The Zimbabwe Situation

President Tsvangirai’s address to the MDC National Conference

The theme for this annual conference – COURAGE & HOPE OVERCOME FEAR – sums up our experience in the democratic struggle over the past four years.

Zimbabwe today is governed by a regime that behaves like a foreign occupying force. The regime is constantly at war with the people. For the past four years, we have been brutalized, tortured, raped and murdered by a regime that was supposed to protect us. The people have been under siege.

But, we have remained steadfast in our struggle for democracy, liberty and justice. The people have rallied courageously behind the MDC as the main vehicle for change. We must applaud the courage and bravery of all the people, working with the MDC leadership in such a difficult period.

I need to pay special tribute to women and young people in the MDC for their continued resolve to see an end to the crisis. Women are particularly hard hit as they struggle to look after hungry families and to keep communities intact.

The Zimbabwean family as a unit has suffered immeasurably from the current crisis. Yet without the family, how can we talk of preserving and promoting our heritage, our communities and our nation? Without vibrant families and communities, it is impossible to talk about the future, our dreams, our vision and the way forward.

The MDC government shall create conditions for, and direct resources towards, equal opportunities for women in line with one of our core values, solidarity. We aim to change, in a radical way, all the negative attitudes, perceptions and practices which impede the development of women as a national resource.

We seek to transform our institutions to ensure that they facilitate the inclusion, political participation and leadership of women from the community to national level. In this regard, may I recommend that the MDC should take a firm position on the question of women’s empowerment and advancement.

We need to increase their representation in the leadership of the party, in the national executive and in parliament. This conference must take note and act on the resolutions passed by the women at their conference in Masvingo in October. The conference exposed some of the shortcomings of the party in as far as its relationship with women is concerned.

Our youths, like all young people in this country, have come to be known as the lost generation. The regime has abandoned them. There are no jobs. There is no future. We are encouraged by the fact that they have remained focused on our national needs. They realize that they have to liberate themselves. They have to reclaim their rights.

They need to continue mobilizing the people to resist tyranny. They need to encourage other young people to shun the so-called national service. Those at these youth training centres have gained nothing other the ability to brutalise their parents. Many are already exposed to Aids and HIV.

We plan to put in mechanisms for social mobilization, inclusion, service provision and economic empowerment that give priority to specific measures for reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS in our youths. We further seek ways for mitigating the impact of the pandemic on all our young people. An MDC government will create conditions that reduce barriers to the participation of youths in national development programmes.

As we struggle together, we stand inspired by our record of achievements in the past four years. More victories will be recorded in 2004. In June 2000, we broke the mould of tyrannical politics in Zimbabwe once and for all. As you all know, we won that parliamentary election. Again in March 2002, we won the Presidential election. Through these victories, we became an embodiment of the legitimate sovereign will of the people of Zimbabwe.

I realise that despite these impressive gains, our national agenda for change remains unfulfilled. The crisis is deepening. But our hopes and aspirations are as alive as they were in 1999. Prospects for democracy, freedom, justice and a better life for all are getting brighter as each day passes. It is clear that we are winning.

We have emerged as the legitimate leaders in Zimbabwe today. We control and direct the national agenda. Nothing meaningful happens in Zimbabwe without our input. Our neighbours are ready to work with us. They engage us on all matters affecting our nation. We have a leadership role which is fast being recognized inside the country and internationally.

We run all the major urban centres with a combined population of close to six million people. These towns and cities are beginning to enjoy the fresh air of living under an MDC administration. They can feel the change. This is a major shift in the system of governance.

As a party, we insist on delivery, transparency, solidarity and fairness in our local government programmes. We maintain daily contact with the people through local government. We know their hopes and fears. We share their anxieties and problems.

We have refused to be subdued. The people are with the MDC. The MDC is with the people. Our demand for freedom and justice is an idea whose time has come in Zimbabwe.

Despite serious cases of political interference and resistance from the cornered Mugabe regime, we are showing an attractive political alternative through our development agenda and a transparent political culture. We are committed to fulfilling our agenda for change. We are determined to pursue the ideals of the liberation struggle. We are a social liberation movement that is geared to complete the change. We shall deliver freedom, solidarity, justice and progress.

As you might have noticed, Zanu PF is now totally incapable of handling the crisis it created. Their meetings are pre-occupied with personal survival agendas. They spent time attacking each other. They spent time attacking us. They spent time attacking the international community. None of them ever thinks about Zimbabwe and the people.

