State agents turn screws on central bank chief

Zim Online

Monday 15 January 2007

HARARE - The state's spy Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) has accused
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono of corruption and
pilfering state resources in a dossier handed to Mugabe ahead of the ruling
ZANU PF party's annual conference last month, sources told ZimOnline.

In yet another sign of growing hostility within the ruling establishment
towards Gono - a political lightweight who however wields much influence
because he has Mugabe's ear - the CIO is said to have also castigated the
governor's monetary policies for allegedly worsening Zimbabwe's economic
crisis.

Gono was appointed RBZ governor in 2003 and specifically tasked by Mugabe to
tame Zimbabwe's runaway inflation, now above 1 200 percent, and reverse an
economic meltdown that has spawned shortages of food, fuel, hard cash and
every other essential commodity.

But the CIO alleges in the dossier that Gono on several occasions
sidestepped government procurement procedures, purchasing goods worth
millions of dollars in scarce hard cash without going to tender saying this
was necessary for the urgent acquisition of "national and strategic" goods
when in fact this was a pretext to steal money from the state.

"One example cited in the document is the fertilizer import saga, where an
unknown South African company was contracted to supply fertilizer to
Zimbabwe but sold us an inferior product," said a source, who works for the
CIO and requested not to be named.

Gono and Agriculture Minister Joseph Made were late last year accused of
allegedly receiving kickbacks to award a US$50 million contract to a South
African firm to supply 70 000 tonnes of fertilizer some of which turned out
to be of inferior quality.

The two deny any wrong doing in the fertilizer deal and insist that only a
small portion of the South African fertilizer was found to be of a quality
unsuitable to Zimbabwe's soils.

The spy agency also accused Gono of using state farming equipment for
projects on his private Donnington farm near Norton town just west of
Harare. The equipment Gono is alleged to have used on his farm include
tractors and combine harvesters acquired by the state through the RBZ and
meant to support farmers countrywide.

Gono, apparently disliked by several senior officials in ZANU PF and the
government who feel he has used his closeness to Mugabe to wield too much
authority, was not immediately available for comment on the matter.

The RBZ chief has in the past dismissed similar allegations of impropriety
on his part as smear campaigns by his detractors in and outside the
government.

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba was not immediately available for comment
on the matter. But our sources said Mugabe summoned Gono to his State House
residence days after his party's December 15 conference to explain the
charges contained in the CIO dossier.

"It appears the President was not satisfied by his (Gono's) explanation
because further investigations are underway," said another source, who is a
senior official at the RBZ.

The CIO refused to take questions on the matter when contacted by phone
saying that as a matter of policy it never discusses its work with the
Press.

State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, in charge of the CIO professed no
knowledge of the dossier by the spy organ accusing Gono of corruption.

"I don't know about that. In any case, I can't discuss security matters with
you," he said before switching off his phone.

Corruption is rife in Zimbabwe as desperation drives many both in the public
and private sectors to illegal means to survive an economic crisis that the
World Bank says is the worst in the world outside a war zone.

Critics say an anti-corruption crackdown launched by Mugabe about two years
ago has achieved little because it has been selective with those close to
the centre of power being let off the hook. - ZimOnline

Striking doctors reject government salary offer

Zim Online

Monday 15 January 2007

BULAWAYO - Striking state doctors have rejected an offer by the government
to increase their salaries by 300 percent, insisting they will not return to
work unless salaries were hiked by more than 8 000 percent, ZimOnline has
learnt.

State hospitals that are the source of health services for the majority of
Zimbabweans are barely functioning since intern doctors - who run the
hospitals - went on strike three weeks to pressure the government to
increase salaries from Z$70 000 to $5 million.

Senior doctors, who had returned to public hospitals to fill-up for absent
interns, later joined the work boycott in solidarity with their juniors,
while nurses at some major state hospitals last week also went on strike to
press for more pay, leaving only student nurses to take care of patients.

A spokesman for striking doctors in the second largest city off Bulawayo,
Allan Mafukidze, told ZimOnline that negotiations with the government last
Friday collapsed because the $210 000 that the state was offering to pay
doctors was too little.

"We are saying this is far from the $5 million salary that we are demanding
and if things go on like this, then we are not going back to work," said
Mafukidze.

Deputy Minister of Health Edwin Muguti said while the government was working
to improve salaries and working conditions for doctors and nurses it could
not afford to pay the new salaries demanded by doctors.

He said: "The $5 million salary that the doctors are demanding is too much
and the government cannot afford that kind of money at the moment but we are
working at improving conditions for both the doctors and the nurses."

It was not immediately clear when next the government and doctors would meet
to resume salary negotiations.

