http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 21:19
PF
Zapu veterans in Zanu PF have threatened a showdown at the party's
congress
opening on Wednesday if President Robert Mugabe rejects their
choice for the
party chairmanship.
Mugabe last week made a stunning summersault on
the nomination of Zimbabwe's
Ambassador to South Africa Simon Khaya Moyo by
the majority of Zanu PF
provinces after his lieutenants challenged the
selection process.
Zanu PF sources said Mugabe was pressured to take
the position that might
threaten the very foundation of the troubled party
after Defence Minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa made it clear that he would never
consider Moyo as his
boss.
Current Zanu PF chairman Didymus
Mutasa has also been protesting publicly
about the alleged flouting of
procedures for the nomination, which he said
favoured PF Zapu
people.
The latest developments mean Mutasa and Mnangagwa have been
thrown a life
line to launch fresh bids for the
chairmanship.
Speaking in Manicaland last week Mugabe said it was
only the post of
Vice-President won by John Nkomo that had been
settled.
His statements contradicted pronouncements by senior Zanu PF
officials such
as Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, Angeline Masuku and Richard Ndlovu who
have taken
issue with Mutasa for trying to seek nomination for a post they
say must be
reserved for former PF Zapu members.
The say it is an
unwritten rule from the 1987 Unity Accord that two posts in
the presidium
should always be reserved for former PF Zapu.
"When we discussed the
issue of candidates to fill in the post left vacant
by the late Cde (Joseph)
Msika we urged the Matabeleland region to hold
consultations and nominate a
candidate who would be presented to the
provinces," Mugabe was quoted as
saying by the state media.
"This was duly done with the nomination of
Cde Nkomo as Vice-President of
the party.
"We however did not put
up the chairmanship for discussion and we were even
surprised to read
through the media of Cde Khaya Moyo's nomination as
national
chairman.
"We are surprised that some people rushed to make
announcements in the
media."
Moyo was chosen by a caucus of
former PF Zapu leaders who met before the
nominations that had a record
number of contestants.
Mugabe said Manicaland was free to lobby for
its candidate ahead of the
congress, in what was seen as an open endorsement
of Mutasa.
However, several Zanu PF officials who spoke to The
Standard yesterday said
they were waiting for Mugabe to repeat his
statements at a politburo meeting
scheduled for tomorrow.
The
matter was deferred from last week's politburo meeting because Richard
Ndlovu, the deputy commissar was in Namibia.
"We are waiting for
Monday," said a politburo member. "Mugabe is playing
with fire. he can only
go ahead with the decision to block Moyo if he is no
longer interested in
the Unity Accord.
"I don't see the matter being resolved at the
politburo meeting and we are
sharpening our knives for the congress because
it appears they want to call
for nominations from the floor, something which
is unprecedented.
"Just call me after the politburo meeting on Monday
and you will get the
best story ever written about Zanu PF."
The
official said Mnangagwa was now the favourite to land the chairmanship,
which might come as a consolation after his faction was trounced by the
rival Mujuru faction during the nominations.
"If they say Moyo
was not nominated procedurally then we will have to
mobilize Matabeleland
provinces to revise their endorsement of Mugabe for
the presidency," said
another official.
Mugabe was nominated by all the other provinces
unopposed while his deputy
Joice Mujuru was initially rejected by Masvingo
province, which chose Women's
League boss, Opphah
Muchinguri.
However, Masvingo was forced to reverse the nomination
after Mujuru won in
other provinces.
There are reports Muchinguri
has not abandoned her bid and might surprise
Mujuru at the congress by
seeking nominations from the floor.
Zanu PF is already weakened in
Matabeleland after former politburo member
Dumiso Dabengwa led several
senior party members to revive Zapu.
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 21:02
SOUTH
African President Jacob Zuma's facilitation team will return tomorrow
following indications that the feuding parties in the unity government are
making progress towards the resolution of outstanding issues in the Global
Political Agreement (GPA).
Negotiators from Zanu PF and the two
formations of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) have reportedly found
common ground on media reforms
and the appointment of provincial
governors.
Sources said an "important" announcement was in the offing this
week once
the negotiators brief their principals President Robert Mugabe,
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara.
The negotiators were meeting the whole day yesterday and
the sources said
they were in agreement on a number of issues except on the
position of
President Robert Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba.
MDC-T
wants Charamba to be stopped from issuing divisive statements, which
they
say threaten the unity government.
This is one of a range of thorny
disputes that have emerged since the
formation of the unity government in
February this year.
