http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Politics
PRIME Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change will
insist on the full
implementation of the agreed reforms before elections are
held in accordance
with a Constitutional Court judgement delivered on
Friday.
BY PATRICE
MAKOVA
The MDC-T national standing committee held an emergency meeting
yesterday
and resolved that there were serious misgivings on some of the
aspects of
the judgement.
“The party reiterated that the date of the
election must be process driven.
In other words, it must be dependent upon
the completion of key processes
that have a bearing on the freeness and
fairness of the election,” said
party spokesperson Mwonzora.
“These
processes include the completion of the ward-based, transparent and
accessible voter registration exercise targeting all communities. After the
voter registration exercise, there must be a period set for the inspection
of the voters roll to make sure that it is correct and that all eligible
voters are on it.”
He said the MDC-T would also insist that media
reforms which should
guarantee reasonably equal and fair access by all
contesting parties to the
state media as enshrined in the new Constitution,
must be completed before
the election to ensure that there is an even
playing field during the
elections.
Mwonzora however said the MDC-T
would abide by the Constitutional Court
ruling directing elections to be
held by July 31 of this year.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the MDC is
ready for free and fair
elections in Zimbabwe. That means for the MDC, the
issue is not about the
date of the elections, is about the conditions under
which these elections
are held,” he said.
Zanu PF national chairman
Simon Khaya-Moyo said his party welcomed the
ruling and urged the nation to
prepare for elections.
Mwonzora said the Constitutional Court ruling did
not absolve President
Robert Mugabe from completing the key processes that
have a bearing on the
freeness and fairness of the election. He said
Zimbabwe has been plagued by
state-sponsored violence in past
elections.
“To that end, reforms to ensure the total eradication of all
forms of
state-sponsored violence must be completed first,” he
said.
Mwonzora said although Chapter 11 of the new Constitution provided
for
security sector reform by stipulating that members of security services
must
not act in a partisan manner, a code of conduct must be drafted to
govern
their behaviour during the elections.
He said it was critical
that Zimbabwe completes all legislative reforms to
bring all legislation
which have a bearing on elections into conformity with
the Constitution.
These include the Electoral Act, the Public Order and
Security Act, the
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Tsvangirai on Friday
accused the Constitutional Court of overstepping its
mandate saying it had
no power to set an election date.
“In the true spirit of separation of
powers, an election date remains a
political process in which the executive
has a role to play,” he said.
Southern African Political Series (Sapes)
executive director, Dr Ibbo
Mandaza said his organisation would on Tuesday
host some of the best
constitutional lawyers in the country for a discussion
on the full
implication of the court ruling.
According to legal
experts, Schedule Six of the new Constitution stipulates
that at least 30
days are required for an intensive voter registration and
voters roll
inspection. The exercise is set to begin tomorrow ending
beginning of
July.
Section 157 (3) of the Constitution also stipulates that the
nomination of
candidates should take place 14 days after the publication of
the
proclamation for elections, with polling taking place at least 30 days
after
the nomination process.
Mugabe still had four months to call
for election: Law expert
Constitutional law expert, Professor Greg
Lennington said he was astounded
by the ruling.
He said in terms of
the Constitution, after the expiry of Parliament, the
President has four
months to call for elections.
“I have not yet seen the reasons for the
judgement, but the correct decision
was that of the two dissenting judges,
Justices Bharat Patel and Luke
Malaba,” he said.
Seven of the nine
judges who sat as a Constitutional Court concurred with
the ruling. The
seven who ruled in favour of the application brought by a
Harare man,
Jealousy Mawarire are: Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and
Justices
Vernanda Ziyambi, Paddington Garwe, Ann-Mary Gowora, Ben
Hlatshwayo, George
Chiweshe and Antonia Guvava. The two dissenting opinions
were by deputy
Chief Justice Malaba and Justice Patel.
Mawarire, a registered voter in
Zaka and of the Centre for Elections and
Democracy in Southern Africa, had
approached the Constitutional Court to
compel Mugabe to fix the election
dates in view of the fact that the life of
the current 7th Parliament ends
on July 31.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in
Politics
FORMER deputy labour minister and ex Zanu PF Marondera East
legislator,
Tracy Mutinhiri will represent her new party in the
constituency.
JAIROS SAUNYAMA AND MOSES CHIBAYA
Mutinhiri was
confirmed as the MDC-T Marondera East candidate, without a
contest at
Rudhaka stadium yesterday.
