Zim war in SA

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Staff Writer
Thursday, 09 June 2011 09:21

HARARE - The stage is set for a titanic battle when Zimbabwe's feuding
Global Political Agreement (GPA) partners meet in Johannesburg, South Africa
this weekend to try and resolve the country's long running political crisis.

And as this debilitating war of attrition is being exported to Johannesburg’s
plushy suburb of Sandton, if only for a week, an exasperated senior South
African official yesterday slated Zimbabwe’s rulers, accusing them of
lacking “common sense and political nous”.

The official had been riled by what he called “the Zimbabwe circus which is
now being played on our shores”, as well as more criticism from serial
political flip-flopper Jonathan Moyo in state media aimed at Pretoria.

The official said Sandton, one of Johannesburg Zimbabwe exports conflict to
South Africa Metro’s glitziest suburbs, was awash with Zimbabweans of
various political persuasion, all trying to influence proceedings when
regional leaders meet to deliberate on Harare’s political crisis.

“This in itself is not a problem as Zimbabweans are our brothers and we love
them. But one thing many of us are battling to understand is why it is that
they want to create chaos even in Johannesburg."

“Why is it too that your leaders are making it a habit to snipe at our
president and country, all for the sins of trying to help you."

“What is this (the criticisms) being done for and to whose benefit? Do they
really want SA to exit the mediation stage and to what effect? This is the
height of madness and it must stop,” the official said.

It did not help that the former ruling party’s so-called leader of its
delegation to the summit Moyo, slated the South Africans in state media
yesterday for allegedly showing bias towards the MDC.

This was after Johannesburg police granted Zimbabwe civil society
organisations permission to stage peaceful demonstrations at the summit —
and understandably denied Zanu PF the right to do so, fearing a flare-up of
violence.

While Moyo sought to interpret this move as being designed to disadvantage
Zanu PF generally, and to embarrass President Robert Mugabe in particular,
the South African official said this had been decided simply to avoid
violence on their soil — seeing that emotions were running high and
anti-Zanu PF feelings among the large Zimbabwean contingent working in SA
legally and illegally was very strong.

The official who spoke to the Daily News said last night that Moyo “was
being typically dramatic for nothing”.
“This fellow knows that he is talking hogwash. If anything, we (SA) have
traditionally sympathised with Zanu PF which makes his criticisms even more
upsetting.

“Ultimately though, we also know that getting upset about this vitriol will
only distract us as clearly there is method to the madness."

“It is meant to confuse us and wear down President (Jacob) Zuma."

“We all understand this and are dealing with it. The president’s (Zuma’s)
mandate both from Sadc and South Africans is to help the people of Zimbabwe,
not a few insecure lunatics who caused and are perpetuating this unnecessary
crisis,” he said.

In discussions with many South African government officials last night, it
was clear that the one thing that they worry about the most at the moment
was violence in Zimbabwe.

This was more after the murder in Harare recently of a policeman, as well as
the bombing of Finance minister Tendai Biti’s home.

Zuma’s special adviser on international affairs Ambassador Lindiwe Zulu, who
is also part of a three-member Zimbabwe facilitation team, told the Daily
News from a funeral wake of South African apartheid icon Albertina Sisulu,
that Zuma was worried about violence in Zimbabwe.

“The violence is a concern and will always be a concern to the facilitator,”
said Zulu, adding that Zuma would use the opportunity provided by this week’s
summit to present his assessment of what is happening in Zimbabwe.

“He has been worried and his report at the last troika meeting reflects
that. But he remains confident that the systems that are being put in place
by Jomic will be able to deal with these issues,” she said

Zimbabwe's political tensions evident at press conference 

http://www.sabcnews.com/

    June 09 2011 ,
3:00:00

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) prepares to resolve the
political impasse in Zimbabwe at the weekend, the deep political tensions in
that country have been exposed in Johannesburg, South Africa. A briefing of
the Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition was almost called off when a scuffle broke out
on the sidelines between members of Zanu-PF and the two factions of the
Movement for Democratic Change.

It was a comment by a Zanu-PF supporter that MDC members should not blame
the wounds they have sustained from domestic violence at the hands of their
wives on his party. Much shouting, fisticuffs and broken cutlery were the
result of the tension. Inside the Zimbabwe Crisis for Coalition briefing
following the disruption dialogue between civil society, Zanu PF and MDC
members resumed. All decried the violent resolution of differences,
demonstrating that although over a decade of harassment, intimidation and
displacement has occurred in Zimbabwe, the capacity for reconciliation
between ordinary people still exists.

Meanwhile, activists from Zimbabwe and South Africa spoke out at a press
conference in Johannesburg today, days before southern African leaders hold
an emergency summit on Zimbabwe.

Leaders will assess increasing tensions among Zimbabwe's longtime opponents
forced to govern together in Zimbabwe's coalition government. Supporters of
President Robert Mugabe accused of using violence and election fraud to hold
onto power are calling for polls before year's end to replace the coalition.

The unity government was established at the insistence of Zimbabwe's
neighbours in 2009 following violent and inconclusive 2008 voting. The
coalition has so far failed to write a new constitution or take other steps
to prepare for new elections.- Additional reporting by Sapa-AP

SA ‘likely to toughen stance on Zim’

http://www.news24.com/

2011-06-09 13:06

Betha Madhomu, News24

Cape Town - Political analysts said on Thursday that it would be difficult
to ascertain the outcome of the SADC extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe to be
held in South Africa this weekend, but South Africa is likely to press the
organ to take effective action on the country's political crisis.

Southern African leaders are to meet on Saturday to examine a political
stalemate in Zimbabwe, amid warnings of rising violence and intimidation
ahead of elections.

Judy Smith from South Africa's Institute for Security Studies (ISS) told
News24 that although the SADC Troika’s deliberations on Zimbabwe in March
this year in Livingstone, Zambia were a step in the right direction, it
remained to be seen if SADC would have the capacity to implement the
decision.

In March, SADC's security organ lashed out at President Robert Mugabe's
failure to make reforms paving the way for elections. In an unusually harsh
communiqué, it also denounced political violence and intimidation, echoing
concerns raised by Mugabe's rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Timeline

This weekend’s summit is expected to set out a timeline for completing work
on a new constitution which would lead to fresh elections, and to come down
hard on violations of the pact that gave birth to the unity government.

“It’s difficult to be optimistic this time around. But what remains clear is
that the South African mediation team seems to be frustrated by lack of
progress in the Zimbabwe issue and it looks like they are definitely going
to press SADC to come up with a clear resolution” said Smith.

Zimbabwean Ernest Mudzengi concurred, adding that the “fluidity” of issues
affecting the country’s coalition government made it difficult to determine
whether fruitful decisions were to come out of the meeting.

“It is most likely that SADC will speak to the position that was taken by
the Troika in the last meeting in Livingstone to the effect the GPA should
be fully implemented and violence stopped. However, Zanu-PF may prevail over
SADC as the party has since rubbished the recommendations that came out of
it,” said Mudzengi.

Comprehensive reforms

Mudzengi said comprehensive reforms were needed if any progress was to be
made in solving the Zimbabwean crisis. Key amongst these reforms is the
opening of the broadcast environment, a new electoral act, a new voters’
roll and constituency delimitation process, an impartial Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission and security sector reforms.

Zimbabwe was meant to feature in a SADC summit last month in Windhoek but
South African President Jacob Zuma - the regional mediator for Harare -
could not attend as his party was contesting local elections.

Meanwhile media reports say that a throng of lobby groups based in South
Africa, including Zimbabwean academics and exiles living in South Africa,
were planning to stage a massive protest outside the Sandton Convention
Centre where the summit is expected to be held.