They harp on the supposed threat to our sovereignty. What they mean by sovereignty is simple: clinging on to power by all means necessary. Our sovereignty is not under threat from anyone. What are in danger are our lives, our freedoms, our liberties, our prosperity, our social services and our prospects for development.

Let us forget about them. Let us move on. Let us prepare ourselves to rebuild the country. Your leadership in the MDC is ready to govern. We are ready to raise Zimbabwe’s profile in family of nations.

Zimbabwe needs to start work on healing itself as a nation. The people know what has happened to Zimbabwe. They have a solution to this country’s problems. We must start repairing our fractured society. In our communities, we must begin to engage the people. The people have already rejected Zanu PF. They are talking about the future.

We have to unite the people. We must restore our values. We must respect the truth. We must place justice back onto our systems. We must have friends and allies.

As we enter the year 2004, we face vastly changed political circumstances where the danger of isolated autonomous action, however, well intentioned, plays directly into the hands of the enemies of democracy. Such adventures face certain defeat.

If we reconcile and unite our communities, we are able to harness all our energies and confront this regime through organized democratic resistance and mass action. Work with the people: in churches, at burial societies, in your trade unions, in civic groups and at all gatherings. Discuss the crisis of governance. Suggest ways of dealing with it.

Our circumstances now require a qualitatively different approach. Our circumstances demand an organizational expression of unity of purpose. Our circumstances demand the formation of a broad alliance for progress towards democracy. In your communities, make sure everybody comes on board. Extend your hand to your neighbours and make them understand that the struggle is a national project which requires the participation of all.

The major challenge that we face at this conference therefore is to come up with resolutions to ensure that a broad alliance of democratic forces is born. This alliance will engage the regime in 2004. The alliance will intensify the pressure on the regime and force it to come to the negotiating table.

We meet today after our country was suspended, indefinitely, by the Commonwealth. The decision basically vindicates the MDC. The decision confirms the illegitimacy of the Mugabe regime. It confirms what we have been saying all along.

We are glad a number of countries are seeing the reality of the Zimbabwean crisis. The Commonwealth decision confirms that what is happening here has nothing to do with the land question. That decision confirms that there is a crisis of governance.

The entire world is moving its position in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, no matter what the illegitimate regime does. No sane person can fail to see the madness of a regime that seeks membership of a club whose rules that regime seeks to violate with impunity. What the world is asking the regime to do is very simple. Like the MDC, the world is asking the regime to behave in a manner that respects the sovereignty of the people.

The world is saying thou shalt not steal. The world is saying all the people to choose their leaders, and their government in line with international norms and standards. Why is there a problem?

We believe in the good sense and common decency of the Commonwealth. It must be remembered that it is an organization that played a critical role in the history of this country as it marched towards its independence from Britain. It was the CHOGM of 1979 in Lusaka that brokered the breakthrough to the Rhodesian problem.

The international community understands that without addressing these contested issues, the crisis in Zimbabwe will take a long time to resolve. For that reason, we encourage the continued engagement of Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria in an effort to bring Zanu PF to the negotiating table.

We understand the difficulties they face, especially President Mbeki. He has been misled by Mugabe for a long time. Mugabe betrayed President Mbeki’s trust. We know that. We urge President Mbeki to continue with his efforts. We are willing to work with him in this regard.

We may differ with President Mbeki or any other regional leader on the method deemed suitable for resolving the Zimbabwean crisis. But we are all agreed that a way must be found at the end of the day. We are agreed that Zimbabwe is bleeding and must be attended to. We will accept any assistance we can get from our neighbours in order to restore a legitimate government in Zimbabwe. We have a responsibility to take the lead in finding a permanent solution to our problems.

As the majority party, we must seek ways to return the rule of law onto our land. The MDC is committed to land reform. Land is an economic asset. We must learn to restrain our emotions over the land question.

We will not go back to the pre-2000 land distribution and ownership position; nor will we endorse and maintain the status quo, the current chaos. We shall bring Zimbabwe’s land crisis to an end through a democratic and participatory process. Our corrective approach will be based on need, not greed.

That process will seek to achieve an equitable, transparent, just, lawful and economically efficient distribution and use of land. The MDC is committed to the transformation of the communal lands into productive economic constituencies for the benefit of all. We want to extend property rights and titles to the communal areas. The intellectual and creative energies of the people in the rural areas are being wasted.