She was initially set to compete with MDC-T
Marondera East District Chairman
Samuel Machekanyanga who was disqualified
to pave way for a female
candidate.
Mutinhiri was fired from Zanu PF
in 2011 amid accusations that she was
working with the party led by Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. She then
joined MDC-T the following
year.
Yesterday, the MDC-T primaries continued to brew shockers, with
more sitting
MPs failing to get confirmation. Some surprise candidates were
also
nominated.
Murewa West legislator Ward Nezi got the shock of his
life when he failed
the confirmation process. He scored 90 votes against the
160 who opposed
him. A candidate requires two thirds majority to be
confirmed. Nezi will
have to contest against Leonard Mandaza at a date to be
announced.
In Chikomba Central constituency, Moses Jiri will battle it
out with MDC-T
Provincial Chairman Piniel Denga after 363 people voted
against Jiri.
Both Jiri and Denga have been embroiled in bitter wrangles
after the former
accused the latter, for abandoning his Mbare
seat
Marondera Central MP Kay was confirmed after 350 people voted for him
against the 110 who were opposed to his candidature.
However, the
victory of some candidates was criticised by supporters who
said they were
not allowed to vote.
MDC National Organising Secretary Nelson Chamisa
acknowledged that there
were some concerns raised in certain constituencies
across the country.
“I don’t think they are squabbles maybe you have more
information that I don’t
have to call them squabbles, but they are reviews.
The review is not on the
basis of dissatisfaction with the process but
discomfort with the results
and the two are different.”
Chamisa said
the primaries were going on well adding that they would be
completing
Mashonaland central province today and then move on to
Mashonaland
West.
The MDCs have not been vibrant in the province. In the 2008
elections, the
party won four out of the 23 seats in Mashonaland
East.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Politics
SELECTION of
candidates to represent the MDC formation led by professor
Welshman Ncube
will begin in the next two weeks, party secretary-general
Priscilla
Misihairabwi-Mushonga has said.
BY PATRICE MAKOVA
Mushonga said this
followed the expiry of Friday’s deadline for interested
MDC members to
submit applications to represent the party in the forthcoming
harmonised
elections.
She said while other parties were holding primary elections,
the MDC had
opted for a process where candidates would be selected through
“consensus”.
“I have already sent a memo to provinces to start preparing
for the
consensus-building process. This involves candidates holding
discussions
with the constituents to outline what they are offering with the
hope of
agreeing on a single nominee, without going for primary elections,”
Mushonga
said.
She said only in circumstances where consensus is not
reached, would primary
elections be held.
Mushonga said through the
“consensus building discussions”, candidates would
be fully appraised
of
the posts available for contest.
She said when the party initially
invited applications, the new Constitution
had not been passed. The new
Constitution recently signed into law by
President Robert Mugabe, now has
provisions for the setting up of provincial
councils as part of devolution.
Parties are also going to submit names of
women to be considered for the 60
seats reserved for women, under the
proportional representation
system.
Mushonga said her party would field candidates in all
constituencies and
wards throughout the country.
She could not be
drawn to divulge the names of some of the notable people
who had applied to
contest elections on an MDC ticket. Mushonga only said
some of the
candidates had a potential to upset rivals from both Zanu PF and
MDC-T.
In the 2008 elections, the MDC won 10 parliamentary since
seats in
Matabeleland, but has lost a majority of these through expulsions
and
defections.
MDC DOORS ARE OPEN FOR EVERYONE —
MUSHONGA
Mushonga said people from different backgrounds were keen to
represent the
MDC in parliamentary and local elections.
“We have a
complete mix of all classes, ranging from intellectuals, the
middle class
and the very rich who now have a sense that to protect your
wealth, you have
to join politics,” she said. “We also have good candidates
for councillors,
some of them business people and property owners. There are
also many young
people who are coming in to contest.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Politics
MDC-T losing
candidates in the ongoing primary elections have alleged that
the election
process was flawed resulting in massive rigging.
CHRISTOPHER MAHOVE AND
MOSES CHIBAYA
Most of the candidates are demanding a re-run in
constituencies they lost.
So far complaints have been raised in Harare,
Bulawayo and Chitungwiza.
A number of sitting MPs and party bigwigs lost
in the primary elections and
confirmation processes held last
weekend.
