http://www.timeslive.co.za/
ZOLI MANGENA | 15 January, 2012
00:34
South African President Jacob Zuma's political hand has been
strengthened to
deal with trouble spots in the region, mainly Zimbabwe,
after Pretoria took
over the presidency of the United Nations Security
Council at the beginning
of the month.
Zuma's leverage to tackle the
political stalemate in Harare has never been
so strong, seeing that he is
the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) facilitator in Zimbabwe
and chairman of the SADC troika of the organ
on politics, defence and
security.
South Africa took over the presidency of the UN Security
Council from Russia
from January 1 until the end of the month.
Its
presidency coincided with Morocco and Togo's entrance into the council.
Morocco is not a member of the African Union (AU) - it pulled out in protest
over Western Sahara in 1984 to join the Arab League.
Togo and South
Africa are the only AU members in the council after Nigeria
and Gabon's
tenures expired last year.
South Africa, Nigeria and Gabon voted for the
UN intervention in Libya,
which led to Muammar Gaddafi's murder.
The
three countries were criticised by AU members for voting for the no-fly
zone
intervention in Libya but insisted Nato was abusing the UN Security
Council
1973 resolution and mandate in pursuit of their own agendas.
Zuma
criticised Nato for this when he addressed the UN Security Council late
this
week.
Zuma is expected to flex his political muscle with Zimbabwe during
the AU
summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the end of the month.
SADC
executive secretary Tomaz Salomao confirmed that Zuma would consult
SADC
leaders on the sidelines of the AU summit to fix dates for a regional
summit
on Zimbabwe.
Negotiators have finished talks and have referred certain
issues to Zuma and
Global Political Agreement (GPA) principals. SADC leaders
say they are tired
of the Zimbabwe issue which has been on their agenda for
10 years.
Zuma is permitted to organise regional troika meetings to deal
with the
Zimbabwe situation.
With Zimbabwe seemingly heading for
elections soon, he is anxious to ensure
the GPA is fully implemented and the
constitution-making process is
completed to create conditions for free and
fair elections.
Last year during the SADC summit in Luanda in August
Mugabe tried to block
Zuma from assuming the troika chairmanship but
failed.
Mugabe now has a chance to hit back at Zuma for his tough stance
against him
in GPA negotiations by backing Jean Ping's candidacy for the
chairmanship of
the AU Commission ahead of South Africa's Home Affairs
minister Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma, although the SADC has a position to vote as
a bloc for her.
South Africa is expected to prevail.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JAMA MAJOLA | 15 January,
2012 00:34
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu is consolidating his tight grip on
the
state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), which
controls
the Marange diamonds, by appointing his loyalists to key
positions.
This comes after Zimbabwe was cleared in November by the
Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme (KPCS) to sell its diamonds. It was
initially blocked
from the international markets due to human rights
problems and had been
sitting on gems worth $2-billion.
Zimbabwe is
now ranked the seventh largest diamond-producing country in the
world.
Botswana remains top of the league followed by Russia, Canada, SA and
Angola.
But the sale and receipt of diamond revenue has been shrouded
in mystery and
controversy. There have been allegations of rampant
smuggling, theft and
plunder at the contentious Marange diamond fields.
Human rights groups
oppose the sale of the diamonds.
While this has
been happening, Mpofu has been tightening his grip on his
ministry and the
ZMDC which is involved in joint-ventures with South African
and Chinese
companies at Marange, to control the mo-ney-spinning operations.
Mpofu,
one of President Robert Mugabe's favourite ministers, who calls
himself his
"ever obedient son", has been accused of soliciting a
$10-million bribe from
Canadile executives, an accusation he denies. He has
also been under
pressure to explain his new-found wealth which his accusers
say has
something to do with diamond revenues.
Recently, he appointed Jerry
Ndlovu, director of airports and business
development unit at the Civil
Aviation Authority, as the ZMDC CEO and
general manager to replace
experienced geologist Sam Siziba, who helped to
establish the Chiadzwa
operations from scratch.
Siziba, a non-partisan professional, has been
driving the Marange diamond
mining activities but was not considered a
loyalist by Mpofu.
Ndlovu began his new job at the ZMDC two weeks ago,
filling a post initially
left vacant when the ZMDC dismissed its former boss
Dominic Mubayiwa on
fraud and theft allegations.
Ndlovu, an engineer
with 28 years aviation experience, 15 years of them at
an executive
management level, is already a board member of the state-owned
Minerals
Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe. He is said to be close to Mpofu.
The
ZMDC is involved is a 50/50 joint venture with a South African company
in
Mbada Diamonds. It is also running another Chiadzwa diamond mining
project
after taking over Canadile Miners' operations.
The ZMDC has also taken
over the overall management of Sino-Zimbabwe,
another joint venture with the
Chinese, after the foreign investors pulled
out citing low returns. Five
companies - some with links to top politicians
controlling them by proxy -
were controversially awarded diamond concessions
in Marange.
Last
year Mpofu forced out his permanent secretary Thankful Musukutwa and
replaced him with Prince Mupazviriho. Mpofu and Musukutwa had been fighting
for the control of mineral concessions and licences.
Although a lot
of diamonds have been produced at Chiadzwa, Finance Minister
Tendai Biti
only received $122-million in revenues last year despite the
country
producing $334-million worth of gems.
Biti's complaints have piled
pressure on Mugabe and his Zanu-PF ministers to
ensure transparency and
accounta-bility in diamond revenues.
In his annual budget in November ,
Biti raised alarm over the continued
failure by Zanu-PF ministers to
pro-perly account for the diamond revenues.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 15 January,
2012 00:34
Zanu-PF's threats to hold elections this year with or without
a new
constitution have drawn mixed reactions from political observers, as
questions arise over funding.
Trevor Maisiri, a senior analyst at the
International Crisis Group, said: "I
don't think there is sufficient
evidence on the ground for elections to take
place in 2012. It's not just
that the finances that are not in place, but
it's also the prerequisite
reforms.
"Zanu-PF itself does not look like it's ready for elections. The
Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission and other election machinery have not started
processes
towards an election and normally more than one full year is
required to
prepare for that."
A $4-million national budget announced
by Finance Minister Tendai Biti last
year did not allocate any funds to an
election. Instead, it set aside
funding for a referendum on a new
constitution and the cleaning up of the
voter's roll this year.
The
lack of funds in the Treasury for elections has fuelled speculation that
Zanu-PF could use the Marange diamonds to finance the polls, a factor cited
by conflict diamonds watchdog Global Witness in its decision to pull out of
the Kimberley Certification Process Scheme last year.
Zanu-PF and the
country's military forces enjoy a firm foothold in the
Marange diamond
fields, through the operations of the state-owned Zimbabwe
Mineral
Development Corporation and a 50-50 venture with Chinese-owned
Anjin.
Charmain Gooch, GW's founding director, said at the time of
the pullout from
the Kimberley process: "Over the past decade, elections in
Zimbabwe have
been associated with the brutal intimidation of voters.
Orchestrating this
kind of violence costs a lot of money. As the country
approaches another
election, there is a high risk of Zanu-PF hardliners
employing these tactics
once more and using Marange diamonds to foot the
bill."
However, political analyst Dumisani Nkomo said it would not be
"easy" to
manipulate the Marange diamonds to pay for an election, due to the
Movement
for Democratic Change's push for "transparent" revenue remittance
by diamond
companies.
Biti has complained of a "parallel government"
being run by Zanu-PF, with
fiscal activities beneficial to it.
"It's
not going to be easy to use revenue streams from Marange diamonds to
run an
election which is neither sanctioned by the Southern African
Development
Community nor agreed to by the other principals in the unity
government. If
that were to happen then the whole scenario of Marange
diamonds being used
to finance sub-democratic processes is going to hold
water. We will likely
see an imposition of a ban on the trade of those
diamonds again," said
Nkomo.
Academic and publisher Ibbo Mandaza said the push for elections in
the
current environment would reverse all that Zimbabwe had gained in the
past
three years of the unity government.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Sunday, 15 January
2012 13:19
HARARE - Zanu PF on Friday said it will vigorously oppose
Finance Minister
Tendai Biti’s plan to get Zimbabwe’s staggering $7,4
billion external debt
written off under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) initiative.
HIPC is a debt relief programme managed by the
International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank.
Zanu PF’s comments
come after it emerged last week that Biti was in talks
with the British
Embassy in Harare to work out modalities to clear the debt
in a bid to
enable the resource-rich southern African country, isolated from
international capital over the past decade, to access international capital
markets once again.
British Embassy first secretary for politics and
communications in Harare
Keith Scott confirmed the talks to a local weekly
but said Zimbabwe’s
qualification for HIPC status will be conditional upon
full implementation
of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which gave birth
to the inclusive
government.
“They are not getting anywhere, we will
not accept that kind of thing,” Zanu
PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo told the
Daily News On Sunday.
“It will leave us in a compromised situation. The
country will be run by
outsiders. We know the MDC is always seeking outside
intervention. We will
certainly oppose it. There are other ways. We will
discuss it.”
The move, the latest in a series of steps by Biti to manage
the ballooning
external debt predicted to soar to $13,4 billion by end 2013,
has courted
controversy.
Biti says the country must seek debt
write-off under HIPC because the
arrears were blocking desperately-needed
fresh lines of credit.
Zanu PF, however says Zimbabwe is not poor but
remains saddled by sanctions.
Analysts have described Zimbabwe as a
“Highly Robbed Poor Country” rather
than a “Heavily-Indebted Poor Country”
and have called for the restitution
of the country’s stolen
assets.
Critics have called for a comprehensive audit of the debt first
before the
country even contemplates participating in the HIPC
Initiative.
“The debts are illegitimate in the first place, contracted in
undemocratic
means and vastly expanded to fit the priorities of
self-enriching elite that
has impoverished this country,” said Fambai
Ngirande, a social justice
activist.
