Zimbabwe Political Violence Takes On New Forms, Including Poisoning

VOA

By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
09 July 2008

Political violence continues unabated in Zimbabwe with perpetrators shifting
their tactics to include forcing their victims, mainly opposition members,
to drink poison.

A mother and her son were battling for their lives this week at a hospital
in Harare after they were force-fed poisoned by ruling ZANU-PF party militia
in Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central province, in an incident in which three
other people died, as Sylvia Manika reported.
Sources in Midlands province said new torture camps have been set up by
pro-government militia in the Gokwe-Kabuyuni constituency where member of
parliament-elect Costain Muguti and about 30 others were abducted and
severely beaten by the militia on the weekend.

Zimbabwe Peace Project Chairman Alois Chaumba, who is also national director
of the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice, told reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri that the pattern of violence shows ZANU-PF wants to silence the
opposition by all means possible.

In Manicaland province, spokesman Pishai Muchauraya of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change said the militia are establishing more base
camps there too. He said the liberation war veterans working alongside the
militia have set up kangaroo courts in bases to try opposition activists and
sentence them to community service, in certain cases working on an
irrigation project in Gonzoni, Chimanimani West constituency, and repairing
roads.

Sources in Matabeleland North province said Pearson Mbalekwa,
parliamentarian-elect for Zvishavane, and 15 others continue in detention in
Hwange accused of inciting violence.

UN vote on Zimbabwe sanctions likely Thursday: diplomats

Yahoo News

by Gerard Aziakou 48 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The Security Council is likely to vote Thursday on
targeted UN sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 13 of his
cronies over a presidential election widely viewed as illegitimate,
diplomats said Wednesday.

US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad, who Tuesday said he was confident
his sanctions draft resolution had the necessary votes in the 15-member
council to ensure passage, said Wednesday the vote could occur "at any
time."

Vietnam's UN Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the council chair this month, told
reporters that the sponsors requested a vote for late Wednesday but said
several other delegations requested more time.

Several diplomats late Wednesday told AFP that the vote was now expected
Thursday as Russia and China wanted to consult with their capitals.

The US draft provides for an assets freeze and a travel ban on Mugabe and 13
of his cronies as well as an arms embargo on the Harare regime in protest at
the June 27 one-man presidential runoff won by Mugabe but seen by the UN as
"flawed" and lacking legitimacy.

Khalilzad said Tuesday he believed he had the nine votes needed for passage
provided there is no veto from any of the five permanent members -- Britain,
China, France, Russia and the United States. He added that he did not
anticipate a veto.

South Africa, the lead mediator in Zimbabwe's election crisis on behalf of
the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), opposes
sanctions, arguing that they would "complicate the situation."

Russia, China, Vietnam, Libya and Indonesia have also raised objections.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin Tuesday warned that rushing a vote could
have "unpredictable" consequences.

"We should be very careful about setting precedents," he added. "We should
make it clear to begin with that the Security Council is not about to enter
into the whole realm of mediating elections, or passing judgment on
elections."

"The solution can only be achieved by the Zimbabweans themselves with help
of South African leaders," China's deputy ambassador Liu Zhenmin told
reporters Wednesday. "We are going to support the mediation efforts."

In Japan, where he attended the just-ended G8 summit, British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown urged the world community to support UN sanctions against
Zimbabwe, denouncing the Mugabe regime as a "criminal cabal" who stole
power.

"For the first time, the G8, and every country within the G8, has come out
in favor of sanctions" against Zimbabwe, he said.

He added that the G8, by promising new actions, including targeted
"financial measures" against leaders, had opened the way for the Security
Council to adopt a sanctions resolution proposed by London and Washington.

The US draft would also demand that the Harare government "begin without
delay a substantive dialogue between the parties with the aim of arriving at
a peaceful solution that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people as
expressed by the March 29 (first-round presidential) elections."

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round but fell short of a
majority. He pulled out of the run-off citing a campaign of violence and
intimidation.

The US draft resolution would direct UN chief Ban Ki-moon to appoint "an
individual of international standing and expertise to serve as his special
representative ... who would support the negotiation process between the
political parties in Zimbabwe."

Diplomats said former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who helped broker a
power-sharing agreement in Kenya last February, former Mozambican president
Joaquim Chissano, Nigerian ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ghanaian
President John Kufuor were being considered.

