The Scotsman
Mugabe awaits poll as opposition 'may lift boycott threat'
CRIS CHINAKA
IN HARARE
ROBERT Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, will launch his party’s
election campaign this week, with the main opposition expected to lift a boycott
threat hanging over the critical poll, party officials and analysts said
yesterday.
The veteran president has yet to announce a date for an
election expected to test how far his government has yielded to international
pressure for a fair vote, as well as the popularity of the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mr Mugabe, who turns 81 on 21 February,
just weeks short of marking 25 years in power, has attracted world attention in
the last five years over his seizures of white-owned farms for blacks and
charges he rigged Zimbabwe’s last two elections.
Government officials
said yesterday Mr Mugabe would officially launch his ZANU-PF party’s election
campaign this week.
"The official campaign will take place on Saturday,
and the expectation is that the president will announce a date for the elections
before he launches that campaign," one official said.
While Mr Mugabe’s
ruling ZANU-PF prepares its campaign, the MDC is due to meet tomorrow and
Thursday to decide whether to participate in the poll, which it had threatened
to boycott.
"The announcement is just a formality: it was decided weeks
ago that, although the conditions are not conducive for a free and fair
election, we have no choice but to participate," said one senior MDC official.
Analysts say that even if the MDC contests the election, it is unlikely
to end Zimbabwe’s long-running political crisis.
The MDC charges that
ZANU-PF robbed it of victory in the last parliamentary contest in June 2000, and
in the presidential poll in 2002 through rigging and a violent campaign that the
MDC says killed more than 200 opposition supporters.
Mr Mugabe,
Zimbabwe’s sole ruler since the southern African country’s independence from
Britain in 1980, denies the charges, and accuses his domestic and Western foes
of sabotaging the economy and wanting to oust him over his land seizures.
The MDC says recent electoral reforms - including the appointment of a
nominally independent electoral commission to run the March polls - do not meet
guidelines set by the 14-nation Southern African Development Community.
Mr Mugabe, who accuses the British government of sponsoring the MDC,
says the March polls will be an anti-Tony Blair campaign and a chance for his
ZANU-PF party to "bury" the MDC.
Western powers, led by Britain and the
United States, have imposed some sanctions against Mr Mugabe’s government over
the election disputes and controversial policies.
Analysts say
Zimbabwe’s problems are likely to continue while ZANU-PF remains in power,
although the view of the government held by sections of the international
community might improve if elections are not marred by violence.
"I
don’t think anyone is naive enough to think that the crisis is going to end with
the elections ... because there are some fundamental differences between the
government and the international community," said Lovemore Madhuku, of the
National Constitutional Assembly, a political pressure group.
With the
election campaign poised to begin, the founder of Zimbabwe’s ill-fated
pro-opposition Daily News said he plans to launch a weekly newspaper for exiled
compatriots in Britain and South Africa in time for the polls.
Wilf
Mbanga, whose Daily News was briefly closed by Zimbabwean authorities in 2003,
said he would launch the Zimbabwean on 11 February in Britain, with an initial
print-run of 120,000, and a Southern African edition published in Johannesburg.
"We believe the paper can play a role in drawing attention to so much that is
offensive to basic human decency and hostile to peace in our beloved Zimbabwe,"
Mr Mbanga said.
"We believe those in positions of authority and power
should be held accountable to those they are supposed to serve and that a free
media is fundamental to ensuring such accountability."
He added that the
tabloid publication "will obviously have a heavy emphasis on Zimbabwean
politics" but would also cover arts, culture, business, sports, and other
news.
|
|
[ This article was printed from Sundaytimes.co.za - home
of the Sunday Times, South Africa. ] |
Zanu(PF) politburo wants Moyo to go
Tuesday February 01, 2005 06:56 - (SA)
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's former spin
doctor, Jonathan Moyo, has come under renewed attack as party spokesman Nathan
Shamuyarira called for his immediate expulsion.
Shamuyarira was
yesterday quoted in state media as saying the politburo wanted Moyo dismissed
because "having a chap like him will reflect badly on both the party and
government".
The Zanu(PF) decision-making politburo is pushing Mugabe to
fire the beleaguered Moyo from the cabinet before the general election next
month.
Moyo has fallen out of favour with party officials close to
Mugabe since he called a meeting to discuss Mugabe's successor without the
knowledge of the president.
Senior politburo members expressed outrage
at Moyo during a meeting last Wednesday, saying he was destabilising the party
by attacking the leadership in the run-up to a crucial poll.
Mugabe
promised to deal with Moyo.
Since he was dropped from the central
committee and politburo last month for allegedly plotting a palace coup against
the leadership, Moyo has been on a fierce vitriolic crusade against top party
officials, especially chairman John Nkomo.
Moyo has locked horns with
several senior party officials, particularly Nkomo, Zanu (PF) politburo member
Dumiso Dabengwa, party spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira and vice-president Joseph
Msika.
Business Day |
Africa
Zimbabwe banking group faces legal challenge
Harare
01 February 2005 10:20
A brand-new
umbrella grouping of collapsed Zimbabwean banks got off to a rocky start after
one of its partners went to court to try to break free from the new banking
group, a daily newspaper said on Tuesday.
The Royal Bank -- one of the
three collapsed banks to be merged into the Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group (ZABG)
-- filed a suit in the Harare High Court on Monday against a central bank
decision to place it under curatorship and subsequently merge it into the ZABG,
the state-owned Herald said.
The ZABG, which started operations on Monday
in 22 branches across the country, comprises the Royal, Barbican and Trust banks
which were closed down last year.
In its suit, the Royal Bank is seeking
to bar the central bank from "using its premises, vehicles and other assets in
the new project".
It is also seeking to bar all advertisements in which
Royal Bank is identified as part of the ZABG and is against "the placing of ZABG
employees in the offices of Royal Bank or retrenching the employees of Royal
Bank".
The case was filed by Royal Bank chief executive Jeffrey Mzwimbi
and executive director Simba Durajadi, who themselves are accused of defrauding
the bank of millions of dollars.
In their suit they argue that the merger
of the Royal Bank in the ZABG "has been carried out without any consultation
with the directors, shareholders, creditors and depositors".
They also
claimed that the central bank had grossly misrepresented and undervalued the
Royal Bank's assets.
The central bank, which came up with the ZABG to
invigorate and clean up the country's crisis-ridden financial sector, plans to
take in more collapsed banks in the umbrella body provided they meet certain
criteria.
Central bank governor Gideon Gono, the chief architect of the
ZABG, did not react to the suit, but simply told The Herald: "We will meet them
in court." - Sapa-AFP
Rocky start to revival of Zimbabwean banks
February 1, 2005
Harare -
A brand-new umbrella grouping of collapsed Zimbabwean banks got off to a rocky
start after one of its partners went to court to try to break free from the new
banking group, a daily said Tuesday.
The Royal Bank - one of the three
collapsed banks to be merged into the Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group (ZABG) -
filed a suit in the Harare High Court on Monday against a central bank decision
to place it under curatorship and subsequently merge it in the ZABG, the
state-owned Herald said.
