http://www.zimonline.co.z
by Simplicious Chirinda Monday 15 February
2010
JOHANNESBURG - A team appointed by South African President
Jacob Zuma to
mediate in the Zimbabwe political dialogue on Sunday said the
Harare
coalition partners were still in negotiations, appearing to dismiss
Friday's
announcement of a deadlock by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
MDC party.
"We were in Zimbabwe last week and had very good meetings. We
are going to
report to President Zuma either today (Sunday) or tomorrow,"
Zuma's
International Relations Adviser, Lindiwe Zulu who was part of the
team to
Zimbabwe told ZimOnline.
Asked to respond to the mainstream
MDC's announcement last Friday that the
political talks had reached a
deadlock and now require the intervention of
the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), Zulu said, "I am not sure
why he is saying
that because we haven't reported to President Zuma and we
are also yet to
receive a report from the negotiating parties to that
effect.
The MDC
said the talks that resume today are dead with party spokesman
Nelson
Chamisa at the weekend telling reporters in Harare that the parties
should
use today's meeting to formally a declare a deadlock.
But Zulu said:
"They are still meeting and chances are that they will
continuing doing so.
As you might remember when we first visited Zimbabwe
there were 27 issues on
the table and 16 of those have been dealt with. The
most outstanding issues
are the big four issues."
The talks to iron out issues still outstanding
from a 2008 power-sharing
agreement (GPA) between ZANU PF and the two former
opposition MDC formations
have dragged on since the former foes agreed to
join hands 12 months ago in
a coalition government that has been credited
with stabilising the country's
economy to improve the lives of ordinary
Zimbabweans.
Contacted for a comment the head of the South African
facilitating team,
former minister Charles Nqakula, said that he will
present the report to
Zuma who will in turn make presentations to SADC
before any decision on
Zimbabwe is made.
"I report to President Zuma
and he himself upon receiving my report will in
turn report to SADC," said
Nqakula who refused to reveal whether there any
progress in the last round
of negotiations.
"Unfortunately I cannot tell whether there is any
progress or not because I
report to President Zuma and him alone and do not
do so through the media."
The South African facilitating team also made
up of anti-apartheid stalwart
Mac Maharaj spent the better part of last week
in Zimbabwe trying to bring
together the political parties and end the
political bickering.
President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai are engaged
in a bitter dispute over
how to share executive power, the appointment of
senior government officials
and the removal of Western sanctions.
The
MDC accuses Mugabe of refusing to swear-in party treasurer-general Roy
Bennett as deputy agriculture minister, appoint five provincial governors
from the party and end the tenure of the attorney general and the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe governor.
Mugabe in turn says Bennett would be sworn
in only if he is acquitted of
terrorism and banditry charges he is facing
and that the MDC should lobby
its allies in the West for the removal of
sanctions imposed on the veteran
leader and his inner circle.
He also
says Tsvangirai should convince what he says are private radio
stations
broadcasting into Zimbabwe from outside the country to stop
disseminating
"propaganda" messages into Zimbabwe.
While analysts are confident the
unity government will not collapse, they
say unending bickering among
coalition partners could cripple the
administration and render it
ineffective. - ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.z
by Own Correspondent Monday 15 February
2010
HARARE – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described Zimbabwe’s
transitional
government as a “sham”, saying Harare’s protracted year-long
administration
has not made any real progress in implementing much-needed
political
reforms.
HRW director for Africa Georgette Gagnon at the
weekend said the
power-sharing government has demonstrated little political
will or capacity
to enact meaningful changes to improve the lives of
ordinary Zimbabweans.
"The transitional power-sharing government is a
sham...From a human rights
perspective, nothing has changed for the better.
Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF
are still fully in control," Gagnon
said.
She accused parties to the global political agreement (GPA) of lack
of
seriousness in implementing provisions of the pact they signed in
September
2008 which led to the formation of the inclusive government last
February.
She cited the lack of movement on issues where there is already
consensus
between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations as clear evidence that
the
parties lacked political will to move the country forward.
These
include the appointment of new provincial governors and the swearing
in of
members of constitutional commissions to oversee media, electoral and
human
rights reforms.
To divert scrutiny of the continuing political
instability and the failure
to carry out the agreement, parties in the
power-sharing government instead
overemphasize the significance of efforts
made to stabilise the economy, she
said.
HRW called for parties to
the government to begin preparations for holding
internationally supervised
free, fair, and credible elections that will lead
to a legitimate and
democratic government with the political will to bring
about
change.
"The power-sharing government experiment is not working," Gagnon
said,
adding "Without political stability and rights reforms, any progress
on
economic recovery won't last."
The HRW official urged the
government to take immediate steps to end abuses
and create the necessary
constitutional and electoral framework to ensure
free, fair, and credible
elections, as envisaged in the GPA.
She observed that ZANU PF continued
to engage in political violence against
perceived opponents, with groups of
war veterans and youth militias who have
been deployed in the past to target
the opposition remaining intact.
ZANU PF still uses elements in the
security forces as instruments of
repression. Military-led violent invasions
of commercial farms continue.
In the first week of February 2010, police
disrupted MDC-organized
constitutional reform meetings, beat up participants
and arbitrarily
arrested 43 people in Binga, 48 in Masvingo, and 52 in Mt.
Darwin.
Zimbabwe’s media remains muzzled although the global political
agreement
recognizes the importance of the rights to freedom of expression
and
communication.
There are no private daily newspapers or privately
owned radio stations.
Public information remains under the firm control of
ZANU PF.
Not a single licence for independent media outlets has been
issued since the
power-sharing government was formed.
ZANU PF has
also resisted complying with the rule of law and declared at its
December
2009 congress that it would not allow security forces to be
subjected to
reform.
The security sector is deeply embedded in the political affairs
of the
country.
http://www.zimnetradio.com/
By SINIKIWE MPALA
Published on: 14th
February, 2010
HARARE – ZIMBABWE’S biggest international investment
conference since the
formation of the inclusive Government, the Africa
investor (Ai) Pan-African
Tourism and Infrastructure Investment Summit
starts in Harare today, with 14
African government ministers, international
bankers and 32 chief executive
officers of international investment
financiers attending.
