The Zimbabwean
LONDON - The MDC is under pressure from its membership to withdraw
from
Parliament and all elected bodies involving Zanu (PF), said Grace
Kwinjeh,
MDC Representative to the European Union. In an impassioned address
to the
Forum of the Central London Branch of the MDC this week, Ms Kwinjeh
said the
party was being forced into this position by Mugabe's persistent
rigging of
elections and the failure of regional states to support
democracy. People
had given up hope of change through the ballot box. She
said a new strategy
had been adopted to take the argument back to the basic
principles:
democracy and human rights. It would involve taking a leading
role in the
Broad Alliance of civil activists tackling the Mugabe regime on
the ground.
Kwinjeh said the rebels in the MDC had failed to derail the
party and Morgan
Tsvangirai remained the person the people were supporting.
Recent rallies -
she said - had been amazingly successful. The departure of
the rebels
allowed a realignment to push the struggle forward with a common
purpose.
Kwinjeh condemned South Africa's dishonesty in legitimising the
stolen
elections and suggested that Pretoria had an agenda to play off
Welshman
Ncube against Morgan Tsvangirai. She expressed satisfaction that
some 300
people had attended the MDC UK Assembly in Birmingham in Sunday and
had
expressed overwhelming support in the MDC and Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The administrative court
has granted with costs the order sought by
the Zimbabwe government to
withdraw over 4 000 cases in which former
commercial farmers are contesting
the acquisition of their properties under
Mugabe's land reform programme.
The judgment also allowed the government to
formally withdraw all other land
cases that were pending before the
Administrative Court as they had been
"aborted" by Constitutional Amendment
No.17. The sample case brought before
the court was that of Farm 10 "A"
Umsweswe River Block in which the owner
had sought to block the acquisition
of the property. The Government sought
to withdraw the application following
the promulgation of the Constitution
of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 17 in
September, which nullified the challenges
that the farmers had in recent
years filed against the acquisition of their
properties and which turned the
farms into State property. The
Administrative Court was faced with a backlog
of over 5 000 cases,
compelling authorities to appoint more presidents
(judges) and lawyers from
the civil service in a bid to deal with the
outstanding challenges. Of these
cases, 1 400 land acquisitions had been
confirmed by August 2005 while 302
others were settled out of court.
Government had been complaining that the
challenges were stalling the
implementation of the land redistribution
initiative in some parts of the
country, a situation that the Constitution
of Zimbabwe Amendment No 17
sought to correct. According to Section 16B of
the Act, all agricultural
land that was identified on or before July 8 2005
under Section 5 (1) of the
Land Acquisition Act (Chapter 20:10) and that
identified afterwards is now
State property. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The Movement for
Democratic Change deplores, in the strongest
terms, the decision by the
Robert Mugabe dictatorship, through the failed
and discredited local
government minister Ignatious Chombo, to extend the
life of the so-called
Commission running the City of Harare. Harare has
become an extremely
dangerous place to live in. Burst sewers disgorge raw
contents onto the
streets and remain unattended to for months. The quality
of the water has
deteriorated to a level where residents escape disease by
sheer luck. In
many suburbs, even that grimy water is not available. Traffic
lights no
longer work. The roads are in a state of permanent damage with
pool-size
potholes at every turn, even in the city centre. Sanitary lanes
have been
filled up with uncollected rubbish. Public amenities,
neighbourhood parks,
park benches and rest havens for senior citizens,
swimming pools, libraries
and ablution facilities and public conveniences
have long collapsed - many
beyond repair. The scale of the damage eludes
comprehension and defies
description. Yet Zanu (PF) and Chombo see nothing
amiss with the status quo!
Harare is Zimbabwe's window to the world and
houses the nation's prime
intellectual minds. Harare epitomizes the
dictatorship's complete failure to
allow democracy and political space to
mature in Zimbabwe. The decay
reflects and mirrors a deepening national
crisis of governance and a serious
political emergency, with roots firmly
stuck in a 25-year Zanu (PF) culture
of patronage and misrule. Since the
dismissal of Engineer Elias Mudzuri, the
last democratically elected mayor
of Harare - for yet to be explained
reasons - Harare has progressively
failed to provide essential services and
comfort to its estimated three
million residents. Mudzuri's record as Mayor
is clear to all. All
indications are that Mudzuri and his council could have
cleaned up the city
had it not been for Chombo's constant interference in
local government.