The ZABG, which started operations on Monday in
22 branches across the country, comprises the Royal, Barbican and Trust banks
which were closed down last year.
In its suit, the Royal Bank is seeking
to bar the central bank from "using its premises, vehicles and other assets in
the new project."
It is also seeking to bar all advertisements in which
Royal Bank is identified as part of the ZABG and against "the placing of ZABG
employees in the offices of Royal Bank or retrenching the employees of Royal
Bank."
The case was filed by Royal Bank chief executive Jeffrey
Mzwimbi and executive director Simba Durajadi who themselves are accused of
defrauding the bank of millions of dollars.
Their suit argued that the
merger of the Royal Bank in the ZABG "has been carried out without any
consultation with the directors, shareholders, creditors and
depositors."
They also claimed that the central bank had grossly
misrepresented and undervalued the Royal Bank's assets.
The central bank,
which came up with the ZABG to invigorate and clean up the country's
crisis-ridden financial sector, plans to take in more collapsed banks in the
umbrella body provided they meet certain criteria.
Central bank governor
Gideon Gono, the chief architect of the ZABG, did not react to the suit, but
simply told the Herald: "We will meet them in court." -
AFP
Business Report
Sunday Times
Expatriate Zimbabweans to fight voting ban
Tuesday
February 01, 2005 11:51 - (SA)
HARARE - Zimbabweans living abroad
are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by President Robert Mugabe's
government to bar them from voting in parliamentary elections in March,
newspapers said.
The Britain-based Diaspora Vote Action Group filed a
suit in the court seeking to overturn the "illegal" decision taken late last
year, the state-run Herald newspaper said.
The group is seeking an order
stating that all Zimbabwean citizens, regardless of their place of residence,
should be declared "eligible voters in all parliamentary and presidential
elections" while arguing that the government decision was unconstitutional.
"The current exclusion of Zimbabweans in the diaspora in the
participation of the country's political sphere is... not only discriminatory
but has no basis in law," it said.
There are an estimated 3.5 million
Zimbabweans living abroad, many of whom left their country in the wake of the
political turmoil from controversial elections in 2000 and 2002 that has left
the economy in tatters.
The suit, filed by six Zimbabweans living in
Britain, also pointed to elections held last year in nearby countries where
citizens living overseas had been allowed to vote.
"Botswana, which held
its general election in the latter part of 2004 was able to organise for its
citizens living in Zimbabwe to cast their vote at the embassy in Harare," it
said.
"Mozambicans in the recent general elections were able to fully
participate despite being resident out of the country."
Late last year,
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said that Zimbabwean expatriates could not
vote as the "constitution does not allow people not residing in any constituency
to vote," The Herald reported.
Chinamasa also said that allowing
overseas-based Zimbabweans to cast their ballot could lead to "ghost voting" and
further argued that even if they were allowed to vote, Zimbabwean officials
could not register them.
"This was because both the political and public
service leadership have been banned from travelling to such countries as Britain
and the United States," The Herald said.
There is a travel ban on
Zimbabwean leaders following flawed elections in 2000 and 2002 which the
opposition and rights groups say were marred by violence, fraud and
intimidation, a charge angrily denied by the government.
President
Robert Mugabe's ruling party, in power since the southern African country's
independence from Britain in 1980, hopes to improve its showing in the upcoming
polls.
The date of the election is expected to be announced this week
and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will also decide
whether or not to contest the polls.
The elections will be a litmus test
of Zimbabwe's pledge to a southern African regional grouping to stage free and
fair elections.
AFP
IOL
Banks reopen but clients still can't get cash
February 01
2005 at 11:52AM
Three collapsed banks reopened in Zimbabwe on Monday
under the aegis of a new umbrella banking group that President Robert Mugabe's
government hopes will revive the ailing financial sector.
Clients whose
money was locked up in the Royal, Barbican and Trust banks - shut down last year
- queued from morning to withdraw their funds at 22 branches of the new Zimbabwe
Allied Banking Group (ZABG).
But angry customers complained they still
couldn't access their money.
A ZABG official, who declined to give his
name, said account holders in the three collapsed banks would only be able to
withdraw a one-off sum of five million Zimbabwean dollars from the ZABG while
the rest of their savings would be turned into shares.
"Clients will
have shares in ZABG and they can decide whether to sell their shares or not when
the bank registers on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. Opening an account is not a
means by which to access your money," she said.
The ZABG initially
comprises the three banks but other distressed banks are expected to
join.
Zimbabwe's financial sector was wracked by a crisis last year that
left seven banks under curatorship and three financial institutions
liquidated.
"We need money at the moment not shares in ZABG and this is
confusing because we thought the purpose was for us to access our funds," said
account holder Gilbert Kayaya, walking out of a ZABG branch with a sheaf of
forms.
The central bank plans to inject two trillion dollars into the
ZABG. - Sapa-AFP
This article was originally published on page 6 of
Pretoria News on February 01, 2005
SBAC
February
01, 2005, 11:45
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) group is to be kicked out of
Zimbabwe if it went ahead with a planned visit to that country, the Zimbabwean
labour minister said today. "We will kick them out, yes, certainly. We will not
allow them to come into the country unless they follow the correct procedures,"
Paul Mangwana, the labour minister, said.
The 20-strong Cosatu
delegation, headed by Zwelinzima Vavi, its secretary-general, was to leave for
Harare from the Johannesburg Airport at 10.50 tomorrow morning, the trade union
said earlier today.
Mangwane said Cosatu should have approached him via
Membathisi Mdladlana, his South African counterpart, about the visit, but had
failed to do so. Cosatu believed there was no legal reason for it to be thrown
out of Zimbabwe, Paul Notyawa, a Cosatu spokesperson, said yesterday. "We have
valid passports and visas, we don't know what other protocols we are supposed to
have followed."
In October last year, a Cosatu delegation to Zimbabwe
was sent packing after spending only a few hours in that country. They were
hustled onto a bus in the middle of the night and deposited at Beit Bridge, the
border post between the two countries. - Sapa
SABC
February 01, 2005, 06:15
Membathisi Mdladlana, the labour minister, has told Cosatu that he has been
qouted out of context to say that the union needs permission to go to Zimbabwe.
This comes after Mdladlana met with Paul Mangwana, his Zimbabwean counterpart,
to discuss labour issues. Mdladlana says he is not convinced that there is a
need for Cosatu to visit Zimbabwe, as issues raised by the federation can be
handled through the social dialogue provision enshrined in a memorandum of
understanding between the two countries.
Paul Notyawa, a Cosatu
spokesperson, said Mdladlana explained himself and said that he has been
misconstrued in that statement. Mdladlana further went on to explain that all
that he meant was that Cosatu must comply with laws of Zimbabwe, in fact he
expressed that he was referring to passports, visas and other relevant
paperwork.
Interest rates to fall further
By Brian Benza
INTEREST rates are
expected to tumble down even further after today’s cut in the overnight
accommodation rate by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, fast eroding the need for
the dual interest rate policy.