Meanwhile leaders of South Africa's governing party on Wednesday met Mugabe
in Harare and expressed support for a dialogue to end the election crisis,
South African state television reported. There was no word on what was
discussed.

And the Mugabe government branded G8 leaders' threat of more sanctions
"international racism" and a bid to force out the Zimbabwean president
following his widely condemned one-man election.

Mugabe, in power for 28 years, was re-elected to a sixth term in a run-off
widely denounced as a sham and marred by the use of violence.

Fears Grow that Sanctions Could Derail Mediation

IPSnews

 
By Omid Memarian*

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 8 (IPS) - U.S. and European efforts to achieve unanimity
among the 15-member U.N. Security Council to adopt a sanctions resolution
against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his top aides has run into
opposition from African leaders who argue that it will only increase
tensions there and in neighbouring countries.

"There isn't any unanimity in the Council on this," conceded British
Ambassador John Sawers after the Security Council met on Zimbabwe Tuesday.
"My delegation supports that resolution and likes to see it adopted as soon
as possible."

"The statement issued by the G8 today clearly sets out that they deplored
the violence they have seen and support the mediation that is on the way and
needs to be reinforced by a U.N. envoy," he added, referring to the Group of
Eight most industrialised nations, which are meeting this week in Japan.

The Security Council is expected to vote on the U.S.-backed draft resolution
some time this week. French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters
Tuesday that proponents of the resolution had secured nine votes, although
Russia, which holds veto power on the Council, is not one of them, and its
ambassador has expressed reservations about the draft.

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change party won more votes
than Mugabe's ZANU-PF in March presidential polls but failed to receive an
outright majority. Its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, pulled out of a planned
run-off just days before it was held, citing widespread violence against
supporters. Mugabe claims to have won 85 percent of the votes cast in the
final Jun. 27 polls.

South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said the Security Council should
support ongoing efforts at mediation towards a political solution.

"The African Union has said categorically that we do not need sanctions
against Zimbabwe. In fact, several heads of state, including the chair of
the African Union, who were in Tokyo, conveyed that message to the leaders
of the G8," he said. "We say don't take measures that are going to
complicate the situation and literally blow the country apart."

Kumalo said that there are several problems with the proposed sanctions,
which include an arms embargo and a freeze on the personal assets of Mugabe
and 11 other top government officials.

"One is that this resolution claims that the situation in Zimbabwe is a
threat to international peace and security, but the African Union doesn't
believe that, the heads of states that were in Tokyo do not believe that,
and neighbouring countries do not believe that," he said.

"Second, this resolution is under Chapter Seven [of the U.N. Charter]... It
says that they want to certify the vote of the first round [won by
Tsvangirai]," said Kumalo. "If the Security Council is now going to go to
countries and start certifying a part of election, where we are going to
stop?"

Kumalo also criticised the European countries' approach toward the Zimbabwe
crisis as not even-handed. "The European Union, through its president, said
openly that they want to see the leader of opposition as president of
Zimbabwe. Now once you do that you create problems because we want the
people of Zimbabwe to select the president through free and fair elections
without violence and intimidation."

"South Africa has been asked to facilitate the mediation by the regional
group together with Angola, and we both report to the African Union, which
reports to the U.N.," said Kumalo. "The Europeans are implying that we need
a new mediator who is going to come in and impose the candidate on the
people. It just creates problems. We are neighbours and we know what we are
dealing with."

However, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the aim of the sanctions is
to put pressure on those "who hold the cards... those who need to change
their attitude in order for progress to be made, and those are the 12
individuals that are focused on in tailored sanctions."

Khalilzad said that he expects a vote on the resolution this week. "We
support mediation, but mediation has not been effective as it has been
conducted so far. It has been going on for a long time and therefore in
order to make the mediation more effective we are adding some elements to
the equation that there should be more of a U.N. role in support, and that's
why we say that the secretary-general should appoint someone."

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro conveyed the secretary-general's
message that the crisis in Zimbabwe represents a "moment of truth" for
democracy in the continent.

"The Zimbabwe issue poses a challenge to the world. When an election is
conducted in an atmosphere of fear and violence, its outcome cannot have a
legitimacy that is not built on the will of the people," Migiro said
following the Security Council meeting.

She added that the question of whether or not to impose sanctions is up to
the U.N.'s member states.

"Regarding suggestions that the U.N. may get more involved with a high-level
envoy to facilitate the mediation process," said Migiro, "this suggestion
has been discussed and the secretary-general will be open to all suggestions
that will lead to a solution of the crisis."

