Mugabe's Absence Reportedly Hinders Zimbabwe Government

http://www.voanews.com/

Peta Thornycroft | Johannesburg  February 14, 2011

President Robert Mugabe left Zimbabwe last Friday for medical treatment in
Asia. Mugabe's recent absences from Harare means that the executive branch
has met for just two hours in the last two months.

Mugabe told colleagues he was traveling to Singapore for a post-operative
check after an operation on one of his eyes. His spokesman George Charamba
said he had a cataract removed during his annual break in Singapore last
month.

Mugabe's health remains a closely guarded secret. The president is
reportedly suffering health setbacks in his recovery after what had been
initially billed as a minor medical procedure in Singapore last month.

Last month, though, Mugabe - one of Africa's longest serving leaders -
dismissed reports of his medical problems as "naked lies."

Mugabe goes on holiday each year in Asia over the Christmas and New Year
break. He also consults doctors in Asia.

Ministers in the inclusive government said Friday they received notification
that cabinet was canceled Tuesday. Last week, Mugabe only attended the
cabinet for about two hours. The last full cabinet meeting was on December
14.

Senior government officials in Harare say ministers are anxious because they
need to make decisions to meet urgent deadlines.

The main goal of the two-year-old unity government was to reform repressive
laws inherited from the previous ZANU-PF government so that free and fair
elections can be held.

Irene Petras, director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said parliament
has been unable to reform many laws because of delays by the executive.

Charamba said Mugabe will return to Zimbabwe on February 20, the day before
his 87th birthday.

WOZA condemns members arrests, ZANU PF militias terror

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Irene Madongo
14 February 2011

Two members of Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested on
Monday, during a Valentine’s Day anti-violence protest that was supported by
up to 1,000 members in different parts of Bulawayo.

The marches were held in ten parts of the city, including Makokoba,
Tshabalala, Old Pumula and Nketa. The two WOZA members arrested were part of
the Nketa demonstration which was made up of up to 60 people. WOZA said the
police later released the pair, but told them to go home and prepare for
their homes to be searched.

Their arrest comes as WOZA co-leader Jenni Williams announced that their
members are now being terrorised by ZANU PF’S urban youth militia operating
in Harare. Known as Chipangano, the gang of ZANU PF youths are reported to
be assaulting, torturing and eviciting residents suspected of being
activists or MDC supporters.

On Monday, Williams told SW Radio Africa that; “There are many youth militia
campaigns that are opening up around the city, especially in Harare, we
haven’t yet really seen an increase in Bulawayo. Our members in Harare are
living in daily fear, bceause of fear of Chipangano who are moving around.”

“They are moving around the townships, dancing and singing and toy-toying,
threatening people and we are concerned that it is happening. The camps are
clearly known by many people who live in the different areas. If they are so
clearly known by ordinary citizens, it means that the government and police
should know about them and should be closing them down,” she said.

“It’s our fear that it’s just going to get worse and it will also go to
rural areas which is why we marched,” she added.

The Monday marches followed another WOZA demonstration on Saturday in
Bulawayo, where a police BMW reportedly drove in a dangerous manner into the
crowd, to disperse it. Towards the end of the process police also tried to
arrest WOZA’s leaders, but they were unable to do so as they had been swept
along with crowd.

“This shows that the police just have no respect for ordinary citizens. They
just drove through the demonstration wanting to scare and disperse our
protestors,” Williams said.

The crowd of 1,800 people on Saturday was made up of men and women aged from
17 to 93 years old, who sang songs as they marched and handed out hundreds
of red roses and specially prepared Valentine cards in central Bulawayo.

 

GPA principals asked to deal with upsurge in violence

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
14 February 2011

This follows a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) that took
place in Harare on Friday. The upsurge in political violence dominated the
tension filled meeting, according to a source.

The source told us the country’s top military and security commanders tried
to distance themselves from the ongoing crackdown against MDC supporters.

SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that during the Friday meeting the
MDC-T laid the blame for the violence on the junta, but the service chiefs
gave the impression they knew nothing of the violence.

The military and security forces are widely assumed to be giving material
and logistical support for the violence but ZANU PF, as usual, blame the
MDC. But compelling evidence submitted to the meeting by the MDC-T showed
the Junta ‘complicit’ in organising and planning the attacks on MDC
officials and supporters.

‘Evidence against the military and security involvement was so overwhelming
you could notice some of them drawing back on eye contact. As a way forward,
it was decided the principals would deal with issue,’ our source said.

The NSC is chaired by Robert Mugabe. Other top leaders who attend include
co-Vice Presidents Joyce Mujuru and John Nkomo, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and his deputies, Thokozani Khuphe and Arthur Mutambara.

The other members of the council are Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa,
State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, Finance Minister Tendai Biti,
co-Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone. Plus, Energy and
Power Minister Elton Mangoma, Industry and Trade Minister Welshman Ncube and
service chiefs who include the army and airforce commanders, police
commissioner, head of prisons and the director-general of the CIO..

Former Zimbabwe Prison Service office, Shepherd Yuda, said it is an open
secret that members of the armed forces ‘always’ get released towards
election time to work for ZANU PF.

‘No other person has authority to release soldiers, prison guards or airmen
to campaign for ZANU PF, other than the top commanders. Not even an officer
in charge has authority to do that.

‘The majority of these men wear civilian clothes and are well armed, while
the rest can be seen in uniform. I am a witness to this practice and I know
senior prison officers who have killed in the name of ZANU PF,’ Yuda said.

Meanwhile police in Harare have released from custody 51 residents from
Mabvuku who were arrested on Saturday for allegedly holding a meeting
without police authority.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights reported their release on Monday. The
lawyers said only one person, Councillor Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, remained
in police custody.

The members of the MDC Youth Assembly had been holding ward elections in
Mabvuku, in preparation for the party congress set for May.

Thamsanqa Mahlangu, the MDC youth Assembly chairperson, condemned the
arrests saying the exercise was an internal process and not a public meeting
that needed any clearance from the police.

South African farmer threatened biological terror attack on UK

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

A South African farmer threatened to unleash foot and mouth disease on
British livestock in a biological terror attack unless he was paid a ransom
of £2.4m ransom, a court heard.
Stewart Maclean in Johannesburg 3:14PM GMT 14 Feb 2011

South African Brian Roach, 64, a married father-of-four is accused of
sending a series of letters and emails to the Department of Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs in which he allegedly demanded the money and
threatened to destroy the UK farming industry.