“We do not owe and so we should
not pay. The thing is that the HIPC
initiative will never go far enough to
address the structural constraints
that preclude our
development.”
Ngirande said what Zimbabwe needed was “trade justice” —
“the unhindered
ability of our governments to protect our economies and our
goods to compete
favourably in the global economy.”
“Even after HIPC
we will still have to pay reduced but yet substantial
amounts and therefore
remain fettered by odious debts,” he said.
The HIPC Initiative is a long,
fraught process which is tied to a whole
range of sometimes controversial
macroeconomic policy conditionalities.
The average time for completion of
the programme has been six to seven
years, so debt cancellation takes a long
time.
Although HIPC qualifies the country for a substantial debt
cancellation
under the HIPC Initiative and Multilateral Debt Relief
Initiative (MDRI),
before the cancellation, Zimbabwe has to take steps to
pay part of the debt
as a supposed sign of good will, which will mean that
ironically, there will
be a significant increase in the external debt
service burden in the
short-term. Zimbabwe is currently not servicing its
foreign debt.
“Why don’t we begin by taking the millions of dollars that
have been looted
out of the country and stashed abroad and use those to
repay our debt,”
Ngirande said.
“Our national resources should be
left to meet the pressing social service
delivery and job creation needs of
our suffering people”, he said.
Another social and economic justice
activist Hopewell Gumbo said Zimbabwe
should not seek HIPC because it will
raise the problems of privatisation,
retrenchments and cutbacks on social
spending which characterised the
Economic Structural Adjustment Programme
(Esap) in the 1990s.
“HIPC has no history of success where it has been
implemented and
Zimbabweans must resist it in the strongest way. The
government must make
serious consultations with organisations like the
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt
and Development Zimcodd, who are at the fore of
working for pro-poor
economic policies,” said Gumbo.
Zimbabwe’s
former ambassador to China Chris Mutsvangwa said seeking HIPC
status will
facilitate foreign interference in the country’s economic and
political
affairs.
He said Zimbabwe can use its mineral resources to clear its
debt,
capitalising on the current international demand for minerals and did
not
need to be declared a HIPC.
But Biti says the country does not
have the capacity to repay its external
debt obligations, and government has
asked for the assistance of
international co-operating partners with debt
relief and write-offs as part
of the re-engagement process with multilateral
and bilateral creditors.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
JAMA MAJOLA | 15 January, 2012 00:34
President
Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF loyalists are now desperately
pushing for
elections to be held this year at all costs. But it is becoming
increasingly
clear that this is unlikely to happen as the
constitution-making process and
other reforms drag on.
Zanu-PF insiders say Mugabe and his inner circle,
which includes political
heavyweights such as Defence Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF politburo
member Jonathan Moyo and members of the Joint
Operations Command (JOC), are
worried about the slow pace of political
reform, mainly the implementation
of the Global Political Agreement (GPA)
and the constitution-making process,
which may further delay polls into
2013.
At its annual conference in Bulawayo last month - where Mugabe was
endorsed
as its presidential candidate - Zanu- PF resolved to hold elections
this
year without fail.
Senior Zanu-PF officials told the Sunday
Times this week that the current
situation was now worrying Mugabe and his
close advisers because if
elections are delayed until 2013 the party would
not have a viable
candidate. Mugabe is a major risk because of his old age
and ill health.
He returned home on Monday for meetings with Equatorial
Guinea President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema after a holiday in the Far East,
which he usually uses
for medical treatment . Last year Mugabe visited
Singapore more than a dozen
times for prostate cancer treatment.
"The
current situation is extremely worrying to the president and his
advisers
because a number of agreed GPA issues remain unimplemented and the
constitution-making process is very slow," a senior Zanu-PF official
said.
"That's why we are beginning to panic about elections. The problem
is that
we have resolved that elections must be held this year without fail
but the
political and electoral reform processes are dragging.
"The
president is our best foot forward in the coming elections, but it all
depends on the state of his health. It would be practically impossible to
field him next year at 89, with his health deteriorating."
Mugabe has
been in power for 32 years. He is 88 next month.
Moyo said this week
elections would be held this year. "If there's one thing
which can be said
with absolute certainty about 2012 ... it is that Zimbabwe
will hold
harmonised presidential, parliamentary and local government
elections this
year," he wrote in the state-controlled Sunday Mail. "Make no
mistake about
it, 2012 is the year of our general election, come rain or
shine."
A
senior Zanu-PF official said Mugabe and his loyalists were even
considering
pulling out the GPA and constitution-making process to force
elections. Moyo
described the constitution-making process - a prerequisite
for polls - as "a
dead and already stinking donkey", warning polls would be
held under the
current constitution.
While GPA negotiators have finished talks, they
have referred certain
disputed issues to the facilitator, South African
President Jacob Zuma and
the principals for a resolution.
Meanwhile,
parliament has adjourned until the end of February . This means
three
important bills before the House of Assembly will not be dealt with
for at
another two months. They are the Electoral Amendment Bill, Human
Rights
Commission Bill and Public Order and Security Amendment Bill.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
15/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
FINANCE Minister Tendai Biti has blasted the decision by the
United States
to slap two diamond mining companies with sanctions as it
emerged that his
2012 budget could likely take a US$600 million hit because
of the measures.
The United States treasury department added Mbada
Diamonds and Marange
Resources to the list of companies sanctioned under its
Zimbabwe Democracy
and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) in December
last.
The companies were apparently punished for partnering the
state-owned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Company (ZMDC) which was already on
the US
sanctions list.
Another diamond mining company operating in
Marange, the Chinese-owned
Anjin, which was also recently given KP approval
to export its rough
diamonds, was not included on the list
Now Biti
has written to Assistant US Treasury Secretary Charles Collyns,
blasting
the move as "self-defeating", especially after the US backed the
lifting of
the Kimberly Process ban on Marange diamonds.
"The US decision undermines
the KP and its chairmanship of this body. A
member must act in good faith.
One cannot, in one forum, act in one manner
then unilaterally undermine the
collective decision taken at the common
forum,” Biti said in the letter,
extracts of which were published on Sunday.
He went on: "It would be
curious to find out the motive of your decision
against the two companies.
Your decision will not stop the mining that is a
sovereign issue covered by
international law.
"Most importantly, it will not stop the sale of
diamonds. All it does is to
encourage more opaqueness and underwriting of
the diamond industry... this
is a self-defeating and retrogressive position;
one which I hope was not
taken to placate powerful interests who were
against the Kinshasa
agreement."
Presenting his 2012 budget statement
in November last year, Biti said he had
revised his revenue projections to
about US$4 billion on the back of an
anticipated US$600 million boost from
diamond sales.
Biti said the extra revenue would be used to finance key
infrastructure
projects as well as the constitutional referendum and general
elections
expected this year.
“The precarious position that we find
ourselves in is that failure or delay
in the realisation of the anticipated
diamond revenues will delay projects
implementation,” Biti said
then.
He also repeated the warning in his letter to
Collyns.
"Zimbabwe is a poor fragile economy and, therefore, it must be
allowed to
sell and benefit from its resources," he said.
"In my 2012
Budget, there are capital projects of US$600 million which are
totally
dependent on diamond revenues.”
The US slapped Zimbabwe with sanctions
more than a decade ago, accusing
President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF
party of electoral fraud and human
rights abuses.
The Zimbabwe
government says the sanctions are unjustified and needlessly
worsening the
plight of ordinary people by undermining the country’s
economic recovery.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 15 January
2012 14:46
BY PATRICE MAKOVA
THE Constitution-making process faces a
fresh setback as Zanu PF is stepping
up efforts to disrupt the writing of a
new constitution using war veterans
and war collaborators who are using a
combination of force and legal means
to stop the process.
These groups
are alleging widespread irregularities in the drafting process.
The
collaborators and war veterans last Friday turned a media briefing at
the
Copac offices into a circus, threatening to beat up officials accusing
them
of distorting views of the people during the outreach programmes.
the
Zimbabwe National Liberation War collaborators Association (Ziliwaco),
gave
Copac a deadline of yesterday to publish the national report, failure
of
which the organisation would go to court to stop the writing of a new
constitution.
“You have not, at any material time, produced and
published a national
report and yet it is the national report which is the
sole and exclusive
embodiment of the views of the people,” wrote thier
lawyers, Guni and Guni,
to Copac. “The people need to know whether the
drafting is consistent with
their views.”
Ziliwaco said, although
Zimbabweans stated that they did not want dual
citizenship, the drafters
have allowed dual citizenship.
Copac’s three co-chairs, Munyaradzi Paul
Mangwana, Douglas Mwonzora and
Edward Mkhosi were given five days within
which to produce and publish the
national report.
Chairperson of
Ziliwaco, Pupurai Togarepi told The Standard yesterday that
Copac has failed
to comply with its demands; hence the association has no
option but to go to
court to stop the drafting of a new constitution.
“We are also going
to organise massive demonstrations in order to stop this
process, which is
ignoring the views of the people,” he warned.
Mangwana promised that
Copac will comply with the demands of Ziliwaco and
publish the national
report at a date to be announced.
Togarepi said war veterans and war
collaborators who disrupted the media
briefing were only expressing their
disgruntlement and had not been sent by
any political
party.
War vets, collaborators besiege Copac
proceedings
All hell broke loose soon after Mwonzora had finished
reading a statement
outlining the progress made so far in the drafting of
the new charter, with
scores of war veterans and collaborators who invaded
the media briefing,
virtually taking over the question and answer
segment.
Journalists were reduced to mere spectators as war veteran’s
hurled insults
and bombarded Copac officials with questions and accusation
after
accusation, while openly showing their support for Zanu PF’s
position.
Mwonzora, Mangwana and Rejoice Ngwenya, who was standing in
for Mkhosi, were
threatened with assault after they were accused of
“subverting” the wishes
of the people.
