http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Zimbabwe's long-running fuel shortage has
worsened with the country's main
airport low on aviation
fuel.
30.06.1105:18pm
Chief Reporter
International airlines
have been forced to divert their aircraft and Air
Zimbabwe is struggling to
service its domestic route.
The country's major fuel supplier temporarily
halted deliveries last week
after Zimbabwe failed to make payments because
of a serious shortage of hard
currency. The airline owes more than
$1million.
An almost complete absence of foreign currency means the
country simply does
not have the money to pay for essential imports, such as
fuel and
electricity, but aviation fuel had been maintained. The national
carrier
requires about 450 000 litres of Jet A1 per week.
The
shortage prompted the government to last week approach the Airports
Company
of South Africa (ACSA) for emergency fuel supplies to keep the
national
carrier in the air, Air Zimbabwe sources said.
Acting group chief
executive Innocent Mavhunga, downplayed the crisis as a
“slight operational
challenge."
But our sources said senior Civil Aviation Authority of
Zimbabwe officials
left for Johannesburg this week to plead with ACSA for an
undisclosed amount
of Jet A1 fuel.
“They are in South Africa. The
purpose of the visit was to try and convince
the South Africans to supply
Zimbabwe with Jet A1 fuel,” a CAAZ official
said.
The shortage risks
scaring away the few remaining international airlines
operating at Harare
International Airport.
“We have been in touch with ACSA over
possibilities of them helping us
procure fuel. We also want to see how they
are getting it cheaply,” said the
source. Zimbabwe is in the grip of an
acute fuel shortage since Libya cut
off a barter oil deal with Harare last
year.
Zimbabwe consumes 15 million litres of Jet A1 fuel a month. But the
country
has virtually run out of all liquid fuels forcing the State-run
National Oil
Company of Zimbabwe to appeal to banks to help raise foreign
currency to pay
for fuel. South Africa has in the past helped Zimbabwe with
fuel and
electricity but has in recent weeks appeared reluctant to bail out
its
northern neighbour out of its worst energy crisis.
An Air
Zimbabwe plane failed to service the London route last week as it did
not
have enough fuel to fly the route.
The crisis has also started to affect
domestic routes, with the flight
schedule for the Bulawayo, Vic Falls route
disrupted last week over failure
to pay $4,000 to fuel the MA60 Chinese
plane. The dwindling fuel supplies
have escalated calls to privatise the
national airline amid concerns it was
beginning to hurt national pride. The
sources said more CAAZ and Ministry of
Transport officials were expected to
leave Harare for Johannesburg this week
to join the team that went earlier.
It was however, not possible to
establish the progress of the talks between
the Zimbabweans and the ACSA
officials.
The sources said not much was
likely to be achieved unless the Zimbabweans
put money on the table. CAAZ,
which is believed to be in dire need of $2
million worth of fuel imports, is
seeking to source cheaper Jet A1 fuel. The
vital fuel sells at between 25
and 27 cents per litre in South Africa, but
in Zimbabwe airlines must pay in
excess of $1 per litre.
Jul 3, 7:59 AM EDT
By ANGUS SHAW
Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)
-- A Roman Catholic human rights group in Zimbabwe
called on political
leaders Sunday to intervene to end a surge in violence
that has seen rival
political party supporters driven from their homes and
created no-go zones
in Zimbabwe's capital.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace said
that recent skirmishes
and assaults have occurred in the western Harare
township of Mbare, an area
loyal to the prime minister. They said the unrest
has even forced some men
to visit their families secretly at night to "avoid
being caught by
politically dogmatic groups" opposed to democratic
rights.
In a statement Sunday, the group said most perpetrators of the
violence were
"shipped" into the township. Rights groups say militants and
security forces
loyal to longtime President Robert Mugabe have previously
led political
violence.
The group said that Mbare market stalls have
been seized, household goods
and personal belongings confiscated and streets
around a key medical clinic
became "so unapproachable and inhospitable" that
victims of violence and HIV
patients were afraid seek care or collect their
medication there.
It said the violence "is imported. Most people behind
the violence are not
permanent residents in the area."
An all-party
committee formed by regional leaders to monitor implementation
of the
28-month-old coalition agreement between Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai has played down continuing violence across the country but
last
week acknowledged there was still unrest in Mbare.
Critics of the
committee accuse it of not doing enough to highlight bitter
disputes in the
coalition and say it meets irregularly and lacks powers and
money to work
effectively countrywide.
An alliance of independent human rights
organizations to which the Catholic
commission belongs has reported a marked
increase in violence and
intimidation since Mugabe this year called for
early elections to bring the
coalition to a close.
It said that
political tensions rose throughout Zimbabwe. The group said
Mugabe militants
were mobilized and police and the military loyal to Mugabe
stepped up
arrests and harassment of opponents, Tsvangirai party politicians
and
independent journalists.
Mugabe's party blames Tsvangirai's party for
starting violence.
The Catholic commission on Sunday quoted victims of
violence saying they
were being punished for "participating in political
associations of their
choice.
"In extreme cases, some Mbare families
have lost their houses to people who
belong to other political parties," it
said.
It urged political leaders to realize that votes are won by
maintaining
justice and human rights.
"How, for example, can a person
who dislocated his jaw in political violence
vote for the political party
responsible for dislocating it?" Sunday's
statement said.
http://www.news24.com
2011-07-03 20:50
Harare - The
Kimberley Process could collapse, experts warn, after the group
meant to
prevent diamonds from financing conflicts decided to allow Zimbabwe
to sell
gems tainted by army killings.
Kimberley approval was meant to guarantee
that stones often given as a
symbol of love are not "blood diamonds" used to
fund some of Africa's most
brutal civil wars in Sierra Leone and
Liberia.
Since 2003, Kimberley has gathered governments, industry and
activists into
a global regulator that makes decisions by
consensus.