Also represented at the conference, that runs until
Thursday, are the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation, the World Bank,
International Monetary
Fund and the African Development
Bank.
President Mugabe is expected to officially open the summit while
Prime
Minister Mor-gan Tsvangirai and his deputies Arthur Mutambara and
Thokozani
Khupe are expected to give keynote addresses.
Ai, a leading
international investment research and communications company,
is partnering
the Government, through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, in
hosting the
conference which will discuss tourism strategies, investment
opportunities
and tourism infrastructure development that should make
Zimbabwe maximise
gains expected to accrue from the 2010 Soccer World Cup
extravaganza.
Africa investor is a specialist investment
communications firm advising
governments, international organisations and
businesses on communication
strategies for capital market and foreign direct
investments in Africa.
Ai is bringing investors, project promoters and
city planning officials to
discuss the role of the World Cup in supporting
tourism investment in
Africa.
The conference will include interviews
with leading investors, hoteliers,
forecasts from top economists, panel
discussions on the latest developments,
trends and best practices in the
tourism investment and city planning
industries.
Another key event at
the summit is the Ministerial Roundtable that will
feature Tourism and
Hospitality Industry Ministers from Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Sierra Leone, Namibia,
Botswana, and Ghana.
Other speakers include American Sister Cities
International Global Envoy
Nancy M. Huppert, Mr Kevin Teeroovengadum,
Director, Actis; and Mr Godfrey
Tapela, Senior Investment Officer,
International Finance Corporation.
Minister Mzembi said the summit was
Zimbabwe’s mega investment event before
the 2010 World Cup finals to be held
in June in South Africa.
The summit will coincide with the prestigious
Africa investor Tourism
Investment Awards, which will be announced tomorrow
evening during the
summit’s gala dinner, organised in recognition of the
companies being
awarded for their excellence in the industry.
The
summit brings together tourism and infrastructure project promoters with
private and institutional investors with interests in Africa. Africa
investor will also facilitate pre-arranged one-on-one meetings between
investors and project promoters.
This year’s summit will be examining
major tourism infrastructure investment
and privatisation opportunities
across Africa. On the second day, Africa
investor will host the first
Infrastructure and Tourism Investment
Roundtable with the Government of
Zimbabwe, to showcase their portfolio of
privatisation, infrastructure,
tourism and mining investment opportunities
for the first
time.
Commenting on the awards, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, Special
Advisor to the
Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation and
speaker at the
summit, said the awards were recognition of Africa’s most
innovative.
“These awards are the only initiative designed to recognise
the achievement
of those businesses, governments, organisations and
individuals who have
made an outstanding contribution to the growth of
sustainable tourism
investment in Africa,” said Mr Lipman.
Summit
sponsors and partners include the Government of Zimbabwe, the ZTA,
African
Export-Import Bank, African Sun, Meikles, Rani Investment Group,
Native
Investment, Cresta Hotel Group, CNN International, Sister Cities
International, the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa
(Retosa), Nepad Business Group, NEPAD, Modern Ghana, United Nations
Industrial Development Organisation (Unido), Africa Project Access, Africa
Travel Channel, Reconnect Africa and The Standard.
http://www.zimonline.co.z
by Nokuthula Sibanda Monday 15 February
2010
HARARE -- Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile phone operator Econet
Wireless is asking
its more than three million subscribers to help raise aid
for hundreds of
thousands of victims of the Haiti earthquake.
In an
appeal titled "send help to Haiti", Econet which is already assisting
more
than 100.000 school going children in the country through a Trust and
the
Joshua Nkomo Fund, appealed to its clients “to participate in helping
the
victims of the earthquake in Haiti.”
Subscribers wishing to assist will
donate US$0.89 for every text message
sent the firm said, adding that
donations shall be audited publicly.
Haiti, a country mostly made up of
descendents of former slaves was last
month plunged into a crisis following
an earthquake which ripped through the
island resulting in the deaths of
more than 200 000 people.
The appeal by Econet effectively makes it the
first public listed Zimbabwean
firm to join hands with international relief
agencies and activists in
trying to raise support for the
Haitians.
In 1996 the Strive Masiyiwa-led firm formed the Capernaum Trust
meant “to
transform the lives of orphaned children in economically
destitute
situations, to help them to become self-reliant
individuals.
“It offers love, hope and inspiration through the provision
of scholarships,
food packs and life skills training to over 25 000 orphans
nationwide,”
Econet said in it's profile.
Nine years later, the
company formed the Joshua Nkomo Fund, which was
launched in 2005, and issued
its first scholarships in 2006. The Fund is
administered through a
registered Trust that is governed by a board of
trustees who are independent
of Econet and its Management.
It was not immediately clear how much
Econet intends to raise for Haiti as
it’s spokesman and other senior company
officials were not immediately
available to take questions from the Press.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27325
February 14,
2010
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa
By Owen
Chikari
MASVINGO – The week-long industrial action by civil servants has
allegedly
been high jacked by suspected Zanu-PF youths acting in conjunction
with
members of the army amid reports that state security agents raided
several
schools and government run institutions in Masvingo Province where
they
forced workers who had reported for duty to join the
strike.
The suspected Zanu-PF youths, accompanied by soldiers clad in
full military
gear raided several schools in Masvingo city and parts of
Gutu District
threatening to beat up teachers and other government workers
who had
reported for duty on Friday last week.
A group of suspected
Zanu-PF youths descended at Victoria High School in
Masvingo City on Friday
and locked gates while threatening to beat up anyone
who reported for
duty.
“We just found the gates locked when we reported for duty on
Friday”, said a
teacher at Victoria High School who requested no to be
named. “A group of
youths stood by the gate and advised us not to report for
duty.”
Meanwhile, a group of soldiers clad in full military gear
descended Mucheke
High School and threatened to beat up teachers who had
reported for duty.