“We can deal with you
right now and stop this constitution-making process,”
warned a war veteran
who identified himself as Dzetse. “Don’t think on our
behalf. All of you are
brainless.”
But Mangwana was not amused with Dzetse’s threats saying
war veterans have
no right to intimidate and bully Copac officials.
“We
did not come here to fight. You should respect us because you elected us
as
your representatives,” he said.
http://www.radiovop.com
Karoi, January 15, 2012- The
controversial Presidential scheme was halted at
the Karoi Grain Marketing
Board depot last Friday amid accusations of
looting by senior Zanu-PF
officials forcing desperate farmers to go home
empty handed.
The
depot was virtually deserted as few farmers were seen milling around
after
it was announced that rural councillors will assist in vetting and
verifying
deserving farmers.
‘’We used to give 12 bags per hectare but have since
reduced it to only five
and it is now restricted to few farmers here. All
other farmers will have to
visit their respective wards to be assisted by
their councillors and with
our counterparts on outreach program as it has
been halted here’’ confirmed
one GMB worker.
Some Zanu PF officials
including Members of Parliament are accused of
hijacking the credit facility
claiming it is campaign tool by President
Robert Mugabe ahead of possible
elections this year.
This has brought divisions within the former ruling
party where Zanu-PF
Hurungwe East MP Sarah Mahoka is accused of looting
nearly 50 tons of inputs
although she defended her move saying she is
facilitating it for her
constituency.
She defended herself saying those
accusing her of looting are aimed at
tarnishing her image
politically.
However, GMB workers defended her actions saying she is owed
monies by GMB
for maize deliveries she made to the loss making
board.
‘’Mahoka is one of the few Zanu-PF officials who is consistent in
delivering
maize. You cannot compare her with youths who do not have even a
single
voucher for nearly eight years. It is political’’ added another
source
although he declined to have his name published.
There was no
immediate comment from GMB top officials as the phones went
unanswered at
the time of writing.
President Mugabe launched the scheme in a bid to
boost production but top
party wigs are accused of selling the inputs on the
black market defying his
bid to restore sanity in the agro-based economy
that was affected following
the violent seizures of white owned farms in
2000.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Bulawayo Correspondent
Sunday, 15 January 2012
13:38
HARARE - Farmers in the Matabeleland region are still to be
paid for last
season’s winter wheat deliveries by the Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) a
position that has negatively affected their farming
activities.
Matabeleland North Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZFCU)
Chairperson
Irene Maphenduka said morale was low among farmers over the
issue.
“A lot of them are still to get their payments as the GMB says it
does not
have the money to pay. The farmers need the money to pay workers
and buy
inputs such as fertilizers and seeds for the season currently under
way,”
she said.
Maphenduka called on Finance Minister Tendai Biti to
intervene by availing
more funds to GMB so that it can make payments due to
farmers for various
grain deliveries.
“The finance minister should
urgently release money to GMB so that it will
be able to pay farmers who
desperately need it to continue with their
farming business,” she
said.
Framers interviewed by businessdaily complained over delays by the
GMB to
process their payments.
“I delivered 33 tonnes of wheat
sometime in late October and up to now I
have not been paid,” said Melusi
Moyo from Esigodni in Matabeleland South.
The situation has also impacted
on farmers that had secured funding for
their winter wheat crop from
commercial institutions.
“It’s unfortunate that many of us borrowed loans
from banks and we are yet
to pay it back. Some of the loans have already
accumulating interests,” said
another farmer Trymore Nkomo from Nyamandlovu,
Matabeleland North.
“The worst thing is that we not even sure when we are
likely to be paid as
GMB has not communicated anything to us.
If the GMB
does not have the money it should just give us back our crop so
that we can
sell to those that are willing to pay,” he added.
Efforts to get a
comment from the GMB were fruitless.
Currently a tonne of wheat is pegged
at US$466.
The country’s winter wheat crop has been on the decline due to
incessant
power cuts by Zesa, shortage of inputs and
funding.
Hactarage of wheat has declined from a high of 70 000 hectares
in 2007 to
about 10 000 hectares in 2010.
The country currently
requires over 300 000 tonnes of wheat per year for
consumption but farmers
have failed to meet demand.
Companies have resorted to wheat imports to
supplement local supply.
The ministry of Finance in the 2012 national
budget has forecasted the
agricultural sector to grow by 11, 6 percent
despite a failure by
government to attract enough support for its 2011/2012
farming season after
two critical fundraising schemes were
unsuccessful.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority’s (AMA) $100 million
tender of 360-day
agro bills to finance the 2011/2012 agricultural season
was undersubscribed,
raising $17,7 million out of the required $50
million.
The reluctance by players, particularly financial institutions,
appears to
be a result of a cautious approach which the companies adopted
after the GMB
defaulted on a similar scheme in 2004.
http://www.radiovop.com
GWANDA, January 15, 2012 – Members of
Parliament and Senators have been paid
$15 000 each in outstanding
allowances with a total of $3 million being paid
to all law
makers.
The money which was deposited into legislator’s bank accounts
Friday comes
at a time when civil servants have issued an ultimatum to
Government to go
on strike.
Civil servants want a pay rise as they
continue to earn salaries way below
the poverty datum line currently
estimated at around $540.
They accuse the government of delaying
salary negotiations and of being
insincere especially after agreeing to pay
the MPs.
“It just shows the greediness in our leaders, we wonder what
they really
mean when they say they do not have the money to increase our
salaries,”
said a teacher at a local school.
The Welfare Committee
last year negotiated with the executive for the MPs to
be paid their
outstanding sitting allowances which date back to 2008.
The executive
decided to peg the allowances at US$15 000 for each
legislator.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Sunday, 15 January 2012
12:56
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC are
pushing for the
murderers of the 2008 political violence to be brought to
justice without
any further delays.
But Attorney-General (AG)
Johannes Tomana, whose job it is to prosecute
these killers, continues to
dither and sit on the cases — accusing the MDC
of cheap
electioneering.
The MDC says it is keen to ensure that perpetrators of
the 2008 violence are
jailed to prevent them from committing more atrocities
as President Robert
Mugabe’s Zanu PF desperately tries to use the next poll
to overturn its 2008
electoral defeat.
Churches, civil society and
election observer groups largely blame the 2008
violence on the military, as
well as Zanu PF supporters — who were all
battling to overturn Mugabe’s
embarrassing and dramatic defeat in the March
2008 first round presidential
poll.
In that light, the MDC says it wants Tomana to use his
constitutional powers
to force the prosecution of the “murderers” who are
still roaming free and
appear to enjoy police protection.
The party
has implored Tomana to invoke Section 76 (4a) of the constitution
to order
the commissioner-general of the police Augustine Chihuri to
investigate the
murders.
The party has also approached the Joint Monitoring and
Implementation
Committee (Jomic), an organ set up under the Global Political
Agreement
(GPA), to monitor the implementation of the power sharing
accord.
Deputy Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Obert Gutu, who is also
a top
official in the MDC, says the party will this year exhaustively pursue
the
matter.
“The MDC is still pursuing the matter because it goes to
the very root of
foundational concepts of democracy, transparency,
accountability and good
governance,” he said.
“Naturally, the MDC
will not rest until such a time that the perpetrators of
these brutal
murders and other heinous crimes are brought to book. As they
say in Shona,
mhosva hairovi (you can not run away from the law). It is a
fact that no
less than 200 MDC activists were brutally murdered between
March and June,
2008.
That period in time was a reign of terror,” Gutu told the Daily
News on
Sunday yesterday.
Gutu accused Tomana of shielding
perpetrators of the 2008 violence, saying
the AG had been sitting on
dossiers containing details of the gruesome 2008
violence “for ages” without
acting.
Tomana denied the charge.
He rubbished the MDC’s concerns,
saying the party should follow due process.
Tomana told the Daily News on
Sunday that he could not invoke the
constitutional provisions directing
police to investigate the murders when
the MDC had failed to meet key
conditions for that to happen.
“The Attorney General invokes that power
where it is very clear before him
that there is a witness who has cared to
actually go all the way to assist
the police with all the requisite
information that is required,” Tomana said
yesterday.
“I can only
invoke that power when they (police) are not doing what they are
supposed to
do for example, this could either be because of corruption in
the sense of
showing favour, or fear because certain threats have been made
to them or
prejudice,” said Tomana.
“Police stations have jurisdictions because an
offence that is committed in
Magunje is reported in Magunje and investigated
in Magunje. Now we will then
check to see whether that report was actually
made, what the CR Number is
and then over and above that we can certify that
yes, the IO (investigating
officer) did less than what he is supposed to
do.
“We refer you to the DisPol (Officer Commanding District). If the
DisPol
doesn’t help, we refer you to the province.
“If they don’t
help we find that there is a real responsibility? You go up
to the PGHQ
(Police General Headquarters) itself,” said Tomana, explaining
the due
process necessary before he can act.
In the meantime, MDC
secretary-general Tendai Biti has also furnished Jomic
with a list of the
murders that were perpetrated against MDC supporters in
2008.
Zimbabwe has struggled to regain stability ever since and
tensions have been
rising again ahead of another election, to be held
possibly next year.
“The MDC implores you to ensure that the Zimbabwe
Republic Police are made
to enforce the rule of law by causing the arrest
and prosecution of the
perpetrators of these murders,” Biti wrote to Jomic
national coordinator
Patience Chiradza.
“It is inexcusable that
almost three years after the perpetration of these
murders; absolutely
nothing has been done by the police to arrest those who
committed the
murders.”
Police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka declined to comment saying
Jomic must
answer the questions since the MDC had chosen to write to
them.
“They have written to Jomic. I cannot answer for Jomic,” Mandipaka
told the
Daily News on Sunday. “He (Biti) will get his answers from
Jomic.”
Biti’s letter was copied to co-Home Affairs ministers Theresa
Makone and
Kembo Mohadi as well as Justice and Legal Affairs minister
Patrick
Chinamasa.
