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Activists
dismiss Principals’ meeting as ‘mere talk’
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
09 February 2012
Zimbabwe’s principal leaders have been
strongly criticised for showing no
urgency in implementing reforms that they
have agreed to, just a day after
the coalition government leaders held a
crisis meeting on the way forward.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, his
deputy Arthur Mutambara and Robert
Mugabe met on Wednesday to discuss the
pending appointment of a new police
chief and other issues that had
“deadlocked” progress by the coalition.
But media and electoral experts
on Thursday criticised them for agreeing to
reforms without any specific
time frame for implementation. The reforms
agreed to were also dismissed as
“nothing new.” Some observers said they do
not address the real root of
Zimbabwe’s problems.
“This showcases the circus that is in the coalition
government,” said
Njabulo Ncube from the Media Institute of Southern Africa
(MISA), who
described the principals meeting as “mere
talk.”
Addressing the press after the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister
Mutambara
told reporters they had agreed on the reconstitution of the boards
of the
Mass Media Trust, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the
Broadcasting
Authority of Zimbabwe.
Ncube said there was nothing new
in that information, as the principals had
agreed to reconstitute these
boards over a year ago, but nothing has changed
since. He explained that
Information Minister, Webster Shamu is the same
minister who ignored orders
from the principals to oversee these changes.
“It’s not taking us
anywhere. We’ve heard all this before and it is déjà
vu,” Ncube insisted.
He criticised the coalition leaders for talking about
media reforms just a
week after the Media Commission announced efforts to
ban all foreign
newspapers that are not registered in Zimbabwe but are
distributed
there.
Regarding elections, Mutambara told reporters they had agreed that
the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission needs to be ‘resourced’ in order for the
next
elections to be credible.
“And we hope the issue of violence
will be resolved once this bill is
adopted,” Mutambara said.
He added
that the coalition wants a report on the status of the constitution
making
process from the Parliamentary Committee (COPAC), with time frames
for
implementation of all the issues that must be dealt with.
Madock Chivasa
from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) criticised
the idea of
resourcing the current electoral commission, whose members he
dismissed as
political appointments. Chivasa also dismissed COPAC, saying
its members
push the agenda of their political parties.
“Resourcing ZEC does not mean
good results. It has more to do with how it
functions and whether it is
independent and operates in a transparent
manner. It seems the executive has
control of it,” Chivasa insisted.
The activist also addressed what he
described as duplication of
responsibilities within the government. He said:
“There is this confusion in
government in terms of who is really responsible
for issues and proposals
that are discussed.”
Chivasa was referring
to negotiators from the political parties, who are
also supposed to be
working on a roadmap towards elections, facilitated by
South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma and the regional SADC grouping.
Chivasa said without
a people-driven constitution that clearly spells out
the duties of
independent entities that are accountable to the people,
Zimbabwe will not
be able to conduct elections that can be considered free
and fair.
PM:
Chihuri only acting ZRP chief
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
08/02/2012 00:00:00
by
Gilbert Nyambabvu
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and deputy
premier, Arthur Mutambara have
insisted that police chief, Augustine Chihuri
remains in office in an acting
capacity pending regularisation of his
reappointment.
Tsvangirai and Mutambara were speaking after a meeting
President Robert
Mugabe Wednesday to discuss the dispute over Chihuri and
various other
issues still dividing the coalition partners.
Chihuri’s
four-year term expired last Tuesday prompting spirited exchanges
between
parties to the coalition government with the MDC formations
demanding his
replacement while government officials close to Mugabe claimed
the Zanu PF
leader had since renewed the ZRP chief’s contract.
But following
Wednesday’s meeting, Mutambara said the country does not have
a substantive
police commissioner adding Chihuri was only acting until
coalition
principals can reach a deal over his reappointment or replacement.
“The
Police Service Commission must be regularised so that it makes
recommendations of potential candidates to the President,” Mutambara told
reporters at a joint press conference with Tsvangirai held at the premier’s
Harare home.
“The Principals agreed that in line with the
Constitution, the President
would then consult and agree with the Prime
Minister on the next
Commissioner General of Police,” said Prof.
Mutambara.”
Zanu PF has not publicly commented on Wednesday’s meeting but
senior
officials said privately that the MDC formations were merely trying
to bolt
the barn door long after the horse had bolted, insisting Mugabe
reappointed
Chihuri long before the expiry of his contract.
Joy
Mabenge, program director of the Institute for a Democratic Alternative
for
Zimbabwe added that the absence of timelines renders meaningless
whatever
concessions the MDC formations extracted from Mugabe.
“Commissioner
Chihuri can act for as long as he wishes; he can act until the
next
election," Mabenge told VOA news. "So for as long as there is no time
frame
up to when he is going to be acting it’s a non-issue."
Meanwhile, Mutambara
said the principals also agreed that reforms need to be
completed before
fresh elections can be held.
“The objective is that the next election
outcome is not challenged. So
resources need to be put in place if we are
going to get results, and we
hope the issue of violence will be resolved
once this bill is adopted,” he
said.
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“Though
the ultimate deadline (for elections) is March 2013, the Principals
want a
report on the constitution making process from the Management
Committee with
estimated time frames of all the issues that require
implementation.”
The meeting also discussed media reforms as well as
the need to reconstitute
state media bodies such as the Zimbabwe Mass Media
Trust, the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation and the Broadcasting Authority
of Zimbabwe.
Mutambara added that the principals also agreed to take
action against
security service chiefs who undermine civilian authorities by
making
political statements.
“An officer in the security forces who
makes political statements undermines
the civilian government in place and
should be reprimanded for making such
statements,” he said.
Chihuri’s
stay in power a ‘betrayal’
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
09 February
2012
Augustine Chihuri’s continued stay in his powerful position as
Zimbabwe’s
police chief is being described as a ‘betrayal’, regardless of
the temporary
nature of the job.
The leaders in the coalition
government on Wednesday ‘agreed’ that Chihuri
would remain in the post in an
‘acting’ capacity, while the police force is
‘regularised’ and suggestions
for a permanent replacement are made. The
‘agreement’, by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, his deputy Arthur
Mutambara and Robert Mugabe also states
that who ever takes over from
Chihuri will be a decision Mugabe makes in
consultation with Tsvangirai.
The agreement effectively lets Chihuri keep
control of the police force,
with no clear timelines yet announced about
when a successor will be chosen.
Some media described this as a ‘win’ for
the MDC-T, which has insisted that
Chihuri has not been reappointed. But, as
one Facebook user commented on
Thursday: “If he (Mugabe) keeps losing fights
like this ZANU PF will rule
till donkeys grow horns.”
Exiled
journalist Tanonoka Joseph Whande said on Thursday that the whole
situation
is another show of how little power the MDC wields in the unity
government.
He also said that allowing Chihuri to remain in power, even for
just a short
while “is a betrayal to the people of Zimbabwe.”
Describing the situation
as a ‘betrayal’ may be a strong sentiment. But a
look back at Chihuri’s
behaviour over the last decade and longer provides
much evidence for
Whande’s argument.
For one thing, the Police Commissioner General was
among a list of top ZANU
PF officials who illegally benefited from the 1997
pay out to ‘War Victims’
from state coffers. The compensation fund saw the
likes of Chihuri, Vice
President Joice Mujuru, the CIO’s deputy
Director-General Aaron Daniel Tonde
Nhepera and others claiming up to 100%
disability.
Many were ‘awarded’ hundreds of thousands of Zim dollars as
compensation for
their war injuries. The late war vets leader Chenjerai
Hunzvi claimed 117%
disability, leading to a fraud investigation which was
not completed by the
time of his death.
Chihuri is also one of the
top six of Mugabe’s henchmen, who together form
the notorious Joint
Operations Command (JOC), which has orchestrated serious
violence and
brutality against the opposition for more than a decade. It is
also widely
speculated that the police chief was the main man responsible
for the 2005
government sponsored ‘clean up’, Operation Murambastvina, which
saw more
than 700 000 people lose their homes and livelihoods. It is
therefore not
surprising that he is high on the list of Western targeted
sanctions in
place against Mugabe and his inner circle.
Chihuri was also implicated in
2009 as being part of a group of ZANU PF
hardliners who aimed to sabotage
the then fledgling unity government, with a
nationwide campaign against
“soft targets,” including the remaining white
farmers, along with the
continued detention of human rights and MDC
activists. According to the UK’s
Telegraph newspaper, which quoted a source
within the CIO, the plan was to
prevent real reforms by the MDC and leave
the way clear for ZANU PF to make
a comeback at the next election.