The groups want to put pressure on African leaders to resolve the impasse by
the Zimbabwe government before the completion of amendments to the country’s
constitution which will open the way for fresh elections.

Zanu-PF supporters disrupt CZC conference in Joburg

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za

Mandy Wiener | 2 Hour(s) Ago

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) on Thursday said its media conference
in Johannesburg was intentionally disrupted by Zanu-PF supporters.

It claims the Zanu-PF delegation was heckling and shouting during
proceedings. They also claim that the group damaged hotel property.

The CZC’s Dewa Mavhinga said police and hotel staff stepped in.

“There was a brief disruption for about 10 minutes, in which we could not
proceed with the press conference,” he said.

Zanu-PF officials are yet to comment on the incident.

Tekere declared 'national hero'

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

09/06/2011 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

LIBERATION war icon Edgar Tekere was on Thursday declared a national hero by
the party he helped found.

Zanu PF said the decision was "unanimous".

"There was a considerable majority who felt he deserves to be a national
hero. It was never in doubt," said the party's secretary for administration
Didymus Mutasa.

Tekere, who died aged 74 on Tuesday, will be buried at the Heroes Acre in
Harare unless his family objects.

The decision was expected after President Robert Mugabe's fullsome tribute
to his fallen comrade, although they never saw eye-to-eye after Zimbabwe's
independence in 1980.

That ability to disagree, said Mugabe, made him unique.

"Fearless and highly temperamental, the late Cde Tekere did not hesitate to
take risks for his cause, often paying a heavy price in the process," Mugabe
said.

Zim Hero’s Status Row Taken To SADC AS Tekere Is Declared National Hero

http://www.radiovop.com/

9 hours 58 minutes ago

Harare, June 09, 2011 - Zanu (PF) has declared President Robert Mugabe's
ally turned foe, Edgar Tekere, a national hero despite his wishes that he
will not be buried at the national shrine among 'thieves'.

The decision comes amid reports that Zimbabwe’s hero’s status row has been
brought to the attention of the Zimbabwe mediator, South Africa's President
Jacob Zuma.

Minutes of a meeting held on June 02 by negotiators from the three parties
in the coalition government revealed that the negotiators had reached a
deadlock on the issue. The issue is under Article VIII of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) which addresses the “respect of national
institutions and events”.

“The parties restated the continued absence of consensus on which organ
should determine national hero status on deceased persons,” read part of the
minutes of the meeting, which were a confirmation of a May 5, 2011
inter-party talks in Cape Town, South Africa.

“The parties referred the matter to the facilitator to engage the principals
with a view to finding an appropriate solution to the dispute.”

The report, a copy of which is in possession of this reporter, was compiled
and signed by all the six negotiators from Zanu (PF) and the two Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC) factions.

Coalition partners in government have accused Zanu (PF) of monopolising the
process of declaring national hero status on outstanding citizens and are
calling for an all inclusive process that is not dominated by politicians.
The MDC wants the highest honour bestowed on outstanding citizens to be
extended to other facets such as sports, arts and business.

President Robert Mugabe and his party's Politburo continue to use the
process to spite perceived enemies of the party especially those who
withdrew their loyalty to the ageing leader citing different reasons. Mugabe
is adamant the national shrine is for those who fought in the country's
liberation struggle and has derisively told those who believe they deserve a
place there to "look for their own mountain".

However, the party’s Secretary for Administration, Didymus Mutasa on
Thursday announced that Tekere had been declared a national hero and that
burial arrangements will be known later.

Tekere's family had already made arrangements for his burial in keeping with
his wish not be buried “among thieves and killers”. The family had planned
to hold a send-off church service at his Mutare home on Friday morning and
later bury him at the Yeoville Cemetery in his home town in Mutare before
they were asked by Zanu (PF) to put their plans on hold.

Ibbo Mandaza, the Tekere family spokesperson confirmed Zanu (PF) had
promised to give them a decision on Thursday.

Despite the maverick politician’s estranged relationship with Zanu (PF)
Tekere was much loved by multitudes of Zimbabweans especially for his stand
on corruption, opposition to one party state and his opposition to Mugabe’s
excesses.

Rights activists say Zimbabwe too violent, undemocratic for elections this year

http://www.washingtonpost.com

By Associated Press, Published: June 9 | Updated: Friday, June 10, 2:09 AM

JOHANNESBURG — Zimbabwe is too violent and undemocratic to hold elections
this year, rights activists told reporters Thursday ahead of an emergency
summit on the southern African country’s crisis.

President Robert Mugabe’s supporters are calling for polls before the year
ends to replace a shaky coalition with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s
party. The president has been accused of using violence and election fraud
to hold onto power and independent groups have said the possibility of a
vote has led to attacks on Mugabe’s opponents.

Zimbabwe’s unity government was established at the insistence of the country’s
neighbors in 2009 following violent and inconclusive 2008 elections. Most of
the election violence has been blamed on Mugabe supporters.

South Africa, the regional powerhouse, will host a weekend summit to assess
increasing tensions in Zimbabwe’s coalition.

However, lawmaker Jonathan Moyo of Mugabe’s party played down the
significance of regional leaders intervening.

“The so-called roadmap to elections ... is the exclusive and sole
responsibility of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

Ahead of the weekend summit Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and Tsvangirai’s Movement
for Democratic Change have both accused each other of perpetrating violence.

Mugabe’s party accused Tsvangirai’s party of staging a bomb attack Sunday at
the home of its own finance minister to ratchet up sympathy before the
weekend summit, allegations Tsvangirai’s group dismissed as ridiculous. No
one was injured in the small bombing.

Harrison Nkomo of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said ahead of the South
Africa meeting that his organization has documented nearly 900 human rights
abuses, including illegal detentions, harassment and beatings, since
January. He said many more may go unreported.

“Are we saying this is a turf ready for free and fair elections? From my
perspective, no,” Nkomo said.

Philip Pasirayi of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said that along with
political violence, state broadcasters are lauding Mugabe and vilifying his
opponents, and the voter roll has been compromised.

“This is the kind of environment that we’re saying is tilted in favor of one
political party,” Pasirayi said.

The gathering of Zimbabwean activists in South Africa Thursday was briefly
disrupted by a shoving and shouting match that appeared to pit Mugabe
opponents and supporters against each another. Paul Verryn, a South African
Methodist bishop whose Johannesburg church has become a shelter for
Zimbabweans fleeing their country’s political and economic meltdown, said
the scuffle illustrated Zimbabwe’s fierce divisions and high emotions.

Holding elections now, Verryn said, would be “a little bit like sending
somebody who has been abused back into an environment of abuse.”

Pasirayi’s group is calling on the summit to insist that before Zimbabweans
hold elections, they rewrite their constitution to guarantee basic rights;
ensure soldiers do not meddle in politics; and reform the Zimbabwe electoral
commission. Pasirayi’s group said Zimbabwe’s neighbors must also
independently confirm that Zimbabwe is ready before it goes to the polls.
Zimbabwe’s neighbors also must work with the African Union and the United
Nations to deploy peace monitors at least three months ahead of any vote,
the group said.

Tiseke Kasambala, a Johannesburg-based Zimbabwe researcher for Human Rights
Watch, said Zimbabwe’s neighbors must set deadlines and ensure they are met.

Kasambala praised South African President Jacob Zuma, who has been leading
regional efforts to mediate a solution for Zimbabwe. Zuma’s predecessor,
former President Thabo Mbeki, had been accused of taking too soft a line
with Mugabe.