Colonialism abused the people in the communal areas. The Mugabe regime has battered them since 1980. They have been held hostages for too long a time. Their innovations have gone unrecognized and undeveloped. There have never tasted their freedom. The Mugabe regime believes the only benefit for the people in the rural areas lies in their ability to shout abusive words and empty political slogans. That process in itself cannot be expected to change people’s lives.

Our objectives are to transform the communal areas and to abolish the dual agrarian structure in this country. We must have one land tenure system for Zimbabwe. As I said earlier, we shall ensure that the security of tenure and private property rights are guaranteed and respected, anywhere in this country.

All Zimbabweans wishing to claim a piece of land as an economic asset will have an opportunity to do so. We will, through a Land Commission, audit land tenure and distribution. On the basis of that audit, we will rationalize land allocation. A wider agrarian reform is necessary for us to embrace and integrate all types of land tenure and production systems.

The current humanitarian crisis could live with us forever unless we reclaim our previous position as net exporter of food. The HIV and Aids pandemic will get worse as long as our people remain a hungry lot.

Farming is a serious business. It cannot be left to chancers and speculators. We are told a mere 130 000 people were driven to the new farms, a number just enough to fill up two football stadiums. There are more than 13 million people in Zimbabwe. The majority depend on agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. We will rationalize the land ownership pattern in Zimbabwe for the benefit of the entire population, not a few political party faithfuls.

These desperate so-called new farmers now lie dumped and abandoned in the bush: with no support, no schools, no medical care, no income, no seed, no skills, no inputs and no food. Nothing! There is a looming disaster in these farms.

Hunger, disease, poverty and hopelessness are setting in fast. Many of them are already turning to the MDC for solutions. Let us accept and work with them. More people will die unless we address the chaos in agriculture and instill order in that sector.

Our policies and programmes are ready roll in order to save the nation. Our economy has been severely damaged. We shall use a post-war economic recovery model to put it back on the rails. We already have RESTART as a recovery programme.

RESTART, stands for reconstruction, stabilisation, recovery and transformation.

RESTART was designed to tackle the deep economic crisis through a comprehensive five-year programme of fully co-ordinated fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, sectoral and trade policies. RESTART will launch Zimbabwe’s industrialisation strategy, through which the economy will provide rapid growth.

We aim to create conditions for security in employment and, with complementary policies, ensure a sustainable, equitable pattern of national development. Only the MDC is ready, and has the will and the vision to begin this difficult task of reconstruction and development.

In line with our social agenda, we shall restore the dignity of the vulnerable groups. Those on fixed income and pensioners will be adequately supported through a series of measures to contain poverty.

Hope overcomes fear, as they say. Fear undermines people’s confidence. History has shown that dictators thrive in a climate of fear. That has not been the case in Zimbabwe. Let us continue to fight fear.

The two sets of mass action we demonstrated in March and in June show that the people are confident of their ability to confront tyranny. The people refused to be neutralised.

Your leadership united and focussed on the way forward. Your leadership is clear about the central objective of the struggle. Your leadership knows that you do not seek merely to replace faces in Zanu PF with new ones from the MDC.

We are fighting to install a completely new political culture. Good governance, a tolerant society, a multi-party political culture, a democratic society and a place where human rights are observed and respected.

This is a long struggle. It is a struggle which ends with freedom, justice, solidarity and equity. A simple regime change has never been part of the MDC agenda. Under the MDC government, the state will be liberated from the grip of politicians and political parties. We shall put measures to free all state institutions to enable them to empower the people through service.

We need a compassionate state and civil service that cares for the people. We need a state whose duty would include the empowerment of the weaker sections of our people. It will be an equal opportunities state, which creates avenues for the fullest expression and exploitation of the people’s potential.

Everybody must feel that they count.

We started off on positive note in the MDC. This party has always been about collective efforts and a collective leadership executing a collective mandate. We have tried and succeeded in introducing a culture of debate and discussion at every level. We were rewarded by the people because of our approach. Let us keep on holding onto that trust.

We must be a state of election preparedness. To get into power, we must win the parliamentary and Presidential elections. These elections are coming soon. There is no other route into power without elections and without the people. The people’s power and mandate can only be conferred through elections. Are we ready for them?

The scheduled date for parliamentary elections is not very far off. We must review our strategies, procedures and tactics in order to address past weaknesses. Let us mobilise the people in every ward, every village and every district.

