http://www.swradioafrica.com/
Gerry
Jackson
27th July 2010
The independent constitutional outreach
monitoring organization, ZZZICOMP,
has reported that a District
Administrator in Masvingo has gone into hiding
after being threatened by
ZANU PF militias for his contributions at a
meeting at Chivi
Centre.
At the meeting Bernard Hadzirabwi suggested that the Prime
Minister should
have executive powers. A contribution that did not go down
well with the
ZANU PF supporters and CIO's present at the meeting two weeks
ago.
ZZZICOMP observers on the ground said that on Monday ZANU PF youths
were
organising a demonstration against Hadzirabwi at the centre. They also
threatened security guards at his offices.
Further intimidation of
other individuals has also been reported by the
independent monitoring
organisation. The ZANU PF District Coordinating
Committee Chairperson,
Sanders Magwizi, summoned the head of the District
Development Fund in the
area, Ernest Temba, to his office. He alleged that
Temba made contributions
that were against ZANU PF's views and the Kariba
Draft during a COPAC
outreach meeting.
In the same district, an official in the Ministry of
Women's Affairs
received violent threats from ZANU PF youths for the
contributions he made
at an outreach meeting held at Chivi Centre. And, in
Manicaland, an
independent monitor was detained for more than three hours on
Friday last
week following an outreach meeting in Mutasa North Ward 4, at
Dumba Business
Centre.
John Ziyera was observing the proceedings but
was detained after ZANU PF
supporters accused him of being a stranger and
tried to physically assault
him. He was saved by David Chimhini, one of the
Constitution Select
Committee's team leaders, who handed him over to the
police. He was later
taken to Mutare Central Police Station.
Ziyera
said he was interrogated by the police throughout his stay at the
police
station, but was not told of the charges he was facing.
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights lawyer Blessing Nyamaropa facilitated his
release on the
same day, but he was told to report back at the police
station the next
morning.
When he did so he was told they would call him if they found a
case against
him.
Meanwhile, the MDC'S national Women's Assembly
secretary, Evelyn Masaiti,
has said the greatest weapon for a new Zimbabwe
is for the people to
participate in the Constitution-making outreach
programme. She was speaking
at an MDC rally at Masuku, Gokwe - Sengwa in
Midlands North province on
Sunday. She said that ZANU PF was stopping people
from attending the
outreach meetings.
But in the same MDC statement
that quoted Masaiti, it was also noted that in
Mwenezi East, Masvingo
province, Colonel Hungwe of Ngundu Halt, Major
Neshuro and Justice Sithole,
the ZANU PF chairperson of Mwenezi District
Coordinating Committee, last
week Friday threatened villagers of Chingamhi
Ward 5 with death if they did
not support the discredited Kariba draft in
the Constitution-making process.
Hungwe was armed with an AK47 rifle when he
addressed the meeting.
An
observer queried how Evelyn Masaiti would feel about attending a
constitutional outreach meeting and speaking freely, if she was threatened
with death by an army colonel wielding an AK 47.
Unless the MDC are
able to stop this violent intimidation one thing is
certain - the
constitution outreach program cannot possible reflect the
genuine wishes of
Zimbabweans.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
27 July 2010
The
country's controversial central bank governor, Gideon Gono, is reported
to
be resisting an International Monetary Fund (IMF) audit of the bank's
finances, following revelations it was looted by senior ZANU PF
officials.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is saddled with financial
liabilities of
more than US$1 billion, incurred during a period of looting
and quasi-fiscal
activities that propped up the Mugabe regime. The bank was
given US$10
million this year to cover its operational costs but complained
that the
money was inadequate.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti is
adamant that a forensic audit of the bank
will be a pre-condition for any
additional funding. Questions remain over
how the US$1 billion in
liabilities was incurred. Press reports abound that
officials in several
syndicates were able to transfer looted money into
offshore accounts.
The
scandal involving ZANU PF activist and businessman Temba Mliswa also
proved
an eye opener. Mliswa somehow swindled the bank of US$12 million and
attempts to recover the money were half-hearted. Only a recent spat with
police chief Augustine Chihuri resulted in this and other buried crimes
being brought to the public notice.
The IMF was in Zimbabwe last
month and released a report exposing how the
RBZ was deviating from its core
business of financial sector and prices
stability. "Without appropriate
oversight, the RBZ used the international
reserves backing the statutory
reserves of banks (US$80 million) and sold
shares from its portfolio of
securities at the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
(US$38 million) to finance its
activities during January 2009 - March 2010,'the
IMF said in the
report.
While many analysts had welcomed the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Act, saying it
would trim the excessive powers of Gono, the latest
developments point to a
'business as usual' culture still prevalent at the
institution. Not only is
Gono blocking the IMF audit, but external auditors
are said to have reported
'serious weaknesses in internal controls and
financial reporting, and
comprehensive monetary statistics have not been
published since early 2008.'
http://news.radiovop.com
27/07/2010 09:47:00
HARARE - The
Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) has approved projects worth
US$120
million so far, Richard Mbaiwa, Chief Executive Officer, has
confirmed.
"We are still looking at others projects. It takes some time
before we
approve projects right now because we are trying to change the
economy," ,"
he said in an interview.
Business executives have said
the ZIA takes too long before approving
projects. Mbaiwa confirmed this
observation.
The Minister of Investment Promotion and Development, Tapiwa
Mashakada said:
"We are ready for investment and welcome it from all
quarters.
Mashakada said the country was currently revising the
Indigenisation Act. He
also pointed out that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
in Africa had been
mainly from Asian markets.
He also added that
Zimbabwe's investment policies have been integrated by
mutual understanding,
Mashakada said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Conference on Development
and Trade (UNCTAD)
said Zimbabwe had improved its investment
levels.
http://news.radiovop.com
27/07/2010 08:24:00
HARARE - The European Commission
(EC) has adopted a € 15 million (US$19, 4
million) aid package for Zimbabwe
to address the ongoing humanitarian needs
of the country. The money will be
deployed towards the re-establishment of
essential health and water supply
services and to provide food assistance,
short term food security and
livelihood support in Zimbabwe.
"Despite recent improvements by the
Government of National Unity, the road
to recovery is still a long one. If
we want Zimbabwe to get back on the path
towards longer-term development, we
will need to carry on with our efforts
to provide clean water and sanitation
facilities to the population,
alongside our food assistance programmes,"
said Kristalina Georgieva,
Commissioner for International Cooperation,
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Response.
Part of the money will also be
used in a pilot livelihood support activities
including cash transfers and
voucher systems.
The organisation also said although dollarisation of the
economy had
improved the overall availability of food in the country, access
to food was
still difficult for those who do not have foreign
currency.
"This is why the Commission is replacing food distribution with
schemes
aimed at injecting funds to improve food security through local
purchases,
in line with its March 2010 Communication on humanitarian food
assistance,"
it said.
Over recent years, the EU has been one of the
largest donors in funding
emergency water and sanitation interventions, as
part of the integrated
public health approach to tackle potential epidemics
such as cholera,
measles and typhus outbreaks in the country.
Zimbabwe's
economy is recovering after a decade of political and economic
crisis. The
inclusive government, formed last year, has brought back
confidence into the
economy with inflation under check.