Meanwhile, journalist and author Geoff
Hill explained on Thursday how
Chihuri is responsible for the politicisation
of the police force, a problem
that now runs so deep that “it would take
years to depoliticise.” He said
Chihuri, who has also chosen lieutenants in
the force “who think like him,”
has created a Mugabe-loyal police force that
acts on political orders.
“This whole idea of Chihuri in an ‘acting
capacity;’ simply continues the
very bad tradition of a political police
commissioner and his sycophants,”
Hill said.
On the other hand,
barely any ZANU PF members or party loyalists have ever
faced action from
police, despite proof of ZANU PF leading such violent
campaigns.
The
police chief’s hatred of the MDC meanwhile has also been clear and in
2010
the party, under Tsvangirai’s leadership, called for his removal after
he
called the MDC “puppets and running dogs” of the West.
“Hamutongenyika
nezvimbwasungata, kana kuti puppets, kana kuti running dogs
(You don’t allow
puppets to run the country),” Chihuri said during a speech
to police
recruits in 2010. “Hakuna nyika inotongwa nerombe rakadaro. (No
country is
run by such irresponsible ignoramuses like that.)”
Chihuri repeated
threats to overthrow any government not led by Mugabe and
ZANU PF, telling
the recruits that they should vote ‘wisely’. He also told
the junior
officers that Zimbabwe “came through blood and the barrel of the
gun and it
can never be re-colonised through a simple pen, which costs as
little as
five cents.”
The MDC-T meanwhile, despite agreeing on Chihuri to remain
in the police
commissioner post temporarily, recently compiled a dossier
against the
police chief, detailing his selective application of the law,
numerous human
rights violations and partisan approach to law
enforcement.
In a 28-page document titled “Partisan Policing” detailing
various
violations allegedly committed by the police between 1999 and 2011,
the
MDC-T accused Chihuri of making inflammatory statements which undermine
the
letter and spirit of the GPA.
Zim's
Police Commissioner To Go - Tsvangirai
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, February 09, 2012
– Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says there is
currently no substantive
Police Commisioner general and rumours that
Augustine Chihuri has been
re-appointed are not true and are therefore
misleading.
At a press
conference in Harare on Wednesday, Tsvangirai said during the
meeting with
principals, wide ranging issues were discussed and agreed on
with President
Robert Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, and
now await
implementation.
Giving a run-down of the agreed issues, DPM Mutambara
said there were
procedures that needed to be taken before a commissioner
general was
appointed.
“The Police Service Commission must be
regularised so that it makes
recommendations of potential candidates to the
President. The Principals
agreed that in line with the Constitution, the
President would then consult
and agree with the Prime Minister on the next
Commissioner General of
Police,” said Mutambara.
Contracts of some of
the members of the police service commission expired in
December 2011 and
that needed to be regularised before the commission could
recommend names
for appointment to the post of Police Commissioner General.
He said
Chihuri was therefore acting Commissioner General.
Mutambara said the
three principals agreed that political statements made by
service chiefs
must be left to politicians and those within the security
forces who make
politic al statements must be dealt with as their statements
undermine
civilian authority.
“An officer in the security forces who makes
political statements undermines
the civilian government in place and should
be reprimanded for making such
statements,” he said.
Mutambara said
it was agreed that there was need for electoral reforms to
take place if the
next elections are to be free, fair and credible.
He said the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission needed to be resourced for it to
produce
results.
“The objective is that the next election outcome is not
challenged. So
resources need to be put in place if we are going to get
results, and we
hope the issue of violence will be resolved once this bill
is adopted,” he
added.
Mutambara said, the meeting earlier on
Wednesday, had deliberated on the
need for a report on the status of the
constitution making process from the
management committee to ensure that the
next elections are process driven.
“Though the ultimate deadline is March
2013, the Principals want a report on
the constitution making process from
the Management Committee with estimated
time frames of all the issues that
require implementation,” he said.
Mutambara said it was agreed that there
be media reforms and that the Mass
Media Trust Board, Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation Board and Broadcasting
Authority of Zimbabwe Board be
regularised.
What it means is that the Minister of Information will have
to regularise
the illegally constituted boards. Responding to a question
pertaining to
this issue, President Tsvangirai said decisions made by these
boards must
therefore be reversed, he said.
Mutambara discouraged
hate speech which he said had flooded both public and
private media which he
added is detrimental to the development of the
society.
‘There is
hate speech in the public media, there is hate speech in the
private media,
there is irresponsible journalism but now we need to think
about what is
good for the people of Zimbabwe. We are going to hold a no
holds barred
media indaba with all the editors to discuss how we can work
together for
the good of the people because media can influence society,” he
said.
He went on to say section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and
Evidence Act
needed to be revisited as it has been grossly abused. Section
121, when
invoked, allows for a person to be kept in prison for seven days
after
which, when the state makes no appeal, the person can be granted bail.
Many
MDC activists have had their stay in prison prolonged after the state
invoked this section.
Other issues that were discussed included the
issue of land utilisation
audit to ensure productivity on the land; the
issue of restrictive measures
and the need to call for their lifting; the
need to expand from economic
stability to job creation and promote
investment.
The meeting further agreed on the need for the council of
ministers to meet
regularly to report back on areas of implementation so
that Cabinet assumes
its original role of debating national policy.
Decision
to keep Chihuri is a ‘retrogressive step’
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
9
February 2012
The decision to keep Augustine Chihuri as
commissioner-general in an acting
capacity has been described as a
retrogressive step by a number of leading
pro-democracy
activists.
The activists expressed disapproval of his continuous stay at
the helm of
the force saying it will not help clean the tainted image of the
police.
Many believe Chihuri was given a lifeline when the principals failed
to give
a timeline of how long he will serve before a new police chief is
appointed.
Instead, the principals said the Police Service Commission
must be
‘regularised’ so that it makes recommendations of potential
candidates to
President Robert Mugabe. It is feared ZANU PF can prolong this
process, up
until the last days of the unity government, to ensure Chihuri’s
presence
during the elections.
The activists contend his presence at
the Police General Headquarters will
remain a key battle between President
Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai.
Dewa Mavhinga,
the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition’s regional director in South
Africa
described as ‘terrible’ the principals’ decision to stick with
Chihuri.
His 19 years as boss of the police have been laced with
allegations of
political bias and complicity in human rights abuses. The
former liberation
war fighter openly supports ZANU PF, which is a breach of
the police Act.
Political analyst Munjonzi Mutandiri told SW Radio Africa
on Thursday that
the acting commissioner-general’s issue was very disturbing
to say the
least.
“We have known that Chihuri stands as one of the
impediments in terms of
reforms within the police force itself. We have seen
his biasness, even
during the period of this inclusive government,”
Mutandiri said.
He added: “Whether you like it or not, he is currently
the
commissioner-general. He’s discharging his duties as before and there is
nothing that inhibits him from doing what he was doing before.”
MDC-T
spokesman Douglas Mwonzora backed the decision by his party leader to
let
Chihuri continue in an acting capacity, saying the move is “a starting
point.”
“We know people have raised very good points about Chihuri.
This is only the
beginning, and it is up to us as parties, especially the
MDC-T to expedite
the process to find a new man for the job,” Mwonzora
said.
He added: “Our leader is really pushing to ensure there is real
change on
the ground and if there is political will from our partners from
ZANU PF,
its possible things might move a bit faster than before.”
A
leading journalist with the Daily News told SW Radio Africa that despite
reservations from civil society organisations; it will not be business as
usual for Chihuri. He said what ever action Chihuri takes from now on, he
would have to be wary of its repercussions if he wishes to be re-considered
for the post.
“He will have to be careful with the way he discharges
his duties because
some of his actions might come back to haunt him during
the selection
process, as the Police Service Commission will have
individuals chosen by
the three parties in the inclusive government,” the
journalist said.
The senior journalist said there is also intense
infighting in the police
force to push Chihuri out, with Police Deputy
Commissioner Innocent Matibiri
marked as Chihuri’s biggest
challenger.
“Not only does Matibiri enjoy the support of the MDC
formations but he is
also Mugabe’s nephew, a university graduate described
as an ultimate
professional by his peers and subordinates,” the journalist
said.
“If the process to find the new police boss is done through the
proper
channels, Chihuri will have a big fight on his hands because he faces
a very
serious challenge from some of his deputies,” according to the
journalist.