“A group of soldiers came to the school and advised us
not to report for
work “, said a teacher at the school. “They told us not to
go back to work
since all civil servants were on strike’
Nurses at
Chitando Clinic in Gutu District were chased away from the health
institution by suspected Zanu-PF youths for reporting for duty.
The
youths also chased away government workers from Benjamin Burombo
Building
which houses several government departments in the city
Although
education and army officials here refused to comment on the issue
MDC-T
spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the week-long industrial action by the
civil
servants had now been politicised.
“We have heard that some people are
forcing civil servants to go on strike
and we believe that they are Zanu -PF
supporters who think that they may
discredit our party by forcing the
workers to go on strike”, said Chamisa.
The country’s civil servants have
been on strike since February 5 and have
vowed not to go back to work until
their grievances are met.
The striking civil servants are demanding a
minimum salary of USD 502 a
month. Most of the civil servants currently earn
about USD 150 a month.
The government has since declared the strike
illegal and urged all
government workers to report for duty this
week.
The chairman of the public service commission Mariyawanda Nzuwa
said they
strike by the civil servants was illegal since negotiations were
still in
progress.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Radio VOP
Sunday, 14 February
2010 12:51
Masvingo, - Riot police had running battles with Robert Mugabe's
war
veterans on Friday night who were digging up one of the world's
historical
monuments, The Zimbabwe Ruins, to exhume remains of bodies of
fighters of
the liberation struggle, which they said had been buried
there.
They said they wanted the bones of their colleagues reburied. The
Great
Zimbabwe is one of the world's major tourist attractions and foreign
currency earner for Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is hoping to make a fortune out of
the historical site in June as the world descend in neighboring South Africa
for the 2010 World Soccer Cup.
Led by self styled war vets leader Francis
Zimuto, popularly known as Black
Jesus, who pioneered the bloody 2000 land
grab from white commercial
farmers, the ageing former guerrillas descended
upon the monument at around
midnight with spirit mediums armed with shovels
and picks, provincial police
spokesperson, Inspector Tinaye Matake told
Radio VOP.
"We were called by the officials at the site that the war vets had
started
digging an area where they claimed 'lay the bones' of some war
fighters. We
rushed before they had done much damage, as you know that the
monuments are
protected, and that the war vets had not notified anyone, much
as their idea
might sound good," Inspector Matake said.
He added that ten
of the war vets were arrested after they tried to resist
police orders. "Ten
war veterans are arrested as we speak, but I cannot give
you the names. They
had failed to comply with the police orders."
Sources however said that among
the arrested are the notorious former
provincial war vets leader, Isaiah
Muzenda, who a fortnight ago staged a
sit-in in governor Titus Maluleke's
office in protest over alleged
re-allocation of their tractors for non
productivity, as well as Western
Ezra, who last year invaded a city lodge,
claiming that it was his as it is
built on 'his' land.
Zimbabwe National
War Veterans Association secretary general retired army
major Alex
Mudavanhu, also confirmed the arrest. "They wanted to dig up for
bones for
reburial, but they did not follow procedures. There should have
been a way
worked out on how they would do that, especially at the monuments
where
tourists visit."
In another incident in Gwanda self-styled war veterans who
occupied Ridden
Ranches in the area during the peak of the land invasions in
2003 have
returned back to their original rural homes because of
disillusionment.
Scores of Zanu (PF) supporters from Mberengwa , Gwanda and
Beitbridge
invaded the cattle ranches and chased away white commercial
farmers who used
to own the land.
The ranches, one of the largest cattle
producers in the province before the
land invasions are located on the
borders of Midlands and Matabeleland South
province. The invaders named the
area "Kujambanja" ( a place of violence ).
" I went to Ridden in 2003 during
the height of the land invasions .At
first I was sceptical about Kujambanja
, but when I saw a significant number
of my neighbours leaving , I decided
to join the trek," said Churu.
Disilluisionment set in when he discovered the
area did not have good soils
and is only suitable for cattle ranching.
"There is no way anybody can get a
good harvest at Ridden. The soils are
poor and they are just as bad if not
worse that where I come from. I wasted
my time and resources leaving my
father's home."
He accused Zanu (PF) of
moving people in unsuitable land in return for
votes during election times.
" There were no health and shopping centre
facilities at Kujambanja.
Transport was also a major problem as one was
forced to walk for a distance
of more than 30 kilometres to the nearest bus
stop," said another settler,
Kennedy Mhlanga, who has also turned his back
on Ridden and has since
returned to his rural home in Gwanda.
Some of the land occupiers have
resorted to gold panning in the Shangani
river as a means of survival.A
Matebeleleland South provincial lands
committee member, Silas Ndou admitted
that soils in the area were poor. "
Infact , the problem of poor soils is
not peculiar to ranches in the Ridden
area alone. Matabeleland South is
largely a wildlife and cattle rearing
region. Securing fertile land for our
people in the province has been a
major headache," he said.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=27319
February 14, 2010
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE -President Robert Mugabe will this year mark his
birthday with an
extravagant overnight gala in Bulawayo which will feature
both local and
international musicians.
Mugabe, Zimbabwe's only
leader since independence in 1980, turns 86 years of
age this
month.
Retired Major Anywhere Mutambudzi, an official with the
information
ministry, has reportedly been tasked with organizing the
birthday bash.
Mutambudzi told state controlled ZBC TV that the
celebrations to be held at
the Trade Fair grounds will start at 6 pm on 26
February 26 and end at 6 am
the following day.
"The gala will feature
all major local as well as some foreign musicians
from the Democratic
Republic of Congo and South Africa," said the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting
Corporation Friday evening.
While Mugabe's birthday has been celebrated
every year, the idea of an all
night gala is original.
It will also
mark the return of the galas which had disappeared a few years
ago, once
popularized by former Information Minister, Prof Jonathan Moyo,
who
organized them to commemorate Zimbabwe's national days.
Many Zimbabweans
have been critical of Mugabe's lavish birthday
celebrations, dismissing them
as unnecessary in a country where the majority
of citizens languish in
poverty.
