Reuters
Fri 21 Dec 2007,
12:35 GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE, Dec 21 (Reuters Life!) - Workers
in one of Harare's big department
stores stock shelves with luxury goods
only the rich can afford, while at an
adjacent bank ordinary Zimbabweans are
clamouring for cash which is the
latest thing in short
supply.
Despite the store's tinsel, Christmas trees and Santa Claus
figurines, for
most Zimbabweans celebrations will be muted in this southern
African country
struggling with sky-high inflation and unemployment and
severe economic
crisis.
"It is no exaggeration to say Christmas has
effectively been removed from
our calendar," said James Tsomondo, a clerk
with an insurance firm, as he
queued outside a bank.
Even the
Christmas carol proclaiming 'joy to the world' in the upmarket
Barbours
department store, once a hive of festive season shopping but now
largely
deserted, rings like a dirge.
"These decorations are a custom we have to
keep up, but it is increasingly
getting pointless putting up something that
says 'merry Christmas' when
there is no merriment," said a shop
attendant.
Barbours' shelves are stocked with expensive imported goods
which only
wealthy Zimbabweans can afford.
Other Harare shops
reported slow business with the scant activity mostly
confined to Chinese
stores that have mushroomed across the city selling
cheap items such as
clothes and household basics.
Chinese imports have proved a hit in
Zimbabwe, where the world's highest
inflation rate, at almost 8,000 percent,
has ravaged incomes.
NOTHING TO CHEER
As the year draws to a
close -- banknotes have joined the long list of
shortages that include food,
fuel, foreign currency and electricity --
triggering long queues at banks
as desperate shoppers seek cash to buy
necessities ahead of the
holidays.
"One would have hoped to rest, not celebrate because there's
nothing to
cheer, over the holidays. Not to be hunting for cash, after which
you would
have to scrounge for food," Tsomondo said.
The central bank
announced the introduction of higher-value Z$750,000 ($25
at the official
exchange rate and $0.47 on the black market), Z$500,000 and
Z$250,000 notes
on Wednesday to ease the shortage, but the measure had no
immediate impact
on long queues at banks.
Even the highest denomination note cannot buy a
loaf of bread, which costs
between Z$800,000 and Z$1million.
A
controversial decision by President Robert Mugabe to freeze prices in June
left bare shop shelves as basic foodstuffs -- many already in short
supply -- quickly ran out.
Bread, milk, cooking oil, maize meal and
sugar are hard to find but
available on the black market at inflated
prices.
Transport problems, caused by chronic fuel shortages, have also
adversely
affected urban Zimbabweans' customary trip back to rural areas in
the
Christmas season.
Those who manage the trip have to endure hours
in queues as the few
roadworthy buses line up for subsidised government
fuel.
Many Zimbabweans look at the New Year with
trepidation.
"This year has been bad, I wonder how much worse it will get
next year,"
says Patience Machingura, a mother of five.
"That's why I
cannot be caught up in the Christmas excitement, only to
struggle to buy
(school) uniforms and pay school fees, come January," she
added.
Some
still look forward to celebrating Christmas, despite the gloom. Garikai
Mandebvu, a Zimbabwean resident in the United Kingdom, says he is shocked at
how things have changed for the worse since he visited last year.
"It
is a shock, but the biggest surprise is the fact that people here have
survived it all," Mandebvu said. "For me, that's enough cause for
celebration with my family, just like the good old days." (Editing by Marius
Bosch and Peter Millership)
SW Radio Africa (London)
21 December 2007
Posted
to the web 21 December 2007
Tererai Karimakwenda
The new
denominations of currency introduced by the Reserve Bank (RBZ) on
Thursday
began to circulate Friday morning and long queues appeared again at
banks in
the capital. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa made the
rounds to
monitor progress and reported that most banks had run out of the
new notes
by 11:00 Friday morning.
Muchemwa said bank managers announced that a
second batch was expected to be
delivered in the afternoon. But as of 5:30
P.M. no money had arrived.
Stressed out managers told those who were still
hanging around that the
banks had received a directive from the RBZ to
remain open all weekend and
on Monday, in order to make sure people got
money for the holidays. Muchemwa
laughed at what he described as the usual
mismanagement by the RBZ, for
having failed to deliver enough money on
time.
Our correspondent said there has been a lot of panic buying by
those who had
bundles of money outside the formal banking system. Electronic
appliances
are the popular item. Because they are expensive they allow the
buyer to use
up their old Z$200,000 bearers' cheques that are due to expire
December
31st.
Muchemwa observed that many items such as DVD players
and televisions had
increased in price drastically overnight. He said a
television that cost
Z$100 million on Thursday had been raised to Z$124
million by Friday. He
believes some businesses are taking advantage of the
December 31st deadline.
Higher denominations of local currency were
introduced by the RBZ in an
attempt to address the cash shortages that have
gripped the nation. The new
denominations are Z$250,000, Z$500,000 and
Z$750,000. Experts have said the
new notes may solve the problem of cash
shortages for now, but with the
unofficial inflation rate estimated to be
close to 100,000%, cash shortages
will return very soon.
Zim Online
by Prince Nyathi Saturday 22 December
2007
HARARE – Wrong and ill-thought out monetary policies by
Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono have helped plunge the
country deeper
into recession, the main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC)
party said on Friday.
The party, which labelled Gono an
“economic saboteur,” said while he was not
solely to blame for Zimbabwe’s
crisis, he should however take the blame for
policies that have helped fuel
the black market and wreck market confidence
in the banking
sector.
“Gono should stop his usual blame game on imaginary enemies of
the state
such as business, banks and other people he refuses to name
without taking
some of the flak himself,” said the faction of the MDC led by
Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of a debilitating
political and economic crisis that
is marked by hyperinflation, a rapidly
contracting GDP, the fastest for a
country not at war according to the World
Bank and shortages of foreign
currency, food and fuel.
The southern
African nation has in recent months faced a fresh shortage of
its own
currency, forcing Gono to intervene by introducing this week new and
higher
denominated notes for the inflation ravaged country.
Gono last week
blamed the cash shortages on “illegal cash barons” he said
included senior
officials of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF party
and government,
who he said were hoarding cash for use to finance deals on
the black
market.
