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Talks to end civil servants strike collapse

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
25 January 2012

A strike by civil servants will continue throughout this week, after fresh
pay talks in Harare collapsed on Wednesday.

The Apex Council, the flagship union that represents government workers,
interrupted the strike on Tuesday as a gesture to negotiate in good faith.
That decision though, turned out to be unpopular with the workers who
ignored the call. Most of them stayed away from work.

The government workers union went into the negotiations demanding a minimum
monthly salary of US$538, up from the current US$250. But the talks broke
down when government negotiators insisted on offering a meager increase of
US$7 a month, per person instead of US$288 they were expecting.

Takavafira Zhou, President of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that they couldn’t accept ‘such an
insult’.

“It was so pathetic, government representatives said they only had a mandate
to offer civil servants US$240 million, which would amount to US$7 a month
per person,” Zhou said.

He added: “In our view, this falls far short of our minimum expectations
because we were hoping government would heed our calls to improve the lives
of civil servants.”

Zhou said civil servants vowed to ‘up the ante’ against the government and
confirmed there was room to extend the strike beyond Friday.

Government negotiators are to go back to their principals for consultations
and another round of talks with the Apex Council has been scheduled for next
week Tuesday. Zhou pointed out that for now, the civil servants will go back
to the trenches to fight for what they deserve.

“From the look of things and from assessments on the ground, there is room
for extension of the industrial action from Friday. Tomorrow (Thursday), the
struggle continuous unabated, there would be no defeat, no surrender,” Zhou
said.

He continued: “We are sharpening our instruments of combat and from tomorrow
(Thursday) onwards we are engaging a high gear and the strike will spread.”


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Press Statement by the Hon. Lucia Matibenga,  the Minister of Public Service

 


Tuesday, 24 January 2012


There has been a lot of confusion regarding the strike by civil servants pressing for better remuneration.

As Minister of Public Service and a former trade unionist, I am aware of where the workers are coming from and that they deserve better remuneration.
The position is that there is no single Minister who takes an individual position on salaries and wages. Cabinet works as a collective and we have collective responsibility.

The position of the Cabinet Taskforce is the government position and it is that position that has been shared with the workers. As Minister of Public Service, my position is to make policy and not to negotiate with workers.

The employer of government workers is the Public Service Commission and not the Ministry of Public Service. The propaganda around the issue of civil servants’ salaries has sought to make me the face of the problem.

The workers’ representatives can confirm that they came to my office and they complained that the government had no position paper. Following my intervention and consultation with other Cabinet colleagues, the said position paper was eventually produced.

We met as an inter-ministerial advisory committee on 17th January 2012 and the discussion centred on expanding the fiscal space by finding alternative sources of revenue as well as ensuring that revenue from diamonds is accounted for.

It is pertinent to note that the issue of civil servants’ salaries is inextricably linked to transparency in revenue from diamonds as well as the ghost workers that were unearthed by auditors.

Finance Minister Hon Biti and myself went to brief the Acting President, Hon. John Nkomo on the status of negotiations and the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee.

I am hopeful that the negotiations will proceed and that an amicable solution will be found to alleviate the plight of the civil servant.

I spent decades as a trade unionist and I fully understand the plight of civil servants. It is the height of dishonesty to portray the Public Service Minister as the face of the problem when the real key issues about civil servants’ salaries include the opaque nature of diamond revenue and the implementation of the public service audit which found, among other irregularities, 75 000 irregularly employed workers.

Lastly, I would like to applaud the patriotic civil servants who have braved through the years and I hope an amicable solution will be found soon.

Hon. Lucia Matibenga

Minister of Public Service


The people's struggle for real change - Lets finishi it!!!


--
MDC Information & Publicity Department


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Matibenga must resign: Sikhala

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Gift Phiri, Senior Writer
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 14:19

HARARE - Opposition MDC-99 president Job Sikhala yesterday demanded the
resignation of Public Service Minister Lucia Matibenga as thousands of
workers embarked on a Zimbabwe-wide public sector strike.

Industrial action by over 200 000 workers in Zimbabwe has affected most
schools, slowed down government business and forced a postponement of
thousands of government appointments.

Matibenga, who is hardly two months in office as minister, has allegedly
refused to give the public service leaders an audience, and union leaders in
the Apex Council were forced to call a strike after she allegedly refused to
entertain talks over demands to increase the amount of money public sector
workers earn.

Yesterday, the Apex Council decided to temporarily shelve the strike to
allow for more dialogue.

The five-day strike, that started in earnest on Monday, has piled pressure
on the feisty Matibenga, with Sikhala yesterday calling on her to resign as
minister of Public Service after displaying what the former student leader
branded “astonishing arrogance” that he said has left many questioning if
she can carry on in the light of her refusal even to entertain questions on
the crippling strike action even from the press.

Addressing a press conference at the Media Centre in Harare yesterday,
Sikhala said Matibenga was obviously not in a position to run the Public
Service ministry.

“If she cannot openly solve the crisis or the challenges that she is given
as a minister she must publicly admit and resign as a minister so as not to
waste people’s time by even refusing to address the press when the people
are entitled to know what the minister is doing to solve the crisis,”
Sikhala told the news conference.

Sikhala’s comments came after union leaders were snubbed by Matibenga in a
meeting she had scheduled at her office last week.

She reportedly refused to meet the union leaders, including her arch rival
in the ZCTU factional wars Raymond Majongwe — one of the leaders
spearheading the strike.

Matibenga is in the George Nkiwane-led faction of the ZCTU while Majongwe is
in the rival Lovemore Matombo-led faction that is tussling for control of
the country’s biggest trade union.

“Basically, ZCTU factionalism has now been taken into government business,”
Sikhala told reporters.

“Matibenga doesn’t want to listen to concerns of civil servants because of
Majongwe’s position in the ZCTU, he is the PTUZ secretary-general and is
also sitting in the Apex Council.

“The thing is, she thinks the civil servants strike is meant to discredit
her standing as a Public Service minister. So that is why she is ignoring
them and throwing insults from the 6th floor of her offices. It’s because of
that factional hatred.”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has issued a press statement alleging
that Zanu PF has taken the strike action “as a political tool to further
their unfounded claims,” insinuating that union leaders were agitating for
strike action in the service of Zanu PF.

“We have to demystify that,” Sikhala said.

“Matibenga is throwing insults that Majongwe is now being used by Zanu PF
which is in actual fact false for some of us who know, some of us who have
been fighting tyranny and dictatorship for the past decade, we know that
Majongwe is a soldier of change. Majongwe has been in the trenches fighting
for civil servants.”


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Fire Brigade testimony fuels suspicions over Mujuru fire

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda
25 January 2012

The idea that an accelerant might have been used in the fire that killed the
retired Army General Solomon Mujuru gained more ground on Wednesday, as more
members of the fire brigade testified.

Their suspicions about the fire follow Tuesday’s revelations that the late
General’s remains were discovered in a blue flame which allegedly took some
time to extinguish. Blue flames are mostly associated with highly flammable
substances.

Mujuru died last year in August in a fire that destroyed his farmhouse in
Beatrice, just outside Harare. The Mujuru family and ZANU PF youth called
for investigations after suspicions were raised. It is widely speculated
that a power struggle within the party led to the General’s sudden death.

SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the fire fighters
testified that the flames that engulfed Mujuru’s bedroom were too intense to
have been “just a normal fire”. One witness said no ordinary fire could have
caused the roof of the house to drop as it did.

The inquest started last week Monday and was expected to last only a week.
But it has taken much longer to get though testimony from the workers at the
farm, especially the maid and security staff, who provided much of the
crucial information so far.

A disturbing portrait of the late general and his relationship with his wife
has emerged. And it appears relations with his security staff were also
strained.


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Arson cause of Mujuru blaze: Fire Expert

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

Staff Reporter 3 hours 1 minute ago

HARARE - A detailed investigation into the farm fire which killed the late
army chief General Solomon Mujuru may have started at two locations: the
lounge or the bedroom, the Fire Brigade told an inquest into his death on
Wednesday.

A fire with two sources is usually the result of arson or an electrical
short circuit, said Clever Mafoti, the Station Officer at the Fire Brigade
HQ in Harare.

But Mafoti said the Fire Brigade could not definitively prove that theory
because the crime scene at Ruzambo Farm in Beatrice had been contaminated by
too many people – other than investigators – going through the 14-room
farmhouse.
The national hero’s charred remains were found in the living room after the
August 16, 2011, blaze.

Mafoti was the 26th witness to give evidence since the inquest opened at the
Harare Magistrates’ Court on Monday last week.

With General Mujuru’s widow – Vice President Joice Mujuru – looking on,
Mafoti told how the Fire Brigade was ill-prepared for disasters.

He said: "The only vehicle we had was leaking, so if we had driven from
Harare with water it would have all leaked by the time we arrived in
Beatrice.
“We last had a normal fleet in the year 2000.”

Mafoti said they only left the fire station, without water, after being
informed that there was a water source in the form of a dam and some bowsers
on Mujuru’s farm.

After putting out the fire, he said, the Fire Brigade’s investigators
focused on the bedroom and the lounge which appeared to have been the
sources of the fire.

Mafoti said they can tell the source of a fire using certain indicators like
the peeling of plaster and cracks in the walls. He said these signs usually
suggested that the fire had been in that area for a long time.

"When there are two sources of fire, it could mean an arsonist was at work
or that there had been an electric short circuit caused by an overloaded
socket," he said.

"In our case, it was particularly difficult to conclude as to the source
since both rooms had the same indications and also there were too many
people. I’m afraid we lost key leads.”

The session which was scheduled for 10AM was deferred to 2.15PM after the
Mujuru family lawyer, Thakor Kewada, requested time to attend to some
personal issues.

"I apologise to everyone for the delays, it was entirely my fault," Kewada
said when the court was adjourning for Thursday morning.

Mafoti will return to the stand on Thursday when two other witnesses – a
police ballistics expert and a Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA)
fire investigator – are expected to testify.

Court officials say they expect Vice President Joice Mujuru to take the
stand this week, possibly on Friday.


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Mujuru inquest: cops face arrest

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Police constables in charge of the security of the late General Solomon
Mujuru could be fired, fined or imprisoned for negligence.
25.01.1210:37am
by Fungai Kwaramba Harare

The ongoing inquest into the death of the first commander of the Zimbabwe
National Army has highlighted serious incompetence in the force, as well as
tough working conditions.

Mujuru’s lawyers and relatives have slammed the police for negligence. His
widow vice President Joice Mujuru says government will look into the matter
after a police officer admitted having slept on guard.

The inquest has heard that the constables were fast asleep when the fire
that incinerated the general broke out. Their police issue radios had not
been working for some time – despite having been reported to their
superiors. They had no cash for airtime for their mobile phones and
therefore no means of communication whatsoever. They did not even know where
the general’s bedroom was.

This breakdown in basic standards within the force was compounded by the
fact that the municipal fire tender came 60km from Harare with no water in
the bowser.

The officers could be charged under any or all of these clauses in the Act:
“abandoning or delivering up any station, post, camp on guard which it is
his duty to defend; leaving his guard post, beat, patrol or other place of
duty without permission or reasonable excuse; or sleeping, loitering or
committing any irregularity when on duty.”

Contradictory evidence given by those appearing before the inquest has
fuelled speculation that Mujuru, who was said to lead a faction within Zanu
(PF) battling to take control of the party and come to some accommodation
with the MDC, may have been a victim of foul play. But forensic experts have
ruled out the use of inflammables. Some witnesses said they heard gun shots,
while others said it was the sound of asbestos sheets exploding.

The inquest heard that Mujuru had ordered staff at his farm to stop feeding
the police officers guarding him, and had plans to ask that they be
withdrawn just days before he died. He was reportedly furious after the
officers, said to have been drunk, severely assaulted one of his workers who
had to seek hospital treatment. Rosemary Short, a maid at the farm Mujuru
occupied in Beatrice, told the Harare Magistrates’ Court that the powerful
Zanu (PF) power broker had confided in her that the police officers were
avoiding him since the brutal assault on an unnamed employee.

“He said he had no security and was as good as being on his own,” Short told
the court and under the Police Act “being drunk on or off duty,” is a
punishable crime.

Efforts to get a comment from the police were fruitless.

Giving testimony last week under oath Constable Obert Mark admitted under
cross examination by Mujuru’s lawyers that he was sleeping and also that he
did not know the house plan.

The other cops who also were on duty during the fire are constables
Augastinos Chinyoka, and Lazarus Handikatari.


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Zimbabwe to use IMF support for infrastructure: minister



(AFP) – 3 hours ago

HARARE — Zimbabwe will tap into special reserves at the International
Monetary Fund to upgrade its sanitation system, amid a typhoid outbreak in
the capital Harare, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Wednesday.

Zimbabwe will spend $40 million (31 million euros) to improve water and
sanitation facilities as well as the electricity supply across the country,
said Biti.

"As we are sitting here, there is a typhoid attack in Harare. It is
important that we rebuild Harare's water and sanitation capacity," Biti told
journalists.

More than 600 cases of the disease, which is linked to poor sanitation, have
been recorded in Harare, health officials said this week.

Biti said a further $30 million would be used to boost manufacturing, $20
million for agriculture and $20 million for the central bank to grant loans.

The country will leave about $100 million in reserves with the IMF, he
added.

"Our sovereign debt is $9.1 billion. It is not wise to further contract any
sovereign debt," he said, without naming the creditors.

In 2009, Zimbabwe was granted $500 million in "special drawing rights" at
the IMF, which maintains the so-called SDR as a reserve currency that it
lends to needy countries for liquidity needs.

The support for Zimbabwe was a small part of the IMF's global support of
about $250 billion provided to all of its 186 members. Some of Zimbabwe's
allocation was used to settle its arrears with the global lender.


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Post budget developments in the economy: press statement by hon. T. Biti M.P., Minister of Finance

http://www.swradioafrica.com

25 January 2012

1. Introduction

1.1. The critical importance of the economy and macro-economic stability in
our country predicates that there should be regular monitoring and oversight
of all macro-economic indicators and vitals to allow Government, Business,
Labour and all other stakeholders to plan.
1.2. Given this imperator, Treasury will, therefore, be providing periodic
communications on major developments within the economy.
1.3. Pursuant to this, I am pleased to advise that each month, I will be
providing a Monthly Budget Dashboard that will outline monthly budgetary
developments, tracking in particular Budget performance in the key areas of
public sector investment and social service delivery.
1.4. In addition, the Monthly Budget Dashboard will also capture and outline
important developmental challenges and issues affecting our economy.
1.5. Over and above this, Treasury will also produce quarterly economic
developments, quarterly budget implementation updates and, of course, the
Mid Term Fiscal Policy Review.
1.6. The Monthly Budget Dashboard and the quarterly economic developments
are Statutory obligations mandated upon Treasury by Section 7(2)(a) and Part
4 of the Public Finance Management Act Chapter [22:19].