Some of the losing candidates have written letters of complaints
to MDC-T
leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, national organising
secretary
Nelson Chamisa, national chairperson Lovemore Moyo and party
secretary-general Tendai Biti.
Alec Masomera, the Dzivaresekwa
district chairperson who lost by 10 votes to
Solomon Madzore in Dzivarasekwa
Constituency, last week claimed that the
elections were
rigged.
Masomera, who garnered 181 votes against Madzore’s 191, said
three branches
in the constituency which he claimed were his strongholds
were not allowed
to vote, prejudicing him of more than 100 votes.
Had
they been allowed to vote, he would have won the ticket to represent the
party in national elections, Masomera claimed in a letter dated May 26 2013
to the party’s leadership, where he insisted that he was robbed of
victory.
“The flawedness of the election started with a party hosted by
Solomon
Madzore for the electorate and party security personnel who
conducted the
elections held on the eve of the primary elections at sitting
and aspiring
Councillor Herman Karimakwenda’s house and they further had
breakfast at the
same place,” he said.
He added: “This clearly
manifests vote-buying by Solomon Madzore and
manipulation of party security
personnel. Furthermore, some structures were
not allowed to vote in this
primary election.”
There are claims that the presiding officer had failed to
set up an
electoral college and election rules, thereby making it difficult
to
determine the number of candidates allowed to vote.
More than 200
disenfranchised district members have also signed a petition
which they
handed over to Chamisa demanding that they be allowed to vote.
Madzore
yesterday denied the allegations raised by Masomera.
“Masomera was the one
who did all the accreditation because he is the
district chairperson, so he
is the one who knows better than me. I only
participated as a candidate. As
a candidate I don’t have power to accredit
people. Even though I am part of
the national leadership, I am not allowed
to involve myself in the running
and management of the election process.”
MDC-T will not rerun primaries:
Chamisa
Sources in MDC-T said human rights activist Sten Zvorwadza, who
lost to
radio personality Eric Knight in Mbare, may have also lodged a
complaint
about the way the elections were conducted.
Zvorwadza
refused to comment yesterday, referring all questions to the party’s
spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora.
“I am not allowed to comment because
I don’t have the mandate,” he said.
“You can call Mwonzora. The issue is
being dealt with internally so I cannot
tell you anything.”
Another
losing candidate in Harare, who requested anonymity, blamed Chamisa
for his
defeat.
“Chamisa is the one who caused chaos this side because he
selected people
who were not in the structures for the nomination
process.”
Chamisa confirmed receiving letters of complaint but dismissed
assertions
that he played a part in rigging. He also dismissed the
possibility of a
re-run in the disputed constituencies.
“Most
candidates endorsed the elections and we are no takers to
afterthought,” he
said.
“All things are managed internally and it will get due recognition.
There
are so many remedies to these issues, depending on the circumstances.
The
ballots could be recounted or verified, but our teams did a very good
job.”
Chamisa however, would not be drawn into saying how many
constituencies were
being disputed.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Local
HUNDREDS of
students around the country have not been attending classes
since the
beginning of this term, after several boarding schools barred them
for
non-payment of fees.
BY OUR STAFF
It is now a requirement in most
schools that a student produces a receipt
showing proof of payment at the
gate before being allowed into the
dormitories.
Parents claim that in
most government and mission schools, this requirement
was being effected by
members of the school development committees (SDCs)
without their
approval.
At one school in Mashonaland East province, nearly a quarter of
students in
one class failed to attend lessons for two weeks as their
parents struggled
to raise the full fees.
“It is so unfair because
they are not accepting a payment plan,” said one of
the parents, who had
brought half of the US$400 the school needed. “They
should understand that
some of us are civil servants and earn very little.”
Another parent,
Aaron Sigauke, whose child was not admitted at a school in
Masvingo, said
the ministry of education had to look into the matter, as it
was adversely
affecting students.
“It [ministry] is silent when headmasters and SDCs
are destroying the
education sector,” said Sigauke.
Some of the
parents said they had since transferred their children to day
schools in
urban or rural areas but vacancies were increasingly becoming
problematic
due to the soaring demand.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
secretary-general, Raymond
Majongwe last week confirmed that some schools
were turning away students.
He said this was contrary to a government
directive that failure to pay fees
should not hinder children from
learning.
“The problem is that schools are being run with two command
structures, one
being the education ministry and the other being the school
development
committee and the school head,” Majongwe said.