However, economic experts say Gono is partly to blame after
prescribing
sometimes-populist monetary policies often in a bid to appease
the political
leadership of the country.
For example, the
International Monetary Fund has long criticised Gono for
fuelling inflation
through quasi-fiscal activities that have seen the
central bank pumping
trillions of Zimbabwe dollars into financing newly
resettled black farmers,
most of whom are ruling ZANU PF party supporters
and who have failed to
produce enough food to feed the nation.
Gono, who could not be reached
for comment, insists he has done the best a
central bank governor could have
possibly done under the kind of conditions
obtaining in Zimbabwe.
The
MDC said the biggest victims of Gono’s controversial policies were
ordinary
citizens many of who have had to spend countless productive hours
waiting in
queues in banking halls trying to withdraw money as the country
grappled
cash shortages.
“Zimbabweans are spending productive time in bank
queues, which further
cripples the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor is clearly the
biggest saboteur of our economy,” the MDC said in
the statement signed by
its secretary for economic affairs, Elton Mangoma. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Never Chanda Saturday 22 December
2007
HARARE – Zimbabwean speculators will live to fight
another day after the
country’s central bank moved in to contain a
potentially crippling cash
crisis in a move described by analysts as
“reactionary” and lacking the
killer punch necessary to improve economic
performance.
The analysts said the current cash crisis was the clearest
manifestation of
the government’s ill-conceived strategy to informalise the
economy.
Since Zimbabwe’s problems started in 2000, most economic
activities have
been in the hands of informal sector operators, the bulk of
whom operate on
a cash basis and do not have bank accounts.
“This has
meant that most banknotes are in the hands of the informal traders
and not
the so-called cash barons as the (central bank) governor would want
the
whole world to believe,” said a Harare-based investment banker who could
not
be named for professional reasons.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)
governor Gideon Gono on Wednesday unveiled a
new family of bearer cheques
and abolished the Z$200 000 notes in a move
meant to improve the
availability of cash in the economy and to beat
so-called cash barons he
blamed for feeding a three-month-old shortage of
banknotes.
Under the
measures announced during a televised broadcast, the RBZ chief
introduced
new higher denomination notes of Z$250 000, Z$500 000 and Z$750
000 and
ordered Zimbabweans toreturn the Z$200 000 bearer cheques to banks
as they
would cease to be legal tender from 1 January 2008.
He also threatened
banks with closure if they ignored the Z$50 million limit
for those wishing
to deposit the “demonetised” $200 000 notes.
He effectively quarantined
the rural areas to ensure town-folks do not use
financial institutions in
those areas to deposit money ahead of the
deadline.
The analysts said
Gono’s new measures were a temporary solution that will
only dent short-term
demand for cash and would not stand the test of time
unless accompanied by
other more comprehensive measures.
“They will temporarily cut down
speculative activities. But unless there are
other economic changes, we will
see speculators coming back soon,” said
Bulawayo-based economic commentator
Eric Bloch.
He said the number one prize for Gono would be to urgently
address the
scourge of Zimbabwe’s world record inflation.
Zimbabwe’s
inflation was estimated at nearly 15 000 percent last October and
could be
higher because the Harare authorities have not released the key
economic
data since September.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred
Masunungure said
speculators would outlive the new measures and urged Gono
to come up with
more fundamental policy interventions that remove the
current supply
bottlenecks in the economy.
“The new measures will not
dent the appetite for speculative activities
because, as long as the
governor does not come up with fundamental policy
interventions, the
speculators will always find ways of circumventing and
surviving these
measures,” Masunungure told ZimOnline.
Zimbabwe is in the throes of an
economic crisis currently in its eighth
year, which has manifested itself in
acute shortages of foreign currency to
import raw materials and stunted
growth.
The country’s manufacturing sector has been operating at below 30
percent of
capacity, resulting in shortages of most basic commodities and
the attendant
runaway inflation. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Lizwe Sebatha Saturday 22 December
2007
BULAWAYO – A ruling ZANU PF councilor has been
dragged to court on
corruption charges for allegedly diverting 165 bags of
scarce maize meant
for starving villagers to the black market.
Reuben Dube, the councilor for Malungu ward in Lupane district, was
arrested
last Thursday as part of a police crackdown launched two weeks ago
on
corrupt practices in grain distribution.
Lupane, which lies in the
dry Matabeleland North province, is battling
severe food shortages after
poor harvests last farming season.
Lupane magistrate, Edwin
Marecha, on Wednesday remanded Dube in
custody until the 24 of December to
allow the police to finalise
investigations into the matter.
Dube is being accused of swindling the state-controlled Grain
Marketing
Board (GMB) after he misrepresented to the grain firm that he was
buying the
156 bags of maize for starving villagers in his ward.
The state
says Dube later sold the maize at the parallel market at an
inflated
price.
Deputy officer commanding police in Matabeleland North
responsible for
operations, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Gora said at
least 100 people
have also been arrested over the past two weeks for
illegally selling grain.
Zimbabwe is battling severe food shortages
after poor harvest last
farming season. The food crisis has also been
worsened by the failure by new
black farmers resettled on former white farms
to maintain production.
A shortage of fertilizer and seed is likely
to hit hard plans by the
Zimbabwean government to achieve food
self-sufficiency next year forcing the
Harare authorities to rely on food
handouts from international donors. -
ZimOnline
VOA
By Blessing Zulu and Carole Gombakomba
Washington
21 December 2007
Zimbabwean ruling
party and opposition negotiators engaged in crisis
resolution talks who were
expected to resume their discussions on Friday
have pushed off their next
round of negotiations until January, sources in
Pretoria, South Africa,
said.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa asked to be excused saying he
would be
attending a weekend memorial service for his son, who died
recently. On the
opposition side, Secretary General Tendai Biti of the
Movement for
Democratic Change faction of Morgan Tsvangirai also indicated
that he has
family business to attend to.
Pretoria sources said the
talks will now resume January 2, adding that when
the two sides return,
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, mediator in the
talks on behalf of
the Southern African Development Community, will seek to
break the impasse
that has arisen in the talks despite apparently
significant progress on a
number of issues.