In March, regional leaders including South Africa delivered what was read as
a strong rebuke of Mugabe, calling for an end to political violence. That
prompted sharp criticism of South Africans by Zimbabwe’s state controlled
press, which Kasambala said shows Zuma and his team are “doing something
right.”

Bread shortages in Harare as Lobels bakery shuts down

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
9 June 2011

Lobels bakery, since independence the largest bread-making company in
Zimbabwe, has shut down due to financial mismanagement which effectively
crippled operations at the firm.

Founded in 1950 by the Lobels family, the bakery in its heyday was arguably
the most popular in the country. The family later sold its business to a
consortium of local businessmen who include Retired Brigadier-general David
Chiweza, Livingstone Gwata and Hebert Nkala.

Three of its top managers were recently fired on allegations of fraud and
misappropriation of company funds totaling $10 million. Those dismissed
included chief executive officer Burombo Mudumo, finance director, Nesbert
Gufu and Tonderai Chipere.

The company board accused the trio of failing to pay workers’ salaries for
the past three months. The bakery also struggled to procure flour supplies
and failed to settle its debts to several suppliers.

Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us management at the bakery has
released a statement saying they will remain closed for the next two months
while they try to arrange new financing from potential investors.

Many companies in Zimbabwe have closed in the last decade because of
persistent economic problems. Critics blame the problems on Robert Mugabe’s
poor economic policies, especially the violent land grab that effectively
destroyed the agricultural backbone of the country.

Muchemwa said companies that have been taken over by black Zimbabweans in
recent years have also fallen on hard times, due to lack of skills and the
technical know how to run big companies.

In recent months the inclusive government, on the insistence of ZANU PF, has
pushed for the so-called ‘indigenization’ law that requires companies to
give a majority stake to black Zimbabweans. The controversial Indigenisation
and Economic Empowerment Act requires that all large businesses, including
banks and mining industries, ‘sell 51 percent of their shares to ‘indigenous
Zimbabweans.’
But many observers have commented that, as in the land grab, it will be
unlikely that the shares will be purchased. Government ministers have
already stated that there are no plans to pay for shares in mines.

Analysts argue that this law will have catastrophic consequences, apart from
scaring away international businesses operating in the country as well as
potential investors.

Muchemwa said critics in the country accuse Mugabe of using the empowerment
campaign to seize thriving businesses and hand them over to his allies as a
reward for their support. The MDC-T led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
has castigated the empowerment drive as a ‘looting tool by greedy elite.’

Kunonga tries to take over Anglican Clinic

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Lance Guma
09 June 2011

Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, expelled from the Anglican Church in 2008, has
stepped up his fight for control of church property by seeking to take over
the Daramombe Mission clinic in Chivhu. The move is part of a wider drive to
control all churches, schools and clinics owned by the Anglican church, with
tacit support from ZANU PF.

Bishop Godfrey Tawonezvi from the Diocese of Masvingo has written a letter
to all bishops in the Central Africa region and the head of the Anglican
Church worldwide, Archbishop Rowan Williams, narrating how Kunonga is trying
to destabilize the Mission and forcibly take control.
Kunonga, who claims to lead his own independent Anglican Church, ‘ordained’
two teachers who live near Daramombe. He is set on using them to take
control of the Mission. The two teachers have already gone to the education
office in Chivhu seeking employment. “This is a new method that Kunonga is
now using, i.e getting his thugs to infiltrate our churches and
institutions,” Bishop Tawonezvi wrote.

The Bishop went on to give previous examples of how Kunonga has destabilized
the Mission. In April a nurse at the Mission publicly announced that she was
working with Kunonga and that she recognized him as the owner of the clinic.
Kunonga is reported to have promised to make her the nurse in charge once he
takes over the clinic. Because of the friction she created, authorities
there tried to have her transferred.

Although the Ministry of Health sanctioned her transfer, Kunonga intervened
and had it reversed. Then true to his style the rogue Bishop called upon the
partisan police to have the Nurse-in-Charge, and the Priest who sought the
transfer, arrested on the 1st June. They were only released after recorded
statements were taken. The Kunonga nurse also falsely claimed she had been
indecently assaulted.

More harassment was to follow two days later with the Bishop being summoned
to Chivhu police station over the matter.

Kunonga is also said to be forging Daramombe Mission Secondary School
documents, which he took to the Ministry of Education. “All these are
efforts by Kunonga to try and take over Daramombe Mission. We informed the
Ministry of Education that the documents they had been given were not
authentic,” Bishop Tawonezvi said.

Last week 16 Anglicans were arrested by police for daring to remove Kunonga’s
thugs who were trying to evict priests from their homes, but the rogue
Bishop has endeared himself to the Mugabe regime by declaring his support
for the violent land grab campaign. He was given a farm for his loyalty and
continues to enjoy round the clock protection from the police and state
security agency.

Bishop Chad Gandiya. the man who has since taken over Kunonga’s place as the
rightful leader of the Harare Diocese, summarized the problem they face; “It’s
not Kunonga we find at the church gates, it’s the police. It’s not Kunonga
who drives us out, who throws tear gas at us, it’s the police. When we ask
them why, they say they’re following orders.”

Diamond licences suspended

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Reagan Mashavave and Taurai Mangudhla
Thursday, 09 June 2011 16:51

HARARE - Zimbabwe has suspended licences for all diamond cutting and
polishing dealers, as police arrested several industry players accused of
unscrupulous dealings.

A high-level meeting between the mines ministry and state mining agency
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) officials yesterday resolved
that the licences would remain suspended to allow for investigations.

Gift Chimanikire, the deputy mines minister, said investigations would be
complete by tomorrow.

Chimanikire said some diamond polishers and cutters were buying stones on
the pretext they wanted to add value but proceeded to sell the diamonds in
their raw state.

“I am well informed through the permanent secretary that there were
irregularities in that there are people who were buying and selling diamonds
instead of cutting and polishing them,” Chimanikire said, adding all 28
cutting and polishing firms were affected by the suspension.

The move came as police arrested eight officials from ZMDC and state
minerals trading agency, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe
(MMCZ), for allegedly misrepresenting that they were diamond cutters when
they were buying and selling gems.

The arrests were likely to open a can of worms in the country’s secretive
diamond industry, sources said.

Security officials were busy in the past weeks interrogating the individuals
before the arrests.

Officials at the Ministry of Mines and the two government mining agencies
were all hesitant to provide information on the situation in the diamond
sector.

They were not even prepared to confirm the number of people arrested.

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the arrests but could not
provide more information.

“I can confirm that there are officials from the MMCZ who were arrested. I
do not have all the facts at the moment,” Bvudzijena said.

MMCZ acting general manager Nomsa Moyo said she was out of the country in
South Africa and had not yet been briefed.

ZMDC chairperson Goodwills Masimirembwa said he was unaware of the arrests.

Close to 30 companies were issued with licences to buy diamonds from local
miners after an outcry that diamonds should be cut and polished here for
value addition before exportation.

A diamond expert who spoke to the Daily News last night said the arrests had
exposed the shady dealings bedeviling the local diamond industry.

“The question that must be asked is how were companies awarded licences to
cut diamonds chosen? Was it on merit? These are the questions that must be
asked to the Ministry of Mines together with officials at ZMDC and the
 MMCZ,” the expert said.

“We have heard numerous reports that there is so much money from the
diamonds. Where is the money going? Who is benefiting? The people of
Zimbabwe want those questions answered and the police must be allowed to
fully investigate everything without any hindrances,” the expert added.

Controversy has dogged the industry since the discovery of alluvial diamonds
in eastern Zimbabwe’s Marange area.

