• ZNSPCA update February 2004
• Zvakwana Newsletter #48 - Calling all angels
• Zimbabwe: The dream is dead
• 'Misplaced faith in accuser'
• Rest in Peace
• Farm Kids Struggle to Find Decent Education
• 2004 expected to be a better year - President Mugabe
• Organ traffickers 'threaten' nuns
• 'Racist' book threatens agricultural relations
• Parents disrupt classes over levies
• Governor fails to get accommodation
• City slams alms-giving
• RBZ in move to tap forex
• RBZ settles foreign currency debts to gold producers
• Don't Bring in White Farmers -Ex Milad
• Air Zim Chart Plan to Clear IATA Debt
• Botswana man locks self with corpse of Zimbabwean lover

February 12, 2004

~~~ Newsletter 048 ~~~
Calling all angels

Remember that you must be connected to the internet to view the pictures in this newsletter.

Thank you and strong hearts to Zimbabweans who continue to demand justice through street protests. 2004 is the year to get jiggy with the regime. More fire!

• Before saying anything else Zvakwana would like to apologise for some technical breakdowns over the last few weeks. We have now fixed the motor.

A big thumbs up to the WOZA women - join them in large numbers on Valentine's Day - gather in love and song!
Zvakwana has been receiving the WOZA information pamphlets and here is their news:
Harare: It is pleasing to note that the Zimbabwe Republic Police Force in Harare are coming out in full support of this important gathering of women on Saturday 14 February. Zvakwana sends them a big thank you for abiding by the full legal rights of citizens to gather in a public space. This is a fundamental requirement in upholding democracy.
Bulawayo & Vic Falls: Sadly this police force is not being consistent and so in Bulawayo and Vic Falls the police are failing to co-operate. WOZA have had to take the matter to the High Court in Bulawayo to request that the police co-operate. We are awaiting the result of this.
WOZA asks everyone to come and spend just one hour of Saturday hand in hand in love with fellow Zimbabweans.

Please note the change of time and place for Harare! And time for Bulawayo.

Harare - police approval
Saturday 14th February 2004
Time: 11am
Place: Town Hall, Julius Nyerere Way

Bulawayo - awaiting High Court approval for march
Saturday 14th February 2004
Time: 11am
Place: Small City Hall in 8th Avenue

Sisters are doing it for themselves
I do not remember when Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox released this hit song but it was a singularly powerful message and reminder to women world wide of their power and capabilities. On 14 February, some women will march for peace, for love in our country and it is not an easy call. They are doing it for the future, for their own children and for yours as well. Yes you, the person reading this message. Your children live in this country unless you have sent them away which is your prerogative. And it is also for them that these brave women are marching. They are no more fearless than you and I. They share the same fears and aspirations as you and I but they have chosen not to be victims. They have chosen instead to be the main actresses in their lives, to play the starring role and receive their due Oscars, not as a favour or an empowerment initiative but because they have chosen to play their real life roles as best they can. Paul of Tarsus has written, when you run the race, you run to win it. These women are running their race. The problem with races is there are times when you feel like giving up. There is a stage in the marathon, I am told, that is a make or break point and when you make that extra step needed to pass that critical point, you will finish the race. It is not in what position you finish, it is how you run it.
"Light a candle, instead of cursing the darkness."
~ Albert Gumbo, 12 February 2004

Why are civic organisations not united?
Zvakwana is perplexed to note that within the women's movement in Harare in just one week there are two marches. Even though the marches have very similar themes. This means we have a dispersed effect. We have double organisational overheads. The Women's Coalition (coalition@zol.co.zw) must be commended on getting some few women on the street protesting against rape recently. However it is confusing as to why the Coalition and WOZA did not combine under one big march. It is precisely this lack of unity that keeps the regime smiling. It is high time that civics coordinate more fully for the true benefit of their constituency. Zvakwana did not know about the rape march on Wednesday 11th - did you? Only while gagging over dead bc's propaganda did we realise that some banners saw the light of day on Julius Nyerere Way.

