Reuters
Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:34 AM GMT
By Cris
Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe is likely to sink deeper into crisis
in 2006 as
President Robert Mugabe continues hardline policies that have
gutted the
economy and isolated his government, analysts say.
The
southern African state is in the spotlight after plunging into a
political
and economic crisis five years ago that many critics blame on
Mugabe, its
only ruler since independence from Britain in 1980.
Analysts say although
Mugabe has consolidated his power this year with a big
victory in
parliamentary polls and the establishment of a new Senate
dominated by his
ruling ZANU-PF party, he still feels insecure and has
renewed a crackdown on
critics and opponents.
"I don't think anyone who is realistic is
expecting an improvement in
Zimbabwe's political, social and economic
environment in the coming year,"
said John Robertson, a private economic
consultant and a leading
commentator.
"We are expecting more of the
same, more political rhetoric in place of
practical pragmatic policies to
rescue the economy," he said. The economy
has shrunk by over 30 percent in
the last five years.
Mugabe, who turns 82 in February, says his
government is being undermined by
Western opponents led by former colonial
power Britain, and has vowed to
stay the course against "colonialists" and
"imperialists", a stance that has
won him some popularity in
Africa.
But critics say he has ruined the once-prosperous nation through
mismanagement and controversial policies including the chaotic seizure of
white-owned farms, a move advertised as benefiting landless blacks but which
ended up giving farms mostly to supporters of his ZANU-PF
party.
Agricultural output has fallen by over 60 percent since 2000 as an
extended
drought exacerbated the effects of the land seizures, leaving
millions
surviving on foreign food aid.
The veteran leader has over
the years introduced tough media and security
laws that have hobbled the
opposition, and analysts say he is showing signs
of getting
tougher.
In the last month, officials seized and eventually released the
passports of
three government critics under a new constitutional provision
that allows
the state to impose travel sanctions on "traitors".
"I
think Mugabe only feels secure when he is pursuing his opponents, and his
strategy is not to give them any breathing space to organise against him,"
said Eldred Masunungure, head of the University of Zimbabwe's political
science department.
"Unfortunately this strategy leaves little room
for compromise ... and he is
not likely to yield any ground," he
said.
ECONOMY IN TAILSPIN
International isolation and agricultural
problems look likely to worsen an
economy already in a
tailspin.
Unemployment is about 70 percent, inflation at over 500 percent
among the
world's highest, and the country is struggling with shortages of
food, fuel
and foreign currency.
The main opposition party, once seen
as the chief hope for change, is in
disarray amid serious factional
feuding.
Over the last two years, Mugabe's government has done just
enough to avoid
Zimbabwe's expulsion from the International Monetary Fund
over debt
repayments.
But Australia, the United States and the
European Union have imposed travel
and financial sanctions on Mugabe and his
political associates over
accusations of human rights abuses and
vote-rigging, while many Western
countries have quietly frozen aid to his
government.
But this has not dissuaded Mugabe at home or
abroad.
Earlier this year, Mugabe's government demolished shantytowns and
"illegal
houses" in a drive that the United Nations says left 700,000 people
homeless
in urban areas that are mostly opposition
strongholds.
Mugabe, who denies charges of mismanagement, is expected to
retire when his
term expires in 2008 but has kept both ordinary Zimbabweans
and his
lieutenants guessing over his chosen heir.
Analysts say
Mugabe has made strategic appointments to senior posts in party
and
government to ensure that loyal cadres are in place to guarantee both
continuity and a smooth exit -- a hint that Zimbabwe's confrontation with
the West will drag on.
30 Dec 2005 09:54:00 GMT
Source: International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) -
Switzerland
Tapiwa Gomo, Harare
There is no
festive mood in many communities is southern Africa as the more
than 12
million people struggle to access food, a simple basic human right.
Drought
has ravaged seven countries in southern Africa which left millions
of people
qualifying for food assistance. Despite the appeals launched by
many
humanitarian organisations, the response has not been satisfactory.
This
comes on top of extremely high HIV and AIDS prevalence in the region
which
been labelled as the epicentre of the pandemic. The prime generation
is been
wiped away leaving the elderly and young children looking after
themselves.