Patients have suffered the most because of the doctors and nurses strike
with reports many were dying of diseases that could otherwise be treated if
doctors were at work.

But the latest doctors' strike, coming hardly two months after another
paralysing work boycott at Bulawayo's Mpilo last November, only highlights
the rot in Zimbabwe's public health delivery system that was once lauded as
one of the best in Africa but has virtually crumbled due to years of
under-funding and mismanagement.

An acute economic crisis now in its eighth year running has only helped
worsen the situation with the Harare administration short of hard cash to
import essential medicines and equipment, while the country has suffered the
worst brain drain of doctors, nurses and other professionals seeking better
opportunities abroad. - ZimOnline

Major sewage treatment plant breaks down

The Herald

By Michael Padera

HARARE'S biggest sewage treatment plant has broken down, forcing the
Zimbabwe National Water Authority to discharge half of the city's raw sewage
into the Mukuvisi River.

Out of the 144 megalitres of raw sewage that flows daily into Firle plant
south of Glen Norah, 72 megalitres are being discharged straight into
Mukuvisi River untreated, posing a serious health hazard downstream.

Biological nutrient removal plants, inlet works, primary settling tanks,
biofilters and effluent pumps as well as clarifiers, digesters and boilers
at the plant are all down.

During a tour of the Firle plant last Friday, the officer in charge of the
plant, Mr Simon Muserere, told Zinwa board chairman Mr Willie Muringani that
$20 billion was urgently needed to restore the plant and avert a looming
health disaster downstream.

"We need $19,7 billion to restore work here and if it was to be made
available today, the plant would be operational by June.

"The effluent we are discharging into the river is not of the best quality.
We are only capable of treating 72 megalitres out of 144. The rest is
bypassing treatment and getting into Mukuvisi while some of it is used to
irrigate grazing pastures," he said.

However, the raw sewage does not meet the Public Health Effluent Regulations
of 1972 for use as irrigation for pastures, according to water experts.

Harare City Council runs farms on which cattle are reared to strike a
balance in the ecosystem.

Zinwa chief executive officer Engineer Albert Muyambo expressed disgust at
the state of the plant, which he said, should be repaired with speed.

"We should urgently do something about this. It is unbelievable,'' he said.

The discharge of raw sewage into Mukuvisi is equivalent to using the river
as a public toilet.

The Mukuvisi is a tributary of the Manyame River, which flows into Lake
Chivero, Harare's main source of water.

He said Harare had five other sewer plants and several pump stations, which
are performing below capacity or discharging raw sewage into rivers and
streams across the city.

The heavily polluted Mukuvisi River is having downstream effects such as the
death of fish and increasing the cost of treating domestic water.

Pollution levels in the river would also be reduced and aquatic life saved,
if the $19,7 billion was availed soon, Mr Muserere said.

The cost of treating polluted water with imported chemicals is quite high
and Zinwa has no option but to pass it on to the consumer.

The Firle treatment complex resembles an abandoned institution in need of
massive rehabilitation. Idle plant and equipment is gathering rust, a sign
of neglect going back several years.

The water authority is now responsible for sewerage and water management in
the capital, having taken over the functions from Harare City Council.

Mr Muringani said Zinwa wants to improve the living standards of Harare
residents and would do everything to ensure that the sewer plant is
rehabilitated.

But he also urged households to play their part by desisting from discarding
clothes, plates, spoons and other utensils into the sewer system.

"Social engineering, that is responsible household behaviour, would help
reduce the problems of clogged sewer systems," Mr Muringani said.

He added that the water authority was doing everything in its power to
improve service delivery.

"Service delivery should be at optimal levels and we want to clear this
problem of sewage in Harare.

"We cannot afford to have a situation whereby raw sewage flows into our
rivers," he added.

A fully functional Firle sewage treatment plant has many advantages for
Harare ratepayers. It means fewer chemicals are used to treat domestic water
supplies which translates into lower water tariffs.

Mugabe expected to share power in extended term

Reuters

      Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:11 PM IST

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's plan to extend his
tenure by two years to 2010 may in fact be the start of a "dignified exit"
for one of Africa's most controversial leaders, ruling party sources said.

Plans under consideration by Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF include splitting
executive powers -- a move which could see the 82-year-old Mugabe emerge a
ceremonial figurehead.

"There are several proposals under consideration, including the introduction
of a prime minister in the government structure who will assume some of the
executive authority currently being carried by the president," said one
source who declined to be named.

An annual ZANU-PF conference last month "noted and adopted" a motion
approving a plan to move presidential polls from 2008 to 2010 to coincide
with parliamentary elections.

The opposition has condemned the proposal, which would effectively give
Mugabe two more years as president, as a step toward dictatorship but looks
too weak to stop the process.

