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EU
to lift sanctions after referendum
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
23 July
2012
Sanctions against the remaining firms and most of the112 individuals
on the
European Union list will only be lifted once Zimbabwe holds a
referendum on
a new constitution.
The EU said in a statement on
Monday that they had agreed to lift the
sanctions once the country has held
‘a peaceful and credible’ vote on a new
charter, whose draft was released by
COPAC last week.
The EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also agreed
to resume direct
aid to the inclusive government after a 10-year suspension.
The EU said the
action they took was necessitated by what they called
‘constructive dialogue’
and political ‘progress.’
‘The EU agrees that
a peaceful and credible constitutional referendum would
represent an
important milestone in the preparation of democratic elections
that would
justify a suspension of the majority of all EU targeted
restrictive measures
against individuals and entities,’ the EU foreign
ministers said a
statement.
However sanctions against the ZANU PF leader Robert Mugabe
will remain in
place and the former ruling party blasted the EU decision to
link the
lifting of sanctions to a peaceful vote on a new
constitution.
Responding to the EU conditional lifting of sanctions,
party spokesman
Rugare Gumbo told a news agency: ‘It’s all nonsense as the
decision makes no
difference as we’ve never depended on the EU.’
‘We
depend on ourselves so their decision on sanctions makes no difference.
It’s
all nonsense.
‘Why are they talking about a lifting of sanctions
dependent on the holding
and outcome of a referendum? We don’t think that’s
the way to do it. We are
saying all sanctions must go.’
European
Union lifts aid restrictions but keeps up pressure on Mugabe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
EU foreign
ministers said broader easing of sanctions would require
'credible'
referendum on constitutional changes
Reuters in
Brussels
guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 July 2012 21.06 BST
Zimababwe
president Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe. The EU said there was no prospect of
lifting sanctions from
Zimbabwe's president and his inner circle.
Photograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPA
The European Union lifted curbs on aid to
Zimbabwe on Monday and held out
the prospect of removing sanctions from
Zimbabwean officials to encourage
political reform – though not from
President Robert Mugabe and his inner
circle.
EU foreign ministers
meeting in Brussels lifted the aid restrictions with
immediate effect but
said a broader relaxation of sanctions would depend on
a referendum on
constitutional changes due this year in Zimbabwe being
"peaceful and
credible".
The step is part of the strategy by western countries of
rewarding
Zimbabwe's uneasy coalition government for progress made since a
disputed
2008 vote, while keeping up pressure on Mugabe to carry out more
political,
economic and social reforms.
A spokesman for Mugabe's
Zanu-PF movement said the EU's decision proved his
party's long-held view
that Zimbabwe was under economic sanctions, and that
a case the southern
African country filed last month with the general court
of the EU
challenging the sanctions was valid.
"We are happy on one hand that our
case is being validated, but we are
unhappy on the other hand that they are
retaining some of the illegal,
immoral and unjustified sanctions which are
based on falsehoods," spokesman
Rugare Gumbo said.
Asked whether
Zanu-PF would implement more political reforms to get the
remaining
restrictions removed, Gumbo said: "We want all these sanctions
removed
because they are illegal, but we will never allow anyone to
interfere in our
domestic affairs. If there are processes here, we do them
for the good of
Zimbabwe, not to please foreigners."
Citing moves by Zimbabwe's
government of national unity to "improve the
freedom and prosperity of the
Zimbabwean people", the EU ministers said
Europe would end its ban on
sending development aid directly to the Harare
government. The EU provides
about €100m (£78m) a year in aid to Zimbabwe
through non-governmental
organisations. It will resume direct dealings with
Harare under a new aid
agreement for developing countries due to start in
2014, the ministers said.
The change affects only EU aid, not money given
directly by EU member
states.
Further easing of EU sanctions will depend on the holding of a
fair
referendum on a new constitution, seen as a key precursor to an
election
expected in 2013, the ministers said. The new constitution would
limit the
power of the president and strengthen that of parliament.
A
"peaceful and credible constitutional referendum ... would justify a
suspension of the majority of all EU targeted restrictive measures against
individuals and entities", an EU statement said.
EU diplomats said
there was no immediate prospect of rescinding sanctions on
Mugabe and his
inner circle.
Europe removed some Zimbabweans from its sanctions list in
February, but 112
people and 11 organisations remain affected by asset
freezes or travel bans.
Mugabe, 88, is one of Africa's longest-ruling
leaders and has been accused
of hanging onto power through vote-rigging. He
has denied reports of ill
health and says he is fit enough to contest the
next election.
Zimbabwe Zanu-PF EU
sanctions 'nonsense'
http://mg.co.za/
23 Jul 2012 19:42 - Sapa-AFP
Zanu-PF has
dismissed as "nonsense" the EU decision to link the lifting of
most
sanctions to a peaceful vote on a new Constitution.
"It's all
nonsense," Rugare Gumbo, spokesperson for the Zanu-PF, said.
"Why are
they talking about a lifting of sanctions dependent on the holding
and
outcome of a referendum? We don't think that's the way to do it. We are
saying all sanctions must go."
Mugabe and other top party officials
routinely blame EU and US sanctions for
undermining Zimbabwe's economy, but
Gumbo insisted on Monday that the
measures have had little impact on the
country.
"We really have never depended on the EU," he said. "We depend
on ourselves
so their decision on sanctions makes no difference."
EU
foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed to lift most
sanctions against Zimbabwe firms and individuals once the country has held
"a peaceful and credible" vote on a new Constitution.
Welcoming
"constructive dialogue" and political "progress", they also agreed
to resume
direct aid to Zimbabwe's government after a 10-year suspension.
The
sanctions would be lifted against most of the 112 Zimbabweans still
under an
EU asset freeze and traval ban decided in 2002, once a referendum
on a new
Constitution has been organised, probably at the end of the year. -
Sapa-AFP
Britain
and EU to lift sanctions against Robert Mugabe's allies
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Britain announced a
"step change" in its policy towards Zimbabwe, promising
to exempt a raft of
President Robert Mugabe's allies from personal
sanctions.
David
Blair
By David Blair, Chief Foreign Correspondent
4:56PM BST 23
Jul 2012
The measures, first imposed a decade ago, ban 112
individuals from visiting
the European Union, while also freezing any assets
they hold in European
banks. The targets include generals, cabinet
ministers, businessmen and
officials, all of whom are blamed for
masterminding political violence,
which has claimed hundreds of lives, or
looting Zimbabwe's shattered
economy, which has impoverished
millions.
Most of the targeted individuals will be taken off the list
and, in
principle, allowed to visit Britain and any other EU member
state.
A meeting of EU foreign ministers agreed to take this step
provided that
Zimbabwe holds a "credible" referendum on a new constitution
later this
year. The restrictions will be eased regardless of whether
Zimbabwe goes on
to hold a free and fair presidential election in
2013.
Violence has scarred every poll in Zimbabwe for the last 12 years,
with
militias from Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party hunting down his opponents. At
least
200 people were murdered before the last presidential election in
2008, with
thousands more beaten, tortured or abducted.
The Foreign
Office said that sanctions could be reimposed if the bloodshed
were to
recur. Mr Mugabe, 88, has promised to contest the next election
after 32
years in power.
He currently appears as number one on the sanctions
list – and William
Hague, the foreign secretary, made clear that he would
stay there. Sanctions
on Mr Mugabe and a core of his closest aides will
remain in place despite
Monday's decision. But more than half the names will
be dropped from the
list.
Mr Hague said this was justified by
"concrete progress on the ground".