EC is the overall main donor to the
vulnerable populations of Zimbabwe,
having provided €572 million (about
US$742, 6 million) in both humanitarian
and essential development aid to the
population since 2002.
"EU funding has benefited a large part of the
population: Water and
sanitation interventions have reached 500,000 people,
health interventions
700,000, whilst approximately 100,000 have benefited
from food assistance
support," the organisation said.
The essential
drug procurement and distribution actions have reached up to
7, 8 million
people.
http://news.radiovop.com
27/07/2010 08:12:00
HARARE - State
prosecutors on Monday backtracked on an earlier undertaking
to subpoena a
senior Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) official to testify in
the ongoing
fraud case of controversial Harare businessman Temba Mliswa.
Prosecutor
Tendai Chiduwa had agreed last week to an application filed by
Mliswa's
lawyer Charles Chinyama ordering the state to subpoena Morris
Mpofu, a
senior RBZ official to give evidence in court.
But Chiduwa on Monday objected
to the subpoenaing of Mpofu in what appears
to be an after
thought.
Chiduwa told Harare Magistrate Don Ndirowei that she was
objecting to
subpoenaing Mpofu after consulting her superiors.
"The
state does not see where the RBZ will fit in to answer and therefore,
it is
objecting to the application to lead evidence from a State witness,"
said
Chiduwa.
But Chinyama opposed Chiduwa's objection arguing that "Mpofu is
being called
to test the waters as regards the strength of the state
case."
Mliswa's lawyer said the RBZ official will testify on the
authenticity of
some letters which he allegedly wrote to Mliswa and whether
or not he made a
report of fraud to the police.
"The concession by
the state that they were going to subpoena Mpofu should
be allowed to
stand," Chinyama said.
Mliswa has been charged with defrauding the
central bank of US$3.5 million
between June 2008 and July 2010.
The
State claims that his tobacco company Salt Lakes Holdings defaulted on
depositing US$3.5 million into a CBZ bank account belonging to the RBZ,
which the tobacco trading company had pledged to deposit funds
into.
http://www.nation.co.ke
By KITSEPILE NYATHI, NATION
Correspondent
Posted Tuesday, July 27 2010 at 20:09
HARARE,
Tuesday
Asylum seekers from several African countries seeking
refugee in Zimbabwe
have complained that they are being thrown into jails
with hardened
criminals.
The prisoners from countries such as Zambia,
Somalia, Ethiopia and Rwanda
were last week given an opportunity to air
their views at one of Harare’s
most notorious prisons during a
familiarisation tour by the Deputy Minister
of Justice, Obert Gutu.
A
refugee who did not give his name but comes from the Democratic Republic
of
Congo said he was arrested two years ago while on his way to the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) and has been languishing in
jail ever since.
“The first time I went to the courts there was a
language barrier since in
DRC we speak French.
“I could not
understand a word of English and I was told to come back some
other time,”
he said.
When he appeared in court for the second time he was fined
US$100 for
violating the country’s immigration laws but he remains in jail
even after a
Good Samaritan paid the fine on his behalf.
“I am
running away from war and wish to be taken to the refugee camp, I have
no
relatives in Zimbabwe and I have no money. I wonder why I am being kept
here,” he said.
The prison officials could not give an indication of
the number of asylum
seekers in jail but Gutu said he was aware that the
immigration department
was handling some cases. Other prisoners who spoke
were from Zambia, Somalia
and Ethiopia who said they did not understand why
they were being kept in
jail instead of refugee camps.
UNCHR
representative to Zimbabwe Marcelin Hepie said recently they handled a
case
of six Somalis who have since been released. “We do handle similar
cases
during our routine visits,” he said. “The largest group was that of
six
Somalis who have since been released.”
Although according to the UNCHR
figures released last month, Zimbabweans
topped the list of people seeking
asylum last year, hundreds of refugees
from across Africa arrived in the
impoverished country
http://www.reuters.com
Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:03pm
EDT
* Economic stability helping wobbly farm sector
* Aid cut and
food shortages on the horizon
* Aid to small farmers helps yield 20% of
national output
By Nelson Banya
HARARE, July 27 (Reuters) -
Zimbabwe's troubled farm sector has started to
recover from depths plumbed
two years ago when it faced a food crisis, but
funding problems could cut
into programmes helping farmers recover, a U.N.
official said.
"There
was an improvement from 1.2 million tonnes to 1.3 million tonnes,"
Jacopo
D'Amelio, a regional information coordinator with the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organisation, said in an interview with Reuters on
Tuesday.
"There's also a feeling that the food security situation is
improving from
what it was in 2008, when the country had probably its worst
output," he
said.
International aid for the once famine-threatened
country, better use of
land, and the end of hyperinflation have led to the
improvement.
The southern African country, once a regional bread basket,
has failed to
feed itself since 2000 following President Robert Mugabe's
seizure of
white-owned commercial farms to resettle landless blacks, leading
to sharp
falls in production.
The economy, crippled when inflation
hit 500 billion percent in late 2008,
has stabilised under a coalition
government set up last year by bitter
rivals Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai. [ID:nLDE66D1OM]
The new administration has struggled
to attract crucial aid from Western
donors, who clashed with Mugabe in the
past over policy differences and now
want more political and economic
reforms from Harare before releasing
financial support.
"Donors are
putting in less money," D'Amelio said.
Aid agencies, which at the peak of
Zimbabwe's economic crisis in 2008 fed
about 7 million people, or about half
its population, have shifted from
handouts to providing seed, fertiliser and
technical support to restore
security of food supplies.
D'Amelio said
aid agencies would continue to support vulnerable households
and would
consider extending programmes to sell fertiliser and seeds at
discounted
prices to those who can pay.
Relief agencies say combined donor support
to small farmers accounted for up
to 20 percent of Zimbabwe's maize output
of 1.3 million tonnes in the
2009-10 season.
Separately, the U.S.
Agency for International Development's famine
early-warning systems network
cautioned in a recent report that Zimbabwe's
dry regions would need food
toward the end of this year. (Editing by Jon
Herskovitz and Jane Baird)
http://af.reuters.com/
Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:29pm
GMT
* Impact on rand value from Zimbabwe use
minimal-Gordhan
* No official requests for rand from
Zimbabwe
CAPE TOWN, July 27 (Reuters) - South Africa's central
bank did not supply
rand ZAR=D3 to Zimbabwe in the financial year ended
March 2010 and the
impact from the neighbouring country's use of the
currency was minimal,
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on
Tuesday.
Zimbabwe's government adopted the use of foreign currencies such
as the rand
and US dollar nearly two years ago, abandoning the local dollar
which had
been rendered worthless by years of hyperinflation during a decade
of
economic decline.
"The South African Reserve Bank advises that it
did not supply any rands to
Zimbabwe in the 2009/10 fiscal or 2010 calendar
year, and no official
request was received for the supply of rands from
Zimbabwean central bank or
Zimbabwean Government," Gordhan said.
"The
impact on the value of the rand and the money supply growth of the rand
arising from the use of rands by Zimbabwe is probably low, given the
relatively smaller size of the Zimbabwean economy," he added in a written
reply to a question in parliament.