Undaunted and without shame, Chombo has moved into
Chitungwiza, Mutare,
Chegutu and other cities, leaving a trail of
destruction - simply because
these urban centres are in the hands of MDC
councils. The appointment of
Sekesai Makwavarara -- Zimbabwe's notorious
political speculator who
defected from the MDC -- to chair a regime-designed
Commission to run the
city, has backfired. Aided by Zanu (PF) and Chombo's
minions, Makwavarara
has presided over the demise of Harare and finished off
the little that
remained of the sunshine city while at the same time
increasing rates and
supplementary charges for non-existent services. Zanu
(PF) and Chombo argue
that Makwavarara and her associates have a turn around
strategy for the
city, hence the extension of their mandate as a Commission.
This is far from
the truth. No turn around strategy is possible either
locally or at a
national level without embracing a radical paradigm shift in
the way
Zimbabwe is governed. We need a new beginning. We need a new
Zimbabwe. We
need food and jobs. We need to create an investor-friendly
climate to
strengthen our revenue base. We need to revive commerce and
industry and to
re-join the international community. We must respect
people's basic
political and human rights. We must restore our dignity and
self-esteem.
With Zanu (PF) and people like Chombo imposing Makwavarara and
her
associates as a Commission running cities, we can easily forget about
prospects for any regime-inspired turn-around strategy for the City of
Harare. The people must resist the direct threats to life imposed by the
actions of this regime and its political minions. Our democratic resistance
thrust must be part of a holistic struggle for a new dispensation. We have
had enough of this dictatorial squeeze. We must determine our own destiny.
We must reclaim Harare. Zanu (PF) and Chombo must explain the extension of
the Commission's mandate to the people of Harare. Zanu (PF) and Chombo must
explain to the extension of the Commission to the people of Zimbabwe. Zanu
(PF) and Chombo must be made to account for imposing their favoured
Commission when nothing, absolutely nothing, stops the regime to grant
political space to the people of Harare; and allow the people to elect
leaders of their choice. - Nelson Chamisa, MP, Secretary for Information and
Publicity.
The Zimbabwean
A few weeks ago, The
Zimbabwean Editor invited us to give further input on
the debate about
whether Zimbabweans abroad should be called the diaspora or
simply, the
exiled community. I wish to state in no uncertain terms that
there is in
essence, a very thin dividing line between the two concepts. The
difference
is so difficult sometimes, so much that it can be virtually
impossible to
extricate the two from each other. Exile is to a greater
extent a form of
punishment. It means to be away from one's home (i.e. city,
state or
country) while either being explicitly refused permission to return
and/or
being threatened by prison or death upon return. Exile thus arises in
a
situation where an individual or group of people is forced to flee their
original homeland due to continual threat to their peace and livelihood. In
the process, there is always the constant fear of victimization from an
apposite and much more powerful force. This is normally due to their
political or religious beliefs. On the other hand, the diaspora is a
slightly different concept altogether. It means a much more permanent
community that is based abroad. The diaspora in most instances have a choice
to return home after a serious conflict has been resolved. However they
decide to stay on in the country of their exile and regard it as their
homeland. The diaspora community normally visits their original homeland but
with no intention to return there at all. They feel happier staying abroad
on a more permanent level. The word diaspora is originally derived from the
Hellenic diction in which in Greek, it means "scattering" or "dispersion."
The term diaspora (Greek, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without
capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or
induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed
throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their
dispersal and culture. It has almost always for hundreds of years been used
to refer to the Jewish communities scattered all over the world from their
homeland by Roman authorities after the Jewish revolt between 66 and 70 CE.
The word has also been used to refer to the communities of Jews living in
foreign lands during their exile. The most famous diaspora communities in
human history apart from the Jews are the Greeks, Chinese and Indians. These
have managed to spread their presence and cultural influence all over the
planet. Almost every country in the world today in the world has one of
these diaspora communities as part of their national rainbow. Let me hasten
to add that another special diaspora community has been that of Africans
based outside the continent. These are mainly descendants of those who
experienced the horrors of slavery and colonialism. That community has also
been joined by another more recent group that has been drawn from conflict
riddled countries in post independence Africa. Therein lies the point about
the Zimbabwean situation. In the past 25 years, a lot of people have left
the country due to various socio-economic and political reasons. However, it
is now common cause that since the late 1990s, a new and much bigger wave of
displaced Zimbabweans has developed. Even more critically, most of them
belong to the younger generation who lost faith in the geriatric nature of
the Zimbabwean political anatomy. Most of them were born after 1965 or so. A
whole generation is being wiped out of the country's future and destiny.