He said
that while the ministry said no child should be sent away for
non-payment of
fees, the SDCs still insisted on no learning until fees were
paid.
Majongwe said the most affected were children of civil servants
whose
parents earn hardly enough for them to pay fees on time and also cover
other
family expenses.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief
executive, Sifiso Ndlovu said
his organisation was not aware that some
schools were turning children away
from schools for failure to settle
fees.
“Most schools did not increase fees this term and what we know is
that SDCs
are the ones who sometimes turn children away for failure to pay
levies and
not fees,” Ndlovu said.
He added that school heads could
not be sending children away because they
were in the forefront of
supporting the government’s policy on fees.
Ndlovu said parents who could
not afford paying school fees should apply for
assistance under the Basic
Education Assistance Module (Beam).
Attempts to reach Education, Sport,
Arts and Culture minister David Coltart
were futile as his mobile went
unanswered.
Zimbabwe’s education system was once among the best in
Africa, before
suffering from a major dent due to a decade-long economic
decline.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Community News
COPOTA School
for the Blind in Masvingo, which has not received any funding
from
government since the beginning of the year, is facing financial
crisis.
Report by Moses Chibaya
Under normal circumstances, the
school usually gets money from government
under the Basic Education
Assistance Module (Beam), but has not been getting
that assistance to run
its operations since January this year.
It is currently sitting on a
US$71 000 electricity bill and has not been
paying salaries for its
non-teaching staff for the past two months.
Although both the primary and
secondary schools have a capacity to enrol of
300 students, it has 355
pupils.
At least 200 are in primary, while 155 in secondary.
Only
1% of the students have paid their school fees while the rest, mostly
from
poor families, are under the Beam programme which has not been paying
for
them.
Speaking to journalists on a media tour facilitated by Unicef,
Copota
Primary School head, Simbarashe Manjere said some churches had been
supporting the school since January but were also finding it
tough.
“We are supposed to be having normal education like other schools
but we now
have an extra 55 pupils. We have a shortage of equipment and
resources,”
said Manjere. “We now need to build extra dormitories. We also
need beds,
the same applies to the dining area.”
The situation is
also exacerbated by the fact that people with disabilities,
who are supposed
to get US$20 per month from the department of social
welfare, have not been
receiving it for a couple of years now.
“We currently owe Zesa US$71 000.
Zesa is charging us commercial rates but
we are not a business entity, this
is an institution for charity. We have
tried to engage Zesa and the ministry
but nothing has materialised,” he
said.
He added that despite paying
between US$3 000 and US$5 000 monthly to Zesa,
the bill keeps on
accruing.
Efforts to get a comment from Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira
were
fruitless last week.
Copota Secondary School deputy head, Tsitsi
Muganhi said they use
specialised equipment in their activities, most of
which is imported from
outside the country.
She said it was difficult
for the school to replace some of the equipment
because the school has no
money.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Community
News
MUTARE — Families affected by diamond mining operations in Chiadzwa
in
Marange district have accused government of sacrificing them for diamonds
amid worsening humanitarian crisis as mining firms renege on some of their
commitments.
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
Over 474 families were
relocated to Arda Transau by Anjin Investments, but
the families are now
accusing the company of failing to supply them with
food rations, provide
clean water, schools and health facilities as
initially
promised.
Anjin Investments is a joint venture between a Chinese firm and
the army.
Villagers who spoke to Standardcommunity last week said life
had become
unbearable at the new resettlement, as they could not access
clean water and
food.
They said they were also over-crowded resulting
in the deterioration of
general standards of living.
The villagers
said they last received food rations last year in October and
have been
living from hand to mouth since then.
Some of them are now surviving on
selling firewood to the nearby Odzi
community.
“The situation here is
pathetic. The government brought us here but they
have since forgotten about
us because they are only interested in mining
diamonds,” said one villager
who requested anonymity fearing victimisation.
“Chiadzwa was better
because we had dignity and we were self-reliant because
we had vast fields
to grow food for family consumption.”
When The Standard visited the area
recently, women with babies on their
backs were seen carrying buckets
looking for clean water for drinking
purposes.
“At Chiadzwa we used
to have boreholes and wells within the vicinity of our
homes but here the
setup is urban and the water system is always down and we
are forced to seek
for alternative sources of water far away,” said Luckson
Mutsago
(27).