In the fourth quarter monetary policy
review statement last week, the RBZ announced that it was going to reduce the
overnight accommodation rate to 95 percent from 110 percent for secured lending
and from 120 percent to 105 percent for unsecured borrowing with effect from
today.
Overnight accommodation rate is the interest rate at which a
depository institution lends immediately available funds (balances within the
central bank) to another depository institution overnight.
Commercial
banks will consequently be expected to pull down their lending rates against the
background of cheaper funds from the RBZ which should be passed onto the
borrowing public.
Presently, most commercial banks are charging in the
128 to 150 percent range.
Deposit rates, on the other hand, will be
pulled down by the fall in the overnight rate leaving investors on the money
market further exposed to negative returns.
In line with the declining
annual inflation rate, the fall in the interest rates was expected as the
convergence between the market rate and concessional rate edges closer,
threatening the existence of the dual interest rate policy.
The
Productive Sector Facility will be phased out in June and by then, according to
the RBZ forecast, the overnight rate would have dropped to around 70 percent.
The PSF was set up to stimulate positive supply response from the
productive sector at the beginning of 2004 when lending rates on the market were
over 400 percent.
Fourteen months after the introduction of the PSF,
some analysts, are still sceptical about its usefulness, citing distortions in
market trends.
"Although this is a noble idea, it has been difficult to
de-link the Treasury Bill (TB) rate, which determines all other rates in the
economy, with other interest rates.
"This basically means if the
Government wants to increase output and employment, it reduces interest rates
(lending rates) and this increases investment, as the cost of capital will have
fallen. The opposite is also true if the Government wants to slow down economic
activity to prevent the economy from overheating," observed a Harare financial
markets analyst.
Although there has been an outcry from some sectors
over the "untimely demise" of the concessional funds, RBZ expects the goal of
interest rates parity to be complete during the course of 2005.
The
central bank has, however, not lost sight of some of the obstacles it will have
to overcome before it reaches "the promised land".
"In setting the
interest rate policy, the Reserve Bank will continue to also take into account
developments in the foreign exchange market and the need to manage pressures on
the exchange rate.
"A balanced approach will therefore continue to be
adopted over the outlook period," said the RBZ in the monetary policy review.
Last week’s indication that interest rates will tumble further induced
an investor exodus from the money market to the equities market which gained by
a positive 9 percent the day after the policy review statement.
Although
it was possible to keep lending rates on the productive and export finance
facilities low, the same cannot be said for the deposit rates side, which the
central bank is trying frantically to cut down amid stiff resistance from market
forces.
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 6:18 PM
Subject: ZIMBABWE:
//CORRECTION//"Govt has to import to improve food
security
situation"
ATTN SUBSCRIBERS:
This version corrects the
original article by making clear in para 6 the
reference is to millions of
metric tonnes.
JOHANNESBURG, 31 Jan 2005 (IRIN) - Humanitarian workers
are concerned about
the food security situation in Zimbabwe but told IRIN the
extent of the
problem hinges on the ability of the government to import
enough grain to
cover a production deficit.
The US-funded Famine Early
Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) last week said
5.8 million Zimbabweans -
almost half the population - were in need of food
aid.
In its overview
of food security threats in sub-Saharan Africa, FEWS NET
noted that the
situation in Zimbabwe is "deteriorating", and "staple food
availability is
declining as market prices continue to rise".
The minister of lands,
agriculture and rural development, Joseph Made, has
dismissed the FEWS NET
report. He was quoted by the official newspaper, The
Herald, as saying,
"Those claims from the West are simply because we have
embarked on an
anti-Blair [British Prime Minister] campaign for our
elections, and they can
see the land is in our hands. This is a clear signal
of how desperate they
are."
Made said the state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB), which holds
a
monopoly on the purchase and distribution of cereals, was
distributing
370,000 mt of grain. "That is besides the 400,000 mt sitting in
our
strategic reserve. Apart from that, we are moving some carryover stock
into
the country."
The government has maintained that Zimbabwe
produced 2.4 million mt of maize
last year, against a national requirement of
about 1.8 million mt. However,
a report by the parliamentary portfolio
committee on lands and agriculture
revealed that by October 2004, the GMB had
received only 388,558 mt: the
board told the committee that some farmers
preferred to hold onto their
grain stocks rather than sell to the
GMB.
Independent estimates said the country produced only about 1 million
mt of
maize last year.
In May 2004 the government decided not to renew
an appeal for international
food aid and controversially cancelled a crop
assessment mission by the Food
and Agriculture Organisation and World Food
Programme (WFP), claiming there
would be a bumper harvest.
According
to the South African Grain Information Services (SAGIS), more than
32,000 mt
of maize was exported to Zimbabwe through South Africa between
November 2004
and January this year.
A report on informal cross-border food trade,
released by FEWS NET last
week, indicated that since July 2004, Zimbabweans
had also informally
imported 8,290 mt from Zambia.
Aid workers in
Zimbabwe told IRIN they suspected the figures reflected in
the SAGIS
import/export records were "too low" and did not fully reflect the
amount of
grain the government was bringing into the country.
They also stressed
that the government's capacity to cover its import bill
would determine the
food security situation over what is traditionally the
lean season, from
December to March.
The humanitarian community faces a difficult working
environment in
Zimbabwe, and aid officials said it was difficult to gather a
comprehensive
assessment of household-level food availability in the
countryside.
But, according to separate surveys released by both FEWS NET
and WFP earlier
this month, while staple cereals are increasingly unavailable
in rural
areas, maize prices on the parallel market continue to climb,
limiting the
ability of households to buy enough food to satisfy their
needs.
"Zimbabweans have been facing food shortages since 2002 [when 7.2
million
people through to March 2003 were in need of food aid] and their
coping
mechanisms are exhausted", an aid worker commented.
Chris
McIvor of the development agency Save the Children, which operates in
the
impoverished northern Zambezi Valley said, "People's survival strategies
have
raised similar concerns, as they did in 2002, primarily because of the
impact
on children's lives. For example, their withdrawal from school; the
time
spent on labour activities rather than on education; the exposure to
hazards
occasioned by trying to find wild foods to supplement their
family's
diet.
"We continue to note a high incidence of chronic
malnutrition [in the
Zambezi Valley], which is indicative of a perennial food
shortage in the
area, which impacts on the growth of children. Acute
malnutrition, which is
an indicator of sudden food crisis, continues to
remain relatively benign."
Other aid workers said the GMB was struggling
to regularly supply all its
depots in the countryside. Maize was available in
some GMB outlets, but only
for "a few days" at a time.
A Zimbabwe
Vulnerability Assessment Committee report in April 2004, endorsed
by the
government, projected that around 41 percent of the rural population
(3.3
million people) would be food insecure from December 2004 to March 2005
if
the price of maize reached Zim $750/kg. Maize is already selling at above
Zim
$1,100/kg in most rural areas, reaching Zim $2,000/kg in the worst
hit
districts, FEWS NET said in a report published in November.
The
cost of living in urban areas increased steadily during 2004, and
the
majority of urban households struggle to meet their basic
expenditure
requirements, FEWS NET said.
