http://in.reuters.com
HARARE | Sun Jan 2, 2011
5:05pm IST
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe is likely to postpone a
parliamentary election
that President Robert Mugabe's party wanted by
mid-year in order to allow
completion of constitutional reforms, a
state-owned newspaper reported on
Sunday.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party
endorsed plans to call early polls two weeks ago,
despite strong opposition
from rivals that the political climate was not
right for a free and fair
vote.
The Sunday Mail newspaper, which is tightly controlled by ZANU-PF
officials,
quoted unidentified sources saying it was not feasible to hold
elections in
the first half of 2011 and that Zimbabwe had said so to fellow
members of
the Southern African Development Community (SADC) weeks
ago.
"Sources yesterday said it was highly unlikely that the polls will
be held
before June as the crafting of the new supreme law looks certain to
spill
into the second half of the year," the weekly said, citing also what
it
called "intervening complications" in the implementation of Zimbabwe's
power-sharing agreement.
ZANU-PF officials were unavailable on Sunday
to comment.
Mugabe, 86, and arch rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
of the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) were forced into a coalition
government two
years ago after a disputed 2008 election which had
exacerbated a severe
economic crisis.
The unity government, which
also includes a small MDC faction led by Deputy
Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara, is credited with stabilising an economy
crushed by hyperinflation
and reducing political tension.
But the coalition has been hobbled by
quarrels over the pace of political
reforms, policies and state positions,
and Mugabe has said he sees no need
to extend the coalition beyond the
middle of this year.
In private, both ZANU-PF and MDC legislators have
been lobbying against a
2011 election that will cut short their five-year
term for the second time
after the previous tenure ended prematurely in 2008
following a 2005 vote.
Critics say rushed polls without political
reforms, including a new
constitution guaranteeing basic rights, would only
favour Mugabe and
ZANU-PF, who have held power since independence from
Britain in 1980.
http://www.radiovop.com
02/01/2011
13:46:00
JOHANNESBURG, January 2, 2011-The Department of Home Affairs
in South Africa
says 230 000 applications for work and study permits were
received from
Zimbabwean immigrants who submitted their papers at 42
regional offices by
the close of business on December 31, the deadline to
regularise their stay
in the country.
Those who did not submit their
papers by December 31 face massive
deportations towards the end of
January.Minister Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma is
defiant and has vowed there will
be no extention for those who failed to
register with the
department.
When Radio Vop visited the busy Home Affairs offices along
Harrison Street
on Friday evening, there were about 200 Zimbabweans still
trying to persuade
the officials to accept their papers.
Two officials
came out and told them to go back because they had failed to
beat the
deadline.The Zimbabweans were defiant and refused to leave.Police
who were
outside the building were called in to remove them.
“ You failed to
submit your papers when there was enough time for you to do
so.Enjoy your
New Year holiday because after that we will deport you back to
Zimbabwe, ”
one of the policemen told the Zimbabweans.
As the unfriendly policeman was
busy threatening the immigrants with
deportation, a senior Home Affairs
official emerged from the building and
asked those with ready forms to go in
and submit their papers.A few minutes
later another official appeared too
and instructed the security guard to
allow even those without forms to go in
and collect foirms.
The desperate Zimbabweans quickly filled in their forms
and submitted them.
“ I am so happy that at last I have submitted my
forms.I thought that was
the end of me here in South Africa, ” said school
teacher Mlungisi Ncube.The
officials allowed only 80 to go inside and fill
in the forms and submit
them.The rest were told to back and wait for
deportation.
Authorities say they have so far received more than 330 000
applications
since the Zimbabwe Dispensation Project began in September last
year.In Cape
Town at least more than 800 Zimbabweans finalised their
documentation as
early as lunchtime on Friday last week.
The offices in
Wynberg, Paarl and George saw more than 3000 Zimbabweans
submitting their
papers between Thursday and Friday.
Officials increased personnel in order to
cope with the large number of
Zimbabweans who turned up at the last
minute.The department says of the more
than 200 000 applications received so
far 38 000 had been approved while 10
000 were rejected.
Home Affairs
Director General Mkuseli Apleni says deportation is not
something of
tomorrow - once the process is closed the law of the country
will be
implemented. "However we need to stress the fact that if there's
somebody
who did not take this opportunity given to them - come the time
when the
process is closed - those people will face the might of our
immigration
laws".
Meanwhile, a Zimbabwean national was arrested outside the Home Affairs
office in Pretoria for producing and selling fake letters of appointment.
The man was also allegedly found in possession of R25 000, earned from the
sale of those documents. Although deportation is not yet on the cards
law-breakers will not be left unpunished.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
02 January, 2011 01:16:00
By
HARARE, -The Movement for Democratic Change MDC-N (N-Ncube)
faction led by
the out-going President Arthur Mutambara says more than 5000
delegates bused
from Bulawayo are expected to converge on Harare Sports
Centre for the
party's long awaited congress this
weekend.
Unconfirmed reports said the party initially intended to hire a
train from
National Railways of Zimbabwe to carry delegates from
Bulawayo.
Fireworks are expected at the congress in which
secretary-general Welshman
Ncube is tipped to take over the party
leadership. This followed an
announcement by its leader and Deputy Prime
Minister Mutambara that he would
not seek re-election.
Party sources
in Bulawayo said the congress will most likely lead to a
disintegration of
the party and a mass exodus of supporters and disgruntled
Members of
parliament, four of whom are reported to be moving to the MDC-T
while one
senator is headed for ZAPU.
Mutambara has been sailing through troubled
waters over the past 18 months
in which he made controversial and unpopular
statements forcing the party,s
information department to work overtime doing
damage control. In one of his
statements, Mutambara praised Mugabe as one of
the greatest African leaders
and liberators-forgetting that Mugabe is seen
as a monster in MDC- M
stronghold of Matabeleland.
The congress is
being held under the theme “Celebrating Our Diversity”.
Insiders have said
that Mutambara, who is accused rightly or wrongly of
siding with Mugabe in
the shaky government of national unity, would be
recalled from government
after the party’s provinces unanimously nominated
his secretary-general
Ncube for the post of president.
“The Congress will take stock of the
party's performance over the past five
years, ratify any amendments to the
party's constitution, and discuss the
party's programmes, the major
highlight being the election of a national
executive in particular, the
election of a president and a
secretary-general.
Congress is expected
to come up with resolutions on the Inclusive
government, party positions on
elections and key economic reforms,” read
part of the MDC-M
statement.
It added that currently, the party was holding provincial
nominations across
the country.
“Thus far there has been consensus in
the nine provinces on Welshman Ncube
as president. Eight of the Provinces
have also reached consensus on Priscila
Misihairabwi, Goodwill Chimbaira and
Paul Temba Nyathi who have been
nominated as secretary-general, national
chairman and national Treasurer
respectively. Party nominations will
continue in the three remaining
provinces.”
The statement added that
nominations close on the third of January, the
final elections will take
place at Congress on the 8th of January 2011.
The Party’s last congress
was held in February 2006. The MDC- M constitution
has a set two-term limits
for the seven top positions which are the
presidency, vice-president,
secretary-general, deputy secretary- general,
treasurer-general, deputy
treasurer-general and national chairman.
It said Ncube and Dulini Ncube
were therefore not legible to continue in
their current posts as
secretary-general and treasurer- general
respectively.The post of
vice-president was left vacant after the death of
Gibson Sibanda in August
2010.
MDC-M has four Cabinet Ministers and two Deputy Ministers in
theInclusive
Government.
The party's current president Mutambara is
one of two Deputy-Prime Ministers
in the inclusive government.
The
party has six seats in the Senate and holds 10 Parliamentary seats. It
has
divided the country into twelve provinces with Chitungwiza and Midlands
North and South designated provinces.
http://www.radiovop.com
02/01/2011
13:50:00
MASVINGO- January 01, 2011 – Arthur Mutambara led Movement
for Democratic
Change MDC-M is likely to split into factions after Masvingo
provincial
executive refused to go along with other provinces which have
nominated
secretary-general, Welshman Ncube to take over the party
leadership at this
week,s congress to be hled in Harare.
The
provincial executive here says it will continue to recognize Mutambara
as
party leader until 'certain issues are addressed'.The provincial
executive
which convened an urgent meeting on Saturday resolved to boycott
the
national congress if their complaints were not addressed.
The provincial
secretary for information Martin Chengeta said there was no
need for them to
be persuaded to nominate a president when everything in the
process to have
new leadership was based on the violation of the party's
constitution.
"We refused to be fooled and therefore resolved that we
should not nominate
anyone. We will not recognize the congress until our
complains are
addressed. If they (leadership) decide to ignore our call, we
will then make
a move to start our own party or we will continue to
recognize Mutambara as
our president," said Chengeta.
The executive also
resolved to send provincial chairman Robson Mashiri to
Harare to meet the
national leadership over the issue.
"Our chairman Mr Mashiri will travel
to Harare before Monday so that he
would lobby for an urgent meeting with
them. If they go against our wish,
then we also go against their proposals,"
added Chengeta.Mashiri confirmed
that he was given a petition from Masvingo
signed by over thirty members.Two
weeks ago, Mutambara announced he would
not be standing for any party
position at the congress.
“ I have played
my role and its time for others to step in and lead the
party, “ said
Mutambara, a former University of Zimbabwe student leader and
now one of
the country,s two deputy Prime Ministers together with Thokozani
Khuphe of
MDC-T party.
http://www.apanews.net/
APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Another cholera outbreak is feared in
Zimbabwe amid
reports that at least 20 families have experienced severe
diarrhoea in the
capital Harare, a residents’ pressure group said here on
Sunday.
The Harare Residents Trust said the 20 families from the
high-density Harare
suburb of Mbare have been treated since last week for
severe diarrhoea after
drinking what is suspected to be contaminated
water.
A spokesman for the HRT, Samuel Mapurisa said residents have been
taken to
the local clinic suffering from severe stomach aches, diarrhoea and
vomiting
in what they suspect to be a repeat of the 2008 cholera outbreak
that killed
more than 4,000 people in Zimbabwe.
Mapurisa said his
association was receiving daily reports from Mbare
residents who feel their
health is at risk if nothing is done urgently to
investigate and deal with
the unraveling crisis.
“The water that residents here have been drinking
is smelly, and we suspect
that the water delivery system has broken down and
sewerage is leaking,
leading to the contamination of the water,” he
said.
Residents of other Harare suburbs have also complained about the
quality of
the water pumped by the Harare City Council which they say is
greenish and
smelly.
JN/daj/APA
2011-01-02
Associated Press
(AP) – 9 hours ago
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Western visitors
to Zimbabwe are looking for zeros.
They're snapping up old, defunct Zimbabwe
bank notes, most notably the one
hundred trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill, as
an economic souvenir.
The one hundred trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill,
which at 100 followed by 12
zeros is the highest denomination, now sells for
$5, depending on its
condition. That bill and others — among them millions,
billions and
trillions, were abandoned nearly two years ago, when the
American dollar
became legal tender in the hopes of killing off the record
inflation that
caused all those zeros.