The MDC leadership believes the party is on the right track. We shall present to you a comprehensive set of revised and refined policies and programmes to take us into the New Year. Our demands for freedom, justice, prosperity and democracy are justified. We have managed to prepare ourselves fully for the daunting challenges which lie ahead.

We are gearing ourselves for a productive New Year. Next year will be the year of the people. The people shall govern. We are ready to provide the leadership. We will be there to guide the process. Our victory is certainly in sight.

Together we will rebuild our country. Through the MDC, a representative and participatory government is on the way.

I thank you.

Morgan Tsvangirai

from R W { Topper } Whitehead
"let it never be asked of any of us - what did we do when we knew another was oppressed" Nelson Mandela
"all that is necessary for EVIL to prevail is for GOOD people to do NOTHING" Edmund Burk
"Cowardice asks, is it safe? Expediency asks, is it politic? Vanity asks,
is it popular? But conscience asks, IS IT RIGHT? There comes a time when
one must take the position that it is neither safe, nor politic, nor
popular------BUT one must do it because conscience says it is RIGHT!"
The time is ALWAYS right to do what is Right
Martin Luther King

      Copyright © 2003, Dow Jones Newswires

      HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)--Zimbabwe's main opposition party wrapped up its
annual convention Sunday with a promise of peaceful mass action to back its
demand for fresh elections in the troubled southern African country.

      About 1,000 members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
attended the two-day meeting in the capital, Harare.

      The gathering came after a visit by South African President Thabo
Mbeki last week to try to revive talks between President Robert Mugabe's
government and the embattled opposition party.

      The talks broke down last year over Mugabe's demand that the
opposition recognize his disputed victory in a March 2002 presidential poll.
The opposition, along with independent observers, maintains that Mugabe used
vote rigging and intimidation to continue his 23-year rule.

      Opposition members, meeting at a Harare exposition hall, resolved only
to engage with the ruling ZANU-PF party if it committed to create conditions
for "free and fair elections through which the people can elect a legitimate
government of their own choice."

      In a closing statement, the party rejected the idea of joining a
power-sharing government before such a vote.

      Zimbabwe faces its worst political and economic crisis since
independence from Britain in 1980.

      The seizure of thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to
blacks, coupled with erratic rainfall, has paralyzed the agriculture-based
economy.

      Official inflation reached 620% this month, one of the highest levels
in the world. The country is also suffering acute shortages of food,
gasoline, hard currency and other essentials.

      The government has stepped up a crackdown on dissent, arresting labor
and opposition leaders, and shutting down the country's only independent
daily newspaper.

      (END) Dow Jones Newswires

      December 21, 2003 13:19 ET (18:19 GMT)

      "We cannot and will not remain silent any longer. To do so would be to
be unfaithful to and discredit the history of our own transformation.

      "We are confused by the constant call for moral regeneration within
our own country by leaders who appear to defend or overlook moral corruption
in neighbouring states.

      "We have heard accounts of people having red-hot needles pushed under
their armpits and through their shoulder blades, and frequent electrifying
of fingers, soles of feet and genitals. Legs have been broken."

      Gauteng Lutheran Church leader Bishop Ndanga Phaswana told the Sunday
Tribune: "The violation of human rights in Zimbabwe makes a mockery of
democracy in South Africa, especially if we keep quiet and say we are not
involved."
      The newspaper said there were indications of Mugabe loyalists
orchestrating their reign of terror on refugees through networks in South
Africa.

      The church leaders have called for the government to clarify its
stance on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, to speed up asylum applications
and to investigate first-hand accounts of bribery in the Home Affairs
Department.

      The Methodist bishop, Paul Verryn, said: "We cannot keep quiet
anymore. It is good that we are now speaking out."
      Verryn has personally counselled many refugees and seen the effects of
brutality, such as genital mutilation, carried out by Mugabe's regime.

      "I cannot understand how a government that received asylum in the
worst possible times during apartheid can ignore what is going on. They are
doing nothing for Zimbabweans in our country. In fact, they are making it
worse," Verryn said.