Put Mangoma on his defence: State

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Thelma Chikwana, Staff Writer
Thursday, 09 June 2011 16:55

HARARE - The state says it has tendered enough evidence to warrant a
prima-facie case against Energy Minister Elton Mangoma, who is facing
charges of criminal abuse of office and contravening the State Procurement
Act.

Chief law officer in the Attorney General’s Office Chris Mutangadura, who is
prosecuting in the case, told High Court Judge Chinembiri Bhunu yesterday
that Mangoma should be put to his defence.

He was responding to an application by Mangoma’s lawyer for the charges to
be dropped at the close of the state case because of weak evidence led by
state witnesses.

Mangoma is accused of procuring five million litres of fuel from a South
African company Nooa (Pvt) Ltd without going to tender in January this year.

His lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa says the charge is trumped up.

She argued that the failure by all state witnesses to nail Mangoma showed
why the charges should be dropped without Mangoma being put to his defence.

Mutangadura, however, yesterday said there was adequate evidence to show
Mangoma had shown favour to Nooa.
“According to the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA), Mangoma
breached the law in his duties as minister for the purposes of showing
favour to Nooa.

“The CPEA says once proven to be a public officer, which we have already
done, there is a presumption he showed favour,” Mutangadura said.

He said the state had since proven to the court that Nooa was an unknown
company that was not among the 25 firms that the Mangoma’s ministry was
authorised to procure from.

“We reserve questions on how he knew Nooa. We understand Nooa called him but
it was not his duty to procure fuel,” Mutangadura said.

Mtetwa had argued that Mangoma acted to avert a potentially crippling fuel
crisis as the country’s reserves were lying critically low, a fact supported
by state witnesses.

She argued that after the minister had learnt that Nooa had fuel, he handed
the process over to the relevant procurement officials.

She argued that the minister could not have shown favour to Nooa since it
was the only company that had fuel at the time, adding that he had been
betrayed by his permanent secretary who failed to advise him on procurement
procedures.

Justice Bhunu reserved judgment to 22 June.

Amnesty International Urges Southern African Body Stand Firm on Zimbabwe

http://www.voanews.com

Civic organizations have called demonstrations to pressure SADC to press
President Mugabe for reforms, while ZANU-PF is said to be busing in
supporters from Harare for a counter-demonstration

Blessing Zulu  08 June 2011

Amnesty International Zimbabwe researcher Simeon Mawanza said reform of
Zimbabwe's national security sector is crucial to ensure free and fair
elections

Amnesty International has urged the Southern African Development Community
to hold firm on the findings and recommendations issued by its troika on
politics, defense and security in April saying Zimbabwe must set a road map
to the next elections, quell political violence and speed up electoral and
numerous other reforms.

An Amnesty International team is in South Africa this week lobbying SADC
diplomats before the summit in which the regional group will take up
Zimbabwe issues.

In a statement, Amnesty International said it wants to make sure SADC does
not back off the tough position on Zimbabwe adopted by its troika, which
many took as an admonition to President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.

Both ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have launched energetic pre-summit lobbying
campaigns.

Pro-democracy civic organizations have called demonstrations to pressure
SADC to press Mr. Mugabe for meaningful reforms. ZANU-PF is said to be
busing in supporters from Harare for a counter-demonstration in South
Africa.

Amnesty International Zimbabwe researcher Simeon Mawanza said reform of
Zimbabwe's national security sector is crucial to ensure free and fair
elections.

"Because that has not happened we are calling on the SADC particularly to
ensure that in the road map to the next election, the necessary reforms, are
undertaken to ensure that the police enforce the law and do not fight with a
single political party."

But Chris Mutsvangwa, with the ZANU-PF delegation dispatched to
Johannesburg, said the regional organization has no brief to press Harare
for security sector reform.

National Constitutional Assembly Regional Coordinator Munjodzi Mutandiri
said SADC must press for significant reforms in Harare before new elections
are held.

The last round of national elections in 2008 was marred by deadly violence,
leaving the outcome disputed, leading to the drafting and signature of the
Global Political Agreement for power sharing and the 2009 establishment of a
national unity government.

Meanwhile, Newsday, an independent daily newspaper, said a proposal for
reform of the Central Intelligence Organization has been submitted to South
African President Jacob Zuma, mediator in the political standoff, by
negotiators for the co-governing parties.

MDC sources close to the negotiations said ZANU-PF negotiators had agreed to
make changes to operations of the CIO, which most consider to be a ZANU-PF
tool.

The CIO is attached to the office of President Mugabe, and its agents have
frequently been spotted working with police and the military cracking down
on his opponents.

Human rights lawyer Kucaca Phulu welcomed the development, saying new
legislation is going to

Zimbabwe 2011 growth cld exceed 9.3 pct f/cast: finance minister

http://af.reuters.com

Thu Jun 9, 2011 6:23pm GMT

By Carolyn Cohn

LISBON (Reuters) - Economic growth could exceed the Zimbabwe government's
forecast of 9.3 percent in 2011, helped by strong commodity and food prices,
but politics are a negative, the country's finance minister said on
Thursday.

The government has revised up its forecast for mining sector growth in 2011
to 47 percent from 44 percent, and overall growth forecasts are easily
achievable, Tendai Biti told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the
African Development Bank's annual meeting.

"I genuinely believe the growth rate could be higher, mainly because of the
strong performance of international commodity prices," he said.

"The food crisis is helping us as we are in a surplus position in grains."

Consumer-focused industries such as telecoms were also likely to see strong
growth, he added.

Zimbabwe is starting to become a favourite among yield-hungry emerging
market investors now that some political and economic stability has been
achieved under the power-sharing government set up in 2009 by bitter foes
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Matthew Pearson, Africa equity strategist at Standard Bank, told Reuters
Investment Outlook summit this week that he was an "ardent fan" of Zimbabwe.

But the AfDB and the International Monetary Fund have lower forecasts for
Zimbabwe's growth, amid concerns about a budget financing gap.

The AfDB this week forecast 7.8 percent growth for Zimbabwe in 2011, and 5.4
percent in 2012.

Biti, a member of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, said the
unhappy political alliance, which has led to increasing political violence,
was putting a dampener on growth prospects but was unlikely to collapse.

"It will limp along," he said. "It's like a dog's breakfast that not many
dogs would love to have."

The political problems were also preventing Zimbabwe from clearing its $7.1
billion in foreign debt, Biti added.

He said Zimbabwe's use of multiple foreign currencies instead of the
Zimbabwe dollar, which became worthless due to hyperinflation in 2008, could
stay in place for at least several years.

"We are going to maintain it for as long as possible," Biti said.

"The only reason why we should move is if the region moves towards a customs
union with a new regional currency."

The dollarisation of the economy has also been instrumental in making
Zimbabwe more attractive to international investors.

Biti said French finance minister Christine Lagarde, who attends the AfDB
meeting on Friday as part of her campaign to become head of the IMF, was
worthy of the position.

"I think Madame Lagarde is going to be the next head of the IMF. I think she
deserves it. But we need to democratise these institutions -- Africans
should be given a chance."

The African Union said on Thursday it would like to see a non-European in
the position.

Soldiers From Algeria & Zimbabwe Fighting in Libya for Gaddafi

http://www.moroccoboard.com/

06/09/11

Washington  / Morocco Board News---   Algeria and Zimbabwe have sent troops
to support Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in his war against the rebels
according to the daily The International Business Times.
Pondering the reasons for the survival of the Libyan colonel after the
severe sanctions imposed against his regime, including the freezing of his
assets and the defection of many of his senior officials, the newspaper
writes that several reports have confirmed that "soldiers from Algeria and
Zimbabwe are actively fighting "on behalf of Gaddafi".