The letter further quotes a speech made by Vice
President Joice Mujuru at
the Celebration Centre in Harare on December 7, in
2010.
“If you are out there and you kill in the name of Zanu PF, the law
will
catch up with you because an offence (once) committed should be brought
to
justice,” Mujuru is quoted saying at the Celebration Centre in the
letter.
“Zanu PF won’t protect you. We don’t want to be a country known
for murder
and harassment.”
Said Biti in his letter: “Indeed, Vice
President Mujuru acknowledged in
December 2010 that Zanu PF supporters had
committed murders in 2008.”
Attached to Biti’s letter was a letter to
Tomana written by the MDC director
of security and intelligence, Chris
Dhlamini, containing the names,
districts, dates and summaries of 2008
murders and other violent activities.
“Villages, particulars and
locations where the deaths occurred can be
supplied by the MDC leadership in
respective districts given in the said
document,” Dhlamini’s letter to
Tomana says.
“The deaths occurred in 2008, over a period of time
extending from April
2008 to December 2008. We will forward to you any
further reports from our
members as they come.
Information available
suggests that the deceased were murdered, by, in some
cases people who the
deceased’s relatives and neighbours will be able to
identify or name,” the
letter reads.
The MDC intelligence supremo says in his letter to Tomana
that reports in
some cases were made to the local police stations but the
report references
were not given to the informants.
“The police have
not gone back to the informants/relatives to inform them of
the levels of
achievements in their efforts to deal with the said matters in
accordance
with the law,” reads the letter.
Suspected Zanu PF supporters, war
veterans and intelligence officers were
accused of carrying a retribution
exercise against perceived MDC backers in
Mashonaland Central and East in
the run up to the June 2008 presidential
run-off.
Tsvangirai pulled
out of the run-off days before polling, citing massive
violence and
intimidation against his supporters.
Mugabe went ahead with the poll
widely condemned as a sham and installed
himself as the winner of the
one-man election.
Sadc leaders, led by former South African President
Thabo Mbeki, however
intervened and forced a political pact leading to the
formation of the
inclusive government.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior Writer
Sunday,
15 January 2012 13:08
HARARE - Battle lines have been drawn between
Harare City Council and Zanu
PF legislators over a plan to extend city
boundaries.
The legislators, from peri-urban settlements such as Harare
South and
Goromonzi, say the expansion plan will bring the areas into Harare
city
connecting their constituencies with urban areas which will cost them
during
elections.
The move means that most of these areas will fall
into urban jurisdictions
when the delimitation exercise is done, diluting
voting patterns in these
areas.
The City of Harare intends to extent
its boundaries by acquiring the farms
in the western and eastern areas of
the city.
Targeted farms are in the western region are White cliff Farm,
Spart Korp,
Ingwe Farm, Rainham and Rydale Ride Park Farm.
There are
reports that Zanu PF leadership in the Mashonaland West is
resisting the
move saying it will favour the MDC, come election time.
The farms have
residential stands with the majority of the beneficiaries
coming from Zanu
PF.
Council has also identified eight farms in the eastern side of the
city.
These are Acorn, Rumin, Echo, Caledonia, Lyndhurst Lot G of Chinaka
Farm and
Gurlyn Barton which have to be incorporated into the Harare
boundaries on
the eastern side of the city.
The farms constitute four
Goromonzi constituencies most of which are in the
hands of Zanu
PF.
Harare City Council deputy Mayor Emmanuel Chiroto, an MDC councillor
in
Hatcliffe confirmed the expansion plan.
“We have indeed approached
government with a proposal to be given some farms
that are close to the city
centre.
“We are still waiting for government to take action. We hear of
certain
politicians and governors who have refused our applications but we
will wait
for government to respond,” said Chiroto.
Another
councillor who requested anonymity said, “What is worrying is that
government takes time to approve our request and by then, most land would
have been taken."
Currently Harare has 46 wards which can be expanded
into 54 wards.
The Harare city’s department of surveying is already in
the process of
drawing up the new boundaries of the city.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
15/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN exporters must scramble to find new markets or
risk commercial
peril after South Africa slapped an effective import ban on
a raft of
products in a bid to protect local producers.
South Africa
is Zimbabwe’s leading market, accounting for about 56 percent
of all exports
with China and the United Arab Emirates coming a distant
second at 6
percent.
However, under a deal agreed between the government, labour and
business
organisations, at least 75 percent of all procurement in Africa’s
largest
economy must now come from local companies.
“The development
is likely to have an impact on Zimbabwe’s external sector
due to the fact
that South Africa remains the major trading partner with
Zimbabwe,” the
Ministry of Finance warned in its latest monthly economic
review.
The
regulations, which also come with thresholds for minimum local content
in
the targeted products and services, took effect on December 7,
2011.
However, products that must immediately satisfy the local content
requirements such as clothing, textiles, and leather products are not among
Zimbabwe’s key exports to its southern neighbour.
“The clothing,
textiles, footwear, leather products industries are in
decline, with little
room for exports. The canned vegetable market is also
constrained,”
Zimbabwe’s treasury bulletin added.
Exports to South Africa mostly
comprise unprocessed tobacco (13.5 percent),
minerals (over 36.8 percent)
and sugar (2 percent), which are not on the
list.
Even so, the
treasury warned that there was still “potential for reduced
exports” as more
products would be added to the initial list.
Exports are, however, still
expected to grow 15.3 percent to US$5.1 billion
in 2012.
With imports
set to top $6.8 billion, the country’s current account deficit
is now
projected to ease to US$1.7 billion against US$2 billion for 2011.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
15/01/2012 00:00:00
by Phyllis
Mbanje
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has come under fire for
failing to make
any arrests in the many cases of missing children reported
around the
country, amid fears most were abducted for ritual
purposes.
Cases of missing kids, most of them in the 3-14-years range,
have been on
the increase over the last few months prompting speculation
that
unscrupulous business people may be abducting innocent children for
sacrificial purposes.
With some of the children turning up dead, most
people now fear that vile
business people may be resorting to ritual
killings in a bid to increase
their wealth, shrug-off competition or
safe-guard their riches.
The practice is common in many African
countries, but Zimbabwe had not
recorded any such cases in recent years
until late 2011 when children
started disappearing from their homes and even
from school.
Parents are particularly angry that the ZRP -- dismissed by
most as
incompetent and corrupt -- has failed to apprehend any suspects or
explain
why it is taking long to bring the heartless criminals to
book.
In one of the recent cases, a toddler went missing in Masvingo on
Christmas
Day only to turn up dead four days later with unspeakable signs of
torture.
Most of her skin had peeled off suggesting her murderers may have
poured
boiling water over her.
The child, aged 19 months, was playing
outside her house in Masvingo while
her mom took a nap, when she was
snatched.
Upon waking up the mother discovered that her baby was missing
and raised
the alert but it was too late. Some witnesses are said to have
seen a man
carrying the child fitting the description given by the
mother.
Although the report was made the same day, police only pitched up
the next
day in the evening by which time the kidnapper had made good their
escape
and covered their tracks.
Four days later the little child’s
body was dumped close to were she was
taken and no progress has been made in
police investigations.
Another case that has still not been solved is that of
Given Matapure who
went missing during last year’s Agricultural Show in
Harare.
His clothes were found next to some human remains which were
discovered
within the grounds of the Exhibition Park but the identity of the
bones is
still to be verified.
Two more cases which drew public
attention were those of Samuel Madzima from
Epworth and Blessing Kanojerera
of Kuwadzana.
Again, no suspects have been picked for
questioning.
With police investigations apparently going nowhere,
frightened parents are
now taking more stringent measures to ensure the
safety of their children.
A walk in Harare’s city centre shows just how
frightened and restive parents
and guardians have become. Most no longer
entertain having strangers chat up
their children while others now accompany
them to and from school to ensure
their safety.
“It beggars belief
that no arrests have been made in the many cases reported
across the country
over the last few months,” one irate parent said.
“Parents have enough
problems struggling to put food on the table in a
difficult economy. Now
they have to accompany children to and from school
and worry when they go
out to play because the streets are clearly no longer
safe.
“Surely
the police should be able to deal with these cases with the same
efficiency
they demonstrate in cases of politically related violence where
arrests are
swift and sweeping.
http://www.fin24.com
Jan 15 2012 15:04 Nhlalo Ndaba
Parking
management services company Easipark has become one of the first
South
African businesses to fall victim to Zimbabwe’s controversial
indigenisation
project.
Easipark has been elbowed out of Harare and is still engaged in
heated
boardroom negotiations with Bulawayo City Council.
Now the
Harare City Council has written to Easipark, giving it 90-days
notice to
cancel the parking deal.
The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act
came into effect at the
beginning of 2010.
It requires all large
businesses, including banks and mining industries, to
sell 51% of their
shares to indigenous Zimbabweans.
Easipark has been operating in Harare
since 2009.
Part of its operations in the capital entailed developing and
managing
public parking bays.
In the first quarter of its operations
the company achieved tremendous
growth, with 68% occupancy in the Harare
CBD.
The Harare deal was set to last for four years and was subject to
review in
2013.
But two years into its contract, a Zanu PF-aligned
business pressure group
that goes by the name Upfumi Kuvadiki – Shona for
“resources to the youth” –
started pushing for a review of the deal last
year that would ultimately
result in the South African company being
sidelined.
“We received their letter of notification but I am not in a
position to shed
light on what our next step will be,” said Pegias Dube,
Easipark’s Zimbabwe
representative.
Easipark and the Harare City
Council also had differences of opinion over
the disbursement of
funds.
That became Upfumi Kuvadiki’s entry point, with the blessing of
Zanu PF
stalwart and Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister
Ignatius
Chombo.
Chombo is involved in a protracted battle with the
Harare City Council which
is run by councillors from the opposition
MDC.
“We have the full backing of the relevant authorities.