The birthday celebrations, which are often rotated among the
provinces
provide followers with an opportunity to shower lavish praise on
the
Zimbabwean leader.
http://www.zimeye.org/?p=13336
By Gerald
Chateta
Published: February 13, 2010
Harare -
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) Chairperson Dr Lovemore
Madhuku says
his organization will remain visible despite media black out
'imposed' by
the local media.
Madhuku told journalists at the weekend that he was not
affected by lack of
media coverage his activities were receiving.
NCA
is campaigning against the parliament led constitution making process,
which
it says is flawed.
He is working together with Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Union, and The
Zimbabwe National Students Union in the campaign they have
named 'TAKE
CHARGE'.
"We are not worried by media black out. What
matters to us is the fact that
the people of Zimbabwe have heard our
campaign.We are using other means of
reaching out to the people. Yes we were
weakened by the departure of our
partner in fighting for democracy,the MDC,
but I can assure you that we are
building a strong force to spearhead the
Take Charge Campaign," said
Madhuku.
A recent survey which was
conducted by the Mass Public Opinion Institute
(MPOI) revealed that NCA was
more popular than the Parliament led
Constitution Select
Committee.
MISA Zimbabwe Harare Advocacy committee chairperson Kumbirai
Mafunda said
was disappointed by the way NCA was treated by the
media.
"Every day the local media bombard us with the activities of the
parliament
led constitution making process, but we have never seen any local
story on
NCA despite the work they are doing," said Mafunda.
http://www.zimeye.org/?p=13324
By Gerald
Chateta
Published: February 13, 2010
Guruve - Prison
labour is being exchanged for maize grain to feed inmates
at Guruve Prison,
a senior Prison officer has revealed.
A senior prison officer stationed
at the prison said senior government
officials and influential ZANU-Pf
officials were using prisoners in their
farms in exchange for maize grain
they use to feed inmates.
"Procedurally we are supposed to get inmates'
rations from Bindura Prison
since we are its satellite prison, but this has
not been happening for a
long time.Bindura instead give us the rations after
satisfying its needs,
and we are left with no option but to hire out labour
for food that would be
consumed by inmates," said the official who refused
to be named.
A former prison officer also told of the desperate situation
in Zimbabwe
prisons:
'I have been there. I know this and I saw it.
There had been times when we
could not take out prisoners to work because
they had no clothes to put on.
How can you take a nude person to work. I
have seen prisoners starve to
death as funds meant for the prison department
are mismanaged through showdy
and nepotic allocation of
tenders.'
Responding to questions asked by journalists on abuse of
inmates recently,
ZPS Chief Retired Major Paradzai Zimondi said the reports
were unfounded.
"The allegations of prisoners' abuse are unfounded and
could have bee based
on the fact that we were hiring out prison labour to
farmers and companies.
The programme has since been banned by the ministry
of Justice following an
outcry by concerned partners.
"Hiring of
prison labour is however common elsewhere, but the problem we
have is that
Zimbabwe is on the spotlight, hence anything it does is
criticized," he told
journalists recently in Harare.
The government is mandated to supply food
for prisoners.
http://www.universityworldnews.com
14 February 2010
Issue:
0047
Science departments in Zimbabwe's universities have been hardest
hit by a
brain drain that has been blamed mostly on poor salaries. Last week
low pay
prompted lectures at all state-run higher education institutions go
on
strike as part of wider civil service industrial action.
The
strike began after the government failed to meet civil servant -
including
lecturer - demands for a salary hike. Civil servants earn less
than US$200 a
month and the government has proposed increases of between $7
and $20 a
month. The unions want salaries to start at $630 a month.
According to a
recent report by the country's parliamentary committee on
education,
universities countrywide are suffering a severe shortage of both
academic
and non-academic staff as a result of the brain drain - and science
departments have been the most heavily hit.
Providing examples that
it said mirror the precarious situation in all
state-run higher education
instutitions, the report said that at the
University of Zimbabwe the
departments of animal science, community
medicine, metallurgy and clinical
pharmacology require 20, 18, 13 and 11
lecturers respectively - but have
nobody in post.
Computer science and veterinary sciences both require 13
lecturers but have
only one each. Psychiatry, geo-informatics and mining
engineering also have
one lecturer each but require 16, 10 and eight
respectively. The department
of medicine has eight lectures but needs 26
while the anesthetic,
statistics, anatomy and hematology departments each
have two lecturers
instead of 16, 11, 10 and eight
respectively.
"Academics are in short supply at the institution," the
parliamentary
committee pointed out.
"University infrastructure is
dilapidated and this includes lecturer
theatres, halls of residence and
dining halls. The university fleet is
grounded.
"The government needs
to priorities higher education in the fiscus for
universities to not only be
fully operational, but to also ensure better
conditions for
staff."
Nearly a decade of poor management and increasing oppression
under 29-year
ruler President Robert Mugabe led to economic collapse,
European Union and
US targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his inner circle
for human rights
abuses and a flight of investors and citizens out of the
country.
Many of those who left were Zimbabwe's most skilled and mobile
people. Many
of them were academics and university administrators. The
University of
Zimbabwe was closed for almost a year because of a long
lecturer strike and
infrastructural problems.
Last February a unity
government was formed with Mugabe remaining president
and former opposition
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan
Tsvangirai becoming Prime
Minister. But the government has little money to
spend on anything,
including education.
The unity government wants investment and funding,
but donors are reluctant
to respond as long as Mugabe remains at the
helm.
In an interview last week with the state media, University of
Zimbabwe
Vice-chancellor Professor Levi Nyagura said even though western
powers had
isolated the government, academics from countries in the West
were assisting
the institution.
"We even have visiting lecturers from
China. You will be surprised that we
even have visiting lecturers from the
US and the United Kingdom. Academics
are not like politicians, they are
driven by the genuine desire to promote
the sharing of knowledge, to partner
in the creation of new knowledge and to
partner in perfecting existing
knowledge so that we have something we are
contributing to society," Nyagura
said.