Minister of ill Health invited to NGO function
The respected scholar Gene Sharp put together a list of 198 non-violent actions that individuals can undertake to peacefully oppose regimes and dictatorships. One of his suggestions is to stop any fraternisation with government officials - to ostracise them. There is very little doubt from the flawed presidential election that the mugabe government is illegitimate. By inviting government ministers and officials to workshops and the like gives the wrong signal not only to the ego stuffed ministers but also the citizens of the country. So Zvakwana is outraged to hear that Island Hospice recently invited david parirenyatwa to commission their new headquarters. Zvakwana wonders whether any members of Island Hospice have walked the dim corridors of Parirenyatwa Hospital lately. Of course members of the mugabe government are never seen to be having medical treatment in their own country. Instead they fly elsewhere to seek their restoration. It might seem that the battle for democracy in this country is too big for any individual but we can all do SOMETHING to oppose the regime. Stop inviting government officials to your functions! Please email Island Hospice to tell them what you think of fraternising with the regime island@africaonline.co.zw

Vanachiwenga want to tell us they're ruling the country. But if they rule the country, what are they doing about the fact that our friends, spouses, parents, children and siblings are dying from diseases which could be cured?

Even HIV/AIDS is killing us off faster than it would if there was some basic health care system that still worked. What ever happened to health for all by the Year 2000? And why now is a military general getting involved in health care issues?

Sure something is seriously wrong in Zimbabwe. How can they claim to rule the country when more of us are dying every day? Health care is our right. And it is not the doctors, the clinics, or even the
medical aid systems alone which are to blame for our problems. Topera. Votarisa. Let's stand up together and tell them Zvakwana!
~ Shupi, Zvakwana Subscriber

Cabinet reshuffle: old trousers turned inside out
Some excerpts from the recent ZCTU press statement: The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) is disappointed by the announcement of a supposedly new cabinet by the President, Robert Mugabe. The ZCTU views this as a reconfirmation of recycled brains. It seems the President does not look over the horizon when he chooses people for office as confirmed by his picking of his tried and tired loyalists who will only manage to bend to the whims of the President. The appointment of additional Ministers and the creation of Ministries without portfolios also shows that the President is afraid of bringing in new blood which will revive the economy and one wonders how these 'old brains' who keep bouncing back to the cabinet will develop new ideas to turn around the economy. The appointment of Elliot Manyika to Minister without Portfolio is very suspicious as it is an indication that the Minister will now be responsible for election campaigns especially in view of the imminent 2005 Parliamentary elections. This is only an election gimmick. This cabinet reshuffle is just like putting on old trousers inside out and believing that people will think it is new. Support the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) - email them on zctu-info@zol.co.zw or info@zctu.co.zw

Condolences to SW Radio Africa revolutionary
Georgina Godwin is known to many Zimbabweans for her courageous radio reporting. She along with some other Zimbabweans continues to bring independent news into the country. Zvakwana issues strong condolences to her on the passing on of her father Mr George Godwin. If you would like to send your messages of support to Georgina, please use georgina@swradioafrica.com
And continue to visit www.swradioafrica.com for useful information on Zimbabwe.

Baba Chatunga's Turning 80!
In what other job can you keep on working until you're 80 and no one tells you to retire? Zimbabwe deserves a president who's still able to make sense of what's going on. This year, let's send Happy Retirement cards to bob, instead of birthday cards, and let him know that he's past his best before date!
Write to: Munhumutapa Building, Samora Machel Ave/3rd Street, Harare. Or if you would like to channel your messages of support for his retirement through Zvakwana, please email us at news@zvakwana.org
Zvakwana also appeals to our supporters and activists locally and in the region to fax "Retire now! Bob" messages to +263-4-723710.

moyo junior indicating just how little support his master mugabe actually has.