But in such difficult situations like the current drought, they
become even
more exposed as young girls and boys help their guardians and
parents to
raise money for food. "We can not think of the festive season
when we do not
have enough basic food to feed our families," says Mr. Medi
Suwedi of
Kaluunda Traditional Authority in Salima district in Malawi. Medi
and his
wife have been living with the virus for the last four years.
Availability
of food has been giving them enough energy to work for their
children. "This
year has been very difficult for us and I was bedridden for
several months
owing to lack of food. We don't have enough and I can't go to
the field as I
am and yet I am expected to work for the family." The
situation looks bleak
and gloomy for many families in the region. As many
donors and media
organizations focus their attention on the Asia disasters,
Sahel food crisis
and many others elsewhere, another slow onset human
catastrophe is brewing
in southern Africa. Over 30 people so far have been
reported to have died of
hunger related cause in Malawi, while in Zambia
people are already resorting
to poisonous wild fruits. The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies launched an appeal for 39
million Swiss francs (? 25.3
million/US$ 30 million) to assist 1.5 million
people in seven countries in
Southern Africa for nine months. The appeal
seeks to provide food,
agricultural support and safe drinking water to
people in Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and
Zimbabwe who are affected by
widespread drought and a food crisis. "We need
to act immediately to avoid a
tragic deterioration in an already alarming
situation," said Richard
Hunlede, head of the Africa Department at the
International Federation.
"Urgent humanitarian action is needed in Southern
Africa to assist people
caught up in the triple threat of a rising HIV and
AIDS rate, erratic
rainfall and weakened government capacity. With food
prices rising, many
families are simply not coping." The most worrying
factor in the region is
that, when there is a drought of this magnitude,
many young children
withdraw from school, whilst others resort to unorthodox
means of accessing
cash to buy food or food itself. This situation puts the
future of southern
Africa into oblivion.
MacBain Kanongodza, the Food Security manager for
the Red Cross says there
is usually high sexual activity in the boarders of
many countries in the
region as families will have exhausted their coping
mechanisms by selling
their household items. "It is in this view that we
fear that young children
will end up engaging in prostitution activities in
order to raise money for
food and when this happens, it only adds on to an
already precarious
emergency situation. This is why we are appealing for
immediate and adequate
support to stop this human catastrophe in southern
Africa." He also added
that it is important to note that the Red Cross in
its intervention is not
only addressing the food crisis in the region, but
is making an attempt to
promote community resilience in order to enable them
to cope with future
problems. An assessment by the International Federation
in August 2005 found
that people in Southern Africa most vulnerable to food
shortages are people
living with HIV and AIDS, households with orphans,
female-headed households,
people with disabilities and households headed by
older people. It is these
findings and the potential of HIV spreading more
during drought period owing
to slow response to the food insecurity appeal
that is worrying the Red
Cross in the region. The International Federation
appeal aims to meet the
immediate food needs of 1.5 million people until the
harvest of 2006, set up
food-for-work projects, restore self-reliance in
agriculture, ensure access
to safe water, and train Red Cross staff in each
country on livelihood and
food security. "We need to save lives now and do
what is necessary to
protect livelihoods in the long term," said Françoise
Le Goff, head of the
Southern Africa Regional Delegation in
Harare.
Zim Online
Sat 31 December 2005
HARARE - The African Commission on
Human and People's Rights (ACHPR)
has deferred to next year its ruling in a
case in which an exiled Zimbabwean
lawyer is suing the Harare authorities
for torture and other human rights
abuses.
Gabriel Shumba
appealed to the continental human rights watchdog after
being severely
tortured by Zimbabwe's state security agents in 2003. He says
the torture
violated the African charter on human and people's rights to
which Harare is
a signatory.
Shumba was represented during the hearings held
earlier this month at
the ACHPR headquarters in Banjul, The Gambia, by
United States human rights
lawyer, David Padilla while Loice Matanda-Moyo
defended the Zimbabwe
government.
In a letter addressed to
Shumba, who now lives in exile in South
Africa, Omari Holaki, a senior
official at the ACHPR said his organisation
would make a ruling on the case
next May.
"The Secretariat of the African
Commission wishes to inform you that
at its 38th Ordinary Session held in
Banjul, The Gambia, from 21st November
to 5th December 2005, the African
Commission considered the above matter and
deferred further consideration on
admissibility to its 39th Ordinary
Session," read Holaki's letter, shown to
ZimOnline.