Public Service Commission Report Disputes Ghost-Worker Total
http://www.voanews.com
08 February
2012
The
state-controlled Herald newspaper said the Public Service Commission
audit
report dismisses the 2010 Ernst & Young led report which found 70,000
ghost workers on state payrolls
Tatenda Gumbo |
Washington
Zimbabwean state media reported Wednesday that the
Public Service Commission
has completed a study of government payrolls
including a skills audit that
is said to offer conclusions opposite to those
reached by Ernst & Young of
India.
The state-controlled Herald
newspaper said the Public Service Commission
audit report dismisses the 2010
Ernst & Young led report which found 70,000
ghost workers on state
payrolls, saying its own research found only minor
irregularities.
The paper quoted the Public Service Commission report
as saying those
irregularities occurred in the recruitment of 6,000 youth
officers by the
Ministry of Youth.
The Public Service Commission
disputed the findings of the 2010 Ernst &
Young survey of state workers
on its release. The Cabinet told the
commission to check the
findings.
An official reached at the commission refused to confirm the
report in the
Herald.
Public Service Minister Lucia Matibenga said
she does not know of any
completed report, telling VOA reporter Tatenda
Gumbo that any reports -
including the original audit of state payrolls by
Ernst & Young - must first
go to the Cabinet.
Secretary General
Raymond Majongwe of the Progressive Teachers Union said
ghost workers cannot
be disputed and the commission is trying to cover up.
Zim Civil
Servants Take Salary Dispute To Tsvangirai
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, February 09, 2012
- Zimbabwe's civil servants have written to Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
to intervene in their salary dispute with the
government of national unity
(GNU) after reaching a deadlock over salary
increments.
Tendai
Chikowore, the chairperson of the Apex Council, wrote to Tsvangirai
last
Tuesday requesting for his intervention in the civil service salary
review.
Radio VOP was on Wednesday shown the letter dated 31 January,
2012, also
copied to Lucia Matibenga, the Minister of Public Service, M.
Nzuwah, the
chairperson of the Public Service Commission, N. Sambureni, the
chairperson
of the NJNC, P. Mpazirihwo, the government team leader and the
APEX member
unions.
“We, the Civil Service Apex Council, are writing
to you because we are
convinced that it is the current government’s policy
to restore social
service delivery in Zimbabwe to optimum levels,” wrote
Chikowore.
“We are convinced that you deeply appreciate and embrace the
observation
that, the country’s civil service carries the prime
responsibility of
delivering such services and as such deserves
improved
salaries and conditions of service. It is with the above conviction
that we
request your office and indeed higher offices above yours to
intervene in
finding a lasting solution on the subject of conditions of
service,
particularly the salary levels of civil servants. This subject
requires
commitment and undivided attention of all Principal Officers of the
Government of National Unity (GNU,” she added.
Chikowore, who is also
the president of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association
(ZIMTA), said the three
principals in the GNU should “put aside political
calculations and
pressures, and to make commitments that transcended the
life of the
coalition government and election cycle.”
The civil servants want the
least paid government employee to be paid a
monthly minimum salary of US$538
for the least paid civil servant from the
current US$250.
“While we
agree that the national budget is a moral document in so far as it
reflects
the values and decisions of the nation, budgets become morally
meaningless
when they keep other citizens in poverty longer than others.
Right now we
feel morally failed by our government. Thus we suggest that you
(PM) support
the civil servants by proposing and defending substantive
revision of our
salaries. It is our belief that you would like to hear
voices of those
faithful workers of government and as such, we request a
meeting with you at
your earliest possible time,” Chikowore added.
Zim
payday postponed
http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za
Eyewitness News | 6 Hour(s) Ago
Payday for Zimbabwe’s
civil servants has been postponed by at least five
days following a cash
shortage in the country.
In an effort to improve liquidity, the finance
ministry has asked
foreign-owned banks to bring in offshore
funds.
According to a statement released by state media, the Public
Service
Commission Secretary said this would allow government more time to
mobilise
funds.
This is bad news for civil servants who already feel
disappointed with what
they consider a low wage level.
Because of
this, some ATMs have limited cash withdrawals and several clients
have been
turned away empty handed.
The Bankers Association of Zimbabwe has
recommended that foreign-owned banks
bring in $200 million held in off-shore
accounts to increase the number of
cash in circulation.
Civil
servants ordered to respect PM
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The marathon meetings held by Zimbabwe’s
Principals to the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) held since Sunday
yesterday produced an order to all civil
Servants to respect the executive
in particular the country’s Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai.
09.02.1208:30am
by Kingstone Ndabatei
“The
Provincial Administrators, Governors and all civil servants are hereby
ordered to not only respect but offer the necessary support to the
executive.
“We have had cases in which in particular provincial
authorities have not
supported or respected the country’s Premier and that
is unacceptable to
us,” Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara told
reporters.
Addressing journalists at the Prime Minister’s residence
Mutambara said
government workers should learn to differentiate between
Tsvangirai the
party president and the Prime Minister.
“There have
been instances where the Prime Minister has gone around the
country on
government business and some provincial administrators,
governors, and such
other government staff has scorned the Premier.
“It is unacceptable
behavior and as principals we are saying if one of us is
on government
business all ministers and everyone else who works for the
government should
give them the necessary support,” Mutambara said.
Meanwhile Mutambara
said the Principals had also agreed to show some degree
of respect to
Ministers and high ranking government personnel if they are to
be
arrested.
“We are not usurping the powers of the police or rule of law,
if they are to
be arrested it should be with some dignity.
“Not the
humiliation we have seen recently with ministers being dragged to
court
handcuffed as though they are hard core criminals, you humiliate a
minister
… you humiliate the country.
“These people are the face of the executive
and the country so they need
some respect and dignity,” the Deputy Premier
said.
Reports suggested some provincial authorities in Mashonaland East
refused to
attend meetings with the Prime Minister when he went on a
nationwide tour
preferring instead to attend ZANU-PF meetings which
infuriated Tsvangirai
hence his confronting of Mugabe.
Police Stop
Tsvangirai Lecture Series
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, February 09, 2012 – Police on
Wednesday night barred Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai’s lecturer series at
a local hotel despite initially
giving the organisers permission to proceed
with the public meeting to
discuss the global financial crisis and
implications for Zimbabwe.
Armed riot police dispersed people that had
gathered for the lecturer.
The lecture series, part of Prime Minister
Tsvangirai’s Office to engage
with the public, was billed to be addressed by
Professor Patrick Bond, from
the Centre for Civil Society at the University
of KwaZulu Natal, South
Africa and local academic Ibbo Mandaza, from the
Southern African Political
Economy Series (SAPES).
Political analyst
Charles Mangongera, who was to chair the lecture, said
police refused to
listen to him despite brandishing a police clearance,
authorising the
gathering.
“They said we supplied them with a false address. This is
despite the fact
that we have applied using the same address before and they
have granted us
permission,” Mangongera told Radio VOP on Thursday. “We were
dispersed. They
sent a whole truckload of anti-riot police to cordon off the
hotel,” he
added.
Bond, the South African academic, said he was
deeply disappointed that the
police had barred the public lecture saying
this reflected that Zimbabwe had
regressed into a fascist state where the
free flow of ideas is curtailed by
a paranoid political
class.
National police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was not immediately
available to
explain why the police had outlawed the meeting.
First Draft
Constitution Completed:Copac
http://www.radiovop.com
Harare, February 09, 2012 - The
Constitutional Select Committee (Copac) on
the constitution making process
on Thursday said the first draft of the new
charter has been completed by
the principal drafters of the new
constitution.
Edward Mkhosi
co-chairperson of Copac told journalists at a press briefing
in Harare that
other issues in the draft constitution that include
presidential term
limits, age limit for presidential candidates are still to
be deliberated by
the constitution making body.
"We would want to inform the nation that
the principal drafters have
produced the first draft constitution of the new
constitution of Zimbabwe,"
Mkhosi said. "They are now reviewing (the draft
constitution) with the
assistance of technical experts. The draft proposal
is work in progress
until it is approved by Copac."
There have been
suggestions that all presidential candidates above the age
of 70 years and
those who have served two terms before as President must be
barred from
contesting in any election. President Robert Mugabe is the only
leader that
the country has had since independence and is expected to turn
88 this
month.
"It is therefore premature at this stage to conclude that
Zimbabweans,
through the outreach consultations stated that people who have
served at
least two terms and those above the age of 70 will not be able to
contest in
the presidential elections,"Mkhosi said.
"The Select
Committee has not yet deliberated on among other issues the age
limit or the
terms of the office of the President."