"We have made clear that we would
respond to a peaceful and credible
referendum in Zimbabwe, due to take place
in the Autumn, with a suspension
of the majority of EU Restrictive Measures,
but not including those on
Mugabe," he said.
This amounted to an
"important step-change" in policy towards Zimbabwe, said
the Foreign
Secretary, with the aim of encouraging "reformers across the
political
spectrum".
President Mugabe has formed a coalition with Morgan
Tsvangirai, the former
opposition leader who now serves as prime minister. A
new constitution has
been agreed that should make a free and fair election
more likely.
But real power still lies in Mr Mugabe's hands and economic
recovery has
been held back by his insistence on keeping a punitive law that
compels any
company owned by foreigners or white Zimbabweans to surrender 51
per cent of
its shares.
Although no restrictions apply to trade or
investment in Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe
has blamed sanctions for the country's
economic malaise. This propaganda
line – however preposterous – has been
widely believed. Western diplomats in
Harare believe that lifting the
restrictions would rob Mr Mugabe of his
alibi.
These measures were
first imposed at the request of the opposition Movement
for Democratic
Change (MDC), which helped compile the list of targeted
individuals.
Today, however, Mr Tsvangirai, the leader of the MDC,
wants them to be
lifted.
Alex Vines, head of the Africa programme at
Chatham House, said the measures
had "passed their sell-by date" and become
an "impediment to progress". He
added that yesterday's decision struck the
right balance between rewarding
progress and maintaining the pressure on Mr
Mugabe.
Some individuals have already been dropped from the sanctions
list,
including Patrick Chinamasa, the Zanu-PF justice minister. He played a
key
role in undermining the independence of the judiciary by personally
hounding
Anthony Gubbay, then chief justice, into resignation.
UK
Tory gives 'cautious' welcome to EU move on Zimbabwe sanctions
http://www.theparliament.com/
By
Martin Banks - 23rd July 2012
" The first test will be the elections that
follow"
Geoffrey Van Orden
Senior UK MEP Geoffrey Van Orden says
he is "cautiously optimistic" after
the EU said it is to suspend most
sanctions against Zimbabwe once it has
held a credible referendum on a new
constitution.
Though sanctions will remain against the country's
president Robert Mugabe,
the move marks an "important milestone" towards
holding democratic
elections, according to EU foreign ministers.
More
than 100 key individuals have been covered under an EU travel ban and
assets
freeze imposed in 2002.
The sanctions were originally imposed a decade
ago in response to human
rights abuses and political violence.
Mugabe
and his rival, prime minster Morgan Tsvangirai, have been sharing
power
since disputed elections marred by violence in 2008
Reacting to the news
on Monday, Van Orden, an ECR member, said, "Just as in
Burma we have
responded to a change of heart and real progress towards
democratic change,
so we must now recognise the possibility of positive
developments in
Zimbabwe.
"We have always said that restrictive measures, aimed solely at
a governing
elite that has trampled on the people of Zimbabwe, could be
eased once there
was serious change.
"There are indications that this
will now happen and we need to be prepared
to move accordingly. If there is
any backward step then restrictive measures
can be re-imposed and
intensified.
"The adoption of a new constitution is a first step. The
first test will be
the elections that follow. The international community
will expect the
electoral preparations and the elections themselves to be
carried out with
scrupulous fairness, properly supervised to give
international assurance."
Van Orden, who has spearheaded parliamentary
calls for change in Zimbabwe,
added, "I remain concerned that those with a
vested interest in the Mugabe
regime and exploitation of Zimbabwe's
resources for their own benefit will
try and ensure their continued grasp on
power.
"There is no reason why all those genuinely committed to the
future freedom
and prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe, regardless of past
political
links, should not now seize the opportunity to begin to bring
Zimbabwe back
into the international community of democratic nations," said
the
Conservative MEP."
Zimbabwean prime minister says his country is
ready to emerge from pariah state and re-engage
http://www.canada.com
Australian Prime
Minister Julia Gillard, right, laughs with Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai during a lunch in Canberra, Australia Monday, July 23, 2012. (AP
Photo/Alan Porritt, Pool)
CANBERRA, Australia - Zimbabwean Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai has told Australian political leaders that his African nation
is ready to shed its reputation as a pariah state and re-engage with the
world.
Tsvangirai said in a speech at Australia's
Parliament House on Monday that the government he has formed with long-term
President Robert Mugabe since 2009 is a step toward ending the "dark and
unfortunate history" of "political polarization" within his country.
He says with the international community's
assistance, "we should be able to rescue the country."
Australia imposed targeted sanctions against
Zimbabwe in a bid to pressure Mugabe to restore democracy and the rule of
law.
The Australian government eased some sanctions
in March, removing 82 regime loyalists from its financial and travel sanctions
list.
End sanctions, says
Zimbabwe PM
http://www.smh.com.au
Suspend sanctions, says
Zimbabwe PM
Australian sanctions against
Zimbabwe should be suspended, says the country's Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, and reimposed if free and fair elections are not conducted on
schedule.
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has
called for Australia to suspend crippling sanctions against his isolated nation
and to send the national team for a cricket tour - the first in more than eight
years.
Mr Tsvangirai told the National Times this
morning that the situation in Zimbabwe was ‘‘much better’’ than the general view
of a country in crisis, and the embargo on arms sales should be
suspended.
He said sanctions should be suspended even
though this would allow President Robert Mugabe to travel freely.
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with
Prime Minister Julia Gillard in her office at Parliament House, Canberra.
Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The democracy champion said the fragile
power-sharing deal — struck in 2009 after Mr Mugabe refused to surrender office
despite losing the popular vote — has worked to calm Zimbabwe. A move to suspend
sanctions would be a signal of faith in the reform efforts.
He said it was "regrettable" that Prime Minister Julia
Gillard had not taken up her invitation to a summit of African leaders this
month – but now was the time to engage with Zimbabwe.
"There was a time when any restrictive measures
was an incentive for good behaviour, but I think that we are past that. I think
we have gone beyond what they can contribute positively," Mr Tsvangirai
said.
Mr Tsvangirai wants Australia to suspend
sanctions against Zimbabwe. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
He said fresh elections could be held within a
year and Australia should immediately suspend its sanctions, while leaving the
threat of sanctions in place, should the polls not run smoothly.
"Suspend these measures, but tie them to free
and fair elections," he said. "And, if the election is free and fair, fine ...
remove them permanently."
Mr Tsvangirai held talks with Ms Gillard in
Canberra this morning and had a meeting with AusAID chief Peter
Baxter.
Australia is one of the largest aid donors to
Zimbabwe, despite the heavy financial and travel restrictions on Mr Mugabe,
members of his family and supporters.
Mr Tsvangirai last visited Australia in 2007 –
only months after he was brutally bashed while meeting members of his Movement
for Democratic Change Party.
In 2008, he won a presidential ballot against Mr
Mugabe – but the 88-year-old who has ruled Zimbabwe for the three decades since
independence refused to step aside.
"We had a stalemate. I had the support of the
people, they had the guns," he said.
Asked if there were dangers in now lifting bans
on military exports to Zimbabwe, Mr Tsvangirai said the period of power-sharing
had helped calm political tensions.
"I think the transition has removed a lot of
barriers of suspicion, of polarisation. I think the country is moving towards
accepting ... even the military ... accepting the overall civilian authority as
the constitutional position. That way, it doesn't slide the country back again
into isolation. Even the military will benefit from a thriving
economy."
Mr Tsvangirai said Australia's mining expertise
was needed in Zimbabwe and business should again look at investment in his
country.
