• Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the Commonwealth
• UK Official: Mugabe Will Regret Leaving Commonwealth
• Mugabe heads to conference in Geneva
• Stricken Zimbabwe becomes an orphan
• Clark worried for Zimbabwe's people
• Zimbabwe Commonwealth exit hurts SA diplomacy
• Harsh Times Force Workers Onto the Streets
• Obasanjo to Mediate Zimbabwe's Commonwealth Suspension
• 'Western powers bulldozed Zimbabwe exclusion'
• Zimbabwe Defiant After Pullout from 'Lynching Club'
• 'Zimbabweans will feel Commonwealth exit'
• A pariah's powers of division
• Mixed reactions over Commonwealth withdrawal
• Irate Bishops Issue a Hard-Hitting Pastoral Statement
• 'Heartbreaking' drama for Zimbabwean expats
• Hoogstraten released from jail
• Study to Assess Extent of Poverty in Zimbabwe
• Doctors' Trial Set to Start
• Mugabe pull out illegal - MDC
• Move to oust Msika as Mugabe rules out departure
• The split

      Copyright © 2003, Dow Jones Newswires

      LONDON (AP)--President Robert Mugabe and his people may come to regret
his decision to leave the Commonwealth, U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
said Monday.

      Straw said Mugabe's decision -announced Sunday night after
Commonwealth leaders meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, extended Zimbabwe's
suspension for electoral irregularities -was "entirely in character, sadly.

      "I think it's a decision which he and the Zimbabwean people will come
to regret," he said. "Zimbabwe and all its people have strong links with the
Commonwealth," the 54-nation club of the U.K. and its former colonies.

      "But President Mugabe will not be there forever and other countries
have been out of the Commonwealth -including Nigeria for a period -and come
back, and I look forward to a time when Zimbabwe has a democratic government
and is back in the Commonwealth," Straw added.

      The decision to extend Zimbabwe's suspension was opposed by some
African members of the Commonwealth including South Africa, whose president,
Thabo Mbeki, had hoped to use diplomacy to persuade Mugabe to implement
reforms.

      The Commonwealth -whose nations represent nearly one-third of the
world's 6 billion people -has banned Mugabe from its decision-making
councils since 2002, after Mugabe was accused of using massive force and
fraud to win re-election at home.

      (END) Dow Jones Newswires

      December 08, 2003 09:59 ET (14:59 GMT)

Stricken by famine, poverty and tyranny, Zimbabweans need all the help they
can get, not further isolation.

Commonwealth leaders would have known as they debated extending Zimbabwe's
suspension from the Commonwealth that a possible, even a likely, outcome
would be Mr Mugabe walking out of their grouping. And though many leaders,
like New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, may have preferred not to
belong to a club of which Mr Mugabe was a member, she too will rue his
resignation because it is another blow for Zimbabwe.

Mr Mugabe is not a man who takes kindly to being told what to do. Not by his
own people, not by his opposition or neighbours and least of all by a body
which he perceives to be dominated by an agenda set by the Commonwealth's
"white" nations. He was quoted at the weekend as likening these countries to
characters in Animal Farm, where everyone is equal but some are more equal
than others.

Mr Mugabe sees the Commonwealth as one of Zimbabwe's problems which he has
just got rid of. Many Commonwealth countries see Mr Mugabe as Zimbabwe's
biggest problem, and getting rid of him is anything but simple. He has led
the country for 23 years, becoming more despotic as each anniversary passes.
But he also commands a considerable following, not only in his Zanu-PF party
but in other parts of Africa, for being the big man who tells the white
countries where to go.

Sadly, Mr Mugabe's image is only enhanced in the eyes of his followers by
events like his saying at the weekend that he was taking Zimbabwe out of the
Commonwealth. Like him, they choose to see problems in terms of a legacy of
colonialism and white dominance, as white against black and rich against
poor, rather than 20 years of political and economic mismanagement which has
taken a country once considered the foodbasket of southern Africa to the
edge of starvation.

Rather like the Pacific, the Commonwealth prides itself on trying to reach
consensus on issues. This is inherently difficult, involving, as it must,
mixing national, regional and global politics. The debate to agree on
suspending Zimbabwe was plainly a fraught one. Zimbabwe's neighbours, at a
top political level, want to support their colleague. Their loyalty is
misplaced. It should be to the millions of Zimbabweans existing on minimal
food and even less hope. It is they who need support, not Mr Mugabe.