2. 2011 Financial Accounts

2.1. The Accountant General is in the process of finalising the 2011
Financial Accounts of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Treasury will Gazette the
same in February 2012.
2.2. These accounts will capture the Budget outturn for 2011. This is an
important issue given the fact that the figures I presented in the 2012
Budget last November were only up to 31 October 2011.
2.3. However, the Preliminary Annual Statement of Financial Performance for
the year ended 31 December 2011 indicates total revenue at US$2 921 million
and total expenditure at US$2 890.6 million, resulting in an overall 2011
Budget surplus of US$30.4 million.
2.4. This outturn allowed for Government to post a small positive opening
balance which became available for supporting Budget expenditures in January
2012, mainly salaries and pension payments, at a time when revenue inflows
are seasonally low.
2.5. The original 2011 Budget had projected total revenues at US$2 746
million, an estimate which I had revised upwards to US$2 950 million at the
time of the presentation of the 2012 Budget in November 2011.
2.6. The Preliminary 2011 Budget revenue inflows are broken down as follows:

US$ million
Taxes on Income & Profits 1 072.5
Customs Duties 332.9
Excise Duties 306.6
VAT 911.6
Other Taxes 37.5
Non Tax Revenue 259.9
Total 2 921.0

2.7. The breakdown of the Preliminary 2011 Budget expenditures is as
follows:

US$ million
Employment Costs 1 816.8
Goods and Services 604.7
Capital Expenditure 424.1
Total 2 890.6

3. Liquidity Challenges

3.1. Stakeholders will be aware of reports of challenges with regards to
liquidity in the entire economy, including the financial system.
3.2. Part of this relates to festive season expenditure pressures on
financial institutions and the RTGS system.
3.3. This included economy wide high volumes of high value transactions,
compounded by payments for civil servants salaries and bonuses towards the
end of December 2011.
3.4. As a result, delays and temporary suspensions of some RTGS payments
have been experienced.
3.5. Developments of log jams in RTGS payments also adversely impacted on
the processing of Budget payments for Government projects and related
payments.
3.6. I am happy to note that the Reserve Bank, in conjunction with the
Bankers Association, has remained on top of the situation, with the latest
indications showing resolution of some of the major challenges that the RTGS
system encountered.
3.7. In this regard, the Reserve Bank will be making the necessary
announcements as part of their routine interaction with the market.
3.8. It will be necessary that given the high volume and high value of
Budget transactions that Government plays its part with regard to supporting
orderly transactions within the financial system.
3.9. Pursuant to this, Treasury is instituting the following measures:

Staggering of High Value Transactions

• Staggering payments of high value transactions, in order to allow banks
sufficient time to plan for such transactions.

Notice Period for High Value Transactions

• Introducing a system of Notice Periods for high value transactions, in
order to give banks adequate time to prepare for the processing of Budget
payments.
• Notice Periods will be related to the value of the transactions, up to a
maximum of 7 working days.

Balances with Banks

• Allowing for the build up of reasonable balances with banks to facilitate
orderly transactions within the financial system. These will be reviewed
periodically in line with developments in market liquidity.

Civil Service and Pension Payment Dates

• Reviewing the four monthly civil service and pension payment dates to
allow for a time lag of at least four (4) business days between payments.

Financial Sector Surveillance

• Continued close monitoring of the status and performance of the financial
sector by the Reserve Bank.
• Enhanced collaboration and sharing of information by all the financial
sector regulators which include the Insurance & Pensions Commission (IPEC),
and the Securities Commission (SEC).

4. Transfers to the Exchequer Account

4.1. Reports from the Accountant General’s Office indicate that some banks
are in arrears in making ZIMRA payovers to the Treasury Main Exchequer
Account.
4.2. This has prejudiced Government revenue inflows, compromising the
planned implementation of Budget programmes and projects.
4.3. To dissuade banks against this practice, Treasury is introducing
disincentive measures against financial institutions that are taking long to
action ZIMRA payment instructions in favour of the Treasury Main Exchequer
Account.
4.4. ZIMRA has already given each of the concerned banks the necessary
initial written warnings, and has demanded immediate remittance of all
overdue revenue pay-overs to the Exchequer, as well as written guarantees of
timely remittances.

5. Use of SDRs

5.1. The balance in Zimbabwe’s General SDR Allocation Account at the IMF,
net of the US$142.1 million owed to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth
Fund Facility (PGRF) Account, currently stands at US$212 million.
5.2. This balance is after Zimbabwe’s drawdown of US$50 million in December
2009 and a further US$100 million in February 2010 in support of various
infrastructure projects.
5.3. To augment resources allocated in the 2012 Budget, Treasury is
withdrawing resources amounting to US$110 million from Zimbabwe’s General
SDR Allocation Account at the IMF in support of the following:

Infrastructure
• Financing of priority infrastructure projects which could not be
accommodated in the 2012 Budget totalling US$40 million.

Lines of Credit

• US$30 million for lines of credit to the productive sectors of the economy
currently operating at low capacity. This is part of Government’s
contribution under the Distressed and Marginalised Areas Fund (DiMAF) where
Old Mutual has already contributed its US$20 million obligation.

Lender of Last Resort

• US$20 million towards the US$100 million announced in the 2012 Budget in
support of augmenting the US$7 million already available in the Reserve Bank
for its Lender of Last Resort mandate.

Agriculture
• US$20 million towards complementing the previously announced support
towards Agriculture.

6. Banks’ Statutory Reserves owed by the Reserve Bank

6.1. The Reserve Bank currently owes US$83 million to banks in statutory
reserves, contributing to some of the prevailing liquidity challenges in the
financial system.
6.2. To facilitate transactions in the money market, Treasury is introducing
Discounted and Tradable Paper against Reserve Bank statutory reserve
liabilities to banks willing to participate.
6.3. The modalities and the terms and conditions of issuance will be
developed in conjunction with the Reserve Bank and the Bankers Association.
6.4. Introduction of this instrument will overcome some of the security
challenges banks have been facing with regard to accessing the US$7 million
Lender of Last Resort funds at the Reserve Bank.

7. Tariff Measures Supportive of Domestic Production
7.1. Concerns have been raised by stakeholders over some of the Tariff
Measures Government implemented from 1 January 2012 as part of the 2012
Budget in order to support increased domestic production and level the
playing field vis-ŕ-vis some of the imported commodities.
7.2. This was also against the background of an unsustainable
over-dependence on consumption of imports at the expense of domestic
production.
7.3. During the period January to December 2011, declared export shipments
amounted to US$3.67 billion. This, though 65% higher than the US$2.22
billion declared in 2010, is significantly out of balance with the overall
figure of reported foreign payments for various imports of US$6.28 billion.
7.4. Clearly, this level of reliance on external savings is unsustainable,
making the institution of measures supportive of growth in domestic
production unavoidable.
7.5. Treasury has, therefore, embarked on the necessary stakeholder
consultative exercise. The appropriate measures to review some of the
measures will, thereafter, be instituted.