Fearless demonstrators
Over 300 fearless Zimbabweans braved riot police to demonstrate with the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) for a people's constitution on 4 February. The group marched in NCA t-shirts carrying banners and placards demanding a new Constitution. One banner read "We are ready to die for a new constitution." Zvakwana congratulates the brave men and women who were at this demonstration. The NCA has pledged that it will continue to fight for a People's Constitution and will be having more demonstrations every two weeks. Yes it might be scary to participate. But we've all been complaining that "no one is doing anything" about our current troubles. But we are the ones who can Do Something! The dictator only wins when we are too afraid to Get UP Stand UP and Speak OUT for our rights. Let's make sure that next time there are more reporters, more photographers and more of US there so that everyone at home and in the region knows we're ready for change! Find out how YOU can participate. Visit 348 Herbert Chitepo Ave, Phone 736338, or Email info@nca.org.zw

We're talking about a revolution
When nonviolent movements mobilise people to use strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, and other disruptive tactics - through a strategy to subvert an unjust regime's power - democracy ensues more often than when violence is used. A movement's members must set aside their partisan, ethnic, or ideological differences and unify behind the goal of liberating the country from its oppressors. Then the movement has to reduce civilians' fear of participating by first using nonviolent tactics entailing less physical risk, such as not paying taxes, work stay-aways, and commercial boycotts. This broadens a movement's base, as it recruits people who won't be violent but still want to act. Distributing the scope of resistance beyond the capital also strains the regime's outermost, least reliable agents. The movement also has to challenge the regime's legitimacy. Tactics that tempt repression can force rulers to discredit themselves in the world's eyes. That takes nonviolent discipline, to crystallise the meaning of the choice between the regime and the opposition. Then more disruptive actions - such as a general strike or larger demonstrations - can be sequenced to make it hard for an oppressor to maintain the semblance of control. When it's clear that nothing will be normal until the regime changes, even the military will begin to doubt the intelligence of endless obedience. Finally, the movement has to anticipate repression and perhaps be ready to settle for intermediate goals, until its own strength is sufficient - it has to know when to buy time and when to reach for victory. Mohandas Gandhi often invoked the biblical maxim that "as you sow, so shall you reap" - that your achievement will reflect your methods. The history that Gandhi helped launch has confirmed that truth:

• In the 1960s, African-Americans used sit-ins and marches to pull apart racial segregation-yielding more tolerance and justice, imperfect as it is, than seemed possible beforehand.
• In Poland in 1980, workers used strikes to win the right to organise a free trade union, galvanising the people to insist on fuller rights. When Solidarity took power, no one died.
• In South Africa in the 1980s, Blacks in townships and factories used boycotts and strikes until apartheid lost the support of business and outside interests, compelling a new president to negotiate.
• In Serbia in 2000, a dictator was unseated after a nonviolent campaign liquefied the loyalty of the military - which refused his orders. Then a new, democratically chosen president took power.

More from: http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0402&article=040221

Protest music: Zvakwana has released the all time best Get Up Stand Up Top 20
Yes, we are pleased to inform you that our youthful supporters have been distributing this very popular home-made cd. In Harare we are hearing that certain bars and night-clubs have been playing this compilation of resistance songs much to the satisfaction of patrons. If you would like a FREE copy of this Get Up Stand Up cd then send an email with your postal address to news@zvakwana.org and play it loud people!

zanu pf electricity?

"Zesa is zanu pf. If you see any trucks belonging to Zesa, Arda or DDF doing work in the roads, you should know it is zanu pf doing it," said Gata.

There were mixed reports this week that South African power company Eskom had stopped supplying electricity to the Zimbabwe Electricity (non) Supply Authority (ZESA) for two days. The state controlled sunday mail claimed that Eskom had cut off power due to non-payment
of debts. ZESA now owes African utility companies like Eskom and Mozambique's Hydroelectrica Cahora Bassa (HCB) over $410 m in back payments. Eskom, however, claimed that it had not switched off the power, nor did it even think about doing so. Why then do we still see load shedding? Why then are the industrial areas so often without power?

ZESA's executive chairman Sydney Gata was at Zvavahera village in Gutu recently. He was supposed to be commissioning an irrigation scheme, but it was turned into a campaign rally for zanu pf. Zvavahera is where Kassim Jonas, John Mudziro and other suspected MDC supporters were abducted and tortured by zanu pf youths. Gata told thousands of villagers that there is no difference between the ruling party and ZESA. "Zesa is zanu pf. If you see any trucks belonging to Zesa, Arda or DDF doing work in the roads, you should know it is zanu pf doing it," said Gata. The controversial Gata even urged the new directors of the unbundled subsidiaries of Zesa to "learn" zanu pf slogans. Several ZESA trucks were also used to ferry Zanu PF supporters to Zvavahera village from surrounding areas such as Chitsa, Mpandawana, Chamisa and Chastworth. Also at the event was Vice President joseph msika, who said that if zanu pf lost the Gutu North seat to the MDC, the party would have lost to the British. "If you don't vote and we lose we would have lost to the British. You
would have sold the nation back to the colonisers and this would anger those who fought for the liberation of the country," said msika. So our power company doesn't have enough money to pay its debts. And its not organised enough to supply us power when and where we need it. But it still has time to go to campaign rallies and tell us to vote for the ruling party. Since when was electricity a zanu pf invention? The next thing they'll be telling us is that we need a zanu pf party card if we want to have magetz! Write, call or fax Gata and tell him what you think of this:
ZESA HQ Box 277, Harare. Tel: +263-4-774508/35 or Fax +263-4-774542/3. Or email the Regional Manager on mbanda@zesa.net

Farm workers fight Mugabe land thugs
Odzi - Thousands of Zimbabweans who grow vegetables for British supermarkets are fighting attempts by a cabinet minister to confiscate the land they work on. The rebellion by 6,000 black workers is the first in nearly four years of state-sponsored terror on the country's white-owned farms. Kondozi's 1,500 profitable acres provide huge quantities of runner beans, mange tout and red peppers for stores including Safeway, Sainsbury's and Tesco. But the minister for agriculture, Joseph Made, wants the business for himself. A few weeks ago, he arrived at the farm with colleagues and ordered out the workers and the white owners. A fortnight later, scores of ruling Zanu PF party loyalists were sent in but around 200 women workers fought back with broken tiles, stones and broken bricks. Shots were fired, apparently by pro-government thugs, but they were forced to flee.