*With additional reporting by Katie Vandever at the United Nations.

The Big Question: Have sanctions ever worked, and should they be applied to Zimbabwe?

Independent, UK

By Paul Vallely
Thursday, 10 July 2008

Why are we asking this now?

Because the leaders of the G8 richest nations have announced sanctions on
Zimbabwe this week in an attempt to end the bloodshed and restore democracy
to the country.

What are sanctions?

Restrictions on trade and financial contact imposed upon a state to persuade
rulers to change its behaviour - a halfway house between diplomatic
disapproval and military intervention. Critics deride them as impotent
gestures designed only to quieten the demand that "something must be done"
in situations where the truth is that nothing can be done. Sanctions aren't
a proper foreign policy so much as a feel-good substitute for one.

Where have they been imposed?

The UN has authorised them to seek compliance with UN resolutions sanctions
in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti,
Iraq, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Libya, Rhodesia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
South Africa, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia.

Every US president since 1936 has used them and the Bush administration has
threatened or used them on 85 states in the past 12 years including Burma,
Cuba, Haiti, North Korea and Syria. Russia is imposing them on many of the
newly independent states which were once Soviet republics. Sanctions have
been imposed on at least 185 countries since the Second World War.

Have they worked?

Academics say they have in about a third of those cases. They worked in
South Africa. Sanctions against Slobodan Milosevic hastened the end of the
Bosnian war. They prodded Libya into handing over the two terrorists
involved in the Lockerbie airline bombing and then abandoning its ambitions
to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Most recently the freezing of $25m in
a foreign bank brought North Korean back to talks on ending its nuclear
ambitions.

But they have been in place against Cuba for 40 years without bringing down
Fidel Castro. Some 13 years of sanctions on Iraq failed to topple Saddam
Hussein. After 14 years of US sanctions the military regime remains in
Burma. Decades of sanctions on Iran have brought no regime change nor, most
recently, persuaded Tehran to abandon its uranium enrichment programme. Yet
it depends how you measure success. If a footballer scored a goal every
three matches that wouldn't be written off as failure. And, as Iraq has
shown, war doesn't inevitably succeed where sanctions have failed, and it's
a lot more costly, economically and morally.

How long do they take to work?

Sanctions are no quick fix. When the British colony, Rhodesia, declared
unilateral independence the UK imposed sanctions on the minority white
regime and the British prime minister, Harold Wilson, predicted the rebel
downfall in "weeks not months". It took 12 years, partly because many
Western companies secretly ignored them. But the end came when the Rhodesian
secret service went to the Rhodesian prime minister and told him the oil
would run out in a week.

So why did they work in South Africa?

Because they bit on the business community which, in turn, put increasing
pressure on their own government to negotiate with the black majority.
Sporting boycotts also increased the psychological isolation of the
sport-mad Afrikaaners. But the sanctions were effective because they
affected a strong white middle class which could put effective pressure on
their own apartheid government.

Why did they fail in Iraq?

Because the comprehensive sanctions there ended up hurting the people they
are designed to help. The 13 years of UN sanctions brought poverty and
hardship for ordinary Iraqis and almost certainly caused the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of children when water and sanitation systems
collapsed and spare parts were unavailable thanks to the sanctions.

An enormous number of innocent people suffered and yet Saddam Hussein was
not dislodged from power. Ironically, though, when the West finally
concluded that sanctions were not working, the reason, it was claimed, was
that they hadn't prevented Saddam from rebuilding his weapons of mass
destruction - when. In fact, as we now know, they did achieve that aim.

Can sanctions be counter-productive?

Kofi Annan called sanctions "a blunt and even counter-productive
instrument". Sanctions can create a scapegoat for the economic failures of a
dictators, as happened with Castro for whom the US blockade of Cuba
strengthened nationalistic support. Sanctions also hit the private sector,
which shrinks, weakening the political leverage of the middle class and
leaving the economy smaller but one over which the regime has greater
control.

So what makes for effective sanctions?

Almost everyone has to join in. A country deprived of goods or services by a
country can invariably secure them elsewhere. Crafty tyrants like Saddam
played on divisions between the US, Britain and France, and China and
Russia. China blocks effective sanctions on Sudan over Darfur.

What about 'smart' sanctions?