Papers presented to the court in Johannesburg on Monday, following his
arrest during a police raid on Saturday detailed how the retired engineering
entrepreneur and farmer was accused of posting two letters to the
London-based ministry last July from a post office in Johannesburg.

It is claimed the letters contained a warning he intended to use a
contaminated beef product to deliberately infect Britain's livestock
industry unless the huge ransom was paid.

The letters said: "We have the expertise and resources to do this very
effectively and will be able to devastate the industry in the UK which will
cost billions to the economy.

"I'm sure we can make the outbreak in 2001 seem mild as this will not be
accidental, but a well planned and orchestrated event."

The author of the note also threatened to launch a similar attack on the
USA, and added: "We will devastate your farms and then we will then take the
problem to your co-conspirator the USA with foresighted recognition of our
abilities."

The court papers alleged that the initial warning was repeated several times
over the following months in emails sent from locations in Johannesburg and
neighbouring towns.

It is claimed Mr Roach was motivated by his perception that Britain was
responsible for inflicting losses on the farming industry of Zimbabwe by
allowing Robert Mugabe to secure the leadership following the country's
independence and by failing to act later against the dictator, whom he
referred to as the "tyrant from hell".

In one email sent on August 30 last year he allegedly wrote: "We are not
habitual criminals but have been victim of a situation which was entirely
out of our control and attributed to corrupt and incompetent politicians."

The court papers detail how the threat was stepped up in December, when
Roach allegedly warned he would consider attacking "almost any country with
a vulnerable beef industry".

The 10 page document presented today details how he allegedly demanded the
payment of £2.5 million in gold in return for not following through on his
warning.

Police in South Africa believe he intended to use the funds as compensation
for the farmers who had been forced off their properties in Zimbabwe by the
government's controversial programme of land reclamation.

An official charge sheet shows Mr Roach allegedly demanded the sum to be
paid in Kruger Rand gold coins and to be left hidden in a garage in a
storage facility near Johannesburg.

He was arrested at 10.30am on Saturday during a raid at the site by officers
from South Africa's Crime Intelligence service.

Mr Roach, from Hartbeespoort Dam outside Johannesburg, remained silent
during a brief three minute hearing on Monday in which he was remanded in
custody until Friday.

Amnesty calls for security reforms

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Chengetayi Zvauya
Monday, 14 February 2011 17:32

HARARE - Amnesty International (AI) has joined a long list of groups
pressing for wholesale changes in the political landscape by urging
President Robert Mugabe to institute security reforms to end rampant
nationwide  violence.

Amnesty International  Director for Africa Erwin van der Borght said this at
the conclusion of their tour of Zimbabwe where his team observed human
rights violations allegedly led by security agents.

“’Security reform is needed in Zimbabwe to end a legacy of partisan abuse of
law to achieve political goals,” said van de Borght. “It is an open secret
that Zanu PF supporters who use violence against members of the public or
their perceived political opponents are beyond the reach of the law.”

He  observed that police have continued to selectively apply the law by
turning a blind eye to violations by Zanu PF supporters.

“Concrete reforms of the security sector are urgently needed before the next
elections are held. The security apparatus that instigated the 2008
political violence is still intact.’’ he added.

“These events are just a tip of the iceberg; thousands of people in rural
areas live in fear of violence, amid talk that the country might hold
another election in 2011.”

He has urged the three principals in the unity government to act against
human rights violations by state agents.

Borght said he was concerned that  MDC supporters were being attacked and
forcibly evicted from their homes by Zanu PF supporters.

“Police failed to protect these people. They even arrested victims who came
to report the incidents,” said Borght who claimed his team had witnessed
said partisan behavior by police on January 21 during violence scenes in
Harare’s townships.

In recent weeks, supporters of Mugabe have been involved in violence against
vendors and suspected MDC supporters.

Hundreds of MDC supporters were evicted from their homes in Mbare by
notorious Chipangano gang, a group of thugs known for its penchant for
violence.

Last week, the National Security Council met with the three principals in
the inclusive government to try and find ways of ending the violence largely
blamed on Zanu PF supporters.

Police Arrest Tsvangirai&Rsquo;S Drivers As Mp And Mabvuku Residents Freed From Custody

Zimbabwe launches Valentine's Day blood drive

Associated Press

Feb 14, 9:51 AM EST

By GILLIAN GOTORA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwe launched a blood drive on Valentine's Day
in an effort to ease dire shortages at the national blood bank.

Officials say 130,000 blood donors are needed for this year's "give love,
give blood" campaign, which started Monday and runs for two weeks. Last
year, only 57,000 people gave blood to the state blood transfusion service.

Health Minister Henry Madzorera said Monday that many Zimbabweans are
"scared of the needle" and believe there are enough donors already. Some are
also afraid to learn their HIV status - official figures put Zimbabwe's HIV
infection rate at about 13 percent.

The national campaign is supported by the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control
and Prevention and seeks more adult donors, and U.S. funding was used to
better screen donated blood.

Most blood supplies - over 70 percent - come from schoolchildren. Adults
receive 80 percent of those donations.

Madzorera urged Zimbabwean adults to do some "soul searching" and contribute
to the blood bank.

Deputy U.S. ambassador David W. Abell said the campaign aimed to provide
blood at affordable prices after years of shortages.

A unit of blood costs $65 in government hospitals - too high for many
Zimbabweans who live on a daily income of about $1.

The nation has suffered acute shortage of medical supplies in a decade of
political and economic turmoil that collapsed main health services and
public utilities.

Zanu (PF) Gags Chiefs

http://www.radiovop.com

14/02/2011 11:34:00

Hurungwe, February 14, 2011 - Traditional chiefs have been gagged and forced
to snub reporters.

Radio VOP was recently unable to get a comment from a chief about a poor
road network in his area.

"I am sorry, I can not comment on record about poor road network in my area
as it will be tantamount to undermining Zanu (PF)," he said. "We have been
warned not to speak to any journalists or strangers," said a chief from
Hurungwe district. He refused to be named for fear of victimisation.

Another traditional leader from Kariba rural area concured that chiefs were
under strict monitoring by secret state agents. He said his area was a
drought prone area and was in desperate need of food aid but he was afraid
to make a food appeal as this would be like exposing Zanu (PF).