"We needed land reform. OK? OK, you hear?
But now it is gone too far by politicians. We don't want Joseph Made or the local MP to come here."

Zimbabweans: sleeping and slouching - more fire people!
The Harare City Council has voted to increase the city rates dramatically to pay for its rising expenditure this year. But do we really see such good service that they should be increasing our rates? Potholes are everywhere, most streetlights don't work, our traffic lights are failing to work, our sewerage is unreliable and half the time our rubbish is not collected. The Combined Harare Ratepayers Association (CHRA) organised a public meeting to give people a chance to speak with their councillors about this. The first time the meeting was held, police closed it off. When CHRA managed to hold it again, and had advertisements, flyers and announcements to urge people to come, not even 100 residents came. Out of a city of over 1 million! Why do we think things will change if we complain in our homes but never Get UP and do anything about them? We have to change this attitude and start Standing UP for what we want.
Contact CHRA to find out how you can do more to make sure the City Council provides us with what we need. Phone +263-4-746019, write to Box HR7870, Harare, or email chra@ecoweb.co.zw

Due to the continued overwhelming support for Zvakwana from around the country-side we will soon be setting up special email addresses for Zvakwana street level activists in other centres such as Mutare, Masvingo, Gweru and Kariba to name a few. Keep looking out.

Zvakwana, Sokwanele, Enough!!

Make sure you SPEAK OUT - keep discussion alive, keep information flowing.

Please remember Zvakwana welcomes feedback, ideas and support for actions.

Enough is enough, Zvakwana, Sokwanele.

It was once celebrated as a rare African success story -- an example of what
committed leadership can do. Education for all was the policy Zimbabwean
authorities pursued diligently for much of the first decade since
independence from Britain in 1980. The goal was to extend education to the
previously disadvantaged black majority.

As a result, scores of schools were built and the training of thousands of
teachers speeded up.

The investment did not take long to bear fruit -- by 2000 Zimbabwe had
achieved an adult literacy rate, according to the UN Children's Fund
(Unicef), of 93%, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sadly, those classroom gains are currently in jeopardy, threatened by triple
digit inflation and political impenitence. One urban primary school says at
least half of its more than 1 000 pupils cannot afford fees, while a
government directive says learners must not be sent home.

The very poor, including Aids orphans, can apply for government help. But
such dues are always too little, too late.

As a result, the school is permanently entangled in a never-ending cash
crisis. Four classes have to share an average of 20 text books. There is no
money to replace even the 100 Zimbabwean dollars worth of exercise books
stolen during last week's burglary.

Parents cannot come to the school's rescue either. Four years of economic
contraction and increasing inflation have left many unemployed and
impoverished. They struggle to buy basic foodstuffs, let alone pay school
fees.

"If you talk of raising levies, parents will tell you the government has
directed there should be no increase," says the exasperated school head.

Unwilling to endure the frustration of running a school with no resources to
even cover its water bill, she has decided to quit.

"This just gives you grey hairs," she shrugs.

The situation is equally dire in most urban schools, and often worse in
rural areas. Here, not only are parents too poor to finance non-salary
recurrent costs of education, but teachers have the additional burden of
being targeted by President Robert Mugabe's marauding youth militia and war
veterans.

Witness Ncube, a teacher at Matshetsheni Primary School in Nkayi,
Matabeleland North province, says he fled after three encounters with war
veterans, who accused him of preaching opposition politics to students.

Like multitudes of other teachers, who have turned their backs on low
salaries and poor conditions, he is planning to go to Britain. Meanwhile,
three months after his departure, the school still has not found a
replacement.