The vice-chancellor criticized what he termed a culture of not
giving back
among black Zimbabweans - alumni have failed to help the
struggling
university.
"We have made a lot of efforts to bring alumni
back to the institution but
what I can say is among the black people in the
country there are very few
who understand the concept of giving back. It's
not part of the tradition of
the people of Zimbabwe to recognise the people
and organisations that
empowered them. It does not exist."
Nyagura
continued, controversially: "Such support we are getting is from
white
Zimbabweans who know and have a high regard for how the institution
works."
Vigil supporters were surprised that
no celebrations appear to have been arranged for President, Head of State and Government, Commander-in-Chief of
Defence Forces, Terror of Mankind Robert Mugabe’s 86th birthday on
21st February. So the Vigil has arranged a party for him next
Saturday.
People at home might take for
granted the visionary leader who has done so much for so long to create a new
On another bitterly cold day, with a
biting wind from
We are still waiting to hear whether
Mugabe will be given the expected present from the EU in the form of an easing
of sanctions. There has been pressure to lift some of them in the naïve belief
that appeasing Mugabe will achieve change. The Vigil would have thought that the
Indigenisation Bill to take over white-owned companies and reported moves to
stop NGOs from feeding the starving (see: http://www.manicapost.com/inside.aspx?sectid=234&cat=1)
would have been enough to have alerted credulous EU members to the impossibility
of working with Mugabe.
The Vigil was pleased to be sent a
consignment of materials from friends in
For our part the Vigil wants to
remind Zimbabweans in the
Some other
points:
·
We now
have dates for President Zuma’s state visit to the
·
Several
of our supporters again went to take part in the Swazi Vigil and they say it is
causing quite a stir. See: www.swazilandvigil.co.uk.
·
Our
Iranian friends in
·
We were
pleased to be joined by Preacher Beverley Mutandiro who said prayers with Vigil
supporters.
·
We
celebrated with Jenatry Muranganwa and Lungile Ncube that they have now been
given their papers to remain in the
·
People
looking after the register wish to point out that the register closes every
Saturday at 5.30.
·
We were
contacted by the former MDC MP Mike Auret this week. His book ‘From Liberator to Dictator’ is now
available in
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
FOR THE
RECORD: 125
signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR Hayes fundraising party.
Saturday
27th February from
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
Zimbabwe Association’s Women’s
Weekly Drop-in Centre. Fridays 10.30 am – 4 pm. Venue:
The Fire Station Community and ICT Centre,
·
Strategic Internship for Zimbabweans
organised by
Citizens for Sanctuary which is trying to secure work placements for qualified
Zimbabweans with refugee status or asylum seekers. For information: http://www.citizensforsanctuary.org.uk/pages/Strategic.html
or contact: zimbabweinternship@cof.org.uk.
·
For Motherland ENT’s
videos of the Vigil
on
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
VOICE FOR DEMOCRACY
Speaking
Truth to Power
The Voice for Democracy’s message to the MDC, SADC and the Friends of Zimbabwe
on the First Anniversary of the Inclusive Government
LET THE
JURY OF THE PEOPLE DECIDE
The MDC did not enter into a marriage of convenience, but one of abuse. For all its goodwill, compromises and appeasement, the MDC has been repaid with contempt, provocations and lawlessness. Robert Mugabe has not just been reluctant to implement the provisions of the GPA, he has deliberately set out to sabotage and destroy it. Yet, even as he flexed his muscles and hurled abuse, a battered and deeply compromised MDC smiled for the cameras, vowing never to leave its faithless partner. The Prime Minister soothed the worries of the Friends of Zimbabwe, reassuring them that its rocky marriage was still working, that Robert Mugabe was part of the solution, and that their marriage – the Inclusive Government – should be blessed by the removal of sanctions and rewarded with development aid for its achievements.
The
diplomatic dilemma
Having won the March 2008 elections, the MDC surrendered wide presidential powers to the very man, Robert Mugabe, who had brought nothing but violence, ruin and misery to the people of Zimbabwe – and left Western diplomats groping for an adequate response. How are the Friends of Zimbabwe to reward the MDC for its efforts to bring peace and recovery while pressuring Mugabe to restore human rights and the rule of law under the GPA? How can they provide development aid to the MDC while maintaining sanctions on Mugabe and ZANU(PF)? In truth, they cannot. The MDC and ZANU(PF) forged an Inclusive Government in which they became two sides of the same coin.
The International Crisis Group’s sanguine belief that increased development aid would reward the moderates while isolating the hardliners was always illusionary. As long as Mugabe maintains his grip on power, any attempts to increase development aid or foster trade and investment will inevitably be captured by ZANU(PF). Similarly, any development aid or the lifting of sanctions to reward the Inclusive Government for achieving a modicum of economic stability will send an unmistakable message to Mugabe: that he and his supporters will not be held accountable for continued human rights violations and their disregard for the rule of law. Their very impunity will be rewarded.
This conundrum for Western powers is now being played out within the EU. Divisions have emerged between Germany and the Denmark that want sanctions eased and Britain and the Netherlands that want them maintained. The expectation is that they will reach a tepid compromise and again urge the Zimbabwean parties to implement the GPA in full. Whatever their decision, the EU and the MDC should disabuse themselves of any hope that easing sanctions will coax Mugabe into meeting his GPA commitments. There is none.
Western donor countries face similar contradictions in their diplomatic relations with SADC and the African Union, which have repeatedly supported the Inclusive Government’s call for the lifting of limited sanctions and the resumption of development aid. How then do Western governments align themselves to the policies of African countries when SADC, as the guarantor of the GPA, has proved unable to enforce its provisions? Indeed, how can the donors align themselves to SADC decisions when the underlying reasons for imposing targeted sanctions in the first place remain unresolved? The question is: how can the Friends of Zimbabwe extricate themselves from these diplomatic dilemmas and realign their policies with SADC and the African Union?