"The country has been isolated for the past 10
years. This is our attempt at re-engagement," he said.
"Africa is going through a very delicate
transition from the old Africa of dictators, of nationalisation and poverty. I
think it's going through a very optimistic time."
Mr Tsvangirai said Australia’s cricket squad
would be welcome in the country.
The Australia A team toured last year, but the
senior XI has not been since 2004.
Zimbabwe PM
goes in to bat for his country's future
http://www.smh.com.au
Date
July 24,
2012
Daniel Flitton
Senior Correspondent
THE Zimbabwean
Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has called on Australia to
end his
country's pariah status, suspend sanctions and send the national
team for a
cricket tour - the first in more than eight years.
Mr Tsvangirai told the
Herald in Canberra yesterday the situation in
Zimbabwe was ''much better''
than the commonly held view of a nation in
crisis.
In talks with the
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, he urged help in running
fresh elections that
he hoped would be held within a year, possibly inside
nine
months.
But he said international embargoes - including one on arms sales
- should
be suspended as a sign of faith in the reform efforts, even though
this
would allow freedom of travel for the President, Robert
Mugabe.
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''There was a time when any restrictive measures
[were] an incentive for
good behaviour, but I think that we are past that. I
think we have gone
beyond what they can contribute positively,'' Mr
Tsvangirai said.
The democracy champion said a fragile power-sharing deal
- struck in 2009
after Mr Mugabe refused to surrender office despite losing
the popular
vote - had worked to calm Zimbabwe.
Britain has already
moved to lift sanctions and other European countries are
to decide this week
if they will follow suit.
Mr Tsvangirai expects a new constitution to be
put to a referendum within
two months and said Australia could immediately
suspend its sanctions but
leave the threat of returning them, should polls
not run smoothly.
''Suspend these measures but tie them to free and fair
elections,'' he said.
''And, if the election is free and fair, fine … remove
them permanently.''
He said it was ''regrettable'' Ms Gillard had not
taken up an invitation she
sought to a summit of African leaders this month,
but now was the time to
engage with Zimbabwe.
Mr Tsvangirai last
visited Australia in 2007, just months after he was
brutally bashed while
meeting activists of his Movement for Democratic
Change party.
In
2008, he won a presidential ballot against Mr Mugabe, but the
88-year-old,
who has ruled Zimbabwe for more than three decades since
independence,
refused to step down.
''We had a stalemate. I had the support of the
people, they had the guns,''
Mr Tsvangirai said.
After months of
stand-off, including threats to Mr Tsvangirai's life that
forced him to seek
refuge in a foreign embassy in Harare, regional countries
brokered a
power-sharing deal.
''My relationship with President Mugabe has evolved
from a very acrimonious
relationship,'' he said. ''I have adopted a position
where confrontation
with him in the same government is not going to be
helpful.''
Asked if there were dangers in lifting bans on military
exports to Zimbabwe,
particular before the next election, Mr Tsvangirai said
the period of
power-sharing had helped calm political tensions.
''The
transition has removed a lot of barriers of suspicion, of
polarisation,'' he
said.
Even the military was closer to accepting civilian authority as the
constitutional position and realised it would also benefit from a thriving
economy, he said.
Zvimba
district becomes ‘no go’ area for MDC-T
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
23
July 2012
Stung by significant inroads made by the MDC-T in Zvimba, gangs
of ZANU PF
youths are turning Robert Mugabe’s home district into a no-go
zone.
For two weeks in a row elements in ZANU PF, aided by state security
agents
and soldiers, have blocked the MDC-T from holding rallies in
Darwendale and
Zvimba. On both occasions Tendai Biti, the Secretary-General
of the party,
was scheduled to address the rallies.
While the rally
in Darwendale last week was disrupted by soldiers, Sunday’s
planned
gathering was cancelled at the behest of Local Government Minister
Ignatius
Chombo, according to the Zvimba Rural District Council acting chief
executive officer Prince Mhembere. Chombo is the ZANU PF MP for the
neighboring Zvimba North constituency.
Paradzai Herbert Munangatire,
the MDC-T information and publicity secretary
for Zvimba West told SW Radio
Africa that they had secured police clearance
to hold their rally at
Murombedzi growth point.
‘When we were in the middle of setting up the
venue, we sensed trouble was
brewing when hordes of people just invaded the
pitch and started verbally
abusing us and blocking our supporters from
coming in. Some youths started
playing football and the area just became
very tense.
‘At some point we were pelted with stones and quite a number
of our
supporters were injured, and the violence continued into the night
when one
of our senior district officials was stabbed and left for dead,’
Munangatire
said.
Munangatire added that Sunday was a sad day for
politics and democracy in
Zimbabwe, especially as the disturbances took
place on Mugabe’s doorstep.
‘Everybody knows who is responsible for the
violence and grievous attacks on
our members and no one will dare
investigate what happened because this is
Mugabe’s home area.
‘I
think the resurgence of political violence is an attack on the country’s
fledgling democracy and the right of the people to civil liberty and freedom
of association,’ Munangatire said.
MDC-T
rally turns violent in Mugabe's rural home
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Political violence breaks out
in Mugabe’s rural home area Eight MDC-T
members were on Sunday injured, two
vehicles destroyed and
23.07.1207:25am
by Staff
Reporter
two party officials arrested by the police at a
political rally in Zvimba,
President Robert Mugabe’s home
area.
According to an MDC-T statement, the political violence broke out
on Sunday
morning at Murombedzi business centre, some 15km from Mugabe’s
rural
homestead as party supporters waited for Tendai Biti, the Secretary
General,
to address them Zanu (PF) supporters are being blamed for the
violence.
The MDC-T Mashonaland West Provincial Vice Youth Chairperson,
Maltin
Mukusha, who was also attacked, said the Zanu (PF) activists provoked
them.
"When we got there in the morning, we found the Zanu PF youths
already
playing soccer in the council ground. We informed the police about
this and
they said we could still go ahead with our rally as scheduled, but
they
(Zanu PF) brought netball courts and made a makeshift ground close to
where
we were.
‘But we remained calm and continued to sing our songs.
Out of nowhere, the
rowdy youth began to throw sand in the air and stones
began to rain on us.
Our provincial vehicle was damaged and the district
chairperson's vehicle
was not spared," said Mukusha.
Tawanda Bvumo,
the Provincial Treasurer, said the rally was cancelled
following police
failure to intervene to quell the disturbances as Zanu (PF)
supporters
invaded the rally venue.
"We had initially booked the council grounds but
the council refused us
access, then we opted for the open space at the
growth point.
Apparently, Zanu (PF) youth today claimed to have booked
the ground for a
sports tournament. The police then advised us to cancel our
own meeting
after Zanu (PF) thugs attacked us," said Bvumo, according to the
statement.
Wilson Makanyaire, the Provincial Organising Secretay and
another MDC-T
member identified as Sekuru Kwenda were arrested and taken to
the nearby
Murombedzi Police Station.
‘‘Reports from Zvimba say they
are surrounded by Central Intelligence
Officers who are questioning them
(over) why they are holding a rally in
Zvimba,’’ said MDC-T.
Last
week, two other MDC rallies were cancelled after a Zanu PF attack, read
the
statement, adding that Biti and other party members were attacked after
soldiers from a nearby barrack claimed they had a soccer match at Darwendale
ground.
‘‘In Mashonaland East, another rally in Mutoko East took
place amid
intimidation by some misguided soldiers who went around the
village
discouraging the people from attending. However, this did not work
as
hundreds of villagers turned up for the MDC rally,’’ said the statement.