But at the Kimberley meeting in Kinshasa on June 23, rights
groups simply
walked out after the chairperson, Mathieu Yamba of the
Democratic Republic
of Congo, gave the green light to two companies to sell
gems from Zimbabwe's
Marange fields.
"It weakens the process," said
Tony Hawkins, an economist at the University
of Zimbabwe. "Less and less
regard will be paid to KP. In the long term, it
could wither away and
die."
Diamonds were discovered in Marange in 2006, drawing in thousands
of
small-time miners hoping to get rich quick.
Once the extent of the
find became clear, the army cleared the area in late
2008, when Human Rights
Watch says more than 200 people were killed, some by
helicopter
gunships.
"Blood diamonds" and "missing" millions
Kimberley's own
investigators documented "unacceptable and horrific violence
against
civilians by authorities", prompting a ban on exports of the gems in
June
2009.
Since then, two firms operating in a series of incarnations as
South African
firms and Zimbabwe parastatal entities have kept on mining,
with Harare
stockpiling gems now estimated to be worth up to
$5bn.
Zimbabwe's gross domestic product last year was $7.5bn, according
to the
International Monetary Fund.
The mines ministry, which like
the security forces are controlled by
long-ruling President Robert Mugabe
under Zimbabwe's shaky unity government,
is desperate to sell the
gems.
But finance minister Tendai Biti - a backer of Mugabe's rival,
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai - says he cannot account for any of the
$30m in
Marange diamonds sold in the months before the
ban.
Nonetheless, African countries, China and India supported the
Kimberley
decision, which was opposed by Western nations, rights groups and
the
industry - which is keen to avoid the bad publicity which "blood
diamonds"
bring.
Industry groups have urged members not to trade in
Marange diamonds and
called on Kimberley members to find a
compromise.
"By walking out of the house, and by upending the
discussions, some members
clearly do not realise the enormous negative and,
I fear, disastrous impact
their conduct has and will have on the entire
diamond supply pipeline," said
Avi Paz, president of the World Federation of
Diamond Bourses.
Ignore Marange diamonds
"The clock is ticking and
it shows it's five minutes to midnight. Disaster
is awaiting around the
corner for the international diamond trade."
The United States said it
believes Kimberley can still find a way to monitor
Marange
diamonds.
"We believe that work toward a solution must continue, and that
until
consensus is reached, exports from Marange should not proceed," the
State
Department said in a statement.
"The US would like to ensure
the Kimberley Process's future and enable
diamond exports to contribute
positively to the region's people and
economy."
In the meantime,
rights groups are calling for a boycott of Marange diamonds
until Kimberley
reaches a consensus.
"Governments and companies should ignore [Yamba's]
decision unless they want
to make blood diamonds available to consumers and
ruin the credibility of
the Kimberly Process as well," Human Rights Watch
said.
- AFP
http://www.timeslive.co.za
ZOLI MANGENA | 03 July, 2011 13:51
ZIMBABWE'S
political party negotiators are expected to resume talks to
finalise
timelines and other specific details on elecetions.
A rucial elections
roadmap to guide the country towards free and fair polls
in line will be
drawn with the resolution of the recent Southern African
Development
Community (SADC) summit in Sandton, Johannesburg.
A briefing of the
Sunday Times by several negotiators showed that talks were
set to resume
tomorrow or during the course of the week to complete the
roadmap ahead of
SADC's coming summit next month in Luanda, Angola.
Negotiators, who
include Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche for Zanu-PF,
Tendai Biti and
Elton Mangoma for MDC-T and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga
and Moses Mzila
Ndlovu for MDC-N, are expected to meet on their own without
South African
facilitators.
South African President Jacob Zuma is SADC's facilitator on
Zimbabwe. Zuma's
emissaries on Zimbabwe include Charles Nqakula, his
political adviser, Mac
Maharaj, his special envoy, and Lindiwe Zulu, his
international relations
adviser.
The three have been involved in
negotiations and conflict-resolution in
Burundi, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Sudan and South Africa itself.
Biti confirmed negotiators could
meet tomorrow to finalise the elections
roadmap.
The recent Sandton
summit, which adopted Zuma's controversial Livingstone
report, updates on it
and other tough measures on the Zimbabwe situation,
resolved that
negotiators must meet as soon as possible to put timelines and
other
necessary details on the election roadmap.
The outcome of the Sandton
meeting was a major diplomatic defeat for
President Robert Mugabe and his
Zanu-PF who went there trying to secure the
revision or reversal of the
watershed SADC Livingstone summit, which angered
the ailing 87-year-old
Zimbabwean ruler and his supporters.
The negotiators and facilitators
last met in Harare on June 2 to confirm and
consolidate into a report
minutes of their workshop held in Cape Town from
May 5-6. The workshop was
meant to discuss the roadmap document, the review
report of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), the basis of the current
Government of National
Unity (GNU) and the Joint Monitoring and
Impleme-ntation Committee
report.
These reports were later consolidated into one report which was
presented at
the SADC summit in Sandton on June 12 by Zuma. Mugabe, who got
a rude
awakening at the summit which showed his power and influence in the
region
has dramatically declined, angrily protested against parts of Zuma's
original Livingstone report but SADC leaders adopted the whole report, much
to his fury.
The review mechanism report details with GPA issues that
include restoration
of economic stability and growth, sanctions, land,
constitution-making,
promotion of equality, national healing and cohesion
and unity, respect for
national institutions and events, external
interference, free political
activity, rule of law, respect for the
Constitution and other laws, freedom
of assembly and association, and
traditional leaders, state organs and
institutions and security of persons
and prevention of violence,
humanitarian and food assistance, legislative
priorities, freedom of
expression and communication, ele-ctoral vacancies
and implementation
mechanisms.