Ncube's problem is not uncommon. Teachers, considered key informants and
community leaders in rural areas, have been targeted on a regular basis.

Brian Raftopolous, an associate professor at the Zimbabwe Institute of
Development Studies, says in "its attempt to deal with this growing economic
disaster and the severe loss of political legitimacy", the ruling Zanu-PF
party has attacked its own state structures, including those in the
educational sphere.

This is one of the many reasons the country's education system, long
trumpeted as President Mugabe's enduring achievement, is on its knees. To
appease a restless population the government has put a freeze on school fee
increases, despite inflation of 600%.

In the last two weeks the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture suspended
50 school heads and dissolved a similar number of parents' school
development associations for "raising fees and levies without government
approval".

According to a government-controlled daily, the schools -- most of which are
privately run -- will be charged under the Education Act, "which means that
if they fail to comply with the Ministry's directive they risk being closed
down".

Unable to balance their books but still expected to provide a service, it
remains to be seen how schools will avoid insolvency.

Yet Mugabe's educational achievements had extended to tertiary education,
where tens of thousands of college and university graduates were poised to
run what was once one of Africa's most viable economies.

Ironically, that same education has also equipped its beneficiaries with the
skills many are selling in neighbouring countries, and overseas.

Compared to one university at independence, Zimbabwe now has six state
universities, with another being planned. The quantity of institutions has
increased, but hardly the same can be said for quality.

Despite being only 12-years old, the National University of Science and
Technology (Nust) had acquired a reputation for producing well-rounded,
much-sought-after graduates. It too has been unable to prevent experienced
lecturers leaving for positions, often better-paid, with universities
elsewhere.

The education crisis has reached beyond class size and staff, pulling at the
university's very foundation. The Nust campus consists of a few impressive
concrete structures interspersed with bush. There is no sound of concrete
mixers or workmen's chatter. University spokesperson Felix Moyo says due to
inflation "money runs out earlier than projected".

There is little funding for capital projects. Mugabe himself captured the
essence of the money problem last November, after getting an honorary degree
from a new state university in Gweru, central Zimbabwe. He remarked that it
was the first time he had received a degree "from the bush".

Mugabe was capped by a university with no buildings of its own. Three years
after the foundation stone was laid, very little work had been done. There
simply is not enough money.

Since independence, education ministries were often allocated the biggest
share of the national budget. But economic consultant John Robertson says
there has been a shift, more recently, as "it would seem they weren't given
the money allocated to them."

He says it appears that when the government overspends in one area, it makes
up for the shortfall by taking from the education and even the health
ministry allocation, hoping donor funding would plug the hole. Furthermore,
says Robertson, the money allocated "is not adjusted for inflation".

The mix-up of O and A level results early last year caused public concern,
amid reports of corruption within the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council.

Previously run by Cambridge University in Britain, O and A level
examinations were localised in 2001 mainly to save on foreign currency.

At the oldest university, the University of Zimbabwe, under-paid lecturers
withheld examination results, resulting in thousands of students being
unable to graduate. The students, meanwhile, exhaust their inflation hit
government grants in days, leaving them to their own devices the rest of the
year.

Education has clearly been a major casualty of the Zimbabwe crisis.
Interestingly, the number of students from neighbouring Botswana has
increased, says Hugh Henstridge, campus director of Speciss College, a
favourite among the Tswanas.

"There's a big gap in tertiary education in Botswana," he says, attributing
increased enrollment to the college's solid reputation in Botswana. The weak
Zimbabwe dollar has also made it cheaper for predominantly middle class
parents to send their children to Zimbabwe and not South Africa.

However, as they make their way into Zimbabwe, Tswana parents cross paths
with the growing number of wealthy Zimbabweans searching for quality
education for their children outside the country.

Raftopoulos says while this quantitative growth of education has been
impressive, several problems confront the future of educational development
in Zimbabwe.

These, he says, include the absence of a comprehensive policy framework as
well as gender equity, finance and access. About 15% of children remain out
of school, Raftopoulos says.

The other challenges include the relevance of the curriculum which,
currently, is considered unresponsive to the labour market and the high
dropout rate.

For Robertson, however, the issue is that Mugabe prefers no growth to growth
he cannot control. - IPS

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Harare - A senior Zimbabwean opposition figure says he didn't doubt the
credentials of a Canadian political consultancy that later accused
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of plotting to kill President Robert
Mugabe.