MDC condemns Zanu PF’s disruption of
rallies
http://www.mdc.co.zw
Monday,
23 July 2012
The MDC condemns in the strongest terms the continued
barbaric and wanton
disruption of its rallies which resulted in 11 MDC
members seeking medical
attention after they were assaulted by rowdy Zanu PF
members at a sanctioned
rally at Murombedzi growth point in Zvimba West,
Mashonaland West province
yesterday.
Hon Tendai Biti, the MDC
Secretary General was expected to address hundreds
of Party members who had
gathered for the event.
The violence resulted in 11 members seeking
urgent treatment in Chinhoyi
while several Party vehicles were
damaged.
The MDC is concerned that known security agents led by one major
Mutimusakwa
of the Zimbabwe National Army and Emmanuel Tandi, a Central
Intelligence
Operative were leading Zanu PF thugs during the
disturbances.
Maggie Hoshiki, a Zanu PF councillor in the area was part
of the group of
hooligans.
When the Mashonaland West Provincial
Leadership approached the police
seeking assistance, the police officers
where unco-operative saying they had
instructions from the Zvimba Rural
District Council to bar the MDC rally.
To us, this is an indication that
some people are being allowed to act above
the law and can override a lawful
decision made by the police.
These violent and unruly disruptions are an
unacceptable trend that must be
stopped immediately. We are concerned that
these disturbances took place
after soldiers from inkomo Barracks disrupted
another MDC rally in
Darwendale where Hon Biti was expected to address last
weekend.
Yesterday’s disturbances in Zvimba West are an indication that
Zanu PF is
running scared ahead of the next by-elections and national
elections, which
the MDC will resoundingly win.
The people’s struggle
for real change – Let’s finish it!!!
New Constitution will address discrepancies in the
electoral system
http://www.mdc.co.zw
Monday, 23
July 2012
Masvingo - The new constitution will address social,
political and economic
imbalances, notably the land reforms as well as key
policy issues in
government, Copac co-chairperson Honourable Douglas
Mwonzora has said.
Honourable Mwonzora who is also the MDC spokesperson
told members of the
civic society at the National Association of Non
Governmental Organisation
offices here on Saturday that the new constitution
seeks to address
political, economic and social anomalies ahead of the
watershed polls due
next year. He added that the Second All Stakeholders
conference was
scheduled for August while the referendum would be held in
October.
“The new constitution will address discrepancies in the
electoral system and
this includes clearly defining the role of the police
force and the
military. There is need to come up with sound government
policies and this
can be achieved through the new constitution. All top
government officials
must have limited terms of office, especially permanent
secretaries in
various portfolios. The new constitution also proposes that
all elections
will be held in the last month at the end of each five year
term. It is
clear that securocrats are not above the law and traditional
leaders will be
bound to carry out their duties in an objective manner,”
said Honourable
Mwonzora.
Honourable Mwonzora said the new
constitution will also address the
controversy surrounding the fast track
agrarian reforms.
“There is a lot of controversy surrounding the fast
track land reform
programme but in the new constitution, it is clearly
defined that there
shall be a land commission that will carry out a land
audit to ensure a
transparent and equitable land distribution programme.
Such an exercise will
be carried out without looking at one`s political
background. The land
commission will ensure a one man, one farm policy
because the whole exercise
seeks to ensure a fair land distribution,”
Honourable Mwonzora said.
“There will be 60 more parliamentary seats and
preference will be given to
women and there shall also be a constitutional
court comprising 7 judges
that are appointed by the people.
“The new
constitution will also guarantee devolution of power and there
shall be a
provincial council that will be headed by the provincial
governor. The
provincial council consists of members of the house of
assembly, council
chairpersons and mayors from the involved political
parties.
“The
governor will no longer be appointed by the executive since the party
with
the majority votes in a particular province will automatically appoint
a
governor,” he added.
On other reforms Hon Mwonzora said, “Citizenship
will be accorded by birth
irrespective of whether one's parents are
aliens.
Speaking about capital punishment, he said: "There are incidents
that do not
warrant a death penalty and there will be special consideration
to that
effect.”
The people’s struggle for real change – Let’s
finish it!!!
State
theft of land legalised in new constitution
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
23
July 2012
The drafters of Zimbabwe’s new constitution are facing serious
criticism for
signing off on a document that appears to legalise state
sanctioned theft of
land, which could potentially lead to a fresh flurry of
land invasions.
The new document, which has taken over three years and
many millions of
dollars to complete, is already being criticised as a
deeply flawed product
of negotiation. Analysts from both sides of Zimbabwe’s
gaping political
divide have criticised the proposed charter, while other
observers have said
the MDC has “given in” to ZANU PF.
But one
element that is clearly in ZANU PF’s favour is the section on land.
The
draft document enshrines the right of the state to seize land, while
also
guaranteeing land invaders the right to the properties they seize. The
draft
states that all agricultural land, including forestry land,
conservation
land and horticultural land, among others, may be “acquired” by
the State
for “public purpose.” The takeovers will also be done without
compensation
according to the new charter and compensation issues cannot be
challenged in
the courts.
The draft also stipulates that legal challenges to the state
takeover of
land may not be on the ground that it was
“discriminatory.”
The draft constitution also upholds the standards of
the old charter by
insisting that Britain is responsible for compensation
for the land seized
as part of the land grab. The draft states that “the
former colonial power
has an obligation to pay compensation for agricultural
land,” and if this
fails to happen “the Government of Zimbabwe has no
obligation.”
This provision flies in the face of a 2008 ruling in the
Southern African
Human Rights Court, which ruled that the land grab was
unlawful. It ordered
the then ZANU PF led government to compensate the
farmers who lost land,
saying the land seizures were “inherently
discriminatory.”
Zimbabwe’s new charter however makes the legal provision
for this regional
ruling to be ignored, and goes further to enshrine the
rights of current and
future land invaders.
The document states that
anyone “using or occupying” property before the
constitution comes into
effect, “continues to be entitled to use or occupy
that land” when the
charter becomes effective.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T spokesman and key
party official heading the
constitution rewriting exercise, told SW Radio
Africa on Monday that there
are “difficulties” in the land clauses, arguing
that the product is one that
had to be negotiated with ZANU PF.
But
he insisted that the provisions ensure that land acquisitions in the
future,
when sanctioned by the state, will be done “legally,” because the
state take
over of properties will be provided for in this new charter.
John
Worsley-Worswick from Justice for Agriculture (JAG) meanwhile said the
clauses on land are concerning “because there are few changes to the old
constitution.”
“We are alarmed,” Worsley-Worswick said, emphasising
the need for property
rights to be secured for the future of Zimbabwe. He
also agreed that
Zimbabwe was appearing to legitimise land seizures with
this document.
“For this country to move forward you need stability in
agriculture, because
Zimbabwe is essentially an agriculture based economy.
But this constitution
does not allow for any stability,” Worsley-Worswick
said.
Zim's draft constitution
'a flawed compromise'
http://mg.co.za/
23 Jul 2012 09:44 - Fanuel Jongwe
Analysts
critical of Zimbabwe's draft constitution say it is a flawed
collection of
compromises that is doomed to be "thrown away by future
nations".
The
proposed document, which will be subject to a referendum, was crafted by
experts from the main political parties to a power-sharing government that
has been in place since a violence-marred 2008 election.
President
Robert Mugabe, in power for 32 years, was forced into the
power-sharing deal
with arch rival Morgan Tsvangirai to avoid a descent into
bloody
conflict.
The draft, finalised on Friday, curtails presidential powers
and limits
terms to 10 years.