"I had to have one," said
Janice Waas on a visit to the northwestern resort
town of Victoria Falls.
"The numbers are mind bending." She got her
so-called "Zimdollar" in
pristine condition, from a street vendor who
usually sells African
carvings.
"It's perfect if you like puzzles, calculus and things like
Rubik's Cube,"
she said.
Janice's husband Thomas Waas, a physicist
and engineer from Germany, said if
the population of the world is 7 billion
people, every single person could
be a given thousands of old Zimbabwe
dollars from this single 100 trillion
note.
Janice Waas said
Westerners were buying the bills for their curiosity value.
An Australian
wanted one to display in his local bar back home.
Street vendors said
visitors had been so intrigued by the Zimbabwe bills
that they were now
running out of them, two years after a power sharing deal
between longtime
ruler President Robert Mugabe and the former opposition
leader, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, made the old currency redundant.
Visitors
from countries familiar with hyperinflation, such as the Congo and
other
impoverished states in the region and in South America, showed less
interest
in the highly marked bills. Instead, most bought curios and
artifacts, said
vendor Lloyd Phiri, speaking on his mobile phone in Victoria
Falls.
At the height of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown in 2008 when
Zimbabwe's world
record inflation was running into the billions in percent
annually and
prices were climbing each hour, the 100 trillion bill scarcely
bought a cart
of groceries.
Teachers reported the printing of bank
notes from millions to billions and
then trillions skewed their pupils'
sense of numeracy, making them fail to
grasp the realities of
numbers.
On one geography field trip, students scoffed at being told
granite rocks
swept over Zimbabwe by ancient glaciers were 700 million years
old. That
time frame seemed insignificant.
Back then in 2008, 700
million Zimbabwe dollars bought a loaf of bread.
Scientists and
physicists estimate the number of atoms in the universe at 10
to the power
of 80 — 10 followed by 80 zeros.
During the worst of Zimbabwe's economic
meltdown and hyperinflation,
Zimbabwe's highest money denominations were
logged at 10 to the power of
25 — 10 followed by 25 zeros.
The
central bank then sliced off several zeros, but large transactions were
still calculated in quadrillions (15 zeros) and quintillions (18 zeros)
until the demise of the local currency.
If you are delayed at an
airport during your Zimbabwe trip, play the numbers
game, advises Waas, the
physicist.
He posed this challenge.
"If the pyramids in Egypt are
5,000 years old, there are 155 billion seconds
in 5,000 years and 1,000
billion make a trillion. So how many years are
there in 100 trillion
seconds?" he said.
Waas said he was still waiting for the correct answer
from friends and
fellow visitors in Zimbabwe.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
02/01/2011 00:00:00
by Gilbert
Nyambabvu
ZIMBABWE is now edging Zambia in the battle for visitors to
the prime resort
of Victoria Falls which lies on the border between the two
countries.
The tourism chief in the Zambian border town of Livingstone,
Kingsley
Lilamono, recently told a local newspaper that an increasing number
of
tourists were now choosing to stay on the Zimbabwean side of the
border.
“The tourist arrivals at the Livingstone International Airport do
not
correspond with the numbers in the hotels and lodges because most of the
tourists proceed to Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe.
“We need to sit
down and re-align our strategies because we face stiff
competition with
Zimbabwe,” Lilamono said.
He added that Zambia needed to launch “massive
marketing strategies” and
reduce costs of accommodation to claw back the
business being lost to
Zimbabwe.
The development marks a welcome
change of fortunes for Zimbabwe which saw
visitor numbers collapse over the
last decade as tourists were put-off by
the country’s political and economic
problems.
The Victoria Falls continued to attract business but tourists
only came as
part of packaged tours to South Africa or opted to stay across
the border in
Zambia.
Investors also gave the country wide berth with
South Africa’s Sun
International ditching initial plans to build the Royal
Livingstone on the
Zimbabwe side of the border.
However, the
formation of the coalition government helped ease political
tensions
resulting in markets in the West recovering after governments there
lifted
negative travel advisories on Zimbabwe.
Figures released by the ministry
of finance show tourist arrivals reaching
2.2 million by year-end earning
the country a projected US$770 million.
Last year 2 million people
visited Zimbabwe bringing in US$523 million.
http://www.csmonitor.com/
The Obama administration's efforts to get incumbent President
Laurent Gbagbo
to step down after a disputed Nov. 28 poll reflects an
ossified view of
African politics, writes guest blogger G. Pascal
Zachary.
By G. Pascal Zachary, Guest blogger / January 2,
2011
The Obama administration’s approach to Ivory Coast's incumbent
President
Laurent Gbagbo, based on reporting from The New York Times,
suggests that US
officials are caught in a time warp. They’re behaving as if
it is the 1990s,
and their object is to induce former dictator Joseph Désiré
Mobuto from
power in the Congo. The proffer of “asylum” in the US – or a
plum posting
with an international agency — has the ring of lunacy about it,
as if the
administration was mistaking Mr. Gbagbo for former Liberian
Preisdent
Charles Taylor, former Zambian President Kenneth Kuanda, or even
current
Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe.
Gbagbo may possess many
flaws, but he is not in need of asylum or an
international job for which he
neither suited professionally nor
temperamentally. Nor will comical offers
of relocating him to the US induce
him to leave Ivory Coast. Gbagbo might
indeed be wondering who is crazier,
him or the US officials assigned to
oversee his exit from office.
His defiant response to foreign criticism
is thus no crazier than the
American conception of his exit. In his address
on the eve of 2011, Gbagbo
said the pressure for him to quit amounted to “an
attempted coup d’etat
carried out under the banner of the international
community”.
To be sure, Gbagbo must go; not in a coup d’etat, but in a
legal, necessary
and inevitable transfer of power. But once out of power,
Gbagbo should be
free to choose where he wishes to live, and even include
Ivory Coast on the
list of his future domiciles.
I recall distinctly
how former President Jerry Rawlings in neighboring Ghana
was able to live
peacefully amid his former subjects after he was “termed
out” ten years ago.
One night in 2002, while dancing with my Nigerian wife,
Chizo, to a hi-life
band in Ghana's capital, Accra, I found myself admiring
Mr. Rawlings up
close. He was dancing with his wife’s sister barely inches
from me. I wrote
an article at the time called “Dancing with Dictators” in
which I marveled
at the capacity of Ghanaians to permit their former
dictator-turned-elected-president to live peacefully among them.
So,
the answer to the question of whither Gbagbo post presidency is simple:
let
him choose the terms of his persistence.
The zany notion presented by the
Obama administration, expressed to The New
York Times by one anonymous
official, that “the longer the stalemate ensues,
and the more violence there
is, the more that window closes,” reflects an
ossified view of African
politics, a bygone understanding of the internal
dynamics within Ivory Coast
and West Africa.
The reality that Obama’s people refuse to face is that
two years into
office, their president has been unable to forge an effective
policy for US
engagement with Nigeria, the sub-regional economic powerhouse,
or Ivory
Coast, the most important Francophone country.
Only in
Liberia, where the US has a legacy of outsized influence, has Obama’s
presence been felt. Everywhere else in West Africa, even in docile Ghana,
the new president has left no mark, which is why, as I noted last month in
the Christian Science Monitor, his political fortunes appear to run counter
the fortunes of American relations with the sub-Saharan.
To be sure,
in the days and weeks ahead, the US will influence the events in
Ivory
Coast. But Obama’s amateur Africanists should not flatter themselves:
their
influence, at best, is limited.
Only by playing well with others – the
French, the United Nations, and the
sub-regional ECOWAS grouping dominated
by Nigeria – will the US have any
role in the outcome in Abidjan. For
Americans in power, the era of hubris
and over-reach – towards Africa and
the international community – has yet to
end.
We gathered under a gloomy sky for
our New Year’s Day Vigil, relieved that the weather was merely miserable rather
than freezing. Needless to say we soon had our tarpaulin up for protection
against the drizzle . . .
We were encouraged by the presence
of supporters all the way from
We were also encouraged by the
strong line taken by West African states against the Mugabe clone Gbagbo for
trying to steal the
Other
points
·
It was
good to start the new year with many Vigil regulars ready at
·
Vigil
stalwart Farai Marema – a musician who has performed with Thomas Mapfumo – has
arranged one of the Vigil songs as a ringtone. He sings it with Vigil
co-ordinator Dumi Tutani and is putting it online this week. More on this next
week.
·
Beverly
Mutandiro led the singing and prayers. Her message for the new year was verse 33
from chapter 16 of
·
As usual
we are giving a summary of the Vigil’s past year’s highlights. Below is the
first part drawn from Vigil diaries from January to June. The second half of
last year will be covered next week.
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
FOR THE RECORD: 38
signed the
register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of Human Rights in
Zimbabwe (ROHR) is
the Vigil’s partner organisation based in
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR Ashford
·
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 0send
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
·
Workshops aiming to engage African
men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins
Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator
As usual we are giving a summary of
the Vigil’s past year’s highlights. Here is the first part drawn from Vigil
diaries from January to June. The second half of last year will be covered next
week.
Saturday
9th January
·
Snow at
the Vigil. It’s our eighth winter protesting outside the Zimbabwe Embassy but
the first time it has snowed . . . To protect us from the elements we used two
tarpaulins – one to catch the snow and the other as a windbreak.
·
During
the week the Vigil sent the following letter to the International Development
Committee of the British Parliament, which is to review the British government’s
aid to
Saturday
16th January
Revival of Vigil petition
to the international football federation to move the soccer World Cup
from
Tuesday 26th January
Vigil representatives attended the Parliamentary Committee Hearing on
assistance to
Saturday
30th January
·
With the
failure of the SADC-mediated talks to resolve differences over the Global
Political Agreement, the Vigil launched a new petition calling for elections as
soon as possible. The petition reads: ‘Petition to President Zuma of South
Africa: After a year of the Zimbabwe interim government it is clear that it
is going nowhere so we call on President Zuma as mediator for the Southern
African Development Community to arrange free and fair elections as soon as
possible.’ We intend to submit the petition to the South African High Commission
during President Zuma’s state visit to
·
Saturday
6th February
·
This week
we sent Morgan Tsvangirai a petition we have been running for several months
urging the MDC to stop co-operating with Mugabe. The petition reads ‘Petition to the Zimbabwean Prime Minister,
Morgan Tsvangirai. We urge you to refuse to co-operate with President Mugabe
until he respects the rule of law and complies fully with the agreement under
which the Zimbabwean coalition government was formed in
February.’
·
Launch
of ZimVigil TV by Dr Tim Rusike of ZBN
News from footage he took at the Vigil.