"We would rather die of hunger than expose Zanu (PF). We have been warned
not to talk to journalists without police clearance," he added.

The previous Zanu (PF) government gave traditional leaders vehicles,
tractors and a monthly salary so that they remain loyal to the party and
mobilise the people under them to vote for Zanu (PF) in the much talked
about elections this year.

Radio VOP could not get hold of the chiefs president, Chief Fortune
Charumbira. However, chiefs in the past have resolved to rally behind
President Robert Mugabe at a conference held last year in Zimbabwe's resort
town of Kariba.

Forum seeks views on transitional justice

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Own Correspondent     Monday 14 February 2011

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum will this week host a meeting
in The Netherlands to gather the views of Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora
on options for attaining transitional justice in the wake of resurgent
state-sponsored violence and a history of impunity among ZANU PF
functionaries.

The workshop, jointly organised with the Amsterdam-based pressure group
Zimbabwe Watch, is part of a wider transitional justice programme launched
in 2009 by the forum which aims at gathering ordinary Zimbabweans’ views on
how to build sustainable peace.

“On Wednesday February 23 The International Office of the Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum, in cooperation with Zimbabwe Watch, will organise a
workshop for the Zimbabwean Diaspora in the Netherlands,” the forum said.

Kucaca Phulu and Okay Machisa, national chairman and director of forum
member ZimRights, will act as facilitators during the workshop.

Phulu and Machisa are in Europe showing a ZimRights photo exhibition in
Belfast, London and Geneva.

The exhibition was banned in Zimbabwe last year, shortly after being opened
by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

State-sponsored violence has reared its ugly head during in the past month,
with marauding gangs of ZANU PF supporters beating up and destroying
property belonging to suspected members of Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party.

The attacks are expected to escalate as the country prepares for a
referendum to decide on a new Constitution later this year, to be followed
by elections possibly by the end of 2011 or in 2012.

The alleged perpetrators have been allowed to roam the streets while their
victims are arrested by a partisan police force.

Miss Zimbabwe pageant, an uncomfortable political event

http://www.afrik-news.com

Monday 14 February 2011 / by Alice Chimora

The prestigious Miss Tourism Zimbabwe beauty pageant was on Sunday morning
(February 13) hijacked by the military and Zanu PF officials who scrambled
to honour the winners.

Malaika Mushandu (18) of Harare was crowned Miss Zimbabwe in the early hours
of Sunday morning. Malaika will represent Zimbabwe in the Miss Tourism
International pageant later in the year.

‘Angel’, her name in Swahili, beat 33 other contestants from around the
country and walked away with prizes worth US$22,000, including US$3,500 in
cash.

The event, which was organised under the theme “Promoting Peace through
Tourism”, came in the wake of a spate of violence unleashed by pro-Zanu PF
supporters in the country.

In the lead up to the night, an uncomfortable bevy of beauty queens were
told to spout Zanu PF propaganda before competing in the national contest
after having met with President Mugabe’s millionaire nephew, Phillip
Chiyangwa.

Mr. Chiyangwa is reported to have caused panic in the ranks of Miss Tourism
Zimbabwe hopefuls when he quizzed them on ZANU-PF history and reacted with
fury when it appeared that the girls did not know the answers.

The 33 girls were asked to detail the structure of Zimbabwe’s defence
forces, to name five people who started the country’s war for independence
and to identify a chief of defence in the 1970s guerrilla army.

"You should know the country’s politics!" Chiyangwa told the stunned
contestants.

"Our leader is Robert Gabriel Mugabe and you should like him and his
administration and pay attention to his gatherings. If you want to be our
queen, play ball with us," he said.

On the final night, the show was delayed by nearly three hours as organisers
waited for the arrival of politicians who were to crown the winners. And as
a result of the delay, the winners were finally announced around 2am
(Sunday).

And although eight beauty queens from African countries were present at the
finals and could have done a better job by crowning the winners, according
to observers, it is the jostling by politicians and military to crown the
girls that became the highlight of the show.

Miss Zimbabwe, now known as Miss Zimbabwe, was renamed in the hope to use
the pageant to market Zimbabwe, which had become an international pariah due
to its questionable human rights record and an uncertain political
atmosphere.

Minister wants Namibia power deal review

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Own Correspondent     Monday 14 February 2011

HARARE – Energy Minister Elton Mangoma says Zimbabwe is subsidising Namibian
power imports and wants terms of a 2008 barter deal between the two
countries reviewed in order to come up with a win-win scenario.

Mangoma said teams from the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and
Namibia’s NamPower were currently reviewing the barter deal under which the
Namibian power utility funded the rehabilitation of an ageing Zimbabwean
power station in exchange for subsidised electricity supply.

The review is meant to realign the tariffs that ZESA is charging NamPower to
market rates.

“We want the tariffs to be cost-effective and the matter is being handled at
utility level. If they fail to reach an agreement, the matter will be raised
at the ministerial level,” Mangoma told the latest edition of a weekly
newsletter published by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party.

He said the Zimbabwe government position was that the tariffs should at
least meet the cost of producing electricity at Hwange.

“My position is that there is no way that Zimbabwe can subsidise Namibia as
far as power is concerned. Namibia should pay the actual cost at the very
minimum for the power they are getting,” said Mangoma, a member of
Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party which was not part of the Zimbabwean government
when the deal was agreed three years ago.

He did not say how much NamPower was currently paying for the electricity
and how much it costs to produce the power.

He said Zimbabwe was still grateful for the US$40 million provided by
NamPower for the refurbishment of Hwange Power Station and would continue to
honour its electricity supply obligation to Namibia.

“We continue to honour the obligation but we want it to be fair,” he added.

NamPower provided US$40 million for the refurbishment of Hwange Power
Station in Zimbabwe in 2008 in exchange for 150 megawatts of electricity
generated at the Zimbabwean plant until 2013.

This is the second time an MDC-T minister has questioned the terms of the
barter deal following a similar query by former energy minister Elias
Mudzuri two years ago.

Mudzuri even went on to threaten to cancel the transaction but later
retracted his statement following an outcry from Windhoek.

Zimbabwe requires 2 000MW of power a day but the country currently produces
only 1 300MW and imports 300MW, leaving a shortfall of 400MW.

