have to
have fuel coupons for it.
Can only get those from the office in industrial
sites, so give up. Hit
another pothole on way home and swear madly!
Get home, gardener greets me
with "please can he borrow some money to
collect his relation from hospital
to send to him back to the rural home, as
hospital has no drugs and are not
taking patients". Cook joins in and also
asks s to borrow money for top up
school fees for her daughter at nearby
school. As there are no teachers
teaching (only get paid a pittance) the
kids just go to school each day and
"play", so can't see why they need more
school
fees!!!
Anyway the electricity has come on! And there is
dribble of water in taps
again. Hooray, life HAS improved; at least I can
now have a cup of tea. BUT,
now the phone is out of order, so can not down
load my E mails! BIG SIGH!
I have spent all morning shopping, but have
about 5 items to show for it,
the car is just about out of fuel and I have
driven 35 kms in all.
Just another day in Zim!! AND we are one of the
lucky ones who actually are
surviving. Just!
Oh, and to add to it!
The cat has eaten the 2 pieces of fish we were
defrosting for supper!! Now
THAT'S a disaster!
Well there you are! Saves me trying to explain how we
are living in Zim.from
the "ordinary" person's point of view, ( NOT from the
wealthy group or the
really poor group! Sure they would have another
story.)
Love C and D
http://www1.sundaymail.co.zw
By Susan Tokwe
ABSOLUTE
madness and greed! The above statement aptly describes the
situation in
Harare during the past week, where consumers found themselves
being milked
dry following the introduction of the new $10 million, $50
million and $100
million notes by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) last
week
Thursday.
This was coupled with the increase in the
withdrawal limit from $500 000 to
$100 million.
Said one frustrated
commuter: "Yes, I have heard of prices of commodities
and other services
going up every time the withdrawal limit is reviewed but
never because of a
shortage of change. Consumers are being held at ransom by
unscrupulous
business people who have taken advantage of the shortage of
change and are
forcing people to spend a certain amount in order to get
change."
Most commuters including this reporter were in for a
surprise last Thursday
evening when they were told, " only those with loose
money would be
permitted to board commuter omnibuses" resulting in others
having to go
shopping in a bid to find change.
Private car owners
being overwhelmed because their fares are always lower,
but like their
counterparts they also did not have change.
Touts could be heard
shouting, "Ane $5 million yake yakachinjika mubhazi,
hatidi zvekuzonetsana
nekuti hatina change (only those with $5 million
should get onto the bus, we
don't want trouble because we have no change)".
It was the same scenario
at the few shops that remained opened, as most of
them were only giving
change to those that spent 80 percent of their money.
As a result some
commuters were forced to part with the $100 million they
had withdrawn so
they could go home.
Those who could not find anything to buy had no
choice but to leave behind
part of their change before being rudely told to
collect the rest of their
money the following day after taking down the
drivers' name and the car's
registration number.
"The best thing
would be to form a club. One person pays in the morning and
the next in line
pays in the evening, because there is nothing we can do. If
you want we can
write you a note stating the amount of change we owe you
then you can
collect later, but we definitely cannot let you ride for free,"
said one
Budiriro driver who was clearly happy about the whole scenario.
Then,
there were the daredevils, the worst of the lot.
These could be heard at
most ranks shouting at the top of their voices
"anoda change yake" (those
who want change), because they had realised they
could make a killing by
selling change and were doing just that.
One man who identified himself
as Fatso at Copacabana terminus was simply
overwhelmed by the demand for
change and had to ask for assistance from a
friend.
Somehow he had
"foreseen" the problem of change ahead and was " fully
prepared".
"I
am offering $40 million if you have $50 million and $80 million if you
have
$100 million," Fatso could be heard shouting.
With a big backpack
comprising mainly $1 million notes by their side, Fatso
and his friend
became an instant hit.
Fatso's friend was doing the counting while he was
shouting and negotiating
with the "customers".
Soon there were more
people selling change. By Saturday the margin had gone
up, most people were
offering $35 million for $50 million notes and $70
million for $100 million
but would not disclose where they were getting the
money.
As of
yesterday, most omnibuses were charging $50 million per trip and the
prices
of most goods in shops were pegged at $50 million going up because of
the
$200 million notes introduced by RBZ.
The shortage of change also
resulted in an increase in the number of
commuters paying their fares in
forex.
The words "ndine dollar or ndine rand" (I have a dollar or I have
R10),
quickly met by the conductors' response, "nerate ye marii?" (at what
rate?)
have become popular.
However, as from last week Wednesday
those with either US$1 or R10 were
being charged a flat fee and their
demands for change were being ignored.
It was either the US$1 or R10 in
order to go home or to stay in town.
Change has been of so much
importance that even newspaper and magazine
vendors at most street corners,
who are usually the ones with loose money
have not been helpful since most
of them are also selling change.
While the majority of service providers
have been enjoying brisk business,
there have been some
casualties.
These include some shops in some high-density suburbs that
have had to close
because of change shortages.
A female ice cream
vendor at Market Square said she had been left with only
one option and that
was "to buy change", then make a few sales before the
day ends.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
21:17
THE country inched closer to fresh
elections as Morgan Tsvangirai's
MDC formation yesterday said it would not
support the passing of
Constitutional Amendment 19 until outstanding issues
stalling the formation
of a unity government were
resolved.
The government was yesterday expected to gazette the
Bill that gives
legal effect to the formation of a government of national
unity between Zanu
PF and the two MDC formations.
The Bill
that is likely to be introduced in Parliament next month
cannot be passed
without the support of the two MDC formations that enjoy a
combined majority
in the House.
MDC-T spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa said his
party would not support
the amendment until the parties agreed on a fair
allocation of ministries,
the composition of the National Security Council
and the appointment of
senior government officials.
"Our
position is very clear we will not support the amendment unless
the
outstanding issues are resolved," he said. "If these are not resolved
MDC's
support of the amendment is not guaranteed."
The Minister of
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Patrick
Chinamasa last week said if
the two MDC formations failed to support the
Bill, there would be fresh
harmonized elections.
The polls will be for the election of
councillors, House of Assembly
representatives, Senators and a
President.
But the MDC said it would only participate in
elections under a new
people-driven constitution and an independent
electoral commission. The
party also wants polls supervised and monitored
by the United Nations and
the African Union.
Chamisa said
MDC would participate in elections to choose a President
"since it was the
only contestable position".
He said elections for councillors,
MPs and Senators were legally
concluded during the March
polls.
"What is in dispute is the position of President.
Mugabe cannot drag
the whole country into harmonised elections because he
lost," Chamisa said.
He said Zanu PF was keen on holding fresh
elections to reverse the
MDC's electoral gains through an orgy of violence,
abductions and killings.
"Regardless, we are ready to defeat
Mugabe for the second time
resoundingly and emphatically," he
said.
On Friday, the Eighth MDC-T national council meeting held in
Kadoma
resolved to pressure the AU and UN to ensure that if the political
impasse
remained unresolved, fresh elections be held.
The
party also resolved to officially call for former South African
President
Thabo Mbeki to be relieved of his duties as a mediator in the
talks with
Zanu PF because of his alleged bias.
Analysts say Mugabe, who
recently told his supporters to prepare
for fresh elections in one and
half years was already in an election mode as
evidenced by an upsurge in
abductions of his opponents.
Last week, the MDC said suspected
state agents have abducted close to
20 of its supporters since last month.
About six were abducted in Manicaland
province on
Wednesday.
Meanwhile, suspected state security agents abducted
an MDC official
who challenged Vice-President Joice Mujuru during the 2000
parliamentary
election in Mt Darwin from his Norton home on November
27.
He has not been heard from since then, his lawyers said
last week.
Chinoto Zulu was seized a few days before gunmen
abducted former
television personality, Jestina Mukoko also from her Norton
home.
His lawyer, Charles Kwaramba said Zulu's wife reported
her husband
was taken from their home around 10am by four armed men who
identified
themselves as police officers.
The men
reportedly told Zulu they wanted to question him about an
accident, which
happened in Dzivarasekwa.
In another incident, Mapfumo Gurutsa
a fuel dealer from Norton was
abducted on November 30 in broad
daylight.
Enraged onlookers assaulted one of the men before
taking him to
Norton police station.
But he was reportedly
released after it emerged that he was a Central
Intelligence Organisation
operative.
The MDC has warned that the abductions pose a major
threat to the
faltering dialogue between thecountry's main political
parties.
BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE AND JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008 20:38
IN a week the government claimed it had "arrested cholera" at least 60
people died of the disease in Chegutu alone, in one of the biggest implosion
of the epidemic since the outbreak in August.
The deaths in
the town more than 100 km west of Harare and fresh
reports of new infections
in rural Masvingo flew in the face of President
Robert Mugabe's
pronouncements on Thursday that the outbreak that has so far
killed 800
people and affected more than 16 000 others had been
"arrested".
Dr David Parirenyatwa, the Minister of Health and
Child Welfare
yesterday confirmed the outbreak in Chegutu but was unable say
how many
people had died.
"Yes, I have heard about the
fresh outbreak," he said before
terminating the call.
But
sources said efforts to contain the highly contagious but
treatable disease
that began on Monday were hampered by an acute shortage of
drugs at Chegutu
District Hospital.
Aid agencies only began reacting on
Thursday, after reports of the
deaths. Although the United Nations
Children's Fund (Unicef)
communications officer, Tsitsi Singizi confirmed
the outbreak, her agency
could not confirm the death toll.
Unicef immediately dispatched medical teams to assist.
Another
60 had reportedly died in Kadoma, where aid agencies also
deployed resources
to fight the epidemic.
In Masvingo reports said at least 30
people had succumbed to the
disease by last week.
Sources
said the disease was first detected in the province a
fortnight ago, with
most of the victims coming from the rural areas that are
facing critical
water problems.
The hardest hit areas in the province are
Bikita, Zaka, Mushandike
and Chiredzi.
A senior nurse at
Masvingo General Hospital said they were failing to
cope with the influx of
patients.
"Most of the victims are referred here from the
rural areas but we
can't treat them because we are facing a severe crisis of
drug shortages,"
said the source.
Efforts to get a comment
from Masvingo provincial medical director,
Dr Robert Madyiradima were
fruitless as he was said to be out of office.
