ZIMBABWE: In the face of hopelessness
[ This report does not
necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
BULAWAYO, 14 Jul
2005 (IRIN) - With a child tied on her back and a plate in
her right hand,
Florence Chilufya joins a winding food queue in an
overcrowded yard at a
township in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city.
Although children, the
elderly and the terminally ill are given first
preference, the 39-year-old
widow is confident that she will get a helping.
"We have two meals a day:
we eat in the morning and in the evening. There
are many of us and, at
times, if you are at the back of the queue you seem
to panic, thinking that
the food will get finished before you are served but
everyone always gets
something," Chilufya said.
She is among the estimated 375,000 left
homeless by the cleanup campaign
launched in mid-May, which the authorities
have claimed was part of an urban
renewal strategy that will eventually
build 10,000 homes at a cost of US
$300 million.
A former vegetable
vendor and resident of an informal settlement just
outside Bulawayo,
Chilufya now has nowhere to go. She said she could only
watch helplessly as
soldiers and police officers torched her shack and
confiscated her
merchandise and other possessions. Her children, now
displaced, have dropped
out of school.
"The settlement was the only home I knew, but now the
authorities have told
me that I will be sent back to Zambia ... where my
late parents come from. I
am in a tight position and my children are now
suffering. We need help".
In the meantime she is grateful to the church
leaders who have given her
sanctuary and food. "I am so grateful to the
church people who have looked
after me, my kids and the rest of the people
now without shelter. They are
doing a good job and may God bless them," she
said.
About 1,500 affected people in Bulawayo have found temporary
sanctuary with
various church organisations, who told IRIN this week that
the affected
people were to be transferred to Hellensvale, a holding camp
set up by a
coalition of humanitarian and human rights NGOs about 40 km
north of
Bulawayo.
However, it would take a great deal of effort to
convert Hellensvale into a
fully-fledged holding camp. "We have been working
closely with UNICEF [the
UN Children's Fund] and other stakeholders, but a
lot still has to be done,
especially the setting-up of sanitary facilities,"
said a Red Cross
official.
The government said affected people would
only be allowed to stay at the
camp for a month while they searched for
accommodation in permanent
settlements or were returned to their rural
homes.
However, the clergy was concerned about the affected people
without rural
homes, especially those of foreign parentage, like
Chilufya.
"Government says they should go back to their rural homes, but
what happens
to people of foreign origin who have not known any other home
but the places
in which they lived?" asked Pastor Patson Netha, chairman of
a coalition of
churches in Bulawayo. "It is a disturbing development but, as
churches, we
are working on a special programme to retain them while a
lasting solution
is sought."
He acknowledged that keeping more than a
thousand people in churches has
been a challenge, as they were battling to
provide them with food, blankets
and other assistance.
"It is our
social responsibility to provide for the poor and fight for their
rights,
but keeping them at our churches has been a daunting task. In our
view the
displaced are victims of unjust government actions, and we just
could not
stand by and watch them die of hunger and cold in the rubble of
their
homes", Netha commented.
He noted that criminal activity was bound to
rise as people struggled to
survive in a ravaged economy, and was
particularly concerned about the
plight of children and those with HIV/AIDS,
whose treatment programmes had
been disrupted.
The plight of the
homeless has touched many, including UN special envoy Anna
Tibaijuka, who
visited Zimbabwe on a recent mission to assess the impact of
the cleanup
campaign.
"As the UN we don't believe that you, the poor, are criminals;
the poor are
just disadvantaged individuals trying to eke out a living in
the urban
areas, and sending them back to rural areas will not work - it is
a
violation of the freedom of movement", said Tibaijuka in a brief speech to
hundreds of displaced people living at the Agape Mission in
Bulawayo.
[ENDS]
The Australian
Mugabe's wreckers enter the suburbs
Jan Raath,
Harare
July 15, 2005
THE thud of sledgehammers echoed across the more
affluent areas of
Zimbabwe's capital yesterday as President Robert Mugabe's
demolition
juggernaut moved from the shantytowns to the suburbs.
In
Ceres Avenue, a worker swung at the remains of a one-room cottage.
Police
had passed through with loudhailers, telling home owners to demolish
any
"illegal structures".
"They will come back today to check," a young man
said as his wife helped
him to load their goods on a small two-wheel hand
trolley. "If it is not
down, they will fine the owner. Then they will beat
you."
When asked where he was going, all he could say was: "I don't
know."
The Government has announced that
the mass demolition of homes that has
destroyed half the township dwellings
in Zimbabwe's urban areas was moving
to the formerly whites-only
suburbs.
Any suburban building without officially approved plans will
have to come
down.
Panic is running through Harare's better-off
neighbourhoods. About 80 per
cent of homes in the suburbs have had
extensions added in the past 20 years.
Few bothered to secure the approval
of lax municipal inspectors.
Barely 24 hours had passed since the
departure of Anna Tibaijuka, the UN
special envoy dispatched to Zimbabwe to
investigate the eight-week Operation
Murambatsvina (chuck out the rubbish)
campaign.
Mr Mugabe asserts that he is carrying out a clean-up operation.
His victims
say that he is "fixing" them for voting for the opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change in March.
Opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai hinted yesterday that South Africa had
pledged to take a stronger
stand against the Mugabe regime in the face of
growing international outrage
at the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
South African President Thabo Mbeki
had decided that quiet diplomacy towards
Zimbabwe had failed, Mr Tsvangirai
said.
"I think what President Mbeki can do, and which he assured me he is
going to
do, is to change tack, to change strategy around how to influence
the course
of events in Zimbabwe," he said.
"President Mbeki has a
role to play in the solution of the Zimbabwe crises
but has failed to do so
over the last three years through quiet diplomacy
because he believed
strongly that he could persuade President Robert Mugabe
to see that he was
facing a precipice."
Mr Tsvangirai was responding to a question on
whether he had an idea of the
reason behind the lightning visit to Harare on
Tuesday by South Africa's
Deputy President, Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka flew in for talks with Mr Mugabe and his
deputy, Joyce
Mujuru, and said she had come to help "synchronise" Pretoria's
policies with
Harare. "I was getting a global understanding of the
challenges, and we are
challenged," she said.
The visit came after US
President George W. Bush last week accused Mr Mugabe
of "destroying" his
country and urged South Africa to intervene.
The Times, AFP
BBC
Food imports head into Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has begun a
massive programme to import food from South
Africa to feed 4m people which
the United Nations estimates are in need of
food aid.
The state-run
Grain Marketing Board head said imports of 1.8m tons of
maize should be
enough until June next year.
The government had predicted a bumper
harvest but blamed drought for
the shortfall, not its controversial land
reform programme.
Zimbabwe has been slow to take UN food, saying it
wants to feed its
own people.
Aid agencies say the campaign to
demolish some poor townships, which
has left some 300,000 people homeless,
is likely to exacerbate the food
crisis.
'Tough
line'
"We have embarked on a massive importation programme. The
maize has
already started coming into the country from... South Africa,"
Grain
Marketing Board head Samuel Muvuti told state
media.
"We have opened all our routes to ensure that the
grain comes into the
country [in time]."