Johannesburg - The rand wobbled late on Friday, with offshore speculators
seizing on President Thabo Mbeki's perceived support for Zimbabwe as an
excuse to test its weakest levels in more than a month, traders said. By 5pm
in Johannesburg the rand was at R6.7468 to the dollar, almost 8c weaker than
its Thursday close, after touching R6.78, its lowest since November 13. A
local dealer said: "It's an extremely thin market and there's good dollar
demand out of Europe. The Zimbabwe situation is not adding a lot of
confidence." Another dealer said: "People are just looking for any excuse to
sell the rand. They've discovered the topside is vulnerable in the late
afternoon when locals go home. It's pure speculation." Mbeki said on
Thursday, during a visit to Harare, that the two countries shared "common
problems", which Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe could help South Africa
solve. Foreign investors see this as unsettling, given Mugabe's support for
the seizure of white-owned farms. But Mbeki and other South African
officials have repeatedly said they would not tolerate illegal land grabs.
The rand's losses of more than 6 percent in the past week have prompted
speculation that its heady two-year rally is over. But some said it was too
early to jump to this conclusion before holiday-thinned markets returned to
normal next month. Local bonds were little changed on Friday, with the R153
rallying 2.5 basis points to 8.92 percent and the R150 strengthening 1 basis
point to 7.95 percent.

International Affairs Editor

Church groups in SA deliver broadside against quiet diplomacy' on Zimbabwe

The main opposition party in Zimbabwe, the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), wants to know from either President Thabo Mbeki or Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe whether the ruling Zanu PF is continuing to insist
on preconditions for talks. If Zanu PF continues to insist on the
conditions, the MDC says there is little point in discussions, although it
is ready for them. Mbeki's visit to Zimbabwe last week gave rise to
speculation that a new round of talks between Zanu PF and the MDC may be in
the offing, but there is little hard evidence to suggest this. The MDC's
secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, who led the party's two-man team in the
last round of exploratory talks, said yesterday his party would like to know
as soon as possible if Zanu PF's preconditions remained. They are that the
MDC drop its court challenge over the legality of last year's presidential
elections and accept Mugabe's legitimacy . This came as SA's policy of quiet
diplomacy towards Zimbabwe faced increasingly fierce attacks from the
church, beginning with Archbishop Desmond Tutu's broadside earlier this
month.

Yesterday the policy was condemned by Johannesburg church leaders who said
they were "confused by the constant call for moral regeneration within our
own country by leaders who appear to defend or overlook moral corruption in
neighbouring states. We are familiar with attempts to dismiss any criticism
as stemming from ignorance or racism. We reject this with contempt," read a
statement from the church leaders. Since Mbeki's one-day visit, during which
he met Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the climate for talks may
have deteriorated considerably as Zimbabwean police this weekend continued
to prevent printing of the country's only independent daily newspaper . This
was despite a court ruling that the paper was licensed and giving it the
go-ahead to publish. It also coincided with the MDC's annual conference. The
crackdown on the Daily News was greeted by widespread international outrage.
But a spokesman for the foreign affairs department said SA's approach had
been to urge dialogue, and that it was hoped that this would, "lead to a
resolution of all other consequential issues". While members of parliament
from the two Zimbabwean parties talk regularly and there have been informal
meetings, there have been no discussions since July aimed at bringing about
a political settlement. These "talks about talks" covered a number of issues
including Zanu PF's preconditions and an agenda . Other issues touched on
were the timing of an election. The parties remain at odds about Mugabe
completing his term in office, as the MDC, the European Union, and the
Commonwealth observers do not believe the election was free and fair.

Seven doctors who were arrested by the police and dragged before the courts
last month for engaging in the illegal job action have been acquitted. The
doctors, who are all members of the Hospital Doctors Association, include
the association's president Phibion Manyanga, his vice Akim Mashoko, the
secretary Tapuwa Musuka, Treasurer Tozivepi Muchenje and other members,
Leolin Katsidzira Tinashe Forbes Kanyowa and Onesai Chihaka. Acquitting the
doctors, magistrate, Sekai Tongogara found the doctors not guilty of
engaging in illegal job action, as the Public Service Commission (PSC)
represented by Doctor Mariyawanda Nzuwah had alleged. Manyanga and his
executive were being accused by the State of inciting, aiding and organising
junior and middle level doctors to go on an illegal strike whose intention
was to press for $30m in salaries per month. Junior and middle level doctors
allegedly heeded the call and engaged in a strike, which paralysed the
country's major hospitals. The strike disrupted health delivery and the ill
were left with no choice but to resort to private hospitals whose charges
are exorbitant.

The government turned a deaf ear on the doctors, describing the salaries
they were demanding as 'black market salaries.' Tongogara said the argument
about the strike was whether it was lawful or not. She said all witnesses
who had testified in court had indicated that the strike was an illegal one.
The laws of this country forbid doctors from engaging in job actions, as
they are providers of an essential service. Tongogara however, noted that
the doctors had before the strike communicated with their employers about
their grievances but nothing was done to address the situation and help
avert the looming disaster. The witnesses had shown ignorance about
communication that had taken place between the doctors and their employer.
She therefore found the doctors not guilty and advised them to collect their
passports and the $50 000 bail each they had paid.