Chinese Firms to Invest in Local Hotels

http://www.herald.co.zw/

Isdore Guvamombe

25 January 2011

ZIMBABWE has entered into a tourism promotion, marketing and development
agreement with 80 Chinese tourist wholesale companies, after marathon
meetings held at the China Foreign Tourism Investor Conference held in
Shanghai recently.

The Zimbabwean delegation, led by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive
Mr Karikoga Kaseke, agreed with the Chinese companies that the focus will be
on investment in the hotel industry.

"We negotiated and agreed with the 80 companies that they will visit the
country before April. They have to see the situation on the ground and we
are happy that there will be a lot of investment in the hotel industry.

"It was a hectic process but we managed to convince the Chinese about our
seriousness since were among the only four African countries to participate
at the conference.

"The major focus will be on the hotel industry and that includes
construction of new hotels, lodges and related facilities that should
improve our tourist handling capacity," said Mr Kaseke.

Zimbabwe, which has about 2 000 hotel beds, is in dire need of more hotel
beds to enable it to host huge international conferences, such as those by
the United Nations World Tourism Council.

"We took advantage of the opportunity presented by the gathering at the
conference to reinforce our new brand, Zimbabwe, a World of Wonders, since
we had already launched it in Beijing late last year.

"We need more hotel beds but what is important is that by accepting to work
with us in this investment, the 80 Chinese companies have endorsed us as a
brand.

"In a world in which everyone is looking East, China is a very important
market for us and has millions of people going on holiday every year. They
are a good source market," said Mr Kaseke.

Since the launch of the Look East Policy a few years ago, Zimbabwe has made
significant inroads into the Chinese market through the perception
management programme, and is now ranked the fourth African tourist
destination by the Chinese after Egypt, South Africa and Kenya.

“The power of love can conquer the love of power”

http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/6326

 

Amnesty International are asking people to send a Valentine’s Day rose and message for the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)

Roses for WOZA

Buy a rose for the Women of Zimbabwe Arise | Watch video

Share your passion for human rights on Valentine’s Day

Every year on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, women march through the streets of Zimbabwe to hand out roses and demand one simple thing from their government: respect.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) is a courageous group of over 35,000 women’s human rights defenders across Zimbabwe. WOZA formed in 2003 to defend human rights amidst political violence in Zimbabwe.  They continue to call on the government to improve living conditions for all Zimbabweans.

Because of their peaceful activism, WOZA members constantly face harassment and abuse by the police. In September 2010, eighty-three WOZA members were detained for participating in a celebration of International Peace Day. Ten of them needed medical help after spending the night in filthy cells without food. In November, Jenni Williams, one of WOZA’s co-founders, was detained by police during a protest. And on December 2, 2010, police in full riot gear disrupted WOZA as they were delivering their report on poverty to the Zimbabwean Parliament.

Just as WOZA hands out roses of peace, we’re asking you to purchase a rose in support of these brave Zimbabwean human rights defenders.

Over the past two years, Amnesty supporters have purchased more than 500 fair trade roses to show their solidarity with WOZA and raised $9,000 dollars sent directly to WOZA. WOZA members have told Amnesty International: “Your efforts send the message that we are not alone and that the world is watching.”

Please join us this year in these two meaningful Valentine’s Day actions:

	Buy a Rose for the women of Zimbabwe Amnesty will deliver fair-trade roses to the Zimbabwean Embassy to call for the protection of WOZA and will use them to raise public awareness about the courageous work that WOZA is doing. Proceeds from every rose purchased will go directly to WOZA to help them organize demonstrations, pay for legal costs, and provide medical care to members.
	Send a message of solidarity to WOZA Learn about WOZA’s activism efforts, including their latest report on poverty and starvation in Zimbabwe, and send them a message of support and solidarity. Jenni Williams of WOZA (right) will be the guest of honour at Amnesty International’s 2011 Annual General Meeting in May. Join us to send her and all members of WOZA a warm welcome from Amnesty Canada!

Amnesty International stands firmly behind the work of WOZA and knows that words of support from people like you contributes to the safety of these courageous women.

With your help, we can send a strong message of solidarity and support to WOZA members.

Thank you,

Alex Neve
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canadian Section

This entry was posted by Sokwanele on Monday, February 14th, 2011 at 8:00 am.

Zimbabwe lecture series

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Written by MDC Information & Publicity Department
Monday, 14 February 2011 13:59

President Morgan Tsvangirai (Pictured) will on Tuesday 15 February at
1700hrs, address a Zimbabwe Lecture Series Forum at Cresta Jameson Hotel,
Zambezi Room, Harare.  The topic is; The Inclusive Government: Reflections
after two years.  All are welcome.  Entrance is Free.

Together, united, winning, ready for real change

Opinion: Rape in Zimbabwe -- perspectives and realities

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Fungai Machirori     Monday 14 February 2011

HARARE -- Where would you go for assistance if you were the victim of rape?
This was the question posed to a diverse group of Harare-based Zimbabweans
recently. What should have yielded simple answers instead drew blank stares,
confused mumbles – and finally, the admission from all but one that they
weren’t aware of any existing services in the city.

“I have never really thought about it before, but I suppose rape survivors
could go to the police station,” suggested Batisari Chigama, an arts
coordinator.

Zimbabwean police stations are equipped with victim friendly units (VFUs)
where trained personnel are able to provide assistance dealing with
sensitive issues such as rape, sexual violence and HIV and AIDS.

Just this week the medical journal PLoS Medicine reported that Zimbabwe’s
HIV epidemic had almost been halved in the past several years, a huge
success in a region of mostly bad news when it comes to HIV and AIDS.

So perhaps quite startling was the fact that of those consulted – seven in
total - only one could confirm that there was a way of avoiding contracting
HIV if a person has been raped by someone who is HIV-positive.

“Once you have been raped, there is no hope left for you,” stated Nobert
Zhuwao, a cell phone credit vendor. “It (the HI virus) will have caught
 you.”

But there is hope.

Centres such as the Adult Rape Clinic (ARC) in Harare are providing rape
survivors with services that include medical examinations, HIV counselling
and testing, emergency contraceptives (ECP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). ARC also collects
forensic evidence and fills out medical affidavits for use in criminal
investigations.

ARC saw more than 450 rape survivors between March 2009, when it opened its
doors, and mid-2010. It is the only such centre for adult rape survivors (16
years and above) in Harare.

Thus far, its clients have largely been female, with only three males having
visited the centre for post-rape assistance by 2010.