Meanwhile, opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader
Morgan Tsvangirai said South
Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who is often
criticised for not taking a
tougher line on Zimbabwe, was ready to try new
strategies to deal with the
country's problems.
"He recognises that the quiet diplomacy has not
produced the requisite
result," Mr Tsvangirai said at a press conference on
Wednesday, AFP reports.
He was speaking after talks between South
Africa's new Deputy
President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and President Robert
Mugabe on Tuesday.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said she is working to
understand the "economic
challenges" facing Zimbabwe.
'Trampling humanity'
But Zimbabwe's Information Minister Tichaona
Jokonya said he did not
see any purpose in the MDC turning to South Africa
for help.
"If they have gone to President Mbeki then God
help them. I do not see
any useful purpose to be served by that approach, "
Mr Jokonya told
state-run television.
"We have solved many,
many intricate political problems in this
country which were the product of
our colonial past and we have never had
anybody to come and tell us how to
do it" he said.
South African church leaders have accused President
Mugabe of
"trampling on humanity" with the recent destruction of houses in
what he
says is a crackdown to rid cities of criminals.
A
motion proposed by the MDC condemning the demolitions has been
rejected by
Zimbabwe's parliament by 54-33 votes.
Earlier this month the World
Food Programme head James Morris said the
current food shortages in Zimbabwe
made it one of the countries he was most
worried about in the
world.
Critics blame shortages on its land policy which has seen
thousands of
white farmers forced to leave their land in the past five
years.
The government blames food shortages on drought and economic
sabotage
by Western countries, led by the UK, opposed to land
reform.
News24
Why Zim needs a catastrophe...
14/07/2005 19:25 -
(SA)
Johannesburg - The situation in her country needed to reach
catastrophic
proportions before the world took notice, said a member of the
Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on Thursday.
Thabita
Khumalo, secretary of the ZCTU's women's advisory council, said: "I
want to
believe something bad is going to happen. That is the only language
the
world will understand," said .
"You get help when there's been a
catastrophe," she told a press conference
in Johannesburg.
Khumalo
was recounting her recent experience of being beaten up by a group
of thugs
who disrupted a ZCTU women's meeting in Harare on July 9.
She sat down
painfully and winced as the camera lights were turned on her.
Beatings
'won't break my spirit'
"They turned my body into a punching bag. One of
the guys re-arranged my
skin tone," she said pointing to a large bruise that
spread from her left
eye to the side of her face.
"They will never
touch my spirit, that I can assure you."
Congress of SA Trade Unions
(Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said
the South African government
needed to be far more aggressive in
highlighting the plight of ordinary
Zimbabweans.
Vavi said: "They are going through unbelievable levels of
hell.
"The African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development
will be
discredited if we don't hear their voice to condemn what is
happening (in
Zimbabwe)."
SABC
Africa blamed for complacency in Zimbabwe crisis
July 14,
2005, 18:15
A Zimbabwe trade unionist says Africa will only pay attention
once the
situation resembles the Rwanda genocide and Darfur crisis. Thabitha
Khumalo,
the head of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions' (ZCTU) women's
affairs,
is part of the union's delegation in the country for talks with the
Congress
of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
The ZCTU says
Operation Restore Order has seen Zimbabweans become refugees
in their own
country. Khumalo, whose face was blue and swollen following a
violent
assault allegedly by youths, says Zimbabweans have been shocked and
numbed
by their country's Operation Restore Order.
Cosatu on the other hand says
the current crisis, which occurred as result
of the operation, is too big
for civil society. The federation has
subsequently urged African governments
to get involved.
Cosatu describes the situation in Zimbabwe as a massive
tragedy and the only
way forward is for that country is to establish a
Broad-Based Government of
National Unity, embracing all political parties,
civil society, church and
labour.
Business Day
Posted to the web on: 14 July 2005
SADC region stable,
says
Kasrils
Sapa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is stable, largely
owing to member states' commitment to the consolidation of democracy and
good governance, Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils said
today.
Speaking at the 26th meeting of the SADC Inter-State Defence and
Security
Committee, he included Zimbabwe - whose general election earlier
this year
was widely condemned internationally as not being free and fair -
as one of
the SADC countries showing such commitment.
"In this
regard, the successful elections held in Botswana, Malawi,
Mozambique,
Namibia, Mauritius and Zimbabwe are a reflection of this," he
told the
meeting, underway in Boksburg, Gauteng.
A copy of Kasrils' speech was
sent to Sapa.
"In particular, the success of these elections resides in
their compliance
with the SADC principles and guidelines governing
democratic elections.
"As a result they were accompanied by an absence of
violence, where the
smooth handover of power was the order of the
day.
"Further, in instances where the constitutionally-set tenure of
presidents
has come to an end, leaders have vacated office, as reflected in
Malawi,
Mozambique and Namibia."
Kasrils said the SADC region was
stable.
"There is no interstate conflict nor violent hostilities besides
the
occasional localised clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Notwithstanding these outbreaks, the transitional arrangements that have
been put in place in the DRC have been tested and have proved
resilient."
Kasrils also told the committee the security and well-being
of SADC
countries "are inextricably tied to that of each other and indeed
the
continent".
IOL
Appeal for retired Zim nurses to work again
July 14 2005
at 04:29PM
Harare - Zimbabwe will rehire retired nurses to help
ease a critical
staff shortage in public hospitals caused in part by the
exodus of health
care workers to Europe and Australia, the health minister
said on Thursday.
Zimbabwe's public hospitals have a shortage of
about 3 000 nurses.
With an estimated unemployment rate of more than 70
percent, the majority of
Zimbabwe's 12 million people rely on public health
care, which is
considerably cheaper than private facilities.
The brain drain has put further strain on the health sector which has
been
hit by the Aids pandemic, said to be killing 2 500 Zimbabweans every
day. An
estimated 24,6 percent of the country's adult population is infected
with
the HIV virus.
"We are training about 1 000 primary
care nurses and over 4 500 other
nurses a year. They are still leaving (the
country), but the trend has
slowed. I am very excited by that," Health and
Child Welfare Minister David
Parirenyatwa said.
"We will
welcome retired nurses who want to come and help us. One of
the most
important things about retired nurses is that besides teaching,
they are
very good when it comes to discipline and ethics," he said.
Nurses
normally retire when they are 60 years old. Parirenyatwa said
those wanting
to return would be screened before they could resume their
nursing
duties.
Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis since
independence
from Britain 25 years ago and many professionals have left the
country. The
health sector has been hardest hit as nurses and doctors flock
to
neighbouring Botswana and as far afield as Britain and
Australia.
The Southern African country also has a shortage of
doctors. About 160
are trained annually, but a large proportion leaves soon
after.
The brain drain is only one of several problems afflicting
the
country, including acute foreign currency, fuel, food and medicine
shortages.
President Robert Mugabe, in power since
independence, is accused by
opponents and critics of running down one of
Africa's most promising
economies through a series of unsound policies,
including land seizures.
Mugabe denies the charges and says the
economy is the victim of
sanctions and sabotage by opponents of his forcible
redistribution of
white-owned farms for black Zimbabweans.
NCA Condemns Attack On Philani
Zamchya
The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) strongly condemns
the poisoning of the former Zimbabwe National Students’ Union president, Philani
Zamchya by suspected state security agents.