Meanwhile, the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on Tuesday listed a
number of demands that
include a new constitution and a equal access to
media to all political
actors that must be met by the unity government
before fresh elections are
held in the country.
Madock Chivasa, NCA spokesperson said a democratic
constitution that is
supported by an independent and impartial electoral
body must be in place
before fresh polls are held as demanded by President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF
party.
"Fully believing that all elections in
Zimbabwe remain illegitimate and
without merit until undertaken under a new
democratic and people-driven
constitution, the people should demand
elections under a new constitutional
dispensation.," Chivasa
said.
"We will continue pressurising the present government to come up
with an
independent commission to consult people on the views they want to
be
included in the constitution. A democratic people driven constitution
will
guarantee Zimbabweans of free and fair election that are violent
free."
The NCA said they want "one independent, impartial, accountable
and
well-resourced electoral management body" and that the process of
delimitation or demarcation of constituencies must be done in a transparent
manner that is "free from political control." The pressure group said the
voters roll must be easily accessible and that voter education must be done
with the participation of civic society.
"Transparent and neutral
location of polling stations, agreed to through a
national consultative
process devoid of undue ruling or opposition party and
government influence,
which are accessible to all including those with
special needs," Chivasa
said.
"International, Regional and Local Observers and Monitors being
permitted
access to everyone involved in the electoral process."
The
NCA embarked on a programme called "Take charge" in the last two years
urging Zimbabweans to reject the government led constitution making process
saying the process is not people driven. The organisation which was formed
in the late 90s said they will urge Zimbabweans to vote "No" at the
referendum of the draft constitution being written.
The current
constitution making process has been delayed in the last two
years due to
lack of resources, violent disturbances by Zanu PF supporters
and
disagreement among the main political parties on how the process should
be
done.
Sources have revealed that Zanu (PF) Copac co-chair Paul Mangwana
is under
fire from his party for allowing such a clause to be drafted in the
document. This would have meant automatic disqualification for the
88-year-old Mugabe who is Zanu (PF)'s Presidential candidate for the next
election.
Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s sole ruler since attaining independence
in 1980, was
endorsed during the December party conference as the party’s
candidate.
Mangwana denied he was under pressure from his party. “There
is no pressure
from anyone,” he said.
“The impression created is that
Copac has taken a position on qualifications
or disqualifications of the
office of the President which is not
correct...".
Community
Radio In Waiting In Fear After Police Visit
http://www.radiovop.com/
By Vusisizwe Mkhwananzi
Gwanda, February 09, 2012 - Zimbabwe’s first rural
community radio
initiative could soon be silenced after police officers from
the Law and
Order Section began visiting committee members of the Ntepe
Community Radio
Initiative, a brain child of the Media Institute of Southern
Africa (MISA)
and Zimbabwe Association of Community Stations (ZACHRAS).
MISA
Matabeleland South Provincial Advocacy Committee Chairperson Mvelo
Zondo
confirmed that police visited his home to question him on the
objectives of
Ntepe Community Radio Initiative which runs its programmes
through pre-
recorded compact discs and pamphlets.
“I was visited by two officers from
Law and Order ZRP Gwanda who wanted to
know the agenda and objectives of
Ntepe Community Radio,” said Zondo.
The police allege the station was set
up to impart unfavourable information
about President Mugabe and his ZANU PF
to the advantage of the MDC
formations.
However Zondo denied the
allegations as unfounded saying the community radio
initiative was for
developmental issues.
“Ntepe community radio is non-profit making, it is
the peoples initiative
hence it is apolitical it has nothing to do with
party politics and nothing
will stop us from doing developmental duties,”
said Zondo.
The state controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation had
maintained a
monopoly in the broadcasting industry, which is controlled by
Robert Mugabe’s
Zanu (PF) before the broadcasting authority, the
Broadcasting Authority of
Zimbabwe (BAZ), licensed two players in January
amidst criticisms. BAZ
licensed two commercial radio licenses to ABC
Communications owned by Supa
Mandiwanzira who is perceived to be a Zanu (PF)
supporter and the
state-owned Zimpapers which publishes a number of
newspapers in Zimbabwe
including dailies, The Herald and The
Chronicle.
The two are yet to start operations although Zimpapers' Talk
Radio is said
to have advertised for staff positions for the new radio
station. Two
companies denied licences, Kiss FM and Vox Media have
approached the courts
to protest why BAZ failed to issue them
licences.
Analysts say the slow pace in opening up the airwaves is meant
to scuttle
information perceived to be unpalatable to Mugabe and his party.
Last year
police in Collen Bawn, 20km south of Gwanda town shocked residents
when they
went around confiscating solar powered shortwave radios alleging
the
gadgets peddled falsehoods.
Hunger
on the horizon…: Zanu hijacks inputs
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Zanu (PF) has been accused of
manipulating the distribution of farming
inputs which has affected the
production of small scale farmers.
06.02.1203:33pm
by Sofia
Mapuranga
Speaking to The Zimbabwean, Councilor for Ward 14 , Gilbert
Ndlovu, said the
distribution procedure for seed and fertiliser was
manipulated by Zanu (PF)
affiliates in the province.
“Farmers in my
community did not receive government inputs on time. Seed and
fertiliser
distribution started way after the area had received its first
rains in
November,” he said. “Chief Nhlamba and chosen herdsman were
assigned to
distribute seed and fertilizer, but the process was not
transparent.”
Ndlovu said the distribution exercise was highly
politicized, with those
affiliated to Zanu (PF) getting more than MDC-T
supporters who had to share
50kg bags among three families.
According
to the councilor, hunger was a very real possibility. “The
majority of the
farmers failed to plant this season and the few that managed
to do so have
been disadvantaged by the climatic conditions,” said Ndlovu.
Isaac Vela,
a farmer from Chief Nhlamba’s area, said the major challenge was
failing to
plant seed on time.
“Most farmers did not plant on time and the rains
came for just a short
period, We last had rain in November and our crops
have been affected by
this heat,” said Vela.
Vela said the community
needed to be educated about water harvesting
techniques in order to reduce
run-off, which causes erosion.
“Lack of knowledge on how to adapt to our
environment has affected the
community’s output. Ntepe River has dried up,
but people continue to dig
wells on the banks of that river.
Sikhala
to embark on 66 day hunger strike over Mugabe
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
09
February 2012
The president of the breakaway MDC-99 political party Job
Sikhala has told
SW Radio Africa that he and 70 members of his party
leadership will go on a
66-day hunger strike at the Africa Unity Square in
Harare, “until Mugabe is
gone.”
Speaking on the Question Time
programme on Wednesday Sikhala said the hunger
strike will start in early
March at a date to be announced. Quizzed about
the significance of 66 days,
he said “in terms of scientific study, it is
said a person can survive 66
days without food. So we intend to stretch
ourselves to the
limit.”
The controversial former MDC MP for St Mary’s conceded “we will
be drinking
water obviously” but on the whole “we will not talk to anybody,
we will not
be holding any stones or any axes. We are going to engage in
peaceful means.
If it fails and the dictator continues, we will go into
overdrive,” he said.
Asked what he meant by ‘overdrive’ Sikhala said they
would hold
demonstrations to show that “we are tired of the dictator. Any
call to
elections in our country is a call to a blood bath. Mugabe has never
appreciated elections as a contestation of ideas but about how many people
you can kill in order to govern.”
Sikhala said over 20 000 people
died during the Gukurahundi Massacres in the
80’s, and during the 90’s to
the present day many other opposition activists
including “6000 from the MDC
family” have lost their lives.
“We are no longer interested in seeing
Mugabe as a contestant in our
elections. He has to be overthrown before we
hold any elections,” Sikhala
said. He said they had already mobilised a lot
of ‘stakeholders’ who will be
taking notice of the protest.
Asked if
they had secured police clearance for their hunger strike Sikhala
said “how
can I request police clearance to refuse eating?”
Zanu
youth, MDC councillors forcibly eject Mutare mayor
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff
Writer
Thursday, 09 February 2012 15:33
MUTARE - ZANU PF youth and
MDC councillors on Tuesday night teamed to eject
suspended Mutare Mayor
Brian Leslie James and his wife Lynne from a full
council meeting where they
were seated in the public gallery.
MDC councillors and Zanu PF
functionaries appointed as special interest
councillors by Local Government
Minister Ignatius Chombo have in the past
exhibited rare unity by
campaigning for James’ ouster as mayor after he
called for an audit of
council finances. James also resisted calls for an
increase in councillors’
allowances.
Tuesday, however, marked a turning point as councillors from
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party, Zanu PF special interest
councillors and
youth, some wearing T-shirts with President Robert Mugabe’s
portrait, joined
hands to force James off the public gallery.
“I came
for the full council meeting in my capacity as a resident and
ratepayer of
the city of Mutare. I was told I was not welcome since I am on
suspension
and to avoid violence I had to leave,” James told the Daily News
later.
The public gallery was packed with Zanu PF youth, in what
appeared a
well-rehearsed move.
The Zanu PF youth roughed up
journalists and Makoni South MP Pishai
Muchauraya as well as members of the
white community who had attended the
meeting.
Muchauraya, who is also
the MDC Manicaland provincial spokesperson, said his
party would investigate
the “unholy” alliance that has developed between MDC
and Zanu PF councillors
since James began talking about accountability of
council
finances.
“It is no longer a reflection of the party,” said Muchauraya
referring to
activities going on within Mutare City Council.
Acting
Mutare Mayor George Jerison said he had nothing to do with James’s
eviction.
“I was only informed much later that he (James) had been
ordered to leave.
Isau Mupfumi (Zanu PF special interest councillor) is the
one who brought
the youths to the full council meeting.
Mupfumi
denied this saying: “It was coincidental that they attended the full
council
meeting where I was also present. I had nothing to do with it,” said
Mupfumi.
The MDC last year admitted that some of its councillors,
most who were
poverty stricken before joining council, needed to be
investigated for
possible corruption.
MDC official shot, injured in Masvingo
Thursday, 09 February 2012
Zororai Mashuma Murega, a senior MDC official
was shot and seriously injured
by unknown gunmen at the Renco Mine turn off
in Masvingo at around 9pm last
night.
Murega, the MDC chairperson for
Ward 30, Masvingo South district, was shot
on the right arm at the turn off.
The official is currently receiving
treatment at a Masvingo
hospital.
According to Benson Shuro who is Masvingo South district
chairperson, Murega
disembarked from a haulage truck at Renco Mine turn off
in order to proceed
to his rural home. While at the turn-off, he some heard
rustling sounds and
was shot on the right arm.
“Murega disembarked
from a haulage truck at the turn off at around 9 pm last
night. He was later
attacked by unidentified assailants who shot him on his
right arm. Nobody is
aware of the motive of the attack. The police were
called and did some
investigations and a report was compiled,” Shuro said.
Murega was rushed
to hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. The
police say they
are still carrying out investigations.
“When MDC officials went to Renco
Mine Police Station to check on the
progress of the matter, we were informed
the police are still going through
the case to come up with possible
suspects behind the attack. It is my hope
that the police will act swiftly
to bring the culprits to book,” said Shuro.
He said the timing of the
attack could reflect political implications.
“We would not rush into
saying there are political connotations behind the
attack but the timing of
the attack leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
The manner in which the
attack was executed indicates the people behind the
move could be
experienced gunmen. We are worried because our official was
injured in a gun
attack. If they were robbers, they could have stolen
something from
him.
“We, however, hope the police will complete their investigations
soon since
we are anxious to establish the cause of the attack,” said
Shuro.
Police officers at the Masvingo provincial public relations desk
said they
had not yet received details from Renco police camp.
The
people’s struggle for real change – Lets finish it!!!
--
MDC
Information & Publicity Department
Chombo
targets MDC
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Writer
Thursday, 09 February 2012
15:34
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has
accused local
Government Minister Ignatius Chombo of attempting to destroy
the party by
dismissing elected councillors ahead of watershed polls to be
held most
likely next year.
This comes as the MDC says Chombo is
moving to take over Harare and stuff it
with Zanu PF
loyalists.
Chombo has been crossing swords with the former opposition
party since his
Zanu PF party began losing control of urban and rural
councils to the MDC.
MDC secretary for local government Sessel Zvidzai
said Chombo had launched a
crackdown on its members so that Zanu could
regain what it lost during the
2008 elections.
“The minister is
abusing the law for the benefit of his party,” said
Zvidzai.
Chombo
and Zvidzai work in the same ministry but hardly relate to each other
due to
political differences.
According to the MDC, Chombo has been abusing the
Urban Council’s Act to
dismiss MDC councillors and replacing them with Zanu
PF cronies.
But Chombo yesterday denied the claims saying the MDC should
prove the
allegations.
He said that the reason why he dismissed MDC
councillors deemed to be
corrupt was because even their party leader Morgan
Tsvangirai admitted that
most councillors were corrupt.
“I am just
working according to the words of my Prime Minister (Tsvangirai).
I have to
follow what he says (and) he has said it loud and clear that he
does not
tolerate corruption and so what do you expect me to do?” queried
Chombo.
According to MDC officials, Chombo has now set his sights on
dismissing
Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda.
Chombo has openly
criticised Masunda and his councillors for failing to run
the
city.
According to one councillor, Thomas Muzuwa, Chombo on Monday called
a
meeting with some councillors from Harare where he told them that Masunda
had failed.
Chombo yesterday confirmed the meeting. He said it was
meant to discuss how
councillors and government could assist each other in
tackling challenges
bedevilling the capital.
The Electected
Councillors Association of Zimbabwe (Ecaz) has also lambasted
Chombo for
trying to decimate MDC councils.
WOZA
and others arrested yesterday remain in police custody, still not
charged
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
The nine WOZA members along with five bystanders who were
arrested during a
WOZA demonstration yesterday remain in custody tonight
with their position
unclear. Last night they were told that they would be
charged with failing
to notify the police of a demonstration. This is rather
inexplicable, since
that charge applies only to the organiser of a
demonstration, not to
participants, and certainly not to bystanders.
However, today, no charges
were preferred, and the lawyer who attended in
the morning, Nikiwe Ncube,
was eventually told to return after lunch. When
she returned she was told
that the docket had disappeared. Quite
extraordinary that a docket relating
to well-known activists could be lost
from one day to the next! It appeared
that there was a struggle going on
between two divisions within the police
station – one insisting that all be
released as they had committed no
offence, and one claiming to be acting on
orders “from above” to find a
charge. At the end of the day, the lawyer had
learned nothing and was told
to come again tomorrow.
It has meanwhile
turned out that there are nine, not eight, as originally
reported, WOZA
members arrested and five others. None have been released,
including the
minor. And all are complaining of mistreatment. Last night
they were kept in
the open cage when it was quite chilly after rains; only
at 2 a.m. were they
placed in the cell.
Today they were forced to sit in the burning sun without
any shelter for
three hours. One of the WOZA women collapsed and was then
taken to hospital
by the police; it transpired that she had also been kicked
by a police
officer during arrest. The doctor at the hospital ordered an
abdominal scan,
but instead of being taken for it she was forced to walk
back to the police
station, a distance of three kilometres. One of the
bystanders was a vendor
selling juices; she also had to be taken to
hospital, and her condition is
not known except that she had spent the day
crying.
Several of those who were not arrested but had been beaten had to be
treated
for bruising in their homes, as they found the riot police were
waiting for
them at the private clinic where any injuries are normally
catered for. We
believe that no one has any serious injury, except possibly
the member who
is in police custody.
We wait for developments
tomorrow. By law the police must either release or
charge those detained and
bring them to court by 4 p.m., 48 hours after
their arrest. We trust that
the police officers will not further violate
their rights.
Those who
wish to express solidarity, please phone the Bulawayo Central
Police
Station.
Numbers: 263 9 72515 (general number)
263 9 60204. (
Superintendent, Crime)
Request that they release all those who are not
WOZA members, especially the
minor, as they cannot be suspected of
committing any crime.
Request that all rights of detained persons be
respected, according to
Zimbabwe’s constitution and other legislation, and
according to the rights
of detained persons enshrined in international law –
especially that they be
protected from inhuman, cruel and degrading
treatment and torture.
Former
ZBC boss unleashed terror in Norton
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Lance Guma
09 February
2012
Christopher Hatikure Mutsvangwa, the former director of the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) unleashed a reign of terror in the Norton
constituency after losing to a little known MDC-T candidate in 2008. Several
opposition activists died at the hands of terror mobs he personally
directed.
In SW Radio Africa’s continuing exposé of individuals
behind some of the
most brutal acts of political violence in Zimbabwe, we
focus on Mutsvangwa
who was then the ZANU PF parliamentary candidate for
Norton. As a former
agent in the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) it
came as no surprise
that 60 percent of the reported cases of violence and
murder were committed
by CIO agents.