Last year Zimbabwe's industry
minister said his government would look into
joining rand monetary union as
an alternative to the country's existing
multiple currency
regime.
Under the terms of the union, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho all
use the
South African rand alongside their own currencies.
South
Africa has previously said it has not been approached by Harare about
adopting the rand as legal tender in Zimbabwe.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex
Bell
27 July 2010
The auction of several Zimbabwe government owned
properties in South Africa,
seized to pay back South African farmers and a
German bank, has been
postponed, after the government challenged the
legality of the sale.
The auction was meant to get underway on Tuesday,
but the government's legal
representatives over the weekend filed an urgent
application to halt the
sale. The North Gauteng High Court on Monday
postponed the auction, saying
more time was needed by all respondents in the
case, which has been set down
for September.
Seven properties in the
Western Cape and Gauteng were seized by German
development bank KFW
Bankengruppe in May, over the government's failure to
settle a multi-million
dollar loan. The government, through the Zimbabwe
Iron and Steel Co Ltd
(Zisco), entered into the loan agreement with the
German bank in January
1998. Repayment of the loan was then meant to be done
in 16 instalments
starting from May 2000. But after only four payments, the
last being in
2002, Zisco stopped paying, leaving the German bank with no
other option
than seek other means of repayment.
Civil rights group AfriForum is
locked in a similar court battle with the
Zimbabwean government,
representing a group of farmers who lost land as a
result of Robert Mugabe's
land seizures. Four other Cape Town properties
were seized as part of the
legal battle, and identified as Zimbabwean assets
that could be auctioned
off as possible compensation for the farmers. A 2008
regional ruling,
declaring the land 'reform' program as 'unlawful' has been
ignored and
legally dismissed in Zimbabwe, leaving farmers with no choice
but to seek
justice elsewhere. Farmers approached AfriForum to have that
same ruling,
made by the human rights court of the Southern African
Development Community
(SADC), registered in South Africa.
Judge Garth Rabie in February ruled
in favour of the farmers, stating that
the SADC Tribunal ruling, including a
later order to pay costs to the
farmers, should be honoured. AfriForum has
since been seeking what
Zimbabwean assets can be attached to settle these
costs and they identified
four properties in Cape Town.
AfriForum's
legal representative, Willie Spies, explained that the court's
decision on
Monday to postpone the sale of the Zimbabwean properties,
affects their case
too. He explained that the Zimbabwe government is arguing
that all the
properties are protected by diplomatic immunity and cannot be
auctioned.
"Many of the properties are being used for commercial
purposes and are not
therefore protected by diplomatic immunity," Spies
said. "The Zimbabwe
government is abusing court proceedings and it means
Zimbabwe has developed
into a rogue state."
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
27 July
2010
The outcry over ZANU PF jingles being played twice every hour on
state radio
and television continues to rumble on, with the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting
Corporation (ZBC) vowing it will continue running them. Last
Tuesday Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai used a cabinet meeting to protest
the continued
airing of the jingles, describing them as offensive and
against the 'spirit'
of the inclusive government.
The matter seemed
to have been resolved when it was announced that cabinet
had instructed ZBC
to stop airing the jingles but this was not to be. George
Charamba, who
doubles as Mugabe's spokesman and Permanent Secretary in the
Information and
Publicity Ministry, claimed the directive from cabinet had
not been
delivered to the ministry, as Minister Webster Shamu was away.
It was
left to ZBC Chief Executive Happison Muchetetere to make it blatantly
clear
the jingles were there to stay. He even sarcastically invited the MDC
to
produce their own material for broadcast, knowing very well the state
broadcaster has a standing policy banning all campaign material from the
MDC.
The excuses in the ZANU PF camp were varied. Former Information
Minister
Jonathan Moyo claimed the songs were not jingles but rather music
produced
by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir celebrating 'the rich legacy of the
liberation
struggle.' One of the songs reiterates that Mugabe and his two
deputies,
John Nkomo and Joyce Mujuru, are the ones running the country and
the MDC
are junior partners. It's not clear what that has to do with the
liberation
history.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa meanwhile scoffed at
the remarks from Moyo
saying the Tsholotsho MP was merely 'splitting hairs.'
Chamisa said 'call
them any other name, the jingles, songs or albums are
undesirable and
unnecessary.' He said the constant repetition of the songs,
which are very
short, made them jingles. Chamisa said listeners and viewers
of the state
broadcaster were paying licence fees only to be bombarded with
poisonous
messages.
Various commentators said the fiasco over the
jingles made it clear once
again that Mugabe and his ZANU PF party were not
serious about the coalition
government. Chamisa concurred with this
assessment, saying ZANU PF was in
the coalition government out of
convenience, as a mechanism to buy time. He
accused spin doctors like Moyo
of 'trying to put deodorant on the dead
corpse of ZANU PF', saying it would
not work.
Responding to allegations from Moyo that the MDC should not
have taken the
matter over the jingles into cabinet Chamisa said, 'Moyo
thinks when he left
government, he left with the government. The government
is there without
Moyo. We won't allow the devil to run away with the
gospel.'
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/5725.html
27 July, 2010 02:45:00 By
Guthrie Munyuki
HARARE - John Makumbe, a leading political scientist,
has said President
Robert Mugabe is powerless to stop the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH)
from playing jingles that have created divisions
in the inclusive government
because the country's security chiefs now
control power.
This observation comes as the MDC-T has announced that it will
convene an
urgent meeting for its Nationmal Executive Committee to decide
on what
action to take over the continued playing of the partisan
jingles.
In an exclusive interview, Makumbe said "Mugabe has said the
jingles must
stop but the ZBC continues to play them. What is happening is
a clear
reflection of who is in charge. It is the Joint Operation Command
(JOC), the
security chiefs."
JOC is the think tank of all security
organs comprising the Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO), police,
prisons and the army.
"The jingles are sending a clear message that
Tsvangirai and Mutambara are
not in charge. It just underlines the violation
of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA) by Zanu PF and also shows the
weakness of the MDC to resist
such violations," Makumbe told the Daily
News.
The ZBH, through its radio and television units, has been playing
music by
the Mbare Chimurenga Choir which gives plaudits to Mugabe and his
deputies
in what critics say is against the spirit of the GPA which brought
about the
inclusive government.
Largely plucky and dour, the group
has emerged from the shadows to dominate
radio and television every 30
minutes in praise of Mugabe's leadership and
re-enforcing that he is in
power.
According to modern professional and broadcasting standards, songs
are
played from a management-approved 'playlist' and no more than five times
in
a 24 hour shift regardless of the song's popularity. Such decisions to
promote or play a particular song repeatedly and the playlist routine may
also be taken on the basis of the hit's performance on recognisable
charts.
However, Mbare Chimurenga choir's songs are being played at an
interval of
30 minutes.
The larger faction of the MDC has vehemently
protested against the flighting
of the jingles which it says is an assault
on the inclusive government.
Cabinet recently directed the state
broadcaster to stop the jingles but an
indignant ZBH chief executive
officer, Happison Muchechetere, said the songs
are being aired based on
their popularity.
However, Makumbe said, the ZBH defiance shows the
extent to which Zimbabwe
has become a rogue state under the leadership of
Mugabe and his Zanu PF
colleagues.