Most of these people have no specific thing that can bring them back home
sooner or later. They have become so pessimistic about their future
prospects in Zimbabwe, so much that they will only return there for some
short visits. Some of course, hope to resettle in Zimbabwe when the
political situation improves. But when that will happen, God knows. In fact,
experiences of other countries like DRC, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, among
others clearly show that most that left these countries over the decades of
political conflict are still yet to return home. It is thus absurd for one
to expect the four million plus Zimbabweans now based outside the country to
return en masse someday. That in my humble opinion is asking for more than a
lot from them. Indeed, some will return but most of them will never
re-settle in the country forever. The current political situation in
Zimbabwe from both a Zanu and oppositional politics point of view clearly
reveals that the crisis in Zimbabwe is far from over. Such a situation
simply means that the pessimism against ever returning home will only harden
for most of the Zimbabweans living abroad. The stay away from home is likely
to be much longer than originally anticipated. So to talk about exile is
simply not taking a serious look at the reality we all have to face. The
truth we all have to face is that whichever way we may look at it, we are
not just in exile but the Zimbabwean diaspora!
The Zimbabwean
BY LITANY BIRD Dear Family
and Friends, There is good news and bad news from
Zimbabwe. The good news is
that we are having the most wonderful rainy
season. It was a wet Christmas
and a wet New Year - we have now had over 18
inches of rain. The bad news is
that there is very little food in the ground
being watered by these abundant
rains. Wishing people a Happy New Year has
seemed a particularly
inappropriate and hollow sentiment in Zimbabwe at the
beginning of 2006.
There are no signs of growth or prosperity on our
horizon. For most people
there is little to be happy about and nothing but
hardship to look forward
to as the country hurtles backwards in time at a
terrifying pace. I think
the best way to describe this reversal in growth
would be to give you a
taste of life here in January 2006 - it's not very
pleasant. After 18 inches
of rain in eight weeks we have had no road repairs
or maintenance in my
suburb. The potholes are big, filled with muddy water
and unavoidable.
Vegetation growing on suburban roadsides has not been cut
at all for the
past two months, weeds and grass are creeping unchecked into
and under the
tar. Storm drains, contours and road culverts have not been
cleared and sand
and silt run off our roads and lie in thick carpets at the
bottom of slopes
and on road sides. At all hours, big rusty trucks without
number plates come
and harvest this sand to sell to the building industry.
Some suburban roads
have now deteriorated to such an extent as to require
4-wheel drive
vehicles. We have not had any garbage collection for five
weeks. Desperate
residents have taken to dumping household trash on
roadsides, under trees
and anywhere away from their own homes. Around urban
cemeteries, in delicate
wetlands and on immediate stream and river banks
people are destroying every
last shred of the environment as they cut trees
and dig up the bush to plant
little squares of food. These are just some of
the horrors that are there
for all to see. What lies behind closed doors and
locked gates is far worse
as people desperately struggle to cope with the
economic nightmare of life
in Zimbabwe. As we have stumbled into 2006 we
have been hit with
astronomical increases in school fees. Last January a
small rural government
school charged Z$150 000 a term. This January the
same school wants Z$1.2
million per child. This is one of the cheaper prices
and just the beginning
as the child must also come dressed in a full uniform
with school shoes and
provide all his own writing books. Undoubtedly many
thousands of children
will not be going back to school this new year. It is
hard to believe that
this is the same country, being ruled by the same man
who 25 years ago
promised: "Education for All by 2000." Even more
frightening than crumbling
roads, uncollected trash and unaffordable schools
is the crisis in our
health systems. In the first week of 2006 it was
announced that doctors
consultation fees have increased by 100 %. It will
now costs 2.9 mill to see
a doctor and for people, like teachers, who earn
less than 5 million dollars
a month, this is as good as a death sentence.
Fourteen people died of
cholera in Zimbabwe over Christmas. To stem the
spread of cholera the state
media are urging people not to travel (as if we
had fuel - oh please!) and
advising people to boil drinking water and use
disinfectants. It's an easy
statement to make but when the smallest possible
bottle of disinfectant
costs the same as five loaves of bread, I know what
most people will be
forced to choose. It is impossible to believe that this
is the same country,
being ruled by the same man who 25 years ago promised:
"Health for all by
the year 2000." Until next week, thanks for reading,
Ndini shamwari
yenyu.
The Zimbabwean
EDITOR - It
is unfortunate and regrettable that the Minister of Local
Government, Public
Works and Urban Development Ignatius Chombo has
re-appointed the
illegitimate Harare City commission. Residents of Harare
have gone for more
than six months living with raw sewage overflowing in
front of their
doorsteps, uncollected refuse pilling up along several
streets, irregular
water supplies, malfunctioning street and traffic lights.