We
will take over the parking bays.
We will tell the Harare City Council
when we have done so,” said Upfumi
Kuvadiki spokesperson Alson
Darikayi.
In March, the pressure group forcibly invaded the parking bays,
arguing that
the South African company was milking the country’s lucrative
parking
business.
According to the deal, Easipark was taking 40%
while Harare would take 60%.
The pressure group is bulldozing its way
into the parking business using the
excuse it is exercising the
indigenisation drive.
The group is the brainchild of Minister of
Indigenisation and Economic
Empowerment Savior Kasukuwere and another Zanu
PF heavyweight, Didymus
Mutasa.
While Easipark is winding up
operations in Harare, in Bulawayo it is still
trying to win business from
the city fathers.
Last year Easipark and three other South African
companies tendered to
manage the city’s parking bays.
Easipark won
the tender but it was reversed after details emerged of an
all-expenses paid
trip to South Africa for councillors.
“The issue is back with the tender
board.
They (Easipark) may get it or they may not.
The first time
around irregularities were raised,” said Bulawayo mayor Thaba
Moyo.
Dube said the company is still interested in doing business in
Bulawayo
despite the setback.
The African Development Bank (AFDB) in
its December review of the Zimbabwean
economy indicated that forced takeover
of businesses would make Zimbabwe a
high-risk business environment this
year.
The banks said: “The ongoing implementation of the indigenisation
and
economic empowerment laws, and the expected national elections in 2012
continue to weaken external investor confidence.”
Most Zimbabwean
cities do not have foolproof parking systems.
People park their vehicles
anywhere, only to be issued with tickets from the
city councils, which they
easily avoid paying since most of the systems are
not
computerised.
The amount of traffic in Zimbabwe has greatly increased,
largely due to car
imports from countries such as Japan, China, Singapore
and the UK.
This alone has attracted interest from companies interested
in running
parking bay systems.
The government has also recently
erected tollgates on all the major highways
to rake in benefits from the
growth in traffic.
Gary Smith from the South African embassy in Zimbabwe
said even though the
two countries signed a bilateral agreement in 2009,
situations such as this
one still surface and that they would seek an
audience with Zimbabwean
authorities.
“It is unfortunate that even
though we signed a bilateral agreement with
Zimbabwe South African
businesses in the country face these problems.
“We will engage with
relevant offices, at the moment no South African
company has approached us
for assistance,” Smith said.eas
- City Press
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JAMA MAJOLA | 15 January, 2012 00:34
A dark cloud is
hanging over several Zimbabwean commercial banks, which are
struggling due
to chronic capitalisation problems and a prolonged liquidity
crisis in the
market.
Latest information gleaned from Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank
and
banking sector reports show only six out of 26 banks in the market are
strong, while the rest are just keeping their heads above water.
"Six
banking institutions continued to dominate the market in terms of
deposits,
commanding close to $2-billion of the total banking sector
deposits,
representing about 70% of the total market deposits," one of the
documents
says. "CBZ Bank retains the highest systemic importance, with
market share
for deposits of close to 25%."
Main banks in Zimbabwe in terms of core
capital include CBZ, Standard
Chartered, Barclays, Stanbic, BancABC and ZB
Bank.
This means the other 20 banks are just breaking even.
ZABG
is critically undercapitalised, with a negative core capital position
of
about $8-million. The deterioration in capital is attributed to
cumulative
losses for the current and prior years.
The bank has been given until
September 30 2012 to meet minimum capital
requirements following a
protracted demerger process in the last quarter of
2010.
ZABG has
been trying in vain to get its major shareholders and investors to
inject
capital.
A consortium of Russian investors is said to be trying to take
over the
bank, which has requested $5-million from the Ministry of Finance
to cover
its operational expenses.
Other banks which have been
struggling include ReNaissance, which is now
under the management of a
curator, TN Bank, Kingdom Bank, Genesis Investment
Bank and Royal
Bank.
Following its closure and management by a curator, ReNaissance's
future has
become gloomy, with the old shareholders fighting vicious battles
for
ownership and control with the curator and central banks
officials.
Genesis Bank has been trying to get foreign investors to
strengthen its weak
position. The central bank has approved in principle the
proposed
acquisition of a 93% stake in the bank by a consortium of investors
led by
FMB of Malawi.
Several banks failed to meet their minimum
statutory capital requirements -
a buffer against contingency risk and a
cushion for depositors - last year
due to low capitalisation and poor
balance sheets. They were given new
deadlines which stretched into this
year.
The International Monetary Fund has expressed concern over "rising
vulnerabilities in the banking system" in Zimbabwe.
The IMF has
advised that small and weak banks must be recapitalised, merged
or closed,
something which several struggling banks are considering.
Owners of small
banks have been hanging onto their assets, hoping to secure
funds for
capitalisation or new shareholders, something which has been
difficult
mainly due to the macro-economic environment and policy
problems.
Foreign-owned banks - which underpin the banking sector - have
been under
growing threat of seizure or being pushed out of the market as
they continue
to resist government's controversial indigenisation laws,
which amount to
expropriation disguised as empowerment.
Empowerment
and Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has accused banks
of defiance
and has threatened punitive measures.
"We have Standard [Chartered] Bank
who show a lot of disrespect for our
laws," Kasukuwere said
recently.
"Barclays Bank is still trying to find all the excuses that it
can and
Stanbic Bank ignores its own commitments to the people of this
country. It
must be made clear to them that they will not escape the
law."
Zimbabwe experienced a chain of bank collapses in 2004 at the
height of the
economic meltdown and hyperinflation.
A number of banks
are battling for survival due to poor economic
performance, low-capacity
utilisation by industry and depressed demand
against a backdrop of low
disposable incomes.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
ZOLI MANGENA | 15 January, 2012
00:34
An inquest into the mysterious death, in a farm blaze, of former
army
commander and Zanu-PF politburo heavyweight General Solomon Mujuru,
begins
on Monday.
This happens amid fears the case might open a
Pandora's Box of unexplained
political murders and trigger vicious political
reaction.
Judicial Services Commission deputy secretary Rex Shana said
the inquest
would start tomorrow in Harare, before magistrate Walter
Chikwana. At least
42 witnesses have been summoned to give evidence, to help
shed light on
Mujuru's death.
Zimbabwean police have conducted their
own inquiry but have not released
their findings, which insiders say
conclude that Mujuru died in a "fire
accident". This has already been
dismissed by members of Mujuru's family and
the public, saying it was a
cover-up.
Chief magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe, confirmed a docket had been
handed over
to the court.
Mujuru's family and loyalists are pointing
fingers at some top state
security actors within the military and
intelligence services, known to be
his bitter rivals. Many in government
believe his death was an "inside job".
His death torched a wave of
emotions - shock, grief and anger - over a wide
cross-section of
society.
Mujuru's death also fuelled Mugabe's simmering succession
crisis. He was
fighting to replace Mugabe with his wife, Vice-President
Joyce Mujuru, or
close ally Sydney Sekeramayi.
Mujuru's camp is
fighting with Defence Minister and Zanu-PF politburo member
Emmerson
Mnangagwa's group to produce a candidate to take over from
Mugabe.
Zanu-PF has a long history of internal upheavals. In the past it
has gone
through a turbulent period of sustained kidnappings, mass trials
and
executions in the wake of political coups and counter-coups.
http://www.nation.co.ke
By CHEGE MBITIRU
Posted Sunday,
January 15 2012 at 19:14
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has fanatical
followers. One, Norbert
Kunonga, is rendering a disservice.
He has a
self-bestowed title: Archbishop, Anglican Province of Zimbabwe. He
created
it by grabbing—and counting—the property of the Church Province of
Central
Africa, CPCA, a worldwide Anglican Communion member.
Kunonga began
ingratiating himself to Mugabe and ZANU-PF party before a
controversially
election as the Harare Diocese bishop. His ingratiation now
heads toward
Genuflection.
This is a brief body lowering and bending a knee to the
ground as a sign of
respect. Catholics are good at it.
As
one—Ha!—Mugabe would embrace the gesture as a golden chalice. Forget the
division Kunonga has caused among the country’s Anglicans.
Clerics
are entitled to political views. Ex-communicated, Kunonga though is
beyond
that. Two weeks ago he announced support for Mugabe’s next candidacy.
He
has said Mugabe is “...a prophet of God who was sent to deliver the
people
of Zimbabwe from bondage.”
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of opposition
Movement for Democratic Change, is
“evil.”
Additionally, Mugabe
critics champion homosexuality, support Western
sanctions, and oppose
indigenization.
His 200-strong priest shock troopers listened. Backed by
security agencies
and pro-Mugabe judges, they have helped—and
helping—Kunonga grab
highly-valued CPCA property: churches, schools, and
clinics, among others.
Kunonga’s charges aren’t true. Nobody wants to
impose homosexuality or
lesbianism on Zimbabweans. The sanctions hurt the
country because targeted
Mugabe & Co. have appropriated its
wealth.
Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, whose MDC faction rivals Tsvangirai’s,
rightly, likened
Kunonga to a ZANU-PF commissar. Mzila-Ndlovi is co-minister
in the Organ on
National Healing Reconciliation and Integrations.
He
argued, “If something is evil, it means people should eliminate it...”
The
implication: the MDC should be vanquish
That’s urging violence.
Mzila-Ndlovu’s assessment: “…there is no difference
between what he
(Kunonga) says and what a ZANU-PF commissar says.”
Kunonga lied to create
his church province. He set out four years ago to
disassociate the Harare
Diocese from the Anglican Communion over tolerance
of homosexuals, people
with a natural condition.
The CPCA’s position differs from what Kunonga
alleges. The Harare Diocesan
secretary, Reverend Clifford Dzavo, clarifies:
“In terms of Canon 22,
marriage is between one man and one woman and in
consequence, homosexuality
is not acceptable in the CPCA…
“Whatever
happens in other provinces worldwide does not affect us, as we do
not
necessarily share the same views with them. We, therefore, want to
reiterate
that the CPCA does not condone homosexuality.”