Saturday
13th February
Our Iranian friends in
Mugabe
Birthday Protest – Saturday 20th February
Swigging
appropriately from a Methuselah of champagne, a swaggering (or was it swaying)
Robert Mugabe, accompanied by Amazing Grace, celebrated his 86th
birthday at the Zimbabwe Embassy. Mugabe (in the Vigil mask) visited the nearby South African High
Commission to pay his disrespects ahead of President Zuma’s visit to
Saturday
27th February
·
Vigil
letter sent to the South African High Commissioner in London requesting
permission to present our petition to President Zuma when he calls at the High
Commission during his State Visit
(3rd – 5th March). A copy of a Vigil letter to Zuma is
included. “The
·
ZimVigil
TV page goes live on Zimvigil. Dr Tim of ZBN News reports that his coverage of
last week’s Mugabe birthday demo had unprecedented response from all round the
world especially
Wednesday
3rd March
Vigil
regular Josephine Zhuga gave a passionate account of the life of women in
Thursday 4th March
·
Vigil
supporters attended a meeting at the Royal Commonwealth Society on ‘The Role
of the Media in Zimbabwe's Transition’ at which the BBC journalist Sue
Lloyd-Roberts spoke about her recent damning report ‘The polarised lives of
Zimbabwe’s rich and poor’.
·
The
Vigil’s Ephraim Tapa took part in a BBC Radio debate. He wiped the floor with
Blessing Miles-Tendi who had written a piece advocating the lifting of
sanctions.
South
Africa House Protest to greet President Zuma, Friday 5th March
Protest
outside South Africa House to greet President Zuma during his State Visit. Our
message: elections cannot come soon enough provided that the international community can ensure that they are
free and fair. Our petition outlining this was delivered to the High Comission.
Mugabe (in the Vigil’s mask) was present to greet his friend Zuma with the
following placards: ‘Thank you Zuma’, ‘Bring me my machine gun’ and ‘Have
another wife on me’. Zuma’s appeal for the lifting of targeted sanctions against
Mugabe and his gang went down like a lead balloon. It made him seem out of touch
with reality. Here’s what the Times said in a leading article ‘Jacob Zuma is
hard to take seriously, but his support of Robert Mugabe is a disgrace’. The real message to Zuma was in the
spontaneous booing from more than 100 Zimbabweans and the chant of ‘Shame on
you’ when he arrived. We were joined by some South Africans who shouted
something like ‘Ag Ag Zuma is Kak’, whatever that means.
Saturday
6th March
We
were told that we were joined by actor Jeremy Irons during the singing of Ishe
Komberera / Nkosi Sikeleli. Judge for yourself – picture 2128. Many famous
actors have dropped by in the past including Tim Robbins, Emma Thompson and
Simon Callow. We are grateful for their support.
Saturday
13th March
Launch of Vigil petition to the UN
Security Council calling on it to ensure that the elections are not stolen
again. The petition reads: ‘We call on
the Security Council to ensure that the next elections in
As we explained to President Zuma,
Vigil supporters believe that the situation in
1.
After a
year of the interim unitary government it is clear that it is making no
progress. If anything it is going
backwards. The Mugabe regime has shown that it is determined to cling to power
and that it will block real change, such as a free media and independent
judiciary, so new elections are the only way forward.
2.
The
situation will steadily deteriorate as long as Mugabe and his gang remain in
power. Finance Minister Tendai Biti has admitted his hoped-for foreign budgetary
aid and external investment will not be realised and, on top of that, the
national exchequer has seen zero benefit from the exploitation of the Chiadzwa
diamond fields.
3.
The Vigil
rejects the argument that lifting or suspending targeted sanctions will make the
Mugabe regime more conciliatory. On the contrary, we are convinced that
appeasing the regime will only encourage it in its intransigence. We believe
that the Mugabe gang fears that any change will lead to their prosecution for
human rights and other abuses and that it is up to
4.
In
particular, Vigil supporters reject the notion that sanctions should be lifted
because they are misrepresented by the Mugabe regime as sanctions against
Zimbabweans in general. We believe the proper answer to Mugabe’s propaganda is
to
Saturday
27th March
Milestone was the sale of the
1,000th of our hessian bags labelled ‘Working for a new
Saturday
3rd April
All the equipment from pupils at the
Sunday 4th
April
A special Prayer Vigil for
Independence
Day Protest – Saturday 17th April
The Vigil marked
Satuday
1st May 2010
The Vigil marked May Day by
supporting an appeal from Amnesty International for the Zimbabwean authorities
to stop intimidating and harassing human rights activists. People at the Vigil
carried placards reading: ‘May Day Appeal - End Human Rights Abuses in
Monday 3rd May
Many Vigil supporters attended the
London Citizens and Citizens UK pre-election assembly with David Cameron, Nick
Clegg and Gordon Brown at the Methodist Central Hall,
The Vigil received an email from
James Chidakwa about a commemoration for his friend and fellow activist Tonderai
Ndira who was brutally murdered two years ago. Reports say that
he had been shot in the heart, with multiple stab wounds, his eyes gouged, his
tongue cut out, and his neck, skull, jaw and knuckles broken.
Tuesday 11th
May
Vigil
supporters attended a memorial for Tonderai Ndira. They reported that it was a
warm-hearted occasion as they remembered the horrors meted out to Tonderai two
years ago. Money was raised to support Tonderai’s family.
Friday
21st May
Vigil dancers performed at City and
Saturday
29th May
The Vigil sends letter to Foreign
Secretary William Hague calling on the new British government to support our
demand for early elections in
Saturday
12th June
·
Mugabe
(in our mask) popped up at the Vigil to demand that the next World Cup should be
held in
·
Two
prominent human rights activists from
·
During
the week a number of Vigil supporters attended a House of Lords debate on
·
Vigil
supporters attended two events to launch
‘
Media Release from the
Hague: New government to continue policy on
Reply to Vigil letter from new British Foreign Secretary, William
Hague. He made it clear there will no change of policy on
Saturday
26th June
Church
service in support of Zimbabwean victims of torture with the Vigil providing the
choir and drummers. Speakers at the service included the Rev Useni Sibanda
(National Director of Zimbabwe Christian Alliance) who joined a procession to
the Vigil where he paid tribute to the Vigil for carrying on the struggle for so
long.
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The
Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri,
Political Analyst, London 02/01/11
This year’s political events could
herald the beginning of the end of Robert
Mugabe’s controversial grip on
power. Some commentators believe this to be
Zimbabwe’s make or break time on
the political front. That is precisely the
case especially as we have learnt
that South African President Jacob Zuma is
drafting a roadmap to Zimbabwe’s
elections due this year.
The document which every concerned Zimbabwean
would like to lay their hands
on will be presented at an extraordinary
meeting of the SADC Organ on
Politics, Defence and Security in the next few
weeks. The reason for the
excitement is not what we already know, namely the
SADC or Mauritius
Principles and Guidelines governing democratic elections
but what diplomats
say is or will be contained in the roadmap - mechanisms
for the transfer of
power.
Before we get too excited, a word of
caution is that ‘the devil is in the
details’. We have seen the true meaning
of that saying since the signing of
the so-called Global Political Agreement
(GPA) in 2008. After the signing,
there were allegations, counter
allegations as well as denials about the
‘doctoring’ of the GPA and how some
paragraphs went missing from the final
document signed on the 15th of
September 2008. It is useful to reflect on
the experience of the GPA in
order to put into perspective some of the
coalition government’s problems
and chart the way forward. ‘Forewarned is
forearmed’ so goes the
saying.
Responding to the allegations in an interview with Violet Gonda
of SW Radio
Africa in November 2008, Welshman Ncube Secretary General of the
faction led
by Arthur Mutambara said:
“The allegations can only be
the product of people who are extremely
malicious, who have no journalistic
ethics who run with a stupid false story
without even the decency of talking
to the people who are accused of the
fraudulent alteration of a document. As
far as I know I did not take part
nor participate in any alteration of any
agreement at all. The fact of the
matter is that yes there are alterations
in the document which was signed by
the principals on the 15th. Those
alterations are three – I will come to
that in a moment.”
(There were
three documents. There appeared to be no problem with the first
two
documents which formed the agenda of the negotiators and the agreement
signed on the 11th September, respectively) my own emphasis.
“So the
first two documents are correct “, Ncube said.
“The third document which
was signed at the formal ceremony on the 15th of
September has three
alterations or three omissions – if I may call them
that. As far as we know
we have raised this with Zanu-pf and (Patrick)
Chinamasa whose Ministry of
Justice was responsible for producing the final
document which was to be
signed by the principals. Minister Chinamasa has
freely admitted that he
made one of those alterations because – he
explains – he was advised by his
principal (Robert Mugabe) that the three
principals – Morgan Tsvangirai,
Arthur Mutambara and Robert Mugabe had
agreed to alter the document to that
effect. And as far as we know that is
not correct. We have checked with our
principal (Mutambara) who denies that
he ever agreed to change the document
to that effect”, he said.
“And that particular change is a change in the
original that we negotiated
and agreed. It was to provide that the five
existing Senate seats shall go
to Zanu-pf. There shall be created an
additional six Senate seats – four of
which will go to Morgan Tsvangirai’s
MDC and two of which will go to Arthur
Mutambara’s MDC. It is that clause
which Chinamasa altered to read that the
existing five will go to Zanu-pf
and nthere shall be an additional nine -
three to be shared equally among
the three parties.
“That was never part of the agreement. It is an
invention of Patrick
Chinamasa and he admits that he is the one who put it
there. The South
Africans were not involved. We were not involved. I was not
involved So it
is absolutely malicious for someone to suggest that some of
us were involved
when in fact the person who altered the document freely
admits that he
altered it and explains why he altered it, in that respect…”,
Ncube said.
According to Violet Gonda the second alteration is a
paragraph that is
completely missing in the final document. The missing
paragraph says anyone
appointed to the position of Deputy Prime Minister and
Vice President would
automatically be a Member of Parliament. If that person
is already an MP
his/her party will appoint a non-constituency MP. Ncube
said this clause is
missing and said Chinamasa claims it was “deleted by
accident.” (Welshman
Ncube denies doctoring power sharing document,
SWRadioAfrica, 03/11/08).
The third alteration comes in the form of
another missing paragraph in the
final agreement that said the Prime
Minister and his Deputy Prime Ministers
and the President and his Vice
Presidents shall sit to make appointments of
senior government employees
like Ambassadors and Permanent Secretaries.
Patrick Chinamasa allegedly
claimed the paragraph was accidentally deleted.
Now my
comments:
If the allegations about the doctoring of the GPA had not been
made, the
public would have remained in the dark about some of the problems
which are
threatening Zimbabwe’s coalition government. The information
provided by
Ncube was very useful in the sense that we can now understand
what Zanu-pf
is up to. In view of these disclosures, we can understand why
Morgan
Tsvangirai called Mugabe a crook, and why Morgan Tsvangirai was
disappointed with Mugabe’s unilateral appointment of governors, ambassadors
and so on. We can also understand why Mugabe allegedly ordered the deletion
of the two paragraphs in the final document well before the government was
formed. Hopefully, MDC will be more vigilant next time. Given the bad faith
shown by Mugabe and Zanu-pf and the ongoing persecution of Tsvangirai, the
MDC should stick to the coalition government and attend cabinet meetings but
ignore Mugabe’s Monday morning teas. We learn from chess about the tactic of
‘keeping our friends close and some of our enemies closer’. It may be what
Mugabe is doing to Tsvangirai but it can work the other way round
too.