The opposition says a new constitution must be adopted
before elections are
held, but the ZANU-PF team says there is not enough
time, given President
Robert Mugabe's recent declaration that elections must
be held in March
"without fail."
Opposition officials say ZANU-PF
reneged on a promise to adopt a new
constitution before the elections in
exchange for support by the opposition
for a constitutional amendment
overhauling the electoral system passed in
September.
Ruling party
sources say their delegates will offer to prove their
commitment to a new
constitution by publishing it officially - though not
implementing it until
after elections.
Cape Town-based political analyst Glen Mpani told
reporter Blessing Zulu of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the latest
postponement is discouraging.
Despite reservations expressed by civic
groups and some MDC members, ZANU-PF
and both factions of the opposition
joined forces in parliament to pass
amendments to the country's security,
media, broadcasting and electoral laws
this past week.
But the
amendments have come under fire from civil society activists who say
these
changes are cosmetic and serve ZANU-PF interests.
Though both MDC
factions agreed to these amendments, some members of the
rival formations
are less than enthusiastic about the amendments, Tsvangirai
formation
spokesman Nelson Chamisa saying repressive laws should be entirely
repealed.
But Legal Affairs Secretary David Coltart of the MDC
formation of Arthur
Mutambara the amendments represent a step toward
democracy even if they fall
short.
For a further discussion of the
question, reporter Carole Gombakomba spoke
with Coltart and Advocacy
Coordinator Abel Chikomo of the Media Monitoring
Project, who said he
believes the opposition may have been snookered by the
ruling party.
By
Tererai Karimakwenda
21 December, 2007
State owned media reported
Thursday that the Governor of Mashonaland
Central, Ephraim Masawi, has
declared Muzarabani District a national
disaster. This is after reports that
nine more people have drowned in
flooded rivers around the country, and
extensive flooding has caused serious
damage in Chiredzi and Chivi districts
of Masvingo province. The Herald
newspaper said that the Department of
Meteorological Services expected rains
to continue into Christmas, but with
less intensity. There is great concern
that the authorities do not have the
resources to provide adequate
assistance for flood victims.
According
to The Herald, a father and his two children were swept away on
Wednesday as
they tried to cross the flooded Shashe River in Chivi. The
police sub aqua
unit and local villagers found only one body and are still
searching for the
other two.
The bodies of two other children are still missing after they
were swept
away while trying to cross flooded rivers in Gutu and
Mwenezi.
Also missing is the body of Norleen Kalengano of Chitanga
communal lands in
Mwenezi. She was reportedly drowned trying to cross an old
bridge on Runde
River.
In Mashonaland Central 14 year old Jane Mugona and
4 year old Kudakwashe
Musara of Gutsa Village in Bindura reportedly drowned
in Chenhunguru River
on December 12th as they tried to cross the flooded
river.
The floods are reported to have cut off many areas from the
national
communication network, with roads, power and telephone lines in
some areas
completely washed away.
SW Radio Africa
Zimbabwe news
By Lance Guma
21
December 2007
The election of Jacob Zuma to head the African National
Congress and
possibly South Africa is not likely to affect that country’s
foreign policy
towards Zimbabwe. Those hoping for a change of strategy have
already been
disappointed with his comments at a press conference where he
said he will
stick to Thabo Mbeki’s quiet diplomacy approach. Zuma believes
Mbeki’s
approach is working: ‘It’s not going to be useful to us to stand on
the
rooftops and criticise Zimbabwe.’
Zuma then immediately launched
into a speech praising several African
political parties, including Zanu PF.
He criticised what he called western
sanctions against Zimbabwe arguing; ‘I
don’t think sanctions have produced
anything. What has worked in Zimbabwe
outside our engagement? Nothing.’
Observers however point out that the
western sanctions target specific
individuals in Mugabe’s regime and not
ordinary Zimbabweans. It is
anticipated Zuma will take a back seat on
Zimbabwe given his country has an
uphill struggle battling with poverty,
AIDS and unemployment issues.
The Southern African Development Community
tasked Mbeki to broker dialogue
between the ruling Zanu PF party and the
MDC. Many months later it remains
unclear if the two parties will sign a
deal. Negotiations have stalled over
several issues, which the opposition
claim are contained in a draft
agreement Mbeki guaranteed as broker. Zanu PF
has still not agreed to a SADC
monitoring team, allowing people to vote
using their national ID cards,
introducing a new independent electoral
commission, a new voters roll, those
in the diaspora being allowed to vote
and the introduction of a transitional
constitution to bridge the gap to a
new one.
The talks were expected to resume in Pretoria soon after the
conclusion of
the ANC congress this week. Some reports suggested officials
would meet on
Friday to try and conclude a
deal.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
SW RADIO Africa
Transcript
In this
week’s Hot Seat programme Violet Gonda’s guest is political commentator
Professor Brian Raftopoulos. He gives his analysis on the talks between the MDC
and ZANU PF, and the implications of the ANC leadership elections on
Zimbabwe.
(N.B interview
broadcast before the ANC results had been
announced).
Broadcast on Tuesday 18
December 2007
Violet Gonda: My guest on the programme Hot Seat is
Professor
Brian Raftopoulos, a political commentator and Director of Research for the
Solidarity Peace Trust in South Africa.
Hello Professor Raftopoulos.
Brian Raftopoulos:
Hello
Violet.
Violet: The discussion today is going to centre on the Talks between the MDC and ZANU PF but
first let’s talk about the ANC elections in South Africa where Jacob Zuma the
former Deputy President of South Africa is expected to win the leadership of the
ruling African National Congress and may become the country's next president in
2009. What are the implications of this for Zimbabwe Professor
Raftopoulos?
Raftopoulos:
Look I
think whoever wins these ANC elections is not going to change the process of the
mediation. I think the mediation process is very much locked into SADC and that
whoever comes in now will continue to see the outcome of this mediation through.
So while I know there has been some comments on Mugabe from the Zuma side I
don’t see any substantial change of position around the mediation at this
point.
Violet: According to press reports Zuma has, in the past,
accused Thabo Mbeki of being too soft on dictators. So what do you think we can
expect to see from a Zuma administration though? Will there be a shift in
foreign policy?