Yet Kunonga characterised
a recent visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams as a promotion
of homosexuality. Mugabe lectured the
archbishop on Biblical teachings on
homosexuality and Zimbabweans’ values.
From all accounts, the churches
Kunonga has seized aren’t overflowing with
worshippers.
In effect,
Kunonga is creating an anti-Mugabe constituency. Of course, the
state
machinery can always rig elections. However, last time it couldn’t in
the
first round and Mugabe lost to Tsvangirai.
Incidentally, Mugabe is on record
saying he has no use for clerics who
meddle in politics. But not Kunonga.
That’s hypocrisy in a birthday suit.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
MARK SCOFIELD | 15 January, 2012 00:34
President
Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, reinvigorated by its four-day
indaba in
December in Bulawayo, is set to forge ahead with plans to hold
elections
this year and break ties with the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change
(MDC).
Zanu-PF's push for elections, although likely to place it at
loggerheads
with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - which
insists
Zimbabwe's political parties must first implement an election
roadmap to
usher in free and fair elections - will likely mark the twilight
years of
Mugabe's political career.
This week the Sunday Times looks
at the top five power-brokers in Zanu-PF,
the men who are likely to be the
central force in marshalling the party
forward.
ROBERT MUGABE,
PRESIDENT
Mugabe turns 88 next month, but still remains relevant to
Zimbabwe and
Zanu-PF, and towers over the nation as a larger-than-life
figure, despite
concerns over his health and fitness, even among his own
inner circle.
For more than a decade, Mugabe has skilfully managed
Zanu-PF's succession
camps, led by Joyce Mujuru and Emmerson
Mnangagwa.
This has seen observers credit Mugabe with single-handedly
averting the
full-scale crumbling of Zanu-PF as a result of the bitter
succession race.
The US envoy to Zimbabwe, Charles Ray has described
Mugabe as "part of the
problem and part of the solution to Zimbabwe's
crisis".
Now, as the official face of Zanu-PF's election campaign,
Mugabe's task will
be to put up a show of unity for his party and talk tough
on elections,
while giving the green light for the take-over of
foreign-owned companies,
the cornerstone of Zanu-PF's election
campaign.
Unlike his MDC rivals, Mugabe has little energy (given his old
age) to mount
an intense schedule of election campaigns in rural and urban
areas, and may
have to rely on Zanu-PF youth militias, the war veterans
group, army
personnel and state security agents to launch campaigns on his
behalf.
On the flip side, opposition parties will see more of their
campaign rallies
disrupted by Zanu-PF youths and banned by police, as the
party seeks to curb
the opposition's political mileage.
SAVIOUR
KASUKUWERE, INDIGENISATION AND EMPOWERMENT MINISTER
Since last year,
Kasukuwere's political star has been on the rise, buoyed up
by the
indigenisation programme which seeks to acquire a 51% stake in
foreign-owned
firms.
This year, Kasukuwere will be responsible for casting the net
wider and
going after other sectors of the economy and forcing them to cede
shares to
locals, following his bullish run against mining companies -
Zimplats, Rio
Tinto and Anglo Platinum - at the end of last
year.
Indications already are that the National Economic and
Indigenisation Board,
which falls under Kasukuwere's jurisdiction, will go
after foreign banks
Standard Chartered, Stanbic and Barclays this
month.
Observers say the brash Kasukuwere will be Zanu-PF's "saviour" in
the coming
elections as he is the face of the indigenisation programme, on
which
Zanu-PF is pinning its hopes to curry favour with
voters.
JABULANI SIBANDA, WAR VETERANS' LEADER
Although Sibanda is
located down the order of Zanu-PF's hierarchy, election
time in Zimbabwe has
often been a booster for the war veteran group's
visibility.
In 2008,
Sibanda was at the forefront and organised the "Million Man" march,
a
botched attempt to mobilise one million supporters for Mugabe ahead of the
March 2008 presidential election. Now the warning bells have sounded that
war veterans will again be central to the next election, as Sibanda last
week made calls for "Mugabe to dissolve parliament, and call for elections
with or without a new constitution".
The war veterans have been
linked to previous cases of violence and may
again mobilise Zanu-PF youths
to intimidate opposition supporters.
JONATHAN MOYO, POLITBURO
MEMBER
Described as Zanu-PF's "motor-mouth" by analysts, Moyo will be
relied on
this year to launch vitriolic attacks against the private media,
journalists, MDC leadership and even SADC that has brought new pressure to
bear on Mugabe. Moyo's criticisms have found a ready outlet in the
state-owned Herald and Sunday Mail newspapers, which have published Moyo's
attacks, including his take on Morgan Tsvangirai's marriage
crisis.
Although Moyo is not a member of government, there is little
disagreement
within political circles that Mugabe's former minister of
information is
pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
WEBSTER
SHAMU, INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY MINISTER
Shamu doubles up as Zanu-PF's
national commissar, tasked with launching
Zanu-PF's election strategies and
campaigns throughout the country.
Reports indicate that Zanu-PF
structures at district and ward level are in
tatters, a situation that sees
Shamu hard-pressed for time to make inroads
within party structures, given
Mugabe's push for a March election.
Consequently, Shamu will lean on
state machinery such as the ZBC, and
state-aligned newspapers to churn out
more Zanu-PF propaganda, in a bid to
cover lost ground.
Already
working in his favour is the award of a radio licence to Zimbabwe
Newspapers
Ltd last year, which gives him wider coverage to broadcast
support for
Mugabe and castigate opposition parties.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
MARK SCOFIELD | 15 January, 2012 00:34
For Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC-T), little
has changed in Zimbabwe's politics after its three-year-old
spell in the
unity government with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
Several MDC
rallies were banned last year, its supporters beaten up by
Zanu-PF's youth
militia and its key ministers arrested on trumped-up
charges. This week,
police raided its Harvest House headquarters in
retaliation for the beating
up of an officer by vendors, in the first sign
of an inflamed political
environment ahead of new elections.
The prospect of an election this year
to end the current union, although
titillating, also remains a very
difficult choice for the opposition to make
as the reforms needed to ensure
"free and fair" elections have not been
implemented.
And as the new
year sets in, Tsvangirai's MDC-T finds itself at the
crossroads - faced with
a choice to either hold on or to join in on
Zanu-PF's call for elections and
break away from the unity government.
This week we look at the MDC-T's
five power brokers who will influence the
direction the party will take, as
it is faced with the Herculean task of
going into an election when the
political odds are visibly staked up against
it .
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI,
PRESIDENT
This will be the third time Tsvangirai will be standing against
arch-rival
Mugabe in an election, after face-offs in 2002 and 2008.
Tsvangirai's slim
victory against Mugabe in the March 2008 presidential
poll, is negligible in
the prevailing political environment. And unlike in
2008, when Tsvangirai
was the clear favourite to win, he now faces a
grilling in the court of
public opinion and is under scrutiny over his
support of gay rights and
issues around his personal love life.
The
MDC strongman will need to avoid courting new controversies this year,
while
he continues to press Zanu-PF to fulfil the outstanding terms of the
Southern African Development Community-brokered unity
government.
TENDAI BITI, SECRETARY-GENERAL
Biti has never hidden
his opposition to the decision by the MDC-T to join
the unity government. As
finance minister, he has kept a hawk's eye on
Zanu-PF's manoeuvres to
apportion blame for the slow economic recovery on
the MDC, while it credits
itself with the marginal economic successes.
This year, he faces numerous
battles, chief among them a "parallel
government" funded by Marange's
diamonds that threatens to overshadow his
policies and overstep
Treasury.
Revenue remittance from the Marange diamonds will be a top
concern as he
tries to rein in the diamond companies - virtually a preserve
of Zanu-PF and
the military.
Trevor Maisiri, a senior analyst at the
International Crisis Group said:
"Part of Biti's projected income stream in
the national budget is from
diamond revenues. I suspect his ministry will
take more interest in ensuring
that they trace and account for diamond sales
- so there are more eyes
watching and more hands involved in Marange than
ever before."
Biti will also need to be vocal and be the go-between for
Saviour Kasukuwere
and Zanu-PF's belligerent stance against foreign-owned
firms in the form of
the indigenisation campaign. Foreign investors may
perceive Biti's silence
as tacit agreement with the controversial law and
this could prejudice the
MDC-T's international support.
DOUGLAS
MWONZORA, NATIONAL SPOKESMAN
Mwonzora is certain to take a front-row seat
in the MDC-T as attention
shifts to the ongoing constitution-making process.
As a co-chairman of the
constitutional parliamentary committee, he has so
far acquitted himself well
as the MDC-T's eyes and ears on the drafting of a
new constitution, which is
expected to be completed next month.
As
the new constitution will be the basis of rule for the next government,
his
task will be to resist and expose Zanu-PF manoeuvres to "smuggle" in
points
of view favourable to it.
Mwonzora has assumed a vigilant stance on the
constitution-making exercise,
castigating Zanu-PF for attempts to influence
drafters.
NELSON CHAMISA, NATIONAL ORGANISING SECRETARY
Rated the
country's "minister of the year" by the Daily News, Chamisa is a
high-flyer
whose energy and vigilance the MDC needs as it sets out to mount
a vigorous
election campaign.
He is said to be the brains behind moves in the party
to re-brand itself -
complete with a new logo and colours to woo voters and
differentiate itself
from the rival MDC groups. Given the blunders made by
its leadership, a
make-over may go a long way in revitalising support for
the party,
criticised for having become "acerbic and an extension of
Zanu-PF".
Chamisa's task will involve launching election campaigns and
going into
traditional Zanu-PF strongholds.
LUCIA MATIBENGA, PUBLIC
SERVICES MINISTER
Matibenga is new in her post, following the death of
Eliphas Mukonoweshuro
last year. Yet, she has already been thrown into the
deep end by threats of
a nationwide civil servants strike.