8. Growth & Inflation Prospects
Prices

8.1. In my 2012 Budget presentation I had projected an annual average
inflation of 4.1% for 2011 and a year-end projection of 5%.
8.2. However, I am pleased to note that actual developments to December 2011
show lower inflation numbers, with an annual average outturn of 3.5% and a
year end of 4.9%.

Growth
8.3. With regards to overall economic growth developments, Treasury is still
consolidating and finalising the submissions on the performance of the
various sub-sectors to the end of 2011.
8.4. Indications, however, are that the economy was on track with regard to
realising the projected 2011 real GDP growth rate of over 9%.

Hon. T. Biti (M.P.)
Minister of Finance
HARARE


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Biti’s miracle as Zimbabwe has budget surplus

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

In what Finance Minster Tendai Biti yesterday described as a miracle
Zimbabwe recorded a budget surplus for the first time in many years.
25.01.1205:17pm
by Kingstone Ndabatei

Biti was speaking at a media briefing on the state of the economy and
economic projections for the year 2012.

“It is actually a miracle but we have achieved it, the country had a budget
surplus of 30 million on last year’s budget and we used this for salaries
and pensions in January.

“If we stick to our principles this is always achievable, we should eat what
we kill and we did that last year we killed 2.9 billion and ate just over
2.8 billion,” Biti said.

The Finance Minister spoke on a variety of issues but emphasized the need to
keep the policy of cash budgeting and that the government has maintained
inflation figure within manageable levels.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be providing a monthly Budget
Dashboard that will outline monthly budgetary developments, tracking in the
particular budget performance in the key areas of public sector investment
and social service delivery.

“Over and above this treasury will produce quarterly economic developments,
quarterly budget implementation updates and of course the Mid-Term Fiscal
Policy Review,” Biti said

He said the final accounts for the country relating to the 2011 budget are
being finalized and will be out by February.

Zimbabwe has been operating on a budget deficit for many years and this
turnaround is largely due to prudence by the Inclusive Government formed
when foes Premier Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe went into
what analyst have termed a marriage of convenience.

The country’s economy almost came to its knees largely due to little or no
production in the agricultural sector caused by violent farm invasions that
forced commercial farmers off their land.


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Harare typhoid cases continue to rise

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
25 January 2012

Cases of typhoid are continuing to rise in Harare, where at least 90 people
have been hospitalised and more than a thousand are suspected to have
contracted the disease.

Residents in and around the capital have been on high alert since the first
typhoid cases were confirmed last year. But in recent months, the
combination of extreme heat, summer rains and dilapidated basic municipal
services, has resulted in perfect conditions for the disease to spread

“We have attended to over 600 cases in Kuwadzana alone,” city health
director Prosper Chonzi was quoted as saying in the state media this week.
The MDC-T meanwhile said on Wednesday that more than one thousand Harare
residents had been treated this month.

The bacterial disease, which spreads most easily in areas without proper
sanitation, causes vomiting, fever and diarrhoea and the public have been
urged to use good hygiene to prevent the situation from worsening.
The city and surrounding areas have been struck by severe water shortages
since last year, with some areas not being supplied with clean water for
many weeks. The shortages have sometimes resulted in residents fighting each
other while trying to access water from the limited number of boreholes
across the city.

The boreholes were sunk back in 2008 when a devastating outbreak of cholera
swept through the city. The worst affected areas were Glen Norah, Budiriro
and Glen View, and once again these areas are facing serious water
shortages.

Simbarashe Moyo from the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) told
SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that the City Council has been unable to deal
with the problems which have led to the disease spreading.

“We have piles of uncollected refuse, burst sewers everywhere,” Moyo said,
adding: “The Council now faces a mountainous task of keeping the disease
under control.”

He explained that the Council urgently needs to start clearing the refuse
off the city streets and sorting out the broken down sewerage systems. He
added that even just a simple public education exercise on the threats of
the disease would be welcome.

Meanwhile Finance Minister Tendai Biti said in a press conference on
Wednesday that money will be funneled towards supporting local councils,
like in Harare. Biti announced that over US$100 million will be set aside to
finance ‘priority’ projects, which could not be accommodated for in his 2012
budget.

Addressing his first Treasury media briefing of the year Biti said most of
the new financial allocation will be used to improve service delivery, such
as water reticulation and energy. Money is also being set aside for sectors
like manufacturing and agriculture.


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Media monitors still face charges of undermining Mugabe

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
25 January 2012

A magistrate in Gwanda on Tuesday threw out two charges against Media
Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) employees Fadzai December, Molly
Chimhanda and Gilbert Mabusa, who were arrested in December.

Although magistrate Sheila Nazombe dismissed charges that the three failed
to notify police of a public meeting and distributed material intended to
‘breach peace’, she still upheld charges that they allegedly undermined
Robert Mugabe’s authority as President.

The trio were arrested in Gwanda last month before spending two weeks in
custody. Although Gwanda Magistrate Douglas Zvenyika granted them US$50 bail
each on the 9th December. the Mugabe regime invoked controversial
legislation to set aside the bail for another 7 days.
It was only when Bulawayo High Court Judge Nicholas Mathonsi later dismissed
the appeal by the Attorney-General’s Office that led to the trio’s release.

Meanwhile in Masvingo, magistrate Dorothy Mwanyisa on Monday acquitted the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) and its senior official Joel
Hita on charges of organising a photo exhibition. The exhibition held in
Masvingo and entitled ‘Reflections’ exposed the 2008 election brutality.

In similar cases of persecution, seven MDC-T activists arrested in May as
part of a larger group are still in custody nearly 9 months later.

Glen View Ward 32 Councillor Tungamirai Madzokere, Rebecca Mafikeni, Phenias
Nhatarikwa, Lazarus Maengahama, Stanford Maengahama, Yvonne Musarurwa and
Stanford Mangwiro face what have been described as ‘trumped up’ charges of
murdering a policeman.

In October the police arrested MDC-T Youth Assembly chairperson Solomon
Madzore over the same charges. Since November his bail hearings have been
postponed for more than 8 times. Police claim he was arrested while on the
run despite video evidence proving he addressed several public MDC-T events.

The MDC-T say they will now take the issue of Madzore’s continued
incarceration to the regional SADC grouping who are the guarantors of the
power sharing deal. Youth Assembly Secretary General Promise Mkwananzi said
they had met Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and asked him to lobby SADC
over Madzore.


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Chimanimani residents forced to sign ZPF list to get food

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tererai Karimakwenda
25 January, 2012

Supporters of the MDC in Chimanimani West, who bought ZANU PF cards earlier
this year in order to get seeds and fertilizer, were thrilled on Sunday when
these items finally arrived from Cashel Valley. But there was one more
stipulation.

The desperate villagers were told to add their names onto a list of people
expected to claim disability in the next election, so they can be assisted
in the polling booth. Anyone who fails to do this “will be dealt with worse
than 2008,” was the threat made, according to witnesses.

The MDC-T has said over 500 members and activists were killed during a ZANU
PF sponsored wave of violence that followed their defeat in the March 2008
elections. References to that period are still being used by ZANU PF in
order to scare potential opposition voters.