The doctors, who had first appeared in court on November 18, had defied a
Labour Court order that pressed them to resume duties. The doctors demanded
a written undertaking from their employer - the PSC - to the effect that
their grievances were being looked into. Meanwhile striking nurses are
reported to have adopted a wait and see attitude following a threat by the
Public Service Commission that should they not resume work, their contracts
would be terminated, a Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) said. "The matter
has been communicated to us that all nurses should report for work, but we
will wait and see what happens," a ZINA official reportedly said on
Thursday. The termination of nurses' contracts, if it happens, is likely to
inflict a major blow on the country's health delivery system, which is
currently reeling under severe stress.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- The publisher of Zimbabwe's largest privately
owned newspaper said Monday it had urged the chief of police to respect a
court ruling allowing it to start printing more than two months after police
shut it down.

An administrative court judge ruled Friday the Daily News could resume work,
but within hours police occupied the printing press of publishers,
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ).

"These actions are unlawful and are an act of spoliation," ANZ lawyers said
in a letter to Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, a copy of which was
made available to Reuters.

The paper has been critical of President Robert Mugabe's government since
its launch in 1999. Police shut the paper in September after a court ruled
it was operating illegally without a license, as required under media laws
introduced last year.

The newspaper and other critics say the legislation is aimed at muzzling
Mugabe's opponents as Zimbabwe grapples with a political and economic crisis
blamed on state mismanagement.

The government insists the laws are necessary to restore professionalism in
journalism and accuses private media of driving a propaganda campaign
against it.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Zimbabwe's opposition leader said his party would
organize mass action against Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party as part of
efforts to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.

"If ZANU-PF thinks we are begging (for talks) then they are in for a rude
shock," Morgan Tsvangirai, president of the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), told reporters at the end of his party's two-day congress.

"We have not abandoned mass action. It is one of the things we will be doing
in 2004 as part of our efforts to bring ZANU-PF to the negotiating table,"
he said, adding that any agreement should ultimately result in fresh
elections.

The Herald (Harare)

December 22, 2003
Posted to the web December 22, 2003

Harare

Thieves are stealing carcasses of cattle that would have died of disease at
the Harare City Council-run Ingwe Farm and sell the meat to unsuspecting
residents of adjacent suburbs such as Mufakose, Budiriro and Glen View.

Officials at the farm said they were unable to establish the disease that
the cattle have died of.

The council has more than 10 000 cattle on its farms surrounding the city.

Sources at the farm said scores of cattle were dying and the carcasses were
stolen at night by thieves who then sell the meat in the nearby suburbs.

They said the local authority did not have money to buy enough chemicals to
prevent the diseases.

"A lot of cattle are dying and we take some to a game park near Harare but
thieves have also been stealing the carcasses to sell as cheap meat in the
suburbs," said one farm worker who refused to be identified.

At least 71 000 cattle were vaccinated in Mashonaland provinces following
the outbreak of foot and mouth disease at two farms south of Harare in
August.

The Department of Veterinary Services has this year vaccinated at least 322
026 cattle throughout the country compared to 125 933 last year.

The official at the Harare City Council said the local authority had few
chemicals and it needed more money to purchase vaccines from other
countries.

"The disease outbreaks are not serious like foot and mouth but people should
desist from buying meat they are suspicious of its origins," said the
official.

      Copyright © 2003, Dow Jones Newswires

      JOHANNESBURG (Dow Jones)--The rand was testing support levels late
Monday which if broken should see it weaken beyond ZAR7.0000 against the
dollar by 2004.

      Around 1450 GMT, the dollar was sharply stronger at ZAR6.9188 from
ZAR6.7550 late Friday. The yield on the benchmark R153 seven-year government
bond soared to 9.160% from 8.930% late Friday.

      The rand traded in a range of ZAR6.8000-ZAR7.0000.

      "The sell-off since Friday has largely been on President Thabo Mbeki's
visit to Zimbabwe and his failure to criticize Robert Mugabe," said a
currency trader at a major domestic bank.

      He said the rand fell through an important support level at ZAR6.7200
and is now testing the ZAR6.9600 level.

      "If it goes through ZAR6.9600 solidly, ZAR7.0500 is the next support
base," the trader said.