Under the draft plans there is,
however, no age limit for the president,
meaning Mugabe could seek another
mandate under its terms.
Mugabe (88) is now trying to get out of the
power-sharing deal and has in
recent months been pushing for new elections
without a new constitution.
A 'no' vote
But the Southern African
regional leaders who brokered the post-electoral
peace deal appeared to have
impressed on him at a June summit that elections
must take place under a new
constitution.
Lovemore Madhuku, a legal expert at the University of
Zimbabwe, sees the
draft as an unsatisfactory compromise between negotiators
from the parties
in the power-sharing government.
"It retains an
executive president. That's not what the people said during
the outreach
programme. In fact, the people don't even know the meaning of
some of the
things that are in the [Constitution] constitution," he said.
"From us
it's a clear 'No' vote."
Jonathan Moyo, a member of Parliament from
Mugabe's Zanu-PF, said the draft
lacked legitimacy because the drafting
process by the political parties
excluded other players.
The
government-owned Sunday Mail said that even if the draft sails through
the
referendum, whenever that will be, the constitution "will most
definitely be
challenged and thrown away by future generations".
The proposed document
also tackles social issues, allowing same-sex marriage
while retaining
capital punishment, though not for women or anyone over 70
years
old.
It provides for citizenship by birth, descent or registration but
does not
allow dual citizenship.
A blueprint for correction
The
draft also provides for compensation for white farmers who were forced
off
their land under Mugabe's controversial land reforms and protects the
property rights of the new farmers.
Nevanji Madanhire, editor of the
privately owned Standard newspaper, said:
"The new constitution ... should
be a blueprint for the correction of all
that has gone wrong with our
country ... But the amount of compromise the
latest draft shows means the
country is ready to continue with the same."
Eric Matinenga, a minister
from the Movement for Democratic Change
responsible for constitutional
affairs, told reporters on Friday: "We have
had one president since 1980 and
it is the feeling of most people that this
has been the biggest weakness of
the country."
He added: "The draft recognises that gone are the days when
governance was
entrusted in the hand of the 'strong man'."
The draft
constitution provides for a vice-president to take over if the
president
dies, resigns or becomes incapacitated.
This, according to some analysts,
deals with the succession battles in
Zanu-PF and forces Mugabe to choose a
successor.
Fixed terms
The new rules would also require the head of
state to consult Parliament and
the Cabinet on key appointments, alongside
fixing term limits for both the
presidency and the executive, said
Matinenga.
It protects a serving president from prosecution, but the
immunity falls
away when the head of state leaves office, another concern
for Mugabe.
The new document, which has been worked on for three years,
will be put to a
public conference at the end of August and then to a
referendum at a date
yet to be announced.
The constitution-making was
characterised by bickering including the
disruption of the first
stakeholders' conference by militant supporters of
Mugabe's party and the
death of a member of Tsvangirai's party during the
outreach to gather
people's input into the charter.
European Union ministers, hoping to
encourage the reform process, are set to
resume aid and suspend most of the
EU's sanctions against Zimbabwe once the
referendum on the new Constitution
has been organised, diplomatic sources
said.
They would however
maintain sanctions against a "small core" of people
including Mugabe. The
ministers meet on Monday. – AFP
Tepid
welcome for draft Zimbabwean constitution
http://www.dw.de/
23.07.2012
Zimbabwean lawmakers have just
finalized a new constitution, but analysts
warn it is flawed. Meanwhile the
EU has made a conditional promise to lift
most of the sanctions it imposed
on Zimbabwe.
The completion of the draft constitution is the first
concrete step towards
new elections in Zimbabwe since President Robert
Mugabe was forced into a
unity government with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai
in 2008.
The draft curtails presidential powers and imposes a two term
limit of 10
years. That limit would start with the adoption of the charter
so
88-year-old Mugabe could spend another decade in office, even though he
has
ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
However
the draft would also strip the president of immunity from
prosecution once
he leaves office, a major concern for Mugabe who could face
charges over
human rights abuses.
Nevanji Madanhire, editor of the privately owned
Standard newspaper, says
the new constitution was to have been a correction
of "all that has gone
wrong with our country. But the amount of compromise
the latest draft shows
means the country is ready to continue with the
same."
Despite long debate on allowing same-sex marriage and ending
capital
punishment, the draft defines marriage as between a man and a woman
and
upholds the death penalty, though not for women or anyone over the age
of
70.
It allows for citizenship by birth, descent or registration,
but does not
permit dual citizenship.
Days of the "strong man" are
gone
The document also provides for compensation for white farmers who
were
forced off their land under Mugabe's controversial land reforms and
also
protects the property rights of new farmers.
Eric Matinenga, a
minister from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement
for Democratic
Change says the draft recognizes that the days are gone when
governance was
entrusted in the hand of the "strong man."
But Lovemore Madhuku, a legal
expert from the University of Zimbabwe said
the draft "retained an executive
president."
The draft does help clarify Zimbabwe's vague succession rules
in the event
that a president resigns, dies or becomes incapacitated. Under
the new
constitution, the first of the country's two vice presidents would
take
over.
Zimbabwe war veterans block white-owned in Centenary district,
north of
Harare.
Three years of work have gone into the draft
constitution, which will be put
to a public conference at the end of August
and to a referendum at a date
which has yet to be announced.
DW's
correspondent in Harare, Columbus Mavhunga, says the draft constitution
was
supposed to have been put to a referendum last July. "There are those
who
argue," he says, "that only the views of the political parties were
considered when drafting the new constitution."
Lifting
sanctions
Meanwhile the European Union said on Monday a "peaceful and
credible"
referendum on a new constitution would "justify" the lifting of EU
sanctions
against Zimbabwe.
The conditional suspension of
sanctions was proposed by Britain, the former
colonial power in what is now
Zimbabwe, and was described by British Foreign
Secretary William Hague as
"an important step-change in the EU's approach to
Zimbabwe."
A
statement from the 27 EU foreign ministers said individual sanctions
against
most of the 112 Zimbabweans, listed in an asset freeze and travel
ban, would
be lifted. But an EU official told AFP there was no question of
lifting
sanctions against "Mugabe or anyone involved in continued abused of
human
rights."
EU ministers also agreed in principle to resume direct aid to
Zimbabwe's
government after a ten year suspension.
Zimbabwe Primer
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
In Harare, a spokesman for Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party said of the Brussels
decision. "We don't think that's the way
to do it. We are saying all
sanctions should go."
On a visit to
Australia, prime minister Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe was ready
to re-engage
with the global community after "a very dark and unfortunate
history."
Farm
and conservancy both under threat by land invaders
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex
Bell
23 July 2012
Two properties in Zimbabwe are facing a take over
threat by land invaders,
as concern continues to rise about the future of
property rights in the
country.
Ruware Ranch, in the Chiredzi River
Conservancy, was invaded last Friday by
a group of people armed with axes,
who started clearing the land that was
allegedly demarcated by the Land
Ministry in January. The invasion comes a
month after hundreds of ZANU PF
supporters, accompanied by Lands Ministry
officials, invaded the property
and insisted it was promised to them 12
years ago.
The invasion
leaves thousands of animals at risk with 26 different species
inhabiting the
property. Already wildlife in the Chiredzi River Conservancy
has been
targeted by human encroachers on the land, due to the onslaught of
illegal
settlers who have been invading other parts of the Conservancy. They
have
been attempting to clear the land for crops, resulting in widespread
destruction and hundreds of thousands of animals being killed.