Zamchya was kidnapped by a six men gang in town on Wednesday
13th July 2005. The men jostled him into an unmarked Defender vehicle
which had no number plates. After making him drink some liquid and assaulting
him, the men dumped Zamchya along Seke road where he started experiencing severe
stomach pains. Zamchya only managed to be taken to hospital after he phoned
Donald Lewanika, a friend who took him to the Avenues clinic where doctors
confirmed that he had been made to drink chlorine.
The NCA deplores such murderous acts that are aimed
suffocating democracy. The men who kidnapped Zamchya accused him of planning an
NCA demonstration, threatening that he would lose his life if he continues
participating in activities of the NCA.
The NCA sees this as an open
attack to the cause for a democratic constitution in Zimbabwe. Zamchya’s
tormentors are part of the clique that is benefiting from the status qou
and are against an open democracy that will help spread the proceeds from
national coffers to the majority of Zimbabweans. The existence of such
reactionaries will certainly not stop the NCA from wedging the struggle for a
democratic constitution in the country. More demonstrations and other forms of
mass action in protest against the prevailing bad governance are on the
cards.
In applauding his bold steps in fighting a regime that
thrives on an anachronistic constitutional framework, the NCA wishes Zamchya a
speedy recovery.
Jessie Majome
NCA
Spokesperson
14 July 2005
/cm
Stuff, New Zealand
Last-ditch efforts to stop Zimbabwe tour
15 July
2005
By MARTIN KAY
New Zealand officials in London will meet
International Cricket Council boss
Ehsan Mani today in a last-ditch attempt
to stop the Black Caps' tour to
Zimbabwe.
But the meeting looks
doomed to fail after Mr Mani made it clear the tour
could be stopped only if
the Government made it illegal.
With the Government ruling that out as a
step too far, the only chance of
today's meeting stopping the tour is if Mr
Mani says the ICC will accept a
strongly worded resolution from Parliament
as enough for the Black Caps to
pull out.
However, that is fraught
with difficulties as any resolution will require
overwhelming support. ACT
says it will not back anything that "tells" New
Zealand Cricket what to do,
and Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff has
indicated it would ask, rather
than order, the team not to go.
Today's meeting comes after Mr Goff asked
Mr Mani to clarify a statement
that suggested the tour could be cancelled
and the Black Caps could avoid a
$2.9 million fine if the Government
"directed" the team not to go, which it
has no power to do.
The
statement contradicted ICC rules, which say tours can be called off
without
sanction only if it is "impossible" or "illegal" to travel or there
are
security threats.
The statement raised hope among MPs who want the tour
canned because of
Robert Mugabe's repressive regime, but Mr Mani smothered
it with a second
statement yesterday that said "a tour should take place
unless a government
prohibits such a tour by making it illegal for its
cricket team to
participate".
Mr Goff said high commissioner to
London Jonathan Hunt and officials would
meet Mr Mani today in a final
effort to see what the Government could do
short of banning the
tour.
"But I have to say that I am cynical that the letter . . . is an
invitation
for us simply to issue a statement that they should not
go.
"I believe that what we will find is that they will insist . . . that
this
country would have to make it illegal. Most parties are concerned about
the
precedent that that would establish.
"We neverthless want to put
a resolution before Parliament that not only
condemns Mugabe but also calls
for the tour not to proceed."
Green co-leader Rod Donald - who failed to
persuade other parties to support
a bill banning sporting links with
Zimbabwe - said any resolution should be
as strong as possible so New
Zealand Cricket could "call the ICC's bluff".
"It's unfortunate that Phil
Goff took the opportunity that the ICC gave to
issue a directive and asked
'exactly what sort of directive do you mean?'.
The ICC have used that polite
request to firm up what is required.
"I think it's now important that our
Parliament unite behind a resolution
condemning the Mugabe regime and
calling on New Zealand Cricket not to go
and I want that to be in the
strongest possible language that can gain the
support of the overwhelming
majority of Parliament.
"This should be the easiest catch of Phil Goff's
life . . . "
Mapfumo calls for armed struggle
By Lance Guma
14 July
2005
In a sign of how bad things have become in Zimbabwe
Chimurenga music
icon, Thomas Mapfumo, has called for an armed struggle to
topple Robert
Mugabe. In an interview at the Eden Music festival two weeks
ago, promoting
Live 8 in the UK, he says the white regime of Ian Smith did
more for the
welfare of Africans than Robert Mugabe's government has. The
title of his
new CD, 'Rise Up' has a song entitled 'Kuwarira Mukati'. In the
song he
calls on Zimbabweans to rise up and not suffer in
silence.
Mapfumo says the government has banned his music on
the state
broadcaster because of the political content. The ban is now so
broad they
will not even play any of his love songs. He had a very good
relationship
with government before independence but this gradually
deteriorated as
Mugabe became more dictatorial. When people elected Mugabe
they thought he
would be their saviour but Mapfumo believes he has been a
big let down.
Pressed on what he meant by rise up, he said 'if
we say enough is
enough, the gun is the answer.' The suffering in the
country has gone on for
too long and people just have to do something to
effect change.'
It is a great tragedy that the immense suffering in
Zimbabwe and the
lack of regional pressure on Mugabe to step down is forcing
Zimbabweans to
think of turning to violence.
SW
Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
CIO infiltrate UK groups
By Lance Guma
14 July
2005
There is mounting concern that a significant number of
state security
agents from Zimbabwe are infiltrating groups in the UK under
the pretext of
helping asylum seekers or even claiming asylum themselves.
Several meetings
have been disrupted by rowdy elements who claim to be
genuine activists. The
growing fear is that Mugabe is sending spies into the
UK who will be
collecting information on activists in the
country.
Wiz Bishop, an activist based in London, has warned
all asylum seekers
in the UK to be careful who they approach for help. She
believes it's
important not to divulge personal details to people whose
background is not
clearly known.
A weekly activist meeting
known as the Forum was disrupted on Monday
when a group of three individuals
Nobel Sibanda, Edward Kambarani and Isaiah
Mugobi continuously interjected
in discussions taking place. Sibanda, who
heads the United Network of
Detained Zimbabweans, says the allegations are
not true and that the other
associations feel threatened by their work.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
Mlambo-Ngcuka 'Nudging Mugabe'
Business Day
(Johannesburg)
July 14, 2005
Posted to the web July 14,
2005
Dumisani Muleya
Johannesburg
SOUTH African Deputy
President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was in Zimbabwe on
Tuesday to push
President Thabo Mbeki's bid to revive talks between the
ruling Zanu (PF) and
the main opposition party.
Official sources said yesterday that
Mlambo-Ngcuka had a mandate from Mbeki
to nudge Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe to talk to Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.
"Her mission was a follow-up on the talks between Mbeki and
Mugabe last week
in Libya over the issue of talks between Zanu (PF) and the
MDC," a senior
government official said.
Mlambo-Ngcuka met Mugabe and
Joint Vice-President Joyce Mujuru for several
hours.
"There is always
a co-ordinated approach to assist Zimbabwe," Mlambo-Ngcuka
said
afterwards.
"We need to understand as well the extent of the challenges
and the impact
on the people. I was getting a global understanding of the
challenge."