The cost of food, as well as
non-food items, rose by 92 percent from January
to November 2004, but wages
failed to keep up. According to the Consumer
Council of Zimbabwe, the minimum
industrial wage of Zim $500,000 (about US
$86.96) could cover only 31 percent
of the November expenditure basket.
Zimbabwe could have another poor
harvest this year after late seasonal
rains, particularly in the midlands and
southern provinces, and lack of
inputs for farmers.
WFP spokesman Mike
Huggins said although it was too early to make a
definitive assessment,
"Delayed rains, given the limited availability of
fertilisers and seeds, and
low tillage, these are some concerns about
Zimbabwe's harvest
prospects."
IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11
447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za
[This Item is Delivered to the
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humanitarian information unit, but
may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further
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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs 2005
From Zim Online (SA), 1 February
Retired army commander also eyed
vice-presidency ahead of wife
Mutare - Retired General Solomon Mujuru, the
influential ruling Zanu PF party politburo member, also wanted to become the
country's vice-president ahead of his wife Joyce but opted out because he had
"so many disadvantages". Mujuru told Zanu PF supporters in Mutare recently that
after taking into account "disadvantages" he would encounter if he had stood for
the post, he paved the way for Joyce whom he said had "more advantages than
him". Mujuru did not explain the kind of "disadvantages" he would have faced had
he stood for the post, left vacant following the death of Simon Muzenda. But
analysts believe the powerful and wealthy former army commander did not want to
upset the influential Zanu PF women's league who were pushing for a woman
vice-president. "You see," Mujuru said, "When I realised that my wife had more
advantages than me, I told her to contest ahead of me because in any case this
is now a family position. But the problem was that Sekeremayi (Sydney) also
wanted the post. So I told them to go into closed negotiations. They came out
and told me they had agreed that Joyce would stand for the post."
Sydney
Sekeramayi is one of President Mugabe's confidantes. He did not publicly express
his desire to contest for the post of vice-president although it now turns out
he was also interested. The ruling party's women's league, at their congress
last year, unanimously agreed to have a woman candidate to replace Muzenda.
Joyce Mujuru was subsequently elected at the party's congress in December last
year amid heavy support from Zanu PF stalwarts, including President Mugabe and
his wife Grace, Joseph Msika, John Nkomo, Oppah Muchinguri, Kumbirai Kangai,
Dumiso Dabengwa and Rtd General Mujuru. Joyce Mujuru faced a stiff challenge
from Emmerson Mnangagwa, the parliamentary speaker and the then Zanu PF
secretary for administration. She beat Mnangagwa - thanks to last-minute
arm-twisting tactics applied by Mugabe. Most top Zanu PF members who supported
Mnangagwa, including Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Chinamasa, burnt their fingers
and have been thrown into the Zanu PF political dust bin.
Mugabe Snuffs Zimbabwe Tobacco, Fueling Zambia Boom (Update1)
Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Miklos Marffy lost his home, his farm and his crop two
years ago when Zimbabwe's government seized his land near the northeastern town
of Mvurwi. Last year, he grew $460,000 of tobacco in neighboring Zambia after a
``reassuring'' visit from President Levy Mwanawasa.
Zimbabwe's neighbors are profiting from President Robert Mugabe's land
redistribution program, which has ravaged the world's second-biggest tobacco
export industry since 2000. More than 340 commercial farmers have relocated to
Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania, creating jobs and boosting exports from
some of the world's poorest countries.
``The entry of Zimbabwean farmers into Zambia is a blessing to agriculture,''
says Chance Kabaghe, 50, the chairman of Zambia Seed Co., who was deputy
agriculture minister until last month and lives in the capital, Lusaka. ``They
bring with them the latest technology and knowledge.''
Universal Corp., the world's biggest tobacco-leaf merchant, and No. 3
Standard Commercial Corp. are backing the farmers so they can get loans from
banks such as Barclays Plc and Standard Chartered Plc. The aid helps ensure
supplies of the flue-cured tobacco used to flavor cigarette brands such as
Reynolds American Inc.'s Camel and Altria Group Inc.'s Marlboro, after
Zimbabwe's production fell by three-quarters in the past four years.
Zimbabwe last year accounted for about 4 percent of global exports of the
highest quality flue-cured tobacco, which cigarette makers buy for
characteristics such as color and oil content. Five years ago, Zimbabwe had
about 20 percent of world exports, second only to Brazil.
`Big Imbalance'
Farmers received an average of $2.02 a kilogram (2.2 pounds) for leaf sold at
Zimbabwe's annual tobacco auctions last year, up from $1.69 in 2000, according
to the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, based in the capital, Harare.
``Some of the world's best quality tobacco suddenly disappeared,'' says
Antonio Abrunhosa, chief executive officer of the International Tobacco Growers
Association, based in Castelo Branco, Portugal. ``This created a big imbalance
in supply and demand for quality tobacco.''
Farmers have to invest at least $150,000 to buy land, install irrigation
equipment and build the barns and furnaces needed to produce flue-cured tobacco,
and some have borrowed more than $1 million, says Chimwemwe Mtonga, senior
manager of business support at Lusaka-based Barclays Bank Zambia Plc.
Lower grade burley and fire-cured tobacco, which are cheaper to produce,
garner lower prices.
`Mentoring System'
Richmond, Virginia-based Universal and Wilson, North Carolina- based Standard
Commercial are contracting farmers to grow the tobacco at guaranteed prices,
helping them win loans from banks such as Standard Chartered and Barclays, both
of which are based in London. They are also asking larger farmers to advise
smaller growers on sowing, tending and curing the crop.
``We expect the commercial farmers will provide expertise to small farmers in
a sort of mentoring system,'' says Karen Whelan, a Universal spokeswoman. ``The
large-scale growers, many of whom were forced out of Zimbabwe, have long
experience in growing the quality of leaf required in the international
market.''
Universal last year bought 15 million kilograms of flue-cured tobacco and 3.5
million tons of burley from 47 large growers in Zambia and 5,515 small farmers.
That compares with 3.1 million kilograms of flue-cured and 1.8 million kilograms
of burley in 2000. The company forecasts Zambia will produce 26.7 million
kilograms of tobacco this year.
In Mozambique, Zimbabwe's neighbor to the east, Universal bought 591,000
kilograms of flue-cured tobacco from 12 large-scale farmers last year. It bought
none in 2000. Universal forecasts tobacco production will rise to 4.3 million
kilograms this year.
Malawi Production
Malawi, which juts into Mozambique from the north and shares its western
border with Zambia, produced 23.2 million kilograms of flue-cured tobacco last
year, up from 11.2 million kilograms in 2002, Universal says. The 2005 forecast
is for a crop of 30 million kilograms.
The increased purchases in neighboring countries helped make up for the
decline in Zimbabwe. Universal bought about 14 million kilograms of tobacco in
the country last year, down from 100 million kilograms four years earlier.
Speaking of the farmers who have moved into the surrounding area from
Zimbabwe, Abrunhosa says: ``They have been very important in boosting tobacco
production. The economic impact is huge.''