"The fact that cabinet has issued
directives tells you something. The MDC
has no power to stop this. Both
Tsvangirai and Mutambara are treated as
junior partners in the inclusive
government," argued Makumbe.
Both factions of the MDC agreed to form an
inclusive government with Zanu PF
after signing the GPA at the insistence of
the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) leaders who saw it as the
only way of avoiding further
conflict in the aftermath of a bloody and
violent June 2008 presidential
run-off.
The MDC has often implicated
JOC in the torture and killings that occurred
in the volatile Mashonaland
East provinces where Zanu PF went on a
retributive exercise after Mugabe
lost the March 2008 Presidential
plebiscite to Tsvangirai who, however,
failed to garner outright victory.
Meanwhile, in an interview on Sunday
the MDC-T deputy spokesman, Thabita
Khumalo said: "As a party which is a
partner in the inclusive government
our hope is in the negotiations and
as you know last week the Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who is our
party President engaged ZANU-PF
President Robert Mugabe over the jingles
and nothing seems to have changed.
"As a democratic and people driven
party we are going to convene an
urgent National Executive Council
meeting and which will shape the way
forward.
"After the meeting we
are going to consult the people whom we represent to
also tell us what they
want us to do over the jingles issue." - Daily News
http://news.radiovop.com
27/07/2010 12:13:00
MUTARE, July 27, 2010 - Police
have come up with fresh charges against Farai
Maguwu, the diamond rights
researcher, released on bail three weeks ago on
allegations he passed false
information on rights violations in Chiadzwa.
Police sources said Maguwu,
out on stringent bail conditions, would be
arrested and charged with
possession of a stolen vehicle, a Mercedes Benz.
Maguwu went to Mutare
Central Police Station yesterday morning accompanied
by lawyer, Tinoziva
Bere. Police sources said Maguwu was interrogated by
officers from the
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) .
The sources said his lawyer
was not allowed into the interrogation room.
"Maguwu is here at the
police station and indications are that he will be
arrested and charged with
possession of a stolen vehicle," said a senior
police officer, based at the
police provincial headquarters at Murahwa
Building in Mutare.
Maguwu
was arrested and detained for five weeks on charges he passed false
information prejudicial to the State after he allegedly passed a document to
Kimberley Process (KP) monitor, Abbey Chikane, detailing rights abuses by
security forces at Chiadzwa.
He, denies the charges.
His
arrest has delayed a decision by KP, the body which oversees the trade
in
"blood diamonds" on whether to allow Zimbabwe to resume sales.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Irene
Madongo
27/07/2010
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has not been put
off going to address
religious meetings, according to his spokesman James
Maridadi, after a
church in Gokwe was reported to have been forced by
government agents to
withdraw his invite to speak.
The Zion Christian
Church (ZCC) invited Tsvangirai to a meeting over the
weekend, where it is
understood that Vice President John Nkomo was among the
invited guests, and
that the politicians were expected to speak about
national healing and
reconciliation.
Tsvangirai had plans to address the issue at the meeting
and Maridadi
explained that: “He was invited unsolicited, they sent him an
invite
unsolicited and he obliged and said it was an opportunity for him to
visit
the area and also to preach the gospel of national
healing.”
However on Friday the Prime Minister was told of the
cancelation. On Tuesday
Maridadi said he cannot elaborate on why it was
cancelled, however it’s been
reported that state security agents threatened
and intimidated the church
with unspecified action, with a senior ZCC source
saying there was so much
intimidation that they had to cancel the
programme.
The Prime Minister gets invitations from various churches and,
according to
Maridadi he will still make an effort to attend meetings to
address members
of religious groups. “Churches are a very important
stakeholder in the whole
matrix of things. If there is an opportunity for
political leaders to come
and talk about national healing and
reconciliation, I think it is welcome,”
Maridadi said. He added: “If church
leaders are invited to church gatherings
and they go there to preach the
gospel of national healing, I don’t see
there being a problem. Because in
any case the church leader is determined
what is suitable for the
congregation and what is not.”
Despite being part of the inclusive
government, Tsvangirai still suffers
frustration because of the state
agent’s ploys to undermine him. The weekly
Standard newspaper reported on
Sunday that since the unity government was
formed almost two years ago,
Tsvangirai has now ‘given up’ hope of moving
into Zimbabwe House – a
residence traditionally reserved for the Prime
Minister. A source told the
paper that Robert Mugabe’s party continues to
try and subvert and belittle
Tsvangirai wherever it can.
http://news.radiovop.com
27/07/2010
08:56:00
BULAWAYO - Church leaders of the Johanne Marange Apostolic
sect in Bulawayo
have ordered all their church members to buy Zanu (PF)
party cards or risk
being sacked from the church.
According to church
members who spoke to Radio VOP, the directive was
announced by Madzibaba
Shadreck Kwembeya at one of the sect' s church
service held at an open space
in Tshabalala last Sunday.
"Madzibaba Kwembeya told us that following
President Robert Mugabe's
attendance of the sect's annual pass over in
Marange recently, it was agreed
by the church's leadership that everyone in
the church should reciprocate
Mugabe's donations of two tractors to the
church by joining Zanu (PF).
Kwembeya made it clear that anyone who is
against Zanu (PF) and its
leadership was free to leave the church and start
his or her own church,
said Irvine Machokoto, a long serving member of the
church.
Everyone in the church is expected to have bought a Zanu (PF)
card by the
end of August this year.
Another church member, Susan
Ncube said, "I would rather leave the church
than buy a Zanu (PF) card. Why
are these guys mixing Christianity and
politics?
"I hear they have
already invited Zanu (PF) secretary for commissariat,
Webster Shamu to
address all members of the sect in Bulawayo. Church members
should be
allowed to join political parties of their choices and must not to
be told
what to do by church elders," said Ncube.
When reached for comment
Kwembeya said, "I do not talk to newspapers which
do not respect our
god-given president. Write whatever you like," he said
before switching off
his mobile phone.
|
ZESN/ZPP/ZLHR
INDEPENDENT CONSTITUTION MONITORING PROJECT (ZZZICOMP) ALERT
4
ZANU PF
YOUTHS ON THE RAMPAGE IN CHIVI
Bernard Hadzirabwi, the
District Administrator for Chivi District, is in trouble after suggesting in his
contribution that the country’s Prime Minister should have executive powers.
This did not go down well with the Zanu PF supporters and CIO agents present at
the meeting two weeks ago.
According to the ZZZICOMP
observers on the ground, the Zanu PF youths on Monday, July 26, 2010, were busy
organising a demonstration against Hadzirabwi at the centre and threatened the
security guards at his offices accusing them of protecting a Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) supporter.
After receiving the threats
on several occasions, Hadzirabwi has not been reporting for duty since last week
fearing for his life.
Following on the
contributions from the same outreach meeting, Zanu PF District Coordinating
Committee (DCC) Chairperson Sanders Magwizi has summoned the head of the
District Development Fund (DDF) in the area Ernest Temba to his
office.
It is alleged that Temba
made contributions that are against Zanu PF’s views and the Kariba Draft during
a COPAC outreach meeting in the area.