Re-appointment of
the Harare City Commission only serve to send a message
for the continued
deterioration of service delivery and robbing of
residents' hard earned
money for substandard and lip services. The
illegitimate Makwavarara-led
commission is grossly incompetent and it does
not need spectacles to see
this. The status of the once sunshine City has
plummeted and deteriorated to
unprecedented levels in our eyes. They have
reduced residents of Harare into
village life, where residents now fetch
water from unprotected wells and use
bushes for toilet facilities.
Villagisation of Harare is a sad and unwelcome
development that deserves
strong resistance with strong contempt. The
Makwavarara-led commission has
to this date deliberately defaulted holding
procedural consultation with
residents on critical decisions that affect
their welfare like the Budget.
This is not by chance but through design. The
commissioners are
illegitimate. Furthermore they cannot justify their
exorbitant rates hike
proposal in the 2006 budget for the below par and
services they are not
providing for the residents. Chombo and the regime he
represents continue to
take the people of Harare and the entire Zimbabweans
for granted. This can
be clearly understood by observing inhumane and
immoral decisions this man
has made as the Minister for this portfolio. It
is this man who masterminded
the political dismissal of the democratically
elected Mayor Eng. E Mudzuri
and his councillors. The re-appointment of the
Commissioners is illegal. The
Urban Councils Act states in unequivocal and
in no uncertain terms section
80(3), that the office of the commissioner
"shall terminate-.six months
after his appointment". Para 80(4) further
states that "Before the
termination of office of a commissioner shall cause
an election to be
held-.to fill the vacancies on the council as if they were
special
vacancies". The minister has not fulfilled this requirement, instead
has
continued to extend its tenure of office. MAYADYAZVIMBISHI, Warren
Park,Harare
The Zimbabwean
Fellow Zimbabweans,
We wish to clarify false impressions being created by a
group of former MDC
senior officials, led by Welshman Ncube, Sibanda,
Chimanikire and their
associates, that there is a competitive parallel
political process taking
place within the MDC. The impressions arise from a
series of small meetings
the groups have been holding in various places
under the name of the MDC and
purporting to form party committees. At its
meeting of May 29 2005, the MDC
National Council outlined a road map to the
February Congress. A notice was
duly issued by Welshman Ncube on June 2
stating inter alia the following:
Branch congresses were to be completed by
the end of June; ward congresses
done by end of July; Constitutional
amendments to be with the Legal
Committee by end of September; district
congresses were to be through by the
end of September; provinces were to be
completed by end of December,
together with suggestions for a Congress
theme. Thereafter, and in terms of
the Constitution, a mandatory two-month
notice for the main Congress was to
be given in January by the same national
council. Most of the work was
already complete by the time of the leadership
fall-out on October 12 2005.
The structures on the ground, up to the
district level were done, with new
leadership and constitutional proposals
ready. There were some initial
problems over the implementation of the
process during the first two weeks
after the Secretary General's memorandum
of June 2, prompting the National
Chairman to clear the confusion. The
chairman sent out a circular, dated
June 26 2005, explaining that it was the
duty of the ward executives to
conduct branch elections, with supervision
from the district. Districts
conducted the ward elections, with supervision
from the provinces and all
provincial elections were to be conducted by the
National Chairman, assisted
by the chairpersons of women and youth
assemblies. Esaph Mdlongwa, the
national organising secretary issued another
circular in September urging
provinces to speed up the process when he
realised that some structures
seemed to be behind schedule with the
implementation process. Nothing was
ever issued reversing that trend, that
process and all the three guidelines
to this date. What this means is that
any politician in the MDC who fails to
recognise this process, which was in
motion way before the fallout is not
worth listening to. They shall be
overtaken by events, through their own
dishonesty. After the 12th October
fall-out over the Senate story, the
districts and the provinces decided to
proceed with the process in order to
save the party from possible collapse.