Two days after
Mugabe's declaration that the disease was under
control, Unicef appealed for
funds for an emergency response to the
epidemic.
Noting the
serious desperation on the ground, Unicef said it needed up
to US$17.5
million in "immediate funding" to scale-up its response to the
disease.
"The situation in Zimbabwe is dire and our
response has to match the
severity," said Unicef acting representative,
Roeland Monasch.
Stung by attacks from Western leaders who
called on him to resign,
Mugabe last week tried to downplay the extent of
the outbreak.
"I am happy to say our doctors, assisted by
others and the World
Health Organisation, have now arrested cholera," Mugabe
told mourners at the
burial of Zanu PF political commissar Elliot Manyika.
"So now that there is
no cholera, there is no cause for war
anymore."
Information and Publicity Minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
sprung to Mugabe's
defence, claiming Britain and the United States were
using cholera in a
chemical war fare against the country.
Aid agencies said the statements showed that the government was out
of touch
with reality.
They said the situation on the ground suggested that
there may be new
infections and more deaths were expected.
"We are not seeing that it has stopped," United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) administrator, Henrietta Fore said last
week.
"We currently have a report that there are approximately
800 deaths
and 16,000 people infected."
The chairman of
the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors' for Human
Rights, Dr Douglas Gwatidzo
said the utterances by Mugabe were "very
unfortunate".
"Last week government admitted for the first time that Zimbabwe's
cholera
epidemic is a national emergency but a few days later Mugabe says
the
outbreak is contained," he said.
"I think Mugabe owes the
nation and the families of those people who
have died of cholera an
apology."
Oxfam warned that the cholera epidemic posed a
"grave danger" to 300
000 people, already weakened by food shortages while
local health experts
attacked the government for trying to downplay the
crisis.
The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) appealed
to the World
Health Organisation to ignore the government's "political
posturing" and
help Zimbabweans fight the cholera
epidemic.
"We recognize that the current health crisis does
not emanate from
the health sector as it comes from wider economic
collapse," CWGH national
director Itai Rusike said, "and the increasing
extent to which people are
not accessing basic public services like
education, transport water and
electricity."
Two Canadian
organisations, World Vision and the Health Partners
International of Canada
have teamed up to source cholera medications which
they are now preparing to
ship to Zimbabwe in the coming week.
BY BERTHA SHOKO AND GODFREY
MUTIMBA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December
2008 20:27
BULAWAYO - PF Zapu members will today elect an interim
executive to
lead the former liberation movement at a convention underway in
the city.
Hundreds of former Zanu PF members from various
provinces are gathered
at McDonald Hall in Mzilikazi for the two-day
convention. This, analysts
say, marks the collapse of the December 1987
Unity Accord.
Zanu PF will hold its annual conference this week
and the split might
loom large in discussions over the party's crumbling
structures.
Several Zanu PF officials who held senior positions
in Matabelelalnd
provincial structures were in charge of the organisation of
the first
exclusive PF Zapu meeting in 21 years.
There were
also former high-ranking officials such as the former
Speaker of Parliament,
Cyril Ndebele who were part of the proceedings.
The delegates
went into a closed session around midday and were
expected to discuss the
drafting of a new constitution, strategies for
mobilising funds and
resources and the proposed leadership structure.
Effort Nkomo,
the spokesman for the breakaway group said elections
would be held today for
an interim executive to lead the party until a
congress is held next
year."The elections for an interim leadership will be
held tomorrow (Sunday)
morning," he said.
"Today (Saturday), co-ordinators are
discussing the drafting of the
party constitution, mobilization strategies
for finance and resources and
its leadership structure.
"The outcome of the discussions and the way forward will be spelt out
at a
press conference tomorrow."
Expectations were high that former Zimbabwe
People's Revolutionary
Army (Zipra) intelligence supremo and veteran
nationalist, Dumiso Dabengwa
would lead the party.
Dabengwa
fell out with his Zanu PF colleagues after he openly
challenged President
Robert Mugabe's decision to hang on to power despite
growing calls for him
to pass on the baton to other leaders.
Yesterday Dabengwa said
they were determined to end Mugabe's 28-
year-old uninterrupted
rule.
He said a revived PF Zapu would be ready to forge
alliances with other
opposition parties to dislodge Zanu
PF.
"PF Zapu will forge alliances with other political parties
to
challenge Mugabe's one- man rule and to dislodge him from power,"
Dabengwa
said. "We will contest any election against Zanu PF and against
Mugabe in
particular."
Analysts say Zanu PF is already
smarting under the impact of the split
after its restructuring exercise
produced "weak" provincial executive
members in
Matabeleland.
Little known Zenzo Ncube was elected the
Matabeleland North provincial
chairman while newcomer Isaac Dakamela is the
new leader in Bulawayo.
In Matabeleland South, Environment and
Tourism Deputy Minister Andrew
Langa took advantage of lack of interest by
senior politicians to take the
top post.
A paltry 400
people elected Dakamela as virtually all the party
structures had reportedly
defected to PF Zapu.
The revival of the party once led by the
late Vice-President Joshua
Nkomo is also likely to erode Zanu PF's thinning
grassroots support base
especially in Matabeleland.
PF Zapu
revivalists say the nationalist party was forced into a
marriage of
convenience with Zanu PF in order to end the Gukurahundi
atrocities in the
Midlands and Matabeleland.
They say Zanu PF was never committed
to the deal as demonstrated by
its reluctance to change its name and symbols
and its reluctance to give for
PF Zapu leaders top posts.
On the streets of Bulawayo, residents were excited about the prospects
of a
new party to challenge Mugabe and Zanu PF.
"Anyone who breaks
away from Zanu PF - the causers of our suffering -
should be supported,"
said Gilbert Moyo. "The split from Zanu PF by PF Zapu
was long overdue and
it's commendable. They should forge alliances with
other
parties."
But Max Mnkandla, who says he rose to the rank of
colonel in Zipra,
was sceptical about the relaunch saying its leaders were
in Zanu PF for too
long.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
20:14
IN a desperate bid to end a two-month strike that has severely
crippled the country's health delivery system, the government is proposing
to pay doctors and nurses in foreign currency, it emerged last
week.
Sources said the government had finally responded to
demands by the
striking nurses and doctors by promising a monthly salary of
US$30 for the
least paid health worker.
The lowest paid
workers include cooks and cleaners as well as other
support
staff.
Nurses were reportedly offered about US$60 while junior
doctors were
set to receive between US$150 and US$200.
For
senior doctors government had offered a salary of US$400, sources
say.
"These developments have already been communicated by
the Ministry of
Health and Child Welfare to chief executive officers of
Chitungwiza, Harare
and Parirenyatwa hospitals, and worker representatives
have been notified of
these figures," a source said.
"In
addition to these amounts government is saying it will provide
transport to
and from work for all nurses and doctors.
"The buses that will
carry workers were donated to hospitals by the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as
part of the Medical Skills Retention and Health
Sector Revival Scheme during
the June 27 presidential run-off election
campaign.
"Some
buses that were donated to districts were also recalled to cater
for these
hospitals."
The government, which is battling a serious cholera
epidemic sweeping
across the country, is desperate to convince nurses and
doctors to return to
work and fight the fast-spreading
disease.
But health workers from Chitungwiza, Harare and
Parirenyatwa who met
on Friday to review the work boycott rejected the
government offer,
describing it as "too little".
Zimbabwe
Hospital Workers' Association representative, Dr Amon
Siveregi, confirmed
the developments but refused to shed more light on the
government's
proposals.
"I am just from a meeting with workers from
Chitungwiza, Harare and
Parirenyatwa and they have flatly rejected the
government's offer," he said.
"We feel that government requested too little
money from the donors who are
willing to bail it out. The workers are saying
they want the lowest paid
worker, in this case a general hand, to be paid at
least US$600.
"We want our nurses to be paid nothing less than
US$1 500 and for
juniors doctors at least US$2 500.
"These are our
demands and unless they are met, hospitals will remain
closed."
The secretary general of the Zimbabwe Hospital
Doctors' Association,
Dr Malcolm Masikati, said the government's offer was
an "embarrassment".
"The figures we have received are
embarrassing to say the least. This
is why health workers have agreed at our
meeting to ask government to go
back to the drawing board," Masikati
said.
Health and Child Welfare Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa
was not
immediately available to comment as his mobile phone went
unanswered.
Last week, Parirenyatwa met potential donors in the
hope of improving
conditions of service for health workers by paying their
salaries in foreign
currency.
The country's major hospitals
have suspended essential operations as a
result of the strike.
The
health workers are also protesting against the acute shortage of
drugs,
medicines and the lack of essential equipment.
Service delivery
at government hospitals has continued to decline due
to perennial
under-funding.
Poor salaries and unsafe working conditions have also
seen experienced
health professionals leaving the country in droves for
greener pastures.
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008 18:18
A
protracted dispute between parents and volunteer workers has forced
withdrawal of 2 900 pupils from a Hopley pre-school.
The
parents accuse the workers, believed to be Zanu PF supporters, of
looting
donations given to the crèche by donors.
The pre-school was set
up by former Porta Farm residents resettled at
Hopley
Farm.
The workers who are volunteers have refused to leave the
institution
after parents said their services were no longer
appreciated.
In October the workers applied for a court
interdict against the
parents and won a default judgement.
But the
parents have approached the courts seeking nullification of
the judgement
arguing that the workers went to the courts behind their
backs. They said
they had agreed with the workers to solve their dispute
through
dialogue.
In a sworn affidavit, Jonsaya Manyere, one of the
parents said they
wanted the volunteers to go because property was being
stolen from the
pre-school.
Manyere alleged that out of 1
000 blankets donated to the centre
sometime this year, only 713 were given
out to the children while the rest
were unaccounted for.
He
also alleged that the bulk of the cups, table spoons, plates and
table tops
given to the institution by a donor earlier this year went
missing.
In a notice of opposition, Tsitsi Muringai, one of
the workers,
disputed the allegations saying that the applicants in the
matter did not
have the children's interests at heart.
The
workers say that since the formation of the day care centre,
parents had
never complained about the way they were running the pre-school.