Raftopoulos:
No I
don’t think so, certainly not on Zimbabwe. As I said I think the mediation
process has gone quite a long way and in any case Thabo Mbeki will remain as
State President over the next year or is likely to do so. So I don’t see a major
change in the strategy on the mediation and the quiet diplomacy. There may be
more critical statements occasionally but I don’t see that move-away from quiet
diplomacy and the mediation as the major strategy of the South African
government.
Violet: But we hear that the Talks are at a deadlock, so what
role does the ANC have at present with the Zimbabwean talks or to at least make
sure that they don’t fall apart?
Raftopoulos:
As the
facilitator the South African President has a key role to play in the current
deadlock. From the beginning it was clear that part of his role was that if
there was a deadlock his role would be to step in and try and move the process
forward. Now I think we are likely to see efforts in this direction after the
Polokwane conference and to see how effective President Mbeki can be in moving
the process forward and indeed to see how effective SADC can be in moving beyond
this blockage, because clearly as we understand it Mugabe is placing
unreasonable demands at the moment. The idea that the constitution should come
after the elections is quite unacceptable, I think, to any legitimate
opposition.
Violet: We will talk about the demands later but still on South
Africa I wanted to find out how high is Zimbabwe in the list of South Africa’s
priorities right now and what can South Africa realistically do to help solve
the crisis in Zimbabwe?
Raftopoulos:
Well I
think Zimbabwe is a priority in South Africa for a number of reasons. Clearly
South African businesses have a huge role in Zimbabwe. The historical links
between Zimbabwe and South Africa, the current migration of Zimbabweans into
South Africa. All these make the Zimbabwe issue very, very important here. And I
think that the South African role at the moment as I said has been the
facilitation around the mediation and that is still a key role to be played and
one that has to be completed.
Violet:
And as
you said Thabo Mbeki’s term in office expires in 2009 so is it in his interest
to be remembered as the person who helped bring about peace in
Zimbabwe?
Raftopoulos: Indeed,
it’s clear that he has a great interest in seeing this mediation reach a
fruitful end and not withstanding what happens today at the ANC elections, I
think he would want to see that as part of his legacy. That he helped bring
about or find a way through the political impasse in Zimbabwe.
Violet: What about this issue of the deadlock itself.
How serious is it?
Raftopoulos:
I think
it’s a serious issue. They have covered a lot of ground, there is a lot of
agreement around the constitution – at least the interim constitution – the
repressive legislation and there seems to have been consensus around these
issues. The main problem was always going to be around the last item on the
agenda which is the political climate question and the question of the
transition period leading to the election. This was always going to be the most
difficult issue because this is where we would see how serious ZANU is in
implementing the necessary changes and indeed that’s what is proving to be the
case. And as we understand it ZANU PF now wants the new constitution to only
come after an election and that of course is a hugely problematic position. Also
at the moment Mugabe is sticking to the end of
March election date which is another problematic situation because you
clearly need more time to have reforms come into place in order to take some
kind of meaningful political effect.
Violet: We keep hearing that most of the negotiations
have been done, as you also said just now, but what actually has been done
because it has to be tangible for people to
understand?
Raftopoulos:
Yes I
think so. I think clearly the negotiations have reached a point where more
information needs to be made available to the people. For example if there is a
constitution that has been agreed upon people need to know what is in that
constitution. We have already seen the suggested changes that are already taking
place to AIPPA and POSA and therefore I think this is a good time to start
giving out more information about what’s going on, particularly if there is a
deadlock and people need to find out exactly where the deadlock
is.
Violet: So you
don’t have the details either?
Raftopoulos:
No, No,
No I think the mediators and the negotiators will have to comment on
that.
Violet:
And
Professor Raftopoulos it’s believed that if elections are go ahead in March with no new
constitution or reforms in place, Mugabe will win and that if the MDC boycotts
Mugabe will still win uncontested. It seems the MDC is vulnerable at this point
in time. What options does the MDC have given the fact that Mugabe is not
reciprocating?
Raftopoulos:
Well look
I think if Mugabe goes ahead and has these elections under his own terms with no
changes, in particular by breaking the terms of the mediation then nothing will
change and things will continue to deteriorate. And he won’t get the general
international acceptance he needs for that election and I think an MDC boycott
will be a serious problem for him because it will cut further the legitimacy of
the election and things will continue to deteriorate for many more years. People
always ask what is the bottom out point of all this? And the point is there is
no bottoming out and this thing can go on for a long time. But it won’t provide
a solution, either for Mugabe or for the Zimbabwe. So I think that clearly the
issue is – yes the MDC is weaker than it was in 2000 and 2002 but this mediation
has provided a space to be able to move the process politically forward and to
provide the potential for opening up new political spaces in the
country.
Violet:
But what
if these demands are not met – a new constitution before the elections and if
the reforms are not implemented before the elections? I am asking this because
it seems the MDC is caught between a rock and a hard place because if the opposition boycotts some
people say it will be irrelevant for the next five years but if it participates
it can at least secure some seats. So from your observations what do you think
it should actually do here?
Raftopoulos: Well the
first option is obviously to try and see if this mediation can reach a fruitful
point, without that of course the option is one of boycott although there is the
danger of irrelevance. However if this mediation also seems to have failed
because of Mugabe and it is understood to have failed, within SADC, because of
Mugabe it also provides the possibility of further isolating the regime even
amongst African countries. So it is important that whoever breaks this mediation
is made accountable for it and that itself would be a key point in what happens
afterwards.
Violet:
And do
you think the MDC would boycott the elections if they don’t get their
demands?
Raftopoulos:
Well it’s
difficult because in the past boycott has not been a strategy they wanted to
take because of this issue of irrelevance but I think that the point has been
reached now at this stage in the crisis, in the mediation – where if they are
able to show that they went into the mediation with all good intentions, that
they have abided by the processes, that they have done all that they can, then I
think a boycott of elections must be accompanied by a broader strategy to isolate the regime. Not just from
the international community – Europe and America – but within SADC and within
Africa itself. Increasing pressure at that level must become a part of any kind
of a boycott strategy.
Violet:
Can you
talk more about this broader strategy? In other words are you saying there
should be an alternative to boycotting?