Local activist Peter Chogura told SW Radio Africa that Sunday’s distribution
of seeds and fertilizer was organized and managed by a former ZANU PF
councilor named Lucky Hlukuzo and Army Major Charles Muresherwa. Uniformed
soldiers were also present at Ndaga Business Centre, Ward 19.

The seeds and fertilizer are supposed to be handed out to all local
residents in need, regardless of what political party they support.
According to Chogura, ZANU PF is trying to ensure they get some votes from
the food they give out, by forcing MDC supporters to claim they need ‘help’
in the booth.

“Vanototaura zvema statistics,” Chogura said, meaning: “they even speak of
statistics.” According to the activist, lists of MDC supporters who claim to
have switched loyalties are being compiled in other constituencies around
the country.

The Mugabe regime has always used food as a political weapon, but this new
strategy puts added pressure on those who buy party cards to survive and
protect their families. It also denies them their right to vote in a private
space.


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Controversial Judge Transferred To Harare

http://www.radiovop.com/

Harare, January 25, 2012-The High Court Judge who recently slammed the
Attorney General’s Office for infringing upon people’s fundamental right to
liberty by vetoing bail orders granted by magistrates and judges has been
transferred from his Bulawayo station to Harare.

Mathonsi commenced his duties at the High Court in Harare this week after
his transfer from Bulawayo where he has been operating from since his
appointment as a judge in 2010.

On Wednesday the judge presided over proceedings in court C at the high
court, where he heard unopposed matters in the motion court while on Friday
he will deal with sentences.

Mathonsi was sworn in as a judge in May 2010 together with Justice Garainesu
Mawadze and Justice Andrew Mutema.

Their appointment as judges together with Justice Martin Makonese, Justice
Hlekani Mwayera and Justice Maria-Zimba Dube brought to 27 the total number
of High Court judges in Zimbabwe.

However, it is the re-assignment of Justice Mathonsi which has raised
eyebrows as it comes following his passing of some judgments that were
deemed unfavourable to the police, the Attorney General’s office and other
government authorities.

Recently Justice Mathonsi shredded prosecutors for abusing their powers to
keep accused persons admitted to bail in remand prison, saying such actions
were putting the reputation of the justice delivery system into disrepute.

In a judgment delivered early this month dismissing an appeal by the
Attorney General’s office seeking to overturn the granting of bail to two
Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) employees, Fadzai December and
Molly Chimhanda and MMPZ member, Gilbert Mabusa, Justice Mathonsi tore
prosecutors to pieces and said time had come for them to be schooled on the
appropriate use of Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act
(CPEA).

December, Chimhanda and Mabusa were arrested last year and accused of
undermining the authority of President Robert Mugabe by distributing DVDs
that police said carried offensive material. They were also charged with
violating the Public Order and Security Act.

However, on Tuesday, a Gwanda Magistrate dropped the charges of contravening
POSA but maintained that they will have to answer to charges of insulting
Mugabe.

In May last year, Justice Mathonsi chided police in Matabeleland North
province for unlawfully detaining a Nkayi activist, Jorum Dube, for two
weeks without bringing him to court.

The judge criticised Nkayi police officers for lacking knowledge of the law
and that ignorant officers posed a threat to the public. Dubewas only
released following a High Court Order declaring his detention illegal.


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ZANU-PF Reversal on Death Penalty Holds Up Zimbabwe Constitution Draft

http://www.voanews.com

24 January 2012

Select committee sources said parties had agreed on dual citizenship, the
devolution of power from the central government and the abolition of capital
punishment, but ZANU-PF now wants to reopen those points

Blessing Zulu | Washington

Zimbabwe's often-delayed constitutional revision process hit another
obstacle this week as President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF reversed itself on
issues including devolution of power, the death penalty and dual
citizenship, holding up work on a draft.

Sources in the parliamentary select committee in charge of the revision said
it had been agreed to introduce dual citizenship, to devolve power from the
central government and to do away with capital punishment, but ZANU-PF now
wants to reopen those issues.

ZANU-PF's insistence on keeping the death penalty comes despite indications
from the judiciary that capital punishment has not had the intended
deterrent effect.

Murder cases brought before the High Court are said to have increased from
386 in 2010 to 395 last year and are expected to rise further this year.

Select committee co-chairman Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana of ZANU-PF could not
be reached for immediate comment on the reported about-face.

But his counterpart Douglas Mwonzora of the Movement for Democratic Change
formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said that the issue has gone
to the management committee, which includes senior negotiators for all
governing parties.


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Zimbabwe mine licence fees set to soar - state media

http://af.reuters.com/

Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:46am GMT

HARARE Jan 25 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe is set to raise registration fees for
platinum mines to $2.5 million from the $300 it currently costs to
discourage the holding of claims for speculative purposes, state media
reported on Wednesday.

The government will soon announce the changes, which will mostly target the
growing platinum and diamond sectors, Prince Mupazviriho, the permanent
secretary in the mines ministry, told the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

The application fee for a prospector's licence for platinum would also soar,
to $500,000 from $150, the newspaper said, citing a draft schedule prepared
by the ministry.

Ministry officials could not immediately be reached.

For diamond miners, the prospecting fee will remain at $1 million, while a
fee of $5 million will be required to register a claim, it said. The
application fee for coal, coal-bed methane gas, mineral oils, natural gas
and nuclear energy mineral resources will cost $100,000, compared to $5,000
currently.

Zimbabwe's government, struggling to raise revenue as the economy slowly
recovers from a decade-long slump, has increasingly looked to the mining
sector for funding.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti said he expects $600 million cash inflows from
the diamond sector to help fund a $4 billion budget for 2012.

Biti also raised royalties on gold to 7 percent from 4.5 percent and on
platinum to 10 percent from 5 percent.


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President Sata’s comments on Tsvangirai raise eyebrows

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
25 January 2012

The branding of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai ‘as a Western stooge’ by
the new Zambian President Michael Sata has raised diplomatic eyebrows
between the two countries.

Political aides to Tsvangirai reacted with fury to Sata’s disparaging
remarks about the MDC leader, in his interview with the UK Telegraph
newspaper. In the interview published by the paper on Tuesday, Sata, known
as ‘King cobra’ for his sharp tongue, indicated that he would not block
Robert Mugabe’s push to abandon the unity government.

In the same article, the 74 year-old Sata made comments likely to have irked
pro-democracy movements in Zimbabwe. He first dismissed Tsvangirai as a
‘stooge’, and described calls for security, electoral and constitutional
reforms in Zimbabwe as ‘unnecessary’.

Analysts said it is incomprehensible that Sata can trivialise and denigrate
constitutional reforms and clean voters’ roll which are vital pre-conditions
for free and fair elections. Other commentators believe Sata could be
‘isolated from reality’.

MDC-T officials who spoke to SW Radio Africa on the condition of anonymity
agreed that Sata seemed to go ‘off the rails’ in the Telegraph interview,
admitting that he showed extremely poor judgment.

‘We don’t know the policies of Morgan – he has other people speaking for him
rather than speaking for himself. There will be elections and Mugabe will go
and someone else will take over but not someone imposed by the Western
countries,’ Sata said

London based academic and former diplomat, Clifford Mashiri roundly
condemned the Zambian leader’s undiplomatic remarks, warning that his sharp
tongue could turn out to be his Achilles heel.