Several media reports focused their coverage on the Libyan rebels and the
claims conveyed by the former chief of protocol under Gaddafi that Libya's
embattled government has recruited mercenaries from Kenya, Chad, Niger and
Mali after losing control of the army, other reports have shown that these
mercenaries were a small part of the forces of Gaddafi, the newspaper
reported. Citing sources in Harare, the Business Times reported that
Zimbabwe has sent over 500 soldiers to support Gaddafi in Libya, its
longtime ally.

Other reports have mentioned the involvement of Algeria in the conflict
through its support of the colonel, adds the times, noting that the Algerian
group of human rights (Algeria Watch / based in Germany) published a report
that "the Algerian government provided Gaddafi with material assistance in
the form of armed military units." "Algeria Watch also accused the Algerian
government of providing aircraft for the transport of mercenaries from
Niger, Chad and Darfur to Libya, the times said.

"The use of mercenaries has been used as cover to divert attention and hide
the alliances between Libya and other African countries", writes the times,
before concluding that Gaddafi could not have survived without a assistance
from some neighboring countries.

Zim to appeal SA ruling in favour of white farmers

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/

Eyewitness News | 4 Hour(s) Ago

Zimbabwe’s attorney general on Thursday said the government will appeal
against a ruling made this week in the North Gauteng High Court in favour of
white Zimbabwean farmers.

The ruling allows dispossessed Zimbabwean farmers to sell off Zimbabwean
state assets in South Africa. The property will be sold at public auctions
to compensate white farmers for property seized under the land reform
programme.

Attorney-General Johannes Tomana said the Pretoria ruling was based a
decision by the disbanded Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Tribunal.

He said Zimbabwe will not accept the ruling and will now appeal the matter.

Tomana told the official Herald newspaper that he believes the matter was
politicised ahead of this weekend’s SADC summit.

MDC minister compares Zimbabwe to Rwanda before the genocide

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe's finance minister blames bomb attack on his home on
his Zanu-PF coalition partners

    David Smith in Johannesburg
    guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 June 2011 21.27 BST

A senior government minister in Zimbabwe has warned of "an atmosphere of
poison" reminiscent of Rwanda on the eve of the genocide that left 800,000
people dead in the 1990s.

Tendai Biti, finance minister in the fragile unity government, was reacting
to a bomb attack on his home that he said could have killed his young
children.

Biti blamed the incident on the military, the Zanu-PF party and president
Robert Mugabe. He said the power-sharing agreement between Zanu-PF and the
Movement for Democratic Change, of which he is secretary-general, is now
effectively dead.

"My fear is that Zanu-PF will create an atmosphere of hate and an atmosphere
of poison," said Biti. "There are shades of Rwanda in January 1994. I just
hope we avoid a Rwanda where the military is in control, law and order
breaks down and there is total violence."

The petrol bomb exploded at Biti's official residence in the capital,
Harare, at around 1am on Monday, destroying part of a wall and frightening
neighbours. The minister and his wife, Charity, and their children Zoe, 10,
and five-year-old Thabo, were some 250km (155 miles) away at the time.

"When I drove back and saw the damage, I realised someone could have been
killed," Biti said. "To the extent that I have children who run around the
garden, I felt quite cross. I understand what they are trying to do; they
are trying to intimidate me. It's not Santa Claus any more."

He said the trail of suspicion ultimately led to Mugabe's door. "My place is
supposed to be guarded, but they have not been providing guards since March.
They [the attackers] would have known there were not guards.

"It was clearly someone with skill, clearly not an amateur. The only people
with that skill in Zimbabwe is the military. They will have been acting on
the instructions of Zanu-PF. The president is head of Zanu-PF."

In 2009 Biti, effectively Morgan Tsvangirai's No 2 in the MDC, was sent a
9mm bullet and a death threat telling him to prepare his will. Last year he
was nearly killed in a car crash. Yet he denied suggestions that the threat
to his family might prompt him to walk away. "I'm not afraid of Zanu-PF and
I'll not be afraid of Zanu-PF. They will never intimidate me to resign.

"But what I'm really worried about is where are we going as a country
because of selfish leadership. There is a leadership vacuum. The reality is
we are working with people who are incorrigible, who are living in another
century, who are interested only in looting."

He gave one of his most pessimistic assessments yet of the coalition
government, formed in February 2009 after a disputed election in which, the
MDC says, 253 people were killed and thousands tortured. Mugabe has
suggested fresh polls should be held next year, raising fears of another
wave of violence.

"Any member of the MDC would have to seriously consider whether this
inclusive government is working," said Biti . "To a large extent, it isn't.
To a large extent, it's a waste of time.

"Some of us who went into this government were against it, saying Zanu-PF is
not ready for a genuine partnership. The events of the last few weeks show
those who said this have been proved right. These people [Zanu-PF] are on a
different planet."

On the other hand, he acknowledged, the government has provided some
stability for millions of Zimbabweans, rescuing the economy from collapse
and slowly rebuilding public services.

But asked about the future of the power-sharing agreement, Biti said
frankly: "I think this thing is really dead. It's a shadow, a pretence of
something that is dead. But my suspicion is it will linger on."

War 'Vets'Forcing Villagers To Attend VP Mujuru Rally

http://www.radiovop.com

12 hours 59 minutes ago

Masvingo, June 09, 2011 - Villagers in Masvingo south have expressed dismay
over war veterans who have engaged a door to door terror exercise forcing
them to attend a rally to be addressed by Vice president Joyce Mujuru at
Tokwane- Ngundu irrigation scheme on Friday as Zanu (PF) intensifies
campaign for elections it intends to force this year.

The rowdy former liberation fighters led by their controversial national
leader,Jabulani Sibanda who is camping in the district after resisting a
move to chase him away by a defacto-provincial executive leadership, is
threatening villagers who fail to attend the rally with untold suffering.

Villagers also said the war 'vets' have instructed traditional leaders and
village heads to compile registers of their subjects so that they will mark
those who will be absent and present when Mujuru addresses her rally.

“We are being intimidated and threatened by these rogue liberation fighters
who are moving house by house. They visited my homestead in the early hours
...and demanded my presence at the rally saying failure to do so will see
surmount to physical discipline, “ said Edmore Gwasengwa of Chisase village.

He however expressed concern over the continued violation of their human
rights as they are entitled to a political party to support and subsequently
attend its rallies.

“This is violation of our rights, how could will be forced to attend a rally
by some members of a political party I do not subscribe to. I have to go
there for the sake of protecting my life and my family, “he said.

The war veterans are allegedly telling the villagers that those who snub
Mujuru rally will be labelled MDCT supporters and will be punished for
contributing to their President Robert Mugabe’s loss in 2008 March general
elections when he was thrashed by the then opposition leader, Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai.

Sarudzai Janganidzwa said she was instructed to come with all her family
including children.

“They said if I do not attend the rally it means that I will be an MDCT
supporter so they will beat me for voting against Zanu (PF) in 2008,’’ she
said.

Masvingo Provincial Information office confirmed the rally but denied claims
of threatening villagers to attend while Zanu (PF) chairman, Lovemore Matuke
declined to comment.

They Live by the Sword, But Should They Die by the Sword?

http://www.ipsnews.net/

By Nyarai Mudimu

HARARE, Jun 9, 2011 (IPS) - In her glory days, death-row inmate Rosemary
Khumalo (66) lived life dangerously on the edge. She was a sanguinary
fortune hunter who would resort to anything, even murder, to land her loot,
according to court records of her trial.