With backing from Standard Commercial and a loan from London- based Standard
Chartered, Marffy paid $108,000 for two irrigation pivots, and installed pumps
and curing equipment on the 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of land he bought near
Mkushi, 100 miles northeast of Lusaka.
Presidential Welcome
Marffy, 48, who lives with his wife and three children in a farmhouse on the
property, says he reaped 230,000 kilograms of tobacco last year and plans to
grow 300,000 kilograms this year.
In addition to tobacco, the 150 Zimbabwean farmers who have moved to Zambia
grow soy, wheat and flowers. Some export seed corn to Zimbabwe, once an exporter
of crop seeds. Marffy grows soybeans for sale on the market and corn to help
feed his workers.
Mwanawasa in August met with about 20 former Zimbabwean farmers at the Mkushi
Country Club and promised that the government would obey the law and respect
their property rights.
``President Mwanawasa visited us and told us that we should treat Zambia as
our home,'' Marffy says. ``It was really reassuring to have the president
welcome you.''
Tobacco production is helping reduce Zambia's dependence on copper and
cobalt, which made up more than half of exports last year.
Agriculture now accounts for 17 percent of economic output, Kabaghe says. In
1990, the figure was 12 percent, according to the Washington-based International
Monetary Fund. Tobacco production has more than tripled in the past four years,
and the government forecasts exports of the crop will total $40 million this
season.
Skills and Experience
``Large-scale farming is beginning to pick up, and that is helping diversify
the economy,'' says Jan Duvenage, an economist at Standard Bank Group Ltd. in
Johannesburg. ``Africa needs skills. The Zimbabwean farmers have skills and the
experience of running large farms.''
Zambia is the 10th-poorest nation among 134 countries ranked by the
Washington-based World Bank, with per-capita gross national income of $770.
About 73 percent of Zambia's people live in poverty, and life expectancy at
birth is 33.4 years.
Marffy says he employs as many as 200 people and pays them at least 6,500
kwacha ($1.42) a day. That's about twice the minimum wage for non-union workers.
``In the past, it was easy to find farmworkers. All you had to do was walk to
the main road and recruit some people,'' says Clifford Musonda, 31, a farmworker
in Mkushi. ``Now it's not possible because everybody has jobs. The only ones who
don't have jobs are the lazy ones.''
Nigeria Next?
While Zimbabwe's neighbors have been the first to benefit, other countries
are keen to follow.
The Nigerian government is offering 1,000 hectares of land and loans of as
much as $1 million to farmers who relocate to the West African country from
Zimbabwe, says Bruce Gemmill, whose farm was seized in 2002.
``I am looking at Nigeria,'' says Gemmill, 70, who grew tobacco and fruit on
his property 70 miles east of Harare. ``The government there has been helpful.
It has gone out of its way.''
Zimbabwe, once southern Africa's second-biggest economy after South Africa,
has been hit hard by the departure of its farmers.
The land seizures, which began in 2000 as Mugabe pledged to return land
stolen from blacks in colonial times, have shut down most of Zimbabwe's 4,000
commercial farms, displaced many of the country's 310,000 farmworkers and
deepened a six-year recession.
Zimbabwe's Recession
The economy shrank 30 percent in the five years to 2004, according to the
IMF. Unemployment is more than 70 percent, and the United Nations' World Food
Program estimates that 41 percent of the country's 11.8 million people may not
have enough to eat until the next harvest in April and May.
A 2003 study commissioned by Mugabe found that 127,000 families had moved
onto the confiscated farms. While some of the resettled farmers have taken up
tobacco production, quality and production have fallen.
The record 237 million kilograms of tobacco harvested in 2000 were grown by
8,531 farmers, compared with the 12,700 who grew 68 million kilograms last year,
according to the Web site of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association. Universal expects
Zimbabwe to produce 90 million kilograms of tobacco this year, while the
government forecasts 115 million kilograms.
The small growers favored by Mugabe reap about 900 kilograms from each of
their one-hectare plots. Commercial farmers produce more than 3,000 kilograms
per hectare on 45-hectare plantations, says Rodney Ambrose, CEO of Zimbabwe
Tobacco.
`Massive Decline'
Production of corn, wheat, soy, cut flowers and paprika has also slumped.
Zimbabwe, which once ran the highest-yielding corn farms in southern Africa, is
importing the grain from South Africa, Zambia, Argentina and the U.S.
``In the commercial sector there has been a massive decline, as much as 90
percent in some crop sectors like soy and corn,'' says Kuda Ndoro, an economist
at the Commercial Farmers Union in Harare.
Agriculture now makes up 14 percent of Zimbabwe's economy, down from 18
percent in 2000, the union's figures show.
Even if Zimbabwe were to change its policies, many farmers say they won't
return.
``At 48, I am getting too old for a new start,'' says Marffy, who moved to
Zimbabwe with his family in 1960 after their farm in Hungary was confiscated by
the socialist government. ``Whatever happens in Zimbabwe, whether there is a new
regime or not, I can't go back, even though I love the country so much.''
To contact the reporter on this story:
Antony Sguazzin in the Johannesburg bureau
or asguazzin@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor of this story:
Stephen Farr at sfarr@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 1,
2005 03:58 EST
BBC
Zimbabwe urges SA union stay away |
Cosatu feels trade union solidarity with Zimbabwe's
opposition | A Zimbabwean
minister has warned South African unions not to go ahead with a planned visit
this week, intended to highlight Zimbabwe's political crisis.
Labour Minister Paul Mangwana is quoted by state media as saying the
delegation would be sent to jail, elsewhere he says they would be deported.
Last year, a Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) delegation was
deported from Zimbabwe.
The high-profile trip could threaten relations between the two neighbours.
South Africa is seen as a key player in attempts to resolve Zimbabwe's
problems and some have called for it to stop supplying subsidised electricity to
put pressure on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
Union solidarity
"Comrade Mangwana said they would be thrown into Chikurubi [high security
jail] if they come," a ZBC radio bulletin reported.
But South African Press Association quoted him as saying:
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is a former
unionist | "We will kick them
out, yes, certainly. We will not allow them to come into the country unless they
follow the correct procedures."
The 20-member Cosatu team led by secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi no longer
plans to meet government officials or human rights groups and says it is on a
"fact-finding" assignment ahead of parliamentary elections expected in March.
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Barnaby Phillips says several South African
ministers have been publicly supportive of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe,
while Cosatu has criticised human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe government suspects that Cosatu supports the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC), which was formed by Zimbabwe's trade unions.
Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven insisted that Wednesday's trip would go ahead
and said they were prepared to go to jail.
South Africa's ruling African National Congress, which has been reluctant to
criticise Zimbabwe, has backed the Cosatu trip but on Monday, Labour Minister
Membathisi Mdladlana said the mission could threaten the two countries'
relations.
|
Reyters
Zimbabweans Abroad Demand Postal Vote in CourtTue Feb 1, 2005 07:38 AM ET
By Stella Mapenzauswa
HARARE (Reuters) - A group of Zimbabweans based in Britain have filed an
urgent application in the Supreme Court challenging laws that bar them from
voting in elections due in March, their lawyer said.