The
destruction has also been raised as a key point of concern in
parliament,
with warnings about how these ongoing invasions were set to
affect
Zimbabwe’s remaining protected areas. A report by a Parliamentary
Committee
on Natural Resources earlier this year identified top military and
ZANU PF
figures as the individuals behind the invasion of conservancies.
But no
attention has been paid to these warnings and land continues to be
seized.
The invasion at Ruware also comes as Matabeleland South
farmer Dudley Rogers
has been threatened with eviction, allegedly for
allowing an MDC rally to
take place near his property.
According to
the Daily News newspaper the MDC-T’s Matabeleland
South provincial
chairperson, Watchy Sibanda, said two former police
officers
wanted to
take over Rodgers’ farm.
“We had our provincial rally about a month ago
at an open space adjacent to
Rodgers’ Olympus farm and since then all has not
been well there. Two former
police officers, Muhoni and Gono, have already
visited the farm several
times
claiming they are new owners. They also
claim to have offer letters from the
ministry of lands but we wonder if those
letters are genuine,” said Sibanda.
“We know ZANU PF is behind all this
because they have been accusing Rodgers
of sponsoring our party,” said
Sibanda.
ZANU
PF thugs fight for control of commuter bus ranks
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
23 July, 2011
A struggle to take over the illegal
business of controlling Harare’s
commuter omnibus ranks has intensified
divisions among ZANU PF youth. This
follows reports that an official from
the Urban Transport Association of
Zimbabwe (UTAZ) was abducted at gunpoint
and assaulted.
What is at stake is an estimated $1.2 million a month that
ZANU PF youth
collect illegally from over 8,000 commuter omnibuses operating
in the
capital. According to the NewsDay newspaper, the youths grabbed
control of
the bus ranks two years ago and force conductors to pay $5 per
day to ply
their routes.
The report quotes sources who said UTAZ
chairman Wilbert Zhakata was
kidnapped at gunpoint and heavily assaulted
twice in July, losing three
teeth. They claimed Zhakata had demanded that
the youth account for the
daily fees they collect, which are split among
ZANU PF members in the UTAZ.
The car used to abduct Zhakata is said to
belong to the UTAZ provincial
chairman, Fanuel Deera Mutasa, who was quoted
as saying: “There was nothing
new in collecting money and maintaining order
at ranks”.
Zhakata’s home and his omnibus parked there were also attacked
in the same
week.
NewsDay said their investigations revealed that the
UTAZ is not registered
legally as a private company with the Registry of
Companies.
Political and economic analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga said this is
the kind of
lawlessness that pervades in a society when young thugs are
given total
authority to operate with impunity. “They start to feed on
themselves and in
the long run the innocent bystanders, the passengers
suffer,” he added.
Mhlanga explained that the MDC-T went into the
coalition government with
noble intentions of making sure that the economy
was run properly. “But over
the three years they unfortunately failed to put
systems in place for the
monitoring of remittances to the treasury,” the
analyst said.
As reported earlier on SW Radio Africa, ZANU PF thugs also
force vendors at
council-owned flea markets to pay daily fees in order to
sell their goods.
The money is not remitted to council but is divided among
the youth. Top
party officials who profit from this illegal trade, tell
police not to
interfere.
According to Mhlanga, the behavior of the
ZANU PF youths operating in Harare
is similar to that of senior officials
within government who are benefiting
illegally from the sale of diamonds,
without remitting the funds to
government.
Police
criticised for quickly licensing Biti protest
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
23 July, 2012
The police have been strongly criticised
for speedily licensing planned
demonstrations by civil servants against
Finance Minister Tendai Biti, who
is being accused of refusing to increase
their wages.
The umbrella union for civil servants, the Apex Council,
resolved last week
to demonstrate on Tuesday over the lack of wage increases
that civil
servants have been demanding. Biti has been portrayed by ZANU PF
as the one
responsible for their plight.
The Finance Minister has
however insisted government has no money for more
wages, blaming the fact
that diamond and other revenue due to government is
not being remitted to
national coffers.
The MDC-N led by Welshman Ncube has come to Biti’s
defense, saying the
speedy clearance of the protests by the police further
exposes their
partisan bias.
MDC-N spokesperson Kurauone Chihwayi
reportedly said the speed with which
police acted “raised suspicion” that
the police “want to expose Biti as an
individual”.
Activists
in hiding after CIOs disrupt peace workshop
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
23 July, 2011
Officials from the Centre for Community
Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ),
whose peace-building workshop in Gokwe was
disrupted by suspected state
agents and ZANU PF thugs last week, are
reported to have gone into hiding
fearing for their lives.
The
cancelled workshop was at Nyamhara Primary School in a rural district of
Gokwe. The CCDZ said it was part of their initiative to penetrate districts
that were previously declared “no-go” areas for charity groups by ZANU PF.
The headmaster and teachers at the school have also been harassed for
allowing the workshop at their premises.
A statement from the CCDZ
said a dozen officials had fled from the area
because agents from the
Central Intelligence Organization (CIOs) were
harassing them and local
residents who had participated in the workshop. The
CIOs are reported to be
driving unmarked vehicles.
One official is quoted as saying: “They came
during the night and harassed
our families. If they are genuine police
officers why are they visiting our
homes during the night under the cover of
darkness?”
The suspected CIOs who disrupted last week’s workshop accused
the CCDZ of
being “a regime-change NGO” as they ordered participants to
return to their
homes. They then interrogated the staff, demanding
information that included
their addresses and national identity registration
numbers.
Last week CCDZ director Phillip Pasirayi told SW Radio Africa
that CIOs
collect this information in order to use it in the future to track
down
activists and harass them. The reported attacks at night appear to
confirm
this.
The CCDZ said the matter has been referred to the
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR).
Zanu
(PF) threatens to expel Mnangagwa
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
By Staff Reporter 4 hours 17 minutes
ago
HARARE – In a direct threat aimed at Defence Minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Zanu-PF’s Secretary for Administration, Didymus Mutasa
has warned the hugely
ambitious party’s Secretary for Legal Affairs that he
could be expelled from
the party like what happened to some senior party
members in the past.
Mutasa said in Harare this afternoon, the party
expelled its first founding
president Ndabaningi Sithole and former
secretary general Edgar Tekere for
failing to adhere to party principles and
dictates.
The embattled defence Minister in a tricky catch 22 situation
over how to
respond to the apparent attack on his perceived presidential
ambition, which
rightly or wrongly led to the controversial disbandment of
District
Coordinating Committees (DCCs) that had become the latest
battlefront for
party heavyweights jostling to succeed President Robert
Mugabe.
The emissaries of the Zanu PF Presidium and Central Committee to
all the
party provinces in the country ended their briefing in Harare on
Monday when
they explained the disbandment of the District Coordinating
Committees
(DCCs) from the party structure.
The Party Secretary for
Administration, Didymus Mutasa accompanied by Media,
Information and
Publicity Minister Webster Shamu, Zanu PF Information and
Publicity
Secretary Rugare Gumbo and Secretary for Women Affairs Oppah
Muchinguri,
informed the Harare provincial leadership of the divisive nature
of the
disbanded DCCs.
He said the party expelled its first founding president
Ndabaningi Sithole
and former secretary general Edgar Tekere for failing to
adhere to party
principles and dictates.
Mutasa endorsed the
leadership of Jabulani Sibanda as the leader of the war
veterans, a move
that was underscored by Webster Shamu.
Before the decision to terminate
the DCCs which were ironically the
brainchild of former defence minister,
Moven Mahachi (now late) and Didymus
Mutasa, the ZANU-PF secretary for
administration, protégés and close
associates of Mnang-angwa had made a
clean sweep of the 13-member committees
in most provinces where elections
had been held, notably in Midlands,
Mani-caland, Masvingo and even in the
Mashon-aland provinces where his rival
enjoys support.