In the same district, an
official in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development a
Mugarajira has also received violent threats from the Zanu PF youths for the
contributions he made at the outreach meeting held at Chivi Centre. The youth
militias are not happy with the contributions which are believed to be anti-Zanu
PF and they are accusing him of being a sell-out.
Meanwhile, in Manicaland a
ZZZICOMP monitor was detained for more than three hours on Friday last week
following a COPAC outreach meeting in Mutasa North Ward 4 at Dumba Business
Centre.
John Ziyera (29), who was
observing the proceedings under ZZZICOMP was detained after Zanu PF supporters
accused him of being a stranger adding that he should not be part of the
meeting. The Zanu PF supporters became riotous and wanted to physically assault
Ziyera who was saved by David Chimhini one of the Constitution Select Committee
(COPAC) team leader, who handed him over to the police. He was later taken to
Mutare Central Police Station.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights lawyer based in Mutare Blessing Nyamaropa attended to Ziyera and
facilitated his release on the same day.
Ziyera said he was
interrogated by the police from the Law and Order section throughout his stay at
the police station but was not told of the charges he was
facing.
Upon his release on Friday
around 9PM he was told to report back at the police station the next
morning.
“The following day they
only recorded his profile and told him that they will call him if they find a
case against him before releasing him,” said
Nyamaropa.
For
further information and comments please contact ZZZICOMP
Email:
zzzicomp@gmail.com Hotlines: 0916
404256-9 / or 0916 404292
Background
of the Partnering Organisations
ZESN
The Zimbabwe
Election Support Network is a network of 30 independent, non-partisan NGOs that
has been observing all aspects of the electoral process in
ZLHR
Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights is a not for profit human rights organization whose
core objective is to foster a culture of human rights in Zimbabwe as well as to
encourage the growth and strengthening of human rights at all levels of
Zimbabwean society through observance of the rule of law. ZLHR is committed to
upholding respect for the rule of law and the unimpeded administration of
justice, free and fair elections, the free flow of information and the
protection of constitutional rights and freedoms in
ZPP
Zimbabwe
Peace Project is an NGO which promotes peace through monitoring and
documentation of politically motivated human rights violations. The vision of
ZPP is sustainable justice, freedom, peace, and development in
ENDS
Kumbirai Mafunda
Consultant Communications Officer
6th
100 Nelson Mandela Av
Tel
Email
“We Need Generational
Change”
http://news.myjoyonline.com/
Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 July
2010, 20:30 GMT
The Brazilian government is prepared to impart
agricultural skills and
knowledge to Zimbabweans to revamp local production,
a diplomat said on
Tuesday.
Speaking after paying a courtesy call on
Vice President John Nkomo,
Brazilian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Raul de Taunay
said cooperation between the
two countries in the agriculture sector could
be increased.
De Taunay said Brazil, which had one of the biggest and
most advanced
plantation and irrigation systems in the world, could assist
Zimbabwe
develop an efficient system of production.
"Presently Brazil
is hosting people from the grain board and there will be
an exchange and
sharing of notes," he said.
He said the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe
could benefit from Brazil which
was feeding 40 percent of the world with its
produce.
Zimbabwe had vast potential and should not be a beneficiary
humanitarian
assistance, he said.
"Brazil has lately been active in
Africa and Zimbabwe is one of the nations
that deserve all our attention,"
he said.
De Taunay called for speedy implementation of agreements in
various fields
to promote sustainable development.
Meanwhile, U. S.
Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray, who met Vice President
Nkomo after de
Taunay, said his country remained committed to finding areas
of
cooperation.
Despite pledging support to the inclusive government, the
United States and
its allies including Britain have not lifted illegal
sanctions they imposed
on the country.
"We want to re-engage with the
rest of the world, Zimbabwe included and that
is one of my main objective
and tasks," said Ray.
Commenting on the inclusive government, Ray said
there was a lot of
potential for progress. He said the United States was
still assessing areas
of cooperation.
source: Xinua news agency.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
27/07/2010 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
POOR infrastructure maintenance is costing Zimbabwe's
economy millions of
dollars annually, the Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer of the
African Development Bank Nkosana Moyo has told a conference
of Zimbabwean
engineers in London.
"One of the problems in Africa is
that we like to build new things, but we
are not good at looking at those
that we already have, and the costs are
phenomenal," Moyo, Zimbabwe's former
Industry and Trade Minister, said last
Friday.
"Roughly for every
dollar spent on maintenance, you save the economy $4 from
the statistics
that we have. That's not even talking about what you allow
the economy to
create in terms of growth."
Moyo said Zimbabwe's pothole-riddled roads
were costing motorists millions
of dollars in repairs every year - money
which could have been spent on the
economy.
"The maintenance of
vehicles in Zimbabwe which is a direct result of bad
roads is a huge cost to
the economy. Every time a consumer has to spend
money that way, the demand
side, in terms of stimulation of the economy, is
robbed of purchasing
power," the economist told a Zimbabwe Institute of
Engineers (UK
Branch)-organised conference on infrastructure development and
investment.
He added: "All economies grow because of the consumption
that is there
either globally or in the country, therefore it is important
to understand
that the facilitation for consumption is the driver of an
economy.
"If the money that could be spent through demanding consumption
has to be
spent on replacing a tyre and things like this, you are actually
depriving
the economy of growth potential."
In
Washington, from August 3rd to 5th, President Obama will host the President's
Forum with Young African Leaders- drawing 120 youth from Africa, including three
Zimbabwean youth leaders. The three young Zimbabweans- Cleopatra Ndlovu, Masimba
Nyamanhindi and Sydney Chisi- have played significant roles in Zimbabwean civil
society covering a wide range of issues including civic education, youth
empowerment, women’s rights, and civic
activism.
The
President's Forum with Young African Leaders builds on the commitments President
Obama made during his historic visit to Ghana in July
2009.
“This is
our attempt to see the future of Africa through the eyes of young Africans.
Rather than our bringing people here and explaining to them that we think they
need to do A, B, or C; we're bringing them here so that they can describe for us
their vision of the future of their country, their region and their continent.
That then will give us ideas about how we can support the sort of progressive
approach to governance, economic opportunity and social development. The
education part of this is really going to be the Africans to the Americans,”
says Bruce Wharton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa.
During the
three day forum, Americans and Africans will learn from each other, work
together to develop innovative solutions to regional challenges, and create
strategies for seizing opportunities in governance, economic opportunity, and
youth empowerment.
The
President’s Forum with Young African Leaders presents the U.S. government and
American friends of Africa with an opportunity to deepen and broaden our
understanding of the trajectories of African societies, and to reflect on how
the next generation are building their communities’ and their nations’ futures –
just as their predecessors did in the era of independence from colonial rule. In
addition to the town hall meeting with the President, the forum will include
small-group discussions on topics such as transparency and accountability, job
creation and entrepreneurship, rights advocacy, and the use of technology to
empower individuals and communities. African participants will have an
opportunity to meet with grassroots service organizations to share experiences
and strategies.
# #
#
Issued by the U.S.
Embassy Public Affairs Section
July 27,
2010
Harare,
July 27th 2010: The United States Embassy will host
a unique American Colleges and Universities Fair allowing former students and
teachers at U.S. universities to provide information about their colleges. The
one-off event which is free and open to the public will be held at Prince Edward
School on Saturday between 10am and 3pm.