How she
handles the contentious salary squabbles by unarguably the country's
largest
workforce, will be a litmus test for the MDC-T.
The Vigil is to be joined by the MDC
UK in a protest outside the South African High Commission in London next
Saturday aimed at putting pressure on President Zuma to insist that Mugabe
honours the Global Political Agreement. There are reports that South Africa is
arranging a meeting with Mugabe and the two MDC principals to discuss
outstanding issues in the way of elections. These include the depoliticisation
of the security forces, reform of the electoral process and the opening up of
the airwaves. Progress on all these issues has been resisted by Zanu PF.
We will be inviting signatures to the
following petition: ‘Zimbabwe Vigil petition to President Zuma: Exiled
Zimbabweans call on President Zuma to put pressure on President Mugabe and his
Zanu PF party to implement the Global Political Agreement. If they continue to
refuse we urge South Africa to take measures against the Mugabe
regime.’
We leave it to the South Africans to
decide what action should be taken against the recalcitrant Mugabe regime. They
could, for instance, report the failure of their mediation mission to the AU,
propose the suspension of Zimbabwe from SADC or take unilateral punitive action
themselves. The Vigil believes this is long overdue.
There will also be an MDC petition,
which gives greater details of the Zimbabwean diaspora
demands.
Plans are that we will meet as normal
at the Vigil at 2 pm. We will move to the South African High Commission at 3pm
and attempt to present our petitions at 3.30 pm. The Vigil drummers and singers
will be outside South Africa House while a skeleton crew mans the Vigil outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy until the main group returns at 4 pm.
Other
points
·
Josephine
Zhuga of the front desk leapt into action like a tiger when a passing thief
grabbed money from the Vigil donation bucket. Tiger Josephine grabbed hold of
him demanding ‘Give us back our money’. We recovered what he had stolen before
he wrenched himself free – only to be caught by our security chief Moses
Kandiyawo (of football fame), and handed over to the police. We recommend a
spell in a Zimbabwean jail – as experienced by the father of a woman who visited
us today. She said she supported our cause because her father, Julian Simmonds
of the Sunday Telegraph, spent two weeks in a Zimbabwean jail for trying to
cover the 2005 elections.
·
Other
visitors to the Vigil were a friendly group of the anti-capitalism protesters
who have been staging a protest camp down the road from us outside St Paul’s
Cathedral. They also expressed their support for
us.
·
Following
this week’s diary you will find the second part of our annual summary of the
Vigil’s activities during the past year. The first part was published last
week.
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE
RECORD: 66 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/.
Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way
represents the views and opinions of ROHR.
·
ZBN
News. The Vigil
management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The Zim Vigil
band
(Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our
Vigil)’ to raise awareness through music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com
and to watch the video check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com.
To watch other Zim Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com
and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.
·
Free Zimbabwe Global
Protest. Saturday
21st January from 2 – 6 pm. Venues: Outside the Zimbabwe Embassy and
outside the South African High Commission. The MDC UK is joining the Vigil to
target South Africa for failing to get Mugabe to honour the Global Political
Agreement. Protesters will move from the Zimbabwe Embassy to South African House
at 3 pm and try to present petitions to the South African High Commission at
3.30 pm.
·
ROHR meeting to elect
its UK Executive. Saturday
4th February from 1 – 4 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel, 143
Strand, London WC2R 1JA. Directions: The Strand is the same road as the Vigil.
From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from Trafalgar
Square. The Strand Continental is situated between Somerset House and the turn
off onto Waterloo Bridge. The entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a
sign for its famous Indian restaurant at street level. It's next to a
newsagent. Nearest underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and
Holborn.
·
First Joint ZimVigil,
ROHR and Zimbabwe We Can Forum. Saturday
4th February from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel,
143 The Strand, WC2R 15A. For directions see above entry. Future joint forums to
be held after the Vigil on the first Saturday of each
month.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe. To receive a copy
by post in the UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to
Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All
proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level
students in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2011
(Part 2)
Saturday
2nd July: We were
visited by the Information Officer of the new Zimbabwe ‘Yes We Can’ movement,
Arnold Magwanyata, who told Vigil supporters that the movement wanted to
encourage Zimbabweans in the diaspora to join the struggle for change. Vigil
co-ordinator Dumi Tutani, the Vigil’s representative to the new movement,
reported on a meeting it held in Manchester on 25th June. He said one
strong message was a determination to empower women. Following on from our diary
last week in which we wrote about criticism of the Vigil from the Home Office we
have sent the following letter to Theresa May, the Home Secretary. ‘A
solicitor acting for one of our supporters asked for our comment on a letter
from the Home Office which maligned the Zimbabwe Vigil. You will see further
information in our diary of 25th June 2011 . . . We totally reject
the implications and challenge the Home Office to substantiate this malicious
slur.’
Saturday
30th July: The Vigil has
received an apology from the UK Border Agency for comments made when asylum was
refused to a Zimbabwean refugee who offered a letter of support from the Vigil
as evidence of activism. The comments suggested the letter was worthless because
of allegations that the Vigil was a money-making organization ripping off asylum
seekers. The Border Agency’s Director of Appeals and Removals Phil Douglas
replied to our complaint: ‘I apologise at the outset for the offence this has
understandably given.’ Mr Douglas went on to say that the comments referred to
were not based on information acceptable to the Border Agency. The Vigil has
also been assured by the British government that it is to try to overturn a
legal decision to grant a CIO torturer permission to remain in the UK. Foreign
Secretary William Hague, in a letter in response to our representations, said
the UK should not be a refuge for war criminals.
Saturday
6th August: Details of how
elements in Zimbabwe are trying to hi-jack our sister organisation Restoration
of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) were given at the Vigil by ROHR’s President,
Ephraim Tapa. He said ROHR was becoming increasingly prominent with its
non-party political campaign for human rights but now that it was attracting the
interest of potential donors a small group had unconstitutionally tried to take
it over. Four people have consequently been expelled. One of our supporters
Louisa Musaerenge said she had received the following threatening email
apparently targeting Vigil supporters: ‘Murikupedza
nguva muchiimba ku London pasi peziso ra baba Mugabe kupusa chose ticha
kubvumburisai one by one you want boiling oil over you heads your brain has bin
frozen there come here we sort you out dogs of english man. They laugh you all
the time this whities, you bin used to wipe ass come and agriculture here home
is gud’.
Saturday
27th August: Africa’s new
King of Kings, President Mugabe, Defender of the Faith (except Anglican),
emerged from the Zimbabwe Embassy in London on Saturday on his way to Tripoli in
support of deposed King of Kings Muammar Gaddafi, who has fallen on hard times.
Brandishing a rifle, Mugabe (played by Fungayi Mabhunu) was dressed in classical
Arab attire so that he would not be mistaken for one of what Gaddafi describes
as ‘Libyan rats’. Before disappearing in his golf cart down one of the tunnels
leading to Gaddafi’s compound, Mugabe said everyone was happy in Libya until the
Western gangsters started bombing the place to find more oil. ‘Don’t they know
it doesn’t spring from rocks?’ Asked whether Gaddafi had been annoyed when
Zimbabwe didn’t pay its $360 million bill for oil, Mugabe said: ”I explained to
him that Zimbabwe had no reason to pay as we had used up all the
oil’.
Saturday
3rd September: The Vigil has
been told by sources in the Swaziland High Commission how King Mswati was thrown
into a panic by the April protests against him in London. Apparently, when the
organiser of the Swazi vigil, Thobile Gwebu, was threatened with deportation
from the UK, two senior police officers were sent over to London in the hope of
taking custody of her. Fortunately she has been allowed to stay in the UK. We
were also informed that the king’s last minute change of hotels for the Royal
Wedding in London was because the Dorchester asked him to go elsewhere because
of the vigil we helped organise outside.
Saturday
10th September: The Vigil was
pleased to hear of plans for the Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Zimbabwe . .
. Apparently he is seeking a meeting with Mugabe. This has been criticized in
the British press, with some commentators saying it will provide a propaganda
opportunity for Mugabe. We took a different view and decided to send the
Archbishop the following letter: ‘Dear Dr Williams: The Zimbabwe Vigil
welcomes your planned visit to Zimbabwe next month in support of besieged
Anglicans under the rod of the unelected president Mugabe . . . The persecution
of Anglicans in Zimbabwe has continued too long with little condemnation from
the Christian community at large. Even brother churches in Zimbabwe have
scurried from the crucifixion . . . We disagree with those who question the
wisdom of your visit. We are encouraged that you share our pain, though we have
no doubt that Mugabe will seek to use your visit for propaganda purposes. We do
not believe his regime – steeped in lawlessness, terror and greed – will make
any meaningful concessions at your request. But we pray that your visit will
highlight to the world the plight of our suffering brothers and sisters at
home.’
Saturday
17th September: The Zim Vigil
band reflects our frustration with lack of progress in their latest postings of
two new protest song videos (Shungurudza and Zimbabwe
Blood Diamonds) on youtube (http://Shungurudza.notlong.com
and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com).
Band members Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani have been interviewed by Zim Diaspora,
check: http://zimdiaspora-zimvigilband.notlong.com.
Saturday
24th September: Vigil
supporters will be aware that there has been an attempt to undermine our sister
organisation ROHR (See: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/press-releases/325-zimbabwe-vigil-statement-on-rohr-). To counter
this, ROHR President Ephraim Tapa and ROHR account administrator Rose Benton
attended a meeting on the sidelines of the Vigil to share details of ROHR’s
finances with representatives of the ROHR UK executive. Save for two small
errors, which were to be clarified with ROHR Head Office, there were no
financial irregularities in the accounts. One of the members quipped afterwards:
'this smacks of a smear campaign.’