The Commonwealth made the right decision to extend Zimbabwe's suspension.
Those supporting its readmission to the fold could point to there being no
improvement in Zimbabwe since it had been suspended. But the Commonwealth
had to take a stand, however symbolic it might be.

All international multilateral bodies, including pan-African groupings,
should treat Zimbabwe the same way, till till even Mr Mugabe is forced to
see a pattern. In the meantime, ordinary Zimbabweans will recognise the
Commonwealth's solidarity, but it will not put food on their tables. And
there is the pity.

Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)

December 7, 2003
Posted to the web December 8, 2003

Caiphas Chimhete

FOR three weeks, workers gathered at the company's premises each morning,
singing songs denouncing the owner of the firm.

Around mid-morning, they would retreat into the shade under trees or nearby
buildings to play games to while away the time. For lunch, some ate "maputi"
(popcorn) - sucked plastic tubes of fizzy drinks "freezits", while others
without any money for these "luxuries" just sat around chatting.

This had become the daily routine at Dunstan Transport Company in Harare
where the workers had been on strike for three weeks demanding better wages
and salaries.

The company's managing director, William Dustan, had not set foot at his
firm's premises since the industrial action began and the workers were
threatening to take over the beleaguered transport concern and run it
themselves.

The troubles at Dustan Transport, say economists, are not unique but a
microcosm of the general mood among the poverty-stricken workers
countrywide.

Increasing job actions, with workers from various companies, parastatals and
government departments demanding salaries that tally with the levels of
inflation and the soaring cost of basic commodities, are clear signs of the
difficult times workers are experiencing.

Since two weeks ago, specialist doctors, nurses, clerks and postmen at the
country's sole postal authority, Zimpost and Civil Aviation Authority of
Zimbabwe (CAAZ) air traffic controllers are among those that have been on
strike pressing for better salaries and allowances.

And just a couple of weeks earlier, workers at National Breweries, Farm &
City, Zimsec, TelOne, the University of Zimbabwe's lecturers and pilots at
Air Zimbabwe also stopped work demanding higher salaries.

The strike actions, say economists, are further damaging a fragile economy
that has suffered serious decline because of President Robert Mugabe's
skewed policies which many blame for the economic meltdown.

For instance, the on-going industrial action by nurses and doctors has
virtually paralysed the country's health delivery system. Patients are dying
in clinics and hospitals, as the strike shows no sign of relenting.

That apart, the strike by Zimpost workers has disrupted postal services
countrywide and it is feared that it will seriously affect the movement of
mail during the festive period.

As the economic recession continues, companies are closing down and
retrenchments are rampant.

For those lucky to be still in employment, incomes have been seriously
eroded by the unprecedented 525,8 percent inflation rate resulting in
skyrocketing costs of basic goods.

As a consequence, many workers now walk to and from work while others forgo
lunch to save for more pressing needs.

With the economy expected to shrink by 13,2 percent this year, poverty is
also expected to claim more victims among ordinary workers.

"Economically, no one is in control. The economy is being directed by the
wind to which ever the direction it is blowing," said Lovemore Matombo, the
president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

Attempts by the ZCTU to stage protests last month to force Mugabe's regime
to address the economic recession, cut taxes and restore the rule of law,
were ruthlessly put down by the police.

The protestors, who included civic leaders, journalists and photographers,
were arrested while others were brutally assaulted for trying to express
their displeasure over the continued economic decline.

"Government is only concerned with coming down hard on dissenting voices to
ensure that they survive a day longer," said Matombo, who was among those
arrested by police for staging the peaceful protest.

Analysts agree the frequent job stoppages currently being experienced were a
clear sign of the hard times at hand and urged the Mugabe government to
urgently address the economic anomalies or face "a brewing storm" among
millions of hungry workers.

"In 1997, it started like this but it later became a national strike that
forced the government to reduce tax in 1998. The government survived by the
use of military force but I don't think if it happens again it will survive
because everyone is hungry," said Munyaradzi Gwisai, head of local chapter
of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO).

Gwisai said strikes are reflective of the failure by Zanu PF to run the
country and warned Mugabe to take his cue from recent events in Georgia and
Bolivia, where presidents were overthrown by angry masses.

"The solution to the workers' crisis is in the streets, factories and
colleges of our country," said Gwisai.

The dreadlocked Uni-versity of Zimbabwe lecturer believes there is an unholy
alliance between Zanu PF and the business community to create divisions
among ordinary workers.