Chairperson of the resettlement, Timothy Ndamera said the
government and the
mining companies had pledged to allocate a 0,5 hectare
plot under irrigation
to each resettled family but “to date the project is
at a standstill”.
He said the villagers cannot embark on meaningful
agricultural projects
because the area is dry and they have no access to
water.
Mutare district administrator, Cosmas Chiringa confirmed that the
villagers
had a plethora of problems they wanted addressed by government and
mining
companies.
He said their concerns were being handled “at the
highest level”.
Manicaland governor, Chris Mushohwe lambasted the diamond
mining firm saying
it was not doing enough in terms of their corporate
social responsibility
programmes.
“The people from Manicaland have
been so patient, please don’t take that
patience for granted. We cannot
continue watching things going on like this.
“Let the Minister of Mines
be warned,” Mushohwe told a mines and mineral
policy consultative meeting in
Mutare recently.
Anjin spokesperson, Retired Brigadier Munyaradzi
Matyatya denied that the
mining company was neglecting the local
community.
“Are we supposed to do all they are demanding? What agreement
is there that
says we must do that?” said Matyatya. “As a company we set our
objectives
and goals and we have fully met them.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Community News
AT
least 100 residents from Glenview 3 suburb in Harare, most of them living
positively with HIV and Aids, are benefiting from a soap-making project
being spearheaded by the owner of a private school in the
community.
BY JENNIFER DUBE
The residents have also formed a
community club being spearheaded by Martha
Mhonderwa, who is director of
Simudzirai Private Primary School.
She initiated the soap-making project
in January with the aim of assisting
children, whose parents were attending
her school but struggling to raise
fees.
“The club consists of both
men and women from the community, most of them
infected and affected by
HIV,” Mhonderwa said. “They make liquid soap used
in washing dishes and
cleaning toilets. We also have poultry and grocery
projects.”
Every
evening the residents gather at Simudzirai School premises to make the
soap
paste which they leave in a drum overnight to settle.
The following morning,
each of them orders the soap at R5 per litre, which
they resale for US$1 in
the community.
After sales, they deposit some of the money into the
club’s account while
remaining with some cash, which they use for buying
food for their families.
Some of the money they bank is used to cover
fees for the children of those
who are struggling to pay the US$40 per term
charged at Simudzirai.
One of the beneficiaries, Patience Gwavava (37),
said the project had
brought relief to her since the death of her husband in
2000.
“I sell between five to 10 litres of the soap per day and this has
improved
my life a lot,” she said. “I used to sell vegetables here in Harare
and also
in Beitbridge but what I raised was hardly enough for me to feed my
four
children and also pay their fees.”
She said since the project
started in January, she has had a constant supply
of food.
Gwavava
said her two children who learn at Simudzirai School have had their
fees
paid for through the project for two terms.
Simudzirai, which has classes
from Early Child Development to Grade Three,
has been operating from
makeshift structures since it was started in 2010.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Community News
BUHERA
— Villagers in Buhera South under Chief Chamutsa have bemoaned
massive
killing of their livestock by lions escaping from Devuli Game Park,
after
the fence was vandalised by poachers.
Report by Moses
Chibaya
Speaking to Standardcommunity last week Gunura Primary School
head, Tenson
Sibiya confirmed that scores of livestock had been devoured by
lions in the
past few months.
He however, could not give exact
figures of cattle, donkeys and goats that
have been eaten so far.
The
most affected villages included Chikova, Gunura, Chinyamatikiti, Zindoga
and
Kufakwatedzi, areas which are near the park.
“It is now easy for animals
to intrude into the villages because the fence
was vandalised by poachers.
Buffaloes and lions are coming into the
neighbouring communities,” said
Sibiya. “Some villagers have been seeing a
lioness with three cubs recently.
The lioness makes sure that it comes into
the villages almost every night
killing cattle or goats to feed its cubs.”
One villager, Norwell Mhandu
claimed that he has attended a funeral of a man
who was attacked and killed
by a buffalo while herding cattle.
“In Chikova [village], a buffalo
killed a man who was herding his cattle
early this year. I even attended the
funeral.
“Officials from the park managed to drive back the buffaloes into
the game
park. However, more still needs to be done to get rid of the
lions,” he
said.
Mhandu said villagers were now living in fear of the
lions and buffaloes.
“Poachers are cutting the fence and although the
park authorities have been
trying by all means to maintain it, the cutting
is excessive, so the animals
end up escaping and getting into villages,” he
said.