Under existing electoral legislation, only those Zimbabweans out of their
home constituencies on national duty during elections can cast postal votes -- a
stipulation critics say has disenfranchised more than 3 million Zimbabweans
living abroad.
Zimbabwe's voters roll has 5.6 million names on it, but it is not clear how
many of those people are living abroad.
Harare lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said on Tuesday she had filed court papers on
behalf of six Zimbabweans who argue that the law "curtails our rights to freedom
of expression as it clearly curtails our rights to express ourselves politically
through the electoral process."
In the application, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, the
six said President Robert Mugabe's government should honor the right of
nationals abroad to vote in Zimbabwe's elections in the same manner it had
accepted their help in reviving the southern African country's ailing economy.
"This acceptance has manifested itself through programs such as the Homelink
in terms of which Zimbabweans in the diaspora send to Zimbabwe through
government channels much needed foreign currency which is in turn used for such
necessary imports such as fuel and electricity," the application said.
An estimated 3.5 million Zimbabweans live outside the country, some having
fled political turmoil over the past five years, while the majority sought
better living conditions in the face of an economic crisis which has seen
inflation soar to three-digit levels. Unemployment is over 70 percent.
Critics blame the crisis on Mugabe's government, which they say wants to
block Zimbabweans abroad from voting because it perceives them to support the
main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which has emerged as the
stiffest challenge to Mugabe's 25-year grip on power.
The MDC says the ruling ZANU-PF party rigged parliamentary elections in 2000
and a presidential vote which Mugabe controversially won two years later.
Mugabe insists he won fairly, and charges the MDC is a puppet of former
colonial power Britain which Harare claims has led a campaign to undermine the
economy over the seizure of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution
among landless blacks.
From The Cape Times (SA), 1 February
Just like Oom Fanie, Mugabe's enemies ruthlessly lost everything
By John Scott
Many years ago I attended an
election meeting in the Paarl town hall where the chairman, Oom Fanie van der
Merwe, provocatively threw himself off the stage three times in one evening,
landing each time on the press tables. At least, that is what I discovered
afterwards. At the time I thought National Party MPs and others had manhandled
Fanie and thrown him off. He was chairing a meeting of the extremist breakaway
group, the Herstigte Nasionale Party, when the Nats turned up and demanded to
use the microphone. Fanie said if they wanted a microphone, they could hire
their own. This naturally infuriated the Nats, who then appeared to grapple with
Fanie and push him bodily down into the audience. Every time he stormed back on
stage, they seemingly flung him off. Later the Nats said Fanie had thrown
himself off the stage, to inflame the audience and make the governing party look
like bullies. It proved to me that even when you are on the spot, you don't
always realise what is really happening.
The same thing has now obviously
happened in Zimbabwe. We all thought the white farmers had been forcibly thrown
off their farms, their buildings and machinery seized, and their workers beaten
up. Quite a lot of the farmers got beaten up themselves, and a few died. But it
wasn't like that at all, apparently. Robert Mugabe's chaps say that the white
farmers were actually working in cahoots with the British government and
stage-managed the looting of their own properties to discredit the Zimbabwean
administration. It shows you that the Zim whiteys will stop at nothing, even
deprive themselves of all their possessions and their sole source of income. The
most sinister aspect is that some 4 000 farmers did this. It was clearly a
conspiracy of massive proportions. No wonder the president is cross with them.
It's almost enough to make him take a white farm by force, as the farmers claim
he did.
Now that my eyes have been opened, I wouldn't be surprised if the
independent newspapers in Zimbabwe voluntarily closed themselves down, and the
foreign journalists deported themselves. The police who broke up MDC rallies and
threw opposition politicians in jail were probably paid to do so by Morgan
Tsvangirai to evoke international sympathy. No doubt the government was tricked
into the prohibition on toyi-toying in Harare's streets, the ban on toy whistles
to register displeasure with the regime, and the veto on the use of red on
Zimbabwean TV (because it coincides with the colour of the official opposition),
to make it look stupid. Just like Oom Fanie, who was prepared to break his own
neck in Paarl all those years ago, Robert Mugabe's enemies are absolutely
ruthless
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 8:53 AM
Subject:Re "Help" - MDC Disclaimer
I
have been contacted by the MDC Legal Department to say that although
the
Courts have ruled that the Political Parties Foreign Funding Act
is
unconstitutional, it is still the law of the land and it is
therefore
illegal for the MDC as such to fund raise outside the country. The
message I
sent out under the heading "Help" does not mention the MDC but
because it
went out from my office, it might be assumed that this is so. To
avoid any
possible confusion, ZIMFUND, both local and in SA is non partisan
and is
being operated simply to support the democratic process in Zimbabwe.
As you
know this was a function carried out in two previous elections by
civil
society NGO's. This will not be possible this time because of yet
further
legistalation that has banned this activity by NGO's. So we are left
with no
alternative but private, non partisan effort.
So this appeal
is NOT MDC but if you have any queries please call me on my
cell phone - 263
91 227 144.
Eddie Cross
1 February 2005
PRESIDENT TSVANGIRAI’S TUESDAY MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE OF
ZIMBABWE
Our party leadership, the national executive and the national
council meet this week to examine and audit our growth, to analyze existing
political challenges and to map out the future after five years of a fervent
democratic struggle for freedom.
We believe we have won that struggle;
we believe we are firmly driving the political agenda. What remains in dispute
though is how to arrive at a valid power allotment mechanism to turn the
people’s vision and values into reality.
Like all African political
transitions, we are in a delicate phase to contain a potentially wayward
behaviour of a regime that is losing power and for the MDC to steer a determined
and victorious people to claim their freedom permanently and in
earnest.
Given our experience over the past five years, we need an
opportunity to express our political feelings with a clear understanding that
elections occupy a central role in political transitions, particularly where
previous elections have been disputed and there is evidence that past electoral
processes were deeply flawed. We must maintain our vigilance.
For the
first time in 25 years, it is clear to the tormentor and the tormented that the
end is in sight. The challenge facing our nation today rests on the management
of this sensitive period. The democratic struggle is finally assuming a new
dimension. We are now at a stage where the test is on our leadership, at all
levels and across the political divide, to show patriotism and mirror the
people’s wishes.
For five years, we never regarded an election as an end
in itself. Our goal is, and has been, to transform our political culture, to
roll the nation back to the ideals of the liberation struggle, to extend basic
freedoms and to put together all aspects of our nation into single
entity.
Our democracy project has advanced significantly, withstood the
regime’s plan to destroy the people’s spirit and cruised through the rough
waters of this post-colonial tyranny with a determination similar to that shown
during the struggle for independence. I am glad to acknowledge that the MDC has
provided the platform for a resolute and an unwavering expression of a critical
national sentiment during this difficult period.
The forthcoming
election could provide the medium through which the people realise their
cherished goals. We are keen to take part in this process, provided the
conditions on the ground are right. We pledge to respect the will of the
people.