International realignment behind a democratic
transition
The first is to
face the facts. The international donor community should resist repeating the
tired mantra that the parties must implement the GPA in full. The self-evident
fact is that the GPA is dead in letter and spirit. Second, they should listen
carefully to the voices for democracy. When the MDC
disengaged from their ‘dishonest and unreliable partner’ in October 2009, Morgan Tsvangirai
said that the obvious solution would be the holding of a free and fair election
to be conducted by SADC and the AU and under UN supervision. As Mugabe still
refuses to comply with the GPA, Tsvangirai now says that the only solution is to agree on a road map
to an election.
This presents the international donor community with an ideal
opportunity to realign itself with the MDC’s democratic principles and with key
advocates of a democratic transition within SADC, notably President Khama of
Botswana. Given South Africa’s frustration over the painfully slow
implementation of the GPA, diplomatic efforts should be redirected towards
convincing an increasingly impatient President Zuma that elections provide a
compelling alternative to the GPA. It would not only bring finality to a
festering regional problem, but it would enable Zimbabwe’s full reengagement
with the international community. Almost immediately, targeted sanctions could
be lifted, debts rescheduled, and international development aid resumed.
Crucially, it would bring the international community’s policy towards Zimbabwe
into alignment with those of the SADC countries.
The Responsibility to Protect
Yet, for all
the possibilities of democratic elections bringing peace, recovery and growth to
Zimbabwe, there stands Robert Mugabe, ready to unleash his dreaded state
security and militia on any who dare challenge his self-proclaimed right to
rule. And here the Friends of Zimbabwe should heed the words of Finance Minister and the MDC General Secretary, Tendai Biti, when he
called for the “holding of free and fair elections under the protection and supervision of SADC
to ensure that the
dreams of the people are never again dashed nor denied.” Unless the citizens of
Zimbabwe are protected to cast their
ballots in peace and security there can be no guarantee of free and fair
elections: not now, not when we have a new constitution, nor in 3 or 5 years
hence.
Gareth Evans, President of the International
Crisis Group, has been the boldest advocate of the international community’s responsibility to protect citizens who
are threatened with crimes against humanity by their own state. Having realigned
themselves behind a democratic transition, western donors and SADC countries
should immediately start building a ‘Coalition for the Responsibility to
Protect’ that allow Zimbabwean voters to cast their ballots in peace and
security during the next election.
The Open Society Initiative for
Southern Africa (OSISA) has already called for the
immediate deployment of a SADC delegation to secure an end to political
violence. Theirs is an urgent appeal for a comprehensive, standing presence of SADC to be stationed in Zimbabwe
until the draft Constitution has been submitted to a referendum and that free
and fair presidential and legislative elections have been held. The Voice for
Democracy has gone further. We have called for this security presence to be in
place until there has been an incontrovertible and peaceful handover of power to
the winners of the next election.
We the Jury
The MDC has bravely endured endless public
humiliations by its arrogant and abusive partner. It must now drop any pretence
that its marriage is working and file for divorce by taking its case to SADC and
the international community for adjudication, who must let the jury – the people
of Zimbabwe – decide on its own leaders through free and fair elections. Therein
lies our hope, dignity and freedom.
Sir Ronald Sanders
Sunday, February 14, 2010
IN what is clearly an act of madness, the Robert Mugabe government in Zimbabwe published on February 9 regulations governing "Indigenization and Economic Empowerment", making it compulsory for white-owned companies in Zimbabwe to hand majority control to black persons.
Authoritative reports state that "the regulations require every existing business, partnership, association or sole proprietorship with an asset value of US$500,000 or more to submit a report to the Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere by April 15, outlining their operations and plans for ensuring that they will be owned or controlled by indigenous persons within five years".
Failure to do so, after a further 30-day reminder, would render the owner of the business or every director guilty of an offence and liable to a fine and/or imprisonment for up to five years.
The new regulations demand that all foreign and locally owned companies hand over at least 51 per cent ownership to black Zimbabweans. Thousands of firms, including the Zimbabwean operations of firms such as Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and the mining company Rio Tinto, will be affected.
These developments come on top of other property seizures. Sue Lloyd Roberts of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports that in the last year, "four thousand white commercial farmers have now had their farms confiscated and given to black farmers, many of whom are supporters of Mr Mugabe. A diamond mine has been taken from its white Zimbabwean owner and is being operated by a government-owned company, protected by soldiers".
Amazingly, the prime minister in the Zimbabwe coalition government, who has responsibility for policy formulation, knew absolutely nothing about the new regulations until they were published.
The prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, who is the leader of the former opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said the move had been made without his knowledge. He said: "They were published without due process and in contravention of the global political agreement [which set up the coalition] and constitution of Zimbabwe and are therefore null and void."
Tsvangirai may consider the regulations null and void but they are being implemented anyway, demonstrating his complete impotence as prime minister and Mugabe's utter disregard for him.
This is not the first time that Mugabe has openly shown his contempt for Tsvangirai, nor is it the first time that Tsvangirai has displayed the powerlessness of his position as prime minister.
The most glaring example of Tsvangirai's weakness is the fact that a top MDC leader, Roy Bennett, is still being prosecuted on charges widely believed to be trumped up, and many other MDC members have been arrested or harassed - cases well documented by Amnesty International and human rights groups within Zimbabwe.
While some of these human rights violations strike at property owned by white people, they are perpetrated mostly against Zimbabwean blacks, including women, who are perceived to oppose the Mugabe regime, but in reality are simply fighting for better lives for their families and for an end to physical abuse by the military and gangs organised by Mugabe's ZANU-PF.
Amid the farce of a coalition government in which Mugabe is president and Tsvangirai prime minister, ZANU-PF and MDC have been holding talks to implement the "Global Political Agreement" brokered since September 2008 by South Africa's government. ZANU-PF has given nothing of any substance and MDC holds on in the hope of a breakthrough.
The South African government continues to chair the deadlocked negotiations with no favourable end in sight.