Mashiri told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that Sata has exposed one of his
major weaknesses as lack of good diplomacy.

‘One would have thought Sata would exercise extreme caution when commenting
about fellow leaders of other countries especially when they are his
neighbors,’ Mashiri added.


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Zinara to increase toll gates

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 12:14

HARARE - Motorists complaining about toll gates increasing their travelling
expenses should be prepared to fork out more.

The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) says it plans to increase
more toll gates in the country to raise more cash for infrastructure
rehabilitation.

Announcing a decision to take over collection of toll fees from the Zimbabwe
Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zinara tolling points manager Ostern Chimedza
said the current 22 toll gates countrywide were inadequate.

“There are areas where the tolling points are not there. We realise these
indeed will need to have the toll gates introduced but we cannot give
details as to when these will be put up,” he told reporters yesterday.

Toll gate fees range from a dollar to five dollars.

Zimra has been collecting toll gate fees on behalf of Zinara since the toll
gate idea was launched in August 2008.
“It is now our intention to move in and do the collections on our own. We
are engaging the ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development to
take over the collection programme,” said Chimedza.

Chimedza said Zinara hoped to improve structures currently used as toll
gates from the fees.

“What we have at the moment are tolling points, which essentially means we
have just points where we are simply collecting our fees. Our view and hope
is that we create better structures that can be toll gates, maybe in line
with regional standards. It is our hope that when the time comes for us to
collect these toll fees, we will be able to improve these structures and
move them from their current state,” Chimedza said.

He said there were plans to take over some staffers employed by Zimra.

“We are not going to take on board everybody. Some will remain behind while
we let some go,” he said.

According to Zinara statistics, the parastatal is collecting close to $80
million annually.

Toll gates, per year, rake in between $17 and 18 million, with fuel levy
bringing in about $23 million.

Vehicle licensing fees have weighed in significantly with a $24 million
contribution, while other revenues come from transit, abnormal load, and
over load charges.

Zimra retains 10 percent of the revenue collected from the toll fees.

Chimedza said in the foreseeable future, Zinara could consider increasing
its tolling points.

Zinara, however, cried foul there were many defaulting toll gate fee payees
who have claimed they are exempt from paying at toll gates.

“There are a number of defaulters that have claimed they are exempted from
paying toll fees. It should be made very clear that the Zinara Act only
exempts the police, the army, government plated vehicles, ambulances, Fire
Brigade vehicles and the ones for the diplomatic service, from paying toll
fees and not everybody else,” said Precious Murove, Zinara’s human resources
and administration manager.


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‘Tsvangirai key to Zim transition’

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Wonai Masvingise, Staff Writer
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 10:32

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is “key” in Zimbabwe’s political
transition and should do more to ensure stability ahead of watershed
elections, Gabonese leader Ali Bongo has said.

In a message sent through a special envoy yesterday, Bongo said his country
supported the African Union and regional grouping, Sadc’s efforts to find a
peaceful solution to Zimbabwe’s political situation.

A disputed presidential election in June 2008 led to the formation of
Zimbabwe’s fragile coalition government.

A planned election to end the coalition but whose timing is still a subject
of disagreement has already heightened tensions between supporters of
President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai resulting in a resurgence in
political violence.

Bongo’s envoy, Emmanuel Issoze Ngendet, met Tsvangirai in the company of
Gabonese ambassador to Zimbabwe Jean Yves Teale at the Prime Minister’s
Strathaven residence yesterday.

“Prime Minister Tsvangirai is a key person in the transition process in
Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is in an interesting period of political reform and
transition.

“We want this country’s leaders to show the best commitment and stability,”
Ngendet, who is Gabon’s Minister of Budget said.

“We support this inclusive government and our aim is to promote it by
discussing with political actors. We preach a message of peace to this
country.

“South Africa is playing a very interesting role in terms of facilitating
for peace. Gabon as a member of the African Union has the obligation to
support this role which is taken by South Africa,” he said.

Luke Tamborinyoka, a spokesperson in the premier’s office said, “He
(Ngendet) had brought a confidential message from the President (Bongo).”

Sources said Ngendet was also in the country to drum support for the
re-election of Jean Ping, the outgoing chairperson of the commission of the
African Union, a Gabonese national.

Ping is facing tough competition from South Africa’s Nkosazana-Dhlamini Zuma
when his office comes for re-election this month.

Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo ruled Gabon for 42 years before his death in
office in June 2009.

Ali, who had long been assigned key ministerial responsibilities by his
father, won election in August 2009.

The West African country is a major exporter of oil, timber, manganese and
uranium.


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Small-scale farmers to feed the nation

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Zimbabwe’s Global Hunger Index is at its lowest yet, according to this year’s
report, and with continued investment in small-scale farmers and the
government’s commitment to national social protection, it could continue to
decrease.
25.01.1202:56pm
by JOY MORRISON

The report was jointly published by the International Food Policy Research
Institute, Concern Worldwide, and Welthungerhilfe. Ranked 46 out of 81
countries where data was gathered, Zimbabwe has shown a promising reduction
in its GHI score from 21.3 in 2001 to 17.7 in 2011. The index is designed to
measure and track global hunger and it uses three indicators:
undernourishment, child underweight and child mortality. It ranks countries
on a 100-point scale where zero is the best and 100 is the worst. The
countries are then listed from ‘low’ to ‘extremely alarming’. Because of
Zimbabwe’s decrease it is now ranked as ‘serious’ and not ‘alarming’ as it
was in 2001.

Although the calculation is limited by the data collection of governments
and international agencies, and the current figures only reflect information
collected between 2004 and 2009, it does reveal an alarming trend in
Sub-Saharan Africa where the level of hunger is highest.

Gaining ground

In spite of Zimbabwe’s decrease, it still ranks above countries such as
Namibia, Botswana, Nigeria and Swaziland. However, in light of the changes
that occurred in the period between 2004 and 2009 when the economy spiralled
out of control and the controversial land reform programme was in full
swing, it is encouraging to see Zimbabwe gaining ground.

There are a number of hurdles to overcome

The 2011 report focuses on the issue of food price spikes and volatility,
which have played a large role in the global food crises of the last decade.

“Many poor people already spend large shares of their incomes on food, and
surges in food prices leave them unable to pay for the food, healthcare,
housing, education, and other goods and services they need,” the report
states.

Before the dollarization of the economy, people found it almost impossible
to keep pace with rising food prices. The massive reduction in food being
produced from the commercial farms meant a greater reliance on imported food
stuffs which the financially crippled government could not afford. The shop
shelves were empty and the poor were the worst affected, with some forced to
supplement their diets with wild berries and tree roots.

Govt commitment

In recent years, the amount of foreign direct investment in agriculture in
developing countries has increased. However, the efforts to increase
production must be coupled with the government’s obligation to national food
security and development strategies. This has been called into question
during election periods when non-governmental organisations have been
targeted by Zanu (PF) in an attempt to monopolise food distribution for
political purposes.

“There are a number of hurdles to overcome in increasing agricultural
production, including land and water constraints, underinvestment in
agricultural innovation, deficient agricultural banking, extreme weather
events and climate change, and declining investment in agricultural
research. Overcoming these hurdles requires research and innovation,
increased yields, and guaranteed access to markets,” the report states.