Another observation worth making is whether Jacob Zuma will also
submit to
SADC the much awaited secret report on Zimbabwe’s election 2002
and the Army
Generals Report on Zimbabwe’s Election 2008 for consideration
by the Troika,
now that two court orders have cleared the way for the
release of the 2002
report to Mail and Guardian. This is because SADC has
said an independent
investigation is needed to verify reports of violence
and intimidation
before a general election can be held in Zimbabwe (Tichaona
Sibanda,
SWRadioAfrica, 23/11/10).
Before I close, I would like to
apologise to my readers for omitting the
word ‘not’ in my previous opinion
paper: ‘2010 - The year when Zanu pf
failed to bury the bad news’ published
on
https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/jan1_2011.html;
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/opinion/6995.html
and
http://www.zimbabwemetro.com/opinion/2010-the-year-zanu-pf-failed-to-bury-the-bad-news/
Part
of the second paragraph on Land Reform should read:
“However, it does not
make sense that Zimbabwe is relying on food handouts
while experienced
Zimbabwean commercial farmers are being denied access to
land resettlement
because they are not black like me. It is scandalous, in
the wake of
revelations that Mugabe’s elite controls an estimated 5 million
hectares of
Zimbabwean land, much of it unutilised.”
Our next instalment will be on
the shortcomings of the Kariba Draft which is
being promoted by Zanu-pf for
adoption as the country’s constitution.
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri,
Political Analyst, London
zimanalysis2009@gmail.com.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 11:08
BY
CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
A Cabinet minister distributed some “holy water”
from a renowned African
prophet at the party’s women council meeting
recently as jostling for
positions reach feverish levels ahead of the MDC-T
party’s congress
scheduled for May.
Authoritative party insiders
said the “holy water”, which some suspicious
members of women’s assembly
national executive committee refused to take,
was to be used as “luck charm”
to enable whoever used it win a post at the
party’s congress slated for May
8 and 9 this year.
The women’s assembly was meeting to consider
amendments to their
constitution.
Sources said Home Affairs
co-minister of Theresa Makone, who is facing a
revolt from party’s women
structures, had previously travelled to Nigeria
where she got the water from
TB Joshua (pictured) of The Synagogue, Church
of All Nations to enhance her
chances retaining her hotly contested post at
the
congress.
“Makone came with bottles of water which she said were for
healing,” said a
source who attended the meeting.
“Some of us
refused to take the water because we did not believe in that. I
believe in
working with the people from the grassroots and that way you get
people’s
approval.”
Makone yesterday confirmed giving out the holy water to
some members of the
party’s women assembly. The minister said she had
visited TB Joshua to renew
her faith.
“Yes, I went Lagos to see
TB Joshua and I brought with me some holy water
for healing for myself and
my family,” said Makone. “I gave it to other
members because from the
airport I went straight to the meeting and when
they realised that I was
from Nigeria some asked me to share with them the
water.”
She
however denied that the water was meant to ward off challenge from
political
foe, Lucia Matibenga who is likely to challenge her for the post
of
chairlady of party’s women’s assembly.
Makone said all the
influential leaders who have visited the popular prophet
are also given such
water for healing or prosperity depending on what one
asks for. She urged
African leaders in influential positions to seek
guidance from the
Lagos-based prophet to ensure peace and stability on the
continent.
Reports say MDC president Tsvangirai last year visited
TB Joshua to enhance
his chances of beating President Robert Mugabe, who has
been ruling the
country for the past three decades, in the next
elections.
Sources in the party said the battle for positions in the
women’s assembly
has reached epic proportions. There were fears that it
would surpass the
Makone versus Matibenga fight of 2007 which virtually
split the labour-based
party into two factions.
The sources said
Makone and Matibenga were likely to face each other again
this year for the
same post.
In 2007, Makone and Matibenga’s supporters clashed at
Harvest House, the
party’s headquarters in an intra-party weekend violence
which also targeted
journalists.
Then, Elias Mudzuri, the party’s
organising secretary claimed "hired"
elements were behind violence which
targeted supporters of Matibenga, the
former head of the party's women's
wing ousted in favour of Makone, a
Tsvangirai ally.
Other women
said to be interested in chairing the women’s assembly include
MPs Evelyn
Masaiti and Tabitha Khumalo.
Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs,
Gender and Community Development Jessie
Majome said she was not interested
in any position.
Sources said Matibenga initially wanted to challenge
national chairman
Lovemore Moyo but there were some talks and she agreed to
revert back to old
position in which she strongly feels was unfairly
removed.
The battle for posts is not confined to the women’s assembly
only. Party
sources said there is friction in the party as members position
themselves
for posts ahead of the May congress.
“The kitchen
cabinet has virtually camped at Strathaven,” said one source.
“In most of
the cases they arrive there early morning and leave late in the
evening
trying to seek favours from the president because most of them know
that
they cannot survive an election,” said the source.
Tsvangirai lives
in Harare’s Strathaven suburb.
They said MDC organising secretary,
Elias Mudzuri was likely to face stiff
competition from his deputy Morgan
Komichi or Glen View MP-cum music
composer Paul Madzore.
Among
other members who are likely to lose their post are MDC youth
chairperson
Thamsanqa Mahlangu and Women’s assembly organising secretary
Lynette
Karenyi, who is also MP for Chimanimani West.
The sources said posts
that are safe are that of Tsvangirai, his deputy
Thokozani Khupe, national
chairman Moyo, secretary-general Tendai Biti and
deputy secretary general
Tapiwa Mashakada.
MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said the congress
roadmap was yet to be
availed to the party structures. He said the congress
was never meant to
throw anyone out of the party.
“The
nominations have not been done yet,” said Chamisa. “The early part of
2011
is going to be part of our consolidation, togetherness and oneness as
we
build a strong and great MDC that will continue to maintain its position
as
a party of excellence. We are the winning team.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 11:16
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
A new round of controversy is looming over national hero’s
status following
the declaration of Nevison Nyashanu as a hero.
The
declaration of heroes has been a serious bone of contention over the
past 12
months with the MDC saying it will not attend heroes’ burials as
they were
Zanu PF events.
President Robert Mugabe (pictured) worsened matters
when he declared that
the Heroes Acre was for Zanu PF people who fought the
liberation war.
Matters got to a head when the Zanu PF declined to declare
MDC-M vice
president, Gibson Sibanda a hero, despite calls from Mugabe’s
coalition
partners that the former trade union leader be conferred with the
status.
Later in the year, Welshman Mabhena a former Zapu stalwart
was declared a
national hero and was to be buried at the Heroes’ Acre, but
his family would
have none of it.
Nyashanu’s conferment will
certainly spark calls for the overhaul of the
declaration of hero’s status,
with Zanu PF’s coalition partners in the
inclusive government also demanding
a say on who is interred at the national
shrine.
MDC-T spokesman,
Nelson Chamisa, said while they shared grief with the
Nyashanu family, they
would not attend the burial ceremony as Zanu PF had
made it clear that the
Heroes’ Acre was theirs exclusively.
“Zanu PF has declared that this
is their exclusive partisan shrine and we
have no reason to bulldoze in a
party event,” he said.
Chamisa said there was need for all parties to
come together in deciding who
would be buried at the Heroes’ Acre, so it
could have meaning to all
Zimbabweans across the political
spectrum.
“We need a collective national psyche and a national
imperative so we can
form the basis of who is defined as a national hero,”
he said.
Chamisa said the system of declaring one a national hero on
the basis that
they were involved in the armed struggle was archaic and
ought to be
broadened to other spheres like economics, sport and journalism
among
others.
The MDC-T spokesperson said the declaration of
hero's status should be a
unifying factor rather than a divisive
element.
"We are awaiting for that day when Zimbabweans will come
together and
celebrate national events, rather than on partisan lines," he
said.
Zapu spokesman Methuseli Moyo said while Nyashanu had belonged
to the old
Zapu, the party had not made any arrangements and not been
informed on the
logistics.
“We are not stopping anyone from
attending the burial, but as you know Zanu
PF is in charge of logistics and
they might bar people who are not from
their party,” he
said.
While Nyashanu has been declared a national hero, details of
how he was
incarcerated in the years after independence are beginning to
emerge.
Observers noted that Zanu PF was shedding crocodile tears as Nyashanu
was
arrested several times under the government’s orders.
Nyashanu
was first detained at Chakari Police Stations following the 1985
elections
where he had unsuccessfully contested against Benard Chidzero in
the Harare
Central constituency.
At the time, he was charged with treason and he
was severely assaulted by
state security operatives. He had been informed
that his life would be
harder after he contested in those
elections.
Following one of his prison stints Nyashanu, along with
the masticated Zapu,
forged for the signing of the Unity Accord.
Nyashanu
will be buried tomorrow at the Heroes Acre.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:30
BY
SIMBARASHE MANHANGO
MORALE reached rock bottom at the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC)
this week as the financially struggling
national broadcaster had, by
yesterday, not paid most of its workers their
December salaries and November
bonuses.
Authoritative sources yesterday
said the workers were supposed to get their
salaries and bonuses before the
Christmas holiday.
They said what irked most workers was that they
only found out that they had
not been paid when they visited their
respective banks.
The national broadcaster only paid a handful of
workers.
“Some workers were paid and that is true but I can confirm
that personally I
did not receive both my salary and bonus”, said one
worker.
“The top officials did not even make an effort to communicate
the reason why
they failed to pay our salaries. All they did was to wish us
a merry
Christmas”.
ZBC public relationsmanager Sivhukile Simango
refused to comment.
“The issue of salaries at (ZBC) is an in-house
affair to the workers and the
employer and The Standard should take note
that we will never discuss the
issue of our workers salaries with
you”.
According to one worker, only drivers and general workers
received their
salaries. Most of worker had a bleak Christmas and are likely
to face a more
unpleasant New Year.
“It is demoralising to note
that up until now we are not paid and the top
management decided to pay the
lowly ranked workers, which means they
prioritise them and are taking us
for granted,” said one middle management
worker.
The worker said
management was not only failing to pay workers in time but
always
threatening them with dismissal whenever they raised issues regarding
salaries and welfare.
Most ZBC workers last year got their
October salaries two weeks late in
November after they threatened to go on
industrial action.
Sources at the national broadcaster said ZBC was
facing financial glitches
because of misplaced priorities.
They
said instead of paying workers good salaries on time, management was
awarding themselves huge loans for houses and stands at the expense of other
priorities.
Senior managers are also earning obscene salaries and
allowances although
the company has antiquated broadcasting equipment.
Technicians have
perfected the art of “cannibalism” to make things happen at
the sole
national broadcaster.
ZBC chief executive officers
threatened to sue The Standard in November when
the newspaper first exposed
the rot at the institution.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:29
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
ZANU PF has claimed victory in the constitution making process
with the
party’s central committee telling its recent congress that the
majority of
views from citizens countrywide were aligned to it.
In its
report, the committee declared that the Constitution Parliamentary
Committee
(Copac) outreach programmes confirmed its positions.
“The conclusion
of the Copac outreach programmes has sent a loud and clear
message to the
MDC and its merchants of confusion among our detractors who
all along were
doubtful of our party’s capacity to speak with and for the
people of this
country,” part of the report reads.