The report on the roadmap deals with
sanctions, Constitution, media reforms,
electoral reforms, rule of law,
freedom of association and assembly,
legislative agenda and commitments and
actual election issues.
http://nehandaradio.com/
July 3, 2011 8:45
pm
By Everson Mushava, Staff Writer
HARARE – The salary increase
for civil servants promised by President Robert
Mugabe turned out to be a
paltry $31 each, a development which triggered a
nasty fallout between
unions with some taking it while others emphatically
said no.
The
paltry increase comes at a time when Mugabe, government ministers and
officials blow tens of millions of dollars on useless foreign trips.
Hundreds of millions of dollars of money realised from diamond sales have
not found their way to treasury amid reports that influential individuals in
the country are busy lining their pockets.
Some hard pressed civil
servants, most of whom are living from hand to mouth
Civil servants get pay
rise immediately dismissed the increment as a mockery
and vowed to press
ahead with strike action. The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Union
(Zimta), Teachers’
Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ) and Public Service Association
representatives
accepted the increment. The three unions are generally
regarded as pro-Zanu
PF.
But the militant group, Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) said
their counterparts were “sell outs” for accepting such a
“ridiculous figure”.
PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe stormed out of
the press conference
in protest and exchanged harsh words with TUZ chief
executive Manuel Nyawo
outside the press conference room at Zimta house in
Harare.
The press conference to announce the paltry increment was being
conducted by
Apex Council. Majongwe called the increment a “pretence and a
cruel insult”
to the conscience of civil servants who had been negotiating
for a pay rise
for over six months and vowed to continue with the strike to
pressure
government for better salaries.
In the new salary structure,
the lowest paid civil servant will earn a basic
salary of $159 up from $128
per month, realising a $31 increment with effect
from yesterday. Housing
allowance has been upped to $50 from $30 with
transport allowance rising
marginally from $28 to $44. Cumulatively, the
lowest civil servant will earn
$243 from about $180 a month.
The salary hike agreement was reached in a
meeting between the Apex council,
the mother body for government worker
unions and the government negotiating
team, the National Joint Negotiating
Council in Harare yesterday. Apex
council chairperson Tendai Chikowore said
she welcomed the provisional
salary increment that came after protracted
negotiations with the
government. The negotiations included a meeting
between Mugabe and civil
servants’ representatives in April this
year.
Mugabe promised to double the salaries by June. After failing to
honour his
promise, teachers led by PTUZ embarked on a strike that Majongwe
yesterday
said would continue. Zimta denounced the strike saying the action
was too
premature. Chikowore yesterday said the salary increment had moved
the least
paid civil servant to 50 percent of poverty datum line of $502,
hence was
acceptable.
“The issues relating to the reintroduction of
the rural allowances and the
education allowances have been agreed to.
However, there payment has been
deferred to a time when the government has
generated sufficient revenue,”
said Chikowore. Majongwe, on the other hand,
described the whole salary
structure as a “rigged process”.
He said
transport and housing allowances were “committed money”, not
disposable
income. Because of that his organisation would only recognise the
$31
increase effected on the basic salary.
“Is that negotiation when you go
in to simply receive set figures that had
already been leaked in the Herald
about three weeks ago? Then you call a
press conference to announce an
increase of $31 to the nation. It’s
atrocious,” he said, adding that the
whole negotiating was politicised.
“Even the outcome of the negotiations
has been politicised. That is why
there was a stampede to thank President
Mugabe as an individual as if the
money is coming from an individual’s
pocket,” said Majongwe, fuming with
anger. Majongwe said the increment was
unacceptable to rural teachers who
did not get incentives from parents and
were the ones hard hit by “this
pretentious agreement”.
College
Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe president David Dzatsunga said
while he
appreciated the government’s effort, he would need to consult his
members
first before they could call off the strike. He said the increment
fell far
too short of his expectations. College lecturers have been on
strike since
Tuesday pressing for higher salaries.
“We will decide as a separate
entity on the course of action to take in
light of this development,” said
Dzatsunga. Zimta chief executive officer
Sifiso Ndlovu described Majongwe as
a “novice in union politics” who was not
“purely” a teacher and had limited
experience in trade union procedures when
engaging the
government.
Since April when President Mugabe promised a pay rise for
civil servants, a
political battlefield had been triggered with Zanu PF
accusing Finance
Minister Tendai Biti of sabotaging government effort. Biti
said government
coffers were dry and could not sustain any increase unless
funds were
availed to him. Daily News
http://www.timeslive.co.za
JAMA MAJOLA | 03 July, 2011 13:47
Zimbabwe's
dreaded state security agency, the Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO),
has come up with a plan to expose real and imagined
sexual escapades of top
leaders of the two MDC formations as part of a
systematic campaign to rescue
President Robert Mugabe from defeat at the
polls.
An extensive
briefing of the Sunday Times by intelligence sources shows that
the CIO has
hatched a plot to expose and possibly destroy the MDC
politicians through
sex scandals.
Sex scandals have brought down many politicians, movie
stars, football stars
and musicians all over the world. Former US president
Bill Clinton, US golf
superstar Tiger Woods and SA President Jacob Zuma are
some prominent
personalities whose reputations have been ruined by such
revelations.
CIO insiders said a plan was already being implemented to
expose MDC
leaders' sexual escapades, mainly through the state media. The
sources said
the main targets were MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, his
secretary-general
Tendai Biti and MDC-N boss Professor Welshman
Ncube.
The three have already been "exposed" in the state-controlled
media over
alleged sexual goings-on which they are still battling to clear.
Last
Sunday, Biti's story was splashed on the front page of the
mass-circulating
government-controlled Sunday Mail. The newspaper has in the
past also
carried reports of alleged sexual activities of Tsvangirai and
Ncube.