They said that "everyone" became interested in the crèche after donors
started dishing out food to workers at the centre.
The case
will be heard in court on Wednesday.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
16:33
HUNDREDS of alleged illegal diamond dealers arrested under a
joint
army and police operation in Manicaland are still being tortured and
denied
access to fair trial, a group of lawyers said last
week.
The chairman of the Manicaland Legal Practitioners'
Association
(MLPA), Johannes Zviuya said innocent people were being
abducted, tortured
and taken to Chiadzwa in Marange to fill the gullies left
by illegal
panners.
He said most of them were not taken to
the courts to prove their
guilt.
"I can confirm that there
are atrocities and torture going on in
Chiadzwa at the moment," Zviuya said.
"Some people have died while others
are maimed for life."
He said the association was preparing a letter to the Attorney-General's
Office calling on the government to investigate the cases of human rights
violations allegedly being perpetrated by the police, soldiers and members
of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
"The
general feeling here is that people are not receiving justice,"
Zviuya said.
"As an association we cannot tolerate injustice. We can't just
watch when
this is happening."
The association last week won this year's
Human Rights Defender Award
sponsored by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR).
This was in recognition of its initiative in
offering free legal
services to people arrested under the so-called
Operation Hakudzokwi (You
don't return).
There are reports
that as many as 50 people may have been killed in
Chiadzwa by soldiers and
the police since August.
At one time Mutare General Hospital,
the province's largest referral
health centre, had as many as 19 unclaimed
bodies.
Police last week said they had flushed out 35 000
illegal diamond
miners from Marange and arrested 1 227 others under the
operation.
Mutare-based human rights lawyer Chris Ndlovu said
those who were
acquitted by the courts on allegations of dealing in diamonds
were abducted
at night and taken to Chiadzwa to fill in the
gullies.
"What the police are doing is illegal," Ndlovu said.
"Those who deny
the charges in court are abducted at night and taken to
Chiadzwa to work.
This is not justice."
As a result several
suspected diamond dealers in Manicaland province
have gone underground while
others have fled the country.
Efforts to get a comment from
police spokesperson Senior Assistant
Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena were
fruitless.
However, Bvudzijena recently told The Standard the
police would only
release a report after the completion of the
operation.
BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13
December 2008 16:21
AN international HIV/Aids advocacy group has
challenged the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to honour a pledge it made two
years ago to provide
US$2 million every month for the production of
life-prolonging drugs for
people living with HIV/Aids
(PLWHA).
In its latest report, the Southern African Treatment
Access Movement
(Satamo), which is the regional governing body for the
International
Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) and the Pan-African
Treatment Access
Movement (Patam), called on RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono to
honour the pledge
which he made in 2006.
"In October 2006,
the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ),
Dr Gideon Gono, pledged
to provide no less than US$2 million monthly towards
improving the health
delivery system and purchasing drugs, including ARVs,"
says the report,
released two weeks ago.
"Varichem, the local pharmaceutical
company that manufactures generic
ARVs, only requires US$1 million monthly
for ARV production.
"The RBZ should honour its commitment to
the people of Zimbabwe, and
this will be a clear demonstration that the
nation's health is a priority."
The report says if the RBZ
honours that commitment, Zimbabwe "has the
capacity to manufacture generic
ARVs", enough for the estimated 260 000
people in need of the
life-prolonging treatment.
RBZ spokesperson Kumbirai Nhongo
did not respond to the Satamo report
despite repeated promises to do
so.
The report also says the current tumultuous political and
economic
situation was worsening the plight of PLWHA, and that "real changes
needed
in Zimbabwe are both political and economic".
"Major
barriers to ARV treatment in Zimbabwe include political and
economic
challenges, inadequate resources - both human and financial, and a
collapsing health delivery system," says the report. "The past eight years
have been characterised by political turmoil and an economic
downturn.
"Among the consequences are hyperinflation, shortages
of basic
commodities, mass migration, a reduction in social spending, donor
flight
and 80% unemployment."These challenges have directly impacted on
health
care."
Despite the HIV prevalence rate having
declined to 15,6% last year,
the delayed resolution of an impasse between
the three parties to a
power-sharing agreement signed in September is
thwarting efforts to tackle
the effects of HIV/Aids.
"The
situation has been worsened by the flight of donors, whose
support had in
the past sustained the health delivery system, and compounded
by the
country's failure to secure funding from a number of Global Fund to
Fight
HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria."
The report also challenges
the government to set practical treatment
targets that are supported by the
necessary financial, human and other
resources, with civil society playing
an active role in holding the
government accountable to its
commitments.
BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008 16:17
MASVINGO - Zanu PF's provincial executive is reportedly refusing to
vacate a
building owned by Zvobgo Holdings despite an eviction order.
The company owned by children of the late Zanu PF secretary for legal
affairs, Eddison Zvobgo, reportedly gave the ruling party an eviction notice
after it failed to pay rentals for six months.
Sources at
Zvobgo Holdings said Zanu PF officials refused to vacate
the building, which
houses the party's provincial offices, arguing that it
belonged to the
veteran nationalist.
"They were not paying rentals for the past
six months as per our
agreement and this was impacting negatively on our
business," said a source
who requested anonymity.
"But they
are resisting saying the company had no power to evict them
from the
properties of their late comrade."
The source said the Zanu
officials vowed they would not vacate the
building, claiming the property
was acquired with the help of the ruling
party.
But
Lovemore Matuke, the new Zanu PF provincial chairman tried to play
down the
dispute saying the confusion was caused by the recent change of
leadership
in the party.
"We are new in the office and we were told about
this recently but we
will be moving out. We never resisted," he
said.
"If there were problems they were between the old
executive and the
company. We don't know the arrangements they made when
they occupied the
offices in March."
Zvobgo Holdings
director, Eddison Zvobgo Jnr, who is also a former
member of the Zanu PF
Masvingo provincial executive said they were working
on resolving the
dispute amicably.
BY GODFREY MUTIMBA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008 16:04
BULAWAYO- The city council has warned
of severe water cuts next month
as the municipality only managed to secure
water treatment chemicals enough
for only three weeks ahead of the annual
business shutdown.
This year most companies closed early due to
the economic uncertainty
in the country.
The warning on
severe water rationing came amid reports the cholera
death toll in the city
had risen to 11.
The mayor, Councillor Thaba Moyo, said although the
municipality still
had the capacity to provide 80% of the city's water
requirements, the
situation could deteriorate further next
month.
He said council failed to stockpile the essential
chemicals because
suppliers were demanding cash upfront or payment in
foreign currency.
"While the situation is not that bad as we
can still provide at least
80% of our residents with water, we are facing a
challenge for next month,"
Moyo said.
"The challenge is
that we have not yet procured chemicals for next
year because our suppliers
are demanding that we pay them cash in advance.
"Given the
situation in the country, it is pretty difficult for us to
access cash to
pay huge bills such as those for the procurement of water
treatment
chemicals."
Moyo said council was also failing to access
foreign currency to buy
chemicals.
The council's health
services department says 94 residents were
suffering from cholera as of last
week.
"Our statistics show that most of the people who have contracted
cholera came from Beitbridge," Moyo said. "As a council, we also have
problems attending to burst sewer pipes because of shortages of
fuel."
The cholera outbreak, which began in Chitungwiza in August, has
reached all the country's provinces except Matabeleland
North.
Bulawayo has faced perennial water shortages for years
as the city's
population has outgrown the five supply dams that were all
built before
Independence.
BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
14:38
FOR HIV positive Evelyn Mazula from Rimuka in Kadoma, fighting
stigma
and discrimination requires determination and a positive frame of
mind.
Mazula says it starts from making the decision to get
tested,
accepting one's status and thereafter living a healthy and positive
life.
But as the 40-year-old mother of one recalls, it has
been a bumpy
ride.
It took Mazula almost two years to make
the crucial decision to be
tested, and thereafter months to accept her HIV+
status.
Mazula fell ill in 2001 and was bedridden for the
better part of that
year.
She remembers her weight came
down to 25kg but despite encouragement
from her father who is an Anglican
Church cleric, she was reluctant to get
tested.
"I was
very ill," the energetic activist told a workshop organised by
the Southern
African Aids Information Dissemination Service (Safaids) last
week.
"My husband asked my parents to come and take me as
he felt I had
become a burden. Although my parents were hurt, they accepted
me back home.
"After being sick on and off between 2001 and
2003 I finally decided
to listen to my family's advice and get tested. I was
very afraid but I knew
there was no way of running away from the truth. The
results came out
positive."
It took seven tests for her to
finally accept her HIV+ status.
"I just could not believe the
results. I kept going back to be tested
and each time the result came back
positive until my father finally sat down
with me and told me to accept my
status," Mazula said. "It was the words he
told me that day that made me to
stop living in denial.
"I used to cry all the time that my
husband brought the disease to
our home but after that talk with my father I
finally realised it didn't
matter where I had got the infection from. What
was more important was
staying alive for my daughter."
Although it took another two-year wait for her to be finally enrolled
on
antiretroviral drugs treatment, Mazula said she devoted her energy to
staying healthy by shifting to a traditional diet and herbs to boost her
immune system.
But Mazula said nothing encouraged her to
look forward to living
longer than the support she received from her family,
especially her father.
"My father took the bus one day and
went to Binga and brought me
Moringa. He was very determined to help me live
positively," Mazula said.
"After establishing his contacts in Binga, every
month we used to receive
Moringa by post and we would in turn send money to
our supplier by money
order.
"I can safely say that using
this herb and my positive frame of mind
boosted my immune system. I began to
see changes in my health."
Three years on, Mazula says there
is no one in Rimuka, who does not
know her and her good work.
For
many in that suburb Mazula is the tough talking and inspiring
HIV+ woman
with a good heart.
She is a caregiver, a counsellor, peer educator and
community
mobiliser.
But she admits being HIV positive in
a small community like Rimuka
has not been easy.
Mazula
says because of lack of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, stigma
and
discrimination are still rife.
"Yes there are people who can whisper
behind your back or point
fingers at you and say: 'Here goes that HIV
positive woman who got the
disease by sleeping around with men,'" Mazula
said with a wry smile. "But
people who can label you like that should be
forgiven because they are
ignorant.