Shumba wants the ACHPR to censure President Robert
Mugabe's government
for violating several sections of the African Charter on
Human and People's
Rights which bar the use of torture. He also wants the
Harare authorities to
compensate him for the pain that he went
through.
The Zimbabwean lawyer also wants state security agents
found guilty of
perpetrating the torture punished. Shumba was subjected to
electric shocks
and forced to drink his own urine by Zimbabwe's feared state
security agents
after he was detained for representing an opposition for
Movement for
Democratic Change legislator Job Sikhala.
He fled
to South Africa after failing to get justice in Zimbabwe.
If the
human rights watchdog rules in Shumba's favour, the case might
result in
more public humiliation for Mugabe and increase international
pressure for
the veteran Zimbabwean leader to embrace democratic reforms.
If the
Zimbabwean government is found guilty in the matter, the ACHPR,
the judicial
arm of the African Union, will forward the matter to the
African Union heads
of government to censure the Harare authorities.
But it is still to
be seen whether the African Union can muster enough
courage to defend the
rights of common citizenry after fiercely ganging up
to defend Mugabe at
international fora.
Human rights groups accuse Mugabe of
perpetrating serious human rights
abuses against his political opponents in
a bid to hold on to power. But
Mugabe denies the charges insisting they are
trumped up by Britain and the
MDC in a bid to tarnish his image. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Sat 31 December 2005
BEITBRIDGE - Scanning equipment worth
billions of dollars acquired
earlier this year from China is lying idle at
Beitbridge border post after
it packed up creating chaos at the busy border
post.
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) employees have since
November been
forced to physically inspect cross-border haulage trucks and
buses crossing
into South Africa, one of Zimbabwe's biggest trading
partners.
A strike by workers on the South African side which
fizzled out last
week, had worsened the chaos at the border post as long
distance truck
drivers battled to have their trucks cleared at one of
Zimbabwe's busiest
exit and entry points.
A source at Zimra
complained that the Chinese-made equipment had not
been serviced since it
came into the country last July.
"The (scanning) equipment at
Beitbridge has not been serviced ever
since it came into the country hence
the faults. We have now resorted to
physically inspecting the trucks, which
is very tedious.
"When the machine initially went down in November,
we were told that
some experts would fly in from China but they have not
come. It might be
that there is no foreign currency to pay them," said the
source.
Contacted for comment, Zimra boss Gershom Pasi said: "I
cannot be
expected to know every detail of what is happening at Zimra, it is
not a
family company. In any case, if a machine is down would that be an
issue?"
A cross-border bus driver told ZimOnline on Tuesday that
they were now
spending more time at the border post waiting to be cleared.
He said the
scanning equipment had helped speed up the clearing
process.
"But of late that has not been the case, we can be here
for up to six
hours waiting for our trucks to be inspected," he
said.
President Robert Mugabe has over the past few years
vigourously
pursued a "Look-East" policy focusing mainly on the Chinese
after falling
out with traditional business partners in the West over his
failure to
uphold democracy and human rights abuses. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
Sat 31 December
2005
BANKET - Zimbabwe police on Tuesday arrested and severely
tortured a
senior member of the main opposition youth assembly, Nominate
White, for
allegedly addressing an "illegal" political meeting in
Banket.
White was detained for two nights in Banket, a small
farming town
about 95km north-west of Harare, for allegedly addressing a
political
meeting at Mazvikadei Resort.
The opposition activist
is scheduled to appear in court on January 10
next year. He will be charged
under the tough Public Order and Security Act
(POSA) which makes it an
offence to address political meetings without first
seeking clearance from
the police.
The spokesman for the MDC who is also the party's
national youth
chairman, Nelson Chamisa, confirmed the incident and said his
party had
already raised the matter with the police and human rights
groups.
"White was arrested on Tuesday and subjected to incessant
torture at
the hands of the police and ZANU PF militia. We are raising the
matter with
the relevant government organs and human rights organisations
locally and
internationally," said Chamisa.
Contacted for
comment yesterday, police spokesperson Chief
Superintendent Oliver
Mandipaka, said: "We have not received that
information but I will check
with our Banket station. At this moment I
cannot comment until I check with
the officers involved."