Mbeki's spokesman, Bheki Khumalo, would not comment on the
issue, referring
questions to Mlambo-Ngcuka's press officers. Kanyo Gqulu,
Mlambo-Ngcuka's
spokesman, said he could not confirm or deny that the issue
of Zanu (PF)-MDC
talks was on his boss's agenda.
Mbeki met Mugabe on
the sidelines of the African Union summit in Sirte,
Libya, to discuss the
revival of talks to resolve Zimbabwe's political and
economic crisis. Mugabe
also met Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in
Libya, who later revealed
that Mugabe had agreed to talk to Tsvangirai.
Sources said that former
Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano would
facilitate the
talks.
However, Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba, said although Mugabe
had met
Mbeki and Obasanjo, there would be no talks with the
opposition.
Zanu (PF) and the MDC started talks after the disputed
presidential election
in 2002, but these collapsed. Mbeki and Obasanjo have
been trying to restart
the stalled talks.
Meanwhile, the MDC's court
challenge over disputed election results suffered
setbacks this week. There
was a break-in by "unknown criminals" at the high
court where ballot box
evidence relating to the trial was being kept. The
boxes were opened and the
ballots mixed, preventing the vote auditing,
initially expected to start on
Monday, from getting under way.
The process had originally failed to
start on time because lawyers could not
agree on which boxes to count
first.
The MDC said yesterday that Zanu (PF) was trying to destroy
evidence proving
that the election had been rigged.
MDC legal affairs
secretary David Coltart told journalists that Zanu (PF)
was trying to
sabotage Tsvangirai's case. This had forced Tsvangirai to file
an urgent
application in the supreme court, Coltart said. The MDC now wanted
the
highest court in the land to deal with the issue.
Barbados Advocate
Those with principles must speak out against
Mugabe
Web Posted - Thu Jul 14 2005
Over a period of time your newspaper
published several articles pointing out
serious problems with the way some
governments were operating in Africa. You
also printed articles about good
governance in other countries on that
continent. Botswana is perhaps the
best example.
Response on certain radio stations to those articles did not
include the
positive side that you published so there was criticism that the
unfavourable spotlight was put on leaders like Robert Mugabe. As a matter of
fact one of your columnists criticised your newspaper for revealing the
truth of what is going on, including modern day slavery.
I admit that
Mugabe served his country well during the liberation war to
oust Ian Smith,
but in the past few years up to the present he turned
against his own
people, based on hunger for power and partisan politics.
I remember you
stated that Barbados gave an excellent formula for land
redistribution
through our Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act. Mugabe did it
by compulsorily
seizing lands, factors, plantations and stores. Everyone can
now see you
were right because of the total mess that Zimbabwe is in today
with poor
black people suffering while Mugabes regime is preventing food
aid to get
to the people he believes did not vote for him.
How sad that this is
happening to a country that was once the breadbasket of
Southern Africa with
one of the continents highest literacy rates, and a
prosperous agricultural
and manufacturing sector.
What the world is seeing today is a shameful
situation but those individuals
and organisations that are always condemning
Britain and European countries
for what happened nearly 200 years ago are
not saying a single word on
behalf of the millions that are being ruthlessly
crushed in Zimbabwe today.
I find that it is hypocrisy to talk about
standing up for black people when
they are seen to suffer at the hands of
other races but remain silent when
it is question of Blacks victimising
other Blacks. That is a major weakness
among African leaders and also people
in the diaspora. They live in a state
of denial that is preventing much of
the positive progress that continent is
basically capable of
achieving.
If people are not true to the principles they say they
respect, they are
only exposing themselves as hypocrites. Let those who
still have any
principles speak out against what Mugabes ZANU-PF is doing
to their fellow
citizens who we say are our brothers and sisters in
Zimbabwe.
ERNIE SCANTLEBURY
No Hope of Recovery Under Mugabe Regime
Financial Gazette
(Harare)
OPINION
July 14, 2005
Posted to the web July 14,
2005
Isaya Sithole
Harare
IN the first part of this series last
week I pointed out that the Zimbabwean
crisis is now assuming proportions
outside the capacity of the current
regime to deal with, contrary to all the
claims and pretensions of the
government.
This week I discuss how
Zimbabwe's economic recession has now transformed
from a cyclical to a
structural crisis.
The noble efforts of the central bank in tring to
resuscitate the economy
are now taking a negative turn as the regime begins
to crumble under the
weight of its irreconcilable complexities and
absurdities.
The treasury is now as bankrupt as the political system and
the
manifestations are there for everyone to see.
The ordinary
Zimbabwean on the street who is wearing the shoe is the one who
knows best
where it hurts. If the poverty and hardships faced by ordinary
Zimbabweans
were shared between them and their leaders, it would not
generate so much
tension.
The crux of the matter is that we are witnessing poverty for the
masses amid
plenty for the forgetful political class. Indications are that,
sooner or
later, those who possess and are selfish will not have their
dinner in
peace.
Unmistakably, it is the totality of the Zimbabwean
crisis which now
generates within the structures of President Robert
Mugabe's ZANU PF party
the pressures for what is called "political
reform".
While for the opposition, the broader civil society and the
international
community a long-term solution lies in "regime change", for
ZANU PF "reform"
has become the magic word for ending the crisis.
But
the party hopes against hope that economic, as opposed to political,
reforms
spearheaded by Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono will do the trick.
Being a
party with a Marxist-Leninist orientation, ZANU PF knows well that
"economics is the base, and politics is the concentrated expression of
economics".
The idea and hope seems to be that if a miracle happens
and the economy
fully recovers, all opposition to the system will fizzle out
and the main
opposition Movement for Democratic Change party will be
rendered irrelevant.
The ruling party and government seem determined to
continue to believe and
argue that the economic crisis in Zimbabwe is not
political and that it can
be solved on a purely economic front without any
far-reaching political
concessions.
There is nothing that can be
further from the truth. The reality is that the
central bank is being given
an insurmountable task.
The dramatic irony of the situation is that the
costs of managing the
superstructure of the status quo and implementing and
sustaining a
turnaround programme are beginning to exceed the surpluses
generated by the
system. As such, there is no hope for an economic recovery
under the current
regime.
"Reform", which ZANU PF believes in, by
definition consists of an adjustment
of the variables within a given
institutional structure or simply "reform"
through changes within the
system. It presupposes an acceptance of the
fundamental framework within
which the system operates.
In the case of Zimbabwe, this would amount to
no more than rearranging the
furniture of ZANU PF and opening windows to
make the system appear more
democratic and accommodating, without altering
it in any fundamental way.
This, quite clearly, is not what the majority
of the people of Zimbabwe can
and will accept.
With the current
economic rot and the government's callous insensitivity, if
not inhumanity,
a prairie fire has been ignited and there now exists in
Zimbabwe's body
politic more inflammable material than is within the
capacity of the
fire-fighting Harare regime to extinguish.
There doesn't seem to be
anyone who sees the way out for ZANU PF and the
economy. We are just
stumbling blindly and falling.