"So the solution lies in the hands of the workers - they have to free
themselves," says Gwisai.

Matombo said he believes protest is the only language Mugabe's government
understands. He said the labour body would stage another demonstration
within the next few weeks to demand reduction of tax, respect of human
rights and management of prices of basic commodities.

National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF) spokesperson Nhlanhla Masuku,
said the plight of workers could only be addressed through restoring the
country's macro-economic stability.

"The cost of living is going up everyday. Supermarkets are raising prices of
goods everyday while salaries and wages remain stagnant and as a result
workers become frustrated because they are becoming poorer and poorer," said
Masuku.

Statistics indicate that 80 percent of the country's population are living
below the poverty line.

Gwisai urged the government to re-introduce price controls and subsidies on
transport, food, farming implements and education to cushion workers from
the spiralling cost of living.

Gwisai, who blasted government for its high tax regime, said that presently
a worker needed a salary of at least $1 million a month to live a normal
life.

"How do you explain a situation whereby a person who earns $375 000 a month
is taxed the same as one who gets $30 million a month. It's being
insensitive on the ordinary worker," said Gwisai.

While workers are clamouring for higher salaries by engaging in industrial
action, the economy continues to bleed as production and provision of
essential services virtually grinds to a halt in some areas.

"Companies are not making much profit these days because the economy is in a
tailspin. How do you expect me to award huge salaries to my workers when I
am not making any profit," said one industrialist who declined to be named.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will try to get Zimbabwe back
into the Commonwealth, which renewed the country's suspension during a
divisive summit in Nigeria. Zimbabwe subsequently announced that it was
pulling out of the group of mainly former British colonies.

Mr. Obasanjo said Monday that maintaining the suspension was what he called
a difficult consensus, but that all Commonwealth nations should accept it,
even if they are opposed.

"Consensus means, really, that you can smile with one side of your face, and
frown with the other side at the same time," he said.

Mr. Obasanjo said he was disappointed Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe,
reacted to the decision by saying he was pulling Zimbabwe out of the
Commonwealth entirely.

But the Nigerian president said he would still act as a Commonwealth
mediator between Zimbabwe's government and its opposition, so democratic
conditions there could improve and Zimbabwe could regain full membership in
the group.

"We are determined to do everything humanly possible within the values and
the principles that we cherish in the Commonwealth to assist Zimbabwe, to
facilitate the return of Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth," he said.

Mr. Obasanjo says he will send a Nigerian official to Harare before the end
of the year to discuss this.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who was in favor of maintaining the
suspension, was also dismissive of Mr. Mugabe's decision to pull out of the
Commonwealth. He said extending the suspension was a show of support for
people in Zimbabwe suffering from what he called a lack of democracy and
poor governance under Mr. Mugabe.

If the Commonwealth had walked away from its responsibilities, the essential
hopelessness of those people would have been increased," he said. "At least
they know that there are a lot of people around the world inside the
Commonwealth who believe that and understand that a restoration of proper
democratic approaches inside their country is necessary, and an essential
precondition to their lot improving."

Several countries from southern Africa had called for the suspension to be
lifted, so that Zimbabwe could be less isolated. They argued its problems
could be better resolved within the Commonwealth.

The division marred the four-day summit and completely dominated
discussions.

Late Sunday, Mr. Mugabe told leaders of Nigeria, South Africa and Jamaica he
was pulling out of the Commonwealth because of the renewed suspension. He
has said the group is being hijacked by what he calls racist western
countries opposed to his forced redistribution of white-owned land to
blacks.

Zimbabwe was first suspended in March 2002, after Commonwealth observers
said Mr. Mugabe's re-election had been marred by rigging and state
intimidation.

Leaders from many other African countries say taking part in Commonwealth
summits is very beneficial to have their voices heard on global issues, and
also to attract investment from within the group. The next Commonwealth
summit will take place in two years time in Malta.

By Manoah Esipisu

Abuja - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa accused Western Commonwealth
members on Monday of forcing Zimbabwe's exclusion through a split summit and
said leaders left the Abuja gathering more divided than when they arrived.

In strong-worded comments to Reuters before he left the Nigerian capital,
the southern African leader said: "The Western countries bulldozed the
suspension of Zimbabwe partly because of their economic muscle.

"I am very disappointed by that decision and I am disappointed by Zimbabwe's
subsequent decision to pull out."

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was suspended from the group of mostly
former British colonies last year because of charges he rigged his
re-election and persecuted the opposition.