Human rights groups accuse Zimbabwe's
police of torturing President
Robert Mugabe's political opponents. They also
accuse the police of
selectively applying the country's tough security laws
against the
opposition. - ZimOnline
Mayor Shoko of Chitungwiza was suspended today at 4pm our Zim time. He has been
in and out of hiding in the last few months. His very life has been
consistently threatened
by the ruling party recent months. Like his
colleagues, Harare and Mutare Mayors, Shoko had finally uncovered serious
anomalies and corruption scams by ruling party and government officials which
led to their Councils failing to build sewerage and other essential community
services for the people.
Mayor Shoko MDC popularly elected, is a war
veteran with a solid political activism record from an early age. He joins Mayor
Elias Mudzuri of Harare and the other popularly elected mayors such as Mutare's,
who have also been stripped of their posts by the ruling party.
For several
months now, Mayor Shoko has been threatened with removal from his position by
several ruling party leaders and lately by the president of Zimbabwe himself.
He has been arrested recently and kept in custody for several days for no
apparent reason. Mayor Shoko was hamstrung by the state and failed to implement
the people driven development project for Chitungwiza which he created with the
people of Chitungwaza.
He will be sadly missed by his constituency in
which he remains popular.
This act by the state exposes even more clearly
the farce about participation in elections. The Mayors around Zimbabwe won
their posts by a wide margin. They were popularly elected only to be denied the
opportunity to work and later to be removed by the ruling party and government,
one by one.
Sekai Holland
Harare
29.12.2005
Jobert Mudzumwe, the MDC Secretary for
Local Government was also organiser for the Commercial Workers Union (CWUZ)
until he was sacked recently for failing to obey a lawful order and for several
corruption charges. Mudzumwe was summoned to appear before the Union's
disciplinary committee to answer these charges but failed to appear. His case
was heard in his abscence as no apology was received from him by the date of
hearing. He was found guilty as charged and sacked. Four days after the verdict
was reached and communicated to him by the Union, Mudzumwe took his employers to
court.
This morning the CWUZ leadership travelled to Masvingo for the
hearing, as set. After the postponement of the case to a later date some of the
Union leadership returned to their office to receive the keys from Mudzumwe as
agreed. What followed was not the intended handover takeover exercise. Instead
Jobert Mudzumwe viciously attacked Councillor Misheck Gapare, who is also the
CWUZ Regional representative on the Union's Executive Committee. Mr Gapare was
taken to a doctor for urgent treament. The matter has been reported to the
Masvingo police.
This is not the first time that Jobert Mudzumwe has been
involved in violence. On July 17 this year the CWUZ Secretary General Lucia
Gladys Matibenga was attacked by a group of 20 of her Union's staff, who broke
her left arm in two places. Councillor Gapare was also viciously attacked in the
same incident by those men. Jobert Mudzumwe was one in that group of male
attackers. The Masvingo province MDC structures on receiving that report at that
time reported the incident as widely as they could. However these and other
reports of violence were ignored by the MDC disciplinary committee, chaired at
that time by the Vice President Gibson Sibanda, who always, protected those that
commited violence in the party but he perceived to be in his camp. That is the
situation today.
The pro senate group always talks about violence
selectively. Jobert Mudzumwe threw his lot in with the pro senate group from the
start. In their current dealings, he it is, they have in their disciplinary
committee, which has twice attempted to expel the MDC President Morgan
Tsvangirai. The MDC Disciplinary Committee approved by the National Council
chaired by the Vice President always included Dr Tichaona Mudzingwa, Mrs Ena
Chitsa who was seconded to that Committee by the Women's Assembly, Innocent
Gonese and Jobert Mudzumwe. Ms Yvonne Mahlunge was also a member but is abroad
at the moment. While Dr Mudzingwa was removed as Secretary for Security he
remains a member of the Disciplinary Committee. For the pro senate group's
urgent Court application to remove the MDC President, members of the party's
Disciplinary Committee except Jobert Mudzumwe, wrote affidavits stating that
they had not been invited to attend that Disciplinary Committee meeting which
again according to that group, had been chaired by the Vice President to remove
the party President.