There were reports that Zuma was also preparing
to visit Zimbabwe this week
to nudge the parties to conclude their talks in
line with a Southern African
Development Community (Sadc) time frame but his
international advisor
Lindiwe Zulu dismissed the speculation as
untrue.
Zulu, who along with Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj were
recently appointed
by Zuma to replace former President Thabo Mbeki's
facilitation team, said it
was only the facilitators who were returning for
a more comprehensive
assessment of the negotiations.
"I do not
know where the story of the president is coming from," she said.
"The
President appointed a facilitation team, and that team is going back to
Zimbabwe to get a fuller report. We are coming over on
Monday."
Despite the list of outstanding issues reported to be
growing longer, Zulu
said from their preliminary visit a week ago, they were
convinced there was
progress.
"They are covering up the issues,"
she said. "They have been doing the best
that they can.
"We are
comfortable with the fact they have been talking since we left. All
those
meetings have been successful.
"I don't want to get into those issues
(details of the outstanding issues
and the expanding list), it's their
issues.
"Whether they are expanding or not, the most important thing
is that they
are meeting and making progress."
Zulu said Zuma
could not make an assessment of the progress so far.
"He cannot be
making any assessment now because we are still to give him a
report.
"I cannot say when that will happen, because before we
even get the report,
the negotiators will have to present it to their
principals.
"We will also receive the full report after the
negotiators have met their
principals."
She said progress should
not be measured by the number of issues resolved so
far, but through the
commitment of all the parties.
"In our first visit, we came at a time
when they had just started their
meetings.
"The fact that they
have been meeting since we left gives us confidence that
they are making
progress."
"The problem is not just about outstanding issues; it is about
dealing with
the challenge that is currently in Zimbabwe."
After
receiving a report from the facilitators, Zuma will the consult
Mozambican
President Armando Guebuza, the chairman of the Sadc Organ on
Politics,
Defence and Security on the way forward.
BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE AND
KHOLWANI NYATHI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 20:56
UNITED Nations (UN)
assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs and
deputy emergency
relief co-ordinator, Catherine Bragg is expected in the
country today ahead
of the launch the 2010 Consolidated Appeal for Zimbabwe
tomorrow. The appeal
is likely to show an improvement in the humanitarian
situation for the first
time in almost a decade.
The UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) said
Bragg who last visited the country in
February will also meet senior
government officials and stakeholders in the
humanitarian sector in addition
to field visits.
Fernando Arroyo,
the OCHA representative said Zimbabwe would be appealing
for less funding
next year because of a marked improvement in the country's
humanitarian
situation following the formation of a unity government in
February.
Arroyo said at its launch in November last year the
initial CAP requirement
for 2009 was US$550 million but ballooned to US$719
million during the
mid-year review in June this year.
This, he
said was largely because of needs in the areas of food aid,
agriculture,
water, education as well as sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
activities.
But owing to some improvements in the country's
humanitarian situation and
economy, among many other reasons, Arroyo said
funding for Zimbabwe's 2010
CAP had gone down significantly and is expected
to be nearly 50 % of last
year's requirements.
"This year, the
needs have reduced for various reasons such as improved
agriculture and some
investment in WASH infrastructure.
"For instance, as a direct result
of improved agriculture, the number of
people requiring food aid during the
peak hunger period from January to
March is expected to fall from 7.1
million this year to about 1.9 million in
2010," Arroyo
said.
"Further, there have been changes in the economy. For
instance, the
introduction of multiple currencies has helped to curb
hyperinflation.
"In addition, payment of salaries in foreign currency
has meant an
improvement in the capacity to purchase some basic commodities,
which was
not the case during the hyper-inflationary
environment."
But while acknowledging the positive developments,
Arroyo said it was
important to note that some sections of the population
remained vulnerable
and in need of humanitarian assistance.
He
said the process of establishing the vulnerability levels and
humanitarian
needs in a country before an appeal was made were very
thorough.
"The process of determining the needs of a country is
very consultative and
involves stakeholders such as the government, UN
agencies and
non-governmental organisations involved in humanitarian work,"
Arroyo said.
Zimbabwe's poverty worsened after the economy registered
negative growth for
several years owing to retrogressive policies by
President Robert Mugabe's
previous administration.
BY BERTHA
SHOKO
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 20:54
HESTER Theron, the
elderly mother of Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU)
president, Deon Theron,
who was facing eviction from her farm, has won a
temporary reprieve after
she successfully launched a High Court appeal
against a magistrates' court
ruling. The 79-year-old Theron filed an urgent
appeal against Harare
magistrate Archie Wochiunga's ruling last month
ordering her to vacate her
dairy and beef holding, Fridenthal Farm, in
Beatrice.