Raftopoulos:
At the
moment the boycott is obviously an alternative with problems but there is also
the question of mass action. We have seen the problems around that, which is why
we are at the mediation. We have seen the State dealing very ruthlessly and
effectively to any form of mass action. The key participants in the civic
movement are much weaker than they used to be – whether it’s the labour
movement, the constitutional movement certainly not able to mount the kind of
strategies that they used to in an environment that allowed them to do that. So
that strategy still holds problems and it’s unlikely to get easier if there is a
breakdown of mediation.
Violet:
So with
the way things are right now in Zimbabwe can we say it’s now impossible to
mobilise people for mass action?
Raftopoulos: I don’t
think it’s impossible. Conditions change, possibilities emerge, new alternatives
arise but at this moment I would say it is certainly extremely difficult and
given what has happened in the last few years, at the moment that seems an
unlikely strategy, which is why I think the MDC and others have put so much
emphasis into trying to find a way through mediation and political
dialogue.
Violet:
Let’s
just say if mediation fails and speculating on boycotting - it’s said there are
some opposition MPs who
don’t want to boycott because they may lose their jobs. Now if this is the case
is the organisational structure of the MDC its worst enemy
here?
Raftopoulos:
Yes I
think the organisational structure of the MDC has been a problem almost from its
inception and this is part of the reason why the split emerged in 2005 and why
there have been recent problems again in the MDC. Organisational problems as a
result of both the political conditions under which they have had to operate but
also insufficient attention given to developing structures within the
organisation. So I think organisational issues are key both to any future
success of an opposition but also help to explain why the weakening of the
opposition takes place.
Violet:
Still on
this issue do you perceive a leadership crisis in the MDC? I am asking this
because it is alleged that there are some people who are trying to force a
premature debate by saying that there is a leadership crisis.
Is there a leadership
crisis in the opposition and at what level is there a crisis and who is
exacerbating this crisis?
Raftopoulos:
Look I
think there are different levels of crises that can take place in a leadership.
Clearly there is a challenge to the political leadership of the MDC in terms of
mounting a strategy to confront the regime. This is a crisis for any leader in
the MDC and any leader in the civic movement. There is also of course the
divisions in the MDC itself that caused a problem for the leadership of both
formations and the continued internal wrangling over issues of accountability
within the MDC also continues to raise questions about leadership. But of course
in situations like this it’s enormously difficult for any leadership to be able
to operate. So you are always going to have a constant threat to leadership and
a constant crisis for leadership when you are facing this kind of regime.
Violet:
People
say South Africa has to do something about what’s happening in Zimbabwe
but do Zimbabweans have to measure at this point
in time how much support to expect from the outside
world?
Raftopoulos:
Sorry can
you repeat that question.
Violet: Do Zimbabweans have to measure at this
particular time how much support to expect from the outside world because lately
a lot of people have been saying if change has to come we need support, or South
Africa has to put pressure on the Zimbabwean government. It’s the African
leaders that have to come in and help now. So to what extent can Zimbabweans
rely on the outside world or it’s now up to the people in the country to take
matters into their own hands?
Raftopoulos: Look
this question has been asked since the inception of the crisis and the answer is
the same. It’s a combination of both. Struggles like this don’t just involve
national forces they also involve regional and international pressure and that
is the case in Zimbabwe. And I think in all fairness, I think Zimbabweans have
tried under very difficult conditions to change the situation since the 1990s.
We have had stayaways, strikes, demonstrations, thousands of arrests, thousands
of beatings of activists. There is not a point that Zimbabweans haven’t tried. I
think Zimbabwe has one of the most vibrant civic societies in Africa. So it’s
clear, but the problem is that these issues and the current environment it’s not
just the national situation that counts. It’s the broader regional and
international context that also has to account for what is happening in
Zimbabwe.
Violet:
And
as we
talked about earlier in this interview, Mugabe is adamant that elections will be
held in March and there are divisions over this issue and on when electoral
reforms should be implemented. What happens if SADC actually fails to
intervene, with this deadlock? What options are there for
SADC?
Raftopoulos:
Well the
options for SADC are obviously either to allow Mugabe to go ahead and do
whatever he likes and to legitimise that as they have done in the past. That
unfortunately will not take the situation forward. The stalemate will continue
and the crisis will continue to deepen. The other alternative is that if they
feel Mugabe is responsible for the blockage in the mediation, is to bring extra
pressure to bear on him to ensure that this crisis moves forward in terms of the
impasse. Those are the options that are available to them.
Violet: If all things fail is a violent overthrow on
option?
Raftopoulos:
I think
at this point if there was to be a violent overthrow I think it would come from
within ZANU PF itself, within the armed forces although I don’t think that is a
likely option. I think obviously the chances of spontaneous violence emerging
are certainly rare as the situation gets desperate. But spontaneous violence on
its own will not bring about the changes that people want and I think it would
be very easy for the government to quell that. So the questions of organised
opposition, the question of trying to push as much as possible for dialogue is
still for me the best way forward otherwise I think the situation will just
continue to deteriorate.
Violet:
And a
final word Professor Raftopoulos?
Raftopoulos:
I think
that we are in a difficult moment but also there is a small window of
opportunity to find a way forward. Despite the blockage I think there is still
some hope to move this mediation forward and all those who are interested in
trying to find a way through the crisis need to give whatever support they can
to this mediation process and to see how far we can go with
it.
Violet: Thank
you very much Professor Raftopoulos for speaking on the programme Hot
Seat.
Raftopoulos:
Thank you
Violet.
Comments and feedback can
be emailed to violet@swradioafrica.com
Ends.
Business Report
December 21, 2007
By Reuters and Sapa-AP
Harare -
Zimbabwe's move to introduce higher denomination banknotes to end
cash
shortages in its hyperinflationary economy fell short of solving the
crisis,
analysts said yesterday, as consumers besieged banks ahead of the
Christmas
holidays.
In an address on Wednesday, central bank governor Gideon Gono
introduced
higher value notes to help ease the cash crunch amid an acute
economic
crisis marked by the world's highest inflation rate and shortages
of fuel
and food.
Queues to draw cash have been forming at ATMs from
4am this month but banks
have rationed money to Z$5 million (worth R1 150 at
the official rate and
R21.50 on the black market) per customer.