The Sunday Mail editor, Brezhnev Malaba, now based in Harare, was
also in
charge when another state daily, The Chronicle, exposed the alleged
sexual
misdemeanours of former Bulawayo Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube in
2007. The
cleric, a fierce critic of Mugabe, had his career ruined after
that.
"There is a well-organised CIO plan to expose MDC leaders and
prominent
critics of Mugabe and Zanu-PF over their private sexual
activities," a CIO
officer said. "The plan is already being rolled out.
There are many people
targeted, depending on their positions, circumstances
and CIO objectives."
Intelligence officers said the CIO believes in
destroying politicians'
reputations through scandals including honeytraps,
one of the most
frequently used methods to nail opponents.
A senior
CIO officer experienced in honeytraps said MDC leaders were
"vulnerable
because they are all over the place due to their new positions
in
government, status and wealth, coupled with their naïvety about how the
state works".
Biti was left reeling this week after the Sunday Mail
reported that he was
"embroiled in a messy office romance with a desk
economist in his ministry".
The paper named Biti's lover as Petronella
Chishawa. Her husband,
businessman Caesar Matandirotya, took legal action
and they are now
separated.
Biti made muted public denials of the
story, preferring to let his lawyers
deal with it.
A few months ago
Tsvangirai was at the centre of a storm over an alleged
affair with Bulawayo
woman Aquilina Kayidza Pamberi. It was reported that
her husband, Jacob
Mandeya, divorced her because of the adulterous affair,
although Pamberi
insisted that domestic violence caused the marriage
breakdown. Tsvangirai
has also been accused of impregnating another Bulawayo
woman, Loretta
Nyathi, daughter of top football commentator Inglam Nyathi.
The premier,
whose wife Susan died in a horrific accident in 2009, has been
linked to
other women, including his wife's sister Leah Mhundwa, Dr Arikana
Chihombori
and Harare businesswoman Locadia Tembo.
Ncube was earlier this year
entangled in an affair with former Zimbabwe
Football Association chief
executive Henrietta Rushwaya.
"These things are not happening by
coincidence, they are planned," a CIO
officer said. "Towards the elections
there will be a string of sex scandals
mainly involving MDC leaders. Just
watch this space."
http://nehandaradio.com/
July 3, 2011 3:00 pm
By Never
Kadungure in Harare
Zimbabwe’s dreaded and notorious spy agency the
Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) was thrown into turmoil Thursday
evening after a London
based independent radio station published details of
some 480 plus state
security agents, many behind acts of torture, murder and
abductions.
Described as the “Internal Directory of the President’s
Office” SW Radio
Africa published a 2001 list with the names, home
addresses, national ID and
employer numbers of some 480 ‘operatives’ and
‘deputy intelligence officers’.
It showed which agents were deployed in the
various provinces and districts
and the office buildings they used for their
‘work’, including room and
telephone numbers.
The head of the CIO
Happyton Bonyongwe (left), army chief Constantine
Chiwenga (centre) in
discussion with Robert Mugabe.
The head of the CIO Happyton Bonyongwe
(left), army chief Constantine
Chiwenga (centre) in discussion with Robert
Mugabe.
Marathon meetings were being held throughout the weekend as
senior CIO
officials plotted a response to the most serious breach of the
organisation’s
secrecy in its entire history. Several posh cars including
4×4 all-terrain
vehicles were seen parked outside the CIO Chaminuka
Buildings HQ in Harare.
Despite the list being leaked on Thursday,
Mugabe’s regime and even the
state security agency itself was struggling to
come up with a response. By
Sunday afternoon, no statement denying the
authenticity of the list had been
issued. Making their response even hard is
the fact that SW Radio Africa is
serializing publication of the list over 6
weeks.
So confident is the station of its list they are even detailing
what agents
on the list have done. One of the agents on the first list Hamad
Adam is
deployed at the Zimbabwean embassy in Germany as a ‘political
councillor.’
Adam has been in Germany for over 5 years now and is due to
finish his
‘stint’ next month. The Director General, Happton Bonyongwe, is
number 8 on
the list.
At number 69 is Simon Chisorochengwe, listed as
a Deputy Intelligence
Officer. SW Radio Africa says he shot to prominence
via his well-publicized
attempts to destroy the Zimbabwe Liberators’
Platform (ZLP); a rival war
vets association which is independent of ZANU PF
interference and
manipulation.
At number 56 was Edward Chinoza,
another ‘Deputy Intelligence Officer’.
Investigations revealed that Chinoza
is working in the newly autonomous
country of South Sudan as the Consul
General.
At number 34 was a notorious state security agent known as
Maxwell Chidzamba
(spelt Chidzambwa in some reports). In January 2008 he
allegedly took part
in the attempted murder of prominent MDC-T activist
Shepherd Maisiri, a poor
farmer in the Inyati Resettlement
area.
“Chidzamba and his gang of seven, on the orders of then State
Security
Minister Didymus Mutasa, bundled Maisiri into a jute bag, then into
a truck
and dumped him in the Rusape Dam. He was only saved by fishermen
laying
their nets that night. People in the area usually refer to Chidzamba
as a
war vet, but on the list he is a CIO operative,” SW Radio Africa
reported.
The journalist who broke the story, Lance Guma has been
subjected to a
torrent of abuse and threats to his life by unknown people
commenting on the
New Zimbabwe.com forums. Ironically the editor of that
website Mduduzi
Mathuthu claimed political asylum in the UK several years
ago having fled
persecution by Mugabe’s regime. He was criticised for not
filtering the
threatening messages.
Contacted for comment, Guma
refused to comment saying the statement issued
by the SW Radio Africa
Station Manager Gerry Jackson was an adequate
explanation. In the statement
Jackson said;
“The Central Intelligence Organisation is not used to
protect national
security and to safeguard Zimbabweans. Along with the
military and the
police it is used by Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF to hold on
to power, using
brute force and intimidation. Experts say the CIO is the
most powerful arm
of ZANU PF’s security apparatus, the ‘brains behind the
regime.”