Mnangagwa’s
protégés also had an upper hand in President Mugabe’s home
province of
Mashonaland West, where the provincial chairperson, John Mafa
was being
subjected to pressure because of his political leanings to Ngwena,
as the
Defence Minister is affectionately known because of his complex
character.
Impeccable sources said Mna-ngagwa is now under pressure
from his
lieutenants to at least do something to salvage his and their
political
careers.
They claim that after the Tsholotsho debacle in
2004, where the minister was
said to have been their preferred beneficiary
had the plan to parachute him
into the presidium succeeded, most of those in
the rank and file of his
so-called faction were left to lick their wounds as
the President yielded
the axe on them.
The Tsholotsho plan incensed
the top leadership of ZANU-PF resulting in the
suspension of six provincial
chairpersons who had clandestinely nominated a
new leadership for the
endorsement of the 2004 congress whereby Mnang-agwa,
who had no fingerprint
linking him to the plan, was to succeed the late vice
president, Simon
Muzenda.
Inside sources say due to fears of a repeat of the 2004
Tsholotsho debacle,
Mnangagwa’s lieutenants want him to respond decisively.
They say the manner
in which the issue of scrapping DCCs was brought about
at the Politburo and
eventually at the Central Committee was not procedural.
More so, they claim
that the scrapping of DCCs itself was
unconstitutional.
But the Defence Minister is said to be pondering his
next move as acting or
not acting has grave consequences. The same sources
say he is caught between
a rock and a hard place.
For starters, if he
acts, he will be moving against the orders of the
President although he will
gain marks in the court of public opinion for
defending internal democracy
in ZANU-PF. That in itself is considered
political suicide in the
party.
But if he does not act, he will have angered a constituency that
has stood
by him in ensuring that he stands a good chance of succeeding
President
Mugabe should the veteran leader decide to exit
office.
Also, he faces the humiliation of being eliminated from the
presidential
race in which he has been a front-runner along with his
nemesis, Vice
President Joice Mujuru. Added to that, there is an unhappy
section in the
security sector that has supported him and pushed for his
eventual takeover
of the highest office in the land.
All these people
say that because Mnangagwa’s lieutenants were in control of
the levers of
power in the DCCs, this had presented a huge threat to Vice
President Mujuru
who then managed to pull the rug under Mnangagwa’s feet.
The decision to
do away with the grassroots structures was made in Mnangagwa’s
absence, as
he was reportedly on a working visit in China. Sources said
Mnangagwa’s
rivals in the highest decision-making body of the party took
advantage of
his absence.
It is believed the Defence Minister was not consulted and
had no input in
the decision to scrap the DCCs. His close aides say this
situation was
“totally unacceptable”.
But inside sources say the
Politburo claimed it had evidence money was used
to “impose” candidates on
the electorate during the DCC elections. Yet
critics of the decision argue
that most senior members of the party were
also guilty of using cash and
influence to sway voters in breach of rules
passed at the Bulawayo
conference last December.
An attempt to speak to the Defence Minister
through his mobile phone was
fruitless as he did not answer calls placed to
him.
Political analyst, Dewa Mavh-inga, said it was high time the Mujuru
and
Mnangagwa factions unite to enable President Mugabe to deal with his
succession.
“It is high time Mnangagwa throws his weight behind Joice
Mujuru to support
her candidature — so that when the two main factions in
ZANU-PF unite, they
will be able to force President Mugabe to deal with the
succession issue
without playing the factions against each other,” said
Mavhinga.
The DCC elections had become the battleground for ZANU-PF
factions tussling
for control of strategic party structures in the battle to
eventually
produce a successor to President Mugabe.
Infighting rocked
DCC elections in Masvingo, Manicaland, Mash-onaland East,
Bulawayo and
Matabeleland North and South provinces, as the factions led by
Vice
President Mujuru and Mnan-gagwa fought for control of the provinces.
The
divisions, which had torn the party apart were complicated by the
emergence
of two strong security establishment-based groups rooting for
President
Mugabe to stay on while another was pushing for Mnangagwa to
eventually
succeed the President.
Internal strife has been so pronounced that it
forced President Mugabe to
publicly denounce factions and their leaders,
saying they were destroying
the party.
Mnangagwa had for a long time
been seen as the blue-eyed boy of the
President. But his fortunes had dipped
in 2004 as he was seen as the leader
of the Tsholotsho fiasco.
Political
parties funding: Mutambara left in the cold
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
By Staff Reporter 13 hours 25
minutes ago
DEPUTY Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara’s woes
continue to mount as his
political party MDC-M has failed to access State
funds under the Political
Parties Finance Act. Government has disbursed
money earmarked for political
parties to the Welshman Ncube-led MDC
formation leaving the other faction in
the cold.
Professor
Mutambara had made frantic efforts to secure the money.
He reportedly
wrote two letters to Justice and Legal Affairs Minister
Patrick Chinamasa
arguing that they were entitled to the money.
Zanu-PF and the MDC
formations were allocated US$8 million in the 2012
national budget to be
shared proportionately according to the number of
legislators each political
party has in Parliament.
Government introduced funding after outlawing
foreign funding of political
parties.
This was after it emerged that
the MDC was receiving funding from outside,
particularly from those
countries hostile to Zimbabwe.
Minister Chinamasa confirmed the
development yesterday saying he was guided
by the enabling legal
statutes.
“The Act provides that I should deal with secretaries-general
or secretary
for administration (with respect to Zanu-PF).
“We have
therefore disbursed money to Welshman Ncube in the same account
that we have
deposited,” he said.
Minister Chinamasa said: “Until there is a court
order to the contrary, we
will continue disbursing the funds in that
manner.”
Prof Ncube, who is also Industry and Commerce minister, was Prof
Mutambara’s
secretary-general before ousting his leader.
He was
elected president at the MDC congress held in 2010.
However, a section
led by former national chairman Mr Joubert Mudzumwe has
been challenging
Prof Ncube’s election in the courts.
The faction’s secretary-general Mr
Maxwell Zimuto yesterday insisted that
they were entitled to a share of the
money.
“Our argument is based on the premise that we have some MPs who
have
expressed allegiance to us in writing.
“No one can just dismiss
us because we are a legitimate party entitled to
anything that the MDC-M
must get as a party that signed the Global Political
Agreement,” he
said.
He, however, could not name the legislators aligned to the
faction.
Mr Zimuto acknowledged writing to Minister Chinamasa.
“I
have written letters to the minister twice and he has not responded.
“He
has probably decided that we are not a party but at least he should have
responded to our letters.”
The High Court has since upheld the
contention by Prof Ncube but Prof
Mutambara has lodged an appeal against the
ruling in the Supreme Court.
Mugabe
quarrels with neighbours
http://www.theindependent.co.zw
July 23, 2012 in News
Elias
Mambo
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and the First Family are embroiled in a
dispute with
the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church over the construction of
a church
building on land located eight stands away from the Mugabes’
private
residence along Borrowdale Brooke road.
Stand
280 Borrowdale Brooke Road was bought by the Borrowdale SDA church
years
ago, but it has since been barred from building by Mugabe’s security
details
who say the structure would compromise the First Family’s
security.
Consequently, members of the Borrowdale SDA congregation of
the church’s
Glenara North district continue to conduct their worship
services at the
Borrowdale Community Hall, for which they pay, whilst their
stand lies idle.