Her last crime in 1998, which ended with the murder of her businessman
suitor Maxwell Sibanda, marked the end of her life of crime, and ushered in
her new life as a death-row inmate at Zimbabwe’s notorious Chikurubi Maximum
Security Prison in 2000.

Convicted of the murder of Sibanda and armed robbery in 2000 and sentenced
to death, now a frail and pale shadow of her former self, Khumalo has been
waiting for her execution for over a decade.

"I have petitioned the President (Robert Mugabe) for clemency more than five
times. Two of these petitions have been turned down while three have not yet
been responded to.

"I am now frail and suffer ill heath. I have become hypertensive and all I
plead for is mercy. This waiting, not knowing when I will be executed has
become torture that is worse than the death sentence I am waiting for,"
Khumalo told IPS from her cell at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

While Khumalo has been on death row the longest, she is not alone; there are
51 others awaiting execution in Zimbabwe. The last person to be hanged in
this southern African country was Mandlenkosi ‘Never’ Masina Mandha who was
executed in July 2005.

Zimbabwe is drafting a new constitution and during the consultative outreach
programmes, mixed reactions were recorded. Both President Robert Mugabe’s
Zanu PF and Professor Lovemore Madhuku’s National Constitutional Assembly
(NCA) agree on the retention of the capital punishment on Zimbabwe’s
statutes.

NCA’s draft constitution states that: "As part of the Bill of Rights, this
draft proposes that the death penalty be abolished in Zimbabwe in respect of
all other offences except serious cases of murder."

Section 37 of the controversial Kariba draft signed by the three parties in
the government of national unity (Zanu PF, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s
Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC- T) and the Deputy Prime
Minister Prof Arthur Mutambabra’s Movement for Democratic Change- Mutambara
(MDC-M) states: "Every human being has the right to life and may not be
deprived of it intentionally. A law may permit the death penalty to be
imposed on persons convicted of murder but the penalty may be carried out
only in accordance with a final judgment of a competent court…" (Although
the MDC-T is a signatory of the Kariba draft they have backtracked on its
contents and now say their position is anti-capital punishment.)

While the politicians call for the retention of the death penalty, civic
society has been engaged in a spirited campaign against it.

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Alouis Chaumba said his
organisation was lobbying the minister of justice and legal affairs Patrick
Chinamasa for the review of the death penalty. Human rights activist and
lobbyist for the abolishment of the capital sentence Sanderson Makombe
believes now is the time for Zimbabwe to remove ‘this uncivilized sentence’
from its statute books.

"There is no scientific evidence to support the death sentence as a
deterrent to criminal behavior compared to other forms of punishment.

"The death penalty is retributive and justified vengeance with the high
costs of the litigation far outweighing life in prison sentences," said
Makombe.

He said if put to a referendum, the majority of Zimbabweans might favour its
retention on the country’s laws.

"Because we are more prone to want revenge, we do not believe those that
kill should be spared and treated differently.

"In fact, the majority will probably say prisoners have no rights at all.
They forfeit their rights when they commit crime. However, the arguments for
abolishing are technical and not populist," noted Makombe.

Because of the long lapse since the last execution, former deputy minister
of justice and legal affairs Jessie Majome believes Zimbabwe could be on the
road to the abolishment of the death sentence.

"The country executed in 2005 and if you check the trends in our courts, you
will notice the reluctance to impose the death sentence. There is restraint
on the death sentence from the courts," said Majome, who is also a Member of
Parliament.

In support of this Zimbabwe’s two former Chief Justices are recorded to have
voiced their concern over executions. The late former Chief Justice Enoch
Dumbutshena is noted to have said: "I believe that many people we sentence
to death for killing somebody should not be sentenced to death but given a
life imprisonment term."

In apparent reference to the capital sentence, his successor former Chief
Justice Antony Gubbay is recorded as having said: "What may not have been
regarded as inhuman or degrading a few decades ago may be revolting to new
sensitivities, which emerge as civilization advances."

Makombe explained that Britain only abolished the death penalty in 1964
after reviews showed that some people had been executed following erroneous
court judgments.

"Equally tragic mistakes have been made by the courts in Zimbabwe. An
innocent woman Sukholuhle Kachipare, who was on death row for a long time in
Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison was only released in 2001 following a
judgment review that showed she was innocent," said Makombe.

Globally, more than 96 countries have abolished the death penalty for all
crimes, eight for ordinary crimes and 43 are de facto abolitionists
(countries with a death sentence but haven’t used it in the last 10 years
and have committed not to use it). Africa has 15 countries that have
abolished the death sentence while 21 have committed not to use it although
it is still in the statutes.

Film maker Shrenik Rao on Behind the Headlines

http://www.swradioafrica.com

 

SW Radio Africa journalist Lance Guma speaks to Indian filmmaker Shrenik Rao, who launched his documentary film “Mugabe’s Zimbabwe” in October 2010. He says the film “is an enquiry into how Zimbabwe, from its successful independence 31 years ago, has collapsed dramatically. The film plots Mugabe’s three decades of bloodshed, terror and corruption and narrates how he turned hope into desolation.”

Interview broadcast 02 May 2011

Lance Guma: Hallo Zimbabwe and thank you for joining me on Behind the Headlines. My guest this week is Shrenik Rao the founder and creative director of Dolsun Media who launched a moving and insightful documentary “Mugabe’s Zimbabwe” sometime in October 2010.

Now this documentary, according to a description on its website “is an enquiry into how Zimbabwe, from its successful independence some 31 years ago, has collapsed dramatically. The film is a terrifying story plotting Mugabe’s three decades of bloodshed, terror and corruption and narrates how he turned hope into desolation.” Shrenik, thank you for joining us on the programme.

Shrenik Rao: Thank you for taking an interest in my film Lance.

Guma: Right, first things first Shrenik, what gave you the inspiration to tackle this project and say – this is what I want to do?

Rao: See, actually when I was very small, I remember reading a great deal about Robert Mugabe. He was great friends with Indira Gandhi; he was considered to be this great liberator who fought for freedom from white minority rule and he was considered to be a hero. Cut to 20, 25 years later, I hear a story that is drastically different, I heard stories that are drastically different from what I read of him and I was quite shocked.

When I started speaking to people, both from the government and also from people on the ground, I thought it would be an interesting story to tell about how power manifests itself, about how people change with power, about how situations change and the more I researched, the more I thought it was a good story to construct and narrate and so I started working on the film.

Guma: I see here you say you were intrigued by the way in which power manifests itself and from what you’d read and from what you had heard from the people, you thought Zimbabwe was the right place to test Michel Foucault’s hypothesis – Power Produces Resistance to Itself. Explain that a bit.

Rao: Yah so basically I find this is the best ground, political ground to test Michel Foucault’s hypothesis which is how to produce resistance to yourself. The moment you have power you start exercising it in an authoritarian way that it naturally and automatically produces resistance and that is exactly what is happening. And especially in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is riding a tiger and it’s sort of becoming very difficult for him to distance himself from that power and that is exactly what is producing this resistance, in my opinion.

Guma: So it’s more or less Mugabe finds himself in a Catch 22 situation where he can’t exactly get off this tiger because this tiger will turn on and attack him and he has to remain where he is to feel safe.

Rao: That’s right and two, he’s not even able to manage the tiger; the tiger’s growing very impatient; he’s sitting on the tiger and he’s trying to whip it to keep it under control and he knows that if he gets off the tiger, he’s going to be eaten. And so it’s a very difficult situation for him to be able to manage, and what he did not do, like Nelson Mandela, was to gracefully exit from power, in my opinion and so that’s causing a lot of struggle, both internally and also externally for him.