“The CIO is also administered directly through the Office of the
President,
and is not covered by any legislative framework. It is not an
innocent
organisation and many deaths can be laid at its door.
“So we
are serialising the release of this document in the interests of
transparency and accountability and in the hope that by exposing these
names, some of the daily fear Zimbabweans live under will be taken away. We
also hope that it might make some of the perpetrators of violence think
twice before they commit further human rights abuses.
“In today’s
media world it is much more difficult to stay hidden in the
shadows. We
welcome feedback, corrections, responses from our listeners and
take to
heart concerns that have been expressed about publishing the home
addresses
of these CIO. These addresses have now been removed,” Jackson
said.
http://nehandaradio.com
July 3, 2011 8:32 pm
A senior
detective has said the murder of a 16-year-old Zimbabwean boy who
was
stabbed in south-east London is among the worst he has investigated in
25
years. Yemurai Kanyangarara, from Belvedere, was stabbed in the neck in
Welling on Friday evening.
Det Ch Insp Mark Dunne said the attack of
“sheer brutality against a
defenceless schoolboy” was “about as bad as it
gets”. Yemurai was described
by his head teacher as a “kind, gentle lad”. A
post-mortem examination held
at Farnborough Hospital, Orpington, gave the
cause of death as a single stab
wound to the neck.
Yemurai Kanyangarara,
16, who was stabbed to death in Welling, south-east
London. Photograph: Met
police/PA
Yemurai Kanyangarara, 16, who was stabbed to death in Welling,
south-east
London. Photograph: Met police/PA
Nigel Fisher, principal
at St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School in
Bexleyheath, said: “He was a very
popular and very well-known student, hard
working, and just finished his
GCSEs. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his
family at this
time.”
Mr Dunne said the teenager, who was brought to Britain from
Zimbabwe when he
was a toddler, stepped off a 96 bus with a friend and was
attacked on Upper
Wickham Lane, probably within a matter of
seconds.
‘Catastrophic injuries’
Three boys who had got off
another 96 at an earlier stop a few minutes
before had walked on to the stop
where Yemurai and his friend got off their
bus.
“The three boys off
the first bus approached them, and one has taken a
weapon out of his
clothing and stabbed the victim just once in the neck.
This has caused
catastrophic injuries, it seems he has died very quickly
after
that.”
Mr Dunne said police have no clear motive for the killing but
suspect that
the people who attacked Yemurai knew him. A man arrested
arrested in
connection with the murder has been released without further
action. Police
are appealing for more witnesses.
Yemurai was the
eighth teenager murdered in London this year. BBC
http://www.radiovop.com
02/07/2011 19:02:00
Harare, July 03,
2011– Financial Gazette Deputy Editor Njabulo Ncube was
Saturday elected
unopposed to the position of Media Institute of Southern
Africa (Zimbabwe
Chapter) Chairperson, taking over from Lofty Dube who is
now in the MISA
regional office trust funds body.
Ncube, who was serving as deputy chair
of the media lobby group, said in his
acceptance speech that he will
intensify the fight for media
freedom in Zimbabwe.
“We are facing an
onslaught on the independent media so we need to up the
stakes by lobbying
against repressive media laws that are used to
criminalise the journalism
profession,” he said.
“One of our top priorities is to try and have a
repeal of these repressive
media laws. We have an uphill task to try and
conscientise
our leaders that journalism is a profession and not a criminal
act.”
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights information officer Kumbirai
Mafunda was
elected Vice chairperson while NewsDay journalist Kelvin
Jakachira
while Bulawayo based freelance journalist Lifaqale Nare were
elected
committee members.
Four candidates contested for the posts
with Jakachira garnering 57 votes
against his only challenger Harare based
freelance journalist’s
Wallace Mawire’s 13 in gender based voting process
decided on the spur of
the moment.
Nare was got 41 votes against
another Bulawayo based freelance journalist
Anastacia Ndlovu’s
21.
The elections were conducted by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network
(ZESN)
while the Law Society of Zimbabwe participated in assessing
the
nominations.
Two bouncers were hired by MISA to bar “spoilers” to
the congress, which was
held at a Harare hotel.
MISA is a media
watchdog advocating for media pluralism, diversity and
independence all
aimed at increasing access to information and
media
freedom.
Meanwhile, in his speech during congress, MISA national
Director Nhlanhla
Ngwenya said journalists must not be blinded by the
piecemeal
efforts made by the country’s inclusive government but must
continue
fighting for the complete liberalisation of the media.
“…as
we move forward we should not allow ourselves to be compromised by the
so
called ‘transitional strategic compromises’ that have proven
ineffective in
dismantling the infrastructure of media repression,” said
Ngwenya.
“We need to remain alive to the fact that there is nothing
transitional
about our repressive media laws such as AIPPA and the
BSA
hence we need not compromise on the core values of our work.”
A busy week for the
Vigil culminated in a visit by the Information and Publicity Officer of the new
Zimbabwe ‘Yes We Can’ movement, Arnold Magwanyata. He told Vigil supporters that
the movement wanted to encourage Zimbabweans in the diaspora to join the
struggle to overcome the misrule of Zimbabwe. He added that the people who
become involved in this movement would shape what it became.
Vigil co-ordinator
Dumi Tutani, the Vigil’s representative to the new movement, reported on a
meeting it held in Manchester on 25th June. He said it had been
attended by about 70 people from all over the UK. Dumi said that one strong
message coming from the meeting was a determination to empower women. He said
the meeting was addressed by Betty Makoni of the Girl Child Network, who gained
a lot of support for the abolition of some Zimbabwean customs disempowering
women such as inheritance / lobola etc. The movement is having a meeting in
Leicester next Saturday.