A dossier supplied to SW Radio
Africa, containing detailed witness
testimonies, alleges that in August 2009
Mutsvangwa was behind the shooting
and killing of Costa Matete and two other
people in Highlands. The widow of
one of the victims has since filed a law
suit against Mutsvangwa for the
cold blooded murder of her
husband.
Although the widow claims that the murder was politically
motivated,
Mutsvangwa claims the trio robbed his wife. Saliwe Nduna, widow
of Costa
Matete, is suing the police, alleging that her husband was killed
by
detectives to hide evidence of an illegal diamond deal involving
Mutsvangwa.
Meanwhile, on the 1st of May 2008 Gibson Nyandoro, a war vet
who had fallen
out with his colleagues, began openly campaigning for the
MDC-T. Furious at
this defection the local ZANU PF leadership summoned him
to a kangaroo court
chaired by Mutsvangwa. They warned Nyandoro about his
links with the MDC-T
but he refused to be intimidated and continued
campaigning for the party.
“Two weeks later Gibson Nyandoro was reported
missing by his relatives and
his body was discovered floating in a local dam
a few days later,” the
dossier says.
And then, on the 12th June 2008,
Mutsvangwa addressed ZANU PF militia teams
at the local community hall.
During the evening a group of youths including
Oliver Tembo, Ian Kazungu,
Wilson Asau and Adas Kudiwapfava, all accompanied
by local CIO agents
abducted Moses Mutandwa and took him to the hall where
he was heavily
assaulted with sticks under the feet and all over the body.
Mutandwa was
detained at the hall for two days after which he was released
together with
other detainees, but only when Mutsvangwa had visited the base
and assigned
the militia other missions.
On the same day Oliver Tembo, a member of
Mutsvangwa’s campaign team led a
group of ZANU PF youths who abducted Chris
Kakanga and took him to the local
ZANU PF offices in Katanga. Kakanga was
savagely assaulted with steel bars
and logs until he sustained a fractured
arm and leg. The youths who
assaulted him told him the MDC-T in Norton were
‘nauseating’ Mutsvangwa.
Witnesses who gave their testimonies said that
Mutsvangwa was regularly seen
delivering food supplies to the base where
most MDC-T activists were being
detained and tortured. On the 13th of June
2008 Mutsvangwa held a meeting in
Norton at which his campaign team agreed
to set up torture bases at the
homes of several ZANU PF
officials.
Mutsvangwa supplied the tents that were pitched up at the
homes of Knowledge
Ndiya and another official named as Matambo. It was not
long before the new
bases were in use. On the same day John Kwangware
reported that CIO
operatives broke into his house and blindfolded him. He
said they took him
to Matambo’s house where they severely assaulted
him.
Kwangware said his left eye is permanently damaged as they allegedly
tried
to remove it.
Many other activists like David Mupandasekwa, an
MDC polling agent in the
March 29 elections was targeted by Mutsvangwa’s
mob. He was abducted from
his house and the mob “hauled him blindfolded” to
a place where CIO agents
heavily assaulted him and left him for
dead.
In another example Theresa Kamasula was abducted and taken to
Knowledge
Ndiya‘s house, where a tent had been pitched by Mutsvangwa’s team.
On
arrival she was taken into the tent and subjected to ‘terrible assault
and
torture’. The youths threatened to kill her if they wanted. She was told
they had orders from Mutsvangwa to ‘kill’ and it was up to them ‘either to
kill or spare her life’.
The youths later ordered her to report to
Ndiya’s house everyday to carry
out household chores until after the 27 June
presidential run off election.
Farmer
tastes own medicine
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Xolisani Ncube, Staff writer
Thursday, 09 February
2012 15:29
HARARE - A farm owner who evicted 150 families, forcing
them to live along a
railway line, has been sent packing.
Samson
Chauruka grabbed headlines when he pushed former farm workers out of
Bromley
Farm after taking over the property from Leslie Lombard, who is now
staying
at a Marondera old people’s home.
The workers, who were living miserable
lives after their eviction by
Chauruka, were only rescued after the Daily
News published details of their
horrific living conditions.
Chauruka
only allowed the workers back after lands minister Hebert Murerwa
intervened
following the Daily News reports.
Chauruka left the homeless families and
their property exposed to rain and
the sun after he demolished their houses
on the basis of using a Marondera
Magistrates’ Court eviction
order.
He threatened the Daily News with litigation after the newspaper
published
the suffering of former farm workers, who had spent close to a
month in the
open.
Now it is Chauruka’s turn to pack and go after
Murerwa gazetted the farm for
resettlement purposes.
According to a
government gazette published last Friday, government gave
notice that it was
taking over the land.
“Further take notice that the ownership of the
acquired land with full title
therein vested in the state is with effect
from the date of publication of
this notice in the government gazette,”
reads part of the notice.
“Deed of transfer 524/96 registered in the
names of Mashonaland East Tobacco
Graders (private) limited, in respect of
certain pieces of land situated in
the district of Goromonzi, being
subdivision H of Whiteside measuring forty
comma eight seven two six
(40,8726) hectares,” reads part of the gazette.
When contacted for
comment yesterday, Chauruka confirmed the development but
refused to shed
more light.
“Right now I am busy sorting issues you misrepresented in
your previous
articles before I deal with the matter you are talking about,”
said
Chauruka.
In previous engagements with the Daily News, Chauruka
indicated that he had
acquired the farm above board and accused this paper
of attempting to soil
his image.
Farm workers were refusing to accept
Chauruka’s eviction demand arguing that
the former white owner owed them
salaries and gratuities.
They further demanded that Chauruka should
afford them time to harvest their
crops, but Chauruka refused.
It was
not clear by yesterday what plans the government had for the farm
following
the acquisition notice.
PTUZ
cries foul over re-hiring of retired teachers
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior
Writer
Thursday, 09 February 2012 15:28
HARARE - Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has accused the
ministry of Public Service
for re-hiring retired teachers well over the age
of retirement as school
headmasters at the expense of young teachers.
PTUZ programmes and
communication officer Oswald Madziwa claimed that the
retired teachers, most
of whom are above 65, were being given preferential
treatment.
“This
is not only unfair to the young teachers aspiring to be school heads
but
also counterproductive to the nation as old retired and lowly qualified
retirees can never improve service delivery in our
schools.
“It is
also de-motivating to these young teachers most of whom have served
in
acting capacities as school heads for very long times," said
Madziwa.
Madziwa also claimed that the redeployment of the retired
teachers is a
political strategy being implemented by Zanu PF in preparation
for the
general elections.
“We are compelled to speculate and suspect
that the alleged re-hiring of
retirees as school heads is part of oiling
the rigging machinery ahead of a
watershed constitutional referendum and
possible do-or-die
elections, either this year or next year,” said
Madziwa.
Education minister David Coltart professed ignorance over the
matter when
contacted for comment.
“I have not received reports of
such deployments of the retirees being
redeployed. I shall check with the
ministry of public service commission on
that issue," said
Coltart.
Some of the retired teachers who took up heading posts are
Tendai Kandanzara
of Lynx Mining Primary School in Karoi who resigned in
August 2011 but was
recalled in January this year to head the
school.
Imelda Mukundu who also retired last year and was recalled back
to the
profession this year to head Gertnell Primary School in
Gutu.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer
Sifiso Ndlovu
confirmed the development.
“We have a serious shortages
of qualified teachers, as we have a 13 000
vacant posts that they are coming
back to fill in. It is not that they are
displacing anyone but they are
competing with the young teachers.
We must be proud of them because they are
qualified. Some had taken an early
retirement at the age of 55 and are
coming back to the profession," said
Ndlovu.
Headmasters in the
country are chosen to be presiding officers during the
national elections.
In 2008 teachers were accused by Zanu PF of influencing
the March 29
elections which handed Zanu PF and President
Robert Mugabe their first
electoral defeats since independence in 1980.
Meanwhile, PTUZ which
claims to have a membership of about 15 000 teachers
around the country,
yesterday launched its report on political violence
affecting the teachers
during election time with the 2008 election being a
case in time.
War
veteran and youth militia are cited as the main culprits of victimising
teachers and turning the schools into campaigning bases.
According to
the report, 58 percent of the respondents (teachers) reported
that they were
forced to vote for a particular party because of violence or
threat of it
during the 2008 presidential and
parliamentary elections.
Some were
ordered to declare themselves, their family members and maids
illiterate so
that they could be assisted to voter, the report stated.