The Fair will
enable A level and other prospective undergraduate students to access more
information about further study in the United States, including information on
scholarships, campus and college life at a wide variety of colleges and
universities.
Over 30 U.S.
universities and colleges will be represented at the Fair. Ambassador Charles A.
Ray will attend the Fair which will also include presentations on SATs,
financial aid and other topics related to U.S. higher education application
processes.
“Besides
their personal experiences at the colleges, the individuals staffing the stands
on behalf of the different colleges will also provide current information about
the colleges they represent,” said Tim Gerhardson, Public Affairs Officer at the
U.S. Embassy.
The U.S.
Embassy’s Public Affairs Section in Eastgate and the American Corner at the
Bulawayo Public Library both house an Education USA Advising Center that provide
the only source of credible information about tertiary education in the
U.S.
# #
#
Issued by
the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section, Harare
July 27,
2010
http://news.radiovop.com/
27/07/2010 09:06:00
Harare
- Exiled writer and poet Chenjerai Hove who left Zimbabwe almost a
decade
ago following threats on his life says political tolerance in the
country is
still 'dangerously' low making it hard for exiles to return even
after the
formation of the unity government.
Hove was forced to abandon his country
of birth in 2002 just before the
presidential elections. He fled without his
family.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Vop this week, Hove shared
his
thoughts about his country.
"As far as I can see, the conditions
that created the multitudes of exiles
have not changed at all. People are
still being victimized for their
political views and differences.The level
of political tolerance is still as
low as it was, dangerously low," Hove
said
"The ministers from different political groupings are issuing
different and
opposing messages every day. The fear implanted in the hearts
and minds of
citizens is still as fresh as ever, being vigorously cultivated
and watered
by the speeches of reckless politicians."
Although the
government embarked on the national healing and reconciliation
project after
the formation of the unity government following the violent
June 2008
presidential run-off. Hove feels that national healing is
impossible if the
perpetrators of violence are still walking scot free.
"The healing task
is impossible when the same people who committed crimes
are roaming the
countryside or are being promoted to more senior positions
where they have
more power to inflict more harm,"Hove said.
"There has been so much
political violence in my country and from this
distance; one can only recall
the title of South African writer, Alan Paton's
book, 'Cry, The Beloved
Country.' From far away, it is
difficult to completely understand the
political deafness which has, like a
wild fire, engulfed our
country."
Life in exile
Hove has mainly lived in Europe and
currently he is based in Miami in the US
where he spends most of his time
teaching, and lecturing on creative writing
to different universities and
workshops.
The award winning writer has experienced different challenges
whilst living
in exile.
Hove says he 'misses' his motherland and the
most difficult thing that he
finds hard in exile is the loss of his beloved
ones and failing to attend
their funerals.
"The major hurdle of life
in exile is that friends and relatives are
passing on every day and I cannot
be there to say my farewells by their
death beds," Hove told Radio
Vop.
"My mother passed away on the morning of my birthday, then came my
namesake, Chenjerai Hove Jr and my younger brother, in a short space of
time. I was devastated. I felt powerless, completely disabled by
the
circumstances. That was the deepest end of exile."
The role of a writer
in society
When asked about the role of a writer in society, Hove said:
"A writer is a
mirror of the society, they write the beauty and the ugliness
of society.
Writers should celebrate life, death and must protest
when
the political atmosphere decays."
A writer should capture the
tragic images which are brought about 'by bad or
good political decisions so
that politicians can see that they are living in
a false glory of
self-congratulation and aggrandisement
while the people sings songs of pain
and suffering every day,' Hove said.
"Gukurahundi left us so many
orphans, widows and destroyed families, and the
writer has a duty to trace
those ruined lives and show the images to the
politicians."
Zimbabwe's literature today
Hove believes
Zimbabweans are interested in reading but were being affected
by the
economic hardships in the country over the years reducing their
buying
power. The economic decay in the last decade has
seen some writers going
outside the country to publish their works.
However, Hove says he has
been inspired by young and upcoming writers.
Hove hopes that despite the
economic and political problems that have been
in the country writers
are
writing and it is only a matter of time before they start publishing
again.
"To a large extent I have been following literary developments
back home.
Despite the economic dire straits facing publishers, they have
been able to
publish some refreshing young voices like Memory Chirere,
Ignatius Mabasa
and others," Hove said.
"My suspicion is that there
are still many manuscripts hidden in some
drawers, waiting to be published
one day when the climate of fear no longer
haunts young writers."
"I
enjoyed tremendously when I read Ignatius Mabasa's 'Mapenzi.' Of course,
Charles Mungoshi has always been a lasting inspiration to me with his clear
vision of life and its inner sagas and turbulence,"
Hove said.
The
Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) takes place this year on July
26- 31
at the Harare Gardens. The fair could not be held in 2008 due to the
economic hardships as they were few publishers and writers
who were
willing to exhibit. Hove said Zimbabweans do not have much
disposable income
to buy books
but added that they share books like the way they share
newspapers.
"In Europe if a thousand copies of my book are sold, I know
I have about
five hundred readers or so. They buy books for the book shelf
as
collections. In Zimbabwe if I sell a hundred copies of one title,
I
know I will over a thousand readers," Hove said.
Hove said he has
just completed a novel and a poetry anthology titled 'Love
and Other Ghosts'
which will be released soon.
"A poetry anthology titled 'Love and Other
Ghosts' should hopefully be
coming out soon. And a novel whose title I will
not divulge is also with a
publisher. We will wait and see what is cooking,"
he said.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe
reached Bulawayo in 1897 and has been in
existence even before then under
different colonial names. The NRZ has a
rail network that is over 3,000 km
long. The rail has been at the epicenter
of the economic growth and
development of this country. Mining and
agriculture industries which are the
backbone of the Zim economy were built
on this communications link – the
railway line.
Now the same NRZ has capacity to spur Zimbabwe into the
digital leap by
giving birth to a telecoms entity that will be built on the
existing
National Railways of Zimbabwe infrastructure. I literally mean
laying fiber
optic cable underneath or aside to the rail.
Enter
“SteamTel” derived from the locomotives that where powered by steam
hence
the birth of “isitimela” for the train. “SteamTel” which will be a
commercially run telecoms business unit is long overdue and I wonder why .
For a minute forget about the inevitable POTRAZ licensing
reality.
Privatization
Powertel is telecommunications that was
carved out of ZESA , as a separate
division catering to the commercial
telecommunications services. Transmedia
is another off shoot from another
loss making parastatal ZBC and is run
along corporate rules and is doing
better than its parent organization.
But the reason for setting up a
railway based telecoms company does not
emanate from what I have said above
, but from the fact its inherent single
purpose – transportation rail which
was part of the then Cape to Cairo dream
by the colonialists connects Mutare
to Vic Falls via Harare , Kwekwe , Gweru
and Bulawayo.
As a result ,
starting and operating a telecommunications company on the
wide and
extensive rail physical network should NOT be a big issue with the
right
planning , management and of course funding !
This is nothing new.