Wochiunga
also slapped Theron with a three-month jail sentence with labour
for
refusing to vacate a farm she has owned for over 50 years.
However,
the sentence was wholly suspended for five years on condition she
vacates
the farm by December 8.
But Theron's lawyer, Godfrey Mamvura of
Scanlen & Holderness, appealed at
the High Court against both the
judgment and sentence.
High Court Judge, Justice Joseph Musakwa, said
Theron should not be evicted
from her farm until her application has been
heard.
Deon said they were happy with Musakwa's judgment, as the rule
of law had
been upheld.
"For now we are happy, the law has been
applied properly and my mother will
be staying at the farm until the
application we filed at the High Court has
been heard,' he
said.
Fridenthal produces milk from a herd of 400 cows. There are
also 200 sheep
and nine breeding crocodiles on the farm.
Deon
also said commercial farmers were failing to plant their crops due to
the
escalation of violence and disturbances on the farms, which would result
in
the nation failing to produce enough food to feed itself during the
2009/10
farming season.
Several white commercial farmers are facing eviction
from their farms as
President Robert Mugabe's loyalists grab some of the
country's most
productive farmland.
Zimbabwe has paid
compensation for about 3% of the 6 500 white-owned farms
it has seized under
its land reform programme.
According to a report tabled at a recent
World Bank-sponsored conference,
the "reforms" have drastically reduced the
area of land under cultivation by
500 000 hectares, while land under
irrigation has declined to 139 500
hectares.
BY OUR
STAFF
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 19:39
THE
Attorney-General’s office has stopped the prosecution of the Bindura
Provincial Hospital acting medical superintendent who was facing 135 counts
of corruption amid claims the case could have exposed Zanu PF big wigs.
Beauty Basile was left to go scot-free after her trial was stopped midway
following the intervention of the AG’s office.
This was after she
was taken to court on charges that she converted 90 000
litres of fuel to
her personal use.
Basile was also accused of issuing fuel to
undeserving hospital staff and
flouting tender procedures by awarding
tenders to Medwise Pharmacy owned by
her friend, and Cypred Pvt Ltd owned by
a former hospital worker only
identified as Kamuriwo for the supply of
drugs.
However, officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission who had
unearthed the
alleged graft were left fuming last week after a letter from
the AG’s office
signed by chief law officer Michael Mugabe, ordered the
trial of Basile to
be stopped.
The letter, a copy which is in the
possession of The Standard reads:
“Proceed to have prosecution of this case
stopped in terms of Section 9 of
the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act
(Chapter 9;07).
“It is not in the best interest of the state to
continue with the trial.
Please be guided accordingly.”
But two
witnesses who had earlier testified before magistrate William Bhila
said
Basile had been involved in illegal activities at the hospital.
An
ambulance driver at the hospital told the court that Basile had turned
the
hospital ambulance into a private vehicle.
He said at one time a
patient died whilst the ambulance was at her farm.
He also said all
the visitors who came to see Basile were ferried back home
in the
ambulance.
Former Health and Child Welfare Permanent Secretary Edward
Mabhiza also told
the court that Basile used to abuse government facilities
which were at her
disposal and that she flouted government tender
procedures.
Anti-Corruption Commission officials who spoke on
condition of anonymity
said they suspect the case was withdrawn because
there were Zanu PF
officials who benefitted from the alleged corrupt
activities.
They said when the charges were withdrawn they still had
31 witnesses lined
up to testify against Basile.
“The AG’s office
is not representing the interests of the state. We now
believe that it is
also fuelling corruption,” said the official.
The AG, Johannes
Tomana, who has not hidden his affiliation to Zanu PF, is
facing increasing
pressure from the MDC-T to resign because President Robert
Mugabe
unilaterally appointed him last year.
On Thursday, Tomana referred
all questions on Basile’s case to the director
of public prosecutions,
Florence Ziyambi.
Ziyambi could not be reached for comment as she was
said to be out of her
office and was not answering her mobile
phone.
In May, the state took Zimbabweans by surprise when it granted
bail to
Joseph Banda who was accused of fraudulently acquiring farming
implements
from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe even after his lawyers had not
applied.
No reasons were given but sources said the order came from
the AG’s office
because it feared that Banda’s case would expose Central
Bank Governor
Gideon Gono and other top Zanu-PF officials.
BY
SANDRA MANDIZVIDZA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
19:36
BULAWAYO — Matthew Takaona finally left office as president of the
Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists (ZUJ) on Friday following the election of a
new
executive, but says he will remain a “powerful ordinary member” of the
union. Takaona had been ZUJ president since 1999 and there were growing
concerns from some sections of the media fraternity that he wanted to cling
on to the position.