"I believe what is
important about fighting stigma and discrimination
is for as many people to
come out and get tested and all to come out in the
open and show these
people that life does go on after testing HIV positive.
"Let
us remove the mystery behind HIV. Let us show people that HIV is
just like
any other chronic disease and life just goes on. Fighting stigma
starts with
you, its starts from the day you agree to get tested, agree that
you are HIV
positive, agree to live a positive life, disclose your status,
and start
taking care of yourself and speaking out openly about HIV and
AIDS."
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
15:55
THE government spent at least US$7,9 million in its failed bid to
complete the takeover of businessman Mutumwa Mawere's assets, investigations
by Standardbusiness revealed last week.
Last month the UK
Supreme Court dismissed an application by AMG Global
Nominees (AMG), seeking
to take over shares owned by Mawere's Africa
Resources Limited (ARL) in SMM
Holdings and THZ Holdings.
AMG has been fronting government moves to
take over the assets since a
2004 Presidential decree specifying the South
African based businessman.
The UK court dismissed the AMG
application with costs, which means the
government has to pay the legal
costs and those of ARL.
When the judgment was delivered, AMG
had spent $7,9 million in legal
fees, travel and subsistence allowances for
the Zimbabwean delegation that
has made no less than seven trips to the UK
since 2004.
The total cost of the litigation to ARL is estimated at £1
million
(US$1.5 million).
The UK court ordered AMG to
reimburse ARL the money it spent defending
itself in the case.
AMG's own costs are estimated at no less than a similar amount putting
the
total cost of the litigation that was footed by Zimbabwe at £2 million
(US$US$3 million).
The RBZ through AMG also paid US$2
million for the bearer share
warrants to T & N.
It is
not clear whether the amount can be recovered as AMG boss Arafas
Gwaradzimba
told Standardbusiness they were not in a position to discuss
their strategy
in public.
Information gleaned from documents by
Standardbusiness show that AMG's
travel and accommodation expenses for UK
trips stood at US$45 031,53 as at
February 2006.
But since
the matter took two more years, the costs could have
quadrupled to US$200
000, insiders said last week.
In total 11 judgments were
delivered in the AMG-ARL case by UK courts
which means that on each and
every case, AMG had to be financed by the
government to
attend.
In the same period legal fees for services rendered by
Dube, Manikai &
Hwacha law firm stood at US$515 070,53 as of February
2006.
Since the matter dragged on for an additional two years,
AMG could
have coughed up in excess of US$2.5 million for the legal services
rendered.
This brought the amount of money spent by government
in the legal
battle to US$7.9 million.
Mawere said the
expenditure incurred at a time when the government was
struggling to secure
enough foreign currency to buy food for starving
Zimbabweans showed the
country had its priorities wrong.
"To imagine that a foreign
currency-starved nation can afford to bank
roll the legal costs as well as
the initial US$2 million paid to T&N in
November 2004 while the whole
nation is appealing to the world for support
exposes the warped priorities
that now inform Zimbabwean public policy," he
said.
In 2004
the government through AMG Global Nominees paid US$2 million
for the shares
of SMM Holdings (SMMH) and THZ Holdings (THZH) arguing that
ARL had
defaulted in payments for the acquisition of the two firms.
ARL
bought SMMH and THZH from Tuner and Newell (T&N) in 1996 for US$60
million. It paid US$37 million, leaving a balance of US$23
million.
But after paying the US$2 million following Mawere's
specification,
AMG took the matter to the UK courts for it to be registered
as the owners
of the two UK registered companies.
The
British court ruled that ARL had not defaulted in payment and that
it had
title to the bearer share warrants of SMMH and THZH.
Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Patrick Chinamasa,
refused to say
what government was planning to do after losing the UK Court
case.
"We cannot discuss our strategy in public," he said.
"We know what we
are going to do.
"Whatever we are going to do we
will not discuss it in public."
Chinamasa was the chairman of
the Inter Ministerial Committee on SMM
and in 2005 gave Gwaradzimba the nod
to oversee Mawere's sprawling empire.
BY NDAMU SANDU
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13
December 2008 15:52
ZIMBABWE'S private sector can still recover from
government's
retrogressive policies to lead the recovery of the battered
economy,
stakeholders attending the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) policy
dialogue
forum said last week.
Participants drawn from
various sectors of the economy said although
the government treated private
enterprises with suspicion, the sector
remained a vital cog in economic
development.
"The private sector is the engine for development
and the government
has no business meddling in private enterprises," said
Mfandaedza Hove, the
secretary for Industry and Commerce in the Morgan
Tsvangirai-led MDC.
Hove said the government's role was to
ensure that there was a
conducive environment for businesses.
Kumbirai Katsande, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)
president,
said industry had tried to hold discussions with the government
on how best
to rehabilitate the economy but they were not taken seriously.
He said industrialists wanted a political framework conducive for
business
to perform. "We probably do not reflect enough on how much work we
need to
develop a political framework," he said.
The CZI boss said in
agriculture, the government had to put in place a
policy that encouraged
market related producer prices and pre-planting
prices.
The
issue of pre-planting - recommended by Dr Charles Utete's Land
Audit
Commission - had not been implemented causing consternation amongst
the few
remaining commercial farmers.
Katsande said there was also need
to put in place an industrial and
trade policy that discourages price
controls. On Tuesday, the National
Incomes and Pricing Commission, said
business should rollback prices to
December 3 levels.
But
the CZI boss said businesses that reviewed prices regularly were
not "evil-
minded regime change people" as they were responding to the
movements of the
unstable local currency.
"It's totally unstable, few people have
confidence in the local
currency," he said.
The chairman of the
Bankers' Association of Zimbabwe, Dr John
Mangudya, said the level of
foreign investments flowing into the country
would determine the revival of
the economy.
He said government should promote "pro-production
policies not
pro-consumptive policies such as price
controls".
Mangudya said market related policies would ensure
the survival of the
economy.
"The price of wheat is known
throughout the world," he said. "We don't
need to re-invent the
wheel."
Hove pledged that an MDC Finance Minister would work towards
reforming
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to make sure that it sticks to
its core
business.
The objectives of the MDTF are to
contribute to analytical work on the
key development challenges facing
Zimbabwe and to develop suitable
instruments than can enable government and
donors to respond to changes in
conditions for re-engagement with the
international community.- BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008 17:13
THE abduction and disappearance of
Jestina Mukoko has become the cause
celebre of the current troubles in
Zimbabwe. This is hardly surprising. As a
newsreader at the only broadcaster
in Zimbabwe, the ZBC, in the 1990s Mukoko
was a regular guest in many
Zimbabweans' homes.
She became so familiar many may have
unconsciously regarded her as one
of the family.
Now a
prominent and effective human rights advocate, Mukoko's seizure
has touched
our hearts in a profound way.
All right-thinking people hope she is
well, although clearly she has
been placed in harm's way. Others silently
pray for her welfare and that
those who hold her have at least something in
their hearts that prevents the
kind of treatment that has been visited upon
others similarly held
incommunicado.
For this abduction is,
of course, a chilling reminder of the darker
days of 2008, when between
March and June 2008, many Zimbabweans lost their
lives at the hands of
callous characters and an even darker period in the
1980s when men and women
disappeared from villages in rural Matabeleland and
the Midlands. Their
remains lie buried in mine shafts that were turned into
mass
graves.
Presently, the disappearance of Mukoko follows the
abduction of 15 MDC
activists a few weeks ago and reports indicate that two
of her work
colleagues have since been similarly kidnapped. In addition, it
is reported
that Morgan Tsvangirai's former personal assistant, Gandhi
Mudzingwa, has
also been abducted.
These are the more prominent
people that get (and deserve) the
headlines but what we do not know is the
extent to which this has also
affected the ordinary people perceived to be
stepping on the government's
toes. It is much easier to abduct an ordinary
person whose case is unlikely
to be reported and who knows, there could be
scores, it not hundreds who
have suffered Mukoko's fate.
There is, plainly, a pattern forming here. Lest we forget, MDC Youth
leader
Tonderai Ndira was abducted and callously murdered in May this year.
His
colleague Better Chokururuma, after first surviving horrific torture was
later abducted and murdered in cold blood. Abigail Chiroto, wife of MDC
politician, Emmanuel Chiroto, was abducted from her home and shortly
thereafter her lifeless remains were discovered. The remains of Ignatius
Mushangwe, an official with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission accused of
spilling the beans about the election irregularities, were discovered months
after he disappeared. Others disappeared without trace.
Those who recall the horrors of Gukurahundi in Matabeleland and the
Midlands
know that this terror tactic is not new in Zimbabwe. And one of the
most
controversial stories of the Nineties was the disappearance of Rashiwe
Guzha, a woman who worked at the national spy agency, the CIO. She
disappeared without trace and to this day no one has been held accountable
for it.
History has shown that when tyrannical regimes have
their backs
against the wall, they tend to escalate the scale of terror. The
idea is to
terrorise ordinary people and perceived opponents.
In Uganda, the infamous Idi Amin wrote his own chapter on enforced
disappearances and callous murders in the 1970s. It is said that after a
failed invasion led by Milton Obote in 1972, Amin decided to exact revenge
on those he suspected of opposing his rule. The Archbishop of the Anglican
Church for Kampala spoke out against Amin and a while later his
bullet-riddled body was delivered to the city hospital's
mortuary.
The Chief Justice was abducted from his chambers in
the High Court,
never to be seen again. Makerere University's
Vice-Chancellor, Frank
Kalimuzo also suffered a similar fate as did many
professionals when Amin
targeted the intellectuals.
In
Latin America, General Augusto Pinochet carried out a systematic
process of
elimination through abductions and disappearances. To this day,
many people
are still searching for their loved ones.
Now in Zimbabwe, after the
fanfare that accompanied the signing of the
political agreement between Zanu
PF and the MDCs in September, we are rudely
reminded of the old truth, that
some things never change; that no matter how
much it pours, the rain will
never wipe away the leopard's spots.
The abductions grossly violate
the agreement which exhorts parties to
desist from violence. Abductions and
disappearances constitute physical and
psychological violence of the highest
order - it's tantamount to torture,
not just for the individual victim but
also for the victim's family, friends
and other persons in the victim's
position. Everyone is a potential victim
and can no longer afford to sleep
with both eyes closed.