Commonwealth leaders extended sanctions against Zimbabwe on Sunday despite
strong resistance from a small but powerful minority of African members who
lobbied for its readmission.

Mugabe immediately announced his withdrawal from the Commonwealth,
denouncing a "racist" plot to punish his country for a land reform programme
that gave white-owned farms to landless blacks.

Some African countries, including Ghana and Kenya, backed Zimbabwe's
suspension. But Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique, among others,
campaigned to lift it.

Mwanawasa said these countries would remain in the group despite their
opposition to Sunday's resolution.

"The matter was not handled as well as it should have been, and on this we
leave Abuja more divided than when we arrived," he said.

"But I do not believe any other countries in the region will quit the
Commonwealth in support of Zimbabwe. We will keep our membership and
complain from within to make our grievances known."

The Commonwealth declaration on Zimbabwe opened the way for it to return
swiftly, but only if Mugabe engaged in political reconciliation and stuck to
other Commonwealth principles including respect for human rights.

Mwanawasa said the African caucus within the Commonwealth will use the
African Union and other venues "to express our disappointment and
disassociate ourselves" from the Commonwealth decision on Zimbabwe.

By Cris Chinaka and Randall Palmer
HARARE/ABUJA (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's ruling party railed at
Britain and its "white allies" Monday, saying they had forced Zimbabwe into
a no-win situation which had left it with no choice but to pull out of the
Commonwealth.

"Whatever our detractors and critics are saying, for us this is like an
escape from hell because Britain and its white allies have turned the
Commonwealth into a Zimbabwe lynching club," Didymus Mutasa, external
affairs secretary of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, told Reuters.

The group of 54 mostly former British colonies renewed Zimbabwe's suspension
Sunday, demanding that Harare seek reconciliation with the opposition and
respect human rights, prompting a furious Mugabe to carry out a threat to
withdraw.

Zimbabwe was suspended early last year on the grounds that Mugabe, 79, who
has ruled the country since independence in 1980, rigged his re-election in
2002 and persecuted his opponents.

Commonwealth leaders said they regretted Mugabe's response, with British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warning it would hurt Zimbabwe's people the
most.

"It's entirely in character, sadly, with President Mugabe," Straw said. "I
think it's a decision which he, and particularly the Zimbabwean people, will
come to regret," he added.

Membership in the Commonwealth confers political prestige on an
international stage for poor nations and some modest trade and aid benefits.
Members see exclusion from the "gentleman's club," which highly values
cordial diplomacy, as an insult.

But ZANU-PF's Mutasa was non-plussed by what he saw as the Commonwealth's
"hypocrisy." "We withdraw our membership and they say we are wrong and we
should stay, but stay suspended so that they can demonize our government,"
he said.

"NOT IRREVERSIBLE"

Australian Prime Minister John Howard noted, however, that it was not the
first withdrawal from the Commonwealth nor was it irreversible.

"Nothing is permanent," said Howard, who took a hard line against Mugabe.
"You have to have consistent standards in these matters."

Talks on Zimbabwe dominated a four-day Commonwealth summit in the Nigerian
capital Abuja which closes Monday, causing the worst split since South
Africa's apartheid policies in the 1970s and 1980s and dividing members
roughly on color lines.

Commonwealth leaders spent three days carefully crafting a face-saving
declaration, which did not mention the word "suspension."

It only talked of the hope for Zimbabwe's return on condition that it engage
in political reconciliation and stick to Commonwealth principles including
respect for human rights.

Most of Zimbabwe's backers, including South Africa, declined to comment on
its decision to withdraw, but one key ally, Mozambique President Joaquim
Chissano, told reporters on entering the summit's final meeting: "We are
upset."

Once southern Africa's breadbasket, Zimbabwe now relies on aid to feed
millions. Unemployment is running at more than 70 percent and inflation is
above 500 percent.

Mugabe accuses Britain and its allies of punishing him for land reforms that
have given white-owned farms to landless blacks, an argument that finds
resonance with other Africans.

Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) applauded
the Commonwealth's decision but said Mugabe's response was not in the
country's interests.

"We congratulate the Commonwealth for standing firmly on the side of the
people of Zimbabwe, and strongly urge the rest of the international
community not to be bullied into turning a blind eye to dictatorship,
genocide, murder and torture under the guise of sovereignty," the party said
in a statement

      By Reuters

Brussels - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday Zimbabwe
would come to regret its decision to quit the Commonwealth, but voiced
confidence that it would eventually rejoin under a democratic government.