Zimbabwe has been in a deep economic
crisis since 1997 and to date we are
still experiencing lethal problems
characterised by a negative growth rate,
scarcity of foreign currency on the
official market, an intermittent and
cyclical hyperinflationary rate, a
biting shortage of fuel and basic
commodities, high unemployment, depressed
demand due to low salaries which
mean less disposable income, low investment
levels preceded by massive
capital flight from the country.
Currently
we have an unprecedented fuel crisis which has literally grounded
industry
and commerce to a halt, in addition to worsening an already
critical urban
transport situation. There is currently no sound proposal
from the
government on how to ensure the availability of fuel.
What makes the
situation even more tenuous is the proposed hike of
electricity tariffs by
between 200 and 600 percent with effect from this
month. The Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority has already started
load-shedding on an
increased scale. A combination of the fuel and energy
crises will paralyse
and cripple all economic activity.
Worse still, there are irreconcilable
fundamentals between the government's
progressive monetary policy and its
retrogressive fiscal policy, as the two
are not properly synchronized. The
government has no fiscal discipline and
the fiscal policy is under threat
from high debt levels as the government's
domestic debt is now over $10
trillion while the external debt is around $4
trillion. Total debt is above
$14 trillion which is much more than the
country's gross domestic product
(GDP). The government is aware of both the
crisis and its magnitude and has
tried this and that but the truth is that
they have long exhausted their
capacity to deal with the challenges facing
the nation. All the government's
"economic recovery plans" have hit a brick
wall but there was unprecedented
hope and faith in the Central Bank's
monetary policy, which hope and faith
are now wearing thin following the new
levels the crisis is now assuming. In
the past we have had several worthy
and unworthy economic plans which became
much ado about nothing. These range
from Growth with Equity and Zimcord in
1981 through the first Five Year
National Development Plan in 1986, the
Economic Structural Adjustment
Programme in 1991, Zimprest in 1996, Vision
2020, the Zimbabwe Millennium
Economic Recovery Programme in 2000 and most
recently the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe's efforts to restart the
economy.
It is clear now that notwithstanding the missionary zeal and
adventures of
its Governor, the Reserve Bank seems to be fighting a losing
battle due to
massive governmental interference for short-term political
expediency, and
even outright sabotage by influential politicians and
businessmen within the
system. But whatever the case, Gideon Gono will go
down in history as having
put up a good fight. He is one of a few operating
within the system who
still has a conscience and better economic sense.
There are now in Zimbabwe
a whole lot of factors putting a much higher
price-tag on the sustenance of
the political status quo and the structures
of a mismanaged economy. The
regime and capital have over the past few years
generally responded in
diverse ways to the emerging costs and difficulties.
For capital, both
domestic and international, Zimbabwe has become a
high-risk and high-cost
investment site. It may well be said that capital is
in a dilemma. Any move
towards higher capital investment is an act of
confidence - that markets
will expand and that profits sizeable enough to
repay the capital within a
reasonable time-scale can be
generated.
That confidence has been put into serious doubt since the
onset of the
recession in 1997 and may indeed have collapsed. The profit
rate has slumped
while a hyperinflationary rate has eroded the real value of
assets. And the
collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar and shortage of foreign
currency suggests a
breakdown of confidence on a substantial scale with
large amounts of capital
leaving the country. The refusal of the World Bank,
the IMF, major
international donors, foreign banks and other financial
institutions to
extend credit or grant new loans to Zimbabwe is now
beginning to be
traumatic; it implies a dwindling of the sources of funding
to meet the
rising costs of ZANU PF authoritarianism. With the economy in a
deep slump,
it has now become clear that overpowering economic and political
forces have
now combined to produce a comprehensive structural crisis for
the Zimbabwean
economy, generating schisms of varying significance within
capital, the
regime and some sections of the Zimbabwean populace.
The
response of the regime to the crisis, especially since 2000, has been
manifold. The state's involvement and intervention in the national economy
was sharply accelerated. The instruments of coercion and repression have
been perfected and considerably enlarged. The bureaucracy required to manage
and administer the ever-increasing body of legislative and ministerial
controls and restrictions on business and the hungry and restless masses has
been similarly increased. A specific militarist social formation aimed at
securing military self-sufficiency, intimidating dissenting voices, stifling
free political debate and crushing resistance has been set in train, with
the police, armed and security forces occupying an increasingly political
role in directing and implementing the state's policies. Not to mention a
bloated and inefficient civil service coupled with thriftless non-productive
expenditure by government. In these essentials, the massive growth of the
ZANU PF state machine requires funding far beyond the surplus the regime can
generate.
These difficulties have now reached the point of
unprecedented crisis- the
gravest yet in the history of the state. The
fundamental factor contributing
to the transformation of the recession into
a structural crisis concerns the
ever-growing absorption of the country's
resources by the state machinery.
These resources have to come from
somewhere but they can not come from
further taxation of the labour force as
that has been pushed to its limits.
Nor can they come from some miraculous
increase in productivity since such
an outcome is dependant upon the
wholesale dismantling of the structures of
the ZANU PF regime. Recent
developments suggest that resources available
from international borrowing
have now dried up and are unlikely to be
resumed for years to come. Public
pressure against bank loans to Zimbabwe
has become a major political force
in the United States, Britain and several
countries of Western Europe.
Hence, the needed resources can now only come
from corporate profits, which
are not much, if there is any.
It is in this context that for the first
time, business, both local and
international, is forced into an agonizing
reassessment of the value of
their interests in Zimbabwe, and into making a
choice as to whether they
should continue the risk of remaining committed to
the establishment. The
regime knows that its policies are not economically
sound and have resulted
in massive capital flight from Zimbabwe. Capital, on
the other hand, is
equally aware that keeping the lid on a potential revolt
by the majority of
the population through mounting repression and state acts
not only puts in
question that security, but undermines the capital
accumulation process
itself. The system, realizing the anger and impatience
of the people with
its failures, has set in motion a systematic process of
patronizing part of
the electorate through clandestinely dishing out
unbudgeted for funds to
them and thus give them a stake in maintaining the
status quo. Talk of the
war veterans, war collaborators and former
detainees. Now the system is
pursuing an appeasement policy code-named
"Operation Garikai" to appease
"tsunami victims" in the aftermath of the
discredited "Operation Restore
Order".
Again the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe was arm-twisted to release a yet
unbudgeted for and staggering $3
trillion to build houses for the displaced
and homeless. Many of the youth
militia from the National Youth Service who
are used to prop up the regime
are now involved in managing the institutions
of the system- in the police,
security and armed forces, in the various
departments of state, in executive
and managerial positions of the economic
infrastructure, and in other forms
of non-productive employment. This
parasitic profile of employment has
considerably raised the cost of
maintaining an authoritarian regime. As
opposition to the regime mounts,
this sector of crony employment can only
become more expensive and
extensive. Capital will ultimately have to bear
these costs without any
certainty of social and political stability or a
resumption of high rates of
return on investment. How far will capital go in
abandoning the Mugabe
regime?
This is certainly the central problem
confronting the regime but much
depends on what the regime itself will do in
the near future. They have to
choose either to be responsible and thus dig
themselves honorable graves or
to be irresponsible and dig themselves
dishonorable graves. I hope that they
will choose the former for, as a
result of my personal interaction with some
of the influential pillars of
the system; I know that they want to leave
behind a good legacy although
they still need to do a lot in shedding their
characteristic
"our-hands-are-tied" syndrome. Let's continue the discussion
next
week.