Legally, the abductions abrogate the
Constitution of Zimbabwe. It
protects, in section 13, the right to personal
liberty but abductions
clearly violate this right and the failure by the
police to take prompt
action to investigate the disappearances is itself a
violation of the right
to protection of the law which is guaranteed under
section 18. At least the
High Court, after an unhealthy and troubling delay
before hearing the
matter, has played its part by ordering the police to
take a more active
approach to the investigation into Mukoko's
disappearance.
It goes without saying that such abductions and
disappearance place at
very high risk the right to life that is guaranteed
under section 12 of the
Constitution.
But this too is a
matter that should place the Zimbabwe crisis at the
centre of the United
Nations' attention and perhaps justify more active
intervention because
where abductions constitute a systematic practice that
would be considered
to be a crime against humanity. That abductions and
disappearances are an
affront to human dignity as has been recognised by the
United Nations
(UN).
The UN's International Convention for the Protection of All
Persons
from Enforced Disappearance (General Assembly resolution 47/133 of
18
December 1992) states in Article 1 proscribing abductions that: "No one
shall be subjected to enforced disappearance" and that "No exceptional
circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war,
internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked
as a justification for enforced disappearance".
Article 2
of the Convention defines "enforced disappearances" as "the
arrest,
detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by
agents
of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the
authorization, support or acquiescence of the state, followed by a refusal
to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or
whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the
protection of the law". This clearly is what has happened to Mukoko and her
colleagues.
Perhaps more importantly, Article 5 of the
Convention states that:
"the widespread or systematic practice of enforced
disappearance constitutes
a crime against humanity as defined in applicable
international law and
shall attract the consequences provided for under such
applicable
international law."
As argued above, there appears
to be a worrying pattern of enforced
disappearances, often leading to
unlawful deaths, and it is surely a matter
for the UN to determine whether
this pattern constitutes a "widespread or
systematic practice" to classify
it as a crime against humanity. This is
relevant when you consider the
present events within the context of the
abductions and disappearances
during Gukurahundi in the 1980s.
It is surely, time for the UN
and its Committee on Enforced
Disappearances which is responsible for the
Convention to play a more
central role to address these violations and take
appropriate action.
We can only hope and pray that Mukoko, her
colleagues and many others
similarly encumbered will emerge
unharmed.
Magaisa is based at, Kent Law School, the University of
Kent and can
be contacted at wamagaisa@yahoo.co.uk or a.t..magaisa@kent.ac.uk
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13 December 2008
17:07
IN order to understand and appreciate the monumental crisis
Zimbabwe
is grappling with, Zimbabweans and the international community
should locate
why the Zanu PF leader Robert Mugabe and those associated with
his almost
three decades or rule are refusing to give way to a democratic
transition
premised on the rule of law and provide solutions to stabilize
the country.
My contention among other things is that fear of
prosecution over
rampant human rights violations, allegations of looting of
the national
asserts, loss of employment through the imminent crumble of
Zanu PF's
patronage system and the demise of the ruling party are some of
the issues
that should assist to appreciate why Zimbabwe remains a failed
transition
even after the people voted for a lawful and legitimate regime
change in
March.
It should be noted that since 1980, Mugabe
and Zanu PF have used the
law to produce and sustain oppression against
their political opponents in
what has been described as legislating
oppression in the country. This has
been the cornerstone of Mugabe's
leadership both at party and national
levels. Fear and violence have become
crucial tools of governance by the
Zanu PF administration.
After independence the new government did not repeal notorious and
repressive laws such as the Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA) and the
State of emergency presumably because they wanted to stabilize the state
from acts of sabotage by the former colonial rulers.
However, as time moved, the country witnessed widespread human rights
violations against PF Zapu members and their supporters led by the late
veteran nationalist and Vice- President Joshua Nkomo. There is evidence of
how the State of Emergency powers were used to victimise PF Zapu leaders and
their followers leading to the death of people like the late Lookout Masuku
after several years in detention in defiance of court
rulings.
The situation continues today as activists of the
opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) and civil society are often
arrested and
detained outside the provisions of the law although the
intensity and
cruelty differs from the grave situation of the 1980s that saw
the death of
over 20 000 Zimbabweans in the Midlands and Matabeleland
provinces.
Mugabe and Zanu PF have been using the law and the
repressive state
apparatus such as the army, the police and members of the
dreaded Central
Intelligence Organization (CIO) to abuse human rights of
Zimbabweans as a
way of maintaining their grip on power.
The people in the military and other security forces are well aware
that
what they did and continue to do is in violation of the Constitution
and
international law such as the Convention against Torture which forbids
State
parties to the Covenant to exercise torture.
Knowing and
understanding both the domestic and international
sanctions against people
who abuse human rights is one of the major reasons
why Zanu PF and the
security chiefs would not want to leave office.
Mugabe and his
close allies in government and Zanu PF are not
persuaded or convinced that
what they did would just be forgotten. The fear
of possible prosecution over
the human rights abuses is one critical reason
that makes Mugabe refuse to
surrender power not only to the opposition but
even to a reformer in Zanu
PF.
Unless Mugabe and his henchmen's fears are addressed or
they face a
revolution, they will continue to hold on to power. This further
explains
why Mugabe and Zanu PF would want to cling on to security
ministries under
the current understanding with the two formations of the
MDC.
Because since 1980, Mugabe and Zanu PF have compromised
the security
forces in the country into behaving like party militia taking
orders from
the Politburo and the Central Committee, it becomes unimaginable
to them
that such institutions can be impartial and serve the national
interests.
As a result of years of abuse of the security
forces, Zanu PF members
are worried that for instance if the Ministry of
Home Affairs goes to the
MDC, the police force would be abused in an equal
manner as they are doing.
They think that there would be selective
application of justice and the rule
of law in the country as they have done
since independence.
More so, because Zanu PF's rule has been
premised on the use of
violence and the partisan abuse of the security
forces where for instance
the leadership of the security forces has turned
into political commissars
of the party and committing crimes against the
people they are supposed to
protect. Senior Zanu PF officials know that the
professionalisation of the
forces means the end of the party in a democratic
society that respects the
rule of law.
It is therefore
important to appreciate that Mugabe and Zanu PF's
demands to have these key
ministries including the Finance Ministry which
oils these repressive arms
for the regime's survival and abuse of human
rights is not linked to the
national interest but to maintaining their power
by abusing them as they
have been doing since the Matabeleland massacres.
President
Mugabe and his senior party members are aware that without
the partisan role
of the security forces in suppressing and oppressing
Zimbabweans, they could
be history by now. They are also aware that without
money from the
government, Zanu PF cannot sustain itself. What this means
for Mugabe and
Zanu PF is that succumbing to the democratic sovereign will
of the people of
Zimbabwe means an end to their political careers and that
of the
party.
Zanu PF companies are broke and they cannot finance the
party's
activities so they rely on the government through the abuse of the
Ministry
of Finance and the creation of dubious ministries that are
allocated money
used to fiancé party activities including oiling its violent
machinery.
If both formations of the MDC do not appreciate this
and do not seek
to have a balance of power in the control of the security
forces and
ultimately seek to professionalize these institutions then they
must know
that in a very short period Zimbabwe will witness massive arrests
against
them on trumped up charges ranging from possessing arms of war to
meeting
foreign powers to discuss overthrowing the Head of State. This will
ultimately lead to treason charges. This has happened before against the
late Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole and Tsvangirai. It can happen
again.
Associated with the fear of prosecution are allegations
of the rampant
looting of national asserts by the regime and its associates.
Most Zanu PF
senior politicians including the hierarchy in the security
forces have
benefited immensely from corrupt tendencies in the awarding of
tenders and
the buying of shares in public companies where the government
has
controlling stakes. In some instances these corrupt practices happened
under
the guise of Black economic empowerment which in my view is a
euphemism for
corruptly rewarding loyal members of Zanu PF through Mugabe's
patronage
system.
These people are aware that a transparent
democratic transition
premised on the return to law and order may leave them
with nothing because
an audit of how people got certain public utilities
will be inevitable and
inescapable. Such elements within the ruling elite
are the ones who also
encourage senior Zanu PF official to continue to dig
in and refuse to
surrender power when it is abundantly clear they have
failed to administer
the affairs of the State.
It is also
important to understand President Mugabe's personality in
order to
appreciate why Zimbabwe is in this bad situation and is failing to
manage
its transition from one regime to another.
My view is that if
one looks into the history of Mugabe's ascendancy
to power in Zanu PF, there
is nothing democratic about everything associated
with his election since
the liberation struggle. The annual conferences and
the congresses of Zanu
PF have never sought to have democratic processes
that allow members of the
party to choose a leader. The processes are a
democratic charade where
Mugabe is the only candidate.
It is therefore difficult for
Mugabe to accept a democratic process at
the national level when it's
foreign to him and his party. If he does not
allow, for instance, Joyce
Mujuru a loyal member of his party to challenge
him or at least hand over
power to her in the party, how can he allow MDC
members to be leaders of
Zimbabwe? Charity begins at home.
In my view, it is important
for Mugabe and his security forces to
realize that the economic interests of
the elite especially those in Zanu PF
cannot be served by continuing to
support the establishment. The erosion of
the interests of those closely
associated with Zanu PF including the
security forces have the potential to
cause a violent revolution from within
the rank and file of the regime's
surrogates.
Mugabe and his group should clearly understand that
the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights means that no nation can draw the
cloak of
sovereignty over torture, disappearances, officially sanctioned
bigotry. In
the end, the UN will use the doctrine of protection to intervene
and deal
with the political and humanitarian crisis in
Zimbabwe.
Time and history are not on the side of the regime and
the earlier the
authorities realize that the better for them.
*
Ruhanya writes from the University of Minnesota's Law School, USA
BY PEDZISAI RUHANYA
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Saturday, 13
December 2008 16:45
THE recent abductions and disappearances of several
people, including
documenters of human rights violations and supporters of
the MDC, provide
the strongest argument yet as to why Morgan Tsvangirai's
party should have
total control of the Ministry of Home
Affairs.
Under the terms of the July 22 Memorandum of
Understanding the
political signatories to the pact undertook to stop
violence.