In 2009, the Zimbabwean economy, which had sunk into a deep morass with the Zimbabwean dollar less than worthless, grew by an estimated four per cent on the back of a virtual abolition of the Zimbabwe dollar and the adoption of the US dollar as its currency. Last year's growth was the first in 10 years and came after a 60 per cent decline.
Experts report that much of last year's growth was due to good rains and a decent harvest. This year the rains have been sporadic, crops are failing and a poor harvest is expected. By the end of 2010, as many as three million Zimbabweans could again be dependent on food aid.
Before the announcement of the new regulations, the Zimbabwe minister of finance, Tendai Biti, had been seeking new foreign investment in Zimbabwe. The chances of this happening now are pretty remote, except from the government of the People's Republic of China.
In November last year, the Zimbabwe government announced that China Sonangol, a Chinese-Angolan joint venture company, would invest US$8 million in five deals involving gold and platinum refining, oil and gas exploration, fuel purchase and distribution, and housing. It will be interesting to see if the Chinese-owned company will be exempt from the new regulations to give 51 per cent of foreign-owned companies to black Zimbabweans.
So where is all this going? Zimbabwe has always required a complete restructuring of land ownership. Five per cent of the Zimbabwean population, mostly white, owned 80 per cent of the arable land at the time of independence in 1981. Only the most resolute white racists would have objected to reformation of land ownership to correct the ancient wrong by which black Zimbabweans were deprived and denied land ownership in the country of their birth. The failure to achieve this reformation resides squarely with the British government and to a lesser extent the US government who reneged on their promise to provide the funding that would have effected this transformation when Mugabe was elected president in 1981.
Instead of seeking international support for his just cause against the UK and US, Mugabe turned the issue into a means of retaining domestic support in the face of his increasing unpopularity among black Zimbabweans. Two rigged elections and atrocities, including savage beatings, against his political opponents kept him in power, but not in favour with the majority of Zimbabweans.
Instead of transferring farms to capable people with the knowledge and capital to keep them productive, they were seized and given to political cronies including the top brass of the military who keep Mugabe in power. The latest regulations appear to be more of the same. It will drive even more talent, knowledge and money out of Zimbabwe and contribute little if anything to the investment of nearly US$10 billion desperately needed to reconstruct the economy.
The international community should act together to curtail Mugabe's abuse, and Morgan Tsvangirai should give them the lead. He should start by abandoning the farce that parades as a coalition government, putting an end to Mugabe's claim of racism against him and his policies. That claim seems to paralyse European governments and to limit the actions of African ones while Zimbabwe withers.
Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.
From the inception of the provisional inclusive government, I
was
among the thousands scepticals.My misgivings to this process
was
mainly a founded product of years of mistrust and coersion which
ZANU
PF incalculated in its subjects. However, I have come to
appreciate
that there is no alternative to it and those political leaders
who
advocate for it deserve our unconditional support for the sake of
our
beloved Zimbabwe.
As a history academic I always believed that
History would not repeat
itself-but not in Zimbabwe. In just a space of three
decades we have
seen Zimbabweans turning to political unity or settlements
whenever
confronted by political problems. This concept first surfaced in
the
late 70s with The Internal Settlement which gave birth
to
Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, Bishop Abel Mzorewa as its Prime Minister.
Although,
it did not stop the war, an attempt was made to solve the
political problem
of the day through inclusion of contesting
political
establishments.
The Unity Accord of December 1987
between ZAPU and ZANU is another
example whereby Zimbabweans used their
collective efforts to solve
their political challenge/divide. Almost two
decades later Zimbabwe is
under an Inclusive Government again. I am not naive
to subscribe to
the notion that these collective approaches are perfect
prescription
to every political challenge but acknowledge that the collective
will
shown by our political leaders deserve our support. There
are
unresolved issues with the potential of derailing the
Inclusive
Government. Central to this is the Gono and Tomana saga and
the
appointment of Provisional Governors. I do not demean the
cruciality
of these issues to ZANU PF, which over the years has consolidated
its
power through these institutions. However, I do buy President
Jacob
Zuma's mature analysis that these issues should be shelved
for
progress' sake. I was comforted by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's
realisation that negotiations to these issues should be winded
up and
concentrate on the road to elections next
year.
Furthermore, we have the political motivated trial of Roy
Bennett and
targeted sanctions to contend with. Add this up to the
Constitution
making processes and the dismantling of JOC institutions
(credited for
running a violent election campaign in 2008) and a
partisan
war-veterans; odds are against a new political dispensation
in
Zimbabwe. However, the resilience of the Zimbabwean people should
not
be put to question. Instead, all these detractions could be
turned
into challenges which should inspire us to up our political game
to
overcome these obstacles. We did not opt out for the civil war
route
at a time when it appeared as the only option open and we will
not
follow it after elections next year because it is unZimbabwean.A
word
of caution to those rogue military personnel who may be dreaming
of
reversing our democratic political mandate next year,Zimbabweans
will
not put up with a military regime.
Rather, we should acknowledge that
in any family arguments are normal
but as long as we keep focused on
establishing a new political order;
our sacrifice is not in vein. Detractors
for the Inclusive Government
will always be there, both internally and
externally but as
Zimbabweans if we continue to strive for a new Zimbabwe,
victory will
be ours. Moreso, our journey to a new Zimbabwe has taught me
that we
need each other more than yesterday. Guided by the Global
Political
Agreement, we should build genuine bonds, surrendering
personal
agendas to our ultimate mission-a free, democratic Zimbabwe. It is
the
duty of every conscientious Zimbabwean to work tirelessly to be
part
of the solution, focussing on the positive contributions everyone
is
making rather than dwelling on the negatives.
It is upon this
that I subscribe to the Inclusive Government
unreservedly and I challenge my
countrymen and women to rise-up and
join me in this arduous journey to the
New Zimbabwe.
Words of enrichment from 1 Kings 3: 25-27:-could be
our divine
provisions "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and
half
to the other." The woman whose son was alive was filled
with
compassion for her son and said to the King, "Please, my LORD,
give
her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither
I
nor you shall have him, Cut him in two." Then the King gave his
ruling:
"Give the living baby to the first woman. Don't kill him; she
is the
mother."