New Zimbabwe
Tsvangirai blows chance to heal rifts
Last updated:
07/14/2005 19:55:55
DAYS after his release from jail, Roy Bennett delivered a
devastating
critique of the Movement for Democratic Change today.
At
the risk of being labelled "mad" by one of Morgan Tsvangirai's aides, the
outspoken former Chimanimani MP spoke of "opportunists" and money grabbers
hijacking the party.
The MDC came out fighting. Bennett was "out of
touch" after spending eight
months in jail, opined Tsvangirai's spokesman,
William Bango.
It is this cavalier and often dismissive attitude to
criticism that has put
the MDC on a slippery slope to
Amageddon.
Tsvangirai's shadow cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday reenforces
this view.
If the reshuffle was designed to end the well documented rifts
at the top of
the MDC leadership, the outcome would appear to be the
opposite.
How, for instance, is Moses Mzila Ndlovu's elevation to foreign
affairs
spokesman at the expense of Priscilla Misihairabwi likely to heal
the
divisions within the MDC?
Mzila Ndlovu is a brute and a thug who
physically attacked one of
Tsvangirai's advisers last year, directly leading
to his removal from the
same position. So what has changed?
While
reshuffles are not isolated to the MDC only, Tsvangirai's obsession
with
shadow cabinets and positional politics exposes him to criticism. If
the
suggestion that Mzila's return is because he has President Thabo Mbeki's
ear
is true, then one has to wonder whether Tsvangirai is in charge at
all.
Misihairabwi had done nothing wrong. She was hard working,
intelligent and
gave an eloquent representation of the MDC's policies. In
fact her elevation
to the key post of foreign affairs secretary had been
hailed as a triumph
for women. But with three women ranged against 13 men in
the new shadow
cabinet, Tsvangirai has unwittingly alienated the female
constituency.
So much for healing rifts!
Mmegi, Botswana
SADC and the AU have failed
Zimbabweans!
WHITHER BOTSWANA?
DAN MOABI
7/14/2005 9:42:22 AM (GMT +2)
It seems the people of Zimbabwe can
forget about ever getting any kind
of assistance from either the African
Union (AU) or the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) concerning
their autocratic president and his
government.
Earlier this
year, it was the fraudulent elections, which both the AU
and SADC happily
endorsed as free and fair.
Now, the Zimbabwe government is
destroying the homes of close to
half-a-million people under the pretext
that they are illegal and unsightly
structures. Initially, the AU described
the crisis as an internal matter,
but later dispatched an envoy to Harare,
who the government refused to see.
In contrast, SADC's reaction was total
silence.
It would be difficult, of course, to try to defend the
construction of
illegal and unsightly structures anywhere. What is difficult
to understand
about the Zimbabwe structures is that their owners were
allowed to live in
them for so long that many of them, some in their 70s and
80s, have never
owned any other homes.
Why did it suddenly
become so urgent to demolish the structures that
it had to be done in the
middle of the cold season? And why are the
properties being demolished with
such recklessness that a number of their
occupants, including small
children, got killed in the process?
While President Robert
Mugabe's government has promised to build
better accommodation for all the
affected families, it is difficult to
imagine how the government hopes to
meet the huge costs of such a project.
If Mugabe were confident
that his government could indeed raise the
required resources, would it not
have been better to postpone the demolition
of the structures and spend the
money on more urgent needs of the people of
Zimbabwe? If, on the other hand,
Mugabe was convinced that providing
accommodation that is more attractive
should be given top priority, why not
construct the new houses before
demolishing the old ones? This would,
without doubt, have been the most
logical way of resolving such a problem.
However, applying this
kind of logic to the problem of the illegal
structures assumes that building
decent homes for the affected people is the
sole reason behind the
demolition exercise. But is it? I do not think so.
The members of
the Zimbabwe government are very intelligent people who
could not possibly
believe that demolishing illegal structures before
building new ones was the
right way to solve the problem of this nature.
The only other
reason that I can imagine for the demolition project
is, as others have
already argued, to punish those who did not vote for the
president's party
in the last elections. And to make sure the message was
clear, the
demolitions had to take place as soon as possible after the
elections.
How disappointing that the SADC governments have
chosen to remain mum
in the face of such human rights violations on the part
of the Zimbabwe
government! Whatever happened to the principled spirit that
characterised
the activities of the Frontline States, the precursor of SADC?
These states
were tireless in their moral campaigns against the constant
violations of
human rights by the white-minority governments in Rhodesia and
South Africa.
They never tried to hide behind the principle of
non-interference in
internal affairs of neighbouring states.
Why do SADC governments find it so difficult to follow the example of
the
Frontline States in this regard? Could it be because the former would be
criticising a black government, led by a liberation-war veteran, whereas the
latter criticised white-minority governments? Or do our leaders do this out
of self-interest, in case they end up in a similar position to that of
Mugabe? Whatever the explanation for the unprincipled behaviour, it is
causing serious damage to both the regional and the international reputation
of SADC and its member states.
***
Assistant
Minister Oliphant Mfa's reputation as a backbencher was that
of a constant
basher of Botswana Ash, the company in his constituency. He
hardly left any
meeting of Parliament without attacking the company for one
reason or
another.
Mfa now threatens to take the entire private sector of
Botswana
head-on. He signalled this recently by terminating the work permit
of a
senior employee of Botswana Ash, and now intends to scrutinise the
employment practices of other companies.
He should be more and
remember that his government is fighting a
losing battle to attract foreign
direct investment to Botswana. He also
needs to understand that employing
expatriates is far more expensive in
terms of housing, passages, schooling
and other factors than employing
Botswana citizens.
His top
priority should be to help grow the economy, and not to hunt
down expatriate
employees for populist reasons.
From SW Radio Africa, 13 July
Tsvangirai lawyer's homestead
targeted
By Lance Guma
A 49 year old homestead belonging
to Advocate Eric Matinenga, who normally
represents opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai, is being targeted for
demolition. High Court judge, Charles
Hungwe issued an order barring the
Buhera Rural District Council and the
police from carrying out the
destruction, only after Advocate Matinenga
filed an urgent chamber
application challenging the move. The homestead
falls under an irrigation
scheme in Chief Nyashanu's area and has a kitchen,
gazebo and brick
storeroom. Matinenga says it will be unfortunate if
government is trying to
victimise him for representing the opposition leader
because 23 other
families live in the homestead. He believes it is a
hopeless task to even
attempt to engage Chief Nyashanu in Buhera over the
issue since most Chiefs
are government henchman.
Government
attempts to remove the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union
leadership erupted
into a violent attack on two top female union members.
Thabitha Khumalo and
Phoebe Vhareta, members of the Women's Advisory Council
were assaulted
during a meeting at the Quality International Hotel in
Harare. Twenty hired
thugs led by Kumbirai Kudenga burst into the room and
demanded Khumalo and
Vhareta leave the meeting. The assaults were then
carried out. Khumalo had
to be taken to the Avenues Clinic for treatment
while Vhareta sustained
minor injuries. Although the ZCTU previously secured
a court order barring
interference with its activities, the order cited only
two individuals,
Nicholas Mazarura and Langton Mugeji, the ring leaders. So
to get around the
court order the two are alleged to have recruited the
services of Kudenga
and a few hired thugs to do the dirty work for them.