Testifying in court at the treason trial of Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) leader Tsvangirai, who faces the death penalty if convicted, MDC
official Renson Gasela said he placed faith in the firm because he knew one
of the directors.

Gasela, a lawmaker and the MDC's shadow agriculture minister, said he had
known Dickens and Madison director Rupert Johnson since 1991.

Ari Ben Menashe, the owner of the firm, is now alleging that Tsvangirai
plotted the assassination of President Robert Mugabe ahead of 2002
presidential elections, which the MDC and the international community say
was seriously flawed.

"My impression was that he (Johnson) was a solid businessman with
international repute," Gasela told the Harare High Court.

Evidence based on video

Ben Menashe is the key state witness in the case. The state's evidence is
based on a secretly recorded grainy and partially audible videotape of a
meeting Tsvangirai attended in Montreal with Ben Menashe.

Gasela said that in August 2001, he received a telephone call from Johnson,
asking him about the political situation in Zimbabwe and then expressing an
interest in helping the MDC.

The two later met in London where Gasela was given a business card by
Johnson which showed he was a director with Dickens and Madison.

Gasela said Johnson had indicated that his company was much more interested
in assisting the MDC in the post-electoral period as he was convinced
Tsvangirai would win the 2002 presidential polls.

"I expressed some interest and I told him I would report to the leadership
of the party," said Gasela.

The MDC then engaged Ben Menashe to help promote its image and lobby the
international community for funding, but said it realised later that it was
also being used for a similar purpose by the Zimbabwean government.

Edited by Noeleen Vorster

Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)

February 12, 2004
Posted to the web February 13, 2004

"After a long and difficult illness, freedom of the press and freedom of
expression died in Zimbabwe last Friday. They were buried this week.
Mourners did not include South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and his
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. But the workers of South Africa,
its fourth estate and the legal fraternity were devastated."

So might read the death notice of Zimbabwe's free press this week. After a
brave court battle and international campaign, the Daily News and its
sister, the Daily News on Sunday, closed their doors. Their journalists are
jobless and the country without a brave voice that has sought to focus the
world's attention on Zimbabwe's political and economic implosion.

The Zanu-PF-packed Supreme Court ruled that the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) is constitutional, enabling "Information
Minister" Jonathan Moyo to shut the newspapers because their holding company
and journalists are not registered with the Media and Information
Commission. Another law is in the offing, designed to complete the hatchet
job. It provides that independent newspaper owners now living in South
Africa must reside in Zimbabwe.

Like South Africa's independent media under apartheid, Zimbabwe's freedom
sheets have become its citizens' information lifeblood. They expose the
harassment, torture, detentions, rapes and other state-sanctioned abuses
from which the South African government averts its gaze. They have
documented every pothole in Zanu-PF's journey from proud liberation movement
to rampant cronyism and corruption. Decent democracies engage and persuade
gadfly newspapers.

Last May President Robert Mugabe promised Mbeki he would amend the AIPPA and
other repressive laws. He has not done this, as he has failed to deliver on
other alleged commitments. At every step Mbeki, the master-strategist, has
been out-thought by Mugabe, who merely reads South African endorsement as
justifying his abuses.

This week, the AIPPA judgement left Dlamini-Zuma cold. "I am not here to try
to say constitutional courts [sic] of other countries are wrong. If it was
happening in Britain and the Constitutional Court [sic] said it was okay,
I'm sure all of you would accept it without question," she said.

Shock and disgust greeted this, but should we be surprised? For years, our
government has intoned: leave Zimbabwe alone; give it time; Mugabe is
misunderstood and misrepresented. It refuses to view Zimbabwe through the
prism of human rights, of solidarity with its people and not just its
rulers, and in keeping with the principles of the African Union.

Increasingly, South Africa's government is at odds with its people. The
1,7-million-member the Congress of South African Trade Unions deplored the
closure of the Daily News. "The law and the judgement make it a crime for
journalists to carry out their work without government permission. This is
totally incompatible with universally recognised principles of the right of
freedom of expression." South Africa's editors echoed the sentiments, as did
the General Council of the Bar.

Not all Cabinet members share Dlamini-Zuma's myopic faith in Zanu-PF or her
lack of passion for a free press. Reason prevailed on treatment for HIV/Aids
after a lengthy struggle in the ruling party. We can only hope that the
principled elements eventually win the argument over Zimbabwe.