      The rand was last over ZAR7.0000 against the dollar in early November
and has weakened around 70 cents against the greenback in the past two
weeks.

      On the bond market, yields rose on the weaker rand.

      "We saw a bit of a sell-off today in quite large volumes for this time
of year," said Shirley Peterson, a bond dealer at Barnard Jacobs Mellet.

      The R194 bond due 2008 came in for the most selling as investors
changed their view on longer term interest rates.

      Apart from the impact of the weaker rand and the economic and
political meltdown in Zimbabwe, the market was also affected by drought
concerns which could lead to higher food prices in 2004 and a hike in
short-term interest rates.

   12.0% RSA 150 Of 2005: 8.220% Vs 7.960%
   13.0% RSA 153 Of 2010: 9.160% Vs 8.930% -By Angus Macmillan; Dow Jones
Newswires; +27 11 783 7848; angus.macmillan@dowjones.com
      (END) Dow Jones Newswires

      December 22, 2003 10:10 ET (15:10 GMT)

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

December 22, 2003
Posted to the web December 22, 2003

Johannesburg

A national conference of Zimbabwe's main opposition party at the weekend
called for talks with the ruling ZANU-PF to agree a transitional
constitution that would establish the conditions for free and fair
elections.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) delegates called for "a transitional
constitution that guarantees an electoral regime which creates electoral
conditions that are transparent, fair and just for the people to elect a
government of their choice".

These conditions include electoral law reforms, an end to political
violence, and the repeal of controversial legislation that limit the right
to assembly, and media freedoms.

MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube told IRIN on Monday that "the party
welcomes all efforts to broker dialogue," a reference to last week's
mediation initiative by South African President Thabo Mbeki, and on-going
efforts by the church.

However, Ncube warned that if President Robert Mugabe ignored the MDC's
willingness to talk about transitional arrangements and constitutional
reforms, "mass action" would follow.

"The resolutions of the conference to use peaceful mass demonstrations as a
possible resort to press demands for new elections clearly excludes MDC from
accepting a government of national unity. Primarily was the need for
engaging in dialogue for the purpose of creating conditions for free and
fair elections through which the people can elect a legitimate government of
their own choice," Ncube said.

MDC and pro-democracy activists have staged a series of public protests
against Mugabe's rule this year, but each time they were declared illegal
and broken up by the police.

"The only way to bring Mugabe to the table is through pressure, the other
options have not been able to convince him to engage in formal talks. I
think the most difficult issue is how to secure a transitional arrangement
that will allow Mugabe to step down from power", Brian Raftopoulos, head of
the pro-democracy NGO, Crisis in Zimbabwe Committee, told IRIN.

IRIN was unable to reach Zimbabwean government officials for comment.

Talks between ZANU-PF and the MDC broke down over the opposition's refusal
to withdraw a court challenge to Mugabe's victory in presidential elections
in March 2002.

Diplomatic attempts to promote reconciliation, most recently by Mbeki, have
aimed at creating the conditions for restarting inter-party dialogue.

Sunday Times (Johannesburg)

December 21, 2003
Posted to the web December 22, 2003

Johannesburg

THERE are those who have seen President Thabo Mbeki's latest utterances on
Zimbabwe as evidence of how he is isolating himself in the court of world
opinion.

This may well be the case. His words were: "President Mugabe can assist us
to confront the problems we have in South Africa so that we can assist you
to solve the problems that face Zimbabwe." There can be no question that, in
a world where the words uttered by heads of state are taken to be
reflections of their policy intentions, this is alarming stuff.

But it would be a mistake to conclude, as some have, that Mbeki believes
that South Africa can actually learn from Zimbabwe. Were this the case, we
would not be a flourishing democracy in which freedom of expression and the
rule of law are prized.

Mbeki is clearly engaging in some ill-advised diplomatic double-speak, which
he believes will somehow allow him to retain influence over his neighbour.

Mbeki said these nice-sounding words but also sent Mugabe a strong signal to
the contrary by meeting with opposition Movement for Democratic Change
leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare.

The real problem is that Mbeki sees his utterances as mere tools in a
delicate political game. He should realise that each time he does this, he
disempowers himself by diluting the power of his public statements.

The Post (Lusaka)

December 20, 2003
Posted to the web December 22, 2003

Brigton Phiri
Lusaka

Dr. Kaunda has urged Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to "keep cool".

Commenting on Zimbabwe's pullout from the Commonwealth, Dr. Kaunda said
President Mugabe was a hero of genuine peace.