“Now, there is nobody who does
not know that more than 80 percent of the
views expressed and gathered
during the Copac outreach programme echoed and
affirmed our Zanu PF’s views
and positions on the content of the proposed
new Constitution for our
country.
The report adds, “What that has demonstrated is that, as the
centre of
governance, our party has formidable intellectual capacity, for
governing
and running the country.”
But Copac co-chairperson
Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) rubbished the claims,
saying political parties
should be wary of influencing the outcome of the
referendum in which the
public will have a choice to accept or reject the
proposed new
constitution.
“To say that 80 percent of the views are any party’s
views is a lie,”
Mwonzora said. “What we can confirm as Copac is that there
was consensus in
about 80 percent of the issues in the sense that there was
no dispute.
“Claiming that this 80 percent reflects a certain party’s
views is
soliciting for a “No” vote in the referendum.”
Mwonzora
said there were striking similarities in position papers circulated
by
various political parties for purposes of the outreach exercise although
these differed in how they were expressed.
He added that during
meetings, party supporters could easily be
distinguished when it came to
controversial issues like title deeds to land,
dual citizenship, executive
authority and transition.
“There was however consensus on issues
about women and some aspects of
land,” Mwonzora said. “A lot of these views
were expressed in as much force
in areas regarded as MDC
strongholds.
“There was consensus on the need for a limited
Presidential term limit and
this is not a traditional Zanu PF
view.”
The Zanu PF central committee said what is salutary for its
party is that
the next election, whenever it is held, will take place in the
context of
the ongoing constitution-making process, and that such process
would have to
be accelerated and not inhibited as appears the
case.
Mwonzora said starting from 10 January, Copac will upload the
data collected
in outreach meetings on a special server before it is
summarised according
to thematic areas.
This process will take about
two weeks before thematic committees’ next
meeting where areas of
differences arising from the data will be discussed
and a way forward
regarding them determined.
Mwonzora said they have enough funds for
the uploading of data and were are
counting on government and donors to
provide more money so that a draft
constitution could be ready in two and a
half months.
The draft constitution will then be put before a
referendum where the public
will either accept or reject it.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:27
BY OUR
STAFF
WITH MDC-M nominations for national executive council members
in full swing,
questions have been raised on the seemingly conspicuous
absence of David
Coltart’s name.
Coltart is regarded as one of the
driving forces within the party and his
absence on the nomination list got
tongues wagging, with some speculating
that he could be on his way
out.
So far, the Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister has only
been
nominated by Matabeleland South province as treasurer general, while
Bulawayo nominated him as an NEC member.
Party secretary general,
Welshman Ncube cleared the air this week saying
Coltart was likely to be
retained as secretary for legal affairs.
“The position of secretary
for legal affairs is not up for nomination, but
rather that person is
elected by the NEC,” he said.
Ncube said probably the provinces were
happy with Coltart’s job as legal
affairs secretary and wanted to retain him
in that portfolio.
Meanwhile, an intriguing battle is looming for the
party’s vice presidency,
with Frank Chamunorwa and party spokesman, Edwin
Mushoriwa literally neck
and neck in the battle to assume the top
post.
Mushoriwa seemed the likely candidate to take up that position,
but
Chamunorwa has had a late rally to keep in touch with the party’s
spokesman.
It was revealed that from the six provinces that had held
their congresses
the two had garnered and equal number of
nominations.
Sources within the party said if there was nothing to
separate the
candidates the issue would be taken to a vote by delegates at
the party’s
congress.
Party leader Arthur Mutambara recently
announced that he would not be
standing for the party presidency or any
other post at the party’s congress
this month.
He said he would
remain an ordinary member of the party.
The announcement came a few
hours after the MDC-M Harare province had
announced that it was backing
Professor Ncube to take over the presidency at
the party’s congress to be
held in Harare this month.
Mutambara’s withdrawal from the race
clears the way for Ncube, who has not
hidden his leadership ambitions.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:26
BY KUDZAI
CHIMHANGWA
THE Harare City Council has expressed commitment towards
alleviating the
plight of street children and assisting local organisations
in empowering
the children with life skills.
Speaking at the Mayors Cheer
Fund party held for socially disadvantaged
street children and young adults,
Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda said the
city council recognised street
children as an integral part of Harare's
society.
"Our children
are very important as they are an integral part of our city.
Harare is an
inclusive city which caters for all interest groups," said
Masunda.
"The Harare City Council will continue to assist Streets
Ahead through the
Mayor's Cheer Fund," he said.
Streets Ahead is
a registered charity which provides psycho-social support
to street children
and empowers them with life skills which they will use
later in
life.
The mayor also urged Streets Ahead to maintain a register of
street children
so that all efforts aimed at assisting them will be
meaningfully directed.
Harare has over the years witnessed an
increase in the number of street
children and young adults living in the
streets owing to the economic
hardships that have hit hard on vulnerable
groups and households.
Government has in the past taken a tough
stance to the social problem but
has now adopted a partnership approach with
street child-oriented
organisations to help the children to reintegrate into
society.
Streets Ahead provides a youth-centered empowerment method
called
participatory socialisation which is aimed at equipping youths with
skills
for survival and enabling them to become socially
responsible.
Musician Mike Madamombe, also known as Mic Inity, made a
special appeal to
various sectors of society to help remove children from
the streets before
dishing out a thrilling performance for the
gathering.
"It is everyone's responsibility to take care of these
children. We intend
to help the children for a good cause," he
said.
"Although funds are opportunity we would want to do more," said
Madamombe.
Two children were called upon giving the vote of thanks,
one of whom spoke
concisely much to the awe of amazed guests.
"It
was a hard time for us this year because the police were arresting us
for no
reason. We know that God-driven hearts are here to accomplish
something,"
said a young man who received applause from the audience.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January
2011 12:21
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
AFTER a promising year following the
formation of the inclusive government,
the usual squabbling and uncertainty
returned to haunt Zimbabwe’s political
landscape in 2010.
Cracks in the
wobbly inclusive government continued to widen last year to a
point that
Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai started calling for fresh elections.
The two parties that
agreed to form the three-party coalition government in
February 2009,
disagreed on almost everything forcing South African
President Jacob Zuma to
send his team of facilitators to Harare on several
trips that yielded almost
nothing.
Zanu PF retreated into its shell refusing to honour its part
of the bargain.
The party insisted that the MDC-T must first actively call
for the lifting
of sanctions imposed on some state-owned companies and
President Robert
Mugabe’s cronies.
The so-called outstanding
issues of the Global Political Agreement (GPA)
widen from three to about 27
as new areas of disagreement emerged.
In April the differences
between the two parties became more apparent when
Tsvangirai and his
ministers boycotted the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair
because Mugabe had
invited Iranian President Mohammed Ahmadinejad to
officially open the annual
showcase.
Tsvangirai denounced the visit as bad for Zimbabwe’s image
because of
Ahmadinejad’s human rights record and his status as an
international outlaw.
MDC-T issued a very rabid statement calling the Iranian
leader a “warmonger,
a trampler of human rights and
executioner.”
Another controversial figure, Julius Malema of South
Africa’s African
National Congress (ANC), also jetted into the country in a
visit that caused
further disharmony in political circles after his attacks
on MDC-T and his
open support for Mugabe.
ANC had to call Malema
to order after his antics.
The following month Mugabe’s commitment to
the inclusive government was once
again tested when the High Court acquitted
MDC-T treasurer-general Roy
Bennett of treason charges.
Mugabe
had been using the treason charges as an excuse not to swear in
Bennett as
deputy Agriculture minister.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu ruled that the
State had failed to prove there was
reasonable grounds to put Bennett to his
defence on the terrorism charges.
Bennett is yet to be sworn in and
Mugabe has made it clear that his race is
an issue.
There was a
glimmer of hope in May when the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC)
licenced
five new newspapers included NewsDay owned by Alpha Media
Holdings.
NewsDay hit the streets a few weeks later becoming the
first privately owned
daily since the popular Daily News was forced to shut
in 2001 by the
government.
ZMC was one the three commissions that
were formally appointed in March as
part of the agreement that underpins the
unity government. Others are the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
In June Tsvangirai took the nation by
surprise when he fired influential
ministers from his party that included
Elias Mudzuri (Energy and Power
Development) and Fidelis Mhashu (National
Housing) after a “performance
appraisal”.
Others were redeployed
and new appointments were made in a move that was
seen as an attempt to deal
with factionalism and a threat to Tsvangirai’s
leadership.
The
month also saw the dramatic arrest of controversial Zanu PF businessman
Temba Mliswa after he launched a blistering attack on police commissioner
general Augustine Chihuri whom he accused of corruption.
Mliswa
endured several weeks in notorious police cells around Harare and at
one
time faced more than 72 charges, which were related to property seized
from
former white farmers and a company he tried to grab from a British
national.
As the charges continue to fall by the way side in the
courts many now
believe that the cases were politically
motivated.
Others saw it as a test to the chaotic land reform
programme and predicted
that the case would not go anywhere as its success
would have serious
implications on Zanu PF “chefs” who looted equipment from
the fleeing
commercial farmers.
The long-awaited outreach
programme to solicit for people’s views on the new
constitution was also off
to a chaotic start in June as some meetings
especially in Harare were
cancelled because of violence blamed on Zanu PF
supporters.
The
poorly-funded programme is way behind schedule and a referendum is now
expected sometime in September. The new charter must be in place before
fresh elections are held.
August was an eventful month for
Zimbabwean politics.
The country started selling diamonds from
Marange after it was given the
green light by the Kimberly Process to carry
three supervised auctions.
But the dirty politics surrounding the rich
diamond fields became more
intriguing as the year drew to a close with the
KP refusing to sanction more
sales.
Corruption also muddied the
industry with government withdrawing the license
of one of the three
companies that formed a joint venture with the Zimbabwe
Mining Development
Corporation (ZMDC), Mbada.
The company’s directors were arrested in
connection with the alleged fraud.
ZMDC executives were also picked up by
the police and their cases are now
before the courts.
African
Consolidated Resources (ACR), which claims ownership of the Marange
diamonds
also continued to fight in the courts to get its claims back.
The
death of Mugabe’s sister, Sabina and MDC founder Gibson Sibanda also
went a
long way in showing that Zimbabwe still remains a divided nation.
The
deaths re-ignited debate on the conferment of hero status after Zanu PF
elected to deny Sibanda the status only to award it to Mugabe’s
sister.
The debate gained momentum in October when Zanu PF granted
hero status to
former Matabeleland North governor Welshman Mabhena only for
his family to
refuse to hand over his body for burial at the Heroes
Acre.
The Mabhenas said the late outspoken politician who was
ostracised by Mugabe
for speaking against the underdevelopment of
Matabeleland had made it clear
that he did not want to be buried alongside
“thieves” at the national
shrine.
In September government erected
a controversial statue of the late Vice
President Joshua Nkomo in Bulawayo
only to pull it down a month later after
the family rejected
it.
The family said the North Korean made statue was not a true
reflection of
the larger-than-life politician.
Efforts to erect
another statue in Harare created more controversy after a
company went to
the High Court claiming ownership of the piece of land near
Karigamombe
centre which had been set aside for the project.