The congresses began in Harare, then
Chitungwiza, Mash East, Manicaland,
Masvingo, Mash Central, Midlands South
and Midlands North. It was not
possible to complete the process in the four
remaining provinces because of
logistic and financial constraints. In
addition, the December holidays
interfered with the implementation of the
process, and a desire to complete
the congresses as per the suggested
deadline of end of December. The
delegates coming to these congresses are
the party. A register is being kept
and is open for verification. They are
the same people who shall come to the
main Congress. Harare had 814,
Mashonaland East, 647, Mashonaland Central,
532, Manicaland, 915, Masvingo,
740, Midlands South, 635 and Midlands North,
728, Chitungwiza, 726, and
Mashonaland West, 640. These congresses were
conducted by the National
Chairman, in terms of our Constitution. There is
an allegation that only
anti-Senate executives, so-called pro-Tsvangirai
officials are getting into
positions. Far from the truth: look at
Manicaland, the Midlands, Mashonaland
Central and Masvingo. The new
leadership includes both previously pro-and
anti- Senate politicians. The
Senate issue is now a matter of history. The
party is now focussing on
evolving a robust and dynamic leadership to
realise the emergency of a new
Zimbabwe. When the Ncube/Chimanikire/Sibanda
group realised that the process
was already in motion, they set out to hold
their own so-called provincial
congresses, with their own sympathisers. All
they are doing is to capture
disgruntled elements within the MDC and giving
them various posts. Many of
these elements were suspended, fired or rejected
by the people, in their
areas. The group included in their new ranks the
likes of Silas Mangono in
Masvingo, Shake Maya in Chitungwiza, Alois
Mudzingwa in Mashonaland East,
Canciwell Nziramasanga in Mashonaland West,
Edwin Mushoriwa, Mbuya Trudy
Stevenson and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga
in Harare, Lyson Mlambo in the
Midlands and Isaac Muzimba in Kwekwe. They
call these groups the new
provinces. I was part of the chairman's delegation
in Shamva, conducting the
provincial congress just before Christmas. One of
the candidates in the
contest for the post of provincial chairman was Henry
Chimbiri. He received
a single vote out of 10. He was very bitter and
alleged that the provinces
had been influenced to hate him. A week later, he
crossed the floor and was
selected, by the Sibanda/Chimanikire/Ncube group
at their Mt Pleasant
meeting as the new so-called chairman for Mashonaland
Central! The
so -called new chairman for Chitungwiza, Goodrich Chimbaira,
stood for a
district executive post at Harvest House before a Congress that
brought
about a new Chiitungwiza province. He lost, and trekked back to the
Ncube
group where there were no elections. He was merely selected for the
post. I
spoke to him at length at Harvest House during the genuine
Chiitungwiza
congress. He was bitter and intimated that he would rather look
for other
options than respect the will of the people. He has done just
that! Edwin
Mushoriwa was elected ward chairman for a ward in Dzivaresekwa
in September
during the authentic MDC congress process. He tried his luck in
the
Dzivaresekwa district in October, before October 12, 2005 and lost. He
then
decided to switch sides, and is now the so-called new provincial
chairman
under the parallel group. This information is freely available and
can be
verified independently by any serious political watcher on Zimbabwean
affairs. Mangono stood as an independent candidate in March 2005 and thus
expelled himself from the party. Maya cannot stand for a party position
because the Constitution stipulates that new members have to be in the party
for at least two years before they can assume an executive post. Maya has
not yet been in the party for more than two years. At the Mt Pleasant Hall
meeting in Harare there were about 280 people, all drawn from four
provinces: Mash East, Mash West, Mash Central and Harare. The group calls
that a provincial assembly and a provincial congress. Those from Harare who
attended these meetings were given between $1,3 million and $1,7 million for
transport and food. More money flowed out to those from the other provinces.
Their organizers are being paid $8m each to set up parallel structures. The
National Chairman was not invited to preside over these meetings, as is
required by the Constitution. In addition, there were no ward structure
representatives, no districts and no branch chairpersons at the meeting. We
are aware that the group wants to come up with a meeting which they shall
call a national congress, based on these false structures. The people of
Zimbabwe shall reject some diversionary tactics in their struggle and wait
for a legitimate Congress of the MDC. What has happened so far in the eight
provinces is in line with the 2nd of June circular from the Secretary
General, supported by a supplementary clarifier dated 26 June from the
National chairman. The people taking part in the congress process are the
real representatives from the original structures of the party, endorsed and
accepted as legitimate, before the fallout over the Senate issue. The
people, not the leadership are the real owners of the MDC and reserve the
right to shape their organisation in their own eyes. Sibanda and Company
claim to have expelled Morgan Tsvangirai from the MDC. If this is real, the
people of Zimbabwe deserve to be told who is acting as a leader of the MDC
in Tsvangirai's absence. Nothing has been said about that. Why are they
scared to come out in the open? They also say, in statements carried by
dubious Internet blogs, they have expelled Isaac Matongo, the national
chairman. Who did they appoint to chair the party now? Who is now supposed
to preside over the congress process in the absence of a chairman as
required by the Constitution? Why are they silent on these matters, if they
are strict adherents of the Constitution as they always claim? Further, the
disciplinary committee as a committee of the party, in terms of the
Constitution, merely recommends its decisions to the national council for
ratification. Where these expulsions ratified by anyone? And where? At a
meeting they held at Mandel Training Centre on December 14 2005, 30 persons
attended. Out of this number, only 19 were genuine members of the National
Council (out of 72). Others, like Shacky Matake of Masvingo was expelled
from the MDC in April for signing Mangono's nomination papers to stand as an
independent in the March election. He has since joined UPM. Frank Chamunorwa
was also there. He has never been a member of the national council. Abednigo
Bhebe, the Mat North vice provincial chairman, is not a member of the
national council, yet he attended the meeting. We shall complete the
provincial congresses countrywide within the next few days. The National
Council is meeting on Saturday to examine the state of the party and give
notice to the people of Zimbabwe of our national Congress. We are ready to
provide the leadership and to take the struggle for democratic change to new
heights. Nelson Chamisa, MP Spokesperson for the MDC.