A senior official from the East Zimbabwe Conference, the
church’s
administrative body in Harare, confirmed to the Zimbabwe
Independent that
the church owned the Borrowdale stand, but declined to
divulge why
construction was yet to start.
“The conference is not
involved in the construction of churches,” said the
official speaking on
condition of anonymity. “Congregants build their own
churches and the
conference only keeps individual churches’ title deeds.
Borrowdale church
has not raised the issue with us but I can tell you that
we value the
security of individual church members.”
However, a church member
familiar with the on-going wrangle said the
president’s security guards
warned the church against any construction on
the stand, saying it posed a
great risk to Mugabe. He said while he was not
sure when the church was
barred from developing the stand, he had learnt of
the order when he joined
the congregation in 2010.
“We were warned not to build the church
here because the stand is located in
a high security zone and special
clearance is needed for any form of
development to take place,” said another
church member.
“They (Mugabe’s security guards) said the congregation
would make a lot of
noise which would attract many people and compromise
safety and security of
the president. They keep telling us that the laws are
likely to change after
elections to allow us to build, but we have reached a
point where we might
be forced to sell the stand because it’s of no use to
us idle.”
Surprisingly, while the Borrowdale SDA church has been barred from
building,
construction of a private secondary school is in progress just
three stands
away.
Borrowdale Brooke Academy, owned by Ian
Henney, currently has one
double-storey building, and construction was in
progress when the
Independent visited the school last week. Classes were in
session and
enrolment was also in
progress.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba was
adamant that Mugabe’s security
guards were within the law to stop
construction of any structure close to
his residence.
“The president’s
residence, whether State House, in Zvimba or Borrowdale
remains a security
issue,” said Charamba.
“There is no way structures can be constructed
willy-nilly around such
designated areas, and there is nothing like private
property because this is
the Head of State and we cannot compromise his
security.”
On why the school is being built in the “designated area”,
Charamba said the
criteria used to vet construction of structures did give
room for a school
after considering security issues.
Divisions
widen over politburo decision
http://www.theindependent.co.zw
July 23, 2012 in News,
Politics
Faith Zaba/Brian Chitemba
DIVISIONS and bitterness are
simmering in the faction-riddled Zanu PF over
the controversial dissolution
of district coordinating committees (DCCs),
with senior party officials and
their allies in lower structures seething
with anger over the unilateral
politburo decision.
The Zanu PF politburo, an administrative organ of the
central committee,
recently resolved without consultation to disband the
DCCs and then imposed
the resolution on the central committee, the party’s
decision-making body in
between congresses, before sending out senior
officials to explain its
contentious move.
Contrary to state media
reports all provinces and other structures had
welcomed the party’s
contested resolution to disband DCCs, Zanu PF insiders
told the Zimbabwe
Independent this week the dissolution of DCCs is fuelling
internal strife,
already intense due to President Robert Mugabe’s raging
succession
battle.
The conflict over DCCs is centred on succession now threatening to
further
divide and tear Zanu PF apart.
The decision to disband the DCCs
is widely seen as a move by the faction
aligned to Vice-President Joice
Mujuru and a cabal of politburo hardliners
and state security service chiefs
who wanted to contain the camp led by
Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa,
the party’s legal affairs secretary,
which had prevailed during recent
acrimonious DCC elections that left in
their wake a trail of disputes and
protests.
The group aligned to Mnangagwa believes the move was yet another
calculated
ploy to block – by manipulating the constitution — its leader
from
consolidating his position to take over if Mugabe either retires or is
incapacitated due to ill-health or old age.
Insiders say the disbanding
of DCCs sent out political shockwaves and a
sense of deja vu to the
Mnangagwa faction.
In 2004, Zanu PF amended its constitution to stipulate
that one of the
vice-presidents had to be a woman after it became clear
Mnangagwa was on an
irresistible ascendancy to become vice-president
following his faction’s
seizure of seven of the 10 provinces. The move at
the stroke of a pen helped
Mujuru to become one of the co-vice-presidents
with the late Joseph Msika at
Mnangagwa’s expense.
After working hard to
regain lost ground following setbacks during the 2004
and 2009 congresses,
Mnangagwa again now finds himself thwarted through
another constitutional
amendment — this time dissolving DCCs, his new
springboard to
power.
“While Mnangagwa and his allies mourn the DCCs dissolution, his rivals
—
without even consulting him as legal affairs secretary — are moving fast
to
overhaul some clauses in the constitution to deal with the issue of
senior
officials manipulating structures to secure positions, while
sidelining
party members who have a constitutional right to elect leaders or
be elected
to office,” a senior Zanu PF official said.
“We must defend
our constitution by restoring power to the people (members
of the party)
which had been usurped by structures, including the DCCs. We
want a model
like that of ANC of South Africa which ensures the grassroots,
not higher
level structures alone, vote at the party congress.”
According to the ANC
constitution, “At least 90% of voting delegates at the
conference shall be
from branches, represented by elected delegates. The
number of delegates
shall be in proportion to the paid up members”.
The remaining 10% are
allocated by the National Executive Council from among
the provincial
executive committees, the Youth League and Women’s League.
Some senior Zanu
PF officials who have openly defended DCCs dissolution
reportedly want the
grassroots to be involved in the elections, not
nominations, of the
presidium — namely the president, two deputies and
chairperson — at a
congress.
Party officials say this would deal with contradictions in the
party
constitution in which members’ rights to elect leaders are taken away
by
higher structures. For instance, although the Zanu PF constitution under
the
rights of members allows party members to vote to any office leaders of
their choice, higher structures like provincial coordinating council (PCC),
which should act as the elections directorate — not the electorate — of the
province, end up choosing leaders themselves. Article 7.32 (i) of the party
constitution says the top four positions are elected by “congress directly
upon nomination by at least six PCCs”, something which appears to take away
the voting rights of the grassroots who vote by acclamation, applause or
cheering.
The PCCs are made up of 44 members of the provincial executive
councils,
members of the central committee and national consultative
assembly in the
provinces, chairpersons of DCCs and 68 members of the
provincial executive
committee of the Women and Youth Leagues.
Officials
say this approach was promoting the imposition of leaders and
decisions on
the people. The disbanding of DCCs, for example, was
unilaterally made by
the politburo and foisted on the central committee,
which is supposed to be
the supreme decision-making body outside a congress.
According to the party
constitution, the politburo is the executive
committee of the central
committee. It acts as the administrative organ it
and is answerable to the
central committee on all matters, not the other way
round.
A high-powered
delegation led by the party’s secretary for administration
Didymus Mutasa
which is out there struggling to explain the disbanding of
DCCs has met with
hostility. Mutasa, who was accompanied by the party’s
national commissar
Webster Shamu, war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda, and
Zanu PF spokesman
Rugare Gumbo, this week embarked on a whirlwind tour of
provinces, starting
with Midlands on Monday where DCC members aligned to
Mnangagwa queried and
protested the decision to abolish their posts.
On Tuesday and Wednesday,
Mutasa’s delegation visited Matabeleland North,
Bulawayo and Matabeleland
South provinces where party officials expressed
anger over the DCCs
dispute.
“I brought you a message from the senior party leadership that the
DCC
structure has been removed from our constitution. The central committee
has
already endorsed the decision and President Robert Mugabe has tasked us
to
go to the provinces and explain the decision,” Mutasa has been telling
party
members.
Insiders told the Independent the meetings have been
tense, with officials
expressing fury at the DCCs disbanding. In Midlands,
Zanu PF chief whip
Jorum Gumbo, a Mnangagwa ally, described the DCCs
dissolution as “painful
and unceremonious”, showing the issue has left
behind more divisions and
acrimony.