Sekai Holland
Harare
29.12.2005
By
Tererai Karimakwenda
30 December 2005
The African
Commission on Human and People's Rights adopted a
resolution on Zimbabwe at
their 38th Ordinary Session which met in Banjul,
the Gambia from November to
December 2005. Intense lobbying by human rights
organizations and
individuals who attended the session seems to have paid
off. The resolution
calls on the Zimbabwe government to comply with
recommendations made by the
African Commission itself in 2002, as well as
those included in reports by
the United Nations special envoys who condemned
the demolitions of Operation
Murambatsvina in 2005. It also calls on the
government to allow access to
organizations wishing to assist the victims of
this operation, and to
prosecute those responsible immediately.
Arnold Tsunga, Executive
Director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights described it as one of the
most critical resolutions on Zimbabwe by
an African institution set up by
African Heads of State. And he wondered
whether Zimbabwe might be turning
the corner. Tsunga assigned much
importance to this particular resolution
because it came from a group of
independent experts who were appointed by
the heads of state to make sure
member states adhere to standards defined in
the African Charter on Human
and People's Rights. He told us on Friday that
if the heads of state appear
to be weak or impotent, they could jeopardize
their bargaining power with
other international institutions.
The Commission said it was deeply concerned by the continued
undermining of
the independence of the judiciary through defiance of court
orders,
harassment and intimidation of independent judges and the executive
ouster
of the jurisdiction of the courts.
Regarding operation
Murambatsvina, the Commission was alarmed by the
number of internally
displaced persons and the violations of fundamental
individual and
collective rights resulting from the forced evictions being
carried out by
the government of Zimbabwe.
The African Union was urged to renew
the mandate of the African Union
Envoy to Zimbabwe to investigate the human
rights implications and
humanitarian consequences of the mass evictions and
demolitions.
As for what's next, Tsunga said procedurally, the
heads of state will
have to adopt The Commission's resolution as their own
at the next meeting
which is scheduled for the end of January or early
February 2006. Once they
adopt it, the heads of state will then have to act
to pressure Zimbabwe to
comply. Asked what options they have, Tsunga said
the problem with
multilateral institutions is that they don't have the
mandate to force
member states to cooperate. They can only rely on the
deviant members to
accept these resolutions. Tsunga is optimistic that this
time the heads of
state will act on Zimbabwe as they do not want to be seen
as being
ineffective and unable to rein in one of their own. The excuse that
African
states should deal with African problems no longer applies in this
case.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Lance Guma
30
December 2005
Zimbabwe's opposition has called on its supporters to
confront Robert
Mugabe's regime in the New Year arguing this was the only
feasible way of
removing him from power. That call has found resonance with
civic society
leaders in the country who also firmly believe the economic
crisis and Zanu
PF's own infighting are an ideal opportunity to effect
democratic change.
An Advocacy Officer for the Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition, Itayi
Zimunya says it is now generally accepted elections only
create an
opportunity for Mugabe to claim legitimacy when in fact he is
rigging them.
Although he conceded that the infighting in the opposition
ranks would make
the task a bit harder, there was room for both parties to
make up and fight
Mugabe.
He cited the fact that civil servants
are living below the poverty
datum line as one of the key reasons the regime
might not be able to last
the year. Zimunya urged all civic society and
opposition groups to put up a
united front in fighting for
change.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
News24
30/12/2005 20:00 -
(SA)
Harare - Seven people have died from an outbreak of cholera
in southern
Zimbabwe, with more than 100 others sick from the water-borne
disease, the
health minister said on Friday.
Speaking on state radio,
Health Minister David Parirenyatwa advised
residents suffering from symptoms
of cholera against travelling outside the
Chikomba area, about 180km south
of Harare.
Chikomba and surrounding "areas have had a cholera outbreak
with 114 people
being affected by cholera and we have registered seven
deaths so far," the
minister said.
"We are setting up two camps in
Chikomba to make sure people who have had
watery diarrhoea, sometimes with
vomiting, very severe diarrhoea ... not
travel outside that district," he
said.
Zimbabwe has had almost annual cholera outbreaks, from around
November
through March during the country's peak rainfall season.
A
highly contagious and potentially fatal disease, cholera thrives in
conditions of poor hygiene and inadequate water supplies. It is generally
caused by using dirty water for drinking and cooking.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror
Reporter
issue date :2005-Dec-31
PARENTS have voiced their concerns
over an impending rise in school fees for
2006 that is coupled with high
prices of school uniforms and stationery.
Investigations by The Daily Mirror
yesterday revealed that most boarding
secondary schools would be charging at
least $13 million from about $4
million while day scholars at public
institutions would pay over $2 million
up from under $1 million per term
next year, representing hikes upward of
200 percent.