News Editor of The Sunday News, Dumisani
Sibanda took over the hot seat
after beating his counterpart at The Herald,
Isdore Guvamombe by 28 votes to
12.
Strangely, Godwin Mangudya’s
name appeared on the ballots although he was
not present and had not been
nominated.
Sibanda will be deputised by Mercy Pote (ZBC) and Michael
Padera (Herald).
Former Standard senior reporter Foster Dongozi
retained his position as
secretary general unopposed.
Evince
Mugumbate, a former ZBC employee was also unopposed for the position
of
treasurer.
Standard reporter, Jennifer Dube was elected the new
chairperson of the
Gender Mainstreaming Committee. Freelance journalist
Valentine Maponga was
also elected into the same committee. The Standard
Masvingo correspondent
Godfrey Mutimba was elected one of the committee
members.
Some of the candidates who had expressed interest in various
positions
pulled out after it emerged their supporters would not
vote.
Most of the uinion members failed to take part in the elections
because of a
controversial constitutional provision that says only the
branch
chairpersons and secretaries would vote. Many journalists, who want
to take
part in selecting their leaders, see that provision not only as
archaic but
undemocratic.
And the congress all but confirmed
Takaona, though he is no longer the
president, will remain powerful after it
endorsed a proposal to formally
engage his services as a
“consultant”.
But before the election on Friday, Takaona said he
decided two years ago not
to seek re-election at this
congress.
“I have stepped down; I am no longer the president of ZUJ.
From now on, I
will be an ordinary member of the union, but a powerful
ordinary member,”
Takaona said.
There was widespread belief that
Takaona was pressured by other journalists
to pave way for a new
leadership.
“I have stepped down voluntarily to create a culture
within our
organisation. I was not pressured by anyone. I have reached a
point where I
am relaying the baton to a new leadership, people who are
dedicated to the
union.”
To ensure that Takaona remains “a
powerful ordinary member”, the 42 congress
delegates were whipped into
endorsing a proposal to have him formally
engaged as a consultant to the
union.
Moving the motion, the election officer Tapfuma Machakaire
said the decision
had to be made at congress, and not by the new
leadership.
“There is a proposal to formally engage the outgoing
president, and that it
be handled as a congress position,” said Machakaire,
a former ZUJ secretary
general.
BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
19:34
TWELVE Zimbabwean students at Fort Hare University who had their
presidential scholarships withdrawn for allegedly supporting the MDC-T are
stuck in South Africa because they fear for their lives if they return home.
The students were struck from President Robert Mugabe's controversial
scholarship programme in September for their alleged political
activities.
Last week they told The Dispatch newspaper that the
university had offered
them money to return home and re-negotiate their
scholarships.
The students were given R3 000 for travel but MDC-T
branch chairperson at
the university, Juma Ulete, said they were afraid of
being arrested for
allegedly denigrating Mugabe.
"They said we've
lost the scholarship because we defied orders of Mugabe.
Even if MDC-T is
part of the government we will be sent to prison," he was
quoted as having
said.
Mvuyo Tom, the Fort Hare Vice-Chancellor, was also quoted in
the same
publication dismissing claims that the university had conspired
with Zanu PF
to send the students back to Harare.
"Firstly, these
students requested us to assist them with funds to go home,"
he
said.
"We have taken money from the university's funds to assist
them."
He said the university had nothing to do with the suspension
of the
scholarships. "We don't deal with political parties; we deal with the
Zimbabwe government, which is composed of Zanu PF and MDC.
"The
scholarships were withdrawn by the Zimbabwe government," he
said.
MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said they were not aware of
the students'
plight. "We don't know anything, but if that is the case then
it's a big
scandal. You can't victimise somebody because he is of the
opposition
party," he said.
"If it's a presidential scholarship
it's supposed to benefit everyone.
However, as MDC-T we are going to look
into the matter."
Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of
Higher and Tertiary Education
or the director of the programme, Chris
Mushohwe, yesterday were fruitless.
Thousands of Zimbabweans, mainly
children and relatives of senior Zanu PF
officials, have benefited from the
programme.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
19:30
THE Harare City Council has ordered investigations into the way
several
projects and outsourced jobs were handled in a move that could
unearth
massive corrupt activities dating back to the time the municipality
was run
by commissions appointed by the government. Council also plans to
restructure some departments it considers contributed to the suspected
corrupt activities.