The City of Harare should end the Misinformation
By Precious Shumba, HRT Director
8 February 2012, Harare- I am deeply
troubled by the sudden turn of events
in Harare. The majority of citizens
owe huge debts to council. Service
delivery has deteriorated to unexpected
levels. Elected Councillors are
invisible within local communities, given
the social economic hardship being
experienced by the citizenry. Dubious
organizations have emerged to
capitalize on the failures of both the City of
Harare as an institution and
the silence of the elected Councillors as
policymakers.
Even the 11 appointed special interest Councillors have
remained aloof,
depriving the City of Harare of the so-called expertise
within their ranks.
Residents are at the mercy of opportunistic
organizations and individuals
that thrive on chaos and human
suffering.
When it comes to service provision by local authorities, there
are shared
responsibilities and obligations between residents and other
stakeholders.
For each service delivery component impacting on local
communities, the
Urban Council’s Act (Chapter 29:15) provides that there be
a responsible
department of a local authority. There is a committee
comprising elected and
appointed Councillors to assist the local authority
in policy formulation.
For the City of Harare there are eight council
committees namely the Finance
and Development, Environment Management,
Information and Publicity,
Education, Health, Housing and Community
Services, Human Resources,
Procurement Board, Business and Audit. Each
committee is serviced by
technical staff drawn from the respective
departments of council. This means
each committee should be provided with
relevant information that plays a
significant role in helping councilors
make informed and realistic decisions
on behalf of the electorate-
residents.
The City of Harare has 18 district offices, headed by District
Officers
(DOs), commonly known as superintendent (katsekera) where residents
are
expected to receive services from the local authority. Among the main
duties
and responsibilities that they undertake are to attend to service
delivery
reports from residents in areas of sewerage and water services,
refuse
collection, road maintenance, rates queries and other service
delivery
related concerns.
The introduction of the multi currency
payment system in February 2009
brought with it several complications to the
billing of residents. The
majority of residents had prior to this paid
trillions of Zimbabwe dollars
in advance during the 2007- 2008 hyper
inflationary environment. This meant
that some people would pay amounts
exceeding ten trillion Zimbabwean dollars
to the City of Harare.
Yet
the local authority was not collecting garbage, water supplies were
erratic,
sewerage bursts were prominent in high density areas and the city
billing
system was chaotic then as it is today. The ultimate result has been
little
improvement in service delivery. The billing remains a nightmare to
the
majority rate paying population.
I have been prompted to right this piece
by recent events in Highfield, Glen
View, Glen Norah, and lately in
Budiriro. An organization that has strong
links with people known to be
members of Zanu PF and apparently tied to
officials in the City Treasury
department has been raking in thousands of
dollars from unsuspecting
residents who owe the city huge amounts of money.
This organization calling
itself the Welfare Trust has repeatedly misled
residents into believing that
by merely paying US$20 their debts, running
into several hundreds and
thousands of dollars will be cleared by the City
of Harare. When this
information emerged, the City Treasury Department was
quick to distance
itself from this ongoing scandal. Officials from the
District offices
concerned have claimed to the HRT representatives that they
have no power to
stop this organization because certain officials within the
City Treasury
department have instructed them to cooperate with this outfit.
The same
City treasury department has dispatched thousands of summon to
residents who
owe the local authority huge amounts of money in unsettled
debt, threatening
to dispossess them of their belongings through court
action. The City of
Harare will not succeed in this.
Despite branding the Welfare Trust as a
bogus organization, the Budiriro
District Offices on Wednesday 8 February
2012 hosted hundreds if not
thousands of residents who were shepherded to
the council offices in order
to pay the US$20 on condition that they have
purchased a Welfare Trust card
that is stamped at the back with no other
details. At the District Offices
officials from this Welfare Trust
organization demand to see their card as a
pre-condition to enter the
premises of the District offices. Without the
card one is harassed by
suspicious-looking characters demanding to know your
business, who you want
to see at the council offices and directing you to
individual houses where
other officials from the organization will be busy
collecting a dollar from
each person. The HRT experienced this first hand.
And desperate residents
are happily partying with their money.
The City of Harare district
offices are public buildings without entry
restrictions to members of the
public. What then becomes the role of
municipal police if residents are
harassed in their presence by non-council
employees? The HRT is curious to
know the link between the actions of this
outfit and Chipangano in Mbare
that has taken over council buildings without
any immediate solution in
sight.
Can US$20 offset a debt of US$1 800? To those familiar with
accounts and the
principle of interest rates this is practically impossible.
However, despite
being fully aware of this contradiction, the premises of
the City of Harare
in local communities have been highjacked by non-council
employees,
masquerading as saints to protect the residents from the bondage
of their
debts. The City of Harare has not taken corrective measures to
protect
residents against manipulation by this organization, which has
successfully
silenced even our elected councilors, the Mayor of Harare and
even law
enforcement agents. The City of Harare has no known policy of
cancelling all
debt. The only position of council I know of is the entering
into payment
terms with revenue officers at district offices or at Rowan
Martin Building.
On further enquiry, our representatives within
communities are being told
that this exercise was initiated to raise money
for a particular political
leader after failing to raise the money through
other means. As HRT we
foresee a situation where residents’ hopes will be
shattered at the end of
this month or March when residents who have complied
with Welfare Trust’s
move will realize that they were misled. Initially,
residents’ anger will be
directed towards the City of Harare, and will be
turned on the councilors
for their silence in the face of this stunt. And
someone out there will use
this as a campaign tool to discredit the sitting
councilors for their
complicity. Just watch this space!
I suggest the
City of Harare make use of Radio stations to forewarn
residents against
falling prey to misinformation. They can also use mobile
network operators
for a partnership to disseminate this vital information.
Using newspapers is
right but not enough to reach out. Most people do not
buy newspapers. The
HRT will continue to urge the residents of Harare to
desist from entering
into shortcut arrangements to settle their outstanding
debts because they
will have themselves to blame when the arrangement
backfires.
I thank
you
Precious Shumba, writing in personal capacity
Wish you were mine
African governments are seeking
higher rents and bigger ownership stakes from foreign miners
Feb 11th 2012 | JOHANNESBURG | from the print
edition
THE true extent of
Africa’s vast wealth of resources is hard to guess. Geologists have picked over
most of the rest of the globe in search of minerals, yet huge swathes of Africa
remain largely unprobed. But the immense ore deposits so far discovered and
soaring commodity prices on the back of rip-roaring Chinese demand have
convinced the world’s miners that the continent is the next big frontier. Bumper
profits have also spurred mineral-rich countries to seek a bigger share of the
spoils.
The list of
African governments that have miners in their sights is a long one. South
Africa, home to the greatest mineral wealth in the world, estimated to be worth
$2.5 trillion, is considering imposing a swingeing 50% windfall tax on mining
“super profits” and a 50% capital-gains tax on the sale of prospecting rights.
Those are among the proposals put forward by an independent panel of experts,
set up by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to study the possibility of
greater state intervention in the mining sector.
Ghana, Africa’s second-biggest gold producer, recently
announced a review and possible renegotiation of all mining contracts to ensure
that mining profits are “maximised…[for] the good of the country”. It plans to
raise taxes on mining companies, from 25% to 35%, and a windfall tax of 10% on
“super profits” in addition to existing royalties on output of 5%. Zambia, which
is Africa’s biggest copper producer, recently doubled its royalties on the
metal, to 6%. Guinea, home to the world’s largest bauxite reserves as well as
one of the world’s biggest iron-ore deposits, is helping itself to a 15% stake
in all mining projects and an option to buy a further 20%. Namibia has decided
to transfer all new mining and exploration to a state-owned
company.
If miners in these
countries feel hard-done by, they should count themselves lucky that they are
not wielding their shovels in Zimbabwe. Its “indigenisation” policy will force
foreign firms to “cede” a 51% stake to locals. Nigeria may renegotiate offshore
oil contracts, because today’s “unfair fiscal terms” are costing the country $5
billion in lost revenue, it claims. And so it goes on. Right across the
continent governments are seeking new ways to squeeze more out of foreign-owned
firms growing rich off what lies beneath Africa’s soil.
Resource
nationalism is nothing new. Big Oil has suffered periodic bouts of
nationalisation and sometimes seen contracts torn up in the Middle East and
beyond that had run for more than 50 years. Nor is the practice confined to
developing countries that feel they came off second-best when negotiating
resource deals in years gone by. Australia is set to raise some $8 billion a
year through a controversial new tax on miners; Britain has previously dipped
into the profits of oil companies in the North Sea.