Most of the parents
who spoke to this newspaper expressed disappointment
over the school fees
hikes and called on the Ministry of Education to
intervene and cushion
them.
The parents also bemoaned the increase in school uniform prices as
being
equally exorbitant, making education an extremely expensive
investment.
"This is just too much. You cannot imagine how a parent will cope
if he or
she has more than one child at a boarding school. How much would
the parent
be earning anyway?" queried Tonderai Nyakujara from Marimba who
said he
would have to pay $12 million for his daughter going into first
grade at
Tynwald Primary School.
Another parent who identified himself
only as Diego from Avondale said he
had been asked to pay $15,8 million up
from about $4 million for his child
at Waddilove Primary School in
Marondera.
Boarding scholars at Chaplin and Thornhill High schools in Gweru
would be
expected to pay $12,8 million, up from $4 million. Day scholars at
the same
schools would have to fork out $5,8 million up from $2,8 million
last year.
Regina Mundi High boarding scholars in Gweru would have to pay
over $12
million up from about $3 million while those at David Livingstone
Primary
school in Harare are expected to pay $1,6 million, up from $400
000.
Arundel Girls High boarding scholars will have to pay $80 million while
weekly boarders at the same school would have to part with $60 million up
from just over $10 million. Day scholars would be expected to churn out
$40 million.
Another disgruntled parent who refused to be named said the
high boarding
and private school fees coupled with expensive uniforms would
force many
parents to transfer their children to less fashionable public
schools which
were perceived as having low pass rates.
"The school
authorities say the prices of food and other basics for the
scholars have
also gone up, but they should also understand
that our income has not
changed and if it changes, the margin will be very
insignificant.
The
minister should a least say something, otherwise we will have to
transfer
our children to public schools," she said.
The parent, whose child is a
primary scholar, listed down the value of items
she required for the new
term beginning January 10.
According to the list, a uniform dress costs $1
million, a pair of
conventional school shoes $1,2 million; a pair of
stockings; $250 000, a
satchel; $200 000, four A4 exercise books valued at
$30 000 each, a pen for
$20 000.
Besides those items, a scholar could
also require a hat, a jersey, a blazer,
a tie and a set of
sportswear.
Although efforts to contact either Education minister Aenias
Chigwedere or
his Permanent Secretary Stephen Mahere were fruitless, the
government is not
legally empowered to determine fees charged in private
education
institutions.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Dec-31
THREE
police officers allegedly solicited for a $700 000 bribe from two
rural bus
conductors at Mbare Musika Bus Terminus who they had arrested for
overcharging.
The conductors blew the whistle on police officers Douglas
Chiripanyanga,
James Chimombe and Daniel Mumba who had demanded the bribe to
allow the
concerned buses to exit the country's biggest rank. The cops were
arrested
for corruption and spent Christmas in custody before they appeared
before
Harare magistrate Sandra Makweche who granted them $500 000 bail each
on
Wednesday. Mumba was arrested separately, but on similar charges of
graft.
Prosecutor Partson Nyazamba alleged that last Thursday, Chiripanyanga
and
Chimombe, attached to the Mbare traffic police section, were on patrol
at
the bus terminus.
They allegedly stopped a Musanhu Company bus that
was about to leave for its
destination. The cops then discovered that
conductor Brian Zvidzai was
overcharging. They allegedly took him to the
guardroom that is used for
paying fines and issuing of receipts.
The law
enforcers allegedly demanded $400 000 from Zvidzai whom they also
ordered to
leave without issuing him a receipt.
Feeling shortchanged, Zvidzai informed
one Sergeant Chindito and Makonese
who then confronted Chiripanyanga and
Chimombe. They carried out a body
search on the two suspects and
Chiripanyanga was found with $6,2 million and
Chimombe had $815 000. Both
failed to account for that money.
According to standing rules, whenever a
police detail is deployed anywhere,
he must declare all the money in his or
her possession before going out.
Zakaria Magogo of the Police Internal and
Security Intelligence (PISI) later
arrested Mumba after observing Farai
Mharakurwa, a conductor with Vazungu
Bus Company, exiting the
guardroom.