Worldwide most rail operators provide back phone
telecommunications capacity
to wherever the railway line goes. In South
Africa a company called Transnet
runs and operates a highly profitable data
, Internet and voice. The concept
or logic is based on the fact that the NRZ
already has nationwide
infrastructure that connects the major centers in
Zimbabwe. The
communications division company of it then rides on back of
the NRZ
infrastructure in the same way that Powertel was conceived on
providing
communications link that ride on the ZESA electricity national
grid. So
Powertel did NOT have to worry about the backbone of their network
since
ZESA already had the grid network that transports electricity from
generation points to the distribution network – electricity grid.
Same
with Transmedia riding on the back of ZBC broadcasting infrastructure.
In
the same way NRZ can now speedily roll out a communications network that
rides on the back of its own railway network. This is no rocket
science.
Presently Zimbabwe has 3 GSM , 1 Fixed Line operator and more
than 8 Data
and Internet service Providers. So the introduction of another
telecoms
operator might sound unnecessary and from an end user point of view
.But at
a carrier level it makes more sense. This is how.
Presently
the only company that provides high speed connectivity to the
world wide web
outside Zimbabwe by fiber is Powertel who are connected via
Botswana
Telecoms who then connect to the undersea cable to rest of the
world. Other
players setting up fiber connections to the under sea cables
include Ecoweb
via Liquid Telecom who are digging trenches all over and
laying fiber cables
that enable high speed Internet connections to you
favorite site Facebook
hosted in San Jose in California ! So is Africom
laying fiber via Mutare to
the Indian ocean.
Now presently the cost of high speed Internet is
prohibitive because there
is ONE player who is connected using fiber to the
under sea cable and that
is Powertel. Of course the other ISPs and all have
their own satellite hubs
to do the same. But as you might already know you
can not compare satellite
speeds to that of fiber. And this pare is not the
purpose of this write up.
As a result if “SteamTel” lays its own fiber
that follows its rail system
we will have more competition much to the
delight if the end user who will
NOT be forced to go to one operator who has
monopoly in high speed
connectivity.
Layout
Now that the
backbone of the core network has been defined and rolled out as
fiber
following the rail tracks now comes the distribution part of the data
and
voice services being carried by the “SteamTel” network from one part of
the
country to another and even to border points for exit since Zim is a
land
locked country. Bear in mind that NRZ already has its own radio
communications network for signaling and communications that uses radio and
fixed connections. This network consist of very high rise towers that sends
and receives signals to different points for certain distances.
The
choice of the distribution and access network is open to debate since NO
one
technology is suitable for all environments. Just like any network
deployment , this is no different in terms of challenges , costs , skills
etc. But one thing remains clear that wireless technology stands out as the
most practical means to avail basic email , Internet and voice services to
bulk of the population. There is no need to discuss the specific wireless
technology of choice but CDMA , WiMAx , LTE amongst others are the means of
bringing these services to the people – last mile connectivity since copper
cables are prey to thieves and expensive to lay.
This then means and
implies that the NRZ installs base stations wherever
they have a railway
station specifically to provide digital services such as
email , Internet ,
fax and most importantly voice. Making calls over a fiber
network is pretty
easy and trivial .The average person in Zimbabwe now is
familiar with SMS
from their cellphone sending messages back and forth for
about 10 cents per
message which should really the price of a call per
minute ! Incumbent
operators have performed dismally when it comes to
delivering true broadband
connectivity .The reason for their failures range
from lack of capital right
through to outright incompetence and taking end
users for
granted.
Already as you can see the number of railway stations is a good
starting
point that lays out the POPs (point of presence spots). National
Railways of
Zimbabwe already has radio coverage in ALL areas where the
railway line
goes. Its that simple –
literally.
Feasibility
Again as I indicated earlier on this is NOT
a new concept but a proven and
working model just across the Limpopo in
South Africa. The digital divide in
Zimbabwe is far from being bridged. The
millions of mobile users in the
country is a good indication and a positive
development that makes it
possible for people in the most remotest areas
where there is cellular
coverage , to send text messages to their beloved
ones in London !
But beyond SMS and making voice calls that are extremely
over priced , it is
time that the digital push moves into the next gear of
availing email ,
Internet , fax and video services. I mean the other day
driving to Bulawayo
from Harare as I went past Ntabazinduna I realized that
the Ecoweb fiber
“line” is less than 2 miles from the community. This
literally means a
connection from the main line to the business center could
deliver Skype and
Facebook to this rural community well before some low
density suburbs !
Bottom line is that use of wireless broadband
technologies connected to the
core network (rail fiber) will deliver digital
service to areas within the
coverage range of the radio
equipment.
Economic Opportunities
It is not possible for me to
list all the opportunities that a rail anchored
communications network will
bring forth. One particular line of thinking may
change the complexion of
smaller towns that lie along the rail network. Look
here is an opportunity
for smaller towns like Chegutu and Plumtree just to
mention a few , to out
jump over crowded Harare metro using digital power.
Needless to repeat ,
fiber optics brings along the capacity to carry HUGE
amounts data , voice
and video over long distances at lighting speeds
literally. So let me throw
a bait with real life scenario to hammer the
point home.
Consider a
town like Plumtree that has now been connected to the fiber
network that
comes with the rail right. Now businesses based in Plumtree can
now offer
call center services to companies based in the US or UK. A call
center is a
setup where phone agents sitting in front of a computer can make
and receive
calls using high speed data connections like the Internet that
the rail
brings. The geographical location of a call center is immaterial.
Hence
thats why thousands of companies in the US out source their call
center
services to companies in India , Malasyia and now Kenya , South
Africa and
many more. Zimbabwe is an ideal destination for this kind of
phone support
service because of 2 factors. One is English language and our
literacy
levels. No need to expand on this. The writing is on the wall. So
if the
same Plumtree call center model is replicated in ALL smaller towns
nationwide along the RAILWAY line with fiber reach , then who says job
creation has to be in restricted to Harare alone where most people are fully
employed as vendors. Smaller towns wake up and smell the fish.
The
call center is just one such example real and tangible job and wealth
creation. This is NO an academic matter for thesis purposes nor a political
matter for campaigning.
These are long term projects and plans that
must be under taken at a
national level. These are NOT quick money hit and
run kind of projects.
These kind of plans require those in charge of
resources and those who make
national decisions to see beyond their eyelids.
This is NOT a get rich quick
scheme. Digital competence is the best
opportunity that Africa has to catch
up and with the rest of the
world.
It is a total waste of time and money to talk about turning around
the
economy when people have NO access to information to effect that turn
around. To market and sell their products by way of exports that generate
the much needed forex , create employment and improve the average quality of
lives.
Towns like Chegutu , Gwanda , Marondera , Bulawayo , Gweru ,
Kwekwe , Kadoma
, Mutare , Rusape , Victoria Falls , Hwange etc can now
setup digitally
based businesses that do not require an A2 farm allocation.
We cant all be
farmers can we ?
Partnering Option
Considering
that there is already a dozen data , Internet and voice
operators in
Zimbabwe maybe “SteamTel” can partner or even acquire an
existing licensed
operator. This way we avoid having too many operators
offering shoddy
service at prohibitive prices.