Zimbabwe quit the 54-nation group of mainly former British colonies on
Sunday after the organisation said it was extending a suspension of the
country on grounds that President Robert Mugabe rigged his re-election and
persecuted his opponents.

"It's entirely in character, sadly, with President Mugabe," Straw told
reporters on his arrival in the Belgian capital for a meeting of European
Union foreign ministers.

"I think it's a decision which he, and particularly the Zimbabwean people,
will come to regret," Straw added, noting the southern African country's
traditionally strong links with the Commonwealth.

Amid sharp divisions at a four-day Commonwealth summit, the organisation
decided to extend Zimbabwe's suspension but opened the way for a possible
return if Harare engaged in reconciliation with the political opposition.

"President Mugabe will not be there forever," Straw said.

"And other countries have been out of the Commonwealth, including Nigeria
for a period, and come back. And I look forward to a time when Zimbabwe has
a democratic government and is back in the Commonwealth."

Mugabe's information minister Jonathan Moyo told Reuters the suspension
proved that "racist leaders in Britain and Australia" had taken over the
Commonwealth.

            by our African affairs editor Pieternel Gruppen, 8 December 2003

      Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has withdrawn his country's
membership of the Commonwealth. The move came after the grouping voted to
extend Zimbabwe's suspension over accusations that the president rigged the
2002 elections.

      Analysts warn that the pullout will further increase Zimbabwe's
isolation. But it also leaves the Commonwealth divided, virtually along
racial lines, with the UK and Australia taking a tough line on President
Mugabe and many African states calling for Zimbabwe's suspension to be
lifted.

      In a damage-limitation exercise, Commonwealth leaders said at their
Abuja meeting on Monday that Zimbabwe would be welcome back if it made
democratic reforms.

      President Mugabe´s re-election in March 2002 was dominated by fear.
Both the opposition and a team of foreign observers reported widespread
fraud and intimidation. This prompted the 54-nation Commonwealth to suspend
Zimbabwe from its ranks.

      On the eve of this year's annual meeting, the grouping's heads of
government decided that Mr Mugabe doesn't yet deserve to return to the fold.
The move came as a bitter blow for the president, says Iden Weatherall of
Zimbabwe's Independent Newspaper:

        "His exclusion was a very serious blow to his prestige. He likes to
strut upon the international stage and this must be a very big setback for
him. He spent every waking hour in the last two or three months
concentrating on getting an invitation to Abuja."

      White punishment
      President Mugabe accused "white powers" within the Commonwealth, such
as Australia, Britain and Canada, of extending his suspension as punishment
for his controversial programme to seize white-owned farms and distribute
the land to blacks. The programme has brought chaos to the economy of what
was once considered "the breadbasket of Africa".

      Professor Jack Spence of the London-based Royal Institute of
International Affairs says the former colonial power, Britain, is deeply
worried about the fate of white farmers in Zimbabwe and about the crackdown
on the country's opposition forces.

        "I think the problem is that Britain and Australia, and Nigeria for
that matter, would like the local leaders in the Southern Africa Development
Community to put pressure on Mr Mugabe. But they have shown a real
reluctance to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe; they have preferred the option
of quiet diplomacy and that doesn't seem to have worked."

      The poor will suffer
      South Africa, in particular, was keen to keep Mr Mugabe on board.
Mozambique, too, was vehemently opposed to renewing the suspension. Other
former colonies within the Commonwealth argued that it had taken Britain
many centuries to develop into a genuine parliamentary democracy.

      Emotions ran deep during the discussions, sparking the worst
Commonwealth crisis since the rift over South Africa's Apartheid system in
the early 1990s. Smaller members within the organisation are set to suffer
most from the current upheaval, opines Prof Spence.

        "The pity of it is that the Commonwealth does have considerable
utility, especially for small poor states. The Commonwealth does provide a
range of services, technical assistance, professional involvement, and
that's valuable. It helps these small states. But if an issue of Zimbabwe
dominates, then much of the value of the Commonwealth gets dissipated."

      Other topics of prime importance to these poor countries, such as AIDS
and fair trade, failed to receive proper attention at the Arusha conference.
In that sense, President Mugabe got his way after all. Without attending, he
again managed to set the agenda of a key international summit.