Over the last decade, following the abysmal failure of sanctions on Iraq,
they have become more targeted. Blanket measures which covered food and
medicines are out of fashion. In their place have come travel bans on senior
officials of a regime, freezes on their overseas assets, the selective ban
of key imports, and arms embargoes which weaken a regime's military forces.
The idea is to hit the corrupt elite rather than the people they oppress.

This works, to a considerable extent. Some 600 of the supporters of Slobodan
Milosevic, then Serbian President, found it impossible to conduct business.
Targeted financial sanctions hit top officials in North Korea. But in other
cases it doesn't work. Less than £4,000 belonging the Burmese generals has
been frozen in all 25 EU member states.

Would they work in Zimbabwe?

General sanctions might not, since the business community and general
electorate have no influence on Mugabe. But cutting off his oil might work.
Petrol is what supplies the elite and its troops with their mobility. Around
80 per cent of Zimbabwe's oil flows through the line from Mozambique.
Cutting that off could immobilise the Mugabe regime.

Will sanctions have any impact on Mugabe's government?

Yes...

* Sanctions helped bring down the apartheid regime in South Africa, and they
can do the same in Zimbabwe

* Since an invasion is unlikely, it is the only measure of opprobrium open
to the international community

* Cutting off oil could immobilise the military on which Mugabe depends to
stay in power

No...

* It will harm the ordinary people of Zimbabwe without seriously affecting
Mugabe and his henchmen

* It could increase Mugabe's control further, shrinking the entrepreneurial
sector which supports the opposition

* They will take far too long to have a serious impact; they are just
gesture politics

Global net closes on Mugabe's gang

Independent, UK

By Daniel Howden
Thursday, 10 July 2008

The net was tightening last night around the leading figures in the Mugabe
regime as the United Nations identified the key individuals it blames for
the current crisis in Zimbabwe.

A draft UN resolution named Robert Mugabe and 13 of his henchmen as the main
culprits behind the campaign of violence in which scores of opposition
supporters have been raped and murdered, and hopes of democratic salvation
for the southern African nation have been wrecked.

The men named by the UN include generals, such as the army chief,
Constantine Chiwenga, who is credited with persuading Mr Mugabe to launch a
military campaign against the opposition rather than negotiate an exit
package in the wake of his defeat in the first round of elections in March.

Hopes for a tough response from the UN were in the balance last night
despite the apparent agreement from G8 leaders to push for targeted
sanctions. A pitched battle has been under way since Tuesday at the UN
Security Council as the United States and Britain sought to force a showdown
over Zimbabwe. South Africa has been holding the line at the 15-nation
council against measures including an international arms embargo, as well as
travel bans and asset freezes targeting each of the 14 named individuals.

It was unclear whether London and Washington had the votes to win the battle
as one British diplomat close to the effort said it was "touch and go
whether we get them". The uncertainty was added to by the Russian President,
Dmitry Medvedev, who went half way to meeting the West's demands in Japan by
signing up to the G8 statement promising to punish the culprits in Zimbabwe,
but then stopped short of supporting UN sanctions.

In an unlikely twist, the West African nation of Burkina Faso has found
itself in the diplomatic spotlight. The second poorest country in the world,
it has a UN vote as a temporary member of the council and has so far
resisted pressure to back sanctions. Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister, Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi, was in Burkina yesterday lobbying against a UN vote.

Mr Mugabe's inner circle, named in the draft resolution, has each amassed
personal fortunes while overseeing the steepest collapse of a peacetime
economy ever recorded. The draft resolution accuses them of "undermining the
democratic process" and having "ordered, planned, or participated in" the
campaign of political terror that has killed more than 100 people, displaced
200,000 and made the country an international pariah.

South Africa argued that punitive action would undermine mediation but this
approach was rejected by Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic
Change. "These are not sanctions against Zimbabwe," said Ian Makoni, a
senior MDC official. "They're against individuals guilty of crimes against
humanity."

South Africa was also attempting to block efforts to appoint a UN special
envoy to Zimbabwe, fearing this would undermine its President, Thabo Mbeki,
and his role as regional mediator. He has been fiercly criticised for the
apparent failure of "quiet diplomacy" and there have been open calls for his
replacement as mediator from the MDC who accuse him of sheltering the Mugabe
regime.

Zimbabwe's government responded to the mounting pressure with an outburst of
anti-colonial rhetoric against the West for preparing sanctions.

Mr Mumbengegwi said: "Zimbabwe has had free and fair elections... We can't
receive instructions from our former colonial masters. We are an independent
country and we will never, never go back to being a colony."