Guma: Right and in the making of this documentary film, who did you speak to in Zimbabwe?

Rao: I spoke to a range of people; the film was shot in Zimbabwe, the film was shot in England, it was shot in Scotland and a lot of post production happened in India. So when I spoke to people in Zimbabwe, I spoke to Joyce Mujuru, the vice president, I spoke to Joseph Msika, the then vice president, he’s no more; I spoke to Gideon Gono, the most sought after man who’s known for, sort of, building up the economy or destroying the economy or whatever you might want to call it.

I spoke to Arthur Mutambara who was the leader of the MDC Mutambara faction, the deputy prime minister and I spoke to a political refugee, I spoke with Clare Short. I spoke to a range of people and I heard some very interesting perspectives. From there, I also spoke to people who are very much on the ground; people who were taxi drivers, people who were cab drivers in England, cab drivers in Scotland, cab drivers in Zimbabwe, basically cab drivers in England who were of Zimbabwean origin.

I spoke to a lot of people who were NGO sector workers in Zimbabwe and my effort was to sort of somehow make sense of it and be factually accurate about presenting all of this.

Guma: I see from the trailer, you have themes running through, like you write ‘liberator’, ‘tyrant’, ‘murderer’ – what are you trying to achieve there where you have all those words going through? Talk us through that.

Rao: See, the point was to try and present the various themes that Mugabe has been, the light in which Mugabe has been presented. There are opposites; Mugabe was a liberator and now he’s called a dictator. He’s the president and then he’s called a tyrant.

So there are opposites of Mugabe’s personality, there are opposites that represent Mugabe in a very, in a manner which is very disjunct and it is very hard for me to make, for me or for anybody, for a liberator, for a hero to be seen as a dictator, as a tyrant but those are the two elements which I tried to juxtapose. You know, you juxtapose a great hero against a dictator; you juxtapose the president to a tyrant. So that’s the juxtaposition which I wanted to bring out when I was making the trailer.

Guma: Without giving too much away Shrenik, obviously we want people to watch this documentary film, but from talking to people like the Reserve Bank governor and former vice president Joseph Msika, and even the vice president Joyce Mujuru, what is their point of view? How did they defend themselves against what is happening?

Rao: Gideon Gono had an interesting perspective; he said that his problems were caused because, or the Zimbabwean economy was because of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and that was the theme, take that even Joseph Msika and Joyce Mujuru had taken. In fact that is reflected in my documentary.

And the point that Gideon Gono had to say was that the economy was sliding not because of the way he was managing it but because of purely external forces, because of the IMF and the sanctions that have been imposed upon Zimbabwe and so on. So that was their point of defense.

Guma: Well I see obviously you spoke to the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, what was his take on the matter?

Rao: I did not speak to Morgan Tsvangirai, I spoke to Arthur Mutambara.

Guma: OK and what was Mutambara saying?

Rao: Arthur Mutambara said that Zimbabwe was a mismanaged nation, Zimbabwe was under the influence of Robert Mugabe and that he felt there was grave abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe and he felt that Robert Mugabe was a dictator who needed to be immediately replaced and that people in Zimbabwe deserved a democratic government, a constitution orientated government and a government which was a lot more focused on people and policies rather than on personalities.

Guma: Interesting interview. I take it you also spoke to former (UK) International Development Secretary, Clare Short?

Rao: Yes.

Guma: What was her take on the matter?

Rao: Clare Short felt that there was a grave abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe and she felt that Robert Mugabe was somebody who was trying to save himself from getting out of power and she felt that Zimbabwe’s problems are because it was mismanaged by the government and not because of any external force or pressure and that was her take on it.

Guma: Now this documentary film, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, how would you gauge the reaction to it and where have you been having it screened?

Rao: Right, it was originally screened at Harvard University in 2006 and this was a follow-up and now this one has been screened at Cannes in France and it has been taken up by TBS International for distribution and my distributors would be better people to talk about where it’s going to be distributed and how it’s going to be distributed and when it’s going to go on air.

Guma: As someone from India, Shrenik, would you say people outside have a very good idea of what’s happening in Zimbabwe, or sometimes things get lost in propaganda?

Rao: Do people have…can you come again with the question Lance?

Guma: Do people understand what is happening in Zimbabwe or sometimes because there’s a lot of propaganda going back and forth, people outside a country generally do not get what is happening? Do you think for example, people in India know what’s happening in Zimbabwe?

Rao: Yes and no. There are always people who choose to remain ignorant because they choose entertainment over world affairs or issues and there are people who choose to know about what is happening around the world. And for those who choose to know what is happening around the world, I think they do know about what is happening in Zimbabwe.

They do know the various aspects that are happening, the various points of view that Zimbabweans express, both the democratic and the undemocratic. But at the same time in this part of the world, many people are aware of what happened in Zimbabwe, but perhaps in the UK and the States, or those other countries, there’s a lot of exposure to what happened in Zimbabwe. I hope that answers your question.

Guma: And final question for you Shrenik – we know how difficult is for a journalist to work in Zimbabwe or operate in Zimbabwe – how difficult was it for you to secure some of these interviews in Zimbabwe with some of the people you spoke to?

Rao: It took a lot of patience and perseverance on my behalf to keep requesting for interviews. It was not very easy and with the camera on there were not many people who were willing to talk to me on camera. What they said off camera was completely different from what people said on camera.

Whether it was at a hotel or whether it was at a press meet or whether it was anywhere, it was not very easy first off and, but I’m glad that I’ve had inroads into Zimbabwe to learn about the issues that are happening in Zimbabwe and to be able to speak about them, to have a platform to be able to talk about them.

Guma: Well Zimbabwe, that’s Shrenik Rao the founder and creative director of Dolsun Media who launched a moving and insightful documentary “Mugabe’s Zimbabwe” sometime back in October 2010. Those of you who want to watch a trailer of the documentary, you can go on You Tube, you’ll definitely see that, just typing in “Mugabe’s Zimbabwe”. Shrenik, thank you for joining us on the programme this week.

Rao: Thank you very much Lance, thanks for taking an interest in my film.

Feedback can be sent to lance@swradioafrica.com   http://twitter.com/lanceguma or http://www.facebook.com/lance.guma

SW Radio Africa – on line 24 hours a day at www.swradioafrica.com and daily broadcasts on 4880 kHz in the 60m band between 7 - 9 pm Zimbabwe time. Twitter : Facebook : RSS feed You can now get SW Radio Africa on the Tunein Radio smart phone app.

Mugabe 'wouldn't look me in the eye'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9508000/9508666.stm

 

Thursday, 9 June 2011 09:04 UK

 

After the success of his documentary film, Mugabe and the White African, British-born Ben Freeth has become one of Zimbabwe's best-known white farmers.

He has now published a book of the same name, chronicling his family's fight, in the face of violent attacks, to keep hold of their farm after it was claimed by the government.

Since land seizures began in 2000, thousands of farmers have been forced to abandon their land and flee the country.

Others, like Freeth, have refused to move, a stand that has cost some their lives.

Correspondent Mike Thomson asked him why he felt the need to write the book.

“Robert Mugabe... what happened?”

World premiere at Encounters Documentary Festival

The documentary, “Robert Mugabe... what happened?” directed by Simon Bright and produced by Michael Auret, has its World Premiere as the Opening Night film of the Encounters South Africa International Documentary Festival in Cape Town on Thursday 9 June 2011.  Billed as the definitive account of Mugabe’s life, it dramatically illustrates his successful liberation and development of the country but also his ruthless and cunning retention of power at all costs.