Saturday
1st October: The Zimbabwean
diaspora in the UK is growing increasingly anxious at signs that the Home Office
is stepping up efforts to deport Zimbabweans on the grounds that conditions at
home have improved. One of the Vigil’s regular supporters Shamiso Kofi has been
detained and told a ticket to Nairobi has been booked for her on Kenyan Airways
on 4th October. At the Vigil today, we ran the following petition to
the UK Border Agency, part of the Home Office: “We, the undersigned, are worried
about the proposed deportation of one of our regular supporters, Shamiso Kofi.
She is one of our most passionate dancers and singers and . . . there are
serious concerns about her safety . . .’ A harrowing picture of the Zanu-PF
mentality was given in a new play produced in London by Chickenshed Theatre and
attended by a Vigil group including Ephraim Tapa who was especially invited
because of his leadership of the new Zimbabwe We Can movement. The play ‘The
Rain that Washes’ was based on the experiences of Christopher Maphosa (who has
attended the Vigil).
Saturday
8th October: Vigil
supporter Shamiso Kofi was not deported to Zimbabwe as planned on Tuesday night.
After a harrowing experience, Shamiso was taken off the flight from Heathrow
with her three escorts and returned to Yarl’s Wood detention centre. We marked
our 9th anniversary with Vigil management team member Fungayi
Mabhunu, wearing our Mugabe mask, standing at the front desk with wife Grace
(played by Josephine Zhuga). Mugabe was holding the following petition:
‘Petition to the Unfair World: The oppressed people of Zimbabwe demand an
end to the illegal and unfair sanctions against me and my Zanu PF cronies:
We have
redistributed farms to deserving nearest and dearest, We have transferred
businesses to indigenous ministers, Our security forces make sure there are no
London-type riots, We have cleared slums by pulling down houses, We have
liberated our diamonds, We have nationalized the Anglican Church.’
Mugabe had
managed to get signatures from Gaddafi (Libya), Gbagbo (Ivory Coast), Mubarak
(Egypt), Ben Ali (Tunisia), Assad (Syria), Saleh (Yemen) and Mutharika (Malawi).
Mugabe also promenaded around the Vigil with the following placards:
Mugabe
(estimated wealth $1 billion) supports the right of excommunicated Bishop
Kunonga to seize Anglican churches, Mugabe says no to Western human rights: yes
to murder, rape and torture, Mugabe scorns British aid: says starvation a
product of neo-colonialism, Mugabe (16 farms) supports the right of West London
nurse Irene Zhanda to seize a farm in Zimbabwe.
Saturday
15th October: A new attempt is
to be made on Thursday to deport Vigil supporter Shamiso Kofi despite the
violent failure of the first attempt earlier this month. There is speculation
that the UK and South Africa are making a concerted attempt to deport
Zimbabweans to put pressure on the Mugabe regime. Shamiso is one of the first
Zimbabweans to be targeted for forcible return since the UK ended its moratorium
on sending back failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers. It comes amid reports from
South Africa that hundreds of Zimbabweans are being sent
back.
Saturday
22nd October: Shamiso’s new
lawyer succeeded in stopping the second attempt to deport Shamiso and is working
on securing her release from Yarl’s Wood detention centre. The Vigil was
pleased to be given prominent billing at a Black History Celebration at City and
Islington College, Finsbury Park. Vigil supporter David Kadzutu (who is also the
International Relations Secretary of the Zimbabwe We Can Movement) said that,
after colonization, Africans were now fighting oppression by their own people. A
troupe from the Vigil danced, sang and drummed.
Saturday
5th November: The Vigil is
appalled that the EU has cleared the way for Zanu PF to expand massively its
diamond swindle. We believe the EU’s craven capitulation to commercial interests
will undermine fatally any attempts to get Zanu PF to honour the GPA. With
virtually unlimited funds at Zanu PF’s disposal, Vigil supporters believe it is
farewell to hopes of free and fair elections. The Vigil is happy to report that
Shamiso Kofi has been released from detention after the government’s failure to
deport her. The Vigil has received a reply to our open letter to the Archbishop
of Canterbury about his visit to Zimbabwe. The Archbishop expresses his ‘deep
and sincere gratitude’ for our support. We were joined by about 100 uniformed
members of the Chinese spiritual organisation, the Falun Gong, whose
demonstrations against communist oppression we have supported. We discussed with
them our disquiet at Chinese involvement in the Marange diamond racket and other
matters such as arms sales to Mugabe.
Saturday
12th November: Only days after
police in Harare made threats against a member of the Vigil management team,
three obvious CIO operatives were photographed at the Vigil. The three men were
spotted emerging from the side door of the Embassy . . . Ironically, the photos
were taken by Fungayi Mabhunu, who only this week received a chilling message
from a contact in Harare. The message he got was ‘don’t come back’. We were glad
to be joined by Shamiso Kofi, who was recently released from
detention.
Saturday
19th November: The
ZimVigil band’s song ‘Mwari torai
vanoti shungurudza’ (God take those who trouble us) has been featured on SW Radio Africa’s new programme
‘Beyond Protest’ (check: http://www.2bctnd.net/swra_wp/?p=12503).
Saturday
26th November: To our
disappointment there was no sign of the promised Zanu PF demonstrators when a
Vigil supporter went to check outside the Prime Minister’s residence, 10 Downing
Street. Mugabe fans in the UK, led by George Shire, Lloyd Msipa and Laurence C
Muzembi (brother of Zanu PF Minister Walter), had said they were to present a
petition today to Mr Cameron calling for an end to the vicious neo-colonialist,
racist, destructive and ineffective illegal sanctions which have deprived
Zimbabweans of electricity and water, destroyed agriculture, caused potholes,
prevented drugs reaching the sick and the supply of spares for ambulances and
caused the drought and floods. At the last count the petition had amassed 51
signatures so perhaps the weight of it delayed the planned march from Lancaster
House.
Saturday
3rd December: With the sun setting as early as 4 pm, we at the Vigil need
everything we can get to cheer us up as we stand out in the cold. One of the
posters in the Embassy window did the trick. Part of the ‘Wonders of Zimbabwe’
tourist promotion campaign, it read ‘Wonder what our cultural ceremonies are
like?’ We couldn’t help but think of Tsvangirai’s on-off wedding. But a canvass
of opinion among Vigil supporters showed that the affair was more than a
laughing matter. People were alarmed that Tsvangirai appears to have walked
blindly into a Zanu PF trap. Although there is respect for the Prime Minister’s
heroic work leading the MDC for the past twelve years, it was felt that he
should – as the saying goes – consider his position.
Friday
9th December: An article on
5th December on nehandaradio.com (http://nehandaradio.com/2011/12/05/zimbabwe-vigil-should-consider-their-position/) repeated
several malicious accusations against the Zimbabwe Vigil and our sister
organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR). The article is
a cut and paste job from discredited Nehanda Radio articles, some dating back
two and a half years, when the Vigil was blamed for Tsvangirai being booed at
Southwark Cathedral in London. The latest attack is in response to our diary of
3rd December suggesting that Tsvangirai should consider his position
as leader of the MDC, partly because of his lack of political acumen in having a
relationship with a woman with known Zanu PF connections.
Saturday
10th December: Fresh from the
Zanu PF conference in Bulawayo, Robert Mugabe materialized at the Vigil to
demand immediate elections – preferably before his 88th birthday in
two months’ time. ‘No time can be lost’, he said. ‘Zimbabwe is in moral danger.
No woman is safe from Morgan Tsvangirai.’ The aged leader, played by management
team member Fungayi Mabhunu in our Mugabe mask, could still wield a nifty
sjambok which he brandished at Fadzai Muparutsa of Gays and Lesbians of
Zimbabwe. Fadzai was at the Vigil with Gideon Shoko, Deputy Secretary General,
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. Gideon said how encouraged he was that we
were still ‘pushing the struggle’ after nine years outside the Embassy.
Saturday
17th December: The Vigil
staged a demonstration outside the South African High Commission in London to
urge President Zuma to force Mugabe to honour the Global Political Agreement.
Vigil activists and MDC members stood in silence with banners reading: ‘Zuma
save Zimbabwe’. The demonstration reflected the Vigil’s disgust at the ANC’s
offer to help Zanu PF in the next elections. Further evidence of the
incompetence of the UK Border Agency came in a letter to a member of the Vigil
Management Team who requested access to the file on her held by the UKBA. The
letter said ‘We have now
completed the processing of that request, but, unfortunately, we have been
unable to locate all of the UKBA records relating to yourself . . .
‘
Saturday
24th December: Inspired by
videos on youtube showing North Koreans apparently weeping hysterically at the
death of Kim Jong-il, the Vigil spent Christmas Eve outside the Zimbabwe Embassy
practising public grieving for Mugabe. After all, we don’t want to be found
wanting when mourning comes. Vigil supporters beat their breasts, pounded their
heads against the nearest soft object (after all it was just a practice), wept
controllably, heaved their shoulders and generally looked bereft at the sight of
a prostate Mugabe (played by Fungayi Mabhunu in our Mugabe mask) lying wrapped
in a shroud. We were cheered by the vociferous support for us shown by Congolese
demonstrators as they passed the Vigil on their way to Whitehall to express
their outrage at the stolen presidential election in the DRC. One demonstrator
broke away from the tightly-policed procession to hurl water in the face of
Mugabe depicted on one of our banners ‘Mugabe wanted for murder’.
Saturday
31st
December: At the last
Vigil of 2011 we discussed likely developments at home in the next twelve
months. Sadly they were rather pessimistic. There was agreement on the most
likely options: (1) The situation could continue as it is for another year with
halting progress on the constitution front, not helped by Mugabe spending most
of his time flying to and from Singapore for medical treatment. (2) Zanu PF (and
we include in this military leaders), desperate to see a dying Mugabe returned
to office, could engineer elections by collapsing the government – for instance,
arresting Tsvangirai.
Vigil
co-ordinators
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 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.