Although the resolution must still be approved by ZANU-PF's policy-making
central committee and by parliament, analysts say this will be a formality
as Mugabe allies have control over both institutions.

But some senior party officials say that while the move gives the appearance
of Mugabe consolidating his hold, the transition could see the veteran
Zimbabwean leader sharing power as a stepping stone towards retirement.

"Far from being a consolidation, I think you are going to find a process of
devolution of power, that some of the executive powers are going to be
shared and that this is a gentle disengagement process by the president,"
the source said.

Another official said: "Although the issue has not been finalised, I think
we are going to see a system in which the president (Mugabe) is more of a
ceremonial government leader, a kind of father figure, with the day-to-day
running of the state falling into the hands of a prime minister."

Others said that while the government could use the election changes to give
Mugabe a "dignified exit" from power, Mugabe was likely to remain head of
ZANU-PF until he has sorted out a bitter succession battle gripping the
ruling party.

Mugabe's record of punishing ZANU-PF officials who cross him has left party
members more reluctant than ever to speak publicly about the party's
internal political debates.

OPPOSITION ALARMED

The ruling party's lawyers are drafting constitutional amendments which are
expected to be presented to parliament by mid-year, but the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it will fight the plan.

Some critics say Mugabe is probably hanging onto power because of fears he
could be dragged before an international court on rights abuse charges if he
left office.

Mugabe assumed power in 1980 as a prime minister but later became an
executive president. ZANU-PF officials say he would still enjoy immunity
from prosecution if he became a ceremonial state president.

The MDC says any plans by the government that circumvented popular elections
would be tantamount to a constitutional coup and should be resisted.

"We are hearing about all kinds of proposals, but our position remains that
we can still offer Mugabe a dignified exit through elections and that he can
retire in 2008 instead of trying to hang on," said MDC spokesman Nelson
Chamisa.

Political commentators say prolonging Mugabe's stay in power would hurt
Zimbabwe's chances of turning around an economy in recession for eight
years, a crisis many blame on his policies.

Mugabe, who turns 83 next month, has ruled the southern African state since
independence from Britain and in the process turned what was once southern
Africa's bread basket into the region's worst basket case.

International donors -- including the World Bank and the IMF -- have frozen
aid to Zimbabwe in the last few years over policy differences with Mugabe,
including his seizures of white-owned farms for redistribution to landless
blacks.

Western powers, including the United States and the EU, have also imposed
travel sanctions on Mugabe and his ZANU-PF officials over vote-rigging and
rights abuse charges.

School fees go up in Zimbabwe

IOL

          January 14 2007 at 04:53PM

      The Zimbabwe government, which has waged a fierce war with private
schools over fee hikes, has increased fees at state universities and
colleges by between 300 and 2 000 per cent, it was reported Sunday.

      A senior government official described the increases as reasonable,
according to the official Sunday Mail newspaper.

      But there will be fears some students, battling to survive in
Zimbabwe's hyperinflationary environment, could be forced to abandon their
studies.

      Hard-hit will be medical and veterinary students at state
institutions, who will now be forced to pay 180 000 Zimbabwe dollars (about
720 US dollars) per year, up from 44 000, the Sunday Mail said.

      Students at government-run industrial training centres will be forced
to pay 42 000 Zimbabwe dollars per year, up from 2 000.

      "The need to increase fees arises from the essence of maintaining
quality higher and tertiary education and global competitiveness in terms of
Zimbabwean academic standards," said Washington Mbizvo, the permanent
secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education.

      "These increases in tuition fees, as illustrated, are comparatively
reasonable to allow as many of those who qualify to have access to higher
and tertiary education," Mbizvo added as he announced the new fees on
Saturday.

      As Zimbabwe's economic crisis worsens, President Robert Mugabe's
government has been fighting an on-off battle with dozens of private schools
over attempts to hike fees.

      The authorities have accused the schools of racism and trying to
exclude poorer black students, although school boards deny this and say they
are only trying to keep pace with inflation.

      Both parties have taken the matter to the courts.

      At 1,281.1 per cent, Zimbabwe's inflation rate is the highest in the
world. - Sapa-DPA

Many skilled Zimbabweans leaving for a better life

SABC

January 14, 2007, 17:00

Faced with a deepening economic and political crisis, hundreds of skilled
Zimbabweans are leaving the country each week in search of better living
conditions.

According to Eunice Chitamba, Zimbabwe's minister of community development,
some 70% to 90% of university graduates are working outside the country. She
says the heaviest losses were among teachers, doctors, nurses, and
pharmacists.

According to figures from the government's Central Statistics Office, some 2
600 highly skilled people left Zimbabwe during the first half of last year.
Zimbabwe's construction industry faces imminent collapse as professionals
stampede for jobs in South Africa's booming construction sector - thanks to
the 2010 World Cup.

Quantity surveyors, architects, engineers artisans have joined the great
trek down south for jobs, as South Africa prepares for the 2010 World Cup.
It could seriously affect the construction industry in Zimbabwe.

Construction companies left in the lurch
Tendayi Chimuriwo, the president of the Zimbabwe Construction Industry
Council (ZCIC), says: "We will be left with no construction industry to talk
about here. Companies will collapse because there will not be any manpower."
There are now calls for government intervention to save the local industry.
At least, those in construction have solutions.

"We need to be compensated by the companies that are taking away
professionals in hard currency, so that we have enough money to train
others," says Chimuriwo.

Its not just Zimbabwe that is been hard hit by the brain drain, the whole
Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as well. Though it
applauds South Africa for getting the nod to host this world soccer
showcase, the construction industry is not happy.

Gono denies buying luxurious Mercedes Benz

zimbabwejournalists.com

By a Correspondent

HARARE - Zimbabwe's central bank chief, Gideon Gono, has vehemently denied
last week's Press reports linking him to the delivery of a top class
Mercedes Benz -- a Brabus E V12 Biturbo - which was said to have been
imported from Germany at a cost of US$365 000.

Gono said he has not bought such a car nor has he taken delivery of any
other such luxurious vehicle.

According the weekly Standard newspaper the luxury car, said to be one of
the fastest in the world with a top speed of 350.2km/h, was delivered the
previous Wednesday to Gono's office allegedly resulting in Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) employees jostling to the basement of the 23-storey building
to catch a glimpse of the vehicle.

But speaking on arrival from holiday yesterday when contacted for comment on
the car Gono, who sounded well-rested said: "The court of public opinion
shall have its say when I respond with facts and not fiction, as respond I
shall, respond I must, respond I should and respond I will to all the
accusations and the innuendos as reported in some sections of the Press who
have already tried and condemned me on their so-called evidence."

Gono said it was increasingly becoming common practice within "some quarters
to take extra liberties on this Governor and getting away with it. Facts
must be regarded as sacred in journalism. Mine shall speak for themselves
when all is done and said".

The Standard article resulted in a flurry of articles about the luxurious
car whose whereabouts remain mysterious. Pictures were posted on the
internet but Gono is adamant he has not ordered such a vehicle nor has he
taken delivery of the said car. Sources here have linked stories on the car
to the on-going succession issue within the ruling Zanu PF party.

"The muckracking and throwing of mud to smear those thought to be in the
running continues despite the fact their boss has since said there is no
vacancy for presidency at the Zanu PF congress in December," a government
source told zimbabwejournalists.com.

Gono said the Standard newspaper should be prepared to prove such a car
existed and was indeed delivered to him.

"You see, you cannot just go on the internet and start dreaming of non
existent creatures, paint them up and tell the whole world that is Governor
Gono's creature, no matter what motivation is driving you. We are all going
through difficult times of varying degrees but we should not sink so low to
make a day's living by peddling lies," he said.

Asked what type of car he drove, the Governor said he was driving an S500 at
his previous job at the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) before joining the
RBZ in 2003. He said the least he could do was to be given and drive a
similar car at the RBZ.

The cost of his specific car was around US$138 245 which was paid in
September of 2005 plus Zd$23.2 million (re-valued), which was paid in April
2006 when the car was delivered. The Zd$23.2 million was for additional
costs relating to customs and duty surcharges, handling costs and dealer
margins. A further local currency component was paid as top-up for the
swapping of his S500 with an S600 which became available at the local car
dealers at the time.

The figure contrasts sharply with the US$365 000 which the Standard
newspaper reported last week.

"All documentation is available for verification and both myself and the RBZ
and indeed Zimra and the nation at large will be interested to see and
verify the documentation relating to the mysterious US$365 000 Brabus EV12
Biturbo Mercedes Benz car purportedly imported and paid for and delivered to
the Governor on the fateful Wednesday," said Gono. "The Reporter will need
to assist us all to identify the whereabouts of this car as indications seem
to suggest that no such car exists in Zimbabwe."

Investigations by zimbabwejournalists.com revealed that the car is yet to
hit the African roads. Efforts to get a comment from Daimler on whether they
have yet taken orders from Africa on their latest beauty were fruitless last
night.

Press reports last week said the mysterious car apparently made S600 cars
children's toys. "We will also ask ZIMRA, police, State Security, ZIMOCO and
indeed the manufacturers themselves in Germany to assist us identify who
ordered the said car, how it was paid for, when it was delivered and where -
I'm sure both the Reporter and his Editor will be helpful together with his
impeccable sources within and outside the bank."