The new administration has been under
unrelenting pressure from the Combined
Harare Residents' Association (CHRA)
to investigate several reports of
mounting corruption, which they believe
was perpetuated by the illegal
commissions appointed by the Minister of
Local Government, Urban and Rural
Development, Ignatious
Chombo.
According to reports from various committees tabled at the
ordinary council
meeting on Tuesday, one of the biggest projects councillors
want
investigated is the recent purchase of sewer main pipes valued at
US$1.6
million from a local company, Hume Pipe by the Department of Water
and
Sanitation.
Council's Environmental Management Committee
submitted that there was an
anomaly in the way the contract to excavate the
trenches for sewer pipes was
awarded.
The committee also said
there was no proof that a telecommunications
company, Econet was authorised
to dig trenches in the city, or that the
company had made any payments to
council.
The council called for an investigation into these
activities, including the
digging of trenches from Boka Tobacco Auction
Floors to Glen Norah by an
unnamed businessman.
It has also been
recommended that council restructures the Department of
Urban Planning
Services by relocating the City Valuation and Estates
Management Division
(CVEM) to the Finance Department following the
"suspected corrupt awarding
of billboard advertising contracts".
Among others, council said that
some companies were erecting billboards in
areas already allocated to other
advertising companies on major roads and
that conditions regulating the
erection of such billboards were not being
followed.
During the
discussion, it also emerged that there were people currently
going around
claiming that council was working towards setting up a new
Mupedzanhamo Flea
Market following recent clashes over the allocation of
stalls.
"I
am not sure where this talk about the construction of a second phase of
Mupedzanhamo is coming from. They are collecting people's monies," Mbare
councillor, Friday Muleya said.
Deputy mayor Emmanuel Chiroto
said the "conmen" who might have links with
council employees had gone as
far as Hatcliffe, collecting money from
desperate vendors.
The
conmen claim the money will be used for the construction of the flea
market.
Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda said "residents of Harare need to
be told the truth,
that there is no such
development".
Councillors have also queried the way some companies
were given space to
erect billboards and how contracts for the purchase of
sewer pipes and
excavation of trenches were awarded.
But
councillors said the most embarrassing anomaly was the way the
municipality
lost a case against one of its employees after an outside
lawyer was hired
to represent it.
The municipality was forced to reinstate the
employee from its emergency
services division within two
weeks.
"During discussion, the (Human Resources and General Purposes)
Committee
noted that an external legal practitioner had represented council
in this
case without its approval," read the minutes.
The
committee said what was more disheartening was the fact that its
recommendation to have the matter resolved internally was
disregarded.
The chamber secretary, Josephine Ncube has since been
asked to explain why
the lawyer was hired without the committee's
approval.
In addition, the committee recommended that the Chamber
Secretary's
department be reduced by creating a stand alone legal
division.
CHRA has called for an "urgent inquiry by an independent
commission set up
by councillors into the issue of the leaking of funds and
that professional
and independent auditors be engaged to conduct an audit
into the operations
and accounts of the city's finance
department."
The association also wants "proper systems and
procedures to be put in place
to govern the use and disbursement of money
within the city treasury to
ensure transparency and
accountability."
Several council undertakings of late have raised
eyebrows and they include
the disappearance of meat meant for guests at
Masunda's installation several
months ago and theft of cattle at council
farms.
In October, councillors tried to stop the construction of the
Joshua Nkomo
Expressway that will link the Harare International Airport and
the city
centre after they raised objections on the way tenders for the
project were
handled.
They argued that while Harare was going to
spend more than US$80 million on
a distance of less than 20 km a project
stretching 77 km in Chegutu had cost
US$19 million. But Chombo ordered the
councillors to rescind their decision
to stop all projects related to the
Airport Road construction deal.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December
2009 19:10
WESTERN governments are prepared to help Zimbabwe to
re-establish sound
relations with major donors but they want the inclusive
government to first
implement the Global Political Agreement (GPA), a senior
representative said
last week. Dr Albert Conze, the German Ambassador to
Zimbabwe, said a group
of international financiers known as Friends of
Zimbabwe were trying to
persuade the World Bank to increase its support to
the Multi-Donor Trust
Fund.
The MDTF was set up as a vehicle for
mobilising development aid for Zimbabwe
in order to help the transitional
government rehabilitate an economy
battered by almost a decade of
international isolation.
Friends of Zimbabwe comprises Canada, the
United States, Sweden, France,
the World Bank, the African Development Bank,
the European Union Commission,
Britain, Japan and Germany.
"We have
managed to get the programmatic MDTF back on the agenda because the
World
Bank had in the beginning not looked at it in a political way but
rather in
a technical manner trying to fit a model that will fit all
post-conflict/crisis situations," said Conze, who was speaking on behalf of
the group.