ZCTU spokesman,
Mlamleli Sibanda says government has failed to mobilise
workers against
their union and hence is resorting to violence. Sibanda says
outside the
unions congress government has no chance of effecting a
leadership change
and their efforts will prove in vain. The state controlled
Herald newspaper
has also launched an aggressive campaign to discredit the
ZCTU for allegedly
abandoning the workers and meddling in politics.
Relations between
government and the ZCTU soured when the labour body
successfully lobbied the
Congress of South African Trade Unions to picket
the border in protests at
human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. This has
precipitated the current onslaught
on the ZCTU leadership.
Mail and Guardian
SA pilots to be released from Zim
jail
Harare, Zimbabwe
14 July 2005
12:08
Two South African pilots arrested in Zimbabwe last year
over an
alleged plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea will
be
released this month after serving two-thirds of their 16-month prison
terms,
their lawyer said on Thursday.
Pilot Jaap-Niel
Steyl and co-pilot Hendrik Jacobus Hamman are
currently being held in
Harare's top-security Chikurubi prison.
"They are due to be
released on July 21 or 29. They've served
their two-thirds [of jail time],"
their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, said.
The two men were
jailed by a Harare magistrate last September
for immigration and aviation
offences after they flew a Boeing 727 into the
country in
March.
The men were to pick up weapons in Zimbabwe that
prosecutors
said were to be used to overthrow the government of Equatorial
Guinea.
Sixty-four men aboard the plane, and three men who
went to meet
them in Harare -- including alleged coup plot leader and Briton
Simon
Mann -- were arrested and jailed for similar
offences.
Most of the men were slapped with year-long
sentences for
violating Zimbabwe's immigration laws. They were released in
May this year
and deported back to South Africa.
Several
of them have subsequently been charged under the
country's anti-mercenary
laws.
Mann, a former British special forces commando,
received a
seven-year sentence, later reduced to four for security and
firearms
offences relating to the purchase of weapons without a
certificate.
Zimbabwe does not have anti-mercenary laws,
which is why the men
were charged with relatively minor offences. --
Sapa-DPA
IOL
'Gangster' Mugabe likened to Idi Amin Hans Pienaar
July 14 2005 at 10:46AM
Colourful African-American philosopher
Cornel West has become the
latest prominent figure to denounce Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe.
To applause at the Human Sciences Research
Council in Tshwane on
Wednesday, he compared him to dictators and mass
murderers like Idi Amin and
Mobutu Sese Seko, and said he was "not afraid to
call a brother a gangster".
Delivering the first lecture in a
series of three on Nelson Mandela,
West also criticised South African
leaders in general, saying they were
losing touch with the impoverished
majority and that intellectuals had to
tell them what the truth was. He also
warned against idolatry, referring
implicitly to Mandela.
As great a man as Mandela was, he was not merely an icon but part of a
tradition without which he or the ANC could not have done anything, he
said.
West brought up the issue of Zimbabwe himself while
responding to a
question by Mildred Trouillot, wife of deposed Haitian
president
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He said Aristide was a democratically
elected
president "overthrown by thugs".
He said Aristide was
unlike Mugabe, who used to be a hero of African
Americans but was now a
gangster.
"I know gangsters when I see them," said West, who had
lived with them
in an American ghetto.
He warned several times
that South Africa's democracy was fragile and
still only a "magnificent
experiment. Without eternal vigilance, we'll lose
it."
The new
democracy came at a time when the "dogma of free-market
fundamentalism went
global", he said. He was especially scathing of the new
African bourgeoisie
and the youth "strutting around like peacocks" who
thought the struggle had
been about their success.
He said a "trans-generational transfer"
of freedom-struggle values had
to be made among the youth, adding that
"Mandela knows that the struggle
goes on and on and
on".
This article was originally published on page 5 of The
Star on July
14, 2005
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Fate of Sam Levy's Village hangs in the
balance
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Jul-15
THE
fate of Sam Levy's imposing office complex and shopping mall in
Borrowdale
hangs in the balance after the City of Harare yesterday said they
were still
looking at the circumstances under which the structures were
constructed in
the 1990s.
If nothing concrete comes up, the Village in the plush suburb of
Borrowdale
could possibly be demolished in the on-going clean up
operation.
Operation Murambatsvina has spread to the low-density areas and
yesterday,
Harare spokesperson Leslie Gwindi insisted that Levy had a case
to answer.
"We have been saying it (that the complex was irregularly
constructed). He
has a case to answer and we are looking into it," Gwindi
said.
The land the complex was built on was initially meant for residential
purposes and in 1989 and 1990, residents in the area obtained two court
orders barring the continued construction of the shopping mall.
A woman
at a real estate agent in charge of the two complexes who spoke on
condition
of anonymity refused to comment on the issue.
"We have heard about that
(possible destruction) and a lot of people have
also been phoning, but
unfortunately we are not going to comment," she said.
Gwindi added that
council was also regularising some structures that were
irregularly
constructed but added cases were being looked at individually.
"We are
looking at individual cases and have always encouraged residents
whose
structures were illegally constructed to come to council with proper
documentation that include, the house plans so that they are regularised.
However, those who have failed to do so will have their structures pulled
down," he said.
Some residents have been thronging council district
offices in their areas
to have their illegally constructed structures
regularised and this has seen
the fees charged by architects rising to as
much as $15 million dollars up
from $6 million.
Meanwhile residents of
Hatfield, Epworth and Waterfalls continued pulling
down illegal outbuildings
as the clean up of low-density areas continued
yesterday.
On Tuesday
police discovered 10 herds of cattle and several goats and
chickens that
were being kept in Waterfalls in contravention of the city's
by-laws.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
'Clean-up affects Aids patients,
opharns'
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Jul-15
MANY
people, especially vulnerable groups such as HIV and Aids patients and
orphans, are in dire need of food aid following their impromptu displacement
triggered by the government clean-up campaign now in its sixth week.
This
was said by Francoise le Goff of the International Federation of Red
Cross
and Crescent Societies (IFRCCS) while visiting Murambatsvina victims
in
Marondera town recently.
"We are very concerned and we urge the government to
take a more human
approach in its activities. A relocation plan should have
been formulated
before people were evicted," Le Goff said.
"More than 200
have been receiving food and we will continue sourcing funds
to help these
people because our mandate as Red Cross is to assist the most
vulnerable,"
she added.
She predicted that the blitz, whose aftermath would take years to
redress as
building materials had sky rocketed due to high demand, would end
soon.
The secretary general of the Red Cross Society in Zimbabwe, Emma
Kundishona,
said they had been assisting vulnerable groups in the
Mashonaland East
capital.
She said: "Red Cross distributes aid to
vulnerable groups such as child-
headed families and suffering people
through our home-based care programme.
"We are facing challenges in accessing
beneficiaries because they were
displaced by the clean-up."
Red Cross
records reveal that 74 beneficiaries were uprooted in Marondera
while at
least 10 relocated elsewhere.