A case of true love

Ahead of Valentine's Day, we present excerpts from "Love Letters to Bob" by
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a selection from 2000 to 2004:

On the state licensing of Zimbabwe's journalists: "I don't see how that
would in itself translate to control of the media, unless we could say here
and here and here the government has refused a legal application."

On whether the registration of journalists would hamper free and fair
elections: "If a journalist follows the legal process and the government
still refuses to register him, and the process goes through the courts, only
then would it be worrying."

On alleged plans to restore confiscated farms to white farmers: "Work is
still going on to do that."

At the National Press Club: "You are waiting for condemnation of Zimbabwe.
You will never hear that. It is not going to happen as long as this
government is in power."

"Zimbabwe is a democracy; the president does not decree laws."

On why Zimbabwe needs more time: "Here in South Africa, you don't say you
are going to change the law today and tomorrow it has been changed. But
somehow you expect it to work like that in Zimbabwe."

"Zanu-PF is a progressive organisation for obvious reasons."

On Zanu-PF as the African National Congress's sister organisation: "We
liberated our countries from the yoke of colonialism and we are set to
improve the lives of our people in our respective countries."

On the alleged dialogue between Zanu-PF and the opposition: "Everybody has
their opening lines in negotiations. That can be overcome."

"If you have problems with the Zimbabwean government, go to the Zimbabweans.
The government was elected by Zimbabweans. It was not an imposed regime."

"He [Mugabe] may not live up to the expectations of Western countries, but
he is interested [in peace and stability]."

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

February 13, 2004
Posted to the web February 13, 2004

Harare

In a non-verbal but eloquent answer to a question posed by a visiting
government and UN delegation about health conditions in her school,
eight-year-old Tendayi Bwanali started coughing.

When she finally settled down, she told the education department and UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) officials: "We are holding lessons in tobacco barns
where tobacco is prepared (cured) every year - the smell of tobacco is so
strong that we have problems breathing."

Bwanali is in second grade at a satellite school in the Mt Darwin district
of Mashonaland Central province, in northern Zimbabwe. Lessons are held in a
badly ventilated barn, which is so dark the children have to strain to see
what is written on the blackboard.

There are close to 70,000 children around the country enrolled in 489
satellite schools - unregistered learning centres affiliated to the nearest
official school.

The majority of them sprang up in the wake of the government's controversial
land redistribution exercise which began in 2000. The large-scale movement
of people from communal areas to formerly white-owned commercial farms
resulted in children moving out of established classrooms to farms where
there were either no schools, or poorly equipped learning centres which had
catered mainly for the children of former farm workers.

"When it emerged that the children's educational development was under
threat, the Ministry of Education established satellite schools on some
commercial farms to try and alleviate the challenges facing children,"
explained UNICEF information assistant, Tichaona Chikowore.

However, with a lack of learning materials and proper facilities, education
standards are far from ideal, and marked by high levels of absenteeism.

UNICEF is trying to assist children in satellite schools by encouraging
donors to provide financial support. "If representatives of the donor
community see for themselves the plight of the children at satellite
schools, they will be in a better position to appreciate what they are going
through," Chikowore said.

Last year, in conjunction with the New Zealand Agency for International
Development, UNICEF donated education material worth US $68,000. The
donation, which helped 175 schools, included pens, text books, exercise
books, chalk and blackboards.

Bwanali and the rest of the children in her class said they had no books,
and little in the way of other learning materials.

"Holding lessons in the barns is not good for the health of the children
because their eyes could be damaged by the poor lighting system, while they
could develop respiratory problems because of the strong tobacco smell in
the barns," said headmistress Natalia Hwicho.

      Four Catholic nuns say they have received death threats after exposing
an organ trafficking network allegedly operating in northern Mozambique.
      The traffickers are said to target the sex organs of children, which
are sold to make magic charms.

      The nuns from the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate order say they
have gathered evidence of the trade.

      They say they have spoken to victims who managed to escape and photos
of dead children with missing organs.

      'Orphans targeted'

      Ritual murders have been reported in many African countries, as some
witchdoctors say using human organs in magic charms makes them more
powerful.

      These are believed by some to bring financial or sexual success to
those who use them.

      "We have received some very clear threats," order spokeswoman Sister
Juliana told Portuguese radio.

      "Several countries are involved in this iniquitous game and the
victims are the poor, those who have no voice or defence, or the strength to
defend themselves, we are convinced that Nampula is part of an international
ring," said Sister Juliana.