A feminised epidemic

In what is already a feminised epidemic (In 2009 UNAIDS estimated that 60%
of HIV-positive Zimbabweans are female), rape puts more Zimbabwean women at
risk of contracting the virus.

Statistics from ARC showed that 70% of survivors who visited the clinic were
females in the 17-25 age bracket, one of the most vulnerable age groups to
HIV infection. Overall, one in ten clients seen by ARC tests positive for
HIV.

The majority (two-thirds) of ARC’s rape cases are committed by a partner or
relative; commonly known as acquaintance rape. The challenge with reporting
this type of rape is that women face physical and social stigma – they are
often disowned or abused by family, for instance – when they do speak up.

“It would be much easier to mobilise help for rape victims if the majority
of Zimbabweans believed that the victim is not to blame,” observed marketing
consultant Tafadzwa Dihwa. “Our conservative attitude to taboo subjects is
very wrong.”

Anesu Katere, a former teacher, noted the contribution of culture to rape
and sexual violence in Zimbabwe. “At times, our culture extenuates rape.
Just think of chiramu and how a husband nowadays can fondle the breasts of
his wife’s sister. That’s criminal!”

Traditionally, chiramu refers to the goodwill expressed between a man and
the relatives of his wife. The man may take to playfully calling his wife’s
younger sister his second wife. But this goodwill can be abused and a man
may sexually harass the woman in the belief that he is entitled to her body
since she is the “other” wife.

Views, though, were mixed when it came to sexual assault.

Primrose Mukumba, a vendor at a Harare flea market believes there is no such
thing as rape within marriage. “A woman is meant to fulfil all of her
husband’s desires, even when she doesn’t feel like it,” she said.

The blame debate

This belief was cited by the Musasa Project, an NGO providing support to
survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), as a deterrent to women accessing
their services.

“Unfortunately, most married women do not perceive it as rape,” said Musasa
Project Executive Director Netty Musanhu. “They will just talk about the
consequences of the incident, for example contracting HIV. It’s only when
you explore further how they got the virus that they then say that their
husbands forced themselves onto them. That’s when you realise that they have
been raped.”

The blame debate spills over into the role that provocative attire plays in
precipitating rape.

“She’s showing the men a sign about what she’s come for,” exclaimed Zhuwao
when asked about what he thought of women who visit bars in miniskirts. “Men
are visual and are easily excited. And in a bar where there is alcohol and
drugs, a woman must know that!”

Zhuwao’s friend, Harmony Savanhu, added that in a state of sexual
stimulation a man could not be held responsible for his actions. “If we’ve
decided to have sex and the girl changes her mind at the last minute, then
she’s wrong,” said Savanhu.

His comments were met with roaring laughter and cheers by the group of men
congregated to listen in on our interview.

While Southern Africa continues to make progress in bringing down regional
HIV prevalence, it is popular notions around gender and culture that
continue to drive the pandemic.

Clearly, more work still needs to be done.

    * Fungai Machirori is a Zimbabwean journalist based in the United
Kingdom.  This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary
Service.

1932-2011: the life of Thenjiwe Lesabe

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

14/02/2011 00:00:00
    by Amos Ngwenya

THENJIWE Virginia Lesabe (nee Khumalo) was born at Hope Fountain near
Bulawayo on January 5, 1932.

Thenjiwe married the late Reverend Peter Lesabe of the AME church and they
had seven children, six of whom are surviving.

She enrolled at Whitewater Primary School for her primary education before
proceeding to Hope Fountain Mission to train as a teacher. She taught at
Lotshe Primary School in Makokoba, Bulawayo. She resigned from teaching in
1959 and joined Bantu Mirror as a journalist.

Between 1949 and 1953, Lesabe became an active member of a social club known
as Gama Sigma Club in Bulawayo. The club was composed of intellectuals and
others interested in social welfare matters including education for Africans
in the country. Other prominent members of the club were Samuel Ndebele,
Chief Gampu, Abraham Nkiwane, Edward Ndlovu, Francis Nehwati, Benjamin
Burombo and many others. The club acted as a think tank.

Lesabe was among the first people who joined the Southern Rhodesian African
National Congress in 1957. She showed keen interest in politics before the
formation of the SRANC and expressed her views publicly at local gatherings.

In 1960, she was among the first women to join the National Democratic Party
(NDP), whose chairlady of the Women’s League was Anna Nyathi. Lesabe
mobilised many people in Mzilikazi and Babourfields and formed a branch
known as MZIBA (Mzilikazi/Babourfields).

At the first inter-branch meeting of the Women’s League members, she was
elected chairlady of the Bulawayo district committee. In the meantime, she
had been helping at the regional NDP office headed by the late Agrippa
Mukhahlera. Late national hero Sikhwili Khohli Moyo and current Zapu
president Dr Dumiso Dabengwa and Amos Ngwenya were also involved in the
running of the party’s affairs.

When Zapu was formed after the banning of the NDP, party branches and
districts were merely revamped without changing leadership, except at
regional and national level. Bulawayo was the most active and strongest in
terms of membership. Lesabe continued as the leader of the Zapu women’s
league, ZAWU, until the party was banned in 1962.

After the cancellation of an NDP public meeting at Stanley Square in 1960,
Lesabe led a public demonstration against the regime’s actions. She led a
door-to-door campaign for people to join the demonstration. There was a
massive response to her call. The demonstration went on for three days,
during which property, including beer halls, were attacked by protestors.
The demonstration spread to the Midlands.

Lesabe was also involved in the massive unrest activities code-named “Zhi”
during the sixties. During one such incident, Manwele bar in Makokoba was
invaded and barricaded by youths and burnt down. Police used tear gas on the
youths and arrested Lesabe and others including Enock Ndlovu and Dezzy
Ngwenya. They were thrown into police vehicles and taken to Ross Camp and
detained in an open area next to the fence, with tall grass. A woman only
remembered as MaSibanda, and was part of the detainees, was heavily pregnant
and started experiencing labour pains and delivered a baby boy in the grassy
area.

Lesabe led a call out for the police to come and help the woman. When they
refused, Lesabe shouted: “What if it was your wife?” The guard, apparently
struck by what she said, went away and brought two nurses who attended to
her and the baby and ferried them to hospital.

The groups of protesters were taken to Gery Street prison, where Lesabe kept
talking to them to be brave and not to fear fighting for their country.