Sibiya said game rangers have been trying their best to drive away
the
predators but to no avail.
“We now have a curfew this side. We no
longer walk at night or early in the
morning,” Sibiya said, “I think if the
fence is electrified, poachers will
not be able to intrude or cut the fence
at the same time the fence will
scare away animals from going
out.”
Early this year, three lions wreaked havoc in Kariba killing two
people on
separate occasions. They were later shot by officials from
National Parks.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in
Business
RioZim says it is still awaiting a response from government over
its
indigenisation proposal which it submitted a few months ago, a senior
company official said.
BY KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
The Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange (ZSE)-listed concern is also working on various
initiatives to
retire its debt.
RioZim chief executive officer, Ashton Ndlovu said the
group was not yet
certified as having complied with indigenisation
requirements.
“Indigenisation authorities asked for information which we
have given and
the 51% was as according to classification given by the NIEEB
(National
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board), so we are still
waiting for
a formal response,” said Ndlovu.
The Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Act, which requires
foreign-owned companies to sell a
51% stake to indigenous people, has caused
great concern among international
investors seeking to explore new and
emerging markets in the
country.
RioZim requires US$300 million for its expansion projects but
such funding
is dependent on the firm acquiring indigenisation
certification.
The firm needs to increase production at Masvingo-based
Renco Mine, an
overhaul and expansion of Empress Nickel Refinery in Bindura
from 14 000
metric tonnes to 45 000 metric tonnes per annum and re-opening
of the Sengwa
Colliery.
The opening of Sengwa would result in the
construction of a 150 MW
coal-fired power station.
The firm also
intends to upgrade its rail infrastructure and adopt new
technologies, such
as underground conveyors in order to extract core at a
faster
rate.
Ndlovu said Rio Gold, a subsidiary of RioZim, will become the major
gold
operation and openings would be available to investors particularly
interested in investing in gold operations.
He however said political
uncertainty continued to be an issue of concern
for many companies in
Zimbabwe.
Only recently, RioZim and Tourism and Hospitality minister
Walter Mzembi
were locked in a court battle after the company accused the
minister,
alongside his advisors Obediah Mazombwe and Chivi South MP Irvine
Dzingirai,
of allegedly causing disturbances at Renco Mine.
The mine is a
subsidiary of RioZim.
“I’m pleased to say that is behind us but there is
no guarantee that we will
not have similar incidents,” said
Ndlovu.
This year the company is conservatively looking at a 5,2%
increase in gold
production.
The mining group was also saddled with a
huge debt with US$40 million being
owed to a number of local banks,
including ZB Bank, Tetrad, Metropolitan and
the Infrastructure Development
Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).
Ndlovu said the reality was that the group must
operate optimally and
efficiently, necessitating the need for cost
cutting.
RioZim shareholders last year approved the capital-raising
initiative of
US$10 million through a private placement, US$5 million
through a rights
issue and US$45 million through convertible
debentures.
“We will continue with our initiative of restructuring and
one of the things
that was choking this company is that we essentially
operated on short-term
overdraft,” he said.
“We do expect that by
mid-year we will have paid off two or three banks who
are the smaller banks
and really we have no intention in our rationalisation
plan to continue
doing business with them.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in
Business
GOVERNMENT plans to declare Bulawayo “a special economic zone”,
as it
intensifies efforts to revive the city’s status as the hub of
industrial
activity in the country, deputy minister of Economic Planning and
Investment
Promotion, Samuel Undenge has said.
Report by Musa
Dube
Undenge said government intended to make the declaration in order to
address
the economic challenges dogging the city.
“Government is
considering declaring Bulawayo a special economic zone which
will usher in a
much faster pace of attracting investment into the city,” he
said. “Economic
zones have propelled the economic development of countries
such as China,
India and South Africa as they command incentives that are
favoured to
investors.”
About 20 000 workers have been left jobless in Bulawayo over
the past three
years, after over 100 firms, mostly in the manufacturing,
textile and
clothing sectors, closed down.
Challenges faced by the
industries included shortage of working capital,
high utility bills and
excessive imports that were eroding local production.
“The Ministry of
Investment and Promotion is putting up structures to ensure
a closer working
relationship with the City of Bulawayo, as we roll out the
implementation of
the Medium Term Plan,” said the deputy minister. “It is
our intention to be
part of the Provincial Development Committees and the
Economic Development
Committees of various local authorities in order to
ensure that our national
planning processes are also cascaded to the local
level.”
