SW Radio
Africa News Stories for 20 July 2010
By Alex Bell
20 July 2010
The South African government is coming under
increasing pressure to take action against Robert Mugabe and his land ‘reform’
programme, after more South African farmers were arrested in Zimbabwe last
week.
The farmers, Gary Godfrey and Nigel Fawcett, together
with Fawcett’s manager Russel McCormack, were arrested in Nyamandlovu after
more than a month of police harassment and intimidation. The farmers are being
charged under the Gazetted Lands (Consequential Provisions) Act for occupying
so called ‘State Land’ illegally. Both Godfrey and Fawcett have been arrested
before on the same charges, which were dropped.
According to the Southern African Commercial Farmers
Alliance in Zimbabwe, the harassment against the farmers began in late May,
with police cutting off water supplies to Godfrey’s Highfields Farm. The move
left all of Godfrey’s staff and their families without water, as well as his
livestock. The police also stopped the staff from working, resulting in none of
the livestock being fed for several days. At the same time, police went to
Fawcett’s Kennellys Farm nearby and also instructed the staff there to cease
work. It was only after the intervention of the SPCA that staff on both
properties were allowed back on the farms, and the livestock received water and
food.
An arrest warrant was issued for the farmers, who did
not return to their properties. In retaliation, police banned the sale of any
produce from the farms, in what the Commercial Farmers Alliance said was to
“bankrupt them into surrender.”
“In an act amounting to incitement to commit theft,
the staff at Highfields have just been authorised by the police to sell the
farm produce on condition they do not hand the proceeds over to Mr. Godfrey,”
the Farmers Alliance said.
The farmers eventually handed themselves over to
police last week and were immediately jailed at gunpoint.
“Initially the Lands Department stated that they had
instructions that only six white farmers were to be left farming in each
district. The rest had to go. Now it appears that this partial
ethnic cleansing has been sharpened and refined to leave only two white farmers
per district,” said the Farmers Alliance.
The treatment of the South African citizens is
worrying and the police have refused to bring them before the Magistrates
court. In a move described as “vindictive,” Assistant Inspector Monyera claimed
there were no dockets for the two and insisted they should remain in custody.
Also, when the farmer’s legal representative asked Monyera whether Debbie
McCormack could return to the farm to collect clothing and food for her jailed
husband he merely said “I am not hearing you.”
The South African government has previously been
urged, to no avail, to intervene on behalf of its citizens facing prosecution
and harassment in Zimbabwe. South African Civil rights initiative AfriForum is
now seeking legal action to force its government to protect the farmers.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel told SW Radio Africa that the government has
“demonstrated a lack of commitment to its own citizens by turning a blind eye
to what is happening in Zimbabwe.” Kriel also expressed anger that Robert
Mugabe was invited to attend the football World Cup final earlier this month,
and yet no measures have been taken to protect South African farmers in the
country.
“Rolling out the red carpet for Mugabe sends out the
wrong message that the (South African) government doesn’t have a problem with
what is going on,” Kriel said.
Kriel explained that AfriForum is exploring a number
of legal routes to force the government to intervene, including possible court
orders listing the government’s commitments and holding them to account. Kriel
explained that political will was needed to ensure that South Africans in
Zimbabwe are properly protected.
The AfriForum head referred specifically to the case
of a German citizen in Zimbabwe, whose property was invaded late last month.
His government threatened to withdraw aid to Zimbabwe unless the land invaders
were dealt with. The government immediately responded and the land invaders
were ordered to leave the farm. AfriForum’s Kriel said this would be possible
for South African citizens too, if the government demonstrated commitment to
its citizens.
SW Radio
Africa News Stories for 20 July 2010
by Irene Madongo
20/07/2010
Fearless lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has used the
announcement that she has won yet another award to highlight the issue of
continued human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
The American Bar Association (ABA) has crowned the
feisty lawyer, who has defended ordinary Zimbabweans, journalists and
politicians, as the winner of the 2010 International Human Rights Award.
ABA is a voluntary organization made up of lawyers and
law students, with almost half a million members.
Mtetwa told the United Nation’s project IRIN that
things are not alright in Zimbabwe and is delighted that that ABA has decided
to honour her, because it draws attention to this fact.
“People assume that there has been an inclusive
government in place in Zimbabwe for the past 18 months, but there has been no
restoration of the rule of law. The award has inspired me,” she said.
Despite Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic
Change forming a unity government with Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF in 2009,
political opponents of Mugabe’s party are still being arrested and tortured,
more recently because of the constitutional outreach programme.
Mtetwa herself is no stranger to harassment by
government agents. In May 2007 police beat her and three colleagues with rubber
clubs; and in 2003 she endured similar abuse after she was arrested on
suspicious allegations of drunken driving. She was taken to a police station,
where she was held for three hours, beaten and choked before being released
without charge.