The film screens publicly in Johannesburg on  Friday 10 , Friday 17 and Sunday 26 June at Nu Metro Hyde Park, and in Cape Town on Monday 13 and Sunday 26 June at Nu Metro V&A Waterfront. Public premiers on 10 and 13 June will be accompanied by a Q&A with director Simon Bright.

Bright says that this film “gives Mugabe the credit where its due. It’s an exploration of what happened to a promising African leader who was well respected and it recognises his fight for freedom and against Apartheid. But it also explores the forces that caused him to effectively destroy a lot of what he built.”

Please visit www.MugabeMovie.com to view the trailer and for general information, regional screening schedules, DVDs, and to donate towards the cause.

Follow the movie on Facebook and Twitter to show your support for a democratic Zimbabwe and to be notified about screenings in your city.

www.facebook.com/MugabeMovie

www.twitter.com/MugabeMovie

Encounters South African International Documentary Festival

 www.encounters.co.za

Cape Town V&A Waterfront Nu Metro

Opening night film: Thursday 9 June / 7pm

Public: Monday 13 / 8.30pm with Q&A

Sun 26 / 8.15pm

Johannesburg: Hyde Park Nu Metro  

Fri 10 / 8.45pm with Q&A

Fri 17 / 8.30pm

Sun 26 / 8pm

Film Makers call  to leaders at the SADC Summit on Zimbabwe

SADC leaders will be meeting on the 10^th and 11^th June for ongoing discussions around a roadmap to free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. The film makers believe that the SADC meeting is crucial. "Mugabe has made minimal concessions in terms of the military, judiciary, reserve bank and electoral machinery.  Not enough has changed, so he still has the mechanisms in place to run another bloody electoral campaign to stay in power. Our film is a call to African and international leaders and to the people of Zimbabwe to continue the fight for truly free and fair elections. The film shows exactly how Mugabe gets votes. He unleashes youth militias in rural areas to terrorise and intimidate the population. One story in the film is of a woman who is first burnt with metal and then gang raped for being MDC.”

 In 2008  during the Presidential run-off more than 200 people were killed and 3 000 were displaced and Mugabe won by default after the MDC pulled out. During elections Mugabe is renowned for using violence, misusing the broadcast media he controls, and rigging ballot boxes, voting and counting processes.  President Zuma must stick to his guns and SADC must enforce the Global Political Agreement thatshould have been enforced three years ago. Otherwise Mugabe will rush through another election using all the tactics he is feared for “

Background

Bright and Auret were both part of activist famillies opposed to Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and white supremacy. Both families were exiled during the Rhodesaian war and returned just after Robert Mugabe had brought democracy to South Africa's pioneering neighbour.

The early promise of Mugabe’s reign deteriorated and Bright was inspired to make the film after imprisonment for a short time in2003, and so he slipped back across the border in 2007 to start research. Five years later they are finishing this eye-opening film, which contains never-seen-before archival footage.

Bright was co-producer of the 1996 Zimbabwe liberation film, “Flame”, directed by his wife, Ingrid Sinclair and the first Zimbabwean film to screen at The Cannes Film Festival.  Ingrid Sinclair, is a co-writer on the film “Robert Mugabe... what happened?”

Auret ran the media campaign for the National Constitutional Assembly which defeated Mugabe in the first constitutional referendum in 2000 and he went on to open the first private radio station in Zimbabwe, Capital Radio, which was later shut down and he was forced to leave the country. He currently runs Spier Films and has produced the feature films “Master Harold and the Boys” released in May 2011 and “Black Butterflies” to be released in July in South Africa. He was previously the Festival Director of Sithengi and the Cape Town World Cinema Festival between 2001  and 2007 and is married to Ulla Mahaka who was an actor in the film “Flame”.

For more information and media queries:

Lesedi Rudolph

PR and media

cell: +27 76 590 0564

lesedi@onedogchicken.com

Joy Sapieka

Encounters Film Festival Publicist

cell: +27 73 212 5492

tel: +27 21 790 0692

fax:+ 27 21 4221842

joyls@mweb.co.za

Robert Mugabe... what happened? Is likely to generate heated debate before, during and after Encounters. Simon and Michael are currently in Cape Town and available for interviews.

Links:

www.MugabeMovie.com

www.facebook.com/MugabeMovie

www.twitter.com/MugabeMovie

www.encounters.co.za

www.SpierFilms.com

www.vimeo.com/MugabeMovie

Trailer direct link:

www.vimeo.com/24822228

Trailer embedded link:

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24822228?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24822228">"Robert Mugabe... what happened?" documentary trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mugabemovie">Mugabe Movie</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Press release issued on behalf of Spier Films by One.Dog.Chicken

Zimbabwe: Elections Roadmap Solidarity March and Mass Rally

Brother Edgar Tekere: may your soul rest in peace

By Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 09/06/11

I had not wanted to write anything until my mind kept on urging me to say
goodbye to a real national hero. I would be acting against my conscience to
refrain from paying tribute to a great son of Zimbabwe, Mukoma (brother)
Edgar Tekere.

It was very saddening to learn about his untimely death this week. However,
after reading his book, A lifetime of Struggle, I knew that his day would
come one day, because Tekere wrote about how he was poisoned by his
political enemies and he referred to it as ‘kuitwa kafiramberi’ (being
killed slowly).

While some reports are saying that Tekere died of cancer while others
specifically name the cancer as prostrate, I don’t know if I should believe
that unless his family convincingly says so, however I still wonder if the
poisoning may have contributed to what eventually claimed my hero’s life.

Can we have a clarification of who diagnosed Tekere of cancer and if his
family believes that. The establishment would obviously want us to
conveniently forget that Mukoma Tekere vakaitwa kafira mberi nevavengi vavo
(that brother Edgar Tekere was administered poison which was going to kill
him slowly by his enemies).

To lose a genius like Tekere is very devastating. When you read the
methodology  used by his biographer to write his memoirs, you immediately
realise what a genius Edgar Tekere was. Few people have a sharp memory like
he had and kept diaries for that long despite the intervening periods in
prison and in the liberation struggle.

There were many who went to the war of liberation, but few told us in such
excellent and frank detail about what went on there as Mukoma Edgar Tekere
did. No library was ever going to satisfy my curiosity until I read Tekere’s
memoirs. What inspired me most was Edgar Tekere’s patriotism and principled
stand against corruption. Another important lesson from Tekere’s memoirs and
his death is that no matter how much we disagree in politics, we should
learn to tolerate each other rather than wish our opponents death let alone
bring about their demise. Of course, like all human beings Edgar Tekere made
mistakes. What is important when we make mistakes is not to be arrogant or
suppress victims but to apologise and move on.

Without many, I just want to conclude by thanking my hero and great
inspiration Mukoma Edgar Tekere for sacrificing all he had for Zimbabwe’s
independence and for an unqualified franchise albeit now I am being barred
from exercising my right to vote not because of his fault, but due to
circumstances beyond his control. Mukoma Edgar Tekere zororai murugare
(Brother Edgar Tekere, may your soul rest in peace).

At the same time, I wish to use this opportunity to thank people who have
been publishing my articles and readers those who have sent me feedback
including a few threats, not that I took them seriously though! I am taking
leave of writing articles so as to concentrate on my academic pursuits. The
struggle continues.

©Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com

Unpacking the need for Institutional Reforms in Zimbabwe’s Roadmap to Elections

Bill Watch - Parliamentary Committee Series [Public Hearings on ZESA service delivery 10 to 14 June]