He said the group was also willing to help the country
reduce its arrears to
the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) such
as the International
Monetary Fund.
Conze said negotiations to
reduce the debt of US$5,4 billion were underway.
But he also
encouraged the inclusive government to "formulate and implement
a prudent
and transparent debt management policy".
"We believe that full
implementation of the GPA will contribute to
re-engagement with the IFIs,
including international support for a process
towards clearing Zimbabwe's
arrears to international financial institutions,
and assistance to the
inclusive government in identifying its debt and
making progress towards
reducing it.
"We encourage the government of Zimbabwe to formulate
and implement a
prudent and transparent debt management policy," he
said.
The German envoy said he was concerned by the delays in the
implementation
of the GPA.
"We are concerned that, eight months
after the formation of the inclusive
government, a number of key provisions
of the GPA remain to be implemented,"
Conze said.
"While work on
the agreed GPA objectives has proceeded impressively in the
financial,
economic and social sectors, progress on the political track has
been
disappointing.
"This situation has been brought about by continued
obstruction originating
from political forces, which continue to be hostile
to the implementation of
the GPA."
Meanwhile, Conze applauded
Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti's 2010 budget
saying it will go a long way
in reviving the country's social services.
Biti allocated US$285
million to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare.
"We heard the
Minister of Finance yesterday with his budget with a clear
indication that
more than US$800 million is needed," Conze said.
"Of course, he
(Biti) knows that he can only get this from donors, where
else should he get
it from?
"Zimbabwe is still working on a cash budget, the country has
no credit
lines, its international rating does not permit it going to the
capital
market, and its unsettled previous debt has not been dealt with so
Biti
needs donor support for his budget."
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009 19:03
THE one-month
deadline Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai gave President
Robert Mugabe to
fully implement their power-sharing agreement lapses today
and the feuding
parties still have little to show for their two-week long
negotiations.
But political analysts say there is no reason to press
the panic button yet.
Tsvangirai and his Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) on November 5
ended their boycott of Zanu PF in
the unity government after they were
persuaded by regional leaders at an
emergency summit of the Southern African
Development Community (Sadc) troika
on peace and security in Maputo to give
the coalition a
chance.
MDC-T in October boycotted dealing with Zanu PF in cabinet
and council of
ministers meetings in protest against Mugabe’s reluctance to
fully implement
the GPA which led to the formation of the unity government
in February.
Announcing the decision after the regional summit
Tsvangirai said: “We have
suspended our disengagement from the GPA with
immediate effect and we will
give President Robert Mugabe 30 days to
implement the agreement on the
pertinent issues we are concerned
about.”
Although the parties resumed negotiations on November 23,
there is little to
show that they have narrowed their differences over the
controversial
appointments of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney
General
Johannes Tomana.
The MDC-T also wants Mugabe to swear
into office its treasurer general Roy
Bennett as Deputy Minister of
Agriculture but the veteran leader has
insisted that the he will not budge
until the former Chimanimani MP is
cleared of terrorism, insurgency and
banditry charges.
The issues on the agenda have ballooned from six
when the latest round of
talks began to 27 and the negotiators are now
saying the deadline is just a
time frame that was meant to emphasise the
urgency needed to conclude the
talks.
There are genuine fears the
negotiations could drag on until next year and
in the process delay a number
of time-critical result areas for the
transitional government such as the
constitution-making process and
preparations for fresh, free and fair
elections.
But Brilliant Mhlanga, a Zimbabwean academic based at the
University of
Westminster in the United Kingdom said there can never be a
deadline for
warring parties to resolve their differences.
“It
was not a deadline but a time frame as Welshman Ncube (MDC secretary
general) put it and Zimbabweans must not panic that the time frame has
lapsed without any tangible results,” he said.
“The MDC-T will
not disengage from the unity government.
“What should worry
Zimbabweans is the fact that these parties have not
implemented something
that they agreed on a year ago.
“It means that Zimbabweans will enter
the New Year devoid of hope because it
seems after going 120 steps forward,
we take 120 steps backwards.”
University of Zimbabwe political
science lecturer, Simon Badza said it was
always going to be difficult to
meet the Sadc time line because Zanu PF and
MDC-T were poles apart on a
number of issues.
“We always said the time frame was too ambitious,”
he said. “But the fact
that they have missed the deadline must not be cause
for alarm, maybe it’s
just a polite way of saying we don’t need Sadc to give
us deadlines...we
will solve our issues as Zimbabweans.”