Named and shamed: the 13 henchmen identified by the UN

HAPPYTON BONYONGWE

Head of the spy agency, the CIO. Although widely regarded as a restraining
influence on the excesses of his colleagues, his job has put him in the
front line of activities against Mugabe's opponents. His men have been
responsible for the abduction and murder of opposition supporters.

CONSTANTINE CHIWENGA

Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Vowed to mount an official coup
should Mugabe ever hand over to Morgan Tsvangirai. His wife, Jocelyn, has
led farm invasions and once declared: "I am itching to spill white blood."
She runs a company that sells military gear to the army.

EMMERSON MNANGAGWA

Cabinet minister and Mugabe's most trusted lieutenant. Masterminded murder
of tens of thousands in the 1980s Matabeleland massacres. Named in UN report
for looting Congo cash from United Merchant Bank.

PERENCE SHIRI

Air force chief. A relative of Mugabe, Shiri was in charge of a North Korean
trained unit which did the actual killings in Matabeleland. He trains
Mugabe's notorious militias and is known to personally conduct torture
sessions.

AUGUSTINE CHIHURI

Police chief. Credited with converting Zimbabwe's police force into armed
wing of the ruling party. Led the 2006 urban slum clearance campaign that
left one million homeless. Ordered police not to arrest Zanu members but
instead arrest MDC officials who file violence reports.

PARADZAI ZIMONDI

Director of prisons. Told members of security agencies not supporting Mugabe
they would be regarded as traitors and be rewarded with death. Also ensured
prison officers cast ballots for Mugabe.

GIDEON GONO

Reserve Bank head. Close friend of Mugabe, with whom he frequently holidays
in Malaysia, Gono is also Mugabe's personal banker and the man who knows
where the stolen millions are stashed. He has funded the current political
terror campaign.

PATRICK CHINAMASA

Justice Minister. Described by peers in the legal profession as Zimbabwe's
most incompetent lawyer, Chinamasa has hounded out independent judges and
stuffed the bench with Mugabe cronies. In charge of death squads currently
on a killing spree in his rural home of Manicaland.

DIDYMUS MUTASA

State Security minister. Infamously declared he would rather see the death
of six million people who support the opposition and remain with only those
who support Mugabe. He is in joint charge of the spy agency, the CIO.

GEORGE CHARAMBA

Mugabe's spokesman. Has overseen purging of all state media of journalists
critical of the regime and enforced draconian laws against the independent
media.

SYDNEY SEKERAMAYI

Minister of Defence. Has been travelling the world, mainly to Asia, to
source weapons used in the siege of terror against the opposition. Has
organised training of Mugabe's violent ruling party militias by the army and
police.

JOSEPH MADE

Minister of farm mechanisation. Credited with destroying Zimbabwe's
commercial agricultural sector. He says he would rather see the last
remaining farm in Zimbabwe in black hands, even if they cannot farm.
Mugabe's own personal farm manager.

DAVID PARIRENYATWA

Minister of Health in country with lowest life expectancy in the world.
Cited by WHO for failing to provide adequate drinking water.

Over 1500 MDC Officials Still Detained

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

SW Radio Africa (London)

9 July 2008
Posted to the web 9 July 2008

Lance Guma

Over 1500 MDC activists and officials remain in police custody across the
country.

The MDC say that figure includes MP's and other parliamentary candidates,
all being held on trumped up charges of inciting violence. Manicaland has
the highest number of detained activists with 476, Masvingo 356, Mashonaland
East 184, Mashonaland Central 145, Mashonaland West 114, Midlands South 69
and the two Matabeleland provinces adding up to 122. All the remaining
provinces have 108 activists in custody, bringing the total to 1574
countrywide.

Mugabe and Zanu PF's refusal to accept defeat in the March 29 poll has led
to the death of over 129 opposition activists, 109 before the run-off and 20
after it. The opposition says 5000 of their supporters, mainly polling
agents and council candidates, are missing or unaccounted for. They blame a
spate of abductions carried out by state operatives using unmarked vehicles.
Thousands of supporters are also hiding in the mountains in rural areas in
order to escape Zanu PF reprisals for not voting for Mugabe. At one time
Zanu PF militants used dynamite to flush them out from the mountains in what
was code-named 'Operation Dzika Mugoma- Climb Down the Mountain.' MDC
Information Director Luke Tamborinyoka told Newsreel, 'They cannot talk
dialogue while they are acting war.'