Asked what the colour of his car was, Gono said he was not prepared to
divulge that for security reasons but said it was far from blue or black as
presented in the media last week.

Meanwhile the Governor said he remains undistracted in as far as crafting
his much-awaited Monetary Policy is concerned.

"We have to make 2007 a better year," a visibly rejuvenated Gono said
buoyantly. "Despite all the challenges facing us as a country, we owe it to
ourselves and to future generations to craft and implement strategies that
will get our economy back on its feet. It's not ours alone and that
responsibility cannot be subcontracted to foreigners nor left to one person,
one institution or ministry. We must all get involved and commit energy to
getting it right. In 2007 we must."

He added: "My immediate focus is on the national economy and how we can make
2007 a better year all round. Personal and institutional preferences will
have to give way to the national agenda. Compliments of the year to all your
readers."

Arms deal: Who got R1bn in pay-offs?

From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 12 January

Evelyn Groenink, Sam Sole and Nic Dawes

Johannesburg - Explosive new allegations of dirty money and influence-buying
at the heart of South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal have emerged from
a British investigation of BAE Systems, the defence conglomerate that
secured a R30-billion South African order for Hawk jet trainers and Gripen
fighters. The allegations are contained in a formal application by the
United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for legal assistance from South
African authorities. The SFO document, which has been seen by the Mail &
Guardian, requests cooperation in pursuing the investigation of more than
R1-billion in "commissions" paid by BAE on the South African deal. The money
went to no fewer than eight entities in terms of "consultancy agreements"
dating, in one case, as far back as 1992. The request for mutual legal
assistance is dated June 26 last year, but the South African response seems
to have been marked by bureaucratic delays and buck passing, despite the
fact that the suspected bribes dwarf the amounts featured in the Jacob Zuma
case.

The SFO document mentions as beneficiaries of the suspected bribes, among
others, former defence minister Joe Modise's adviser, Fana Hlongwane, and
FTNSA Consulting, a company whose principal is, according to the SFO
document, former Anglovaal and First National Bank (FNB) chairperson Basil
Hersov. BAE has always maintained that it merely pays "normal" commissions
and not bribes. However, the SFO document states: "The whole [commissions
paying] system is maintained in such conditions of secrecy that there is a
legitimate suspicion concerning the real purpose of the payments." The SFO
also notes that "the failure of BAE to produce documentation believed to be
located in office locations in Switzerland" adds to the suspicion that the
"underlying documents which govern the payments cannot withstand scrutiny".

The SFO document names a "highly secretive unit within BAE" called
Headquarters Marketing, or HQ Marketing, "which coordinates all agreements
and contracts with agents". It discloses the main front company used for the
commission transactions, Red Diamond Trading, a mystery offshore entity
registered in the British Virgin Islands. The document states that "between
2000 and 2005, South African agents received over £70-million through Red
Diamond and over £6-million and $4-million through HQ Marketing accounts".
It adds that "hardly any funds were paid to bank accounts within South
Africa; the vast majority of payments being made to offshore accounts".
Suspected beneficiaries of the bribes mentioned in the document are:

Hlongwane Consulting, incorporated in 1999 by Hlongwane, the then adviser to
Modise. The SFO document states: "Documents disclosed by BAE have revealed
that Hlongwane entered into a general consultancy agreement with BAE in 2002
on a retainer of £1-million [R14-million] per annum. In 2005 there was an
agreement to pay $8-million [R55-million] as a settlement figure to
Hlongwane in relation to work done on the Gripen project."

Brookland Management, led by a Swiss-based David Clark, who has also
registered companies in South Africa. According to the SFO, Clark entered
into a consultancy agreement with BAE in 1997 and with Red Diamond in 1999
on the Hawk and Gripen projects. Brookland is suspected to have received
about £8,5-million (R118-million) through Red Diamond.

Huderfield Enterprises, incorporated in 1997 in the British Virgin Islands.
The SFO has found that the man behind Huderfield was Richard Charter, BAE's
main and most public agent in South Africa in the run-up to the Hawk and
Gripen contracts. According to the document, Huderfield was paid almost
£25-million (R350-million) between 1999 and 2005, including a "final
settlement" of £5,5-million. Charter died in a canoeing accident on the
Orange River in January 2004, so it is not clear who benefited from the
final settlement.

Osprey Aerospace, a South African company founded and run by Charter as the
"overt" agent for British Aerospace in South Africa. Says the SFO document:
"It is reasonably believed that Osprey [was] the 'overt' agent but that
there is in existence a 'covert' agent, possibly Huderfield." "Overt" Osprey
received, according to the document, just less than £2-million (about
R27-million) from BAE between 2002 and 2005.