"The ugly faces in the Commonwealth which are against Zimbabwe's land
reforms will be defeated," Dr. Kaunda said. "I would advise my brother
Mugabe to keep cool."

He condemned the Commonwealth's failure to lift Zimbabwe's suspension from
the grouping which resulted in that country's withdrawal.

Dr. Kaunda advised Commonwealth member countries, which had reservations
with President Mugabe's leadership, to seek audience with him.

"If something is wrong with his tactics, go there and advise him on what you
think he has done wrong. He (Mugabe) will listen if you are genuine," Dr.
Kaunda said.

He said the black Zimbabweans' fight for land was due to the British
government's failure to honour its pledge of compensating the white farmers
whose farms were to be shared among indigenous Zimbabweans.

"The British government's conduct reminds me of my appointee to London as
High Commissioner, who described the British government then as a toothless
bulldog," Dr. Kaunda said. "We recognise that as a statement of fact. That
is more reason why when it came to fighting Ian Douglas Smith to release
Zimbabwean prisoners, we had to go to South Africa."

Dr. Kaunda said he expected President Mugabe to arrest Smith for committing
crimes against humanity.

"But Mugabe didn't. I am telling you, Mugabe didn't, but the unrepentant
Smith continued to insult the black led government," Dr. Kaunda said. "What
else can I see in this man (Mugabe), except for a hero of genuine peace and
Pan-Africanism."

He asked the Western countries to look at Zimbabwe's historical background,
which was characterised by the rider and horse style of leadership.

Dr. Kaunda said during the era of Cecil Rhodes and other white ëexploiters,
black Zimbabweans were thrown into the hills and mountains where they were
subjected to uncultivable lands.

"Blood was shed for their land. Let us run over that period," Dr. Kaunda
said. "Be sensible to ask yourselves who is a rider and the horse? The
whites were the riders while the blacks were the horses."

He said the white exploiters turned Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Southern
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi) into an apartheid territory and
deprived the indigenous people access to their natural resources.

Dr. Kaunda said the three states fought against the federation which was
imposed on them by the British government in 1953.

"After Zambia and Malawi attained independence, Smith thought of another mad
idea of declaring Southern Rhodesia a unilateral state for the white
settlers," Dr. Kaunda said.

He disclosed that the British government brought in Zimbabwe fighter planes
and placed warships on oceans near Zimbabwe to threaten any resistance of
the unilateral state.

"We, freedom fighters knew that all these were meaningless manoeuvres and
the white settlers saw through them," Dr. Kaunda said.

He said Smith locked up many freedom fighters, among them the late Joshua
Nkomo and President Mugabe, for leading a resistance to his illegal
government.

"Remember through this struggle thousands of black people were slaughtered
by the white settler forces," Dr. Kaunda said. "We succeeded. Thank God,
Zimbabwe was born."

Dr. Kaunda reminded the Tony Blair led government to revisit the outcome of
the Lancaster Conference on Zimbabwe.

"I convinced my dancing partner, then prime minister Margaret Thatcher
during the Commonwealth summit in Lusaka in 1979, to convene a conference on
Zimbabwe," he said.

Dr. Kaunda disclosed that he, together with the late Tanzanian president
Julius Nyerere and late Mozambican president Samora Machel, persuaded
President Mugabe and Nkomo after the two leaders expressed their
reservations with Thatcher's seriousness over the meeting.

"My brothers Mugabe and Nkomo came to tell me that they were not going to
London because they didn't believe that Thatcher was genuine. But thank God,
they rescinded their decision after we talked to them," he said.

Dr. Kaunda disclosed that Thatcher invited him to assist in case the black
Zimbabwean leaders became difficult on some issues.

"I owe it to Africa, so I went and I speak from my personal experience," he
said.

Dr. Kaunda disclosed that the conference resolved to suspend the discussion
over land for 10 years after Zimbabwe's independence.

He said the British government promised to scout for funds to buy land for
the white settlers who were not ready to share the land, which they occupied
illegally with the black people.

Dr. Kaunda said John Major's government carried on with the programme of
scouting for funds and passed on the same programme to the Blair government.

"We must ask what has gone wrong with the Blair government over the
programme?" Dr. Kaunda asked. "With this background don't demonise Mugabe."

President Mugabe in announcing Zimbabwe's pullout has maintained that his
government would not go back to the Commonwealth.


AP
Morgan Tsvangirai