Very worrying for the MDC is the welfare of its National Youth Chairman,
Tamsanqa Mahlangu, who won the Nkulumane parliamentary seat. The MDC say he
is still battling for his life a month after an attack by ruling party thugs
who disrupted an MDC rally at the Glamis Arena in Harare. Around 2000 Zanu
PF militia set about beating up supporters, party officials and journalists
who attended the aborted rally. Using sticks and knobkerries they bludgeoned
Mahlangu and hundreds others, in images captured live and shown on TV
networks across the world. A day after these attacks Tsvangirai withdrew
from the presidential run-off.

The MDC remains under siege from state security operatives. Lionel Saungweme
from Bulawayo reports that Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo has been in
hiding for the past month, following police claims that she was on a wanted
list. Several MP's in rural constituencies are also being targeted in what
most people say is an attempt at reducing the MDC majority in parliament.
John Nyamande (Makoni Central), Mathius Mlambo (Chipinge East), Misheck
Kagurabadza (Mutasa South) and Elton Mangoma (Makoni North) all in
Manicaland, are some of the MP's still in hiding. Buhera North MP and lawyer
Eric Matinenga was recently released from prison after being held without
charge for close to a month.

Parliament should re-convene next week

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Wednesday, 09 July 2008 13:55
HARARE - The Zimbabwean parliament elected on March 31 is supposed to
convene by July 17, but experts say prospects are dim. Constitutional
experts say the parliament's five-year term commenced on June 29 after the
single-candidate run-off denounced internationally as an electoral sham.
The two formations of the MDC claimed a majority of 10 seats in the
new lower house. MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai and the formation headed by
Arthur Mutambara have pledged to cooperate in parliament.
"Mugabe is supposed to issue a gazette calling for the sitting of the
parliament," constitutional lawyer, Greg Linnington, said.
Only 25 of elected MP's need to be available for this sitting, so if
Zanu (PF) kidnaps all MDC MP's, parliament can still go forward.
MDC Innocent Gonese of Mutare, said his party's refusal to recognise
Mugabe could complicate getting the new parliamentary term going. He
admitted that the continuing violence would have a detrimental effect on the
ability of MDC MP's participation in the
new parliament.

War vets demand ministerial posts

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Wednesday, 09 July 2008 13:54
HARARE - Zimbabwe's ex-liberation war fighters are demanding key
ministerial posts and governorships for mobilizing support for Robert Mugabe
in the fraudulent June 27 one-candidate presidential race.
The war veterans, who sealed off rural Zimbabwe from opposition
political influence after Mugabe and Zanu (PF)'s stunning electoral loss on
March 29, tabled the demands this week.
The Zimbabwean has reliable information that Mugabe had private
consultations with the war veterans where they made demands which were "very
alarming" for the nation.
Our sources said the leaders of the war veterans demanded that Mugabe
appoints war veterans as provincial governors in the four provinces of
Matabeleland South, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Manicaland.

MDC legislator in hiding

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Wednesday, 09 July 2008 13:56
BULAWAYO - Felix Mafa, MDC legislator for Magwegwe, is in hiding from
Zanu (PF) thugs following comments he made in a story published in The
Zimbabwean two weeks ago headlined 'MDC activists tortured at a city base'
on June 26.
"Zanu (PF) thugs are after me, they are sponsored by a Zanu (PF)
politburo member," he said.
In the news story, Mafa confirmed that several members of his party
had been abducted and taken to the Zanu (PF) torture base on Jason Moyo
Avenue and 6th Avenue. He blasted the police for not disbanding the torture
base which is next to the Bulawayo main police station.

Money for arms

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk


Wednesday, 09 July 2008 13:55
HARARE - The Zimbabwean government has ordered USD65.9 million of
military hardware from China North Industries Corporation.
The deal was clinched by Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi and
authorised by the leader of the military junta now ruling Zimbabwe, Robert
Mugabe. It remains unclear how he would mobilize resources for the purchase
but there are concerted attempts to beef up the army's armoury amid fears of
military intervention.
Just four months ago, a Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe was
turned back from the Durban harbour and later airlifted into the country.
"The down payment is in respect of a five percent for the purchase of
the military goods by the ZNA (Zimbabwe National Army)," an official
document says.
"As any military force the ZNA has obligations to bolster it equipment
holdings by new acquisitions in order to fulfil its designated roles," a
senior army official said.