Kayswell Services, incorporated in 1994 and contracted as a BAE consultant
for the Hawk contract in the same year, was paid more than £37-million
(R517-million). The contact at Kayswell, according to the SFO, is Jules
Pelissier, a long-standing business partner of Zimbabwean arms dealer John
Bredenkamp, who was also an agent for BAE in Southern Africa.

FTNSA Consulting, a company registered in the West Indies, whose principal,
according to the SFO document, is Basil Hersov, former chairperson of FNB
and member of President Thabo Mbeki's economic advisory panel. Hersov, now
80, is described as a man "with considerable influence". Agreements with him
"allow access to the very top", according to BAE documents quoted by the
SFO.

According to the SFO document: "Documentation disclosed by BAE has revealed
that . FTNSA was incorporated in Nevis in the West Indies in April 1992, and
two months later entered into a consultancy agreement with BAE in relation
to procurement of the Hawk aircraft in South Africa." At the time, in 1992,
the South African government was still led by the National Party, with FW de
Klerk as president. Apparently, BAE expected that FTNSA/Hersov's influence
would continue to allow "access to the very top" and help secure the desired
Hawk contract after the elections and the installation of an African
National Congress government in 1994. According to the SFO request, FTNSA
was paid, like the others, after delivery of the contract, between 2000 and
2005. It received a sum of £5,5-million (R77-million). The SFO has asked the
South African authorities to compel Nedbank and FNB to produce banking
documentation on accounts belonging to Hlongwane, Osprey Aerospace and a
company called Measuring Instruments Technology (MIT), registered in
Pretoria in 1993.

It is not clear where MIT fits in. Though it was an agent for certain BAE
components, the company says it had nothing to do with the arms deal. MIT MD
Maurice McDowell said he was unaware of the SFO request, but added:
"There'll be no problem; it's all open." In the United Kingdom, the SFO is
investigating "principally" the affairs of BAE itself and those of four
named individuals: group marketing director Michael Peter Rouse, former
chairperson Sir Richard Harry Evans, BAE chief executive Michael John Turner
and Julia Aldridge, the deputy head of the secretive HQ Marketing unit. The
SFO says "there is reasonable cause to believe that all the above-named
persons and company have committed offences of corruption".

The BAE investigation flows from allegations of pay-offs and sweeteners
being used to secure the massive al-Yamamah deal with Saudi Arabia, first
concluded under the Conservative government but whose additions and
extensions have been assiduously pursued by the government of British Prime
Minister Tony Blair. The long-running Saudi investigation was
controversially halted by Blair in December last year as the Saudis
threatened to pull out of a huge new deal with BAE. Blair cited reasons of
"national security", and there were claims that the Saudis had threatened to
end intelligence sharing if the probe went ahead. However, it appears that
some of the same commission channels were used by BAE in other contracts,
notably in South Africa, the Czech Republic and Chile, and those
investigations continue. The South African response to the SFO request for
help appears to have been exceptionally ponderous. The original request was
sent in June, both to the Director General of Justice and Constitutional
Development, Menzi Simelane, and to the National Directorate of Public
Prosecutions, according to a follow-up fax sent via Interpol.

The M&G understands that the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development first asked for advice from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and
then contacted Scorpions investigators working on the Zuma case. They
responded that they had their hands full and asked if other investigators
could be appointed to handle the BAE matter. Apparently, other such
investigators were not found within the Scorpions. It was after this that
the police were approached. A fax from Interpol to the South African Police
Service, dated October 10 last year, attached a copy of the SFO request and
asked the police to appoint an investigating officer as well, but noted that
the request still needed Justice Department approval. The request remained
with the police's Office for Serious Economic Offences until, finally, the
matter was recently referred back to the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA), which told the M&G this week: "We confirm receipt of a request for
assistance and will assist within the framework of international cooperation
in criminal matters."

Zimbabwe Vigil Diary - 13th January 2007

Lots of new people at the Vigil and they immediately threw themselves into
our protest.  They taught us dance steps we hadn't seen before - including a
remarkable quick step when our tarpaulin was torn by the fierce wind from
its anchoring trees.  Perhaps it's the Murambatsvina legacy: all Zimbabweans
seem to know how to control a rampant sheet of plastic.  It was great to
have new people with us as many of our regular supporters were attending
other events, such as a young people's project "Let them Fly" organised by
the Zimbabwe Women's Network-UK and a meeting of MDC UK Executive.

Doubt from Hertfordshire led the singing, supported, among others, by 10
people from Liverpool.  How encouraging that they made this long journey -
about the equivalent of Bulawayo to Harare - to be with us to draw attention
to the suffering in Zimbabwe.  A new song was popular today "Bye-bye Mugabe".
The mere idea cheered everyone up.