Back to our busy
week. On Monday 27th June Vigil supporters provided the backbone for
a protest by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) against violence in Zimbabwe. The
Embassy refused to accept 1,300 cards ACTSA had collected calling for an end to
the violence. The Embassy (as usual!) was closed so we stuck one of the cards
under the door signed ‘Zimbabwe Vigil’ and listing our address as ‘outside the
Zimbabwe Embassy’. For further details see ACTSA’s press release: http://www.actsa.org/newsroom/2011/06/actsa-calls-for-an-end-to-violence-in-zimbabwe-on-third-anniversary-of-presidential-run-off/.
Thanks to the Vigil
supporters who attended the protest: Rashiwe Bayisayi, Hildah Chavi, Angeline
Chipoyera, Bernard Hukwa, Kelvin Kamupira, Dhumisani Karakadzai, Tinah Mahubaba,
Modesta Majani, Abigail Makunde, Susan Manyanya, Farai Marema, Petronilla
Masango, Mauleen Mashiri, Cephas Maswoswa, Wilbert Matambanadzo, Eunice Mhlanga,
Khuluza Mlotshwa, Nqobizitha Moyo, Liona Moyo, Regina Mugariri, Mercy
Muranganwa, Louisa Musaerenge, Mary Muteyerwa, Patson Muzuwa, Francesca Toft,
Sue Toft, Dumi Tutani, Lorraine Zakeyo, Ernest Zvoma.
Many of those people
came fresh from a church service in London for Zimbabwean torture victims on
Sunday, the UN international day in support of victims of torture. See the
report on our website (http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/316-service-in-support-of-zimbabwean-victims-of-torture-26th-june-2011).
Some of them told us
of the harrowing scenes in the film ‘Hear Us’ which they had seen the previous
night at the Frontline Club in West London. The film showed the injustices and
brutality meted out to Zimbabwean women and was presented by Kudakwashe Chitsike
of the Research and Advocacy Unit (Zimbabwe) who also fielded a question and
answer session.
Other
points
·
Following on from our
diary last week in which we wrote about criticism of the Vigil from the Home
Office we have sent the following letter to Theresa May, the Home Secretary. ‘A
solicitor acting for one of our supporters asked for our comment on a letter
from the Home Office which maligned the Zimbabwe Vigil. You will see further
information in our diary of 25th June 2011. The Zimbabwe Vigil has
been demonstrating every week outside the Zimbabwe Embassy since October 2002.
We are frequently criticized by Mugabe supporters but were surprised to be
attacked by the Home Office. We totally reject the implications and challenge
the Home Office to substantiate this malicious slur.’
·
The Vigil was pleased
to hear that our Swazi supporter Thobile Gwebu has been granted leave to remain
in the UK. Thobile organized a Vigil outside the Swazi Embassy in London. A Home
Office official said it had taken into account her
activities.
·
For a transcript of
Vigil Co-ordinator Rose Benton’s interview on SW Radio Africa, check: http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/qt-rosebenton290611.htm
For latest Vigil
pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website. For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check http://www.zimvigiltv.com/.
FOR THE
RECORD: 63 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND
NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe.
·
ZBN News.
The
Vigil management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN
News.
·
The Zim Vigil
band
(Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our
Vigil)’ to raise awareness through music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the video
check: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukqctWc3XE.
·
ROHR Liverpool
general meeting. Saturday
9th July from 1.30 – 4.30 pm. Venue: Kensington Methodist Church, 294
Kensington, Liverpool L7 2RN. ROHR national executive members present. A
well-known immigration lawyer available to talk about the new country guidance
ruling. Contact Anywhere Mungoyo 07939913688, Netsai Karota 07767483180, Panyika
Anselm Karimanzira 07538534375, Sheilla Mironga 07578541227 or P Mapfumo
07915926323/07932216070.
·
ROHR Yorkshire
general meeting. Saturday
16th July from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: Dock Green Inn,
Ashley Rd, Leeds LS9 7AB. In attendance ROHR National Chairperson Mr A Mungoyo
and National Secretary Mr C Chimbumu. Contact: Chinofunga Ndoga
07877993826, Prosper Mudamvanji (Branch Chair) 07897594874, Wonder Mubaiwa
07958758568, Knowledge Kutekwa 07400540732 or R Chifungo (Co-ordinator)
07795070609.
·
ROHR North East
(Newcastle) general meeting. Saturday
23th July
from 12 – 3.30 pm.
Venue: Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead NE8 9SJ. 3 mins walk from the
Gateshead Interchange. Contact: Susan Ndlovu 07767024586, Sharon Masocha
07751610298, Collin Matongo 07775987006, Rugare Chifungo (Coordinator)
07795070609.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith Todd’s
acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe. To receive a copy by post in the UK
please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to
Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All
proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level
students in Zimbabwe.
·
Workshops aiming to
engage African men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the
Terrence Higgins Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator Takudzwa Mukiwa (takudzwa.mukiwa@tht.org.uk) if you are
interested in taking part.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
http://www.cathybuckle.com
July 3, 2011, 11:01 am
Dear Family and
Friends,
Coming back to Zimbabwe after a month away is a huge shock to
the system.
Conditions in our third world country can probably best be
described as
surreal, and that’s being polite! The strangeness of the
experience starts
before you even set foot in the country. Sitting in an
international airport
looking down the list of departures for destinations
all over Africa, your
eyes are drawn to the word ‘cancelled’ and your heart
goes into your mouth.
You look back across the line and are not surprised to
see that it’s Air
Zimbabwe flights that are cancelled. Our national airline
is still on its
knees, a litany of excuses continuing to humiliate us with
the word
‘cancelled’ on airport departure boards around the world. It could
be any
number of reasons today: unpaid fuel bills, unpaid staff, striking
air crew.