Matabeleland-based
politicians also argued that erecting the statue near
Karigamombe would be
an insult to Nkomo because the name was associated with
the “swallowing” of
PF Zapu by Zanu PF.
The relationship between Mugabe and Tsvangirai
continued to deteriorate to a
point that the two leaders stopped having
their traditional meetings to
review the implementation of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA).
Zuma was forced to visit the country in
November to talk to the two leaders
and impressed upon them the need to work
on a roadmap for fresh elections
which must be held this year.
A
meeting of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to deal with
the Zimbabwe crisis that had been set for Botswana was
cancelled.
Sadc is the mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis and another
meeting of its organ
on politics and security is now set for Zambia in the
New Year to deal with
the region’s hotspots.
Zimbabwe’s politics
was shaken once again when the whistleblower website
WikiLeaks started
releasing secret United States documents that gave a
glimpse of what
American diplomats think of our politicians.
Zanu PF used the
dispatches to call for Tsvangirai’s arrest on treason
charges for allegedly
calling for sanctions against Zimbabwe in private
discussions.
The leaks also gave Zanu PF cannon fodder for what
would have passed as
another talk show at its national conference last
month.
The party passed a resolutions calling for a law to punish
Zimbabweans
campaigning for sanctions against the country.
Mugabe
also used the conference to step up his rhetoric against the West as
he
threatened to grab American and British companies in retaliation against
the
sanctions.
The conference also saw the bouncing back of a politician
most Zimbabweans
especially journalists would love to
hate.
Jonathan Moyo was recalled into the Zanu PF politburo and there
is already
speculation that he would be made Media, Information and
Publicity
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:13
By Walter
Marwizi
With the principals to the inclusive government on a
well-deserved New Year
holiday after sparring for the greater part of last
the year, Walter
Marwizi, the Deputy Editor of The Standard makes an
imaginary reshuffle,
retiring deadwood and selecting achievers from various
spheres of life to
serve in the dream cabinet.
Below is how he reshapes
the cabinet which has failed to deliver on its own
action plans.
Prof
Arthur Mutambara
Minister of Science and Techonology
Because he is no
longer deputy Prime Minister after being recalled by the
smaller faction of
the MDC-N, Mutambara is the new Minister of Science and
Technology. Only a
few can question the robotics professor’s skills in this
field and his
visionary leadership and unparalleled scientific knowledge
should propel
Zimbabwe to be one of Africa’s most scientifically advanced
countries.
Muchadeyi Masunda
Minister of Local Government,
Urban and Rural Development
It may come as a surprise to many but Harare
Mayor Masunda is taking over
from Ignatius Chombo at the ministry. Masunda’s
credentials as a lawyer,
arbitrator are well known and we hope the
experience he gained as mayor
during the past two years gave him an
invaluable insight into inner workings
of urban councils. As someone who
experienced firsthand the frustrations of
working with an overbearing
minister, Masunda should be able to devise a
better working relationship
with rural and urban councils.
Priscilla
Misiharabwi-Mushonga
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community
Development:
Priscilla Misiharabwi-Mushonga takes over from Olivia Muchena
who has not
been outstanding in this role. Misihairabwi-Mushonga is a well
known
activist who could push the agenda of women to another level. She is
also
outspoken, a character trait that is admired by many women suffering in
silence.
Tendai Biti
Ministry of Finance
Biti’s wise
stewardship of the economy has earned him another term of
office. He has a
lot on his plate and it would be foolhardy to remove him.
He should however
strive to be less confrontational as Minister of Finance.
David
Coltart
Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture
Despite a brush
with war veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba, Coltart’s gets
another term of
office. Coltart still needs more time at the ministry which
is in the
process of distribution millions of textbooks to schools. Zimsec
remains in
disarray and Coltart’s skills are needed if the mess at the exams
body is to
be sorted.
Mandivamba Rukuni
Minister of Lands and Rural
Resettlement
Herbert Murerwa is being replaced by Rukuni at the ministry
which has been
expanded to take over the roles of the Ministry of
Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. Minister Joseph Made
who was in
charge of the ministry has left so he can effectively manage
President
Robert Mugabe’s Gushungo diary estates. Rukuni, a world-renowned
agricultural economist, has the right skills needed to resuscitate the
ministry.
Henry Madzorera
Minister of Health and Child
Welfare
Madzorera retains his portfolio but will need to raise his profile to
match
that of his predecessor. He inherited the position from David
Parirenyatwa
who left a mark in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other
diseases. Madzorera
should strive to do better.
Welshman
Ncube
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Forget about former US Ambassador Dell’s
comments about Ncube being a
divisive character. Ncube is a genius when it
comes to engaging diplomats.
At the height of the divisions rocking the MDC
over participation in the
senate, Ncube exhibited his skill while arguing
his case for a split with
Morgan Tsvangirai. Ncube is unlike former Foreign
Affairs Minister Stan
Mudenge who spoke to diplomats like he was speaking to
his children. Ncube’s
eloquence and grasp of the laws of the country makes
him a good Ambassador
for us all. As for our relations with SA, these may
assume a deeper and
personal meaning, what with Ncube conversing with his
in-law President Jacob
Zuma.
Lovemore Madhuku
Minister of
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Madhuku replaces Eric Matinenga who
has been almost invisible at the
ministry. Madhuku’s fight for a new
democratic constitution needs no
explanation and his presence at the
ministry could boost all those wanting a
new supreme law of the land.
Madhuku’s wise counsel on constitutional
matters could also greatly benefit
the cabinet.
Nelson Chamisa
Minister of Media, Information and
Publicity
Former DJ, Webster Shamu, who has been silent when journalists were
harassed
during the past year, has been replaced by Chamisa. Chamisa’s star
appears
to be on the rise and is one of the two MDC-T politicians identified
by
former US Ambassador as brilliant leaders. Over the years as the MDC-T
information point man, Chamisa has gained deep understanding of the problems
the industry faces and is better placed to push for the freedom of the
press.
Simba Makoni
Minister of Regional Integration and
International Cooperation:
The leader of Mavambo/Kusile/Makoni may have been
a big disappointment
politically but is best suited to this position.
Makoni, a former Finance
minister knows the region well after serving as
executive secretary for Sadc
and should excel in this
role.
Pathisa Nyathi
Minister of Higher and Tertiary
Education:
It’s time to retire Isaac Stanley Gorerazvo Mudenge, whose
penchant for
verbosity is legendary.
Nyathi is expected to bring sanity
to schools and institutions of higher
learning. The historian and cultural
activist will use his experience in
shaping curricula in schools that is
devoid of partisan politics.
Dumiso Dabengwa
Minister of Home
Affairs:
Dumiso Dabengwa is the man to take over home Affairs. It
will be a second
bite at the cherry for the veteran politician who has
friends in all the
political parties: Zanu PF, the MDCs, Mavambo and in
Zapu. Dabengwa is
expected to bring sanity to a ministry that has had to
content with two
ministers of diverse political views. One of the ministers
Theresa Makone
raised eyebrows when she stood for the rights of Didymus
Mutasa’s son held
at Matapi. She however turned a blind eye when Standard
journalist Nqobani
Ndlovu spent nine days in custody for practicising his
profession.
Obert Gutu
Minister of Justice and Legal
Affairs
The way Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa has handled the Mutumwa
Mawere
saga leaves a lot to be desired. Besides that case, Chinamasa has
discredited himself by championing laws, too many to be mentioned, that have
nothing to do with bringing justice to the Zimbabwean masses. Senator Gutu,
his deputy is the sober person at the ministry and is therefore promoted. We
hope Gutu’s years of experience as a lawyer will guide him in the very
important task of ensuring that Zimbabwe is a country that follows its laws
to the letter. He will also be tasked with ensuring that Zimbabwe works
towards achieving transitional justice for victims of political
violence.
Walter Mzembi
Minister of Youth, Small-to-Medium
Enterprises and Co-operative Development
The new ministry is an amalgamation
of the old Youth, Indigenisation and
Empowerment ministry headed by Savious
Kasukuwere and the one headed by
Sithembiso Nyoni.
Important to note is
the new ministry no longer carries the Indigenisation
and Empowerment
mandate. Indigenisation and empowerment are toxious subjects
that not only
alarm investors but breed lawlessness at a time when Zimbabwe
desperately
needs to revive the economy.
Mzembi should find it easy to connect with the
youths.
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Minister of Defence
Mnangagwa, a
veteran of the liberation struggle, retains his post for now,
mainly because
it would be unwise to unsettle our unrepentant service chiefs
who think in
terms of “straight jackets”. He however escapes with a strong
last warning
to keep his mouth shut. Everybody knows Mnangagwa’s political
affiliation
but making alarming statements about elections is not part of
his
job.
Wellington Chibebe
Minister of Labour and Social
Services
Chibebe replaces Paurina Mpariwa who has been more or less invisible
as a
minister of such a crucial ministry. If you look at the chaos at NSSA,
you
realise that the parent ministry of such an institution requires a
strong
person to sort the mess there. Chibebe has strong credentials in the
fight
for workers rights and there is no doubt that he can push the workers
agenda
with renewed zeal.
Johnny Rodrigues
Minister of
Environmental and Natural Resources Management
The Chairman of the Zimbabwe
Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) replaces Francis
Nhema in this important
ministry. Rodrigues who is a well known
conservationist who has worked
tirelessly to save wild animals that have
fallen victim to the lawlessness
that has occurred in Zimbabwe. ZCTF was
formed in April 2001 by a group of
Zimbabweans, desperately concerned about
the unacceptable levels of poaching
as well as the destruction of the
environment due to the break down of law
and order in Zimbabwe.
Shingi Munyeza
Minister of Tourism and
Hospitality Industry
With vast experience in the industry, Munyeza
could be the answer that the
ailing ministry needs to turn around its
fortunes. We have seen
unimaginative ways of reviving our tourism industry
like bringing in Mai
Azuka from Nigeria to promote tourism but the coming in
of Munyeza could
shake up things at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority which has
become a major
embarrassment.
Fungai Makoni
Minister of Water
Resources and Management
An unknown quantity politically, Makoni is a
public health scientist who is
passionate about water issues. He is the
manager (research and
implementation” at the Institute of Water Development.
He replaces Samuel
Sipepa Nkomo who is yet to make a mark on the ministry.
Under Sipepa Nkomo’s
watch, the quality of water in Harare has been
deteriorating. The minister
has also not shown any remarkable determination
to solve the water crisis in
Bulawayo. Nobody wants cholera to resurface
again and we need somebody who
knows what he is doing in this
ministry.
Sydney Sekeremayi
Minister State for State Security in
the President’s Office;
Sydney Sekeremayi is lucky to retain his job
in the President’s Office. This
is due to the fact that unlike Mnangagwa, he
has largely kept a low profile
and has not sought to publicly politicise his
ministry. There may be no
reason for now to ask him to pack his
bags.
Tapiwa Mashakada
Minister of Economic Planning and
Investment Promotion
Mashakada retains his portfolio. We will however
continue to assess his
performance which will be up for review during the
next reshuffle.