The Zimbabwean
EDITOR - Zanu (PF)
has remained consistent in showing everybody how it can
vary the use of its
master tool of control - fear of persecution. As Zanu
has systematically
destroyed the family unit as the cornerstone of society,
millions of
Zimbabweans have now become completely desperate to make a
living to
survive. Zanu's hunger for power and money knows no bounds. The
ever-versatile regime has developed actor mujibas to service the new niche
they have created. Zanu refers to these as "Comrade Loyal Whistleblowers."
The process is simple. As soon as an appeaser has fallen out of favour with
the "current crocodile inner circle," he or she becomes fair game to go on
to the plate rather than carry the plate to the crocodile for dinner. Next
step, the inner circle decide on a deserving Comrade who could do with a
healthy commission, and give him the nod to make the big formal and public
display of his find. Of course Good Old Gideon (and some of his advisers?)
are all part of the charade and The Herald are on hand make a good story of
it all. Who can blame Alexander Downer, Jack Straw or the Comonwealth for
not choosing to buy tickets for the Zanu production of "Little Lords Robert
and Gideon and the Whistleblowers?" The auditions list, like that of the
fallen appeasers now on the menu, has proved to get longer and more varied
with time. In 2000 Dr. Zvobgo alerted us to "the Zanu metamorphosis from
Zanu PF to Zanu PLC." But while there are takers for part of Whistleblower,
and for Crocodile Waiter - the show must go on. Voltaire has his own words
for Zanu - "Divided in interest, united in crime." CROCODILE DUNDEE,
Australia
The Zimbabwean
EDITOR - I have been silent for too
long without uttering my views. My
fellow brothers and sisters at home or
elsewhere - this is the moment of
truth. I was there at Gukurahundi and I
was there when we voted for Mugabe
1980. I was there again when we crowned
him again 1985,1990 and 1995. I was
there again when he robbed the 2000
election. The 2002 Presidential
election - we were robbed when were sitting
at home whilst Tobaiwa Mudede
played around with the figures. We can go in
large numbers to the voting
booth and vote against Mugabe, but we will never
remove him that way. Mugabe
came to the helm of leadership through the blood
of many people. So through
the loss of blood of his faithful ones he will
also go out. Mugabe has
beyond reasonable doubt frustrated everyone,
including children. He has
starved a country, he has destroyed almost
everything - and created racism,
tribalism, hatred amongst people. Mugabe,
if you have used a ladder to go
up, the same ladder will take you down, if
you have used a rocket to go to
moon, the same rocket will take you down.
There is no need for us to fear
you any more because we are dead already,
you have killed us. Arise brothers
and sisters. Say no to harassment and
intimidation, the army has nothing to
do to us- let's face it with all the
mighty. Together we can win, only
personal confrontation will remove him. At
least I have spoken, without
fear, for fear has been eroded away with
hunger, unemployment and day to day
abuses. GENZO, Harare
The Zimbabwean
EDITOR - It is
interesting that Zanu (PF) passed a resolution at its
congress that
'salaries and conditions of service of teachers have to be
looked into as
they are lowly paid, a development that has resulted in most
of them
deserting the profession'.(The Chronicle 13/12/05.) It is surprising
to note
that the party is aware of the suffering of the teachers yet it has
done so
little about that than postulate and politic in its conferences just
to come
with meaningless resolutions, aimed at gaining political mileage at
the
expense of starving and highly demoralised teachers. Teachers need more
than
empty promises of salary hikes, which they know will be worthless the
moment
they are announced. The teachers crisis needs more than fire fighting
mechanisms and piecemeal solutions but a permanent solution which is going
to address even the economic problems which are the recent cause of the
current crisis in the teaching profession. We are quite fascinated by the
fact that Zanu (PF) wants to play messiah in a crisis the root cause of
which can be traced to its insensitivity to the plight of teachers. We urge
them to look more seriously into the plight of teachers and not to waste
time on empty, useless promises and resolutions BONGANI NYATHI PTUZ, S.A.