Gono
said the Z$200 000 note, the highest bill in circulation, would be
withdrawn
with effect from January 1 as it was mostly used by illegal
foreign currency
traders.
Bills worth Z$750 000, Z$500 000 and Z$250 000 would be
introduced ahead of
the holidays, but people exchanging large sums of cash
for new notes would
have to explain how they accumulated the money legally
or face criminal
charges.
Analysts said the new bank notes, the
highest of which cannot buy a loaf of
bread, were only a temporary
solution.
"It's just a temporary measure … the huge demand for cash will
always be
there as long as inflation remains high and there is more activity
in the
informal economy, as opposed to the formal sector," said Best Doroh,
an
economist at ZB Financial Holdings.
Official inflation is running
at nearly 8 000 percent.
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
20
December 2007
Though Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon
Gono promised in a televised
address late Wednesday that he would resolve
cash shortages plaguing
consumers and businesses by introducing new
large-denomination notes, there
was no sign of relief Thursday as consumers
again lined up at banks in a
futile money hunt.
Gono announced the
immediate issuance of three new bearer cheques or central
bank promissory
notes - as distinct from a permanent currency - denominated
at $250,000,
$500,000 and $750,000 to deal with the effects of roaring
inflation.
But Zimbabweans combing the capital and other cities in
search of cash the
day after Gono's address on state television found no new
notes in
circulation.
Banks said they had not received the new notes
and the central bank said it
had sent shipments of the new bearer cheques
first to remote rural areas.
Gono informed the country that all $200,000
notes would be taken out of
circulation by Jan. 1, after which date they
would become worthless. He
explained the guidelines for surrendering the
expiring notes, making clear
that one of his main reasons for calling them
in is to crack down on "cash
baron" dealers in parallel or black
markets.
He tried to sooth the fears of Zimbabweans who remember the
chaos and
financial losses incurred by many consumers and businesses in the
last
currency exchange in August 2006, dubbed "Operation Sunrise." But the
procedure he described for those holding more than Z$50 million in the notes
did not sound particularly agreeable - filling out forms and submitting to
questioning by a battery of officials.
Meanwhile, long queues
remained in place outside banks as restive customers
sought to extract a bit
of cash from the financial institutions, which said
they were seeing no
influx of $200,000.00 bills following Gono’s
instructions the previous
evening.
Correspondent Derek Moyo of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe visited
Harare banks
on Thursday and told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that he mainly
found
confusion.
IOL
December
21 2007 at 12:47PM
Harare - President Robert Mugabe said on Friday
that foreign mining
firms who invest in Zimbabwe would be allowed to retain
majority stakes
under controversial ownership regulations.
"Where we read that a company has invested its profits over the years,
we
will not demand majority shareholding but, of course, we will need some
shares," the state New Ziana news agency quoted Mugabe as saying during a
meeting with Zimbabwean ambassadors.
The veteran leader
commended the Zimbabwe Platinum Company (Zimplats)
for building houses and
roads, urging other companies to take a cue from the
firm, whose majority
shareholder is South Africa's Implats.
The
Zimbabwe government plans to amend the Mines and Minerals Act by
inserting a
clause providing for compulsory state acquisition of 51 percent
of all
foreign-owned mining firms.
Under current laws, locals are entitled
to a 15 percent stake in
foreign-owned mining ventures, but there have been
few takers.
The Chamber of Mines, representing 200 mining houses in
Zimbabwe,
warned last year that the proposed amendments would effectively
kill off
investment needed to keep the mines open.
Zimbabwe is
in the throes of an economic crisis, with inflation nearly
8 000 percent,
and severe shortages of fuel and food.
In June last year during a
tour of Zimplats, Mugabe stressed that the
new ownership rules would not
apply across the board.
New Ziana said Mugabe expressed concern
that the mining sector was
reporting a decline in production and
consequently in foreign currency
earnings and yet mining operations were
continuing.
Mugabe also lashed out at some black managers of large
manufacturing
companies, accusing them of frustrating government efforts to
revive the
econony.
"Most of these firms are run by our
brothers and sisters and they are
arrogant," he said
"We have
created a middle class of people that look down on the people
in government.
It is sad," he said. - Sapa-AFP
Catholic News Service
Dec-21-2007
By Bronwen Dachs
Catholic News
Service
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Recognizing the difficulty of
persuading
Zimbabweans, whose primary concern is survival, to vote in the
March
presidential elections, the Catholic bishops' conference of Zimbabwe
will
use all its structures to mobilize them, said a church
official.
"We need to persuade people that if they don't do something we
will have the
same problems next year," said Alouis Chaumba, head of the
Catholic
Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe.
In a Dec. 21
telephone interview from the capital, Harare, he said, "People
can't even
buy groceries for Christmas with no food on supermarket shelves
and long
lines at all the banks, where very little cash is available."
The
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference has encouraged people to vote "in
an
atmosphere of peace," noting that "to neglect your duty to vote is to be
irresponsible, for you leave others to decide your future for
you."
The bishops urged Catholics to "converge at our parish churches in
prayer as
we prepare" for the elections.
"We urge those responsible
for organizing the elections to establish a
credible electoral process,
whose outcome will be free and fair and with
local and international
recognition," the bishops said in a Dec. 16 pastoral
letter.
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party endorsed President Robert
Mugabe as its
candidate Dec. 13, making it possible for him to extend his
rule for another
five years. Mugabe, 83, widely blamed for his country's
political and
economic crisis, has led Zimbabwe since its independence from
Britain in
1980.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change,
which accuses Mugabe of
hanging on to power through vote-rigging and
repression, is weak and
divided, leading analysts to predict another victory
for Mugabe.
Noting that "past elections have been marred by controversy
and violence,"
the bishops urged "the government and all the contesting
parties to create a
social, political and economic climate that enhances
moral integrity."
Political parties "should not be provocative in their
campaigns," and all
"should be free to campaign and have equal access to
state resources in the
form of media coverage, police protection (and)
financial subsidies," they
said.
Christian voters should use the
church's social teaching to examine
candidates' standpoints "and should
consider the candidates' integrity and
their past or potential performance,"
the bishops said.
The respect the church has for individual decisions is
evident in the makeup
of its congregations where members belong "to all
existing parties," they
said.