JOHANNESBURG, 8 Dec 2003 (IRIN) - Zimbabwe's human rights and pro-democracy
groups said on Monday they were concerned that President Robert Mugabe's
decision to pull Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth had scuppered hopes of
dialogue between the government and the main opposition party, prolonging
the country's political crisis.

"It's disappointing and it's distressing. It means that Zimbabwe is now out
of an organisation that had the potential to resolve the current political
crisis," Tawanda Hondora of the umbrella NGO, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
told IRIN. "From Mugabe's perspective it's a great Houdini act, stifling
international criticism."

Mugabe said on Sunday he would not accept a decision by Commonwealth leaders
meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, to reaffirm Zimbabwe's suspension and the country
would leave the 54-member group with immediate effect. He described the
Commonwealth's position, promoted by Britain and Australia, as "pure
racism".

Zimbabwe was originally suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth
after presidential elections in March 2002, which a Commonwealth observer
mission said were neither free or fair. A six-member panel, formed in Abuja
to deliberate on Zimbabwe's reinstatement, ruled that not enough progress
had been made on issues of governance and the suspension should be
maintained.

As a result of Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the Commonwealth, "we are moving
to a very, very serious stage of isolationism. We are at a dangerous stage
where [the government] doesn't think it's now accountable to the
international community or that it can be judged by those norms and
standards," said Phil Matsheza, director of the Harare-based Human Rights
Trust of Southern Africa,

Matsheza commented that there was little prospect at the moment of any
meaningful dialogue between the ruling ZANU-PF and the main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

"Talks are going to be a casualty [of Zimbabwe's withdrawal]; human rights
and the rule of law are going to be a casualty. Definitely, there's going to
be less conciliation and more nationalism, with the government portraying
itself as a victim of racism," he told IRIN.

Mugabe stated that a proposed Commonwealth mission to Zimbabwe to promote
national reconciliation would not be welcome.

Political analyst and pro-ZANU newspaper publisher Ibbo Mandaza said the
Commonwealth had left Zimbabwe no other option but to quit, and called on
other African countries to follow suit. Several Southern African leaders
said in Abuja they were unhappy with Harare's continued suspension.

"There is a question mark over democracy in almost all countries of the
Commonwealth, including the host [of the summit] Nigeria. It's hypocrisy.
The Harare Declaration [the Commonwealth's principles on good governance] is
a subterfuge to be used by the white Commonwealth when it's convenient,"
Mandaza told IRIN.

"The bottom line is: the real issue is not about democracy but regime
change, and the issue of land [redistribution instituted by the government
in 2000]," he charged.

Faced with political stalemate, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Friday
that his party would assess "our options, with a view to unveil a detailed
programme of rolling mass action in 2004. The suffering majority is ready
for such action".

Hondora thought such an attempt would likely be "brutally suppressed" by the
government.

Mandaza said he believed that after a similar attempt at public protest by
the MDC in June was declared illegal and broken up by the security forces,
the party did not have the capacity to mount an effective disobedience
campaign.

African Church Information Service

December 8, 2003
Posted to the web December 8, 2003

Osman Njuguna
Harare

Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe have issued a pastoral statement calling on
Zimbabwean authorities and the community at large, to uphold the four
pillars of peace, namely truth, justice, love and freedom, in commemoration
of a 40-year old Encyclical by Pope John XXIII.

The pastoral statement, titled Peace in a Divided Zimbabwe, was released
here on November 30. It talks of the current social and political ills the
southern African country is currently facing.

"We cannot have a lasting peace without truth, justice, love and freedom.
These four pillars enable us to build a society that is more humane and
peaceful. The Government has a responsibility to create an environment where
individuals , children, men and women , learn, appreciate and develop in
them, a culture of truth, justice, love and freedom," say the Catholic
clergymen in their four-page document.

The statement continues: "We, the Catholic Bishops of Zimbabwe, speak to you
at a time when life in Zimbabwe is at its lowest ebb. The political
situation is tense, the economic situation is chaotic, and the social
situation is unbearable for the majority of the people."

In the hard-hitting statement, the bishops have noted that Zimbabweans are
suffering economic, social and political ills, saying: "The poor are getting
poorer, while the rich are getting richer....Inflation has gone out of hand,
(there is ) scarcity of cash, taxes erode salaries, and the poverty datum
line is unmanageable."

The clergymen have urged Zimbabweans to make serious effort to redress these
elements, which will disrupt peace during the forthcoming Advent (Christmas)
season.