The Zimbabwean
EDITOR - In a development that
shocked many Zimbabweans a couple of years
ago, the State owned daily
newspaper, The Herald carried full page headline
story which gave the
profile of MDC Secretary-General, Professor Welshman
Ncube. It was very rare
for the state owned media to give positive coverage
to anyone in the
opposition. Zimbabweans had gotten used to stories that
denigrated the MDC
leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Welshman Ncube
included. In a rare
admission, Professor Ncube admitted in that article that
he was not a
natural politician. A few years down the line, Professor Ncube
has proved
beyond doubt his own personal assessment of himself in an article
carried in
the Daily Mirror of 4 January 2006: "Even if Zanu (PF) says there
is an
election for a toilet caretaker we will participate", Professor Ncube
is
reported to have said these words when he addressed over 600 pro-Senate
supporters in Mt Pleasant after the restructuring of his faction's
Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Harare provincial executive
committees. Like a few other officials in the pro-senate faction, which the
professor himself prefers to call the "pro respect for the MDC constitution
group", Professor Ncube had, since the beginning of the crisis that has
split the party leaders into two opposing camps, been saying that he was
only supporting the idea to participate in Zimbabwe's senatorial elections
because there are others within the party who think it is necessary to
participate in these elections. But the statement he made in Mount Pleasant,
which in essence means that he thinks that we have to participate in every
election Mugabe comes up with, even if it is irrelevant. The MDC opposed the
re-introduction of a senate, but in a surprising turn, some officials of the
party decided that the party had to participate in the senate elections,
even though many prominent Zimbabweans, including the MDC's Secretary for
Legal Affairs, David Coltart, described the senate as an irrelevant
institution in Zimbabwe. It would appear from Professor Ncube's statement
that he has been pursuing his own interests under the guise of protecting
the democratic rights of those MDC officials who wanted the party to
participate in the senate elections. One cannot rule out the possibility
that he could be the very person who sold the idea to have the MDC
participate in the senate elections, which idea was quickly bought up
especially by those who saw the possibility of making easy money as
senators. Thank you Professor Ncube for showing your true colours. Having
admitted that he is not a natural politician, the best Professor Ncube can
do is to quit politics and concentrate on his legal profession or farming.
There are unconfirmed reports that Professor Ncube has not been evicted from
a farm he owns in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe because he got it from
Mugabe's Zanu (PF). Benjamin Chitate, Auckland, New Zealand
The Zimbabwean
BY NICOLA SIMMONDS
International Organization for Migration has launched a
massive multi-media
campaign in Zimbabwe, aimed at reducing the risks of
potential migrants and
informing on the dangers of irregular migration and
HIV prevention. A first
for Zimbabwe in many ways, The Safe Journey campaign
will use television,
film, radio, print, billboards, bumper stickers and a
website, and has the
support of many of the country's biggest musical stars,
including Oliver
Mutukudzi, Pastor G, Chiwoniso, Plaxedes and others, all of
whom contributed
to a musical album entitled "Famba Zvakanaka/Hamba
Kahle/Safe Journey". The
lead song on the album, which goes by the same
name, comprises a harmony of
all the contributing artists - a kind of
Zimbabwean version of "We Are the
World". "This is a hugely important
campaign for Zimbabwe and will reach out
to some of the most vulnerable
groups in the country," said IOM's Chief of
Mission in Zimbabwe, Mr Mohamed
Abdiker. "With a special focus on mobile
populations such as truck drivers,
cross border traders, families and
individuals in search of work, the Safe
Journey campaign will give critical
information on what documents are needed
and how to avoid the grave dangers
of irregular migration." In partnership
with the Home Affairs Ministry and
with the support of other Government
Departments, and funded by the UK's
Department of International Development,
the Safe Migration Campaign will
focus on border towns and transit routes in
particular, but aims to reach
all potential migrants. "No one is denying the
challenges facing
Zimbabweans," said Mr Mohammed Abdiker, Chief of Mission
of IOM Harare "but
irregular migration puts people - often women and
children - at greater
risk. Low or no pay, sexual abuse and human
trafficking are just some of the
risks IOM wants to combat. This campaign
will give people the information
they need to make an informed choices and
to ensure their actions improve
their life, not endanger it." In its first
phase, the Safe Journey campaign
runs for six months, and with additional
funding, a second phase will focus
on communities, with interventions in
schools, universities, rural areas and
permanent drop-in centres in border
towns and main cities. Migration is a
natural phenomenon and when done
correctly, can serve to benefit all.