Mharakurwa should have paid a $1,5 million fine for overcharging,
but when
he failed to raise the required amount Mumba allegedly demanded
$300 000 to
enable the bus to leave the terminus.
Magogo and one
Constable Marufu then reportedly searched Mumba and found $1
080 000 on him.
He also failed to satisfactorily explain the origin of
money.
Mumba also
had $1,6 million that was receipted. According to court papers,
some police
details were deployed at the bus terminus to clamp down on
alleged rampant
corrupt activities there by people including cops.
Last week the
officer-in-charge of Highfield Police Camp clinic was arrested
on
allegations of stealing drugs and equipment worth $50 million.
Webson Wadawo
has since been granted $1,5 million bail and was ordered back
to court on
January 13 for routine remand hearing. At the beginning of the
month, two
police officers were arrested and charged with corruption after
allegedly
confiscating 54 pirated CDs valued at $2,5 million from a suspect.
Clotty
Nhema and Saul Chipuriro based at Milton Park and Central Police
Stations,
were granted $2 million bail each.
Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri
recently blasted corrupt officers
saying the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)
would deal accordingly with the
offenders.
SERENDIPITY ISLAND
I like watching those end-of-year reviews on the
various news channels.
Invariably it is the bad news of disasters, man made
such as the London
Bombings or natural such as the earthquake in Pakistan
and India that make
for the bulk of the defining moments. Speaking of
defining moments, I
remember walking into a concert at HIFA last year with a
group of friends
and one of them said: "I have a feeling this will be a
defining moment but
the problem with defining moments is they rarely
announce themselves." I
have always wanted to use that quote.
Back to
the disasters, one disaster that came late in the previous year and
whose
effects were carried on into the New Year was the Boxing Day tsunami
that
swept away the lives of just over two hundred and fifty thousand
people. My
take on disasters is not only to learn from them once the
grieving is done
but, in addition, to look for the triumph of the human
spirit in them. I
think I learnt to appreciate this in a deeper sense after
finally making my
pilgrimage to Robben island years ago but I am beginning
to
digress.
So there I was switching between CNN and SKY (it is difficult to
tear one's
eyes away from Andrea Koppel) when I settled on a piece that was
relieving
the Tsunami on SKY. I listened and watched in admiration to the
story of the
Doctor and his assistant who stayed the course and delivered a
baby by
caesarian section, complete with sewing up the operation wound of
the mother
before snatching up mother and daughter and fleeing the killer
waves. All
this was accomplished while people ran in and out of the
operating theatre
screaming that the sea had gone crazy and was coming,
urging them to flee
and in the midst of a total blackout that would make
ZESA look like angels.
The Doctor simply found a flashlight and with his
loyal assistant by his
side telling the patient not to be afraid, delivered
a baby girl named
Angela. Incredible.
Simply incredible. Not really
when you really come to think of it. That is
the way it should be.
Throughout history, we have heard of heroic efforts by
mankind. At a time
when fleeing the scene and escaping is forgivable,
exceptional men and women
have stayed the course and have lit candles
instead of cursing the darkness
of prejudice (Rosa Parks and Jesse Owens),
oppression (Nelson Mandela),
violence (Ghandi), collaboration (Schindler),
poverty (Pele), destruction
(Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita) and a millennium
of other
examples.
There is nothing incredible about these people except that they
had the back
bone to face their circumstances and face them head on. Their
backgrounds
were in most likelihood much worse than ours, the challenges
fiercer and
more daunting and yet they did not shirk from
responsibility.
It is easy to say, I know, for whom among us does not get
tempted to leave
on a daily basis? But somebody has to stay and help lift
this great country,
help to deliver a new baby economy as the good Sri
Lankan Doctor did on
Serendipity Island. I was too stunned and impressed by
his work, I could not
leave the room to fetch a pen and take his name down.
It was something close
to Surasinghe and I am embarrassed not to have to
give you his full name for
he is an unassuming man. According to SKY, his
colleagues did not know the
full story of his and his assistant's heroic
feat until the day of the
interview.
There are plenty of unassuming
people in Zimbabwe doing great work for the
future of this country. Great
work that must be shared to encourage others
and I hope you are one of them
and that you are helping to light a flaming
torch, instead of cursing the
darkness. Bring on 2006!
Life rewards action.
Albert Gumbo
28
December 2005.