Crackdown Drives Clerics Of Zimbabwe's Christian Alliance Into Hiding

VOA

By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
09 July 2008

Some senior members of Zimbabwe's Christian Alliance, a coalition of church
leaders which has provided humanitarian assistance since 2005, have gone
into hiding while others have fled the country after being threatened by
state security agents, members said.

Christian Alliance members who were arrested and later released by
authorities two weeks ago said they continue to be menaced for speaking out
and trying to help the victims of political violence through the provision
of shelter, blankets and food, among other items, as Harare has forbidden
them from providing direct humanitarian aid through outreach.

Pastor Lawrence Berejena, a Christian Alliance member now in hiding, told
reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that such
persecution stems from allegations the clerics campaigned for opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai in March elections.

Bishop Trevor Manhanga, president of the Evangelical Association of
Zimbabwe, said his members have nothing to fear because they are working
within the confines of the law.

Another member of the Evangelical Fellowship, Pastor Alexander Chisango,
told VOA that the persecution cited by Christian Alliance members does not
only target church leaders, but anyone considered to be supporting a
particular political party.

Chisango confirmed he had heard reports of the persecution of some church
leaders, mostly in rural areas, but he said it is the role of the church to
bring peace to the country.

Zimbabweans die illegally crossing into South Africa

 

By Thandazo Ncube in Beitbridge | Harare Tribune News Updated: July 9, 2008 18:36 news@hararetribune.com

A human smuggler (L), watches as Zimbabwaen immigrants, including a pregnant woman (C-R), change clothes after illegally crossing the Limpopo River into South Africa June 27, 2008 near Musina, South Africa. Photo: Harare Tribune Zimbabwe, Harare-- The flood of Zimbabweans into neighbouring countries, particularly South Africa, appears to be on the increase again following the swearing in of Robert Mugabe into office a few days ago South African police patrolling the Zimbabwe/South Africa porous border said. The police also confirmed Wednesday that they had picked up the remains of Zimbabwe who had died attempting to cross into South Africa. The remains were recovered at Eberstein Farm close to the twin border towns of Beitbridge & Musina. Inspector Francois Celliers, of the South African police, said the bodies were picked up on Saturday in an advanced state of decomposition "The bodies of the two, who we suspect could be Zimbabwean, were discovered by some farm workers along the Alldays-Venetia Road who, in turn, made a report to police. The bodies have since been conveyed to the Musina Government Hospital mortuary for post-mortem," Insp. Celliers said. "We also suspect that the men might have strayed onto the farm soon after illegally crossing into South Africa. As police, we have since launched intensive investigations and we are going to get to the bottom of this matter." Though to the uninitiated it seems easy, crossing the border into South Africa illegally is fraught with danger. However, the dangers of crossing the border, ranging from mauling by man eating lions, vigilante racist white farmers, money lusting human smugglers, to hunger, don't seem to deter determined Zimbabweans. A stroll down the street in Beitbridge, a town brimming with prostitutes and human smugglers, one comes across many Zimbabweans preparing to cross the border. "Why should i stay in Zimbabwe? What is there for me?" lamented Lameck Shumba, as he made his final preparations to cross the border at night fall on Tuesday. "I graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a bachelor's degree in Economics, but i have been unemployed for the past two years. Now that Mugabe is back in office, there is no reason for me wait, i have to work and feed my family you know," he added. Thanks to Robert Mugabe's policies, Zimbabweans are finding it difficult to survive in Zimbabwe. Unemployment in the country is estimated at 95% and the annual inflation is at 9 000 000 %. Deaths along the South Africa/Zimbabwe are nothing new, nor is the journeying of Zimbabweans to South Africa. Zimbabweans have been going to South Africa since the times Rhodes to work in mines on three year contracts. "What makes the current migration to South Africa," explained Prof. Dube of the Great Zimbabwe University, "is that for the first, women are making the cross in large numbers. That has been the trend for the past eight years." Once in South Africa, Zimbabweans work all kinds of jobs, from picking oranges in farms in Limpopo Province to selling handicrafts in South Africa's cities. However, some Zimbabweans get to South Africa and suddenly find that life is difficulty there, forcing them pursue such trades as bank robberies and prostitution As long as the crisis in Zimbabwe continues, Zimbabweans will continue to cross into South Africa. "It won't be surprising that by 2010, half the people in the country would have left," predicted Prof. Dube. -- Harare Tribune News.