Kundishona said problems such as shortage of
food, blankets, school fees,
relocation and employment opportunities,
haunted victims of the clean up.
The Red Cross is providing temporary relief
to affected families through its
eight provincial offices with support from
the IFRCRCS.
Assim Hamidu, an HIV and Aids patient, said his shack in
Dombotombo
high-density suburb was demolished he was now staying in the open
after
relatives had shunned him.
"The house is full. It has four rooms
and accommodating eight people is just
too much," he said.
The Red Cross
has distributed
2 825 blankets in eight provinces, provided 14 temporary
toilets for Harare
and Manicaland, four of them at Caledonia Farm,
the
transit camp for Murambatsvina victims seeking alternative places to
go.
This is in addition to cooking oil and 475 jerry cans donated
countrywide.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Allocation of stands at Whitecliffe hits
snag
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Jul-15
THE
government's intention to allocate and develop 9 000 stands at
Whitecliffe
Farm in the capital under Operation Garikai is in limbo after
the property's
owners - Eddies Pfugari Properties (Pvt) Limited - declined
to be
compensated by the State for losing the land.
Eddies Pfugari Properties'
owner Edward Tanyanyiwa told this newspaper
yesterday that his firm was not
in negotiations with government for
compensation for the acquisition by the
State of Whitecliffe Farm, contrary
to government assertions.
"There is
nothing like that (negotiations for compensation). The issue
(ownership
wrangle) is still on but contact my lawyers and they will brief
you on the
latest developments," Nyanyiwa said. His lawyers, Scanlen and
Holderness,
confirmed that there were no negotiations between the government
and their
client.
The lawyers said they would soon approach the High Court seeking the
confirmation of a provisional order granted by the court a fortnight ago
barring the government from allocating and developing stands at the
farm.
"We want to have our provisional order confirmed by the High Court and
that
is the stage we are at. At no time have we had talks with government
lawyers
or have there been any agreement between the two parties," the
lawyers said.
But the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban
Development
yesterday maintained that the ministry's lawyers were in
negotiations with
Eddies Pfugari Properties.
He said the farm in question
was now State property and the negotiations
were centred on compensating
Eddies Pfugari Properties for developments they
made at the farm.
"The
farm was acquired by the government for expansion of urban housing and
our
lawyers are now holding discussions with Pfugari on levels of
compensation,"
Chombo told The Daily Mirror. High Court Judge, Justice Mary
Gowora two
weeks ago issued a provisional order stopping government from
allocating
stands and building houses on farm.
She said: "It is declared that the
allocation of residential stands and
construction of sample houses by the
respondents and officers under them at
the applicant's property called the
remainder of Whitecliffe, situated in
the district of Salisbury, measuring
1065,7090 hectares, held under deed of
transfer No 10444/2000 is unlawful
and wrongful." Chombo was cited as the
respondent in the matter.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Parties urged to work together to solve basic
commodity shortages
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date
:2005-Jul-15
MDC Masvingo Central legislator, Tongai Matutu has called on
Zimbabwe's main
opposition and its rival Zanu PF to work closely to find
lasting solutions
to the current acute shortages of basic commodities, fuel
and drugs.
During a debate in Parliament yesterday on a motion moved by MDC
Harare East
MP, Tendai Biti, calling on the government to quickly address
the scarcity
of essential commodities, Matutu said: "Let's sit down and plan
ahead. That
would benefit our country. Patriotism is about providing food,
drugs, good
leadership."
The parliamentarian said he saw no need to lay
the blame of the shortages
squarely on the so-called sanctions, adding that
the embargo had nothing to
do with the disappearance of basic commodities
from shelves.
He cited sugar shortages saying some people were allocated land
to plant
sugarcane but had not done so. As a result, Matutu said, most
people now
spend more time in queues hunting for the scarce
basics.
Makonde MP (Zanu PF) Leo Mugabe said the shortages were
indefensible, but
the issue needed objectivity.
"Yes, we have massive foreign currency
shortages, but what is it that
government is doing to address it, what is
that the MDC is doing to assist?
We want to say that Zanu PF, MDC,
independent, but what is it that we must
do and not do," said Mugabe.
On
another note, deputy health minister Edwin Muguti said the shortages were
interlinked with sanctions.
The Chirumhanzu MP disagreed with critics
that Zimbabwe's health sector was
collapsing.
He said the government had
made strides in developing health infrastructure,
declaring the services
"were second to none."
St Mary's MP (MDC) Job Sikhala said it was unfortunate
some legislators were
not proactive because their children were not
affected.
"My child is facing a crisis of not getting a loaf of bread in our
stores,
but some honourable members' children are having breakfast in
London. Some
of them have white-in-laws," he said.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Agricultural inputs, implements 'smuggled to
Mozambique'
Netsai Kembo
issue date :2005-Jul-15
CROSS-border
traders in Mutare are reportedly smuggling large quantities of
agricultural
inputs and implements into neighbouring Mozambique, in what has
been
interpreted as frustrating government agrarian reform initiatives ahead
of
the farming season.
The suspected smugglers are being accused of ferrying
fertilisers, maize
seed and chemicals as well as ox-drawn ploughs and
harrows, for resale in
neighbouring Mozambique, where they are said to be
on high demand.
Well-placed sources said the above commodities had flooded
the streets of
the Mozambican cities of Chimoio, Manica and Beira, an
affront to the
capabilities of Zimbabwe's
agro-powered
economy.
Manicaland Governor and Resident Minister, Tinaye
Chigudu had expressed
disappointment over the allegations and called for
thorough investigations
to get to the bottom of the alleged scam.
"Such
behaviour, particularly at this time when government is doing
everything
possible to ensure that the agrarian reform programme becomes a
success, is
highly condemnable," Chigudu said.
"We, however, wish to thoroughly
investigate the report so that appropriate
action is taken," he
added.
Mozambican authorities in Mutare confirmed that Zimbabwean
manufactured
goods had indeed flooded their markets but that was not strange
considering
the cordial relations existing between the two Sadc
states.
"I confirm the abundance of Zimbabwean commodities in our country.
There is
nothing sinister about that as our countries have close trading
ties since
attaining independence," Mozambican vice consul in Mutare Americo
Nhanture
said recently.
"Zimbabwe itself also gets several commodities
from Mozambique," he added.
Concerned Zimbabweans said if these reports were
true, it was unfortunate as
it equated to a slap in the face of government's
desire to provide adequate
agricultural inputs and implements.
They said
smuggling farming implements meant to reassert Zimbabwe's enviable
status as
the breadbasket of the sub-region was tantamount to reversing the
gains of
the independence war whose origins was inequitable land
distribution.
"No
amount of economic hardships whatsoever may justify the smuggling of
such
strategic commodities for resale in a foreign country at the expense of
own
country," said James Machingami, a farmer. "Such love for money is
highly
deplorable for it also shows total lack of urgent redress."
For over two
years now, agriculture, the mainstay of the economy, has been
adversely
marred by critical shortages of essential inputs and implements
making a
mockery of the land reform.
Last week, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU)
president, Davison Mugabe
appealed to the corporate world to complement
government efforts by also
assisting farmers with inputs and other essential
resources.