The party’s leadership is therefore set to make a decision that
has the potential to change the course of our history. Whether we opt to stay at
home or not, the ensuing consequences shall push the political temperature
beyond boiling point and hasten the demise of tyranny in our country.
A
democratic election can mark the beginning of an intense period of societal
evolution as the people assert their authority and sovereignty; launch a new
Zimbabwe and commence a new beginning anchored by public control, national unity
and national healing.
The choices are obvious. The status quo has become
untenable, totally unable to move the nation ahead. The status quo is a serious
national liability; a real threat to national security and national survival.
The status quo is loathed by our neighbours and the international community – in
short, the world is uncomfortable with present-day Zimbabwe. These negatives, as
we have seen during the past five years, are very harmful to the tormentor and
the tormented, the regime and the people. The era of madness must come to an
end.
Judging by the mood on the ground, we understand the country is
ready to put an end to uncertainty, political anxiety and fear. We are ready to
embark on a decisive road towards the democratisation of our nation and our
institutions; and to introduce a far-reaching political culture, with freedom as
the foundation for prosperity.
In my interaction with the people at the
weekend in Chiredzi South, through Rutenga, in Mwenezi and Chivi, in Gokwe in
the north west, in Zhombe, in Kwekwe and in Kadoma, I was encouraged by a
consistent and uniform message pointing to the demise of the dictatorship. I am
happy to record that the majority have already made their political choices. The
people have already taken sides, out of the realization that neutrality or
fence-sitting helps the tyrant – thus delaying our plan for a new
Zimbabwe.
In much of our communities, the question is no longer how and
when Zimbabwe shall be out of the woods. The people are already far ahead of the
process, making suggestions on the development format Zimbabwe must adopt,
presenting alternatives for a re-engagement with the international community,
debating the restoration of their dignity and food security, and renewing our
economic base to generate jobs.
The debate is beyond the election. The
debate has been placed firmly on rural development, on how to combat the
perennial humanitarian emergencies, averting chronic shortages of basic goods
and services and on national reconciliation. The status quo has failed the
people because of the regime’s failure and inability to inform, engage, include,
consult and empower ordinary Zimbabweans.
An analysis of the regime’s
vision, programmes and behaviour shows that it is no longer possible for the
status quo to turn around the nation’s fortunes. That leaves the people with a
single option to start afresh, in a new setting, with a leadership that has a
clean record and unblemished ideas.
Coming out of a violent five years,
Zimbabweans have begun to put up building blocks for love, political space and
freedom. The people are no longer silent about their vision for Zimbabwe. They
have realized that silence assists the oppressor; so they are speaking out
robustly against violence. In their churches, villages, streets and settlements,
the people have vowed to put a stop to violence and to cast away a boss-ridden,
warlord culture where force is celebrated and choices are suppressed. Their main
worry is centred on the future.
As we face the most trying moment in our
history, let us seize the opportunity to embrace the national call to effective
political service; a call to invest in the resolution of the crisis of
governance. We can only start to rehabilitate our nation if we accept that
Zimbabwe needs a new beginning.
We understand the weight of your
expectations on the MDC. We are aware of the serious questions, demanding
serious answers, which you are asking every day. We are relieved by the fact
that our values as a social democratic party and as post-liberation formation
direct us to pay attention to these concerns. The nation is with us in this
regard, ready to rise and make sure that Zimbabwe succeeds.
We believe
we must go an extra mile and seize an exit arrangement for a permanent solution
to Zimbabwe’s transitional anguish. The people have charted the way forward. Let
us provide the essential leadership. We eagerly await the outcome of our series
of consultations and political reviews within the next few
days.
Together, we shall win.
Morgan Tsvangirai
President.
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 2:31 AM
Subject: SOUTH AFRICA: Begging to get off the streets
SOUTH AFRICA: Begging to get off the streets
[This report
does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 1 February (IRIN) - Sarah Mudzingwa does not
remember the
last time she had a decent meal, and it's been more than three
years since
she and her three children had a proper roof over their
heads.
A cardboard shack in an alley off Joubert Park in Johannesburg's
city
centre was not what she bargained for when she left Zimbabwe looking for
a
better life in South Africa.
A blind single parent, her expectations
could arguably have been a little
too high but in comparison with Zimbabwe,
the past three years have been
extremely tough.
"Life in Johannesburg
has turned into a nightmare for me. I came from
Harare hoping for a new life
here, but all I've seen is misery and more
misery. Being blind makes things
even more difficult - I cannot do any
other job, so I am trying to survive
through begging on the streets, but
there are no donations coming," Mudzingwa
told IRIN.
"I used to live in a disability care centre in Harare. Before
the economic
crisis we were very well cared for - they even taught us
Braille. But
hunger set in when the centre ran out of funds in 2001 -
services
collapsed and many people were forced out to fend for themselves
through
begging, but begging in Zimbabwe was so hard, so I decided to come
here
together with my family."
Like other Zimbabweans fleeing the
country's economic crisis, Mudzingwa
regarded neighbouring South Africa, with
its large and sophisticated
economy, as the place where a hardworking person,
even though disabled,
could be given a chance to prosper. Instead, every
morning, her
10-year-old daughter leads her and the younger siblings across
the streets
from Joubert Park to their begging spot 4 km away in
Braamfontein. None of
her children attend school.
An estimated two
million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, the majority of
them illegal
economic migrants dodging the police and
immigration
authorities.
Disabled non-South Africans who need welfare
assistance are the worst off:
to access services they would be entitled to at
home they are often asked
to produce asylum seeker or refugee permits. Most
of those IRIN spoke to
said they did not even know how to go about
applying.
"As illegal immigrants, we cannot even report crimes against us
- we are
victims of daily crimes, but going to the police station to report
is just
like handing oneself over for deportation. Many suffer in silence
because
they do not have the identity papers; we need help in getting the
papers,
if they are the only means of gaining access to social services,"
said
one.
Johannesburg-based Zimbabwean civil society organisations
have formed a
coalition to provide assistance to the most vulnerable,
including the
disabled.
"We have noted with concern the increase in
the number of disabled people,
mostly women with children, on the streets of
Johannesburg. We see it as a
result of the collapse of the health and social
services departments back
at home," said Nkosinathi Tshuma, a humanitarian
services officer with
Heal Zimbabwe Trust.
"We now have a consortium
of organisations that look specifically after
the humanitarian needs of all
displaced Zimbabweans. Through this
initiative we hope to assist them by
providing food, shelter for the
homeless, and basic amenities. We also want
to help them gain legal status
by assisting them through the process of
applying for asylum."
Tshuma said disabled people required special
attention, and the NGOs plan
to set up liaison groups with the relevant South
African ministries,
allowing them to recommend some cases for special
attention once they gain
legal status.
[ENDS]
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[This Item is
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of the United
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Zimbabwe Diaspora to launch weekly newspaper
afrol News, 31 January
- A newspaper to cater for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora is to be
launched on 11 February by the founder of the silenced 'Daily News'. The weekly
paper, to be called 'The Zimbabwean', is to be published in the UK with a
Southern African edition produced in Johannesburg. It aims to become a "voice
for the voiceless" Zimbabwe Diaspora.