Competition breeds competence and product
improvement and eliminates
complacency on part of service providers whom I
must sat they are taking the
public for granted. This must and will
stop.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe that itself needs a major clean
up , could
look in in the direction of operators like : Telco Internet ,
Broadlands ,
Aquiva Wireless , Taurai Commms , Africom for a either merging
, acquisition
or partnering. This could form the basis of the second land
line operator
given the dismal service delivery by our fixed line operator
Telone still
being run along the tried and tested failing parastatals models
of the likes
of ZESA , PTC , ZBC , Zisco and NRZ.
NeoTel was born
out of a merger/acquisition of TransTel a division of SA's
transet for
transportation. (www.neotel.co.za)
”SteamTel” would
operate as a private telecommunications network and no
need to re-invent the
wheel they would offer services such as wireless
services, which offer
broadband and narrow band, fixed wireless access,
trunk radio network, radio
network planning, and engineering and spectrum
management services most of
which they are already doing at a low level.
This way no one monster will
monopolize the digital market and peg service
at prices that are "morally
illegal" such as 25 cents per minute per call.
More about this in my next
article entitled - using Internet Telephony
technology to cut communications
costs. Is'nt there a Universal Service Fund
(USF) owned by POTRAZ for
extending basic telecoms services to those without
?
This write up is
by no means detailed nor a work plan BUT gives a bird's eye
view of where we
could be in a few years time with the right people in the
right places. But
naturally and quite understandably so , some current
operators will not take
too kindly to this kind of thinking. But again as I
have said this is
necessary so that ONE one network bully can siphon
millions of dollars a day
from poor Zimbos to make a phone call at
exorbitant prices.
It is my
understanding that we have an ALL inclusive government presently
working
together towards total economic recovery as such I don't see any
reason why
politics and even regulations would want to block this ? How do
we expect to
export agricultural goods when the farmer out there does NOT
even know where
the external markets are because he has NO means of even
sending an email to
the potential buyer about the grade or price of his
orange produce
?
And maybe for a change this will be the first telecommunications
company
whose head quarters will be in Bulawayo – where NRZ headquarters is
!
Comments , questions and suggestions welcome by text , email and voice.
Any
takers ?
Robert Ndlovu - Bulawayo- Zimbabwe .
ndlovu @
ymail.com
Skype : WozaTel
Phone : + 263 71 412 0206 / + 1 650 200
0250
( Mr. Robert Ndlovu is a ICT consultant formerly based in California ,
USA
and now offering knowledge based consultancy for African based
organizations , governments and businesses in the digital inclusiveness
plans – bridging the digital divide.)
27/07/2010 00:00:00 | |
by Scott Ramsay | |
|
AFTER his travel diary following a visit to Zimbabwe in November 2009 [DAY 1; DAY 2; DAY 3; DAY 4; DAY 5], Scott Ramsay returned recently and travelled for four weeks in the western parts of the country, discovering deserted tourist attractions, plenty of welcoming locals and more than a few roadblocks.
Want to find out what it'slike to travel in Zimbabwe at the moment. Can you have a good time in the country? Are visitors welcome? Is it safe? Is there fuel? Is there food? How bad is the poaching?
I answered as honestly as I could: that I was travelling to Zimbabwe for several weeks, to write and photograph a series of travel articles. I showed him my letter of accreditation from the Minister of Information, something that all photojournalists require when visiting Zimbabwe. Without it, journalists risk being arrested.
Indeed, the letter wasn't stamped. I tried to explain that I had followed all the procedures as a visiting photojournalist. Officials at the government-run Zimbabwe Tourism knew of my visit, and they had informed the Ministry of Information, which had sent me the clearance letter.
My passport was taken away to a back office, while I waited. The queue at the border post wasn't long. A few returning locals and a South African couple were moving quickly through the passport-stamping process.
To get to Zimbabwe, I had deliberately driven through Botswana to miss the severe delays at the Beitbridge border post. Instead of waiting for several hours (or several days, in some reported cases), you can move through Plumtree border post in a matter of minutes. Now I was regretting writing "Photojournalist" as my profession on the arrivals form.
After twenty minutes, Chiworese returned with my passport. It was stamped, allowing me just two days in the country - enough time, according to him, to drive to Harare and present myself to the Minister of Information, have the accreditation letter stamped, and then return to Plumtree to have my passport stamped again for the full four weeks of my intended stay.
Before I could explain that I wasn't going to Harare, that my destination was in fact Bulawayo, Chiworese handed my passport back to me. "Welcome to Zimbabwe," he said.
I arrived in Bulawayo, and called the helpful Lizzie Murandu from Zimbabwe Tourism. After telling her about my border hassles, she took me to Mr Kanjera, the principal immigration officer in Bulawayo. While Lizzie explained my presence in Zimbabwe, I caught the gaze of Robert Mugabe, whose large photo hung on the office wall behind Kanjera's desk.
As I was to discover, his bespectacled portrait hangs in the entrance of every government-run institution - and almost every lodge and hotel. Even though Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition MDC is now officially "sharing power" with Mugabe, travellers are never in any doubt as to who runs the country.
Kanjera stamped my passport for the full four weeks of my intended stay, but not before I made a verbal bungle. Trying to be friendly, I had greeted him in some basic Shona ("Makadini" - "How are you"). He looked non-plussed. Afterwards, Lizzie laughed. "He's Ndebele. When you travel to Zimbabwe, it's important to speak a bit of Ndebele, as well as Shona."
BUT as a Kubatana subscriber recently shared:
My 17-year-old daughter has asked me whether the current mobile line registration by mobile networks as directed by the regulator, POTRAZ is lawful and not a violation of rights as per the constitution. I am not a legal guru and I seek advice on whether this is not another AIPPA in the making. The concept of a prepaid mobile line, the world over, has been that of confidentiality. If subscribers are forced to register, that element of confidentiality is lost. What do the experts say about this? What shall I tell my daughter? Please let constitutional law experts respond.
Please share your opinion with Kubatana on: info@kubatana.net
Kubatana goes Inside/Out with . . .
Tom Soper, all rounder
Professor Reginald H Austin, lawyer, humanist, Zimbabwean
Pauline Gundidza of Mafrique
Clare Douie, scientist, artist and optimist
Writer and thinker Professor Mandivamba Rukuni
And on the Kubatana community blog . . .
The plight of the disabled needs attention in Zimbabwe writes Natasha Msonza
Go ahead, call me a salad challenges Fungai Machirori
Rejoice Ngwenya is adamant that Econet doesn't inspire
Road practices for the new Zimbabwe according to Michael Laban
Dydimus Zengenene posts a public apology
A poem entitled State Witness by Mgcini Nyoni
Delta Ndou shares a story of sexual abuse in strong in the broken places
- Youth in churches' demands on the new constitution - PENYA - Read moreMade in Zimbabwe with mediocrity
- ZimRights educates farm workers - ZimRights - Read more
- Zimbabweans yearn for leadership to stir national healing - Restoration Of Human Rights Zimbabwe - Read moreCOPAC completely useless: Dr Madhuku
- Political meddling with constitutional outreach process - Law Society of Zimbabwe - Read more
- Co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone on Behind the Headlines - SW Radio Africa - Read more
- Restrictions of fundamental freedoms undermining credibility of constitution making process - Amnesty International - Read more