However, in the
past year resource nationalism has jumped to the top of the list of things that
worry the 30 biggest global miners. This was prompted by 25 countries worldwide
announcing plans to boost their take of profits, according to a survey by Ernst
& Young, a consultancy. A rapid rebound after commodity prices collapsed in
the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009 convinced cash-strapped
governments that large multinationals were easy targets. In Africa mining
companies are often especially vulnerable—they are usually the biggest corporate
beasts around. Widespread poverty has provided a ready excuse for governments
dependent on income from resources. The trick for miners is to ensure not only
that the money keeps flowing but also that the miners agree to the spending on
roads, railways, schools and hospitals that are now a customary part of the
package the industry offers to acquire mineral rights.
Many feel abused
but they do not have much choice. In a world where big new ore bodies are hard
to find, most will keep coming back to Africa. Of the ten biggest mining deals
to be completed last year, seven were in Africa, according to Ernst & Young.
Even as governments move to grab bigger slices of the cake, high prices mean the
miners remain profitable. Anglo American, a mining giant, has earmarked $8
billion for new platinum, diamond, iron ore and coal projects; Brazil’s Vale
said in June that it plans to spend more than $12 billion over the next five
years. Rio Tinto, which has not had an easy time with its mammoth African
investment at Simandou in Guinea, also signalled it will stick with
Africa.
Many of the
resources are spread across the continent fairly evenly, leaving miners with a
choice about where to go. Given that mining investments can cost many billions
of dollars and take up to a decade to show a profit, miners are understandably
wary of working in countries where the fiscal rules change
unpredictably.
Zimbabwe’s new law
requiring indigenisation, apparently without compensation, is clearly not
designed to attract new foreign investment. The three biggest miners already
operating there—Zimplats, Rio Tinto and Anglo Platinum—also face a doubling of
royalties on platinum to 10%, along with a ban on raw platinum exports, that
will oblige them to build a refinery in Zimbabwe at a cost of some $2
billion.
Regardless of
Zimbabwe’s heavy-handed treatment, mining companies do not necessarily object in
principle to giving locals a larger stake in their operations. After the end of
apartheid in South Africa, white mining bosses were at the forefront of drafting
the country’s black-economic-empowerment laws. These require mining firms to
sell stakes of at least 26% to black shareholders by 2014.
The
ANC-commissioned panel recommends that this be increased to 30%. The Chamber of
Mines recently announced that on average its 33 members, representing
three-quarters of the industry, had already achieved today’s target.
Nonetheless, the government puts the black share at just 9%, as most black-owned
shares were bought with borrowed money. This could mean
trouble.
Investors have
been even more worried by the persistent demands of the ruling ANC’s powerful
Youth League for nationalisation, with or without compensation. The ANC’s expert
panel has come out strongly against the idea on the grounds that the official
purchase of listed mining companies’ shares, at an estimated cost of 1 trillion
rand ($130 billion), is far beyond the government’s means and implementing a
Zimbabwe-style asset grab would be unconstitutional and
counter-productive.
Most ministers are
privately opposed to nationalisation. Many lived in exile in Zambia in the 1970s
and 1980s when President Kenneth Kaunda nationalised the country’s copper
mines—with disastrous effect. South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, continues to
insist that nationalisation “is not government policy”. But investors remain
nervous.
Ernst & Young
recently suggested that southern African countries such as Botswana, Mozambique
and Namibia were becoming increasingly attractive mining destinations at the
expense of South Africa, which has slipped 18 places since 2008, to 67th out of
79 countries in the annual survey of mining-investment attractiveness compiled
by the Frazer Institute, a Canadian think tank.
Miners and
governments often look enviously at Debswana, the successful 50-50 diamond joint
venture between Botswana and De Beers, the world’s leading diamond firm. Set up
over 30 years ago, it accounts for nearly a third of Botswana’s GDP, half of
government revenues and around three-quarters of export earnings. Even though
80% of the profits go directly into government coffers, De Beers considers
Debswana one of its best investments. So why is the model not being adopted
everywhere?
Because, says
James Suzman, public affairs director at De Beers, Botswana is unique. It has
rich and productive mines, a stable and trustworthy government with one of
Africa’s best records of good governance and it is a small country of 2m people
where the impact on ordinary folk is huge, so everyone feels they are
benefiting. In Namibia, where De Beers also operates, the cash-strapped
government seems reluctant to carry its share of the investment burden. And even
Botswana is not above a bit of resource nationalism.
Sorted
Last year De Beers
was obliged to move its London-based sorting operation to the country—and all
the jobs and other economic benefits that go with it—in return for extending the
renegotiating period for its diamond-sales agreement from five years to ten.
Meanwhile Namdeb, a similar joint venture between De Beers and Namibia, has run
into a trouble. Without new investment of around $1 billion, Namdeb says, its
mines will have to close in the next couple of years. With it, they could
probably be successfully exploited for another five decades.
Populist advocates
of greater state participation in mining often forget that nationalisation,
partial or complete, means that when the going gets tough, as it eventually will
in a cyclical industry like mining, the state must be prepared to cough up, like
any other shareholder, to keep the business afloat.
It is much easier
for states to impose royalties on production volumes. These can be reaped
whether or not the company is profitable. The art is in striking the right
balance. African governments must not wring so much out of their resources today
that the mining companies fail to invest for the future.
More
for my people
http://www.economist.com/node/21547246
Mining is booming, but some African governments are in danger
of squandering
the benefits
Feb 11th 2012 | from the print
edition
ZAMBIA’S copper belt is in a jubilant mood. Mining output and
prices reached
an all-time high last year, as did local sales of bar drinks
and luxury
cars. Foreign companies—the only ones with enough capital and
expertise to
do the digging—are ramping up production. Meanwhile the
government has
increased mining levies. The extra money will be used to
build much-needed
roads, hospitals and power stations.
Zambia is one
of many places where an African government has decided to take
a bigger
share of the profits from foreign-operated mines. In countries as
distant as
Ghana and South Africa populist politicians have declared open
season on
foreign miners’ profits. In some cases the companies have more or
less
graciously accepted higher taxes. Elsewhere they are infuriated by the
threat of expropriation.
There is nothing new about resource
nationalism, often accompanied by
allegations of colonial exploitation by
the multinationals. In the past it
was mostly focused on oil companies and
driven by anti-market ideologies.
The new resource nationalists, however,
have embraced capitalism and shifted
industry. Few governments think they
can do a better job of extracting the
minerals themselves; they just want a
bigger pay-off from those whom they
allow to do the mining.
And
rightly so. Mineral wealth belongs to local people and their leaders are
only doing their job when they extract the maximum rent over the long term.
But they must do so sensibly. Zambia’s government notified companies in
advance of levy increases, consulted them on the details and did not go
beyond what is sustainable. Botswana is another example of a country that
has played the minerals game well—especially in its relations with De Beers,
the diamond giant. Diamonds account for about half of government revenues
and Botswanans now are among the richest Africans by income per
head.
But other African countries have played their hand badly. The
crudest
example, inevitably, is Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe’s cronies have
proceeded from grabbing white-owned farmland to seizing foreign mining
firms, starting with a reasonable sounding 10% ownership share, soon to go
up to 51% and probably beyond. There is little sign of that wealth going to
the Zimbabwean people. Others have been less blatant, but they still subject
miners to arbitrary rule changes: firms are suddenly forced into
partnerships with locals who have no industry experience. In South Africa,
where private mining has a long history, the government has conspicuously
failed to shut down talk in its own ranks of planned
nationalisations.
The impact on investment is catastrophic. Building a
modern mine can take
billions of dollars and several decades. Few firms will
commit their money
to a country where the business climate is highly
unpredictable. Those who
are prepared to take the risk tend to be of the
cowboy variety. They come in
for only a few years and pillage what they can
as quickly as they can. Their
interest is in paying off enough local
officials to buy them time. Many (but
by no means all) of these firms are
Chinese, which has given Chinese miners
a bad name.
Dig for
victory
One lesson for governments is tactical: offering a fair deal to
miners is
actually the best way to stuff your treasury with royalties.
Mining needs
long-term partners, so excessive rent-seeking means less rent
in the end.
But there is also a philosophical lesson: minerals are a
country’s long-term
inheritance. The money from the bonanza should go on
infrastructure and
other long-term investment. The more advanced countries
should at least be
aiming to put part of the revenues into a separate
long-term investment fund
for their people (as various energy-rich countries
have done). Nigeria
recently announced such a scheme for its oil
money.
And the mining firms could help. They should support Western
efforts to
impose greater transparency on the industry. This will drive away
at least
some of the cowboys and make competition more open. Time to side
with the
sheriff.