Clearly that has not happened since there have been more
than 20
abductions and disappearances during the past month.
The brutality that has accompanied the abductions of the people who
are
missing runs counter to the letter and spirit of the September 15
Global
Political Agreement, which calls for Zimbabweans to freely express
themselves and allows them the right to assemble and
demonstrate.
The abductions and disappearances constitute a
violation of the rules
of international law guaranteeing the right to
recognition as a person
before the law, the right to liberty and security of
the person and the
right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment. They also constitute a serious
threat to the right
to life.
By failing to track down those
responsible for the abductions and
disappearances, the law enforcement
agencies have provided a compelling case
for the Ministry of Home Affairs to
fall under the MDC as all these
dastardly acts are happening on Zanu PF's
watch.
Zimbabweans expect those entrusted with the task of
protecting
citizens and maintaining law and order to act expeditiously,
especially in
circumstances where the courts of law instruct them to do
so.
If armed groups are able to roam at will, conduct raids and abduct
Zimbabweans and the law enforcement agencies have no clue as to what is
happening, then there can be no further argument why the Ministry of Home
Affairs should not go to a party that is committed to human rights and the
rule of law. The change could bring sanity and ensure matters are brought
under control.
As it stands, we have become a lawless
society. The activities of
groups such as those responsible for the
abductions and disappearances can
only thrive if they are being protected or
their nefarious deeds condoned.
The people who were abducted deserve to be
reunited with their families.
The government has a
well-documented history of abducting people and
it will be difficult to try
and suggest that the disappearances are the acts
of some lone outfits, adept
at evading the various arms of the law
enforcement agencies, who are present
at ubiquitous roadblocks across the
country.
The forced
disappearances are part of an arsenal of political
repression and cast a
dark shadow over the proposed all-inclusive
government. There can be no
unity when one party is conducting a systematic
purge of supporters of
another party.
The abductions, coming as the world is
celebrating the 60th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, are significant
because they demonstrate a determination to push the
country over the
precipice and return it to the dark ages.
Zimbabweans can only find the path of recovery and reconciliation if
all
their rights are fully respected and are afforded the basic dignity owed
to
every human being.
Rights defenders and activists are playing a
critical role in pursuit
of betterment of Human Rights. They deserve greater
recognition and credit
for their significant and persistent contribution,
particularly in the wake
of the 2008 elections.
It is
difficult to find how those responsible for orchestrating such
terror
tactics can be forgiven. There is need to document evidence and name
those
responsible so they can have their day in court.
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com
Why PF Zapu Is Terminating 1987 Unity Accord
Saturday, 13 December 2008
14:30
IT was Joshua Nkomo, President of the Zimbabwe African People's
Union
(Zapu), who was the driving force behind the 1987 Unity
Accord.
This was in the face of resistance from within both
the PF Zapu rank
and file, as well as Zanu PF.
Nkomo
convinced PF Zapu that he was powerless to stop the killings of
PF Zapu
members, supporters and innocent Zimbabweans in Matabeleland and the
Midlands provinces.
He worked hard to convince both parties
that it was in their common
interest and in the interest of the country as a
whole that the two parties
that fought the war should unite and work as
one.
Nkomo got the congress of PF Zapu to pass a resolution to
enter into
the Unity Accord. PF Zapu was coerced into the agreement, and
therefore it
was always free to terminate it. Throughout the following 20
years, PF Zapu
has tried in vain to make the unity work.
For example, it was agreed in the Unity Accord that the two parties
were
equal partners - but that has never been the case. Zanu PF has always
acted
unilaterally and ignored the protests made by PF Zapu;
It was agreed
that the symbol of the rooster be abandoned. Zanu PF has
always maintained
that symbol knowing well that it caused great offence to
PF
Zapu.
Members of PF Zapu were not appointed to positions to an
equal degree
with Zanu PF counterparts, whether from civil society or the
former
combatants.
It is the perception of PF Zapu members
that equitable development in
the provinces has not taken place and that
Matabeleland in particular has
been disadvantaged.
PF Zapu
can neither identify with nor condone the policies that are
responsible for
the political, security and humanitarian crisis of the past
nine
months.
PF Zapu has been marginalized in the recent
negotiations with other
parties for a unity government. No member of PF Zapu
was involved and after
protests, one was appointed even that was neutralised
by the further
appointment of Zanu PF members.
These last
two matters have precipitated the decision to abandon the
unity with Zanu
PF. In view of the fact that it was the congress of PF Zapu
that took the
decision to enter into the Unity Accord with Zanu PF, it is
necessary to
convene congress to reconsider the wishes of the members to
dissolve the
Unity Accord.
Accordingly, the members resolved on November 8,
2008 as they are
empowered to do so by the constitution of PF Zapu, to take
steps to convene
a congress to give legal effect to the resolution hereunder
that; The
political structures of PF Zapu cease to operate under the title
Zanu PF,
and to resume the title of PF Zapu.
All party
structures operate under the authority of the constitution
of PF
Zapu.
The district councils should meet to prepare to convene a
consultative
Conference consisting of all 10 provinces by December 2008 for
the purpose
of elections and interim executive tasked with responsibility to
mobilise
and restructure the party and convene the party's congress by March
2009 in
terms of Article 6 of the Constitution of PF Zapu;
That a campaign to mobilise resources in the country from well-wishers
everywhere, from fraternal political parties and international
organisations be undertaken forthwith;
To engage as
necessary in the negotiations any peace-building
initiatives, to ameliorate
the political and economic hardships presently
being endured by the people
of Zimbabwe.
Contrary to the misconception that war veterans
are the organisers of
the consultative conference, it is the legal
structures of the party that
have been charged with that
responsibility.
The extent to which the war veterans are involved
in the conference
reflects their membership of PF Zapu. The notion that war
veterans are
regrouping is false. It is also incorrect to say PF Zapu is
being
resuscitated for the sake of addressing the issue of non-development
in
Matabeleland. This is certainly one of the issues that have given rise to
disaffection with Zanu PF.
The party structures in the 10
provinces will convene in a
consultative conference, which will be charged
with the responsibility to
organise for congress. The congress will elect a
new executive and debate on
the resolution of November 8, 2008, and shall
itself resolve accordingly.
It is on this point that I call
upon all Zapu members from within the
country and outside to attend this
historic convention which will be held on
December 13 -14, 2008 at MacDonald
Hall in Bulawayo. All members of PF Zapu
will participate in the plenary
sessions from 1000hrs to 1230hrs on December
13.
Effort
Nkomo,
Zapu spokesperson
Bulawayo
----------------
Teachers In Rare Show Of
Unity
Saturday, 13 December 2008 14:26
ONE of the shrewdest
and effective methods that President Robert
Mugabe has used over the years
to subjugate Zimbabweans is applying divide
and rule tactics in almost every
level of society.
For every voice of dissent in any organised
institution, he would
create another creature to counter it. This is how we
came about the likes
of Joseph Chinotimba, Obadiah Msindo, Nolbert Kunonga
and members of the
apostolic sect.
During presidential
elections we have seen the likes of Isabel
Madangure and Egypt Munhenzva.
Mugabe does not believe there is anyone in
this country at this moment who
can do better and it is precisely this which
is responsible for our current
condition.
There are also those who have fallen for his crude
tactics, while some
have put their lives on the line in order to expose our
ruler's evil
machinations.
It is against this background
that I applaud highly the decision by
the two organisations representing the
bulk of the teachers in this
country - the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association
and the Progressive Teachers'
Union of Zimbabwe. The leadership of the two
organisations has finally
realised the folly of fighting each other instead
of their common enemy, who
is responsible for so much damage not only to the
hard-working teachers but
to the entire education system.
I
have repeatedly advised the likes of Godfrey Majongwe on the need to
forge a
unified front on issues pertaining to industrial action. My own
observation
is that teachers desperately need leaders who can speak with one
voice when
it comes to negotiations.
Zimta have allowed themselves to be
used by the government, which is
responsible for the break up of many
teachers' families as partners seek
greener pastures. It's a monumental
tragedy and the side-effects of this
government's neglect towards teachers
are tantamount to human rights abuse.
Going to bed with the
government has been beneficial for the majority
of Zimta leaders but not all
teachers in general. Those in leadership have
been exploited to the
detriment of the profession.
Teachers have been their own worst
enemies. They have allowed this
divide and rule tactic to persist for far
too long. Now, the profession is
on its knees and teachers have lost their
dignity and standing in society.
They cannot put food on the table for their
families, but one hopes they
have learnt their lesson.
They -
PTUZ included - should never allow themselves to be an
appendage of the
ruling elite.
Odrix Mhiji
Chitungwiza
-----------------
Zimbabwe Cannot Afford Cabinet
Of 31 Ministers
Saturday, 13 December 2008 14:24
WE are aware
that there is a "power-sharing" agreement but we must not
overlook the fact
that Zimbabwe can not afford such a large Cabinet - 31
ministers.
What we need is a Cabinet of 16 Ministries made
up as follows:
Ministry of Finance, with the Ministry of Economic
Development becoming a
department in the Ministry of Finance; The Ministry
of Defence; Ministry of
Agriculture with the Ministry of Agricultural
Mechanisation, Ministry of
Lands and Resettlement and Ministry of National
Security and Land Reform
being departments of the Ministry of Agriculture;
Ministry of Industry and
International Trade, with Environment and Tourism
being part of the
ministry; Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should
incorporate Women's
Affairs, Youth Development and Indigenisation as
departments in the
ministry; Information and Publicity should have Policy
Implementation and
Public and Interactive Affairs as departments along with
Political Affairs;
Higher and Tertiary Education should encompass Education,
Sport and Culture;
Mines and Mining Development should include Science and
Technology as a
department under it; Home Affairs; Local Government and
Public Works should
have Rural Housing and Social Amenities as a part of the
same ministry;
Transport and Communication should remain but with emphasis
on profitable
public transport; Health; Foreign Affairs; State Enterprises
and
Anti-Corruption should have under it Small and Medium Enterprises
Development; Energy and Power Development should also encompass Water
Resources and Infrastructural Development as part of the ministry; and
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
The position of
Minister without Portfolio should be abolished as the
Prime Minister will
cater for almost everything.