Mariyawanda Nzuwa
Minister of Public
Service
Nzuwa, the chairman of the Public Service Commission is the
new minister,
taking over from Prof Eliphas Mukonoweshuro. While critics may
point out
Nzuwa was responsible for employing 10 000 Zanu PF youths, we want
to
believe he only acted on an instruction coming from the Youth Ministry
headed by Saviour Kasukuwere. Nzuwa’s vast knowledge of the operations of
the public service may be crucial in weeding out ghost workers and turning
around the fortunes of public servants. It’s akin to setting a thief to
catch a thief.
Stenford Moyo
Attorney
General
Johannes Tomana is a politician and is unsuitable as Attorney
General. Moyo
is taking over the hot seat with immediate effect.
The
leading lawyer is charged with restoring public confidence in the AG’s
Office. He is expected to rid the office of political appointees whose job
is only to serve their masters. They do this by pursuing trumped-up charges
against perceived Zanu PF opponents. It’s not an easy task for Moyo because
prosecuting MDC activists has become the in-thing for Tomana’s protégés.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011
12:10
BY NQABA MATSHAZI
THE launch of the Umthwakazi
Liberation Front (MLF) has set tongues wagging
as it is arguably the first
formation ever to publicly call for the total
cessation of Matabeleland from
the rest of the country.
MLF was launched last week in Bulawayo but questions
have been asked about
the movement with some claiming it was a group of
disgruntled people who had
nothing to offer the people of the
region.
Since independence the Matabeleland region has been the
hotbed of opposition
politics, with politicians often taking advantage of a
strong anti-Zanu PF
sentiment in the region.
A number of parties
have been launched each calling for the independence of
the Matabeleland,
but MLF’s call is seen as the most explicit and militant
so
far.
Among the parties that have launched include the Patriotic Union
of
Matabeleland (Puma) and Zapu 2000, which have all called for some degree
of
autonomy for the region.
MLF says it is a group of disgruntled
people, who are victims of tribalism
and perceived underdevelopment of
Matabeleland compared to other provinces
in the country.
“We want
to free the people of Matabeleland from economic variations in the
country,
where some areas seem to be developed at a quicker pace than
others,” MLF
chairman Max Mnkandla said.
Among a host of claims, Mnkandla accused
Zanu PF and MDC-T of tribalism,
greed and an indifferent attitude towards
the ills Matabeleland faced and he
thought the region would be better if it
were completely independent.
He said their call for cessation was in
no way treasonous and anyone who
accused them of that was “mad” and needed
to be examined.
Despite having what others have described as a
combative name, Mnkandla said
they hoped to achieve their means in a
peaceful manner.
MLF has been accused of being a tribal grouping but
on the other hand it
claims that it stands for a rainbow nation. “We
envision a rainbow nation in
which all nationalities, tribes and peoples
would be treated equally,” reads
the group’s Facebook
status.
“Join MLF today and help smash the Zanu PF and MDC-T driven
tribal
supremacism and discrimination.”
MLF took exception at the
MDC-T’s claims that it was a fly by night party,
but the group says it is a
movement with its “sole goal to liberate its
people from
bondage”.
Analysts, however, expressed mixed views on the party with
some saying it
would not see the light of day.
An analyst, who
preferred anonymity, said what could handicap of the party
is the none
appearance of its leader, known as General Nandinandi at the
launch recently
as he was said to be in South Africa.
“How can a leader be absent
when his party is being launched? They will have
a lot of questions asked on
their credibility,” he said.
The analyst said the party’s leader was an
unknown and before he became
visible it would be difficult to assess the
genuineness of the party.
Takura Zhangazha, a political analyst, said
as far as he was concerned the
call for cessation in Matabeleland was not as
popular as was being
presented.
“Decentralisation and devolution
are the popular concerns in Matabeleland,”
he said. “If (cessation) is their
mandate, then it is a mistaken one.”
Zhangazha said there was nothing
new with the new party as there were
similar parties in Matabeleland before,
but they had all floundered.
“This is typical grandstanding not yielding any
results,” he said.
“Such parties should be treated with suspicion as
they do not understand the
nature of politics.”
But Effie Ncube,
a civic society activist from Bulawayo, chose to differ
saying the formation
of MLF was good for democracy.
“Anything set to liberate the people
of Matabeleland is welcome,” he said.
“This movement is an expression of the
diversity in the country and it
should be appreciated.”
Ncube
said there was a sizeable population in the region that was against a
unitary state and they could express themselves through the
MLF.
MLF said it was not interested in politics and would not contest
the
elections set for next year, but rather it had one goal of liberating
the
people of Matabeleland.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:07
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
ZANU PF has resolved to embark on an outright onslaught on
non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) believed to be sympathetic to Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai as well as oiling its rusty propaganda machinery
ahead of
national elections likely later this year.
In its Central
Committee Report to the party’s national people’s conference
in Mutare
recently, Zanu PF said it would silence vocal NGOs and at the same
time
stepping up its propaganda apparatus as it builds momentum towards the
elections.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF accuses most of the
2 500 NGOs operating
in the country of supporting his political foe,
Tsvangirai who heads the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in pursuance
of facilitating regime
change.
Presently, NGOs provide food and
other forms of humanitarian assistance to
nearly half of the country’s
population, of which over 85% live below the
poverty datum line
(PDL).
“There is need, therefore, to ensure that the NGOs do not
interfere with the
internal affairs of the country by putting in place
measures that restrict
the NGOs to their core business of providing
humanitarian aid,” said the
report.
In previous election years,
Zanu PF has always restricted operations of NGOs
that are involved in
information dissemination and food distribution. Some
organisations were not
allowed to operate in certain rural areas.
Efforts to get a comment
from Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo on how the
party plans “to put
measures that restrict the NGOs” were fruitless last
week.
But
observers said the proposed restrictions by Zanu PF set the stage for
the
usual antagonistic relationship that has become the norm between Zanu PF
and
with civic society as well as the international
community.
Interchange Organisation for Development Co-operation
programme manager for
Zimbabwe Fambai Ngirande described the resolution by
Zanu PF as “dangerous”
as it creates a negative human rights environment in
Zimbabwe, known for
gross abuse of civil liberties.
“It’s a very
familiar tactic by Zanu PF which always arises towards major
elections in
the country,” said Ngirande, former spokesperson for the
National
Association of Non-governmental Organisations (Nango).
“This is done
to justify crackdown on NGOs and human rights defenders all
over the
country.”
He said the same threats were issued during the violent
2000, 2005 and 2008
elections in which several human rights activists were
tortured and at least
200 MDC supporters murdered by suspected state
security agents and Zanu PF
youth militia.
Ngirande said Zanu
PF’s desire was to politicise the distribution of food to
millions of hungry
Zimbabweans so that it could get political leverage
against its rivals ahead
of elections. Under normal circumstances, relief
organisations identify the
recipients with the assistance of local
leadership and distribute the
food.
Zanu PF also plans to revive its sleepy propaganda machinery as
it prepares
for the polls. It is set to revive the party’s publications, The
People’s
Voice newspaper and the Zimbabwe News, a monthly magazine as well
as a
website which had become dormant for a long time.
The
party’s printing and publishing entity, Jongwe Printers, will be
revamped
and recapitalised to the tune of US$10 000, said the Zanu PF
report.
Jingles, which praise the soon-to-be 87-year-old leader who has
been ruling
the country for the past three decades, have also been composed
showing the
seriousness with which the party is looking at the next
polls.
Analysts believe the revival of several “propaganda projects”
is the
brainchild of former Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, who was
recently
co-opted into Zanu PF’s supreme decision-making, the
politburo.
The return of Moyo, now regarded as anti-private media
following the closure
of several newspapers during his tenure sends shivers
down the spines not
only of journalists but also ordinary
Zimbabweans.
They cringe at the appointment of Moyo whom they
consider the architect of
some of the most draconian laws in the land akin
to those used by the late
colonial Rhodesia Prime Minister Ian Smith against
blacks.
The former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer
had a hand in
drafting the restrictive Broadcasting Services Act (2001), the
Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (Commercialisation) Act (2003) and the
notorious
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa) of
2002.
A senior official with Crisis Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) Phillip
Pasirayi
believes Zanu PF’s propaganda projects will do little to lure
support
because people are now familiar with the party’s repeated
lies.
He said Zimbabweans were aware that the current problems
bedevilling the
country were caused by Mugabe’s misrule and the jingles and
the other forms
of propaganda will not bring food on their
tables.
“People know what they want ... they want food on the table
not meaningless
jingles denigrating other principles who, in actual fact,
brought relief to
the economy when they formed the inclusive government,”
said Pasirayi.
Even the much-talked-about return of Moyo is
insignificant as far as
rallying support for Zanu PF is concerned, said
Pasirayi.
“His return is inconsequential because all over the country
people know him
as a propagator of hate speech and a media hangman,” he
said. “His return is
just symbolic. There is nothing new he is going to
bring to Zanu PF.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:02
Standard
Comment
Today is New Year’s Day. It heralds the beginning of new personal
and
national dreams. For many people the day is spent trivially shaping up
what
are called “New Year’s resolutions”, sets of intentions normally
forgotten
by the end of the next day. It’s a game that everyone enjoys but
rarely any
more than that.
As a nation more serious introspection has got
to be done. In the year just
past there were many issues that vexed our
minds. Although the year panned
out better than the others in the decade,
the general feeling among the
people is one of trepidation.
The
decade beginning at the turn of the millennium was about the most
difficult
for the country.
The politics were just not right. After two decades of
Zanu PF’s
totalitarian rule the Zimbabwean body politic had by 2000 decided
that
enough was enough and they demanded change. Little did the nation, or
the
world, know the lengths to which Zanu PF was prepared to go to retain
power.
During that whole decade the country was reduced to a
Golgotha, the Biblical
place of execution.
As the New Year beckons,
the nation sits precariously on a knife edge; the
fear is that the country
might tilt and plunge back to the murderous past.
The fear is made very
real by the call to hold another election midyear.
Elections in Zimbabwe
have never been peaceful, and the proposed ones are
unlikely to be an
exception.
Besides the poisoned politics, our economy is still very
fragile. Signs were
beginning to emerge that our economy, with concerted
effort, could be turned
around. World-record hyperinflation had been tamed
and supermarkets whose
shelves had gone bear two years ago had filled.
Although access to the US
dollar remained difficult for the majority, there
was never any threat of
mass starvation.
But how to remove the
fear that pervades our land is an issue that will
continue to tax the
nation’s thinking. Sadly, our politics are unlikely to
change for the better
any time soon.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011 12:00
By Chipo
Masara
It is with much thankfulness and jubilation that most of
us celebrate the
New Year and if the truth may be told, we have to admit
that 2010 has been
good to most of us. Besides the ongoing infighting within
our coalition
government, Zimbabweans have generally enjoyed a general
feeling of serenity
and wellbeing.
Although most Zimbabweans have been
crying foul over the meagre salaries
that their employers are awarding them
and the rate of unemployment is still
at a record high, at least we have
enjoyed a degree of stability.
The stores were this year packed with
all the necessities so much that most
people did not find it at all
necessary to travel to neighbouring South
Africa or Botswana for their
holiday shopping as had become the norm in the
past few years. And with the
United States dollar, one can nicely do the
Maths.