Arriving at Harare International Airport, the contrast with the
service you’ve
just left behind in the first world is dramatic. Bored surly
and
unwelcoming Immigration Officials do not greet you or smile at you; they
scowl as they thumb through your passport leaving you feeling as if you
should turn round and go away again. In the ladies toilets only one of the
door latches on the row of stalls closes; there is no soap in the dispenser
and a huge plastic barrel of water stands in the corner, uncovered and
exposed to a myriad of germs.
Encountering two police roadblocks in
the first ten kilometres from the
airport is the surest sign that you are
back in Zimbabwe. What do they want?
What are they looking for at their
incessant roadblocks? It takes just a few
minutes to be reminded that these
officials have perfected the art of making
everyone feel as if they are a
criminal. With pity you look at the crowd of
commuter omnibuses that are
inevitably pulled over at every roadblock. Their
passengers tired, thirsty
and frustrated as time and again the vehicles are
stopped by the police and
the drivers have to hand over money.
Out of the long grass on the
roadside four school children wearing bright
purple uniforms and white
shirts emerge. They look to be eight or nine year
olds and on their backs
they wear little school satchels but this is not
their only load to bear.
Each child carries a large bundle of sticks and
branches balanced on their
heads: firewood for their Mum’s to cook supper
with. Wood for the fire which
will be their buffer against the freezing
winter nights and provide the
flickering light by which they will do their
homework.
After iPods
and iPads, trains, buses and aeroplanes, computers, laptops and
broadband –
this contrast is so dramatic that it leaves you wide- eyed and
deeply
shocked at just how far behind the world Zimbabwe has fallen.
Arriving
home the potholes and gullies on the suburban roads are deeper than
ever and
there is no water and no electricity in the house. An African
Hoopoe stabs
the browning grass for the last insects of the day, calling its
mate again
and again: “Whoop–whoop, whoop-whoop.” The sun turns blood red as
it sinks
into the dust smothered horizon and for a moment the absurdity and
abnormality is banished, because this is home. Until next time, thanks for
reading, love cathy.
If you want a unique experience you need to
try the white water rafting at the Victoria Falls. The river below the Falls
runs through a deep gorge that is carved from black basalt and carries this huge
river in a deep, fast running white water wonderland. Waves up to three meters
high, whirlpools and the changing shape of the gorge means you are on a constant
high, we were thrown out of our raft three times and I seemed to spend more time
in the water than on board. Great fun, best white water in the world but not for
the fainthearted.
Zimbabwe is like that and the past decade
has been constant white water. But now, Zanu simply does not know what to do.
The diminishing coterie of hardliners in the Party are desperate to dredge up a
strategy to secure their tenuous hold on power in the face of regional hegemony
in support of the GPA reform process finishing with a free and fair election.
All their hard work over the past two years is in tatters and their carefully
crafted ideas disabled. What do they do now?
The plans for a thinly disguised coup are
now deemed unworkable. The Mugabe faction in Zanu PF plotted to hold a snap
election under circumstances where they would have had the following elements in
place: -
· A distorted
and carefully structured voters roll that would allow massive rigging of any
vote and the reduction of urban constituencies from 84 in a lower House of 210
to 52 or only a quarter of the seats after a new delimitation exercise conducted
on the basis of the roll.
· A submissive
Electoral Commission with a staff of former and serving security officials who
have been responsible for rigging elections since 2000.
· A Zanu PF
loyalist Registrar General who will administer the poll, count the vote and
announce the results.
· Total control
of the former large scale farming areas where they can control the vote and
ensure that the MDC is totally excluded from the Districts
concerned.
· Total control
of the traditional leadership in the Tribal areas where their influence over the
voters and the population is almost as intense as it is in the farming
Districts.
· Total control
of the State controlled media.
· Generous
funding from the illegal sale of diamonds and other plunder.
It now looks increasingly that such a
scenario is unlikely to come to fruition. SADC and South Africa are insisting
that Zanu PF live up to its signature on the GPA. Although they have
successfully warded off the planned reform of internal governance, the revised
road map adopted by the SADC leadership is simpler, less cumbersome, but still
means that in the end the Party must face the MDC on a level playing field for
the first time. They know that this would be a disaster for Zanu PF and the
other minority Parties. It would be like being dumped by a wave on the Zambezi
and then swept away.
Their options are few, they could decide to
simply abandon the GPA raft and attempt to swim to the bank, because that is
what a military coup would be – suicidal and quick. Or they could tighten the
buckles on their belts and ride the roller coaster to the end of the ride in
2013, hoping that something, anything might come up in the process. Failing
which they would simply get off the ride at the end and leave the George, half
drowned. We all know what a wet chicken looks like.
Their only other option is to try to
negotiate a compromise which would leave them with some dignity and the
opportunity to recover and perhaps rebuild before the next elections in 2016 or
17.
While this game is being played out on the
river, on the ground the situation is not standing still. The strategy to stop
the economic recovery using indigenisation has been very effective. Not only has
investment slowed or even stopped in many sectors, capital flight has resumed
and when I spoke to a number of investment funds in South Africa a few weeks
ago, I found that they were all of the same mind – they were holding their
positions in Zimbabwe, but would not increase their
exposure.
A magazine in the USA listed Zimbabwe this
week as the second poorest State in the world after Congo Brazzaville which is
on the bottom rung. Our workers are badly paid in most sectors and living
standards are very low. We are unable to compete regionally for skills and our
Civil Service is very restive. The data for the first quarter of this year
confirms the recovery has stalled.
If this carries on for much longer it is
going to create difficulties for us. There is a limit to what our staff and
civil service will accept and still stay at work. We are close to those limits
and if we cannot hold out any hope that things will improve, the country will
start to see human flight again with people following our capital
assets.
In a world where basic food prices have
risen a third in the past year and where grain prices are up over 70 per cent,
our own production remains dismal. We are importing all our foods – even
vegetables. I estimate that perhaps 70 per cent of our total food needs will be
imported this year. Imported food is always more expensive than local
food.
This coupled to our existing poverty means
that the ordinary person in Zimbabwe is really in a tough place. This will only
change when we can get the economy back on its feet and growing strongly. The
potential is there; both the World Bank and the IMF have stated we are capable
of double digit growth over an extended period. But that will only happen when
we finally achieve a legitimate government.
That requires we get off the white water we
are riding and go back to work in the real world. What will happen next?
Everything depends on what happens now. If we cannot get off the river then we
have to try and limit the length of the remaining ride and ensure that we climb
out of the Gorge into a situation that is acceptable to all of us. We are all
Zimbabweans and we all have to live with the final outcome. It’s our common
future that we are dealing with.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 30th June
2011
BILL WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE AND STATUS OF BILLS SERIES
[2nd July 2011]
Committee
Meetings Open to the Public 4th to 7th July
The meetings of Senate Thematic Committees and House of Assembly Portfolio Committees listed below will be open to members of the
public, but as observers only, not as participants, i.e. members of the public
can listen but not speak.
Monday 4th July at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Transport and Infrastructure
Development
Oral
evidence from the Minister of Transport on [1] Road Traffic (Construction,
Equipment and Use) Regulations, S.I 154/2010 [see note below] and [2] operational
challenges faced by Air Zimbabwe
Committee Room No. 1
Chairperson: Hon Chebundo
Clerk: Ms Macheza
Portfolio Committee: Higher
Education, Science and Technology
Oral
evidence on Science Education from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and
Culture
Committee Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon S. Ncube
Clerk: Ms Mudavanhu
Monday 4th July at 2 pm
Portfolio Committee: Budget, Finance, Economic
Planning and Investment Promotion
Evidence
from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Board of Directors on matters related to the
bank’s functions and operations
Committee Room No. 4
Chairperson: Hon
Zhanda
Clerk: Mr Ratsakatika
Tuesday 5th July at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Foreign
Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade
Oral
evidence from the Ministry of Regional Integration and International Cooperation
on the Quarter Budget Performance Report
Committee Room No. 3
Chairperson: Hon Mukanduri
Clerk: Mr Chiremba
Portfolio Committee: Industry
and Commerce
Presentation
on the business environment in Bulawayo
Committee Room No. 311
Chairperson: Hon Mutomba Clerk: Ms Masara
Thursday 7th July at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Media,
Information and Communication Technology
Oral
evidence on the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe’s
operations
Committee Room No. 413
Chairperson: Hon S.
Moyo Clerk: Mr Mutyambizi
Portfolio Committee: Women, Youth, Gender and Community
Development
Meeting with the Varume Svinurai Men’s Forum on Domestic
Violence
Committee Room No. 4
Chairperson: Hon Matienga Clerk: Mr Kunzwa
Note: As there are sometimes last-minute changes to the meetings
schedule, it is recommended that those wishing to attend a meeting avoid
disappointment by checking with the relevant committee clerk that the meeting is
still on and still open to the public. Parliament’s telephone numbers are Harare
700181 or 252936. If attending, please
use the Kwame Nkrumah Ave entrance to Parliament. Ids must be
produced.
Note on SI 154/2010: These regulations came into force on 1st July. This meeting will give the Minister of
Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development an opportunity to
respond to the views gathered by the portfolio committee in earlier public
hearings in Mutare, Masvingo, Bulawayo and Harare. During those hearings members of
public:
· complained that the Minister had not conducted adequate public
consultations before promulgating the regulations last
year
· voiced their objections to the looming 31st October bans on
importation of left-hand drive vehicles and used vehicles more than 5 years
old
· pointed out that compliance with new safety measures, such as all
vehicles having to carry red warning triangles and fire extinguishers, was
impossible because items complying with the detailed specifications laid down by
the regulations were not readily available in
Zimbabwe.
Status of Bills as at 1st July 2011
Bills Awaiting Introduction
Electoral Amendment Bill, [H.B. 3, 2011]. [Electronic version available.]
Gazetted: 27th June 2011
Ministry: Justice and Legal
Affairs
Portfolio Committee: Justice, Legal Affairs, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill [H.B. 2, 2011]. [Electronic version available.]
Gazetted: 10th June
2011
Ministry: Justice and Legal
Affairs
Portfolio Committee: Justice, Legal Affairs,
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
Bills in the Senate
Public Order and Security Amendment Bill [H.B. 11A, 2009]. Private
Member’s Bill introduced by Hon I. Gonese, MDC-T.
Passed by House of Assembly: 8th December 2010 [with
amendments] [Electronic version of Bill as amended by House of Assembly
available.]
Stage: Awaiting Second Reading
[Note: Senate Standing Orders do not yet allow Mr Gonese, who is a
member of the House of Assembly, to speak to the Bill in the Senate. A proposed amendment to Standing Orders,
which would allow him to do, has been approved by the Standing Rules and Orders
Committee and circulated to Senators; it will come into operation on 15th July
unless Senators have lodged objections before that date. So progress on the Bill will be delayed until
at least 15th July.]
Deposit Protection Corporation Bill [H.B. 7A, 2010].
Passed by House: 1st June 2011 [with
amendments] [Electronic version
available]
Ministry:
Finance
Stage: Awaiting Second
Reading.
Small Enterprises Development Corporation Amendment Bill
[H.B. 9, 2010].
Passed by House: 5th April 2011. [Electronic version available.]
Ministry: Small and Medium
Enterprises and Cooperative Development
Stage: Awaiting Second
Reading
Bill in the House of Assembly
National
Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill
[H.B. 10, 2010]
Gazetted: 5th November 2010
[Electronic version available.]
Ministry: Industry and Commerce
Portfolio
Committee: Industry and Commerce
Stage: Awaiting Second Reading
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information
supplied.