The Herald (Harare)

December 8, 2003
Posted to the web December 8, 2003

Harare

THE Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has appealed to
members of the public to assist its fieldwork teams who are gathering
information for the Poverty Assessment Study (PASS II), a socio-economic
survey.

The ministry's permanent secretary Cde Sydney Mhishi said in a statement the
objective of the study was to assess the current socio-economic situation of
households and communities in Zimbabwe.

Information collected through this survey would be a major input into the
National Poverty Reduction Strategy that would be formulated after the
survey through a broad national participatory process involving all
stakeholders.

The study would collect information on access to education, health services,
employment, income, food security, housing and a number of other
socio-economic characteristics.

PASS II, Cde Mhishi said, aimed to interview more than 30 000 households
throughout the country.

He said all information collected during the survey will remain
confidential.

PASS II started last month and is expected to end towards the end of this
month. The ministry in conjunction with other line ministries and agencies
is conducting the poverty assessment survey.

The study is being funded by various United Nations service organisations
that include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United
Nations Children Education Fund (Unicef).

It is estimated that more than 70 percent of Zimbabwe's population is now
living below the poverty datum and this has been attributed to economic
hardships prevailing in the country.

The Herald (Harare)

December 8, 2003
Posted to the web December 8, 2003

Diana Nherera
Harare

THE trial of seven executive members of the Hospital Doctors Association
arrested over allegations of allegedly contravening the Labour Relations Act
is expected to start tomorrow at the Harare Magistrates Court.

The doctors who include HDA president Phibion Manyanga, vice president Akim
Mashoko, Tapuwa Musuka, Toziveyi Muchenje, Leolin Katsidzira, Onesai Chihaka
and Tinashe Kanyowa were arrested for organising a strike by professionals
who provide an essential service in breach of the Labour Relations Act.

The trial comes at a time when salary negotiations between Government and
the striking health staff are taking place.

The seven who are part of the striking junior and middle level doctors were
called for questioning by police last month for contravening some sections
of the Labour Relations Act.

They appeared in court on November 18 and were granted $50 000 bail each and
remanded to tomorrow.

It is alleged that on a date unknown to the State, the seven doctors from
major referral centres resolved to go on an unlawful collective job action
to press the Government for a monthly salary of $30 million.

The State further argues that according to a section of the Labour Relations
Act under Declaration of Essential Services, doctors are described as an
essential service, which therefore makes it illegal for them to go on
strike.

Junior and middle level doctors went on strike in October demanding a
monthly salary of $30 million.

They defied a Labour court order for them to report for duty on November 7
saying they would only resume duties when they received a written
undertaking from their employer, the Public Service Commission that their
grievances would be addressed.

In a related matter, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association national executive
which was supposed to meet at the weekend postponed its meeting to tomorrow
.

The meeting will discuss whether the nurses should resume duty or continue
with the strike.

Zina acting president Mrs Juliana Njubani said the meeting, which was
scheduled for Saturday, did not take place, as some members of the national
executive did not turn up.

"Four members of the Zina national executive failed to turn up.

"We have therefore postponed the meeting to Tuesday and hopefully we would
be able to decide whether to return to work or continue with the strike,"
said Mrs Njubani.

Nurses at some referral centres went on strike on November 22 barely three
weeks after ending another strike following an agreement between their
representatives and the Government for a review of their salaries.

Patients at the affected referral centres are only being attended to by
senior doctors, health staff from the uniformed forces and student nurses.

Move to oust Msika as Mugabe rules out departure

Felix Njini

Masvingo - The Zanu PF annual people’s conference came to an acrimonious end
yesterday with a shadowy group calling for the ouster of vice president
Joseph Msika from the party for allegedly supping with whites. President
Robert Mugabe also reiterated his unwillingness to relinquish power, a
development that is set to push intra-party debate on succession underground
and anger his critics, who anticipated that the modalities of his exit from
power would feature prominently at the conference. The ruling party held its
three-day summit, which is supposed to take stock of the achievements,
problems and failures of Zanu PF in the past year, in the ancient city of
Masvingo from Thursday. The lobby by the shadowy group invited ire from
Msika, who hit back by calling it a bunch of "stupid mafikizolos". The
Sunday Mirror learnt that some people from within the party, with the
reported involvement of Zanu PF intelligence staff, circulated a document
that claimed that Msika was "too friendly" to former white commercial
farmers who were ejected from their properties during the accelerated land
reform programme that kicked off in 2000 and officially ended in August last
year.