We interfaced with thousands of people coming past the Embassy who had
attended a "Russian Winter Festival" which took over Trafalgar Square.  They
understood our demand for freedom.  Many stopped to look at our laminated
full page article "Zimbabwe, the land of the dying children." from last week's
UK Sunday Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2534805,00.html). They were
shocked to learn that Zimbabwe has been reduced to such an abysmal state.
Other recent stories tell of women dying in childbirth because of hospital
staff strikes and 3 illegal miners dying of exhaustion and starvation after
being forced by police to work filling up trenches for six days without
food.

We were happy to have Addley with us: her and Julius's baby is due next
month and she looks wonderful.  Great to have Ancilla bringing another pot
and cooking stick to beat for Zimbabwe.  You can get quite a tune out of
these pots as people at home know: they all seem to say Bye-bye Mugabe.

For this week's Vigil pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/

FOR THE RECORD: 50 signed the register.

FOR YOUR DIARY: Monday, 15th January, 7.30 pm, Forum + MDC Central London
Branch Assembly.  Upstairs at the Theodore Bullfrog pub, 28 John Adam
Street, London WC2 (cross the Strand from the Zimbabwe Embassy, go down a
passageway to John Adam Street, turn right and you will see the pub).

Vigil Co-ordinator

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place
every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of
human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in
October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair
elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk

Killer cop to face culpable homicide charge

Zim Online

Monday 15 January 2007

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean police have finally decided to lay culpable homicide
charges against a senior police officer accused of killing a 25-year old
Bulawayo man on New Year's eve.

The police had initially refused to accept responsibility for the murder of
Artwell Magagada insisting that the police officer who shot him, identified
as Superintendent Milos Moyo, was off duty.

But in a sudden turn of events at the weekend, the police summoned Moyo and
took him to the scene of the crime to make indications on what transpired on
the  day of the shooting.

Sources within the police told ZimOnline at the weekend that the police
wanted Moyo to be taken to court to face a charge of culpable homicide.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed that the police were taking
action against Moyo over the killing of Magagada.

"We are currently carrying out investigations to establish what really
transpired and once that is done then appropriate action would be taken,"
said Bvudzijena.

Magagada was shot in the head as Moyo tried to control revelers celebrating
New Year. He was buried at the West Acre cemetery in Bulawayo last
Wednesday.

Several human rights groups in Zimbabwe last week criticized the murder of
Magagada saying it showed that the country was fast degenerating into a
"police state." - ZimOnline

Degree of anger at roll of dishonour

Scotland on Sunday

 

Sun 14 Jan 2007

Tyrant: Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe receives his honorary
degree from Edinburgh University at the McEwan Hall in 1984.
Picture: Denis Straughan

MURDO MACLEOD ( mmacleod@scotlandonsunday.com)

ONE of Scotland's most prestigious universities is cracking down on the abuse of honorary degrees amid growing concern over awards held by celebrities, serving politicians, "serial" degree collectors, and unsavoury characters.

Edinburgh University is even planning to introduce unprecedented powers to strip honorary degree holders of their titles, with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe believed to be top of the target list.

Papers released by the university under Freedom of Information legislation reveal that extensive discussions have taken place about how candidates are selected and vetted, and about the type of people honoured.

In recent years, celebrities including Michael Douglas, Annie Lennox and Billy Connolly have been honoured by Scottish universities. Last year, Midge Ure received an honorary degree in music from Edinburgh.

Papers from Edinburgh's Honorary Degrees Committee, marked "strictly confidential", show that "the question of removing honorary degrees from individuals would be considered as soon as possible".

If new powers are introduced, Mugabe is almost certain to be stripped of his honorary degree, which was awarded in 1984 amid euphoria over his country's transition to independence. Subsequent, widespread human rights abuses in the country led to protests at the university that Mugabe should lose his award.

Other moves to be examined include:

• Stopping the award of degrees to people who have already collected large numbers of awards.

• Banning serving politicians from receiving awards. Chancellor Gordon Brown received a degree from Edinburgh in 2004.

• Giving serious consideration to whether degrees should be awarded to nominees from countries with poor human rights records.

• Greater scrutiny at the nomination stage between the degree committee and the university senate which rubber stamps awards. The papers reveal that two nominations were recently withdrawn amid "unwelcome publicity".

One senior source at the university said: "This process to allow honorary degrees to be removed has already started and it is a good thing. It's a very positive development. I just wish there was something said against awarding degrees to celebrities."