On several occasions before and after independence, Lesabe and the late VP
JW Msika told members of the party how Dr Joshua Nkomo was chosen to lead
the first national organisation, the ANC, after an agreement between the
Bulawayo leaders and Harare leaders at the time, to form a national
political organisation, and how other intellectuals in Harare had rejected
pleas for them to lead the ANC.

After it was banned, Zapu operated as an underground movement. Lesabe played
a very key role in the underground operations, including recruiting youths
for guerrilla training outside the country. At the formation of the People’s
Caretaker Council in 1963, she was elected to the national council. The PCC
was not really a political party, but an organizing vehicle for Zapu to
escape the ban, and to counter splinter movements. The PCC was also banned
in 1964.

Between 1970 and 1974, she toured all provinces in the country where she
addressed several meetings informing members about Zapu programmes of the
liberation struggle and advised them of what was to be done.

In 1975, she was elected to the National Executive as the head of ZAWU at a
congress of the ANC (Zimbabwe). The same congress elected the late Josiah
Chinamano as vice president and the late JW Msika as secretary general.

That same year, the late Lesabe and Ariston Chambati, A Jirira and others
went to Lusaka, Zambia, accompanying the president of Zapu, Dr Joshua Nkomo,
to hold talks with President Kenneth Kaunda. She spent days as a guest at
the State House in Lusaka.

In 1975, she was back in Lusaka with a delegation for the funeral of Jason
Ziyaphapha Moyo. She and Mrs Dlomo from Gweru remained behind after the
funeral for medical check-ups because of pains caused by arrests and
detentions by the Rhodesian regime. The party sent them to the Democratic
Republic of Germany (GDR), East Germany at the time, for further medical
treatment. After treatment, Lesabe returned back to Zimbabwe through Zambia
to continue fighting for independence.

When the struggle intensified and the regime became more vicious, the rest
of the Zapu leadership fled the country to Zambia through whatever means and
ways they could. Lesabe left Bulawayo with her children secretly. She spent
seven days hiding in parked goods trains at the Bulawayo railway station
with her children, waiting for the opportunity to escape.

She managed to safely make it to Francistown, Botswana, hidden in a goods
train using a plan put together by a Zapu member who worked for the
railways. The concerned Zapu member is still alive and stays in Binga
district.

After independence, Lesabe gave cattle to the Zapu member who helped her
escape when she returned home at independence as a ‘thank you’ for saving
her life and that of her children. Others who left the country through the
same arrangement include Chief Vezi Maduna of Insiza, Elijah Moyo and Elias
Hananda.

While in Zambia, Lesabe was appointed into the Zimbabwe People’s
Revolutionary Council. Because of her capacity and experience, the party
occasionally assigned her to missions to foreign countries in Asia, USA,
Latin America, Europe and African countries.

One of her first missions was to tour Scandinavian states to appeal for
assistance for Zapu, Zimbabwe’s authentic liberation movement. Her appeal
for assistance was also on behalf of other authentic liberation movements,
such as ANC of South Africa and Namibia’s Swapo.

In Finland, she visited many cities to address meetings. During her next
visit to Helsinki, she was with a Swapo delegation led by the party’s
president, Dr Sam Nunjoma. After a joint Swapo and Zapu appeal, support
groups started programmes to raise funds and materials for Zapu and Swapo.
On 17 August 1979, large quantities of goods which included medicine were
shipped to both liberation movements.

At independence, Lesabe was elected MP for Matobo district in Matabeleland
South on a PF-Zapu ticket. She later represented Umzingwane in Parliament.
She was again elected chairperson of ZAWU at Zapu’s 1984 congress.

Lesabe witnessed all the Gukurahundi atrocities. She was one of the brave
Zapu leaders who risked their own lives by visiting affected communities to
witness the massacres and was later involved in the Zapu negotiating team
with Zanu to end the atrocities.

After the unity accord between Zapu and Zanu, she became deputy minister of
Tourism. She would later serve as minister of education and culture, and
minister of national affairs and employment creation.

In Zanu PF, she became deputy secretary for women’s affairs and served in
the national staff committee chaired by the late VP Simon Muzenda. After the
death of Sally Mugabe, she was appointed secretary for women’s affairs until
2004 when she remained a member of the party’s politburo.

In 2009, she decided to go back to her roots to rejoin the revived Zapu and
was elected chairperson of the Zapu Council of Elders at the party’s 9th
congress held in Bulawayo in 2010. She was one of the most senior and
dedicated women in Zapu who openly declared their decision to leave Zanu PF
to rejoin Zapu and quickly got to serious work. She visited virtually all
provinces of Zimbabwe and Zapu’s South Africa province to drum up support
and settle disputes.

John Mzimela, one of the few surviving founders of the SRANC, described
Lesabe as an outstanding, courageous member of Zapu, during and after the
struggle.

A former classmate and long time colleague of Lesabe, Zapu Matabeleland
North council of elders chairman, Jeremiah Macelegwane Khabo shared his
experiences about Lesabe.

He said: “I first met Thenjiwe Khumalo in 1947 when we were both students
doing our first year in teacher training at Hope Fountain Mission. We were
under the tutelage of pioneer black educationists such as Tennyson
Hlabangana, O.B Mlilo and Robert Mugabe, who was a primary school teacher at
that time.

“Thenjiwe was the head girl of the girls’ institute where she exhibited her
leadership qualities. In class, she was brilliant in teaching methodology
and very articulate during lessons. She was exceptional in debate when
pitted against other schools such as Mzingwane.”

When Hlabangana died in 1948, Lesabe was probably the only girl who was
strong enough to witness his burial, while others were too affected to
witness the occasion.

Amos “Jack” Ngwenya is a veteran nationalist who together with the late
Willie Musarurwa, established Zapu’s external headquarters in Zambia in
1963. He is currently a Zapu elder in Bulawayo

The Future of Africa

http://kofiannanfoundation.org/

Speech by Kofi Annan | February 2011 | Oxford, UK

Mr Vice-Chancellor,
Excellencies and distinguished guests,
Faculty members, students,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here today and for this chance to meet and speak to
students, staff and friends of Exeter College.

Let me begin by thanking Andrew Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of the
University, and, Frances Cairncross, Rector of Exeter college, for the warm
welcome I have received.

It is, of course, a pleasure to be back at Oxford - a university which has
produced such important scholarship on the United Nations and on Africa.

I also want to say how honoured I am to have been asked to launch the 700th
anniversary celebrations of Exeter College.

I notice that this anniversary does not officially take place until 2014, so
you have obviously decided to start early!

And rightly so. Such a long and distinguished history deserves a long
celebration.

Exeter is not just one of the oldest colleges in the university but has a
unique spirit, and a proud, outward-looking tradition.

You attract the brightest and the best to teach and study, which is why I
look forward to the question and answer session with both excitement and
trepidation.

Among your alumni is, my fellow countryman John Kufuor who, I am delighted
to say, is here today.

I know the pride that he takes in having studied at Exeter College.

The college will take equal pride in his achievements as President of Ghana,
for embedding democracy and advancing economic and social development.

John began his studies here in 1961. Not long before, I had begun my own
studies at university in America.

What I remember most of that era was that African hopes for
self-determination were brimming over.

It was a time of great expectations and excitement for young people like
ourselves.

There was a widespread belief that freedom from our colonial rulers would
bring progress and prosperity.

We expected the new African nations would forge their future together. That
we would control our natural resources and join the community of nations as
equal partners.

Sadly, as history has documented, many of our hopes were soon dashed.

Newly independent African states struggled to contain the impact of
arbitrary borders that split ethnic groups and communities, and fuelled
tensions.

In many countries, the unifying force of independence movements gave way to
one-party states as African governments sought to centralize political and
economic power.

The continent became a land of “big men” and the battle-ground for proxy
wars of the Cold War.

Development stagnated, deadly conflicts raged, the rule of law and human
rights were neglected.

Half a century ago, Africa stood at a cross-roads.

For many reasons, some which have their roots in Africa, others outside,
Africa took the wrong path.

But today, a new wave of optimism has taken hold.

Africa is once again being seen as a continent of opportunity - the last
emerging investment frontier.

We see this optimism in the number and diversity of businesses and countries
flocking to invest in the continent.

It is an optimism based on strong economic growth which even the global
financial crisis was only able to reverse briefly.

And increasingly, this growth is being used to diversify economies and
invest in the bedrock of successful societies – in education, in health and
vital infrastructure.

This is not the picture of Africa that is normally painted in the global
media.

Too often we hear the stereotype of a broken continent, stricken by disease,
war and poverty.

A stereotype, too, in which problems in one country infect opinions of the
continent as a whole.

Curiously, the reverse is rarely true.

Very few people could name the country with the world’s most sustained and
strongest economic growth over the last four decades.

The answer is Botswana, a stable and successful democracy ever since
independence in 1964.

It underlines why we have to remember that Africa consists of 53 diverse
nations – soon to be 54 with the result of the referendum in South Sudan.

But even taking into account that countries are progressing at different
speeds, Africa’s fortunes have been turning around in the last decade.

Real GDP grew by nearly 5% annually between 2000 and 2008 – twice the level
of the previous two decades.

According to the African Development Bank, 6 African countries are forecast
to enjoy growth this year above seven per cent; 15 countries above five per
cent; and 27 countries above three per cent.

Direct foreign investment has soared from $9 billion in 2000 to $52 billion
in 2011.

This momentum is expected to continue and can be accelerated if we tackle
remaining barriers to progress by investing in energy and infrastructure,
and strengthening regional integration.

Improved regional integration is essential to increase trade within Africa,
which stands at just 10% of total trade compared to 67% within the EU.

But even so, the IMF already believes the continent will have as many as
seven of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world over the next
decade.

Even higher growth rates are necessary to lift millions out of poverty and
hunger and position Africa as an essential part of the global economic
system.

Africa’s improved economic performance and prospects have, of course, become
the subject of a growing amount of analysis by banks, policy makers and
international organizations.

There is debate about the role and impact of painful macroeconomic reforms
which were encouraged and, in some cases, forced on African countries by the
Bretton Woods institutions.

It is now widely acknowledged that these structural adjustment programmes
had terrible consequences socially and institutionally.

But the fiscal discipline they put in place helped to cushion African
economies against external shocks, encouraged the growth of reserves and
well-regulated banking sectors.

It is clear, too, that another major reason for increased investment and
growth has been Africa’s natural resources and its attractiveness to
emerging economies, particularly China.

With at least 10% of the world’s oil and gas reserves, 40% of its gold, and
80% of its chromium and platinum, Africa is well placed to continue to
benefit from the wealth beneath its surface and the boom in commodity
prices.

China’s burgeoning interest in Africa has also had other spillover effects.

Asian demand for African commodities improves the terms on which the
continent trades.

This, in turn, encourages investors from elsewhere to look at Africa with
different eyes.

But important as China’s influence has been, recent research has shown that
Africa’s economic success is not simply tied to its natural resources, or to
one country.

Profitable economic partnerships are also being developed with Brazil,
Turkey, India, Malaysia, and countries in the Middle East.

World class African companies are also making inroads in these markets.

These South-South relationships are providing important opportunities for
peer learning on appropriate development strategies to eradicate poverty and
address inequality.

Last year’s report by McKinsey, aptly named “Lions on the Move”, found that
just a third of Africa’s growth up to 2008 was due to its natural resources.

Other sectors such as telecoms, financial services, agribusiness,
construction and infrastructure are also thriving, creating both income and
jobs.

The report found that Africa’s strong growth owes as much, if not more, to
increased stability including the end of conflicts; growing investment in
human and physical infrastructure; progress in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals and reducing the risks and costs of doing business.

Even more encouraging are changes in Africa’s demographics which can help to
harness Africa’s potential over the coming decades, if sustained by good
public policies.

These include a fast growing and young labour force, rapid urbanization and
a burgeoning middle-class of consumers.

The diaspora is also playing a positive role, by transferring skills,
bringing much needed innovation and entrepreneurship to the continent, and
increasing financial flows from remittances.

Africa is also benefiting from the spread of mobile phones and ICT.

It is helping countries to “leapfrog” over unsustainable forms of production
and consumption; and delivering social services in health, education, and
weather information.

And perhaps most importantly, the continent has benefited from a new
generation of African policy-makers who are managing economies better,
paying attention to social development, and building the institutional
capacities needed to increase regional trade and economic cooperation.

All these are positive factors for the future.

Even one of Africa’s biggest challenges – how to feed its citizens and
tackle widespread hunger – can be seen to offer hope if the right policies
and investments are put in place.

Currently, Africa is the only continent which does not grow enough food to
feed its own people.

Its farmers have been locked out of the scientific and technological
advances which have transformed crop yields across the world.

The result is that hundreds of millions of people go hungry every day. And
it is a scandal which climate change is already making more severe.

But Africa also contains 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land.

If we can promote a uniquely African green revolution – drawing on the
experiences of Asia and Latin America – not only can we meet food shortages
within the continent, but provide exports to improve food security across
the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, you would be forgiven for thinking that I have become
hopelessly optimistic since leaving the United Nations.

After all, we have seen false dawns in Africa before.

And I would not, in any way, wish to under-estimate the enormous challenges
the continent still faces.

We have recently seen a reminder of the stubborn political obstacles that
can get in the way of progress in the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire.

The refusal of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo to concede defeat in an
election that was independently monitored and certified to be fair, risks
embroiling the country in a new civil war.

Africa - and indeed the world – cannot afford such a development.

Indeed, if there is one area, which above all, will determine the direction
of Africa’s future, it is the quality of its governance and leadership.

Leadership not just within individual countries in Africa, but regionally,
across the continent as a whole.

In contrast, lack of good governance and poor leadership is the single
biggest obstacle to development.

It promotes corruption and increases the likelihood of inequality,
instability and conflict.

I believe that Africa’s economic growth could double and make a profound
impact on poverty eradication if it can get its politics right: if we can
see best practice from within the continent spread across all of it.

Ladies and gentlemen, a continent at peace with itself requires more than
the absence of war.

It requires that we embrace respect for human rights and the rule of law,
and transparent, effective and accountable governance.

Important steps towards a more democratic and rules-based political culture
have been made since the 1990’s.

We have seen more multi-party elections in Africa, greater adherence to
democratic principles, and the growth of civil society.

And the AU’s Charter on Democracy and Africa Peer Review Mechanism – even
though works in progress - are landmark instruments of good governance
currently absent from many other developing regions in the world.

However, in many African countries, there remains a profound mismatch
between the aspirations
of its people and the caliber and integrity of those leading them.

Let me briefly mention two areas where I believe political leadership and
good governance will be decisive factors in charting Africa’s future:

First, protecting the integrity of elections, and second, addressing the
root causes of conflict through institutional reform.

As you may know, no less than 17 African countries are holding elections
this year.

Each one has the potential to exacerbate existing tensions within society,
or of entrenching more democratic institutions and improved governance in
these countries.

I have already mentioned the troubled election in Cote d’Ivoire.  If Gbagbo
is allowed to prevail, elections as instruments of peaceful change in Africa
will suffer a serious setback.

Leaders must understand that they enter elections to win or to lose – that
peaceful transition of power is the cornerstone of sustainable democracy and
durable peace.

The African Union and the international community must do more to protect
the integrity of the electoral process. Otherwise election-related violence
and conflict will erode much of the progress we have seen on the continent.

Elections must be backed by institutions and laws that uphold the rights of
all citizens and create a pluralist society rather than defend ethnicity or
special interests.

But let me deal with the claim, made by some commentators recently, that it
is the power-sharing agreement in Kenya which I helped broker, which has
given encouragement to those defeated in elections to cling onto power.

Unlike elections in Cote d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe, there was no clear winner in
the 2007 elections in Kenya.

The scale of violence that ensued in Kenya was catastrophic. Hundreds were
killed, injured and raped; thousands fled their homes and the country was
burning.

The political settlement ended the terrible violence which flared up as a
result of the disputed election itself.

The resulting national accord not only led to the first coalition government
in Africa, but it also committed Kenyans and their leaders to undertake a
profound agenda of institutional reform, to tackle impunity, and promote
national reconciliation and cohesion.

One of the tangible results has been a new Constitution and a Bill of Rights
which should be a source of pride for all Kenyans, and inspire
forward-looking constitutional development across the region.

We now need to see real courage and commitment to ensure that the rest of
the reform agenda is implemented.

It has not been an easy journey. But I hope, as most Kenyans do, that full
implementation of the new Constitution will help to tackle the root causes
of conflict and prevent such a crisis from erupting again.

It will also demonstrate that concerted action to address national identity
and citizenship issues, to reform land tenure, to bring government closer to
the people through devolution, and making sure that women have a strong
voice in their societies, are key to building strong and cohesive societies.

Ladies and gentlemen, what Africa needs to do now is to keep building on the
progress that has been achieved so far.

This requires a comprehensive strategy for the future – one that gives equal
weight and attention to security, development, rule of law and human rights.

They cannot be separated. They all reinforce each other and they all depend
on each other.

The international community must support African efforts to reform and
provide the resources to help build government capacity and capability.

But good governance in Africa must be complemented by fair rules and good
governance at the global level.

Africa can no longer be a by-stander as decisions are made about its future,
whether it’s to do with the global trade regime, regulating international
finance or tackling climate change.
And African countries should have fair representation on the decision-making
bodies of inter-governmental organizations, such as the Security Council and
the G20.

Finally, let me say a few words about the events in North Africa which I
believe have broader lessons for authoritarian regimes everywhere.

These popular uprisings show that the democratic aspirations of people
cannot be contained and that human rights are not a luxury, let alone a plot
from outside.

Wherever people live, they want their voice to be heard, their rights
respected, and to have a say in how they are governed.

They yearn for decent jobs, opportunity and a secure future for their
children.

They believe that the rule of law must apply to everyone, no matter how
powerful.

The demand for more inclusive, more accountable and more responsive
Governments is, I believe, unstoppable.

It’s a voice coming from right across the population but most strongly from
the younger generation.

It is this generation - their dynamism, their determination and ambitions –
which is, I believe, the major reason for confidence in Africa.

It is also the generation which is all around us today.

It may be, of course, that the issues I raised today can seem a long way
from your lives here in Oxford.

But remember that you are the first generation who can call yourselves
citizens of the world.

Wherever you come from, whatever you are studying, you have to think beyond
your borders.

It is how you respond to the inter-linked challenges in front of us that
will decide the future direction of your world.

It is your world now.  It is a big responsibility.

You must have the courage to change it for the better.

I, for one, have confidence that you are up to the task.

Thank you.

Zimbabwe Achievers Awards

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