M J Nhari
Highfield
Harare
--------------
Transparent To Invisible
Saturday, 13 December 2008 14:20
YOUR readers will no doubt remember
the pomp and pageantry that
accompanied the launch of Transparency
International, the Zimbabwe chapter a
few years ago.
This
group was at the forefront in the fight against corruption and
your pages
were filled with acres of space extolling the good work this
group was doing
complementing the work of its sister organisation which
remains visible and
offering some comfort to the distressed. I refer here to
Amnesty
International.
Today Transparency International is no longer
visible both locally
and internationally. what happened? Did they run out of
funds or did they
fire their local and international communications
person?
The starting point towards self redemption for these
guys is to tell
us what is going on in their organisation, that is of course
if they still
exist.
They may then proceed to tell us about
who are the top 500 richest
people in Africa (modelled on the Forbes 500)
and then cascade down to tell
us at local level and how those glorious
riches were acquired maybe this
could shed light on the reason why the wars
in Africa seem to reproduce
themselves endlessly.
No easy
task perhaps, but then I am sure the above organisation
appeared to be quite
well heeled. Or maybe there is the fear of legal
prosecution and persecution
that would follow too much probing and the guys
at Transparency have no
stomach for this.
Chris Veremu
Harare.
----------
SMS The Standard
Saturday, 13
December 2008 14:34
Enough is enough!
IT'S time to say enough
is enough, if the so-called talks have failed.
We cannot be held to ransom
by someone we told to go peacefully in 2002 and
2008. - Tendai,
Mutare.
******
RUSSIA and China are equally
responsible for the unfolding
humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. -
Dilinger.
******
IT would appear that there is no
succession planning within Zanu PF or
that the party is full of cadres, who
have no presidential capabilities. Why
have they burdened such an old man
with state matters? - Tecko.
The guilty are afraid
I
wonder why it is always alleged that the MDC is likely to abuse the
Ministry
of Home Affairs. Does it mean Zanu PF authorities will not do
exactly the
same, or are they confessing to their sins over what they used
to do and
know that if the MDC gets hold of that Ministry, they would do
what Zanu PF
used to do? If so, then it is a close and shut case. If it is
ok for Zanu PF
to have the Ministry of Home Affairs, why is it not ok for
the MDC?- N
Mupurisa.
******
I earn trillions and I wonder if the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will
allow me to withdraw all my salary on January
12, 2009 in accordance with
its recent announcement.- Cash
baron-in-waiting.
******
I am disappointed. How can the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe give
university Vice-Chancellors luxury vehicles in
addition to other luxury
vehicles they already have? They also hand out a
fleet of Isuzu KBs each
costing more than US$32 000. That money could have
been used to pay
lecturers and upgrade some of the university properties.
Students from the
Midlands State University, Chinhoyi, Masvingo, Bindura and
NUST did not go
back to school for the end of year semester because of
various problems like
low salaries for lecturers and poor sanitation. The
government should really
think about what it is doing to future leaders of
this country. - LOX,
Gweru.
Look east for cash
ZANU PF
and the Reserve Bank Governor should stop mourning about
sanctions affecting
printing of money because we have never complained about
the bond paper on
which the money is being printed. The Chinese can help
with more of the
money paper as one of benefits of the Look East policy. -
Why
not?
Frankenstein monster
WHEN soldiers and police
officers beat up MDC and civic leaders on
March 11, 2007, Zanu PF praised
them for bashing innocent and defenceless
civilians. The same soldiers are
now robbing and looting and yet Zanu PF
unashamedly has the audacity to
blame civil society for their Frankenstein
monster. Blame shifting will not
work while Rome burns. - H D, Zvishavane.
******
POLICE and
army officers raided people in Mutare and took them to
Chiadzwa.
-Eyewitness, Mutare.
Tip of the iceberg
THE recent revelations
of the indiscipline in the financial market are
a mirror image of global
financial crisis. The real effects are still to be
felt, as what we have
seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg. What was
going on in Zimbabwe
now makes a mockery of institutions such as Harvard and
Wharton Business
Schools because in Zimbabwe you do not need an education to
amass a fortune.
Those who had amassed ridiculous amounts of wealth through
deals and
speculative activities will soon feel it's after effects as
economics takes
its own course in self-correction. A butterfly slapping its
wings in Africa
can cause a typhoon in America. What we are seeing in the
financial markets
is the calm before the storm.- Oracle, Harare.
******
THE
end is nigh. There is a Latin proverb that says: "Those the gods
want to
destroy, they first render them mad." That is why we have all this
madness
all over. All they are doing is driving themselves into a
cul-de-sac, the
exit from which will be extremely humiliating and most
unceremonious. Mark
my words. They may delay but they cannot stop the
inevitable. -
Clem.
Sham independence
IS this the independence that we
all yearned for? Cholera deaths,
water shortages, starvation, elections that
are not free and fair, police
brutality, one person presidential race, and
useless currency? Did freedom
fighters cross to Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania
and Mozambique for schools to
run without teachers? To turn hospitals and
clinics into mortuaries? - pad
re.
******
WIN yourself a
shopping voucher worth US $500 and shop at any foreign
currency licensed
shop. Question: Since Dr Gideon Gono came into office, how
many new currency
notes has he introduced? Send your answers to - Mazero
adzoka, Highlands,
Harare.
Gono has failed
ONE of every Reserve Bank
governor's key objectives is to control
inflation. Dr Gideon Gono has failed
dismally on that score. Not
surprisingly, President Robert Mugabe reappoints
him. Cruelty? Stupidity?
Incitement? - Pambayi, Harare.
******
THIS government is rewarding failure by extending the term of
the
Reserve Bank governor. But what do you expect from this ruinous lot. Do
they
have any shame at all? - Tineyi, Harare.
We deserve
better
THE Reserve Bank has two options to ease the suffering of the
majority
of the people: either to allow people to withdraw their full
salaries like
the soldiers are doing, so that they are able to buy foreign
currency to buy
groceries or pay them in foreign currency so that they are
able to buy
groceries. Third option is to increase substantially the
withdrawal limit so
that people are able to buy food. The phenomenon of
"burning" should stop
forthwith. People have suffered enough they deserve
better governance as
reflected in the March 29, 2008 polls. We don't deserve
a bad government. -
Fed Up, Harare.
******
THE
closure of most of the country's mines must surely be good news
for
President Robert Mugabe and his grab-happy cronies. Let us see a fast
track
mining reform! - S G, Kadoma.
POSB management should spell out
clearly what their business hours
are. Nowadays one gets frustrated because
when one gets to the banking hall
at 2.30pm you find them closed, yet they
are supposed to close at 3.30pm.
Maybe the workers are bitter because
management cut their overtime
allowances. Now some of the workers,
particularly the "guards" have become
militant towards the bank's clients.
What they fail to realise is that the
customer is king. - Depositor,
Harare.
AIPPA, POSA and Broadcasting Services Act should be
repealed. No more
crimes against democracy. We need a self-regulatory media.
Let information
and ideas flow freely and all the ills in our country will
die a natural
death. - Charlal.
Heads must roll at the
Zimbabwe National Water Authority. Imagine an
average of 15 deaths a day
because of heartless, corrupt people. My view is
that this institution
should be dissolved and the water management returned
to local authorities.
- Cholera survivor, Harare.
NetOne is sending out atrocious bills
that range from Z$100 million to
Z$250 million for contract line owners and
are refusing cheque payments. I
suspect they are doing this guess work in
order to raise enough money to pay
their workers Christmas bonuses. In a
totally lawless country such as ours,
who cares? Let Net One collapse. -
Maneto, Harare.
http://www.thetimes.co.za
Mondli Makhanya Published:Dec 13,
2008
Let
us not row backwards when the future demands more of us
There was a time when
Zimbabeans let go of their own destiny and left it in
the hands of the
Harare nomenklatura. Then absolute power corrupted
absolutely.
It was Josiah Magama Tongogara, the Zimbabwean
liberation hero, who warned
his comrades back in 1979: "Don't look back to
the past. When we look at the
future and its demands, we will be faced with
the reality that a lot remains
to be done."
The Lancaster House
negotiations were drawing to a close and Zimbabwe was
set to become an
independent republic the following year.
Tongogara was telling them not
to bask in the glow of their glorious war
records and be stuck with
anti-colonial bitterness and recriminations. There
was a job to be
done.
It was a prophetic warning that his comrades should have heeded.
Alas, he
did not live to see independence. And neither did his words. He
died in a
mysterious car accident in Mozambique at Christmas that year while
doing the
rounds in the camps, telling the troops that the war was
over.
Many Zimbabweans still believe he was killed to leave the road wide
open for
Robert Mugabe to be crowned independent Zimbabwe's first
president.
Today Zimbabweans hanker after Tongogara and believe things
would have
turned out differently had he lived. But we can only
speculate.
What we do know is that he would not have been stuck in the
past. He would
have looked at "the future and its demands" and led Zimbabwe
in that
direction.
You will forgive me, dear reader, for dragging you
back across the Limpopo
for the second week running. But the situation is so
dire that it would be a
travesty to ignore the dramatic unravelling of a
country on our doorstep. It
would also ignore the tons of lessons that we
should be taking from the
Zimbabwean experience.
Besides the disease,
poverty and total breakdown of democracy, nothing
demonstrates the
Zimbabwean collapse more than inflation.
This week South Africa's Reserve
Bank governor, Tito Mboweni, announced a
0.5 percentage point cut in
interest rates.
In his speech, in which he outlined the monetary policy
committee's
reasoning and outlook, he announced that the inflation rate was
on a
downward trend, coming in at a still high 12.4%. The outlook was much
more
positive.
"Inflation is expected to average 6.2% and 5.6% in
2009 and 2010
respectively and to average 5.3% in the final quarter of
2010," Mboweni
said.
His Zimbabwean counterpart, Gideon Gono, is
fighting a totally different
battle. The day after Mboweni cut the Reserve
Bank's repo rate, Gono
unveiled a Z500-million note printed on cotton. The
reason for that is that
the country, which has been printing more money in a
day than Jacob Zuma
will print court documents in his entire life, is
running out of paper.
Elegant solution: print the numbers on a flimsy
piece of textile.
"The note shall on the back have an imposition of dairy
cows being milked
mechanically and a miner drilling underground," the
Government Gazette said,
as if to fool the people into believing that the
economy is still
functioning.
Zimbabwe's country's annual inflation
rate is 231000000%, according to
official statistics. But the respected
think tank the Cato Institute
believes otherwise.
It recently
estimated Zimbabwe's inflation at 89.7 sextillion percent - that's
(89700000000000000000000%).
The mind boggles.
It was not
always so. It is always tempting to take the nostalgic trip to
the time when
the country worked. Yes, there was such a time. A time when
the country was
viewed as a model of success in the region.
This was a time when Mugabe
was implementing some progressive policies and
still had a semblance of
respect for order. Even as he carried out the
brutal massacres of the '80s'
Gukurahundi, he cloaked his brutalities until
they became too huge to
hide.
Today he could not give a hoot what anyone thinks of his
actions.
But it started somewhere. There was a point in the life of the
Zimbabwean
nation when the people of that country gave Mugabe and Zanu-PF
the licence
to mess up their country.
There was a moment when
Zimbabweans let go of their own destiny and left it
in the hands of the
Harare nomenklatura. Then absolute power just corrupted
absolutely.
This is why South Africans should strenuously avoid the
kind of
concentration of power that the Harare lot held.
I've said in
the past that I do not believe we could ever go in that
direction. South
Africans are far too rebellious and unbowed by authority.
The man who
used to run our republic and his coterie discovered this very
rudely after
they had gone about greedily accumulating power.
I'm very sure that the
current ANC leadership will also discover this if
they continue to treat the
country as their personal toy.
There will come a time when society will
put its foot down and say "No more".
The thing is, there is no need to take
a country to that brink.
We were on our way to building a good republic
that had institutional
safeguards against the kind of abuse of power that
leads to a Zimbabwean
situation.
Now there is a determination to
dismantle those safeguards and leave the
institutions as empty shells. We
are rowing backwards instead of facing
present and future realities.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com
Editorial
14 December 2008
As if the
endless nightmare that President Robert Mugabe's rule has not been
enough
for Zimbabwe, the country is now battling another mass misery in the
fast
spreading cholera.
The World Health Organisation says at least 800 people
have been claimed by
the deadly epidemic this week alone, and the country's
12 million population
is at risk. However, Harare has shrugged off these
warnings as another
'conspiracy theory' by the Western imperialists to
weaken the government of
Robert Mugabe.
International aid agencies
and the world at large, however, see the cholera
epidemic as the latest
symptom of Zimbabwe's complete collapse. The outbreak
follows months of
violence and political turmoil, coupled with chronic food
shortages and a
broken water and sewage system. At the moment, the country's
health
infrastructure is ill prepared to cope with the epidemic.
A great health
disaster is in the making that threatens to spill across the
porous borders
of African countries as a wider humanitarian tragedy.
But as always
President Mugabe is refusing to acknowledge the clear and
present danger his
people are facing. He is busy politicking. Even in this
hour of acute
crisis, he has called the epidemic as a "calculated, racist
attack"
unleashed by Britain and the former colonial powers as a pretext to
oust
him. No wonder the persisting chaos and worsening humanitarian
situation
have compelled neighbours like Kenya to call for military
intervention in
the failed state next door. In his nearly 28 years at the
helm of the
country he liberated from white rule, Mugabe has ruined one of
Africa's most
prosperous and developed nations. Even though he continues to
blame Western
sanctions for the country's current woes, there's little doubt
that Zimbabwe
wouldn't be in the mess it finds itself in without President
Mugabe's
disastrous policies, concentration of all powers in one individual
and
endemic corruption.
With unemployment rate in the country touching 80 per
cent, ridiculous
levels of inflation and no rule of law whatsoever, Zimbabwe
is a text book
case how not to govern.
Zimbabwe badly needs immediate
international intervention and rescue to save
millions of its unfortunate
people from the clutches of disease, hunger and
the regime in
Harare.
The world has tried everything to persuade President Mugabe to
see reason
and failed. It's time for real and meaningful action. If any
country truly
and badly needs international intervention - military or
otherwise - it's
Zimbabwe. The world cannot afford to stand and stare any
longer while
hundreds of thousands of helpless men, women and children are
left to die by
their so-called leaders.
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/14677
Sat, 2008-12-13 15:30
By Tushar Charan - Syndicate
Features
Zimbabwe is one country that faces threat to its survival, not
from the
usual suspects--an outside force, insurgency, terrorism or global
warming---but its own octogenarian president, Robert Mugabe, who has turned
into a megalomaniac.
But Mugabe may well be on his last legs.
Neighbouring countries which were
previously unable to take a tough line
against his regime are revising their
views. Botswana and Kenya firmly
believe that Mugabe must go. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu of South Africa has
even demanded that if Mugabe does not quit
he should be tried for his
'crimes'.
Much of the population of Zimbabwe has either fled to
neighbouring countries
or is struggling to keep itself alive when
unemployment at 80 percent is the
rule, prices double every 24 hours and the
non-existent health care system
has now led to an outbreak of cholera
epidemic in which 600 have already
died and nearly 6000 are said to be in
danger of falling prey to the disease
in the next few weeks.
Zimbabwe
has declared a national emergency because it has no resources to
deal with
the cholera epidemic. The country that was once the breadbasket of
the
continent and has now become a basket case does expect the international
community to help it. Help may come but the scale of problems is staggering.
At the same time the continuation of Mugabe might also see another dose of
sanctions slapped on Zimbabwe if he does not honour the terms of a
power-sharing agreement with his main rival, Morgan Tsavangirai.
The
year 2008 has been particularly bad for the hapless people in that South
African country, what with political turmoil, election violence, police
crackdown, rigged polls and a ruined economy which has made even buying a
loaf of bread a luxury for most ordinary citizens. Their plight can be
appreciated by the fact that after issuing a $ (Z) 100 million currency note
the government is set to follow it up with a $(Z) 200 million note. These
bank notes of high-sounding denominations can barely buy a day's minimum
provisions for an ordinary household.
The rot in Zimbabwe had set in
long time ago because Mugabe, an undoubted
hero of the country's freedom
struggle against the British, became
absolutely sodden with power, turning
out to be an intolerant dictator who
thought nothing of harassing and
imprisoning his opponents. Like all
dictators he began to suffer from the
illusion that the country needs him
more than he needs the
country.
The neighbours, particularly the powerful Republic of South
Africa, decided
to turn a blind eye to all his indiscretions even when
people started to
flee Zimbabwe to escape from the intolerant regime in
Harare. The early
signs of a humanitarian and political crisis in Zimbabwe
were ignored by the
neighbours, perhaps under the influence of Mugabe
rhetoric against colonial
powers making a bid to recapture his
country.
But when it became nearly impossible to turn a blind eye to the
creeping
humanitarian crisis, some well-meaning interlocutors, including the
former
UN secretary general, Ghana's Kofi Anan, did speak to Mugabe as also
his
main rival, Morgan Tsavangirai, in the hope of sorting out the
incredible
mess created by Mugabe..
The picture that emerged after
the mediation efforts late in November was
that Zimbabwe was soon going to
have a government of national unity-mainly
with representatives of Mugabe's
ZANU-PF, Tsavangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change and an offshoot of the
latter.
A 46-page document outlining constitutional amendments was signed
by the
three parties to pave the way for a government of unity. It was seen
as a
major breakthrough. The general opinion in and out of Zimbabwe was that
the
new government will be in place by January 2009.
Three months
back in September, Mugabe and Tsavangirai, had signed a
political agreement
on honourable power sharing. But Mugabe developed cold
feet even before the
ink on that agreement had dried. He did not want to do
anything that would
weaken his powers and hand over some of them to his
rival-the prime
minister-designate Tsavangirai. Mugabe demurred on the
question of sharing
important cabinet posts with Tsavangirai's party.
There is some
qualitative shift in the situation since them. Many neighbours
who had
willingly given Mugabe a long rope have now decided to tell him to
honour
his commitments for the sake of his country-and even countries in the
neighbourhood. The last round of efforts at 'mediation' found new
interlocutors emerge, pushing Thambo Mbeki, former president of South
Africa, out of the spotlight.
That was overdue perhaps after
Tsavangirai had made a clear demand for his
removal as the mediator
appointed with the approval of the South African
Development Community.
Mbeki's mandate was to help establish democracy in
Zimbabwe after it had
been crushed by Mugabe. Mbeki failed because he
appeared ready to let Mugabe
continue with his ways instead.
The writing on the wall is clear. But the
question is: Does Mugabe see the
writing on the wall?
- Asian Tribune
-
Ladies and gentlemen, people are
dying in Zimbabwe. Of late Chegutu is
one latest cholera victim
town.
The alleged president of this country Zimbabwe has entirely failed.
For
a long time we have heard of condemnation of his ways of doing
things
from all level of the diplomatic community inclusive of the UN.
This
voice of criticism has shouted for too long. But it seems to shout
that
health care must die in Zimbabwe, education systems must be
eliminated
in Zimbabwe, people must be abducted and killed in Zimbabwe,
the
government is right in suppressing the will of the people! Is
that
really so? If not, why is it that this is what we have seen
increasing
on a daily basis? It is rather better for all people of this world
to be
silent and pretend things are well in Zimbabwe than showing
this
'toothless loudly barking bulldog' character. Democracy was kicked
out
of play in broad day light, the voice of the people was declared
in
broad day light to be of no effect but the barrel of the gun. Still
some
people, in their normal sense, see logic in all this, Thabo, the
Chinese
etc.
If what I can see is correct and true, then what respect
does the gvt of
Zimbabwe want from SADC, AU, and UN. The only way to stop
this country
from dying is disrespect to Mugabe, period! We need one
courageous
country to say I will use force to uproot Mugabe, that's it.
People have
suffered, all services expected from normal governance are just
not
working. While others think people of Zimbabwe are too soft, I
believe
they are an intimidated lot, they know they have a ruthless leader,
they
still want to look after their families, they are choosing life
rather
than death.
We need to see justice to all the government
ministers and all ZANU PF
leadership, we need to see the justice done upon
Nathaniel George
Charamba, we need that like
yesterday
Regards
dm