An ABA press release said; “The award was created with
the knowledge that in many countries with repressive regimes, the regime is
less likely to take retaliatory action against a human rights advocate if the
advocate has received international recognition.”
Mtetwa has defended journalists in a number of
high-profile cases throughout her career. Her clients have included Andrew
Meldrum of The Guardian of London, Jan Raath of The Times of London, and she
also worked on behalf of the Daily News, which was Zimbabwe’s sole independent
daily before it was shut down in September 2003.
She is a founding member and current Board Member of
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and has served as President of the Law
Society of Zimbabwe. She is currently a senior partner in the law firm
Mtetwa & Nyambirai in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The International Human Rights Award recognizes those
who have made extraordinary contributions to the cause of human rights, the
rule of law, and the promotion of access to justice.
SW Radio
Africa News Stories for 20 July 2010
By Lance Guma
20 July 2010
Tensions are running high in South Africa after 5
people were injured Monday evening in more xenophobia fuelled violence, in the
KyaSands area of north-western Johannesburg. Some of those injured were
Zimbabweans. According to media reports police had to use rubber bullets,
helicopters and armoured vehicles to take control of the situation. At least 10
people were arrested as armed police moved from house to house.
Only last week similar violence broke out in the
Western Cape with locals looting and burning shops belonging to foreigners. The
reports immediately confirmed widely held fears that the end of the World Cup
would re-ignite attacks on foreigners. South Africa has a population of about
49 million people and 10 percent of this figure is made up of foreigners, the
majority being Zimbabweans fleeing political repression and economic hardships
back home.
South Africa’s Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, is
however accusing the media of exaggerating the problem claiming, ‘some of the
reports, you feel it's by people who wish that those things happen.’ Mthethwa
is adamant the attacks are actually acts of ‘criminality disguised as
xenophobia’ and that the media might be fuelling ‘self-fulfilling prophecies’
through its reporting on the issue.
The leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic
Alliance, Helen Zille, offered a different perspective, telling journalists
that they had agreed at a meeting on Friday ‘that xenophobia is real, that it's
a real phenomenon that we have to deal with, that has opportunistic
consequences as well. I don't think that we can dismiss xenophobia as purely
the work of criminal elements.’
Meanwhile it’s reported that the Zimbabwean government
is preparing for a sudden influx of people from South Africa by erecting tents
at the border. The head of the Civil Protection Unit, Madzudzo Pawadyira, is
quoted as saying they had put up three very big tents, acquired 10,000 blankets
and 1,000 buckets and put in place similar measures at Plumtree on the border
between Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The MDC office in South Africa however condemned the
setting up of the tents, advising its supporters running away from xenophobic
attacks ‘not to enter ZANU PF snares disguised as helping centers.’ Spokesman
Sibanengi Dube said people ‘should proceed straight home and shun any
assistance from ZANU PF operatives pretending to be government officials.’ He
said they were not convinced that ZANU PF functionaries had all of a sudden
started caring for exiles.
Rogers Mudarikwa, the Organizing Secretary of the MDC
in South Africa, also reminded their supporters that ‘in 2008 Zimbabweans
running away from similar attacks in South Africa ended up being forced into
ZANU PF militia camps after accepting government transport services to
Zimbabwe.’
SW Radio
Africa News Stories for 20 July 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
20 July 2010
A senior MDC official taking part in a constitutional
outreach meeting was on Monday severely assaulted in front of the police, who
shockingly did nothing to arrest the culprits who are alleged to be ZANU PF
officials.
The incident took place at Kaziro Business Centre,
Madziva in Shamva North, Mashonaland Central province, on the day the
consultative meetings resumed after a week long break.
Morgan Komichi, the MDC-T’s deputy national organising
secretary, said they were deeply concerned by reports of the assault of Martha
Muronzi, the MDC Women Assembly’s chairperson for the province.
‘The attack took place in full view of the police, the
COPAC leadership and participants to the outreach program. The reason for the
attack is that she submitted a written proposal to the COPAC team. The attackers
are well known ZANU PF officials who branded our chairlady a sell-out for
freely airing her sentiments during the meeting,’ Komichi said.
He added; ‘They brazenly reminded her that in 2008,
they burnt down homes belonging to MDC supporters and that this time they would
kill people. What pains me is that instead of arresting the attackers, the
police simply escorted her to their vehicle and drove her home in order to calm
the situation down.’
Komichi said the incident confirmed the lethargic
attitude from the police, with regard to the way they deal with ZANU PF
individuals who break the law. He said participants to that meeting were
seriously let down by the law enforcement officers.