Irregular migration is when people live
or work abroad without correct
documentation, or when they partake in
activities, which are not permitted
on their visa. Undocumented migrants may
face exploitation in the workplace,
through low or no pay, little or no
access to health care, lack of legal
rights, and the risk of falling prey to
human trafficking schemes, the sex
trade and HIV infection. If caught,
irregular migrants may face deportation.
Currently 2,000 irregular migrants
a week are deported from South Africa
into Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge
border post. The Safe Journey Campaign
will put Zimbabweans in the picture
with regard to what documentation is
required, will raise awareness that
funds are needed for safe travel, and
that although some have found success
in distant lands, others put
themselves and their families at greater risk
through irregular migration.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
issue
date :2006-Jan-13
MOST dams supplying Zimbabwe's major towns and cities
are still below normal
levels despite heavy rains over the past three
months, the Zimbabwe National
Water Authority (ZINWA) has said.
Inflow at
Manyame Catchment Dams namely Chivero and Harava, which supply
Harare and
its environs, is above normal and below normal respectively with
the latter
having "one of the lowest levels in the country".Seke Dam which
supplies the
dormitory town of Chitungwiza, is still below last year's level
despite
better rains this year, Zinwa said.
.Mupfurudzi, Kushinga Phikelela and
Mazowe dams, which are in the Mazowe
Catchment, are all below normal with
Mazowe way below its carrying
capacity.Save Catchment Rivers are close to
spilling after heavy rains over
the past month.
According to Zinwa, Odzi
and Unki Dams could spill before the season ends in
three months.
The
mighty Kariba dam is 25 percent full but analysts say the situation is
not
worrisome because the dam normally picks up around May.
Clifton Dam in the
Sanyati Catchment area is also way below its carrying
capacity.
The
situation is however different at the Runde Catchment dams where
Manjirenji
Dam is already spilling while Mutirikwi is expected to spill
soon.
Harare
currently has water supply for 18 months, while Bulawayo, Mutare and
Gweru
have 15 months, 22 months and 17 months of water respectively.Chipinge
and
Masvingo have no water worries as they have more than 30 months of
water.
Mail & Guardian
Harare,
Zimbabwe
13 January 2006 11:36
The Zimbabwe government has
dismissed press reports that British property
tycoon Nicholas van
Hoogstraten lent President Robert Mugabe $10-million
last year, the
state-controlled Herald reported on Friday.
Van Hoogstraten was quoted in
the Sunday Times of London last week as saying
he lent Mugabe the money in
November, when Zimbabwe was facing a severe cash
crunch. Security for the
credit was in assets worth trillions of Zimbabwean
dollars, the paper
reported.
But Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba said the claim was
"cheap
propaganda and a vain attempt to besmirch" the president, the Herald
said.
Zimbabwe's president is "neither a borrower nor a lender", Charamba
told the
paper.
"Robert Mugabe has no relationship with any tycoon,
let alone of British
stock," he added.
The spokesperson was scornful
of Van Hoogstraten's claims that Mugabe was "a
true English
gentleman".
"That's a creation of the British and their crazy media and
they are free to
attach any character to their creation. I speak for Robert
Mugabe, the
president of Zimbabwe whom the British can never consider their
mirror
image," the president's spokesperson said.
Charamba challenged
the Sunday Times to produce details of the transaction.
Van Hoogstraten,
who is believed to own property in Zimbabwe, is one of
Britain's most
notorious businessmen. He was given a 10-year jail sentence
in 2002 for
being behind the murder of a business rival, Mohammed Raja, but
got off on
appeal. Britain's civil courts have since declared him a
murderer.
The British tycoon told the Sunday Times the $10-million --
enough to meet
Zimbabwe's power imports for at least two weeks -- had been
loaned to Mugabe
through Messina Investments, a company Van Hoogstraten says
is owned by his
children. He said the interest on Mugabe's loan was due in
June. -- Sapa-dpa