When you look
back at the conditions that this nation had been subjected to
for the past
decade, before the government of national unity(GNU) came into
play,
especially so in 2008, you will realise that indeed we do have
something to
be thankful for because there really has been some positive
changes. It
might not be as much as we would like to see or maybe it did not
happen at
the exact pace that we would otherwise have liked it to but we
really just
need to give thanks.
I mean honestly, with the environment that
prevailed in our country in 2008,
did you never imagine us going into a
civil war of some sort? I mean it
really looked like a possibility back
then. Fate however seemed to be on our
side and come end of 2010, we all
have something to be thankful about,
something to smile
about.
But come beginning of 2011, there is so much uncertainty as
the majority of
the Zimbabweans wonder “Now what?”
This feeling
comes after the two major principals of the coalition
government, President
Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
announced their
intentions to hold elections early 2011, a move that most
people view as
rushed as they fear it will reverse all the strides that have
been realised
since the implementation of the GNU.
Talks of yet another elections
no doubt triggers people’s memory back to the
2002 and 2008 scenarios where
elections were characterised by unprecedented
levels of violence with
thousands of people reported to have lost their
lives while many more were
left incapacitated. Considering this, you cannot
blame people for wishing
the elections would be laid off until later.
It is not that
people do not want to choose a leader and a government of
their choice
because they do, but it is the discomfort and the human
suffering that have
come to characterise Zimbabwe’s polls that scares
people. They would rather
enjoy the peace and the little freedom a while
longer.
But events
in Zimbabwe have been known to be rather unpredictable as they
can take
turns that you could never have imagined, and that is the main
problem! As a
result, as we face 2011, the bulk of us have no idea what the
year has in
store for us.
Are there really going to be elections or not? Will
the president really act
on his threat to push Western company owners out of
the country? If he does,
what repercussions will this have on us as a
nation?
And what about the Constitution, where is it? When it finally
does come out,
will it be credible enough to represent the will of the
people?
As we celebrate 2011, it would have been good if we knew
exactly where we
stood and where we are going. As things are, we are
clueless and this
hinders most people from making any real long-term plans
as they do not know
whether the environment that will prevail say four
months down the line will
permit such plans.
As it is, most
people, especially the ordinary Zimbabweans, are forced to go
through life
without the slightest clue as to where they are going, a
situation I find
highly unfair and rather unacceptable.
It would be good if the powers
that be could come together and make
consensual decisions and then have the
audacity to inform the general public
on where we are going so that we
constantly know the path that our lives
will take.
But as I said,
that is just Zimbabwe for you. One thing I know, we will not
let politics
and all this uncertainty deter us from having a wonderful start
to the New
Year! And may we never forget to be thankful for the good in our
lives.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011
11:58
By Nevanji Madanhire
“In Roman mythology, Janus is
the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings,
endings and time. His most
prominent remnant in modern culture is his
namesake, the month of January,
which begins the New Year. Most often he is
depicted as having two faces,
facing opposite directions; one head looks
back at the last year while the
other looks forward to the new,
simultaneously into the future and the
past...
“He was frequently used to symbolise change and transitions
such as the
progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of
one vision to
another, the growing up of young people, and of one universe
to another. He
was also known as the figure representing time because he
could see into the
past with one face and into the future with the
other.
Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the
harvest and planting
times, as well as marriages, deaths and other
beginnings. He was
representative of the middle ground between barbarity and
civilization,
rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood.” —
Wikipedia.
So, right now as we celebrate New Year’s Day we are seated
in the middle
ground between barbarity and civilisation. Does that sound too
severe an
assessment of ourselves and our country?
Were there any
acts of barbarity in the year just gone by?
Many acts of cruelty
emerged mainly during the constitution-making outreach
programme. In an
otherwise peaceful year during which the nation was
recovering from the
excesses of 2008, political violence resurfaced as the
Constitution Select
Committee sought to collect people views on the new
constitution. According
to the political roadmap that should lead to free
and fair elections, the
country was supposed to come up with a people-driven
constitution. That
meant people’s views had to be gathered nationwide in an
atmosphere in which
they were able to express themselves freely.
This did not happen.
Some sections of the political leadership saw the
constitution-making
process as a life and death issue. They saw certain
views as dangerous and
went out of their way to suppress them. Through the
use of violence people
were intimidated into silence while a few parrots
were coached and paraded
at meetings as the true representatives of people’s
views.
On its
own admission Zanu PF now boasts 80% of the views expressed during
the
outreach programme are its own views. But at what cost? How many people
died and how many more were brutalised so that those views could
prevail?
The country is now faced with another situation where its
supreme law will
not be people-driven; that means therefore that we are
going to be saddled
with another illegitimate document similar to the one we
got at Lancaster
House.
In the past two years the country has
been ruled by a coalition government.
Although it was far from being a
perfect arrangement it went a long way into
stabilising the country after
years of political mayhem.
But during 2010 many barbaric things were
done that sought to destroy the
only arrangement that was practical at the
time. Any act that threatened to
break this arrangement was an act of
extreme cruelty.
This might sound like an extremist view, but when a person
is wounded and
the wound is beginning to heal any act that could revive the
wound is an act
of barbarity.
During the year the nation was always on
the edge as the principals in the
inclusive government squabbled without
end. Unilateral decisions were made
and some parts to the agreement
threatened to walk out.
The arbiter, Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) was indecisive
and clearly looked partial. Sadc came out as
a toothless bulldog; a good
example was when its important arm, the Sadc
Tribunal, was rubbished by the
Zanu PF side of the inclusive government.
Sadc also often played truant when
the MDC approached it with
grievances.
The latest example was last month when two senior members
of the Sadc
Troika, Mozambique’s Amando Guebuza and Zambia’s Rupiah Banda,
chose not to
go to Botswana where MDC principals had sought a
parley.
The public press, particularly broadcast, continued to carry
hate speech.
High-ranking members of Zanu PF continue to threaten that they
would not
cede power even in the face of defeat. Journalists in the private
media were
threatend and arrested. Our staffer Nqobani Ndlovu had to suffer
nine days
in a maximum security prison chained to hard-core
felons.
Can we look into the future with hope? Hardly! The referendum
that should
bring the draft new constitution to the public is going to be
nothing but a
fuss. Zanu PF will use its old tactics to ensure that a “Yes”
vote prevails;
this will be for their very survival. Many groups will
campaign for a “No”
vote.
These will include most non-governmental
organisations under the tutelage of
the National Constitutional Assembly.
These civic organisations will
constitute “the opposition” and Zanu PF will
descend upon them like a tonne
of bricks.
The “Yes” vote is
likely to win considering the tactics that will be used.
Areas where
opposition is likely to be will simply not be given the chance
to express
themselves.
More importantly, the ballots will be handled by the same
partisan cadre
that has always rigged our elections. So the result of the
referendum is
foregone.
As soon as the issue of the referendum is
done away with, the real war will
begin. Elections pencilled in for midyear
will plunge the country once again
into a warpath. The international
community, as is their wont, will look on
making lots of impotent
noises.
One thing we can bet on is that Zanu PF does not give a hoot
if the
elections are internationally acceptedor not. It is telling, it is
not, that
Zanu PF is the only ruling party in the world that has stood by
Ivory Coast’s
Laurent Gbagbo who is refusing to transfer power when he
clearly lost an
election.
Efforts by the international community
to pressure him into submission are
proving fruitless. Zanu PF is watching
intently the developments in the West
African country.
So, this
new year we fail again to move from barbarity to civilation!
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 02 January 2011
11:54
By Blessing Miles Tendi
Amid the gathering storm of
the MDC’s 2005 split I asked a forlorn Welshman
Ncube: “If you could turn
back the clock what would you do differently as
the MDC?”
He grew
miserable before he recounted in a movingly expressive manner
several
strategic errors the MDC committed. A single aspect of that segment
of my
interview with Ncube has gnawed at my fingers for years.
“What if the
MDC had campaigned for a successful YES vote, not a NO vote in
the 2000
draft constitution referendum?” Ncube asked before adding, “On the
draft
constitution referendum we wanted the whole loaf but got nothing in
the end.
It was the lost moment”.
I want to return to this gnawing piece of
counterfactual history as the
first decade of the second millennium breathes
its last breaths.
A sombre and insufficiently acknowledged truth is
that the extent of the 10
years of crisis gone by would have been reduced
had the 2000 referendum
result gone differently. By using counterfactual or
virtual history, which
is the posing of “what if” questions about past
scenarios, the significance
of key historical events can be seen in novel
ways.
By campaigning for a successful NO vote in the February 2000
referendum the
MDC provided the Zanu PF government with an indication of the
extent of its
unpopularity. Following the referendum three instructive
events ensued.
First, Mugabe appeared on national television, humbly
accepting defeat and
promised to abide by the will of the
people.
Second, there was a surge in state-backed violent invasions
of white-owned
commercial farms led by war veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation
war.
And third, Mugabe postponed the parliamentary polls, due in
April 2000, to
June 24 2000. Zanu PF’s responses were enough to win it 61
seats to the MDC’s
58 in the 120 parliamentary constituencies
contested.
It is conceivable that Zanu PF would have gone into the
2000 election
uninformed about the degree of its unpopularity had the
MDC-NCA alliance’s
NO vote not prevailed in the referendum. Zanu PF had won
76% of votes in the
1995 parliamentary election. In the 1990 election it had
secured 76% of
votes cast. Its share of votes in the 1985 and 1980 elections
was 77% and
63% respectively. Electoral history pointed to another Zanu PF
victory in
2000. Zanu PF was overconfident, resting on its laurels as
Zimbabwe’s
liberation party, and headed for a rude awakening parliamentary
election
defeat.
In an interview on August 11 2005 Zanu PF
stalwart Kumbirai Kangai admitted
to me that it was the party’s politburo
which “mobilised the war veterans
and told them to get on the farms” in
response to the referendum defeat.
Indeed in March 2000 war veterans leader
Chenjerai Hunzvi declared they had
“entered into a US$20 million campaign
deal with Zanu PF to campaign
everywhere including in buses and bars to keep
President Mugabe and Zanu PF
in power”, and that “war veterans belong to
Zanu PF”.
If the YES vote had won the day in the referendum the
violent seizure of
white-owned commercial farms would not have occurred.
Moreover, the proposed
draft constitution contained a clause allowing for
the expropriation of land
by the state without compensation, diminishing the
likelihood of violent and
chaotic land takeovers.
Had the YES
vote been victorious in the 2000 referendum the problem of long
political
incumbency would have been resolved because the draft constitution
proposed
to limit the number of presidential terms an incumbent could serve
to
two.
Although the draft constitution bore a clause stipulating
that the two-term
limit would not apply in retrospect, which granted Mugabe
the right to serve
two more terms, the 2008 presidential election would have
been the last
occasion the long time president had legal right to contest a
poll, assuming
he had managed to hold on that
long.
Blessing-Miles Tendi is the author of “Making History in
Mugabe’s Zimbabwe:
Politics, Intellectuals and the Media”.