      She said there have been several attempts to abduct children from the
orphanage they run in Nampula.

      Mozambican, South African, Brazilian and Portuguese nationals were
involved in the ring, she said.

      The BBC's Jose Tembe in Mozambique says the government had sent a team
of investigators to the area to probe claims of the existence of the
network.

      The organs are reportedly smuggled into neighbouring Zimbabwe and
South Africa.

      The Spanish Embassy in Mozambique is also investigating the claims
after receiving reports from the nuns, who have lived in the area for 30
years.

The Post (Lusaka)

February 12, 2004
Posted to the web February 12, 2004

Kingsley Kaswende
Lusaka

Air Zimbabwe has salvaged funding to pay off its outstanding US $1.3 million
debt to the International Air Transport Agency (IATA) Clearing House.

But the Airline remains suspended from the IATA until it liquidates its
dues.

Air Zimbabwe regional manager Marcia Cannon stated yesterday that
arrangements were underway for the remission of funding to IATA as a matter
of priority.

"The Airline has maintained that its suspension from the Clearing House was
short-lived and a temporary event," she stated.

Cannon said Air Zimbabwe was currently strengthening its turn around
programme with a sustained arrangement to manage its long term and recurrent
creditors to ensure profitability of its business.

"We assure our passengers of the continued operation of the airline well
into the future," she stated.

Air Zimbabwe was on February 2 suspended from the IATA over non-payment of
IATA dues because it had problems securing foreign currency over the last
one year.

The suspension meant that the airline would not book its passenger on the
routes that it does not service.

IATA is the internationally recognized system through which airlines settle
bills owed to each other in air transfers and through which airlines knit
their individual networks into a worldwide system.

By Ryder Gabathuse
11/02/04
A BOTSWANA man locked himself up with the corpse of his
illegal-immigrant-girlfriend from Zimbabwe in a bid to avoid punishment by
Botswana authorities, it has been learnt.

The middle-aged Monarch man found himself in a fix last Monday after his
live-in girlfriend, said to be an illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe died
suddenly.

According to Francistown police, concerned neighbours who knew about the
death reported the incident, which comes hardly a week after a 25-year-old
Zimbabwean illegal immigrant was found hanging from the rafters of a house.

Francistown district police boss Boikhutso Dintwa expressed worry that
Batswana men continue to disregard the law and harbour illegal immigrants.

He indicated that the boyfriend in the latest incident would have to bear
the costs of burying the deceased partner.

“As the police, our assistance will be limited to tracing the deceased’s
next of kin across the border with the help of the Zimbabwe police and the
rest will be borne by the partner,” he said.

Only last week, the body of a 25-year-old Zimbabwean woman was found hanging
from the rafters of a house in Somerset East in Botswana.

Senior Superintendent Dintwa said the deceased who was in the country
illegally was staying with her live-in lover before she met her fate.

“She has been living with a Motswana man who rented the house at Somerset
East. The couple allegedly had a misunderstanding and the woman took her
life whilst her boyfriend was at work,” said Dintwa.

According to the police, there was a note left in the house explaining why
the woman took her life so brutally.

“From the note is clear that the woman was not happy following a
misunderstanding with her lover,” explained Dintwa.

The 31-year-old Motswana man has been slapped with a charge of aiding and
abetting an illegal immigrant to stay in Botswana. The police said the man
has the option of paying P1 000 admission of guilt fine or defending himself
in court. Dintwa reminded Batswana who were keeping illegal aliens in their
houses for whatever reason that they were not doing themselves any justice.

“In most cases you will find that these people do not even know the address
of the person they are living with and during hard times like in the case of
death or serious sickness, they fall into serious trouble,” he stated.

According to him, some have had valuables stolen from their houses whilst
they were away and it is always difficult to trace the suspects since their
true identities and addresses are unknown in most cases.

He warned those who continued disregarding the law that sterner measures
will be taken against them.

Francistown has become a hub of illegal immigrants mainly from Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, the Francistown District Commissioner (DC), Sylvia Muzila said
that up to last September 32 illegal immigrants were given pauper’s burial
because their next of kin could not be immediately traced. She also stated
that about 39 corpses within the same period were sent across the border
after the dead were positively identified.

Amongst the dead bodies conveyed home, two of them were Zambians, three
South Africans and one Malawian. According to her, they get corpses of dead
illegal aliens for transmission almost weekly.