Gilbert Bere
BILL WATCH SPECIAL
[14th February 2010]
House of Assembly Portfolio Committee Public Hearings Commencing 15th
February
Hearings
on Public Order and Security Amendment Bill
The
portfolio committee on Defence and Home Affairs will be holding public hearings
on this Bill as follows:
Monday
15th February at Murehwa Centre, Murehwa, at 10 am
Tuesday
16th February at Queen’s Hall, Mutare, at 9 am
Wednesday
17th February at Masvingo Civic Centre, Masvingo, at 9 am
Thursday
18th February at Large City Hall, Bulawayo, at 9 am
Thursday
18th February at Gweru Theatre, Gweru, at 5 pm
Friday
19th February at Rimuka Hall, Kadoma, at 9 am
Monday
22nd February at Christian Jubilee Centre, Milton Park, Harare at 9
am
[Available
from Veritas on request: electronic versions of the Bill and of the Public
Order and Security Act annotated to show the effect of the amendments proposed
by the Bill.]
Hearings on the State of Local Authority Service
Delivery
The Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban
Development will be holding public hearings on the
state of service delivery by local authorities, which among other issues will
touch on provision of water, collection of refuse, repair of burst water and
sewer pipes, and maintenance of roads, as follows:
Monday
15th February at Dudley Hall Primary School, Norton, at 10
am
Tuesday
16th February at Unit L Hall, Chitungwiza, at 10 am
Friday
19th February in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Building, at 10
am
Public
Welcome to Attend Hearings
Interested
Stakeholders and members of public are invited to attend these hearings at which
they will be given the opportunity to give evidence and make representations.
If you are making a written submission it is advisable to take as many copies
as possible for circulation at the meeting. If you are able to take a copy to
Parliament before the meeting and give it to the Committee clerk [see below] she
will duplicate copies for the members of the Committees.
If
you want to make an oral submission signify this to the clerk so she can notify
the chairperson to call on you. An oral submission is more effective if it is
followed up in writing.
Written
submissions
If
you are unable to attend a hearing, written submissions and correspondence may
be addressed to:
The
Clerk of Parliament
Attention:
Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs [or Local Government, Rural and
Urban Development]
P.O.
Box CY298
Causeway,
Harare
Contact
details for Committee Clerks
Portfolio
Committee on Defence and Home Affairs
Telephone
nos. (04) 700181-9 252936-50 ext 2216 [Mr P Daniel]
Fax
no 04 252935
Portfolio
Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban
Development
Telephone
nos. (04) 700181-9 252936-50 ext 2153 [Mrs N Khumalo]
Fax
no 04 252935
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied.
BILL WATCH SPECIAL
[14th February 2010]
House of Assembly Portfolio Committees and Senate Thematic
Committees: 15th to 19th
February
The meetings listed below are open to members of the public, but
as observers only, not as participants. [See note at the end of this
bulletin on public attendance/participation at different types of committee
meetings.]
The week will also see countrywide public hearings by the Portfolio
Committee on Defence and Home Affairs on the Public Order and Security Amendment
Bill and public hearings in Norton, Chitungwiza and Harare by the Portfolio
Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban Development on local authority
service delivery. [Details will be given in a separate Bill Watch
Special]
A meeting of wide public interest is that of the Portfolio Committee
on Mines and Energy which will be hearing again from the Zimbabwe Mining
Development Corporation and from the Deputy Minister of Mines [see
below]
Monday 15th February at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Transport and Infrastructure Development
Oral evidence from ZINARA [Zimbabwe National Road
Administration]
Committee Room No. 1
Chairperson: Hon Chebundo Clerk: Ms
Macheza
Public Accounts Committee
Oral evidence from Ministries of Media, Information and Publicity,
Transport and Infrastructural Development, and Labour and Social
Services
Committee Room No. 4
Chairperson: Hon Mashakada Clerk: Mrs
Nyawo
Portfolio Committee: Natural Resources, Environment and
Tourism
Briefing from Ministry officials on 2010 Budget
Committee Room No. 311
Chairperson: Hon P. Dube Clerk: Mr
Munjenge
Portfolio Committee: Mines and Energy
Oral evidence from Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and Deputy
Minister of Mines and Mining Development
Committee Room No. 413
Chairperson: Hon Chindori-Chininga Clerk: Mr
Manhivi
Monday 15th February at 2 pm
Portfolio Committee: Budget, Finance, Economic Planning, Investment
Promotion
Oral evidence from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Privatisation
and Commercialisation
Committee Room No. 4
Chairperson: Hon Zhanda Clerk: Mr
Ratsakatika
Tuesday 16th February at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Local Government, Rural and Urban Development
Fact-finding visit and public hearings in
Chitungwiza
Chairperson: Hon Karenyi Clerk: Mrs
Khumalo
Thursday 18th February at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Small and Medium Enterprises
Oral evidence from Ministry officials
Committee Room No. 1
Chairperson: Hon R. Moyo Clerk: Ms
Mushunje
Portfolio Committee: Women, Youth, Gender and Community
Development
Brief from Youth Empowerment and Transformation
Committee Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon Matienga Clerk: Mrs
Khumalo
Public Attendance at and Participation in Committee
Meetings
These portfolio and thematic committee meetings are open to the
public to attend as observers only. Members of the public wishing to attend a meeting should telephone
Parliament first [on Harare 700181], to check with the relevant committee clerk
that the meeting has not been cancelled. If you are attending, please use the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance to
Parliament. IDs must be produced. Members of the public are only free to participate when committees
call public hearings. Veritas will send out separate notices of these public hearings and
outline the procedures. Committees also sometimes have meetings where invited stakeholders
[and those who notify Parliament that they consider themselves stakeholders and
are accepted as such] are able to make representations and ask questions.
These meetings will be highlighted in these notices. Portfolio and thematic committees meetings for deliberations are not
open to the public, and these are not listed in these
notices.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied.