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SA
ordered to hand over secret Zim election report
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
14
February 2013
The South African Presidency has been ordered to hand over
a report it
commissioned on the Zimbabwe elections in 2002, after keeping it
hidden for
more than ten years.
This order was handed down by the
North Gauteng High Court on Wednesday
morning, four years after the
application to have the report made public was
filed by a leading South
African newspaper.
The Mail & Guardian has been trying to have the
report released since 2008,
amid widespread speculation that it contained
evidence showing that the 2002
disputed election in Zimbabwe was not free or
fair. High Court Judge Joseph
Raulinga’s ruling on Wednesday has now
confirmed that the report contained
enough information to cast doubts on the
legality of the poll.
The then South African President Thabo Mbeki had
commissioned two judges to
visit Zimbabwe and report back on the state of
that election. This report
was handed over to Mbeki but never made public,
although the former
President insisted the electoral process in Zimbabwe was
completely
democratic.
The newspaper’s efforts to access the details
of the report were repeatedly
denied, leaving it little choice but to seek
the intervention of the High
Court in 2008. The government, now under
President Jacob Zuma’s leadership,
was then ordered more than a year ago to
release the report.
But a lengthy appeals process was launched by
President Zuma and the case
eventually ended up in the Constitutional Court.
That court in late 2011
referred the case back to its starting point in the
High Court, saying that
court needed to invoke its rights to see the report
and then make a decision
on whether it could be released.
Judge
Raulinga had his ‘judicial peek’ into the document last year and his
judgement on Wednesday is based on this. He said in his ruling that:
“Without disclosing the contents of the report I can reveal that the report
potentially discloses evidence of substantial contravention of, or failure
to comply with the law.”
He added: “I am of the view that the public
interest supersedes the harm
that may ensue should the report be
released.”
The Presidency now has 10 days to release the report or
appeal, which Mail &
Guardian editor Nic Dawes said could still happen.
He told SW Radio Africa
that they are “delighted” with the ruling because it
makes it clear that the
public interest in the case is “real and very
urgent.”
“It is a huge step in what has been a four year long battle.
With a fresh
election looming in Zimbabwe this information is more relevant
and more
important than ever and we hope the government will not delay any
longer,”
Dawes said.
He added: “Clearly they have delayed because
what the report is going to
show is that there were serious problems with
the 2002 election. And that
reflects badly on the SA government at the time
and also reflects badly on
ZANU PF. And it could create awkwardness between
two governments.”
“But we believe people need to know what happened and
this court ruling
confirms that we have a right to let people know,” he
said.
General
election for July?
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
14 February
2013
Zimbabweans could vote in the first harmonized elections under a new
constitution anytime between the 15th and 30th July this year. A highly
placed source told us that President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai agreed on the tentative dates recently.
The poll will
likely draw regional and international scrutiny after the
bloody violence
that followed a disputed 2008 ballot.
The principals also agreed that the
country will vote to approve or reject
the proposed new constitution on
March 16th, although the date was described
as ‘tentative.’
Normally
elections in Zimbabwe are held over a weekend so if the July dates
are
correct the country would stage elections on the weekend of the 20th or
the
27th.
The elections, the first under a new constitution since
independence in
1980, will end months of speculation and anxiety among
Zimbabweans.
The last harmonized elections five years ago triggered wide
scale political
violence, blamed on ZANU PF, which saw more than 500 mainly
MDC-T supporters
killed, many thousands maimed and half a million others
displaced.
The new constitution, if adopted, will outlaw the involvement
of armed
security forces in partisan politics. Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T
spokesman
and COPAC co-chair said there are certain provisions in the
constitution
that will automatically begin to operate once Mugabe signs the
new charter
into law.
Mwonzora explained that there will be a
two-week grace period after the
referendum on March 16th during which Mugabe
will be liable ,under the
country’s statutes, to sign the constitution into
the supreme law of
Zimbabwe.
‘At that point the new constitution will
bring into effect provisions aimed
at leveling the political playing field.
By this I refer to chapter 11 of
the draft on the conduct of members of the
security services.
‘Members of the armed forces will, from the day the
President signs the
constitution into law, be prohibited from acting in a
partisan manner or
further the interests of any political party or violate
the fundamental
rights and freedoms of any person,’ Mwonzora
said.
The rest of the constitution will come into effect on the day the
new
President takes the oath of office.
WOZA
Valentine’s Day protestors beaten & arrested in Bulawayo
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By
Violet Gonda
14 February 2013
Scores of activists from the pressure
group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
were beaten and arrested during a
demonstration in Bulawayo on Thursday, a
day after the same group was
assaulted by police during anti-constitution
protests in
Harare.
Group coordinator Jenni Williams told SW Radio Africa that a
group of about
180 people were camped outside Bulawayo police station
demanding the release
of some of their activists who had been
arrested.
She said: “We were beaten, 30 to 40 of us at Southampton
Building and forced
to go to the police station. When we were now seated in
Bulawayo Central
they called the riot police to beat us to make us leave the
police station,
saying we are not wanted there.
“So 180 of us are now
outside the police station but about 12 are in police
custody. We are not
sure how many exactly.”
Williams said all those who are in police custody
are the male members of
WOZA.
The pressure group said they were
demonstrating on ‘this day of love’ to
demand a response from the police to
formal complaints about police beatings
and brutality.
Bulawayo
police refused to comment on the alleged police brutality.
This is the
11th year that WOZA has held protests on Valentine’s Day.
In Harare
Wednesday the group distributed fliers protesting against the
draft
constitution that is set to be put before a referendum on March
16th.
Some of the fliers distributed by the pressure group read: “The
final draft
constitution is as a result of negotiations behind closed doors
and a deal
that suits the principals and the political parties in the
inclusive
government.”
“Therefore this draft may not survive the test
of time because it was
written for a current political climate and not for
the future generation. A
constitution is supposed to be written by the
people because they should
determine how they want to be governed. It is
their role to give the rule to
the rulers!”
Amnesty: Zimbabwe’s arrest of peaceful protestors casts doubt on possibility
of credible referendum
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
14
February 2013
Zimbabwe: Arrest of peaceful protestors casts doubt on
possibility of
credible referendum
Attacks by the police on
Zimbabwean human rights defenders cast doubt on the
country’s ability to
hold a credible constitutional referendum and election
this year, Amnesty
International said today after peaceful protestors were
arrested and
beaten.
Eight members of Zimbabwean women’s social justice movement,
Women of
Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested outside the Zimbabwean
parliament in
Harare yesterday after they handed out roses and teddy bears
during their
annual Valentines Day demonstration.
The arrests
coincided with the announcement by the goverment that 16 March
had been set
as a tentative date for the constitutional referendum and that
elections
could be held some time in July.
The women, who included, WOZA leaders
Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu
were arrested after police fired tear
gas at the peaceful demonstration and
beat protestors with baton sticks. A
man who took a picture of the women
being arrested was also arrested. They
were later released without charge.
“This most recent incident sounds yet
another alarm bell for the exercise of
internationally guaranteed rights to
freedom of expression, association and
peaceful assembly in advance of the
referendum on a new constitution and
elections later this year,” said
Amnesty International’s southern Africa
director Noel Kututwa.
“Human
rights violations by the police, including arbitrary arrests and
raids at
offices of human rights defenders, go against the calls for
tolerance made
by President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai.”
In recent months
Amnesty International has documented a series of arbitrary
arrests and raids
targeted at key human rights groups suggesting the space
for political
dissent is narrowing as the country prepares for the
referendum and
election.
On Monday police raided the office of the Zimbabwean Peace
Project (ZPP) in
Harare.
Five police officers stormed the ZPP office
with a warrant to search for
‘“subversive material and illegal
immigrants”.
No one was arrested during the incident but police seized
equipment and
confidential documents.
In an apparent violation of the
search warrant police returned to the ZPP
offices at night and attempted to
search the offices for the second time.
The warrant only authorised the
police to search the offices by day time.
The director of the Zimbabwe
Peace Project, Jestina Mukoko, was one of a
number of human rights defenders
who were abducted in 2008 by state-security
agents. She was subject to
torture during her abduction.
Okay Machisa, the director of the Zimbabwe
Human Rights Association
(ZimRights) was finally released on bail on 29
January after two weeks in
custody when the High Court overruled an earlier
dismissal of his bail
application.
Leo Chamahwinya, another ZimRights
employee, arrested on 13 December 2012
remains in custody and has been
repeatedly denied bail.
The ZimRights staff activists are being charged
with publishing falsehoods,
fraud and forgery after allegedly conducting
illegal voter registration.
“Zimbabwe is entering a critical period in
its democratization process and
these blatant attempts to silence and
intimidate critics must end,” said
Kututwa.
For more information or
to organsie an interview please contact Katy Pownall
on +27 797 378 600 or
kpownall@amnesty.org
Tsvangirai
expects 'free vote' in July
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
REUTERS and TAWANDA KAROMBO | 14 February, 2013
00:20
Zimbabwe inched closer to fresh elections - possibly as early
as July -
yesterday with the announcement that a referendum on a new
constitution
would most likely take place on March 16.
The
announcement of ''tentative date'' was made in Harare by Constitutional
Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga after Zimbabwe's parliament approved the new
charter, a compromise hammered out by the country's often fractious
power-sharing government.
The new constitution, according to experts,
imposes term limits for the head
of state and requires that army chiefs and
soldiers abide by human rights
laws.
It also requires that all judges
go through a public interview process.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
said yesterday he expected presidential and
parliamentary elections in July
- and that he did not fear a repeat of
violence that overshadowed disputed
polls in 2008 that led to a
power-sharing government between his Movement
for Democratic Change and
rival President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF
party.
When questioned about the date for the elections at a human rights
forum to
discuss the constitution, Tsvangirai said simply
"July".
Finance Minister Tendai Biti, worried that there might not be
enough money
for the referendum and elections, has approached donors for
help. By law,
the next elections are due when the current presidential and
parliamentary
terms expire at the end of June.
Tsvangirai said a
strict code of conduct and supervision by regional and
international
observers would help deliver a free vote.
"I am not budgeting for chaos.
I am certainly bullish about the way things
will go in the elections," he
said.
The chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission resigned from his
post on
Tuesday, giving ill health as the reason for his decision.
Top
ZNA officer issues fake docs
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
13.02.13
by Nelson
Sibanda
A senior army official has admitted issuing fake proof of
residence
documents to help soldiers and their families and friends to
register as
voters.
The document, a copy of which is in the
possession of The Zimbabwean, is
written on Ministry of Defence letterheads
and is titled “Proof of
Residence”. It states: “This letter serves to
confirm that ………………….
ID ……………………... is employed by the Defence Forces
Headquarter and resides at
the same place, Private Bag 7713, Causeway.” It
is signed: “C. Muresherwa
‘psc’ ZW, Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer”.
It could not be
established at the time of going to press whether any
soldiers had actually
been able to use this letter to register to vote, as
the regulations say
postal boxes are not admissible.
According to the
Electoral Amendment Act, people who wish to register as
voters must
accompany their applications with proof of residence in the form
of rates
bills or letters from landlords, chiefs or employers. Even though a
significant number of soldiers live in barracks, private bags are obviously
not residential addresses.
Highly placed sources within the ZNA
alerted The Zimbabwean to the fact that
photocopies of the letter, with the
name of the aspiring voting soldier
being left blank, were being collected
last week from the Defence Houser
orderly room in central
Harare.
They described it as a “blank cheque” open to widespread abuse,
as anyone
could use the letter to register in a constituency of his or her
choice.
“Every soldier here was instructed to collect as many forms as
possible and
put them to good use as soon as possible. They were ordered to
submit
confirmation of registration as a voter to army authorities by end of
this
week,” said the sources.
Despite being a member of the ZNA,
whose regulations criminalise
participation in active politics by all staff,
Muresherwa is reported to be
an aspiring MP for Zanu (PF). He failed in a
bid to run in Manicaland
province in 2008
This newspaper reported
last week that soldiers were being forced to
register as voters and those
without proof of doing so were being turned
away from their workplaces or
barracks.
“There are reports that those registered by way of the army
letters will be
compelled to cast their vote at specific polling centres. No
one has the
privilege to vote from wherever he so wishes”.
“The idea
is to concentrate the vote at polling stations situated in
constituencies
where senior army officials will be contesting as
candidates,” claimed one
of the high ranking sources.
When contacted for comment, Muresherwa
confirmed the letters originated from
his office at Defence Forces
headquarters but initially said they were
exclusively issued to serving
members. He phoned this reporter some 20
minutes later and admitted his
office issued photocopies of the letters last
Friday. “My juniors have
confirmed having issued photocopies of the letter
last Friday during my
absence. This could be where the letter in your
possession came from,” he
said.
ZDF spokesperson, Colonel Overson Mugwisi confirmed the letters
were fake.
“The army does not issue letters to prove residence. Are you
aware that
Defence House is at the centre of Harare while the army
headquarters is at
KGIV Barracks where no soldier has permanent residence?
How can one be
issued with a letter as proof of residence in this respect?
My office is at
Defence House where the letters are reportedly emanating
from. How come I am
not aware of that?” said Mugwisi.
When asked
about his political interests in the 2013 elections, Muresherwa
he had not
given it a thought. “This time around I am not contesting as a
candidate for
any political office. As you might be aware I was interested
in contesting
in 2008 - but was a victim of intra-party foul play. Some
colleagues in Zanu
(PF) manipulated the candidate selection process,” he
said.
Villagers
from Chimanimani confirmed that Muresherwa was an aspiring
candidate in the
area. Several senior army and police officers have made no
secret of their
political ambitions for both legislative and senatorial
seats in the coming
election.
Judge
Agonises Over Seized Farm
http://www.radiovop.com
By Professor Matodzi Harare, February
14, 2013- A high court judge has
broken his silence about his agony over the
seizure of his farm by
supporters loyal to President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF
party.
Justice Francis Bere revealed his anguish about the seizure of his
farm by
new farmers, who grabbed land under the Zanu PF backed land grab
exercise in
an application filed in the high court early this
month.
Bere accused two new farmers Basil Mharapara and his wife of
sabotaging him
through destroying his crops at his Mount Maienji farm
located in the rich
farming area of Odzi, Manicaland province.
He
accused the farmers of leading the seizure of his farm allocated to him
in
2008 under the government’s widely condemned and often chaotic land
reform
programme.
Bere accused the new farmers of committing several
misdemeanors including
disturbing his farming operations.
“Their
animals are causing serious damage to my crops and at one time, I had
to
plant down a whole hectare of maize which had been destroyed by animals,”
Bere said in his founding affidavit seen at the high court by Radio
VOP.
According to Bere, the new farmers in November last year
ploughed down his
tobacco crop and replaced it with their own maize crop
while their herd of
cattle always wonder “up and down his farm” disrupting
operations.
The judge wants the high court to issue an order empowering
the deputy
sheriff and the officer in charge of Odzi Police Station to evict
the new
farmers and anyone claiming occupation of his farm.
The
new farmers have not yet reacted to Bere’s litigation.
Zanu
PF snubs Zuma team
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Fungai Kwaramba, Staff Writer
Thursday, 14 February
2013 12:30
HARARE - President Robert Mugabe’s negotiators to the Global
Political
Agreement (GPA) have snubbed South African President Jacob Zuma’s
facilitation team.
The meetings were supposed to tackle the
contentious security sector and
media reforms among other issues.
On
Sunday, representatives from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
Industry
and Commerce minister Welshman Ncube’s MDC formations met the South
African
facilitation team led by Charles Nqakula and Lindiwe Zulu in
Johannesburg,
South Africa.
The meeting was a follow-up to the one held nearly a
fortnight ago in
Harare, where representatives from the three political
parties briefed the
facilitation team about progress in the
constitution-making process.
Zanu PF is represented by Patrick Chinamasa
and Nicholas Goche, while
Tsvangirai’s MDC is represented by Tendai Biti and
Elton Mangoma. Ncube’s
team is made up of Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga
and Moses Mzila Ndlovu.
At the last meeting in Harare, all three parties
agreed on a follow-up
meeting in South Africa, but on Sunday Zanu PF was
nowhere near the
“Election Roadmap” talks.
Although Biti was not
present at the meeting, he was replaced by Jameson
Timba, the minister of
State in the Prime Minister’s office and MDC
secretary for International
Affairs.
Timba confirmed the meeting yesterday but referred questions to
Zulu.
Zulu also confirmed that a meeting took place on Sunday but refused
to
comment on Zanu PF’s absence.
“I think it is best that Zanu PF
explain why they did not attend the
meeting. The meeting was agreed upon
when we came to Harare. It was
basically a follow-up on the current
situation of the GPA and preparations
for the referendum,” said
Zulu.
The agenda of the meeting centred on discussing progress of the
unity
government and also the thorny issue of security sector
reforms.
A representative from Ncube’s MDC told the Daily News yesterday
that the
meeting discussed the election roadmap including the funding of a
referendum
and elections which are due this year.
Zimbabwe requires
close to $250 million for a referendum and subsequent
general election,
money which a broke Treasury does not have.
“It was a report back of the
progress we have made so far in the election
roadmap. We talked about
progress in the constitution-making process. We
told the team that we had
given a constitution draft to Parliament.
“Zanu PF officials were
however, not present at the meeting. When the team
was here nearly a
fortnight ago we agreed that we would have another meeting
in South Africa,”
he said.
Chinamasa, who is also the minister of Justice and Legal
Affairs, said the
invitation for the Sunday meeting came late.
“The
invitation came late on Thursday and I had committed myself (but) I
failed
to organise a team. As you know my colleague, minister Goche, is out
of the
country and the alternate is minister (Emmerson) Mnangagwa who was
also out
of the country.
“I think the meeting was aborted and if they held it, it
is meaningless
because there was no quorum because whatever they discussed
does not involve
Zanu PF,” Chinamasa said.
The completion of the
constitution-making process is widely regarded as key
to the holding of free
and fair elections.
However, there are still areas of contestation
between Zanu PF and the two
MDC formations — security sector and media
reforms.
Mugabe’s Zanu PF has rejected calls to tinker with the military
establishment, which civic society and other parties accuse of being
brazenly partisan.
Primary
school pupils perform better than their teachers
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
14.02.13
by
Nelson Sibanda
A senior government official has blamed teachers for
contributing to poor
standards in education.
Giving oral
evidence to the committee for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture
in Harare
on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary for Education, Sport, Arts
and Culture
Constance Chigwabha has told Parliamentary Portfolio on
Education said some
teachers performed worse than their students.
He revealed to the
committee that teachers had been beaten by primary school
pupils in mock
Grade 6 examinations.
“We used a yellow question paper and a white one
for children and teachers,
respectively, and the result was shocking. We
laughed our lungs out as some
teachers were actually beaten by their
pupils,’ said Chigwabha.
Chigwada said his ministry was working to
standardize minimum qualifications
for trainee and practising
teachers.
“Teacher training colleges have been enrolling student teachers
without
essential subjects such as Mathematics, English and Science, a trend
which
has contributed to poor school examination results. With the
standardisation
system teachers without the essential subjects would be
assisted to study
and pass them while in service,” said
Chigwabha.
The ministry also attributed the high schools examination
failure rate to
illegal schools which lacked qualified
teachers.
“Most of these mushrooming illegal private schools have no
qualified
teaching staff hence the high failure rate at the institutions and
nationally. Besides lacking qualified staff, they also have inadequate
teaching aids.
“In this respect, government will intensify its
crackdown on such illegal
institutions. It will also increase funding
towards the establishment of
science laboratories at all legal schools from
around
20 to 70 percent,” Chigwabha told the parliamentary
portfolio.
More than 80 percent of O-level students who sat for
examinations in
2012 failed.
In 2011 only 12 percent of children
who sat for the ‘O’ Level Examinations
passed while the 2012 pass rate stood
at 18 percent.
The automatic promotion of children from Grade 1 up to
Form 4 was cited as
another cause for the poor Ordinary Level
results.
Recently, there was call to re-introduce the Zimbabwe Junior
Certificate for
Form 2 students, with proponents arguing that it would help
improve
standards and screen out poorly performing students.
Rural
schools particularly perform poorly because of a critical shortage of
learning material, qualified teachers, high teacher-student ratios and other
enabling resources.
Acting
heads man 80pc of Zim schools: Coltart
http://www.herald.co.zw
Thursday, 14 February 2013
00:00
Felex Share Herald Reporter
CLOSE to 80 percent of
school headmasters countrywide are in an acting
capacity, amid reports that
those aspiring to fill the posts do not have the
requisite qualifications.
Most education officials at district and
provincial offices are also serving
in an acting capacity as the freeze on
vacant posts by Treasury is affecting
the education system.
Some teachers have been acting headmasters for over 12
years.
This has compromised the administration of most schools countrywide,
leading
to low pass rates.
Government has 3 318 posts with substantive
headmasters in primary schools
and 1 109 filled posts in secondary
schools.
This is against over 8 000 primary and secondary schools in the
country,
including satellite centres.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture
Minister David Coltart yesterday said
most of the posts were not being
filled because the educators lacked the
required qualifications.
“We now
require people to have university degrees while the issue of
experience also
counts,” he said.
“The situation in schools is unacceptable as a large
number of headmasters
are serving in an acting capacity.
“There is
also lack of Treasury concurrence as the freeze on posts has also
taken toll
on the education system. Sometimes we might have a few qualified
people, but
it is hard to take them on substantive basis because of the
freeze.”
Minister Coltart said lack of incentives has also
demotivated teachers
aspiring to be headmasters.
“There is a difference
of a few dollars between a headmaster and a qualified
teacher, but the
workload for the headmaster is more,” he said.
“In that case, a person
opts to remain without much responsibility because
the salary would be
almost the same.”
Minister Coltart said there were administrative
problems in processing
applications for new headmasters.
“The process
one goes through to be confirmed as a headmaster is tedious,
while those who
want to be re-admitted into the sector are facing similar
problems he
said.
“It is our hope that Government would understand our plight and
appoint the
headmasters on substantive basis to save our
schools.”
Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Mr Sifiso Ndlovu
said some
teachers had been acting heads for many years.
Public
Service Commission stipulate that a person is supposed to act for six
months
before being confirmed a substantive head.
“To us, Government is using
cheap labour because it does not want to appoint
someone who has acted for
12 years to become a substantive head,” said Mr
Ndlovu.
“To make
matters worse, there is no acting allowances being paid to those
teachers.
This is a national crisis because most of the district and
provincial
offices have officials serving on an acting capacity.”
Mr Ndlovu said
lack of substantive heads would affect the quality of
education.
“This
affects supervision and obviously exam results for a particular
institution
will be affected.”
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general,
Mr Raymond
Majongwe said most schools were led by acting headmasters
who,
“constantly pay bribes and kickbacks to their superiors like DEOs
and PEDs
for them to remain in those positions.”
“Most of these people pay
to remain in those posts, but they are not able to
make
affirmativeadministrative decisions,” he said.
“Long back, there used to
be headmaster refresher courses at Chishawasha,
but they have since
vanished. It was during such courses that they were
taught about
administrative issues.”
The Zimsec November 2012 O-level results released
this week showed that the
pass rate had dropped from 19,5 percent to
18,4.
Only 31 767 candidates attained passes in five subjects out 172 698 who
sat
for the examinations.
Civil
servants get 5,3 percent pay rise
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
14/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S 230,000 public sector workers have been
awarded a 5,3 percent pay
rise backdated to January, Public Service Minister
Lucia Matibenga said on
Thursday.
Unions have been threatening
strikes demanding that the lowest paid civil
servant should be paid US$600
up from the current US$296, but the government
maintains that it is
broke.
The latest increment will hardly satisfy unions who are however
hamstrung by
divisions and lack of a common strategy to confront
ministers.
Matibenga said: “Civil servants will get a 5,3 percent
increment on their
salaries, as promised in the budget, at the end of this
month.
"That money will be backdated to January as it is the month the
government
said the workers should start receiving an inflation related
increment.
"The budget passed through Parliament and it became law and it
means we are
obliged to be making this adjustment.”
Finance Minister
Tendai Biti has indicated that the 5,3 percent
inflation-related increment
will push the civil service wage bill to US$2,6
billion – about 68 percent
of the total expenditure.
In 2012, the US$1,4 billion civil service wage
bill gobbled up 73 percent of
the total budget – a situation which Biti
warned was unsustainable.
A month ago, Biti revealed that the government
was left with a mere US$217
in its public purse after paying civil servants
salaries.
Nurse
convicted over Howard Hospital protest
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
14 February
2013
A nurse from the Salvation Army run Howard Hospital has been
sentenced to
two years in prison, after being convicted in connection with a
protest
against the removal of the facility’s top doctor last
year.
Milton Zindoga was among a group of 20 people, including seven
fellow
nurses, who were arrested during a protest outside the hospital in
Chiweshe.
The demonstration was organised by angry residents, outraged over
the forced
removal of the chief doctor Paul Thistle.
He was dismissed
from the facility last year after raising concerns about
financial
mismanagement. It’s understood the claims implicated the head of
the
Salvation Army in Zimbabwe, Vinece Chigariro, who led the campaign to
remove
Dr. Thistle.
The doctor’s removal caused outcry, because of the work he
had done to turn
the Howard mission into a highly respected medical
facility. He was also
considered a valued member of the community after
living there for more than
16 years.
His dismissal, which the
Salvation Army has insisted was a standard
‘reassignment’, prompted a
violent backlash from community members who
protested his removal in August.
That protest turned violent, leading to the
police arresting 20 people,
including eight nurses. The trial dragged on for
months, but eventually most
of the arrested group was released without
charge.
However Zindoga
has been convicted for allegedly ‘inciting’ the violence and
has been
sentenced to a two year jail term.
SW Radio Africa has been told that a
local workers’ committee is attempting
to file and appeal against the
conviction, but to no avail yet.
The hospital meanwhile is facing a
desperate situation, with no chief
surgeon being appointed to replace Dr.
Thistle. The local community has also
been actively silenced, with a heavy
police presence in the area preventing
people from protesting.
President’s
office takes over Essar deal
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Nomalanga Moyo
14 February
2013
The multi-million dollar Essar-Ziscosteel deal could finally be
concluded,
after negotiations were taken over by the President’s
Office.
This was said by Ziscosteel board chairman Nyasha Makuvise, who
revealed
that the executive intervened after disagreements between Industry
Minister
Welshman Ncube and Mines Minister Obert Mpofu were stalling the
process.
Makuvise said an inter-ministerial committee and Essar are now
working to
resolve some outstanding issues, and added that he was confident
a deal
would be reached soon.
Once complete the deal will give Essar
a 60% majority stake in Ziscosteel,
which has since been rebranded NewZim
Steel.
According to the Herald newspaper, Makuvise was speaking before
the
portfolio committee on Industry and Commerce and was accompanied by
NewZim
Steel chief executive Alois Gowo.
The two told the committee
that expediting the deal would help improve the
plight of over 3,500 workers
whose salaries were suspended by Essar in March
last year.
In 2010
the government signed a $750 million deal with Essar to revive
Ziscosteel,
but implementation has been delayed by a tug-of-war between
industry and
commerce and the mines ministries over its terms, including
access to iron
ore reserves.
Mines Minister Mpofu wanted to revisit the terms of the
deal, arguing that
iron ore reserves were worth more than $30 billion and
not the $750 million
that Essar stands to pay under the current
deal.
Efforts to get a comment from Industry and Commerce Minister
Welshman Ncube,
were fruitless as his mobile number could not be reached.
EU
urged to strengthen Zim diamond restrictions
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
14
February 2013
The European Union is being urged to strengthen
restrictions on the sale of
Zimbabwean diamonds, as part of a Valentines Day
warning message.
International rights agency Global Witness has for the
past few years used
Valentines Day to call for tougher legislation and
action on Zimbabwe’s
diamond industry. The group has led the campaign to bar
Zimbabwe from trade
because of human rights abuses and corruption in the
local industry. It even
quit its place in the international diamond watchdog
group, the Kimberley
Process (KP) in 2011 to protest, among other things,
the attempts to resume
trading with Zimbabwe.
The group has this week
once again warned that all is not right in Zimbabwe’s
diamond trade, despite
the KP clearing the country for trade last year.
Global Witness said in a
statement that European Union (EU) ministers must
“strengthen measures which
restrict sales of diamonds from Zimbabwe’s
controversial Marange region to
Europe.”
The warning comes as Belgium has been pushing for targeted
sanctions against
Zimbabwean diamond mining interests to be dropped. Belgium
has argued that
the regulations ‘hurt’ the amount of revenue filtering down
to ordinary
Zimbabweans.
But Global Witness has insisted that the
country’s interests were “closer to
home” in its diamond centre of
Antwerp.
“Global Witness’ investigations point to a serious risk that
diamond
revenues could be used to fund violence in this year’s election. The
Belgian
government is claiming concern for the Zimbabwean people; however
it’s true
interests are closer to home in the diamond markets of Antwerp,”
said Global
Witness diamonds campaigner, Emily Armistead.
She told SW
Radio Africa: “EU members seeking to promote democracy and
stability in
Zimbabwe should avoid a ménage-à-trois with Belgium and its
diamond dealers
this Valentine’s Day.”
Global Witness lasted year reported that evidence
indicated that diamonds
were providing off-budget financing to the ZANU PF
loyal security forces,
raising concern that they could be mobilised once
again to entrench the
party in power. The group uncovered links between
joint-venture diamond
mining companies in the Marange region and military,
police and intelligence
organisations loyal to Mugabe.
“We are
calling for the state owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation
to
remain on the list of entities affected by EU restrictive measures and
for
that list to include the Anjin mining firm, which is a joint venture
company
with links to senior Zimbabwean military officials and Hong
Kong-based
businessman Sam Pa,” Armistead said.
She added: “Relaxing measures
against Zimbabwe’s diamond sector now could
mean a serious cash injection
for security forces with a track record of
voter intimidation and violence,
just months before the 2013 election. The
EU should hold a steady course,
and restrict trade with diamond mining
operations in Marange until free and
fair elections have taken place.”
The EU has indicated it could lift the
targeted measures in place against
the Mugabe regime after a ‘credible’
constitutional referendum. The EU is
meeting next Monday and a final
decision on their plans to lift the measures
is set to be made then.
No urgency over lifting Zim sanctions
Sunday Independent
10
February 2013
Peta Thornycroft
When will the moment be right
to trust Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
enough to lift international
sanctions against him and his cronies?
This question was being debated in
Western capitals as Zanu-PF and the two
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
parties in the unity government
negotiated a new draft constitution and
adopted it in parliament.
This week, Human Rights Watch criticised the EU for
saying it will review
its Zimbabwe sanctions if the country holds a peaceful
referendum on the new
constitution.
The EU imposed travel and financial
sanctions against 100 key members of
Zanu-PF, mining parastatals, an
agricultural bank, a commercial bank and
several other smaller companies
associated with the former ruling party,
after violent presidential
elections in 2002.
Zanu-PF agitators killed or assaulted many candidates and
other officials of
the MDC, which had come close to beating Zanu-PF in
parliamentary elections
two years earlier.
The sanctions mean, for
instance, that EU countries cannot buy diamonds from
controversial mines in
eastern Zimbabwe because state mining companies are
involved.
"It would
be premature for the EU to lift targeted sanctions on President
Robert
Mugabe and members of his inner circle simply for holding a
referendum on a
new constitution," Tiseke Kasambala, Africa advocacy
director at Human
Rights Watch, said this week. "Removing or suspending the
measures before
Zimbabwe carries out any comprehensive rights reforms will
give Mugabe and
his party free rein to continue repression ahead of
elections."
Douglas
Mwonzora, spokesman for the main MDC party in Harare, responded
cautiously
to Kasambala's appeal.
"The decision to impose sanctions was not an MDC
decision, it was a decision
by the EU premised on the way they perceived
human rights abuses by the
government of Robert Mugabe.
"Our belief is
that there must be movement by both sides, the EU and
Zanu-PF; in other
words, there must be movement on a quid pro quo basis,
everything must be
matched with something else."
The MDC is obliged to call for the removal of
Western sanctions under the
multi-party Global Political Agreement it signed
with Zanu-PF in September
2008, which carries a clause committing all
parties to work for the removal
of sanctions.
So far, though, there has
been little "reward" to Zimbabwe on the sanctions
issue by the US and the
EU, although political violence has decreased hugely
and some political and
legislative reforms have been made, as well as the
new draft
constitution.
However, Mugabe has not implemented other reforms he agreed to,
including an
end to partisan political prosecutions and to the harassment of
the
remaining few hundred white farmers.
"I don't see movement by the EU
without movement by Zanu-PF," Mwonzora said.
The smaller MDC, led by Welshman
Ncube, has long said the sanctions are
counter-productive and merely give
Mugabe a convenient scapegoat to blame
for the wrecked economy and
infrastructure which was actually caused by
Zanu-PF before the inclusive
government was formed in February 2009.
The US has taken a tougher line than
the EU, demanding that Zimbabwe hold
"free, fair and internationally
monitored elections" and de-link state
institutions from Zanu-PF, before it
will lift its own sanctions against the
country.
Priscilla Misihairabwi
Mushonga, of Ncube's MDC, and a long-time civil
rights activist, told a
seminar in Johannesburg on Friday that the new draft
constitution was better
than its predecessor.
"We didn't get everything we want, but it provides a
framework for an open
and transparent society with a bill of rights."
She
also said that the constitution-making process had allowed Zimbabweans
to
begin talking to one another after the political violence of the last
elections.
Mushonga, who is minister of regional affairs in the inclusive
government
and now a veteran negotiator, said Mugabe had opposed hardliners
in his
party who wanted serious amendments to the draft which emerged in
July last
year.
"The reality is that he is still very powerful.
"He
knew at the last SADC (Southern African Development Community) troika in
Maputo that time was up.
"He didn't want to attend another troika when
leaders who are children to
him tell him what to do again," Mushonga told
Independent Newspapers after
the meeting.
If the inclusive government
finds money in time, insiders say a referendum
can be held in April.
But
before then a raft of legislation has to go to parliament to provide for
issues raised in the draft charter.
For the first time some laws will be
crafted to control the notorious
Central Intelligence Organisation, which
has so |far operated without audit
or controls via the president's
office.
The term of office of the inclusive government expires on June 29 and
elections should then be held before the end of September.
But Mushonga
suggested this was flexible. - Independent Foreign Service
Zimbabwe to
force blending of fuel
http://www.iol.co.za/
February 14 2013 at 08:22pm
By
SAPA
Harare - Zimbabwe has passed new rules forcing fuel
wholesalers to blend
petrol with locally-produced ethanol in order to cut
the country's fuel
import bill, the energy minister said
Thursday.
“We will make sure it's done,” Energy and Power Development
Minister Elton
Mangoma told AFP.
“We are going towards a green
economy and we are talking of biofuel. This is
to save the country and the
planet, while at the same time we are creating
our own industry.”
No
operator will be allowed to sell unleaded petrol unless it has been
blended
with a minimum of five percent locally-produced ethanol, said the
government
notice seen by AFP on Thursday.
Ethanol is usually produced from sugar
cane in Zimbabwe.
A few companies have already been selling blended fuel
but it attracts few
buyers because of concerns over its
quality.
Mangoma said the move was also expected to reduce the
consumption of
imported petrol and save scarce money for critical government
projects.
Economic analysts say Zimbabwe requires $45 million (34 million
euros) a
month to import fuel. - Sapa-AFP
5
Glen View murder suspects in fresh bail bid
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
Thursday, 14 February 2013
12:10
HARARE - The absence of a Cuban pathologist has stalled the trial of 29
MDC
activists accused of killing a cop in Glen View, as the other five in
custody launched a fresh bail bid.
Prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba told
the court yesterday he was yet to get a
response from the Cuban Embassy on
the clearance of the last State witness
Gabriel Aguero.
“We were
supposed to resume trial today but we are faced with one minor
challenge of
calling the doctor who conducted autopsy on the body. There is
no doubt the
postponement or adjournment of this trial for the calling of a
State witness
is necessary and just in the expediency of justice,” said
Nyazamba.
The activists’ lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, said the
postponement of the matter
was a changed circumstance prompting the fresh
bail application.
“With respect there is nothing small with the plight of
the 29 accused
persons, five of whom are in custody and four under maximum
security.
The four are in solitary confinement and two of them are
women,” said
Mtetwa.
High Court Judge Chinembiri Bhunu postponed the
matter to next week
Wednesday for the ruling on the application. - Tendai
Kamhungira
Zimbabwe
Receives $60 Million U.S Grant to Tackle HIV/AIDS
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Slyvia
Manika
13.02.2013
Health experts say tens of thousands of Zimbabwean
children are HIV positive
and the country also suffers one of the world's
highest rates of
mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Efforts by the
Ministry of Health and a consortium of health
non-governmental organizations
to prevent mother-to-child transmission and
treat children with HIV got a
boost Wednesday, as the United States
government extended a $60 million
grant to the government of Zimbabwe.
Officially launching the Families
and Communities for the Elimination of
Pediatric HIV in Zimbabwe (FACE)
initiative, Minister of Health and Child
Welfare Dr. Henry Madzorera and
American ambassador Bruce Wharton talked
about the initiative's goals to
reduce pediatric HIV in Zimbabwe.
The objectives of the 5-year programme
are to reduce the rate of
mother-to-child HIV transmission from 14 percent
to less than 5 percent by
2015 and to provide 90 percent of HIV positive
pregnant women with
life-saving anti-retroviral drugs.
Ambassador
Wharton said the FACE programme will offer critical life-saving
support for
the women and children of Zimbabwe through the various
initiatives to
support the prevention of the mother-to-child transmission.
Ambassador
Wharton said the U.S government remains committed to supporting
Zimbabwe’s
health sector.
He said the U.S government will provide nearly $95 million
over the next
year to support critical prevention, care, and treatment
interventions in
Zimbabwe.
Dr. Madzorera said the Zimbabwe government
values what he called a
"continued partnership" with the American
government.
He said the U.S government has been unwavering in its support
to Zimbabwe’s
health sector.
The programme launched Wednesday is
being implemented by a consortium of
non-governmental organisations led by
the Organisation for Public Health
Interventions and Development
(OPHID).
Other organisations implementing the grant are JF Kapnek Trust,
the Southern
Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service and the
Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
FACE initiative director
Patricia Mbetu said it was critical to reach
children and their mothers with
life-saving care as more than 150,000
children are living with HIV in
Zimbabwe.
According to the U.S Agency for International Development, the
U.S provides
broad support for Zimbabwe to address HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria,
and other
health challenges.
Since 2000, just to combat HIV and AIDS,
the United States government has
granted nearly $300 million to Zimbabwe.
Malaria
claims 10 in Manicaland
http://www.herald.co.zw
Thursday, 14 February 2013
19:45
Paidamoyo Chipunza Health Reporter
A serious malaria
outbreak in Manicaland province has claimed 10 lives while
more than 22 000
people were treated of the disease in one week alone.
Statistics from the
Ministry of Health and Child Welfare shows that of the
22 480 cases reported
last week, 3 546 and one death were children under the
age of five
years.
Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Douglas Mombeshora said a
team of
health experts had since been dispatched to the affected areas to
contain
the outbreak.
Minister Mombeshora said last week figures
brings the total number of
malaria cases to 62 587 and 32 deaths
nationwide.
“We have already started recording an increase in malaria
cases this year
following the incessant rains and some floods,” Minister
Mombeshora said.
Last year the country recorded 8 547 cases and 13 deaths
of malaria
nationally. The outbreak in Manicaland has largely affected
Buhera and
Mutare districts but some deaths were also recorded in Mutoko and
Harare.
Zimbabwe has a long history of malaria outbreaks because of its high
altitude.
Areas above 1 500m such as Harare are usually malaria free,
while areas
below 900m are normally a high risk to malaria, particularly in
the north of
the altitude is between 900 and 1500m.
In Zimbabwe
malaria endemic areas include Mutare, Gokwe, Mutoko, Dande,
Chikombedzi,
Mudzi, Hwange and Mt Darwin. After HIV and AIDS, malaria is
the biggest
killer of children under five in Zimbabwe and pregnant women as
well as
newborns.
Malaria is increasingly becoming resistant to existing drugs.
In recent
years there have been an increase in the number of reported
outbreaks,
specifically linked to flooding. These include diarrhoeal
outbreaks and
malaria.
The sensitivity of the disease to certain
environmental conditions suggests
that climate change may influence the
nature of the disease and the size and
severity of outbreaks
Cabinet concerned with harassment of citizens – Minister Makone
Cabinet on Tuesday expressed concern over the overzealousness of some police
officers in the discharge of their Constitutional mandate of maintaining law and
order and enforcing the law.
In particular, Cabinet emphasised that the
police must follow the basic principle of policing that is, investigating to
arrest rather than arresting to investigate.
Two issues that Cabinet
discussed included harassment through unwarranted arrests by police of innocent
citizens who had gone to register as voters in Lupane as well as the police raid
at the offices of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP).
Cabinet tasked us as
the co-Ministers of Home Affairs to investigate these issues, report back to it
and where warranted to take appropriate action against individual police
officers who might have overstepped their mandate and authority.
In both
cases, I am made to understand that the police used a provision which makes
reference to one being suspected to possess an article on their person or
elsewhere that might be used to commit an offence as defined in section 40 of
the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
If this is the case,
then everybody in the country is a potential criminal because the shoes that one
is wearing can be used to assault someone.
Cabinet also expressed concern
with the disruption of the voter registration exercise and the bussing of people
from one part of the country to another to register as voters in a move that
will destroy the credibility of the registration exercise and the upcoming
election.
The President and the Prime Minister have both stated
unequivocally that every person should be given an opportunity to register as a
voter without hindrance. As Ministers of Home Affairs, we will ensure that their
directive is respected by every State institution.
As Co-Ministers for
Home affairs, we will investigate these issues and report back to
Cabinet.
The current trend of harassment of innocent citizens comes at a
time when as a nation we are about to finalise a new Constitution for the
country, which Constitution upholds human rights and basic freedoms.
Cabinet
reiterated its commitment to creating an environment of peace, tolerance and
respect for basic freedoms in the country.
Zimbabwe is not a police State
and should not be seen to be one.
Hon. Theresa
Makone
Co-Minister of Home Affairs
--
MDC
Information & Publicity Department
Harvest House
44 Nelson Mandela
Ave
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel: 00263 4 770 708
The MDC Today – Issue 515
Thursday, 14 February 2013
The Renco Mine saga in which some senior
Zanu PF politicians wanted to illegally take-over the gold mine in Masvingo
South has seriously exposed the Zanu PF indigenisation and empowerment policy as
a project meant to enrich only a few already rich fat cats in the sunset party.
Walter Mzembi, the MP for Masvingo South, his personal assistant,
Obediah Mazombwe and Ivene Dzingirai, the MP for Chivi South wanted to illegally
take-over the mine last month.
Dzingarai even took over occupation of a
luxurious guest house at the mine and declared to RioZim management that he was
now the owner of the mine and blocked the airlifting of bullion from the mine,
reminiscent of the farm and asset grabbing of 2000 land inversions.
It
only took the intervention of the courts to stop this Zanu PF madness, with High
Court judge, Justice Hlekani Mwayera blasting the Zanu PF politicians for
unlawfully grabbing Renco Mine and ordered them to vacate within 24
hours.
“The facts of this case clearly show unlawful invasion and
dispossession of a legally incorporated entity under the guise of resolving a
labour dispute as if there are no labour laws or under the guise of being
parliamentary representatives of the constituency in what is clear self-help and
disregard of the law that the respondents first and second are part and parcel
of its making,” Justice Mwayera said in her ruling.
The judge’s ruling
clearly vindicates the MDC’s position that the Zanu PF’s model of indigenisation
and empowerment is only for self-aggrandisement for only a few connected
individuals in Zanu PF leaving out millions of starving Zimbabweans.
That
is why in its Jobs, Upliftment, Investment, Capital and the Environment (JUICE)
economic policy, the MDC is pushing for a framework that will create jobs and
build a strong, growing economy that is financially and environmentally
sustainable where growth is evenly shared across the country and not to a
privileged few like Mzembi and company.
JUICE is based on 10 strategies
that will be implemented as part of the economic transformation process, each
with complementary themes.
The following policies will drive this
strategy: transformation to a democratic developmental state, creating
sustainable jobs and SME’s development; creating an enabling environment for
inclusive economic participation, creating a safer and more stable macroeconomic
and financial system, reforming public services to deliver quality social
services, sustainable growth strategies, a broad-based economic empowerment
agenda, creating a more balanced economy; opening Zimbabwe for business and
environmental responsibility.
--
MDC Information &
Publicity Department
Harvest House
44 Nelson Mandela Ave
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel: 00263 4 770 708
Met
Office issues flood warning
http://www.herald.co.zw/
Thursday, 14 February 2013
00:00
Agriculture Reporter
The Meteorological Services Department
has warned people in the Mashonaland,
Manicaland and Matabeleland North
provinces to brace for heavy rains and
violent thunderstorms expected
from
yesterday up to Saturday.
The warning comes in the wake of recent
heavy rains in these areas.
Met Department head; public weather services Mr
Tich Zinyemba said more
heavy rains in excess of 50 millimetres in 24 hours
were expected in
Matabeleland North, Mashonaland provinces, north of the
Midlands and
Manicaland.
He said reports had already indicated that
areas like the Save Catchment and
probably Chikwarakwara were being affected
by rising water in the Save and
Limpopo rivers.
“Accordingly given
that there has been so much rain already this season,
there will be
heightened risk of potential flooding and violent
thunderstorms (strong
winds and possibly hail),” he said.
Mr Zinyemba said the remainder of the
provinces on the other hand should
continue to experience relatively sunny
and dry weather conditions although
sporadic showers or thunder showers
would occur from time to time.
The department warned the public against
attempting to cross flooded rivers
or bridges.
Motorists were urged to
drive carefully on roads that are already damaged by
incessant
rains.
“There is danger of electricity poles falling over given the
soaked ground
thus increasing the risk of electrocution when the cables are
handled
carelessly. All outdoor activities should be planned with the
weather in
mind,” he said.
“The Meteorological Services Department
encourages the public to take the
necessary measures to safeguard life and
property in those areas that will
be affected.”
The public was also
advised to contact local offices of the Civil Protection
Unit or relevant
authorities for advice.
Zimbabwe is expected to receive normal to above
normal rainfall during the
second half of the rainfall season which starts
in January and stretches to
April.
Water, Water
Everywhere – and No Early Warning in Sight
http://www.ipsnews.net
By Ignatius
Banda
GWANDA, Zimbabwe , Feb 14 2013 (IPS) - Muzeka Muyeyekwa from
Mapfekera
Village in Zimbabwbe’s Manicaland Province wonders what he will
feed his
three children for lunch.
The family’s basic food supplies
have run out and they cannot replenish them
as the bridge that crosses the
local Nyadira River, which links this village
with the outside world and the
Watsomba shopping centre, was washed away in
January during the flash floods
that spread across the country. Manicaland
Province, which borders
Mozambique, is among the worst hit as it has seen
almost 1 metre of rain
since mid-January.
However, a few village daredevils have used the
disaster to make a quick
dollar by swimming across the flooded river with
supplies – charging treble
the price or more for basic goods.
“We
cannot cross the river to go to the grinding mill or to get basic food
supplies,” Muyeyekwa tells IPS. “The only supplies reaching us are the
expensive items brought by the daredevils.”
Other villagers say that
their food supplies are running low and worry that
the authorities are not
acting fast enough to repair the bridge.
Related IPS
Articles
Fears for Food Security Rise with West African
Floodwaters
Malawi’s Heroines of the Floods
ZIMBABAWE: Not Prepared for
Floods Amid Conflicting Weather Forecasts
But the local district council
chief executive, George Bandure, tells IPS
that the council is mobilising
resources for the reconstruction of the
destroyed bridge.
Mapfekera
community is not the only one struggling to cope with unseasonal
heavy rains
here.
According to the latest United Nations Office for the Coordination
of
Humanitarian Affairs report on Zimbabwe, heavy January rainfall across
the
country affected an estimated 8,490 people, “of which 4,615 people
require
humanitarian assistance in the form of emergency shelter and
non-food
items.”
The government’s Civil Protection Unit estimates
that up to 5,000 people
across the country lost their homes in the flooding,
while the police say
about 100 people have drowned – all since late last
year.
Nearly 2,000 school children in the Chiredzi and Mwenezi Districts
in
Masvingo Province are being taught outside as torrential rainfall
recently
destroyed classrooms in 28 schools.
Clifford Tshuma, a
smallholder farmer in rural Gwanda, in Matabeleland South
Province, stands
by and watches the effect that a surprise heavy downpour
has on his maize
crop. It flattens the stalks, leaving the plants ruined.
“I did not see
it coming,” Tshuma tells IPS.
Climate experts in this southern African
nation say that the plight of rural
populations is worsened by the lack of
sufficient weather monitoring systems
that are able to provide early
awareness of rainfall levels.
“Zimbabwe sometimes finds itself less
equipped to predict, unprepared to
plan for, and respond to floods,” Sobona
Mtisi, a climate researcher with
the Overseas Development Institute’s Water
Policy Programme, tells IPS. The
institute has partnered with the Zimbabwean
government to formulate climate
change policy. “Early warning systems that
focus on floods are not yet well
developed, especially at the local level.
These factors combine to ensure
that the country is always caught off
guard.”
Since mid-January, heavy rains have hit Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland
South and
North Provinces as well as Masvingo Province, which are
traditionally
considered dry areas.
According to the Zimbabwe
Meteorological Services, the Matabeleland South
and North Provinces have
seen rainfall of around 300 millimetres since the
beginning of the year – at
least three times higher than the expected
rainfall for the
provinces.
“This is much lower than other provinces,” Zimbabwe
Meteorological Services
chief, Tich Zinyemba, tells IPS, pointing to
Manicaland Province, which
borders Mozambique and has recorded up to 1,000
millimetres during the same
period. “But [the rainfall in Matabeleland] is
still unusually high for such
arid regions.”
Adjusting to a new
reality
Until the rains began in mid-January, the Matabeleland South and
North
Provinces were in the midst of a drought. Local online publication
Bulawayo24 News reported that between July and December 2012 some 9,000
cattle in the Matabeleland South region had died due to the ongoing drought.
Now they are perishing because of the ensuing floods, the publication
reported.
“Floods are recent phenomena in Zimbabwe, and as such, the
country is still
adjusting to this new reality,” Mtisi says, explaining that
floods began
occurring here in 2000 when Cyclone Eline swept across southern
Africa.
Mtisi says that the occurrence of heavy rains, which leave
destruction in
their wake, has become somewhat predictable over the past
decade. He adds
that with adequate preparation, these losses can be averted
or minimised.
“From 2000 to 2010, Zimbabwe had four floods, some of which
induced by
cyclones, such as Cyclone Eline (in 2000) and Cyclone Japhet (in
2003). This
means that we have a flood, every two and a half years,” Mtisi
says.
“The problem is that Zimbabwe does not have sufficient resources,
mainly
technical and financial, to predict, plan for, and manage floods. I
do not
think that the hydro-meteorological monitoring departments of
Zimbabwe
National Water Authority, Meteorological Department, and the Civil
Protection Department have adequate funds to efficiently undertake flood
preparedness and management activities,” he says.
Mtisi says that
despite efforts by international relief agencies to mitigate
these loses,
more still needs to be done.
“Although several systems for monitoring
hydro-meteorological data are in
place, managed by regional and
international bodies, such as the Famine
Early Warning Systems Network and
the Southern African Development Community
Hydrological Cycle Observing
System, they are insufficient,” Mtisi says.
It will be useful for
Zimbabwe to develop an extensive network of
hydro-meteorological stations
that monitor river flows and floods, he says,
through agencies such as the
Zimbabwe Meteorological Services and the
Zimbabwe National Water
Authority.
Very high frequency systems are currently being installed in
the country’s
flood-prone areas to ensure that the people there are able to
communicate
with different disaster management units that are meant to warn
them of high
rainfall and potential disasters.
The point now is how
to ensure these systems are operational and working
properly, says Tapuwa
Gomo, a development expert who has worked with
international relief agencies
in some of Zimbabwe’s flood-prone area.
*Additional Reporting by Nyarai
Mudimu in Manicaland Province
Special Report: Villagers in Zimbabwe still exposed
to violence, intimidation and vote buying
on February 14, 2013 at 7:58
amBy Hosia Beta
In Gadzema village, 110 Kilometres,
South West of Harare, villagers continue to be exposed to political violence,
intimidation and vote buying as Zimbabwe’s make or break general elections draw
closer.
The base in Gadzema were supporters of
other parties face persecution
With the Principals in Zimbabwe’s
inclusive government agreeing on the country’s draft constitution, elections may
be called anytime before the end of June 2013. This is despite the fact that the
situation on the ground, particularly the rural communities, is not conducive
for the holding of free and fair elections.
Gadzema is one such community where the
machinery of political violence, torture and intimidation, set up in the run up
to the June 27 2008 presidential runoff election, has remained intact and is
being utilised by ZANU PF as part of its strategy to manipulate the forthcoming
elections.
As this reporter established during an
investigative visit, Gadzema still harbours a torture base established in the
wake of the bloody 2008 presidential runoff election. From afar, the base
appears defunct and deserted, but a closer look points to how it continues to be
in operation.
At the centre of the base is an old hut
in which those perceived to be ZANU PF opponents continue to be exposed to
severe beatings by members of the ZANU PF aligned militia. Wallowing twigs whose
moisture content point to recent use were strewn around the hut’s rugged
floor.
The little light that filtered into the
hut could not help but carry imaginations to the NAZI era torture chambers that
I came to know of through history lessons in High school.
In front of the hut is a wide open
space, which as I gathered from Michael Moyo , a Gadzema villager, is used for
different sorts of meetings.
Michael Moyo, MDC chairperson for ward
22 in Gadzema
These include planning, intimidation and
indoctrination meetings. As stated by Michael who is the MDC Chairperson for
Gadzema’s Ward 22, the open space is also used for rounding and beating up
people who do not support ZANU PF.
“This is where people are drilled on the
virtues of belonging to ZANU PF. It is also where meetings are held and
villagers are instructed not to belong to any other political party other than
ZANU PF”, Michael told me as we toured the open space area.
“Those who refuse to obey the order to
back ZANU PF are also rounded up and thrashed at this place”, Michael added,
pointing out that the open space area is also used for training and mobilising
youths for purposes of terror against non ZANU PF supporters.
As learnt from Michael and other
villagers interviewed, scores of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters
have been thrashed at the base and forced to renounce their MDC membership or
else face further victimisation.
Information gathered pointed to Mai
Pfute, Councillor for Gadzema’s Ward 22, as the mastermind of terror in the
area.
Mai Pfute works through two foot
soldiers, known in the area as Giga and Fani. Efforts to get a comment from Mai
Pfute were fruitless as villagers highlighted she had relocated to Bluerock farm
some kilometres away from Gadzema after setting her house
ablaze.
Sylvester Guveya shows the scars he
sustained from the 2008 political violence and he now lives in fear as elections
draw near
Giga and Fani have been linked to the
recent abduction of three MDC supporters, Christon Banda, Masimba Madombwe and
Tichaona Gombingo.
The three were abducted at the end of
last year after participating in an MDC organised provincial soccer tournament
at Nyatsanga Business Centre, Mashonaland West Province. This reporter managed
to see Giga’s white Toyota Elgrand that was reportedly used in the
abductions.
After the tournament, ZANU PF mobilised
youths are said to have gathered at the Gadzema base for a Giga and Fani
coordinated planning meeting, which culminated in the abduction of Banda,
Madombwe and Gombingo.
The three were only released after being
forced to give details of other MDC members in Gadzema.
However, contacted for a comment
Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabweazara said there
were no cases of violence, abductions and intimidations that were reported in
the province.
“I have not received any reports of
political violence or intimidation in Chegutu. The environment is still calm and
the villagers should report cases of intimidation and violence if they are
taking place,” said Inspector Mabweazara.
As said by Michael, the abductions were
reported to the police, but nothing has been done to bring perpetrators to
justice.
In fact, Giga and Fani have intensified
their terror campaign. Villagers who spoke to this reporter pointed out how Fani
and Giga have started leading a door to door campaign, warning villagers against
belonging to political parties that oppose ZANU PF.
“As they conduct their door to door
campaigns, ZANU PF youths chant songs and slogans that denounce members of the
MDC and other political parties as sell outs [that must die”], said Ranga Moyo,
a villager who says he is increasingly feeling insecure as the call for the next
elections gathers momentum.
To maintain its hold on mostly
unemployed youths, ZANU PF is monopolising illegal gold mining activities in the
Gadzema area. With supporters of other political parties being barred from gold
panning, ZANU PF loyalists are being rewarded with gold mining
claims.
This reporter had an opportunity to go
to a place known as KwaDread where hundreds of youths were busy extracting
gold.
“This is a ZANU PF area. Giga and Fani
are in total control. It is one of those areas where one cannot extract gold
without a ZANU PF card,”Ranga said.
As Ranga put it to me, the lives of most
youths in Gadzema now revolve around attending ZANU PF meetings, carrying out
ZANU PF door to door campaigns and ZANU PF sanctioned gold panning. By allowing
youths to engage in gold panning.
This, as Ranga put it, “amounts to
indoctrination, voter intimidation and vote buying.” Nehanda Radio
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Keynote address by the Right Hon. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
Keynote
address by the Right Hon. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on the occasion of
the launch of the Zimbabwe Decent Work Country Programme (2012-2015)
14
February 2013
Holiday Inn
Harare
Director of
Ceremony, Mr. Lancaster Museka
Minister of Labour and Social Services,
Hon. Paurina Mpariwa (MP)
Minister of Youth Development,
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Hon. Saviour Kasukuwere (MP)
Cabinet Ministers here present
Honourable Ministers from ARLAC member
states here present
Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Services,
Senator Mutsvangwa
African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Your
Excellency Dr Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko
President of the Employers’
Confederation of Zimbabwe, Mr. Anthony Mandiwanza
President of the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Mr. George Nkiwane
The ILO Regional
Director for Africa, Mr. Charles Dan
United Nations Resident
Coordinator Mr. Alain Noudehou
Representative of the ILO Director of
the Regional Decent Work Team, Mr. Joni Musabayana
ILO Country
Office Director Mr. Alphonse Tabi-Abodo
Distinguished representatives
of UN agencies
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President
and Cabinet, Rtd. Col. Christian Katsande
Members of the International
Donor Community here present
Senior Government officials here present
Distinguished delegates
Invited guests
Ladies and
gentlemen
Comrades and Friends
It is indeed a great honour and
privilege for me to address you this evening as we gather on this momentous
occasion for the launch of the third generation of the Zimbabwe Decent Work
Country Programme.
The Decent Work Agenda has indeed taken centre stage
and increased prominence in the world of work since 2005 across the world. It is
pleasing to note that Zimbabwe has been a pacesetter in the region, and had made
considerable progress in embracing the decent work agenda through successful
development and implementation of two cycles since 2005.
As we gather
here today, let us take a moment to reflect on where we have come from as a
nation, and where we are going in terms of implementation of our national Decent
Work Country Programme.
I say this mindful of the fact that decent work
entails the recognition of the need for men and women across the world to freely
choose productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity and dignity; hence
the reference to the four strategic pillars of the ILO decent work agenda.
Zimbabwe has had mixed fortunes in the realization of decent work across all
sectors of the economy.
While some sectors have performed better than
others, the overall economic environment has had its toll and militated against
the full implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme since its inception
in 2005.
Notwithstanding these challenges, Government has prioritised
economic growth through the development and implementation of blueprints that
seek to create an enabling environment in which the tenets of decent work can be
realised.
It is in this regard that I wish to emphasise the importance
of ensuring policy coherence within the implementation of national policies.
That said, I note with satisfaction that the Decent Work Country Programme that
we are launching today will be implemented within a framework of other ongoing
programmes including the Medium Term Plan (MTP) and the Zimbabwe United Nations
Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF), among others.
The Decent Work
Country Programme operationalises to a great extent issues to do with labour
which are made reference to in the MTP and ZUNDAF. This is indeed commendable
and requires the support of all national stakeholders because of the need for
the various policy documents to speak to each other and be implemented
simultaneously and in a mutually supportive manner.
I am pleased to note
that the tripartite partners have prioritised critical issues in the world of
work affecting the development of our country, namely:-
Promoting
Productive Employment and Decent Jobs;
Strengthening Social Dialogue
capacities and processes for sustainable socio-economic development;
Improving the application and implementation of international labour standards;
and
Increasing coverage of Social Protection through Mainstreaming
Elements of the Social protection Floor.
The issue of job creation
remains critical, especially in countries such as ours. Any new government that
comes after the next election must be serious about the issue of job creation.
With an unemployment rate of above 80 percent, a job ceases to become a simple
economic issue. It becomes a far much greater issue that affects not only
economic growth and development, but also political stability and social
cohesion among the people.
A decent job brings back human dignity and
allows people to pursue their dreams.
In Zimbabwe we regard employment
creation as a real game changer. Job creation will begin to address the concerns
of millions of our people who have left schools, colleges, vocational training
centres, polytechnics and universities. Job creation will not only bring with it
dignity among our people, but is a prerequisite to economic growth and
development.
The prioritisation of employment should translate into
tangible results that can be enjoyed across sectors. These are the results that
we want, and indeed, that is the way to go. For as long as our interventions
translate into practical and meaningful results, we can be assured that the
decent work agenda will realise its full potential in Zimbabwe.
We
aspire to create millions of jobs in order to uplift our people, to have a
meaningful growth rate per annum, macro-economic stability anchored by a single
digit inflation and a $100 billion economy by2040.
That is our
aspiration as a nation.
In the same breath, I wish to call upon the full
implementation of the Zimbabwe National Employment Policy Framework that was
adopted by Cabinet on 1 June 2010. I believe some work has gone into
establishment of working committees, and I wish to urge the tripartite partners
to exert more energy in employment creation.
As we have seen, the
commitment of Government in employment creation is buttressed in the MTP whose
focus is mainly on growing the economy for poverty reduction. It is our
considered view in Government that the best way to tackle poverty is through
job-rich growth which translates into better livelihoods for our people.
It is also our fervent hope that social dialogue in Zimbabwe will
transcend the boundaries that we have created for ourselves in our various
constituencies, and create an environment within which Government can govern,
business can thrive and workers can work in conditions of freedom and equity.
Having been launched at this very venue in February 2010, the Kadoma
Declaration continues to be a living document from which the nation should draw
lessons for meaningful and sustainable socio-economic development.
Director of Ceremony, Honourable Ministers, the 2012-2015 Decent Work
Country Programme has also prioritised improving the application and
implementation of international labour standards. As a member state of the ILO
and with due cognisance of the developments in Zimbabwe’s application of
ratified conventions, I am happy to note that the current decent work programme
has prioritised this very important area.
Ladies and gentlemen, we
strive to be part of the family of nations once again and it engenders a good
feeling to be subscribing to international best standards.
Zimbabwe has
over the years, embraced the need to protect workers and employers for enhanced
productivity and social justice in the world of work through domestication of
ratified ILO conventions. The current labour law reform exercise is testimony to
this.
I am optimistic that through collaborative efforts, Zimbabwe will
come of age in the implementation of international labour standards through the
goals and benchmarks of social justice and fairness in the world of work to
foster more balanced economic and social development.
On the issue of
social protection, we expect the Decent Work Country Programme to focus on
expansion of the coverage of social security through integrating and
mainstreaming productive social security mechanisms within the framework of an
overall social protection policy environment.
In line with this, I urge
the tripartite partners to work towards finalization and implementation of the
Enhanced Social Protection Programme (ESPP). It is also during the
implementation of this programme that we hope to see the finalisation and
implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and a
comprehensive social protection policy that is in sync with the ILO Social
Protection Floor initiative.
I wish to pledge Government support for the
full implementation of the third generation of the Zimbabwe Decent Work Country
Programme. Government will redouble its efforts and spare no effort in ensuring
that the decent work goals that we have set for ourselves will be realised.
Government will continue to prioritise issues relating to the world of work
because of the importance it attaches to enhancing people’s livelihoods.
I wish to call upon Business, government and the workers to collaborate
further in getting the country firmly on the recovery track through
recapitalization, investment and promotion of fair labour practices. In the same
spirit, I would like to encourage workers to broaden their scope of dialogue and
engagement with both Government and Business in order to successfully implement
the current Decent Work Country Programme.
I would also like to take
this opportunity to acknowledge with gratitude and on behalf of Zimbabwe, the
sterling support and collaboration that the United Nations Country Team has
rendered in past interventions affecting the world of work.
It is
important to note that issues relating to the world of work are within a broader
national context requiring an all-encompassing multi-sectoral approach. In this
regard, the continued contribution of all UN agencies is greatly appreciated and
will, without doubt, assist in the success of the decent work agenda.
Allow me to single out the ILO, our leading partner in promoting decent
work in Zimbabwe. Indeed, the unwavering commitment of the ILO leadership
requires due credit as evidenced by the presence today of a brother and friend,
Mr. Charles Dan, the ILO Regional Director for Africa.
It is my sincere
hope that the ILO will continue to walk with us, as you have always done, and
that our partnership will be a formidable one, bearing fruit for the people of
Zimbabwe.
I would like to commend the tripartite partners and especially
congratulate them for the work done in developing the document before us today.
It is known that consultations and negotiations among the tripartite partners
are usually protracted but I must pay tribute to them, for the hard work that
culminated in the development of this inclusive document.
I also hope
that in the same spirit of tripartism, the tripartite partners will engage the
ILO with a view to mobilising resources needed to implement the Decent Work
Country Programme. Hopefully once resources are mobilised, implementation will
start in the second quarter of 2013.
Finally, it is my singular honour
and privilege to declare the third generation of the Zimbabwe Decent Work
Country Programme officially launched.
I thank you.
--
MDC Information & Publicity Department
Harvest
House
44 Nelson Mandela Ave
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel: 00263 4 770
708
--
An
urgent letter to God: From a Zimbabwean
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Vince Musewe
14 February
2013
Vince Musewe says his country has suffered for too long
I
haven't written to you before, although I always speak to you, I thought
this time I would write you and I pray that you will reply my letter
soon.
Dear God,
I want to thank you for the blessings that you
have endowed upon Zimbabwe,
my country. I want to thank you for my beautiful
country and its weather and
its unlimited potential. I also want to thank
you for the humble people of
Zimbabwe who have endured 32 years of hardship,
disillusionment and poverty,
but have remained patient, steadfast and
faithful to you.
This is not because they chose it, but because you
deemed it necessary that
they endure it. As your word says, suffering and
hardship builds
perseverance, and perseverance builds character and
character builds hope.
In the end, it all brings us to that place joy and
peace and I sincerely
hope that, that will be the case by this time next
year.
God, many of our good people have died and left us too early,
before they
could contribute to and enjoy change in our country. This has
robbed us of
their energy and wisdom in contributing to build and develop
our country. I
know that I can never understand your ways, but I know that
in the end, all
will be well. I thank you for giving them to us and we
celebrate their lives
today and may they rest in peace.
God you know
what has been happening in my country. Your sons and daughters
in Zimbabwe
have been patient for change for a very long time. Always
hopeful and full
of expectation that one day, although it may tarry, your
promises will come
to pass. I beg you to forgive those that have been
responsible for the
suffering we have gone through. I ask that you bless
them and that in the
end; they too will confess their sins to you and turn
to you for your
unfailing mercy.
As we move towards the referendum and elections this
year, I ask you for
peace and tranquility. Please God, speak into the minds
of those that seek
to lead us. Can you also speak into the minds of all
ordinary Zimbabweans,
who have the responsibility to select those you have
already chosen to
lead,so that they may make the right choices.
We
need to renew our social value system in this country, and we need
leaders
who are not boastful, self centered, arrogant, cruel and greedy.
Give us a
leadership whose sole motive is to serve you. Make a way for them
to come to
the fore during this time of elections, but do let them know that
only you
can make it possible. Let them not boast or gloat but be humble
knowing that
it is not through human effort that we succeed but through your
unbounded
grace to us.
God, your word says that; whatever we ask of you with high
expectation and
faith, will be done unto us. We need a new leadership in
Zimbabwe in all
sectors. We need our country, that you have endowed with so
much, to finally
use that to the benefit of all Zimbabweans, black and
white. I ask you to
purge in all of us, the spirit of racism, hate and lack
of forgiveness about
the past. I ask that you make our leadership stop using
the past to commit
those acts that harm others and hold this country back. I
ask you that you
reveal to them their purpose in this life, so that they may
change their
ways and continually fear you.
My country Zimbabwe needs
your almighty power and blessings now, so that we
may eradicate poverty and
banish the suffering of your people. Let Zimbabwe
take its place in the
community of nations as a country that respects the
rights of its citizens,
human dignity, freedom of speech and the right to
pursue personal ambition
without any limitations from any man.
As you are aware, many of our
people are currently unemployed and are
seeking to make a living. God
please, open up new opportunities in this
country. We have so many minerals
and resources that we can use to benefit
our people. We have so much
fertile land that sits unused because of the
selfishness and greed of our
leaders. Give us the wisdom to use these gifts
wisely, so that Zimbabweans
may once again feed themselves and be able to
provide for their daily
needs.
You are a powerful God, and I ask that your power be evident in
all we do. I
ask you that you unleash that same power that resurrected your
son Jesus
Christ, to be available to us in these times. This will allow us
to revive
our economy and renew our country. Please replace the years that
the locusts
have eaten to each and every Zimbabwean who lost something since
2000. I
know you will do it, especially to those who were disposed of their
property, land and personal wealth in the name of justice. My dear God, I
know your justice is not like that. Give them peace and hope that in the
end, if they trust in you, you will replace all they have lost and
more.
Forgive our President, Robert Mugabe, for the sins of omission or
commission
that he may have committed against you or against Zimbabweans in
the past.
Please give him the wisdom of King Solomon in these times, so that
he may
finally accept the wishes of Zimbabweans. Above all give him peace
and
understanding. God I ask you to also forgive those men that may have
committed sins in our government. Forgive our ministers, senators,
governors, chiefs, army chiefs, police for what they have done in pursuit of
popularity and wealth at the expense of poor ordinary Zimbabweans. Renew
their spirits today so that they too may fear you.
Strengthen our
Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, so that he may be able to
complete his
life purpose. Let all those who stand with him and for the
right things
prevail in our society. Let no man or woman ever stand between
us and you
or cause so much pain to your children.
Root out from amongst us, those
who promote violence, expropriation, theft,
corruption and discontent. As I
speak to you, there are men who are plotting
violence against the innocent.
Men who are plotting evil each and every day
to stop change in Zimbabwe.
They are those who are planning to forcefully
take away what others have
worked for under the pretext of empowering us. I
ask you to cancel whatever
it is that they may be planning. I ask you to
thwart their evil plots and to
return the troubles they are planning for
others to them tenfold because you
are a just God.
I ask that you especially hold back the spirit of greed,
selfishness, pride
and the pursuit of material wealth that continues to
limit the potential
your sons and daughters here in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans
are consumed with
amassing as much personal wealth as they can, even in the
midst of poverty
and lack. Please come down and teach them your ways and let
them realize
that, there is only one kingdom worth to pursue; your kingdom.
Can you also
urgently cast away the false prophets that are mushrooming all
over the
country in pursuit of worldly material things in your churches?
Expose evil,
heal the sick, bless the poor and bring every black and white
Zimbabwean
closer to you this year.
My God, there are many
Zimbabweans out there who have fled their homes and
country of birth because
of the violence and persecution and lack of
opportunity. Please God, can
you bless and guide them wherever they are,
but hurry to bring them back
home so that they too may contribute to the
building of a new
Zimbabwe.
God, Zimbabwe needs you right now. Please let 2013 be year of
positive
change. Let 2013 be a year we remember that you came down from
heaven and
answered our prayers. Let this happen so that men may know who
you are.
Finally God, please forgive me too for my sins and please give
me unlimited
strength to carry on. I ask in particular that in these times
of change, I
fear no man, but you.
Thank you God for listening to me
and I know that you have already done what
I ask, because the bible tells me
so.
Your faithful son,
Vincent .
Vince Musewe is an
economic analyst based in Harare. You may contact him on
vtmusewe@gmail.com