Concern’s work in the area of conservation farming was hailed as an example
of how farm yields can increase when modern farming techniques are employed
and farmers have access to inputs, fertilisers and an assured place in the
market.

Recommendations

In 2008, the organisation ran a project to improve a local community’s
access to food by offering training programmes and providing the necessary
seed, fertiliser and herbicides. 1,120 farmers participated in the
initiative.

One of the findings of the project was that farmers went from being
production-deficit households to production-surplus households. They
embraced the new techniques and eagerly adopted the communal-based,
conservation farming.

Some recommendations made in this year’s GHI report include establishing
national social protection systems, improving emergency plans and investing
in small-scale farming initiatives and climate-adaptive agriculture.

“As long as the extreme poor face the prospect of recurrent devastating
shocks with little protection, they will continue to be excluded from
sustainable development,” states the report.

Farmers need access to inputs

It goes on to outline the coping strategies that families are forced to
employ in light of food shortages such as removing children from school,
engaging in commercial sex work and crime. This exposes households to
disease, violence, social exclusion and ultimately death.

“Social protection has the potential to support improvements in maternal and
early childhood nutrition, especially when linked with complementary
services. Non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations
have an important role to play in these activities,” states the report.

In terms of emergency policies, the government and NGOs may respond to
national disasters, but they are not good at reacting to slow-onset
disasters such as food price crises.

“Global, regional, and national agencies need to be fully engaged, establish
triggers that will activate responses under crises, invest more in
preparedness, and mobilize their capabilities to monitor and assist the most
vulnerable people,” states the report.

Farming potential

Following the land re-distribution exercise and the increase of small-scale
farmers nationwide, it is necessary to adapt agricultural practices and
develop strategies that support these men and women. They should be equipped
to contribute to national food and nutrition security and the government and
donors should look at ways of reducing their vulnerability and tapping into
their potential.

“To improve resilience, farmers need access to inputs backed by appropriate
financing channels, knowledge transfer through extension services, support
for crop diversification, natural resource management, and improved rural
and regional market infrastructure,” states the report.

With many organisations countrywide responding to this call to invest in
community-based farming, there is hope that these enterprising farmers will
be able to contribute to a further decrease in Zimbabwe’s GHI ranking in the
years to come.


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No money to protect elephants

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Zimbabwe has missed out on accessing money for elephant conservation
programmes, due to its non-participation in the recent CITES committee
meeting in South Africa.
25.01.1210:02am
by Stephen Tsoroti

Six African states were allocated money for conservation initiatives at the
meeting in December 2011. The CITES fund was launched in August 2011 and has
received approximately $250,000 in contributions from Germany, France and
the Netherlands. During the three-day meeting, the members of the Committee:
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa met
with representatives from Germany and the Netherlands to allocate $150,000
to six elephant conservation projects, ranging from investigating regional
illegal ivory markets to mitigating local human-elephant conflicts.

Poaching on the rise

According to Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, there has been a surge in
elephant poaching countrywide. Waterholes have been poisoned, land invaders
have been involved in poaching and trees are being chopped down for
firewood, placing the animals at risk.

The current national elephant population is about 100,000 and of this Hwange
National Park holds about 50,000 while the Zambezi Valley, Sebungwe and the
South East Lowveld hold 30,000, 15,000 and 5,000 respectively. These figures
are based on aerial surveys undertaken jointly by the Zimbabwe Parks and
Wildlife Management Authority and World Wide Fund for Nature.

Trophy hunting

To date, Zimbabwe has relied on two programmes for the sustainable
utilization of elephants in the country: (i) non-consumptive (photographic,
elephant rides) and (ii) consumptive (trophy hunting and management
off-take). Consumptive utilization is based on an approved quota with the
exception of problem animal control which cannot be predicted.

Trophy hunting, which annually utilizes 500 animals that are declared to
CITES each year, takes place in the following designated places:

• State hunting safari areas - 145 animals

• Private land (mainly conservancies) - 115 animals

• CAMPFIRE in communal areas - 210 animals

• Forestry areas - 30 animals

No trophy hunting takes place in National Parks.

Management off take, unlike trophy hunting, takes place in any protected
area where elephants occur, including national parks, and involves both
trophy and non-trophy animals.

However, the trophies are not allowed to be exported. The ivory from such an
initiative ends up in the central ivory stores at the Parks and Wildlife
Management Authority Head Quarters. It is properly recorded with a distinct
serial number, area of origin, cause and date of mortality and size (length
and weight of tusk).

The ivory is then sold on the domestic market through regular auctions to
registered ivory manufacturers in line with 1997 CITES COP 10 Resolution
which allowed Zimbabwe to engage in highly-controlled domestic ivory trade.
Management off takes are for ecological reasons, to manage surplus animals.

Culling approved

In April 2007, prior to CITES COP 14 in The Hague, SADC Ministers
responsible for wildlife management approved the Southern Africa Elephant
Management Strategy which recognizes culling as one of the main tools for
effective population control. However, in the event that the Authority needs
to undertake culling, all the political, ecological and other
considerations, including thorough stakeholder consultations, need to be
met.

In preparation for a possible requirement to control elephant population
through culling, the Authority has embarked on a training exercise for its
staff. The training involves hunting, recovery and processing of elephant
products and gathering of scientific data.


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Zimbabwe presses for SA permit extension

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

25/01/2012 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE will approach South Africa over the possible extension of a
documentation exercise for Zimbabweans living illegally in the country, Home
Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi has said.

South Africa insists there will not be a second phase of the programme after
255,282 Zimbabweans had their stay regularised under the current exercise
which officials say is nearing completion. The remaining 20,480 applications
are expected to be finalised by March this year.

Mkuseli Apleni, a director general with the South African Home Affairs
department, ruled out extending the exercise insisting: "We have said it is
closed forever. If there are those who did not take up that offer, they are
now here illegally."

Speculation is rife that the completion of the documentation process in
March would likely culminate in massive deportations of illegal Zimbabwean
migrants in South Africa.

However, Mohadi – who shares the Home Affairs portfolio with MDC-T’s Theresa
Makoni -- said there was still room for further negotiations over the issue.

“We will have to re-engage our counterparts over the issue. At the moment
they are still busy and we will have to wait for them to complete the first
phase before further engagements,” Mohadi said early in the week.

“Engagements would continue because this is not a one-off thing. A lot of
people continue to cross the border into South Africa without proper travel
documents and it is something that happens everyday.”

Estimates suggest some 1,5 million Zimbabweans are living in South Africa,
most of them having crossed the Limpopo in the last few years to escape a
deepening economic and political crisis back home.

Pretoria last year stopped deporting illegal immigrants and issued a
December 31 deadline for them to regularise their stay but many were not
eligible for residency permits because they are either unemployed or have
part-time jobs.

But with South Africa’s unemployment increasing to about 25.3 percent in
recent years, the presence of illegal migrants has often sparked unrest with
locals viewing them as competitors for jobs and housing.
Xenophobic violence in May 2008 claimed more than 60 lives and drove
thousands from their homes.


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A country at peace: Senator Gutu’s vision

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Corruption is a cancer eating away at the fabric of Zimbabwean society,
according to Senator Obert Gutu, the Deputy Minster of Justice.
25.01.1209:27am
by Byron Adonis Mutingwende

“We should fight very hard to identify, curb and ultimately eliminate
corruption in our judicial system and also in the Police Force and the
Prison Service,” said Gutu.