According to a statement sent to afrol News by the newspaper's
founder, Wilf Mbanga, "the initial print run will be 120,000 copies." More than
a million Zimbabweans live in exile in the UK and more than two million live
outside Zimbabwe in Southern Africa. This large Diaspora is seen as the
newspaper's principal market.
The newspaper will give a voice to these
Zimbabweans, who by now constitute some 25 percent of the total population. "It
will build links and encourage readers to tell their own stories and those of
their families, as well as articulating their fears and frustrations about the
issues concerning them," the statement by 'The Zimbabwean'
says.
Announcing the launch, Mr Mbanga, said the project would seek to
harness the energies and synergies of exiles, many of whom constitute Zimbabwe's
professional, skilled and intellectual cream. "They are hungry for news about
home and effectively cut off from their families and each other. Many do not
have access to the internet at work or at home and are dependent upon internet
cafes and e-mail," he said.
'The Zimbabwean', a tabloid weekly, says it
will focus on news from Zimbabwe as well as life in exile. The content would
"obviously have a heavy emphasis on Zimbabwean politics, but will also include
arts and culture, business, sports, gender issues, social issues and news
analysis." Letters to the editor were to become a key feature, as would
classified advertisements.
Current legislation makes it difficult to
operate as an independent journalist in Zimbabwe. Many bright, young journalists
have been forced out of the country into hardship and unemployment abroad. Some
of these have teamed up with Mr Mbanga, who is also the founder of the
now-silenced 'Daily News', Zimbabwe's only independent daily from 1999 to 2003.
- I have been deeply touched and encouraged by the willingness with
which Zimbabwean exiles have responded to my call to get involved, said Mr
Mbanga. "Obtaining independent news from Zimbabwe will be a challenge, as
foreign correspondents are banned from entering the country. The various on-line
resources, together with some radio stations, have done an excellent job in
keeping the story alive since the silencing of the 'Daily News'. We will be
maximising synergies with them."
Mr Mbanga said his new newspaper would
be dedicated to freedom of expression and access to information for all the
peoples of Zimbabwe, "founded on the sacred principles of journalism – fairness
and honesty."
- We believe the paper can play a role in drawing
attention to so much that is offensive to basic human decency and hostile to
peace in our beloved Zimbabwe, said Mr Mbanga. "Such exposure may help the
country to return to the path of wisdom, democracy and the rule of law. We
believe those in positions of authority and power should be held accountable to
those they are supposed to serve and that a free" he added.
'The
Zimbabwean' hoped to become "an authoritative and accurate newspaper of record
and a reliable source of information to all those individuals, agencies and
governments with an interest in Zimbabwe," the founder said. "A news blackout is
dangerous for any society. The forthcoming general election scheduled for March
adds urgency. We will ensure that our coverage is accurate, fair and balanced.
We will be accountable to our readers."
A fair coverage of the upcoming
election was seen as important to the new tabloid weekly. "We will endeavour to
give all viewpoints, and everyone – including the government of Zimbabwe – will
have the right of reply. In short, we will do everything the government
newspapers in Zimbabwe are not allowed to do," said Mr Mbanga
The
newspaper founder added that his research had led him to believe that a physical
newspaper was essential - but 'The Zimbabwean' would also be available online
soon after the middle of February, at www.thezimbabwean.co.uk.
By staff writer
© afrol News
Over 6 000 Children Sexually Abused
The Herald (Harare)
NEWS
February 1, 2005
Posted to the web February 1, 2005
By Tendai Pasipanodya
Harare
OVER 6 000 children aged between six months and 17 years were sexually abused
last year, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said.
Of the victims, 75 tested HIV-positive while some 43 girls fell pregnant
after being raped.
The figure, however, only accounts for reported cases as most of such
abominable acts go unreported.
The Family Support Trust, an NGO working alongside the Ministry of Health and
Child Welfare, said it received about 6 000 sexual abuse reports during the
period under review.
In most cases, the organisation said, the perpetrators were people well-known
to their victims and their families.
The 43 girls who fell pregnant were aged between 14 and 17 and only four were
allowed to terminate the unwanted pregnancies.
Out of those who tested HIV-positive, 69 were girls and the remainder boys.
An official of the Family Support Trust said toddlers aged as young as six
months were among the 6 000 abused in the period under review.
"Last year we started a programme to give anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to
abused children who reported within 72 hours of the abuse," said the official.
ARVs are life-prolonging drugs which are prescribed for those infected with
HIV, the virus that causes Aids, and those in the full-blown stage of the
incurable disease.
They have the effect of decreasing the likelihood of infection; reducing the
viral count in the body for those already infected; and curbing opportunistic
illnesses which attack full-blown Aids sufferers because of reduced immunity.
The ARVs were administered to children deemed to be running the risk of
contracting the virus.
Children given a high dosage of ARVs had reduced chances of contracting HIV.
"When the doctor's examination confirms the child was raped, they are tested
for HIV; and if they test negative, they are put on ARVs for between two to four
weeks," the official said.
Last year, 58 children between the ages of 18 months and 16 years were given
anti-retrovirals under the programme and two of these were boys.
Of concern was that children were abused by people known to them who, in
normal circumstances, should protect the children.
Harare had the biggest number of abuses with about 4 187 having been
reported, while Chitungwiza and Mutare recorded 1 313 and 1 055 respectively.
The Family Support Trust has three clinics in the country and about 6 555
children in the age under focus either reported or were referred to their
clinics last year.
After counselling, the children are tested for HIV/Aids and, in the case of
girls who have reached puberty, syphilis and pregnancy.
The official said some teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16, particularly
boys, failed to report cases of abuse as they deemed it embarrassing to make
such admission.
"We are not seeing half of the numbers of abused children, especially between
the ages of 13 and 16 who probably consider it demeaning for them to admit they
were abused," said the official.
Ninety percent of the reports made at their clinics are referrals from
police, doctors and the community.
Post-test and pre-test counselling is done to the child and parents for HIV
tests. When the child tests positive, they are referred to the relevant
organisations that can assist the child in getting treatment.
The Family Support Trust Clinics manager Mrs Eunice Garura said the
organisation endeavours to sensitise the community, and provide training
nationally and regionally.
"Other countries in the region have shown willingness to adopt some of our
concepts, such as the victim friendly courts," she said.
The clinics provide medical and psycho-social support to victims of child
sexual abuse, including preparations of medical affidavits - a vital piece of
evidence required by the courts.
Medical services provided by the Family Support Trust include full
examination of the child's general health, including pregnancy, prevention and
treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
The Family Support Trust finance and administration officer, Mr Stewart
Mwanasa, said sexual abuse victims needed a comprehensive service under one
roof, which involves the family.
The NGO had the duty to help the victim and their family accept the problem
to make an informed decision.
The Family Support Trust has put up counselling and examination rooms
designed as playrooms which help relax the younger children making them
forthcoming in the manner they relate their ordeals.
Sexual abuse is classified under different categories such as rape, statutory
rape, incest, sodomy and indecent assault.
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Copyright © 2005 The Herald.
All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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