His
views were shared by Takura Zhangazha, the director of the Zimbabwean
chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, who said the parties
might ask for more time from the facilitator, South African President Jacob
Zuma, who was expected in the country this week to review
progress.
However, the analysts see the talks gaining momentum after
the Zanu PF
congress later this week where the party will be seeking to put
its house in
order after divisive nominations for the
presidium.
“Zanu PF will play politics just like the MDC-T is bound
to do,” Zhangazha
said. “But after the congress things will move smoothly
because Mugabe will
still be the Zanu PF principal and outstanding issues
will be resolved.
On the ballooning agenda, Mhlanga said it could
have more to do with Sadc’s
decision to bring in a new facilitation team led
by Zuma, who replaced his
predecessor Thabo Mbeki.
Zuma also
appointed a new facilitation team made up of Charles Nqakula, Mac
Maharaj
and Lindiwe Zulu.
Mhlanga said the parties could be smuggling in new issues
into the agenda to
test if the new team can handle them
differently.
Mbeki was accused by the MDC-T of being too soft on
President Mugabe and
allowing him to get away with too many transgressions.
“Some of these issues
the parties are bringing were agreed on and some even
enacted into law as
part of Constitutional Amendment Number 19,” Mhlanga
said.
“I think it’s time both Zanu PF and MDC-T understand that
Zimbabweans expect
them to implement what they agreed on and move this
country forward.”
The new issues on the table now include media
reform, which was agreed on
well before the formation of the unity
government and the tussle for
diplomatic posts including those that are not
yet vacant.
Zanu PF and MDC-T are already fighting for the South
African diplomatic
posting in anticipation that the current envoy, Simon
Khaya Moyo will be
endorsed as Zanu PF chairman during the party’s
congress.
Mugabe is also backtracking on the issue of provincial
governors long after
he gave the MDC formations the nod to identify
candidates in provinces where
they won most seats in last year’s
elections.
But the veteran leader after taking a cue from some of his
loyalists now
says it is his prerogative to appoint the governors who must
be an extension
of his office in the provinces.
There is also
the counter accusation between MDC-T and Zanu PF that they are
running
parallel government structures with the once powerful service chiefs
still
refusing to embrace the new dispensation.
BY KHOLWANI
NYATHI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
19:02
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office has drawn the line in the
ongoing
emotive debate on Western sanctions imposed on President Robert
Mugabe’s
previous administration by insisting the restrictive measures will
not go
away until the Global Political Agreement (GPA) is fully
implemented.
Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) led
by Tsvangirai
have been trading accusations on the sanctions since they
formed a unity
government in February and the disagreements are threatening
to derail the
full implementation of the GPA.
But Gorden Moyo,
the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office who
has been tasked
with drafting a policy for the unity government on the
sanctions, described
them as “rags under the carpet”.
In an interview ahead of his
departure for a conference on engagement with
the Diaspora in Cape Town,
Moyo said there was nothing the MDC-T could do to
remove the
sanctions.
He said the problems that are being blamed on the measures
were actually a
result of non-compliance with the GPA.
The
conference was held on Thursday and Friday, under the theme: Challenges
for
economic reconstruction in Zimbabwe: An engagement with the
Diaspora.
Among other things, Moyo spoke about the need to address
“internal policy
failures” which he said had caused the decade-long
political and economic
crisis.
“If we implement the GPA, there
will be no need to have restrictive
measures. They will become irrelevant,”
he said.
When the GPA was signed, hopes were very high that it would
open floodgates
of international support.
But most major economies said
they would not provide direct support to the
government, insisting aid will
be channelled through humanitarian
organisations until there were tangible
political reforms.
There has also been a hullabaloo about credit
lines from international
finance institutions after countries such as the
United States and trading
blocs like the European Union took measures to try
and force Mugabe to
reform.
All this, said Moyo, did not need any
special interventions but would fall
away once the GPA was fully
implemented.
“If we come up with a debt clearance strategy, there is
no reason why we can
continue to fail to get international financial
assistance from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other
international institutions,” he
said.
“All we need to do is to
implement the GPA fully because it addresses all
these issues. It acts as a
springboard to economic recovery.”
The sanctions issue continues to
be a thorn in the flesh of the inclusive
government as Zanu PF says it is
the MDC-T’s responsibility to call for
their removal, while the Prime
Minister’s party insists the solution lies
entirely with Zanu PF changing
its ways.
Moyo said once the political parties resolve the
outstanding issues, there
would be no need to talk about the
sanctions.
At the moment, he said the international community was very
sceptical about
the situation in the country because of the continued
tussling over
outstanding issues.