Born at Gutu Mission Hospital on October 20, 1962, Gutu was the sixth child
in a family of 10. He did his primary education at Gutu Mission primary
school and later moved to Fletcher High School in Gweru where he spent six
years before enrolling for a law degree at the University of Zimbabwe in
1982.

“All those civil servants and members of the uniformed forces who would like
to be active politicians should resign and thereafter, freely participate in
the political melting pot. A politician wearing a uniform and holding a gun
is a very dangerous politician.”

Developmental projects

As Senator, Gutu has embarked on a number of developmental projects in his
Chisipite constituency.

“In August 2011, I approached the Australian Embassy to source funds used to
drill two boreholes in Ward 46, an area facing perennial water shortages.
Currently, I am working on a project to provide 20 soccer balls, netballs
and basketballs to all the wards in my constituency. You should bear in mind
that as a Senator, I do not have access to CDF funds and so I have to use
alternative means to raise money.”

A resident who benefitted from the boreholes sunk in Mabvuku praised Gutu’s
initiative.

“We are very poor. We do not have the ability to sink our own boreholes like
our neighbours in the affluent suburbs of Glen Lorne. We thank Senator Gutu
for his donation which averted a typhoid outbreak here.”

Gutu has also tried to help his rural area in Gutu Central constituency by
building a modern supermarket complex at Mushayavanhu Business Centre.

“More than 10 years ago, I donated a computer to Mushayavanhu High School
and I understand this was the first computer at the school. My aim was to
develop ICT in the rural areas that are lagging behind in technological
advancement,” Gutu said.

From lawyer to politician

With a background in law, Gutu’s reasons for venturing into politics were
influenced by the steady decline in living conditions and basic human rights
nationwide.

“I felt I had to help my country in whatever small way I could, that is how
I ended up in politics,” Gutu added.

The Senator sees his role as a key player in the democratization of
Zimbabwe.

“The scourge of corruption has to be nipped in the bud. If there is anything
that I hate with a passion, it is corruption. We can overcome our challenges
on the political front mainly by encouraging and fostering a culture of
tolerance and unity in diversity. The current political climate in Zimbabwe
is poisoned by polarization across the political divide. There is a lot of
hate and malice in our politics. This is primitive. It should stop!” Gutu
said.

When asked what should be done to improve the justice delivery system Gutu
said, “To improve the justice delivery system, we should first of all
de-politicise our State institutions such as the judiciary, the
Attorney-General’s office and the police. We should develop a culture of
professionalism in all our government departments.

Family court system

“There have been a lot of changes since I was appointed Deputy Minister of
Justice & Legal Affairs in June, 2010.For instance, the food situation
in all our country’s prisons has significantly improved. All prisoners are
getting three meals a day.

“We are also in the process of establishing a formal family court system and
within the next few months, Zimbabwe will become one of the few countries in
Africa to have one. This will help in handling family issues such as
divorce, custody and maintenance of children as well as domestic violence,”
Gutu said.

Gutu’s vision for the future of Zimbabwe is a country at peace where basic
human rights are respected and the rule of law is upheld.

“I want Zimbabwe to be a country that denounces political intolerance,
political violence and corruption. As soon as we exorcise the ghost of
tyranny and dictatorship, I would be happy to practice law on a full-time
basis.”


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Zimbabwe’s debt - a compelling case for an audit



By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 25/01/12

The rejection by UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell of civil society
calls to audit Zimbabwe’s US$7 billion debt before relief under HIPC is
regrettable.

Whenever an audit is resisted, it inevitably raises eyebrows. Some suspect
those against the audit have something to hide because of the potentially
embarrassing revelations.

Resistance to an audit of Zimbabwe’s debt can be viewed as running counter
to the Manila Consensus on Public Financial Management (PFM) of June 2011
comprising  Partner Countries including the UK, multilateral and bilateral
development organisations, parliaments and civil society organisations
(CSOs).

According to OECD, Partner Countries were called upon to demonstrate their
political commitment to strengthening PFM and to increase transparency for
better accountability to the public including through civil society
organisations (CSOs) for all public resources.

It is therefore, understandable that Zimbabwean CSOs are demanding
transparency because that principle should be seen to be applied universally
regardless of the region – whether it’s in the North, South, East or West.

The reason why Zimbabwe’s debt should be audited should be obvious to
everyone who has bothered to follow closely developments in the southern
African country.

Since the late 1990s to 2009, Zimbabwe was mired in controversy ranging from
arms trading, state-sponsored violence, negative world records in terms of
3.2 quintillion percent inflation, corruption, suspected money laundering
and run-way poverty.

While the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative is being proposed
as a better evil to other options, it is no panacea to Zimbabwe’s debt
problem, because HIPC will only provide reprieve for debts owed to
International Financial Institutions and Paris Club pre-2004.

It is a matter of common knowledge that Zimbabwe has no post 2004 debt with
IFI and the Paris Club, however any debt accumulated post 2004 is with
non-traditional donors and this will not be included under the HIPC. For
instance Zimbabwe’s run-away debt with China will still need to be repaid.

It is worth noting that other than doing nothing about the debt, Zimbabwe
has also utilised the so-called Angola Model of debt relief, whereby Mugabe
reportedly entered into a ‘platinum backed’ loan facility agreement with
China in 2009.

This involved mortgaging Zimbabwe’s natural resources by giving China a 50%
stake in a platinum concession worth US$40billion in return for a US$5
billion loan to Zimbabwe.

According to financial experts, China would make a US$15billion profit
(300%) from a US$5 billion loan at the end of the transaction – representing
a monumental loss to the present and future generations.

Zimbabwe’s civil society is justified to demand transparency in the country’s
financial commitments to both Western countries and China because some of
the debts are shrouded in mystery.

For example, exact figures of China’s arms sales to Zimbabwe are hard to
come by because neither country allegedly submits reliable reports to the
United Nations Register of Conventional Arms or to the U.N. Commodities
Trade Statistics Database (Comtrade).

According to Human Rights First, although the two countries do submit import
and export figures to Comtrade, their reported figures are inconsistent and
too low to be credible.

Among the most implausible examples is Zimbabwe’s report of Z$205million
worth of tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles imported from China in
2005, and China’s report of only US$50million worth of small arms sales to
Zimbabwe from 2000-2006.

How were those weapons paid for when the country was on its knees? If they
were loans, why should they be paid in view of the state-sponsored violence
seen in Zimbabwe over the years around election time since the late 1990s?

Similarly, in 1984, the Thatcher government sold Zimbabwe a large number of
Hawk fighter planes at a time of the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland
(See Daily Mail, How can we be so blindly stupid as to sell arms to despots
then bleat about democracy? 24/02/11).

It is, therefore right and proper for a Parliamentary Debt Audit Commission
to conduct a forensic audit of Zimbabwe’s debt in the same way developed
countries probe their debts as a constitutional requirement for checks and
balances vis-ŕ-vis the executive.

There is a compelling case for an audit of Zimbabwe’s debt especially as
there are reasons to suspect foul play, with poverty and typhoid ravaging
the country despite abundant diamonds, gold and platinum resources.

The Jubilee Debt Campaign deserves the support of all Zimbabweans of sound
thinking.

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

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