The document was reportedly availed to Mugabe, who made no comment on it
during the conference. However, while talking about the land question,
Mugabe expressed disapproval with party officials who had collaborated with
the white farmers who intended to stay on gazetted farms. He also accused
senior party officials of hypocrisy and double-dealing, pointing out that
some of them collaborated with the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
Zimbabwe’s main opposition political party, which Mugabe has often described
as an appendage of white interests. "I say this because I know what is
happening," Mugabe said in his swipe against "those who want to use money to
disrupt our party and create in it a new ideology". Msika, who looked edgey
on the last day of the conference yesterday, lashed out at his "detractors"
and delivered a strong warning that observers say verged on a threat. He
said the originators of the document were merely bent on smearing his image
and denting his liberation war credentials.

"Beware of (a) backlash! A lot of things are happening in the party and some
people have prepared a document, which has been presented to the president.
(The detractors) say Msika is eating with whites, Msika is getting whisky
from whites. That’s nonsensical and insulting. I am very clear and straight.
I am not a sellout (as you will see when you) look at my records," said the
eighty-year old Msika, who in recent months told the Herald newspaper that
he was ready to take over from Mugabe when he finally stands down. That
document was written by stupid people. Mafikizolos (Johnny-come-latelies), I
won’t agree with you on that. I think the party is infiltrated," fumed the
livid Msika. He went on to crack the whip over the issue of Mugabe’s
succession, warning party members to desist from agitating for the early
retirement of the 79 year-old president. On the eve of the conference,
documents were circulated calling for the succession issue to be a top item
on the agenda of the summit.

The document purported to have been written by party members, but senior
Zanu PF officials claimed it was the MDC that was trying to sneak the issue
in through the back door. The vice president said those who were calling for
Mugabe’s exit belonged in the same category as British premier, Tony Blair,
US president, George Bush as well as the MDC, who the ruling party often
single out as being bent on undermining the country’s sovereignty. Without
mentioning the name, Msika claimed he was aware that there was a senior
party official who wanted to have the issue discussed, saying he chickened
out at the last moment. "All those who talk of succession are bloody
sellouts. There was someone who wanted to bring up the issue here at the
conference. We were going to deal with him if he had brought up the issue,"
remarked Msika. "Mugabe cannot go whilst things are as they are." Wrapping
up the conference, Mugabe accused party officials of discussing his
succession behind his back, implying that that amounted to conspiracy.

"I will tell you when I feel I need rest, but I haven’t told you that yet. I
am still mandated to rule. I have said those who want to talk about
succession are free. They should not do it Nicodemusly. Why should you talk
about it behind closed doors if you are genuine?" said Mugabe, who has ruled
Zimbabwe for the past 23 years. "If you think that Zimbabwe can do better by
change of leadership, why not discuss that openly as opposed to
clandestinely," Mugabe asked. Early this year he encouraged party members to
discuss his exit. This led to reported jockeying and jostling amongst those
with presidential ambitions. A succession committee was subsequently formed,
but it was disbanded when it was discovered that the group was fuelling
intra-party fighting.

From ZWNEWS, 8 November

The split

Last Friday, Don McKinnon was re-elected for a second term as Commonwealth secretary-general. The challenge to his position was highly unusual - secretary-generals are usually returned unopposed for a second term. The challenge, by former Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshma Kadirgamar, was, however, also seen as a test of opinion within the wider Commonwealth with regards to whether Zimbabwe's suspension should be extended. McKinnon won the vote by 40 votes to 11. The vote was held behind closed doors, and details as to which countries voted for which candidate have not been made public. Nevertheless, below is an analysis of how the vote probably went. It shows that while Mugabe had some success in garnering support from SADC countries, many African states did not support the challenge to McKinnon. Nor did countries from the Caribbean and the Pacific. In other words, the racial split which Mugabe tried to engineer did not materialise:

For McKinnon:

Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Cameroon; Canada; Cyprus; Dominica; Fiji Islands; The Gambia; Ghana; Grenada; Guyana; India; Jamaica; Kenya; Kiribati; Malawi; Maldives; Malta; Mauritius; Nauru; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Samoa; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tuvalu; United Kingdom; Vanuatu

For Kadirgamar:

Lesotho; Malaysia; Mozambique; Namibia; Singapore; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Swaziland; Uganda; United Republic of Tanzania; Zambia

Pakistan; Zimbabwe: Suspended

Nigeria: Host