Eric Williamson, professor of education at Glasgow University, said: "They are certainly going down the right road. If Edinburgh is becoming more circumspect then it is a good thing. Let's hope more follow."

Green MSP Robin Harper, formerly Edinburgh's Rector, said: "This move is excellent news. I do think that honorary degrees are devalued when their recipients then go away and then behave in a way that would never allow them to have an honorary degree in a million years.

"I hope Mr Mugabe will be the first person to be deprived of his award for becoming an anti-democratic tyrant and no longer be able to flaunt his degree. The episode has been embarrassing for the university which gave the award in good faith and which, rightly, celebrates its connections with Africa."

Mugabe was described as "one of the great figures of modern Africa" when he received the degree of doctor honoris causa in 1984, in recognition of educational programmes he instigated in the country.

Five years ago Edinburgh granted a degree to Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, one of the United Arab Emirates, a country whose human rights were recently described by the US State Department as being "problematic", with no free elections and restrictions on religious freedom.

The papers also reveal some of the behind-the-scenes deliberations as Edinburgh academics discuss to whom they should award honorary degrees, including efforts to get more women and ethnic minorities.

David McCrone, professor of sociology, wrote in an e-mail to the principal, Tim O'Shea: "I've taken some soundings about the possibility of adding a (preferably female and non-white) nomination."

In another exchange, the principal attempted to head off objections to an award for Olympic medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy. One e-mail, whose author's name was blacked out, said: "I am not so sure about this one. I accept that his achievement is great for Edinburgh and Scottish sport. But I think I would like to see a bit more for the University before granting an honorary degree."

O'Shea advised to a colleague involved in the nomination: "You might let [name blacked out] and any other colleagues with similar reservations know that Chris Hoy supported a lengthy all-evening alumni event in Athens just two days after he won his gold medal despite tremendous pressures on him to participate in other publicity and promotional events and to join various other celebrations that evening."

The minutes have emerged in the wake of concern about the "dumbing-down" of honorary degrees, with several awards being granted to celebrities. Edinburgh's 2007 honorary degree list, which Scotland on Sunday has obtained, is relatively showbiz-free, with the only celebrity on the list being Monty Python star Michael Palin.

In terms of honorary degree "hogs", broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has 19 such awards, and the veteran American comic Bob Hope picked up 58. Their awards pale in comparison with King Bhumiphol of Thailand who has 136.

An Edinburgh University spokeswoman said: "The University of Edinburgh continually reviews its policies and procedures in a wide variety of areas and the rules by which honorary degrees are awarded as part of the process."

In 1996 an American college awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters to the muppet Kermit the Frog.

From Python to politics: Edinburgh's new nominations revealed

Edinburgh University's list of nominations for honorary degrees in 2007 has been obtained by Scotland on Sunday months before it was due to made public.

The list of the great and good includes comedian and writer Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame.

Palin was nominated by the university's students, who will known him as much for his writing and his travel programmes as for the comedy shows which he recorded before many of them were born.

The university released details of its list for 2007 among papers issued in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Lists of honorary degree recipients are normally published in the immediate run-up to the graduation ceremonies.

In addition to Palin, two political heavyweights dominate the more serious side of the nominations. They are George Reid, the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament and the Irish president, Mary McAleese.

Reid is seen as having worked to bring the costs of Holyrood under control and to bring more openness to the workings of devolution in Scotland.

Edinburgh University also plans to honour the Scotland rugby player Tony Stanger with a doctor of education, and the senior judge Lord Gill, the lord justice clerk, with a doctor of laws.

Catherine Lockerbie, the director of the Edinburgh Book Festival since 2000 and former Edinburgh University graduate, will receive a doctor of letters.

Directions: The Victoria Falls hotel deluge

The Sunday Times, UK; January 14, 2007

 CONTROVERSIAL plans to turn a swathe of protected Victoria Falls riverfront
into a golf resort have been turned down - but the Zambian government has
angered conservationists by approving a lesser scheme to build two luxury
hotels on the same site.
      Legacy Group Holdings, of South Africa, which bought the 220ha site
for US$9m, confirmed last week that it would shortly begin construction.

      Thanks to the economic meltdown in neighbouring Zimbabwe, Zambia has
picked up an increasing share of visitors to the Victoria Falls, enjoying a
20% increase in tourist arrivals over the past year, and the Zambian
president, Levy Mwanawasa, is keen to attract foreign investment. But the
project dismayed environmentalists, who argued that it straddled
elephant-migration routes, and Unesco, which warned the plan could
jeopardise the World Heritage status of Victoria Falls.

      Locals, however, have welcomed the project. "We want development,"
said Shadrick Mabote, a tribal representative. "We want Legacy because we
have suffered too much with joblessness and poverty."