"After elections, all citizens should
join forces to build the Zimbabwe we
all want. We appeal to all citizens to
adopt a spirit of oneness and
solidarity," the bishops said.
"May the
electoral process of 2008 bring us a national rebirth and help us
to grow in
the love of God and neighbor, as Zimbabwe regains its rightful
place among
the nations of the world," they said.
http://www.zenit.org/article-21355?l=english
2007-12-21
Recalls Christian
Obligation to Aid Needy
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, DEC. 21, 2007
(Zenit.org).- The Christian
obligation of South Africans is to welcome those
fleeing the escalating
crisis in Zimbabawe, said the archbishop of
Johannesburg.
In a Dec. 14 statement, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale called on
South Africans to
welcome Zimbabweans fleeing what he described as "events
seriously
disturbing public order," a phrase taken from the 1969
Organization of
African Unity Refugee Convention
The archbishop, who
is also president of the episcopal conference, described
emigrating
Zimbabweans not as migrant workers but as refugees fleeing an
economic and
political crisis.
He pointed out that the situation in Zimbabwe has not
improved since his
last statement nine months ago. Living conditions have
deteriorated such
that survival has become a struggle for most of the
population, he noted. He
cited the case of Bulawayo, where there were about
60 burials in August
2006; a year later the number had increased to
867.
Zimbabweans fleeing their homeland are seeking food, medicine and
employment
to support themselves and their families, the 59-year-old prelate
said. He
lamented that when they arrive in South Africa, they are not
welcomed, but
are accused of taking jobs and food, harassed and forced to
pay bribes to
the police, and exploited by unscrupulous
employers.
Archbishop Tlhagale urged South Africans to make an adjustment
to their
lives by welcoming Zimbabweans and assisting them as much as
possible. He
said even small gestures of welcome and compassion will make a
difference.
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
21 December
2007
Police in the Kuwadzana suburb of Harare have given
spokesman Nelson Chamisa
of the opposition faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai
permission to hold a
graduation party on Saturday in the constituency he
represents in
parliament - on condition no one mentions the name of
President Robert
Mugabe or makes political statements.
Ironically,
Chamisa was passed as a graduate last month by Mr. Mugabe,
university
chancellor ex officio, taking a degree in political and
administrative
studies.
Besides graduating from the University of Zimbabwe this year,
Chamisa spent
time in the hospital after being set upon by suspected state
agents wielding
iron bars at the Harare airport as he attempted to leave for
a conference of
lawmakers in Europe.
Police initially refused
permission for the party, citing the Public Order
and Security Act which was
amended just this past week by parliament though
the legislation has yet to
be signed by President Mugabe. The
much-criticized Public Order and Security
Act requires those holding a
gathering of more than four to seek police
permission.
Chamisa aid his gathering was not a rally, so police
permission wasn't
needed.
He told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that
although he obtained police
authorization he would not comply with the
conditions infringing on his
freedom of speech.
The Zimbabwean
Friday, 21 December 2007 05:37
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR) wishes to express its deep concern
over the continued lack of respect
for the fundamental freedoms of
association, assembly, and expression by
holders of public office in
Zimbabwe.
The recent gazetting and
subsequent fast-tracking of the Public Order and
Security Amendment Bill,
the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Amendment Bill and the
Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill by members of
both Houses of Parliament
evidences a worrying and flagrant lack of respect
for processes allowing
public input and scrutiny of legislation which
affects the Zimbabwean
public. This, in turn, greatly undermines the
democratic space, and the
promotion and protection of human rights in the
country. Whilst it is noted
that several amendments have been made which
may, if correctly implemented,
relieve a fraction of the repression against
human rights defenders, the
amendments are far from satisfactory and in most
instances are merely
cosmetic. Further, the fact that the Bills were
drafted, presented and
passed without any input from stakeholders within
civil society and the
generality of the public reinforces the illegitimacy
of the legislative
process as well as the legislation itself, and
strengthens the perception of
broader society that the political party
dialogue which led to agreements
being reached on such legislation continue
to be non-transparent process
which deny civil society and fundamental
stakeholders the opportunity to
scrutinize any agreements reached, ensure
that fundamental issues are
properly addressed and hold the parties
accountable to the affected
public.Detailed analyses of the various Bills
are currently being finalized
and will be made available publicly. However,
it is our preliminary view
that the amendments do not substantively address
the concerns of those who
have been most affected by the clampdown on
freedom of expression,
association and assembly and they fail to address
fundamental concerns which
have been in the public domain for as long as the
legislation itself has
been in operation. They also fail to take into
account regional and
international standards to which Zimbabwe has bound
itself and which it is
obliged to promote, respect, ensure and fulfill.ZLHR
considers this a missed
opportunity to involve all stakeholders and ensure
that substantive,
far-reaching and acceptable amendments were made to such
insidious
legislation which could have had a substantive effect on ensuring
a
satisfactory electoral environment in the run up to the 2008 polls and
beyond.
Financial Gazette
(Harare)
COLUMN
20 December 2007
Posted to the web 21 December
2007
Richard Wiley
Harare
Cutting corners WHY is it that
certain human beings who drive cars are
endowed with a compulsive desire to
cut corners, especially when those
corners are of the blind
variety?
Anyone who traverses Kent Road in Highlands will know that two
blind corners
present themselves in the upper reaches of this
road.
On numerous occasions, either going up or down, I've been
forced to take
evasive action and needless to say, such action is fraught
with danger as
the verges are totally unkempt and feature jagged tar, a big
drop off and/or
potholes.
About three weeks ago when I was returning
from a fruitless search for beer,
bread and butter at Chisi shops, I was
approaching the blind uphill left
hander on Kent Road and was greeted by a
dark blue Volvo wagon hurtling
round the bend, mostly on the wrong side of
the road. The middle-aged lady
at the wheel cared not that I had to activate
ABS to avoid a head-on
collision and simply pressed on past my door handle
with her brow buried in
the upper reaches of her Volvo's steering
wheel.
Another danger zone for corner-cutting is the right-angled bend
that links
Northend and Burnham Roads near the entrance to DeadBC. Many is
the time
that I've been forced onto the dirt, doubtless by a newsreader
concerned
about the contents of an unseen script.