‘Such behaviour by the police seriously undermines
their status in society and they’ve lost all the respect for their political
bias. Instead of taking action against the perpetrators of violence, they
actually end up apologising to ZANU PF as if the police report to the former
ruling party,’ Komichi added.
The MDC senator, who is spearheading the party’s push
for a new constitution, said they ‘demand the police do their constitutional
duty and protect all Zimbabweans.’
‘Take for instance an incident in Seke yesterday
(Monday) where three elderly gentlemen aged 70, 63 and 61 were arrested on
orders of an army brigadier for allegedly torching a house in the area. On
close scrutiny, it was discovered the trio did exceptionally well in
articulating their views during a COPAC meeting in their area,’ according to
Komichi.
The three elders, identified as Joseph Nyandoro, Jacob
Chivaura and Mwarianesu Mutandwa, were still in custody at Beatrice police
station.
‘We demand the police to be very fair. These are some
of the issues we will raise tomorrow (Wednesday) with ZANU PF and our
counterparts from the MDC-M,’ Komichi said.
The three national executive bodies from the three
main political parties in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) will meet in
Harare on Wednesday for discussions on the issue of violence and national healing.
The meeting comes at a time when the country is facing
a new wave of political tension and intimidation, as witnessed so far in almost
all the provinces. Komichi said his party believes there is need for political
leaders and political parties to understand and appreciate the values of
transitional justice, tolerance and peace.
ZANU PF and the country’s security forces,
particularly the ZRP, have often and accurately been described as an appendage
of the former ruling party. Some critics have gone to the extent of labelling
the police force nothing more than an extension of ZANU PF.
SW Radio
Africa News Stories for 20 July 2010
Duane continues his
chat with Henry Olonga, about his new book and his years as a
cricketer.
.....................................................................................................
On Callback Mai Mabika says people feel robbed
of their rights as they continue to be ruled by a president they never voted
for; Fungai says people are concerned about the jingles that are being
played on state radio, promoting ZPF’s agenda while ignoring the fact that
there is supposed to be a unity govt; and Mapfumo says they missed most of the
World Cup because of constant load shedding by ZESA, which is now an everyday
issue.
.....................................................................................................
On Diaspora Diaries Alex Bell looks at the precedent
being set in the Southern African region by Zimbabwe’s refusal to honour
rulings of the regional human rights court, the SADC Tribunal. Alex also looks
at the failure of the South African government take a stand against Mugabe and
his land grab campaign, ruled unlawful by the Tribunal.
.....................................................................................................
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Zanu PF supporters on Monday disrupted a Constitution Parliamentary Select
Committee (Copac) meeting at Kaziro Business Centre, Madziva in Shamva North,
Mashonaland Central province. During the commotion, the MDC Women
Assembly’s chairperson for the province, Martha Muronzi was assaulted by the
rowdy Zanu PF youths.
The Zanu PF youths were complaining that Muronzi had submitted a written
proposal during the meeting and yet the Copac team had not told them they could
also do the same. The Zanu PF youths also said that they should be the
only ones who should be allowed to make contributions during the meeting. “They
took my written submission from the Copac team and tore it saying the MDC
people are not allowed to write or say anything,” Muronzi said. The Zanu PF
youths then turned rowdy forcing the Copac team to cancel the meeting.
The youths were being led by Saineti Manyika, a village head. Muronzi has
reported the case at Madziva police station.
Elsewhere, three MDC activists in Seke district, Mashonaland East were on
Monday arrested on trumped-up charges of burning a house belonging to an
unnamed Zanu PF supporter. The three Joseph Nyandoro, 70, Jacob Chivaura,
61, Mwarianesu Mutandwa, 63, who had contributed immensely during a Copac
meeting held at Mupfuri Primary School in Ward 17 were apprehended soon after
the meeting. They are still detained at Beatrice Police Station.
One Brigadier Chanakira who is in Team 5 of the Copac team in Mashonaland East
took the three to Beatrice police station.
In Robert Sinyoka village, Pumula South, Bulawayo, Edith Ncube Mafu, an MDC
ward chairperson has gone into hiding after Zanu PF supporters visited her home
last week and threatened her with unspecified action if she continued to
mobilise people to attend the Constitution-making outreach meetings in the
area. Five men driving a marked Zanu PF vehicle came to Mafu’s residence
last week and ordered her to stop forthwith from mobilising people in the area
to attend Copac meetings.
Meanwhile, in Mhuke and Virimayi villages in Zaka West, Masvingo province, Zanu
PF youths led by one Faustinos Murambatsvina are harassing, intimidating villagers
and threatening that they will set-up torture bases in the area if the
villagers speak at the Constitution-making meetings.
Together, united, winning, ready for real change.
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