“If we get our politics right,
we will also get the economics right,” Moyo
said.
“We have
already started engagements with the European Union. We also need
to
re-engage the Commonwealth.
“The benefits of engaging the
Commonwealth are huge.”
The minister’s draft policy on the sanctions
was discussed at the Cape Town
conference that was officially opened by
Tsvangirai on Thursday and
concluded by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara the following day.
However, the main purpose of the event
was to interact with Zimabwe’s
Diaspora from 14 countries in an attempt to
convince Zimbabweans that they
should return home and to attract foreign
direct investment.
The conference was hosted by the Institute for Justice and
Reconciliation in
Cape Town.
Moyo said they were currently
developing a strategy to maximise remittances
from the
Diaspora.
“If our remittances go through the formal channels,
Zimbabwe will get the
much-needed foreign currency,” he said.
“We
are working towards developing a Diaspora policy that will address the
issues of remittance, investment and participation in national
programmes.”
A number of high-profile Zimbabwean business and civil
society leaders now
in exile addressed the
conference.
BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
18:30
FIFTY HIV/Aids activists last week marched from Mhondoro to Harare
to raise
awareness about the disease and to pressure the government to
ensure
universal access to life prolonging drugs. The members of the
Simbarashe
National Network of People Living (SNNPL) with HIV left Mhondoro
on
Wednesday morning and arrived in the capital on Saturday morning.
The
activists, the majority of them elderly women, were met by other
HIV/Aids
activists at the Africa Unity Square.
They were also joined by former Deputy
Minister of Information and
Publicity, Bright Matonga who is MP for Mhondoro
and National Aids Council
(NAC) communications manager, Madeline
Dube.
SNNPL director, Richman Rangwani said the march was intended, among
many
other things; to spread the HIV/Aids message and to push government to
make
life-saving anti-retroviral drugs accessible to those living with
HIV.
Rangwani said health workers must be assisted to handle people living
with
HIV with respect and dignity saying many have lost their passion of
helping
the sick to get better.
"Government needs to make ARVs available
to everyone because this is a
matter of life and death," he said.
"Many
people end up dying at home because of the long processes at public
hospitals when one wants to start on treatment."
Susan Mushayikwa (65)
said she walked after she saw the pressing need to
"save people's lives.
"
She said many people were afraid of getting tested resulting in most of
them
dying prematurely.
But 34-year-old Tendai Mangwiro said she wanted
to teach her peers about the
dangers of HIV/Aids and to give hope to those
already living with the virus.
Although the HIV prevalence rate has gone down
to 13.7% from 15% last year,
many people living with HIV are still not able
to access ARVs.
BY BERTHA SHOKO
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 05 December 2009
18:23
COVINGTON, United States - A 33-year-old Zimbabwe man, Paul
Shumbayaonda
from Loveland, Ohio, was convicted of getting almost free
cameras, printers
and computers from a friend who worked at Staples. A
federal jury on Friday
found Paul Shumbayaonda guilty of conspiracy to
commit wire fraud after a
four-day trial, according the US Attorney's
Office.
Prosecutors say Shumbayaonda and two of his friends, Huyaimuzoona
Bere and
Bekizulu Mhlanga, conspired to profit from Bere's position as a
customer
service representative at a Staples call center in
Florence.
Shumbayaonda and Mhlanga would place Internet orders for items such
as ink
cartridges and computer disks using personal credit cards. Bere would
then
access the orders and add high priced items like laptops, printers, and
digital cameras, prosecutors said.
He would discount the items to between
one cent and $19.99. The trio was
charged with wire fraud because the orders
were sent from the customer
service centre in Florence to Framingham,
Massachusetts, Staples' home
office.
In one order, Bere added a $2 200 HP
computer and two Canon cameras worth $2
800 to an order and manipulated the
computer system so that Mhlanga was
charged less than a dollar for each
item, court records show.
When Shumbayaonda and Mhlanga received the items
they would sell the goods
for a profit on E-bay, use the items themselves or
sell or give the items to
Bere.
The trio completed the scheme at least
eight times which resulted in Staples
loosing $118,492, prosecutors
said.
Shumbayaonda will be sentenced on March 18. He faces a maximum prison
sentence of 20 years.
A detention hearing for Shumbayaonda will be held
tomorrow (Monday).
Bere and Mhlanga each pleaded guilty to conspiracy last
month.
Mhlanga, who is from Zimbabwe, will be sentenced on January 22 while
Bere
will be sentenced on February 26. They also face 20 years in prison. -
The
Zimbabwe Mail.
Will try again later...