Talking of
unacceptable driving, I witnessed a triple classic at 5.30am on
December 13
while I was on my way to that ghost town that masquerades as
Harare's
International Airport. I was initially miffed to be caught behind
one of
those truck/trailer combos that carts huge lumps of granite. I was
miffed
because Glenara Avenue North sports a plethora of deep puddles which
are
converted into a filthy spray by the multiple wheels on these
trailers.
As it turns out, I needn't have been too concerned about the
dirty spray as
said truck proceeded through a blood red light guarding
Samora Machel Avenue
and thereby made up good ground on me. I closed on this
leviathan on
approach to Robert Mugabe Road where the driver again jumped a
red light and
believe it or not, he did the same at Hillside Road
lights.
Owing to all the filth flying around and to the fact that the
trailer
featured near-invisible red on white number plates, I couldn't get a
clear
fix on the digits but I did see enough later in the journey to note a
name
something like Keeley Transport on the cab door. Maybe the owner would
like
to have a word with the intransigent driver. I know red-light-jumping
is
becoming a national sport and that Zimbabweans would sweep all the
medals,
but it remains an unacceptable and dangerous occupation, the more so
when
long, ponderous vehicles are involved.
Disappearing
trick
IT really is difficult not to get consumed by all the problems that
beset
ordinary people in Zimbabwe so a bit of escapism becomes something of
a
necessity. My escape is, or should I say was, provided by what I could
only
describe as a 'fleet' of overseas car mags.
I subscribe to no
less than 10 titles but thanks, or so it seems, to the
nefarious activities
of individuals with connections to ZimPost, these mags
simply don't pitch up
anymore.
It doesn't matter what the source country is -- the result is
the same -- no
mags. The common denominator is that something untoward
happens in Zimbabwe
and despite numerous written approaches to those in
charge at Highlands
P.O., the situation just gets worse.
For example,
I have only received one copy of UK Car magazine since May and
only one of
the last seven SA Car mags. Autocar and Autosport are weeklies
but I haven't
seen either of these for over a month, notwithstanding that
the UK expediter
has repeatedly sent replacement copies which also vanish.
I've even tried an
alternative address but that doesn't help.
Not even opaque as opposed to
polywrap envelopes have effected any
improvement so someone in the postal
pipeline is making a lot of money
selling my magazines. Not only does it
make me exceedingly angry, it simply
adds to the depression that surrounds
everyday life in such a deprived
environment.
Where else in the world
would people see an opportunity to make a living out
of stealing other
people's magazines?
Fuel frustrations
CONTINUING in a negative
vein, it seems that provision of information to
customers is another 'norm'
that isn't necessary in Zimbabwe. I cite yet
again, Redan's complete
reluctance to let motorists know the composition of
the fuel they serve.
More's the pity as Redan's outlets and their service
provision, in my
experience at least, put their competition in the shade.
Sitting at the
back of the queue when it comes to service provision and
condition of
outlets, is Caltex. The company, or its lease-holders at St.
Patrick's Road
and Clyde Road at least, haven't made the slightest effort to
smarten-up
their premises. At the latter, even the lofty Caltex sign is
askew. What
really gets me wound up is the fact that unleaded fuel can only
be sourced
at Caltex outlets which are miles out on the periphery of Harare.
You're
forced to consume millions of dollars worth of fuel getting to these
outlets
which on many occasions are bone dry anyway. It's little different
with
'ordinary' petrol, whatever that may be, because we're never told.
Those
pumps in recent times are often dry and when they're not, queues
radiate for
miles around. Motorists spend hours twiddling their thumbs while
the economy
continues its inexorable decline only to find their vigil has
been wasted
because the tanks have run dry. This just has to be the only
country in the
world which can't top up underground tanks before they go
dry.
Sadly,
there's no point asking Caltex why basic logistics are so difficult
to
implement because given their deafening silence on matters related to the
condition of their outlets, they appear not to care whether their customers
are looked after or not. And these, good readers, are customers who've paid
in hard currency in advance, for fuel they often never get.
Air
conditioning
I HAVE to admit that my knowledge of aircon is decidedly
sketchy but I do
know enough about it to pass on a little
advice.
Years back, the refrigerant used in aircon was called R12. it
worked well
and, other than in Zimbabwe, it didn't cost an arm and a leg if
a top-up was
needed. Over time, the gas escapes through seals and through
the piping
itself and it's this fact of life that led to the demise of R12
in most
parts of the world as it is accused of being an 'ozone layer
depleter'.
The more environmentally friendly but marginally less
efficient R134 gas
then took centre stage and has stayed there ever since.
The bad news is that
if you own an older car filled with R12, you must not
under any
circumstances use R134 as this is not compatible with the
lubricating oil
used for compressors. It's in your interests to find out
what's in your
system and stick with it if humanly possible. In most cases,
an appropriate
sticker is applied in the engine bay.
All is not lost
though as an R12 system can be converted by a refrigeration
specialist to
accept R134. In simple terms, the system is flushed out and an
R134
compatible lube is introduced with the 'new' gas. Everything should
then
work fine but you might just find things aren't as cold as they
were.
Those were the days
BACK in the mid to late 90s, it was
possible to walk into a car dealer in
Zim and drive out in a car paid for in
local dollars. I just happened to
come across a comprehensive price list
from 1998 and include herewith a
selection for you to gawp at and then
bemoan the devastating price rises
we've been subjected to in this
decade.
Audi A4 1.8 $682 264
BMW 316i $830 000
Ford Escort
1600i $248 200
Mazda 323 $194 000
Mercedes C200 Classic $936
000
Nissan Sentra 160 $245 836
Opel Astra 140i $352
000
Toyota Tazz 130 $281 087
VW Golf 1.6 GS $401 282
It's
enough to make you weep!
Closing shop
THIS will be the last
edition of Top Gear in 2007. Hopefully normal service
will resume in the New
Year. I do hope you've enjoyed my observations and
increasingly strident
rantings, but 'telling it how it is' is for me an
all-important component in
a column that's intended to educate and entertain
at the same
time.
Equally, I trust you'll all enjoy the upcoming break and that you
will be
the recipients of electricity from ZESA, water from ZINWA and
repaired
potholes courtesy of your local council. On all counts, good
luck!