By Tererai Karimakwenda
30 December
2005
Zimbabweans have been acquiring passports from Malawi for a
long time
now because the process was simple and success was almost always
guaranteed.
And as the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe has dragged
on for
years now, the Malawi route had become an oasis for many trying to
escape to
South Africa or across the oceans to Europe and America. The
current prime
minister is not having it though. Bingu Wa Mutharika has
turned out to be an
important ally of Robert Mugabe in many ways. Not only
did Zimbabwe provide
him with his wife Ethel, but security at Malawi's state
house as well as
food preparation is now in the hands of Zimbabweans. The 2
countries are
reported to be sharing intelligence information now regarding
the flow of
refugees between them and monitoring the activities of various
organisations.
Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa has crossed the
border a few times
over the Christmas holidays and he reports that it is now
more difficult for
Zimbabweans to get Malawian passports. He said many
asylum seekers had been
deported in the last few weeks and some immigration
officials at Mwanza
border post were fired this month for corruption
involving Zimbabwean
refugees. Muchemwa said it is largely believed that
Mutharika has introduced
more stringent measures at the border aimed at
keeping out Zimbabweans
attempting to cross over. There has been an increase
in interrogations and
deportations at the border.
The Malawian
prime minister is currently in Zimbabwe on his way back
from Tanzania.
Muchemwa speculates the visit was intended to further
strengthen his bond
with Mugabe. He added that it is a well-known fact
several Zimbabwean state
agents had changed their names and acquired
Malawian passports. As we
reported earlier this month, agents from Malawi
are also being trained in
Zimbabwe by intelligence officials and the army.
SW
Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
By Tererai Karimakwenda
30 December
2005
Activist, poet and secretary general of the Progressive
Teachers Union
of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe is still without a passport
after state agents
seized it from him at Harare Airport earlier this month.
He has made one
attempt to get it back and he told us on Friday that it was
a fruitless
mission that led him to decide not to try again. Majongwe said
he visited
the immigration office last week and was told to go get his
passport from
officials at Harare Airport. But these officials were not
present when he
arrived at the airport, and he was told to go back to
immigration. This
Majongwe refuses to do. He said he does not need the
seized documents
urgently and will not lose sleep over them.
Majongwe is considered a threat by the government having led several
demonstrations and produced numerous protest music and poetry albums. He
told reporters just after the incident that he was not intimidated by all
this and was in fact inspired by the fact that the government regards him as
an influential figure in the democratisation process. And he told us the
passport is not his voice and he does not need it for survival. Majongwe
also laughed at the whole affair, saying he will still be able to eat his
sadza with the expensive meat now available and go to sleep with a clean
conscience because he has not committed any
crime.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Trumpet, UK
WORLDWATCH: AFRICA February 2006
Many worry that South
Africa is traveling the same destructive path as
its northern neighbor
Zimbabwe. Having long suffered from problems similar
to those in
Zimbabwe-including crime, corruption and economic woes-South
Africa now
appears intent on following in its footsteps politically. In late
November
2005, those concerns rose another notch as South Africa and
Zimbabwe
strengthened defense and intelligence ties.
South African
Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils "praised Zimbabwe's
'advances and
successes' in the 25 years since its independence from
Britain. He said the
two countries shared a 'common world view' and would
'march forward shoulder
to shoulder'" (cnn, Nov. 17, 2005).
Zimbabwe has "advanced" in many
ways: for instance, its land seizure
program has advanced to the stage where
there is virtually no white
ownership of farms in Zimbabwe. Consequently,
its food-shortage issue has
also reached the advanced stage-nearly one third
of the population is
severely short on food. Last year, Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe was
able to use "advanced" technology to block his political
opponents from
broadcasting their speeches in the lead-up to elections.
Official returns
showed that the number of votes received had advanced past
the number cast,
something that could never be accomplished in a fair
election. Inflation is
currently over 400 percent, far more "advanced" than
most nations.
When questioned about South Africa's support of a
country so obviously
opposed to human rights, Minister Kasrils responded:
"[W]e are indebted to
our neighbor for achieving freedom and liberty. This
will never ever be
forgotten by the people of South Africa" (ibid.).
Zimbabwe has South Africa's
unapologetic support, and Robert Mugabe is
considered a hero by many in
South Africa.
Human rights abuses,
unfair elections and land seizures seem destined
to become the norm in South
Africa next.