Undenge
added that the incidence of policy discord would be greatly
minimised if
such a collaboration was established.
He reiterated that the major
challenge affecting the local industry was lack
of working
capital.
“Lack of access to finance to high interest rates continues to
hinder
recovery of industry countrywide, more to Bulawayo. Government set up
a
US$40 million fund to revive companies but I would like to admit that
disbursement has been slow,” he said.
Undenge said the government was
keen to sign more Bilateral Investments
Promotion and Protection Agreements
(Bippa) with friendly countries in order
to get the much-needed capital to
revive the country’s economy.
“The government, through the Ministry of
Economic Planning and Investment
Promotion continues to sign Bippas in order
to unlock lines of credit from
friendly countries. The Bippa with Botswana
to unlock at least 500 million
pula funding for the local industry was
ratified by the Zimbabwe parliament
and this will contribute to the
financial requirements of the business
sector,” he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Business
THE African
Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says it is ready to disburse to
Zimbabwe
additional lines of credit on the country’s limit.
Report by Ndamu
Sandu
Afreximbank has been the country’s all-weather friend, helping with
lines of
credit necessary in reviving capacities in the local manufacturing
industry.
Denys Denya, the bank’s executive vice-president in charge of
Finance,
Administration and Banking Services, told Standardbusiness the
appetite for
risk was in line with Afreximbank’s thrust to fill the gaps in
member
countries’ markets.
“Given the total country limit there is
room for us to disburse another
US$200 million,” Denya said on the sidelines
of the African Development Bank
annual meetings.
Last year, the bank
annou-nced that it would avail lines of credit to
Zimbabwe of between US$700
million and US$800 million in 2013.
Denya said the bank’s new thrust
would be talking to individual companies to
“manage risk and reach a level
of understanding, which will enable you to
help them not only for one year
but for the long-term”.
“Previously our facilities were normally 12
months but we have moved to
three years. There is room to move because the
upper limit of our facility
is seven years and Zimbabwe definitely needs
medium-term facilities but we
need an enabling environment to be in place
for us to do that,” the
Afreximbank executive said.
Denya said the
bank was bullish about the Zimbabwean economy, but that there
was need for
regulatory changes to attract more lines of credit into the
economy.
“Obviously the regulatory environment needs to change to be
more enabling,
protection of property rights that enables us to bring
international
financiers with us to finance the gap that is in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s
exports are not sufficient to provide the necessary foreign
currency to
import the needed that you need to retool,” he
said.
Zimbabwean companies are in desperate need of long-term financing
to replace
antiquated equipment and machinery, some of which is more than 50
years old.
However, the country’s perceived risk profile has made it
difficult to
attract lines of credit. Zimbabwe cannot get funding from the
International
Monetary Fund (IMF) due to an outstanding US$140 million
debt.
Other potential financiers
have taken a cue from the IMF,
largely considered as the world’s financial
Commissioner of
Oaths.
Concerns have also been raised on the implementation of the
empowerment laws
prospective investors have equated to
expropriation.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono and Youth
Development,
Indigenisation and Empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere are
at odds over
the implementation of the empowerment policy on the banking
sector.
Kasukuwere says the sector should be indigenised as per law. Gono
argues
that the one-size- fits, all approach does not work especially when
dealing
with the delicate banking sector — the nerve centre of the
economy.
Together with the Ministry of Finance, Afreximbank funded the
Zimbabwe
Economic Revival Trade Facility (Zetref) that offered cheap loans
for
companies meant for retooling.
Denya said the bank is in
discussions with government on another facility.
“We are still
negotiating with the authorities. Our appetite is large, there
is no reason
why we can’t have Zetref II,” he said.
Afreximbank had proposed the
introduction of a financial instrument to be
used as collateral in interbank
placements by banks.
The instrument would play a part in the distribution
of liquidity from those
that have excess funds to players facing some
shortages.
It has meant other instruments to be introduced by
government.
However, government did not consider the proposal and opted for
an
alternative route.
Despite government’s move, Afreximbank said the
doors were not closed for
Zimbabwe if it has a change of heart.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Politics
THE gradual lifting
of sanctions by the West against some of President
Robert Mugabe’s inner
cabal will not cajole Zanu PF into holding democratic
elections, as the
former ruling party is determined to win the polls at all
costs, analysts
have warned.
BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
Analysts said the move
strengthens Zanu PF ahead of elections, as supporters
would see the lifting
of sanctions as victory against the European Union
(EU) and the
US.
In the past few months, the EU has been gradually lifting sanctions
on
senior Zanu PF officials, accused of gross human rights
violations.
But analysts last week said the lifting of sanctions was a
“stick and
carrot” approach by the West, which would not guarantee a free
and fair
election.
The Constitutional Court last week ordered Mugabe
to proclaim elections
dates and have the polls held by July 31 this
year.
The US recently removed eight Zanu PF officials from the list as part
of its
“action for action” approach, to acknowledge “progress” in the
country since
the formation of the inclusive government in 2009.
In
March this year, EU suspended sanctions against a list of 91 people after
what it termed peaceful, successful and credible referendum on a new
Constitution.
The bloc also suspended measures against eight of 10
companies linked to
Mugabe and Zanu PF, a party accused of fanning political
violence especially
towards and during national elections.
Political
analyst, Effie Ncube believes Zanu PF will not be moved by the
lifting of
sanctions, as the party wants power more than it fear sanctions.
Ncube
said Mugabe and his cronies fear prosecution for crimes they allegedly
committed in the past.
“The lifting of sanctions is a way of
encouraging good behaviour but it is
not going to work because Mugabe and
his people love power more than they
fear sanctions,” he said. “The economic
gains of being in power outweigh the
possibility of good behaviour
encouraged by the lifting of sanctions.”
Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare
Gumbo has on several occasions dismissed the
partial lifting of sanction as
a “non-event”, which the party does not
recognise.
The party wants
total and unconditional suspension of the sanctions.
But Nkomo said Zanu PF
officials, especially those removed from the
sanctions list, were very
happy, although they would not want to publicly
express
it.
“Obviously, they will dismiss this gesture in public but those that
have
been removed are very happy about it,” said Nkomo.
Ncube said
Mugabe and Zanu PF see the lifting of sanctions as a victory
against the EU
and US adding that it encouraged a sense of political
impunity as the
restrictions were being removed when nothing had changed on
the
ground.
Zanu PF, he said, would also use the lifting of sanctions during
their
campaigns for their political gain.
“They will tell their
people that they conquered the EU and America, so who
is MDC or any other
party to challenge them,” said Ncube.
MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora
said the issue of sanctions was a
bilateral matter between the EU and Zanu
PF. He said it was up to the bloc
to maintain or remove them.
“But
the truth on the ground is that Zanu PF is resisting reform and there
are
well-documented cases of State-sponsored violence especially in Mutoko,”
said Mwonzora.
Mugabe was forced into a government of national unity
(GNU) after he was
beaten by MDC-T leader and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai in the 2008
violent presidential elections. Tsvangirai however,
failed to garner enough
votes to claim the presidency.
Western
countries imposed targeted measures on senior Zanu PF officials and
various
companies over a decade ago, accusing the former ruling party of
land grabs
and human violations as well as vote rigging.
‘ZANU PF NOT WILLING TO
MAKE REFORMS’
Political analyst, Dumisani Nkomo said the easing of
sanctions by the West
was part of its efforts at normalising relations with
Mugabe and Zanu PF
after a decade of an antagonistic relationship.
He
however does not see the EU removing sanctions completely before the
elections, as Zanu PF has not been willing to reform the media and security
sector, which could be used to Mugabe’s advantage during
elections.
“I don’t see them removing all the people on the sanctions
list,” said
Nkomo. “This lifting of sanctions may not change anything
because Zanu PF is
not keen on making major reforms as previously agreed.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Opinion
Apart from the
western model of democracy, can you give us any other form of
government
system which has proved to be superior?
Sunday Opinion with Tirivashe
Chikumbirike
Communism’s failure culminated in the disintegration of the
Soviet Union.
Currently the remaining communist countries are few, like
China, Vietnam,
Cuba and Laos.
Consider Cuba for instance, one may
argue for communism because there is a
high literacy rate (98,9%) and a well
functional health system, but people
do not enjoy life in that island. In
short communism is a failure hence the
need to re-orient ourselves towards
the western model of democracy, which
promotes human rights and is strongly
associated with economic and social
development.
Stop sowing seeds of
a retributive agenda which will only foster hatred,
racism, disunity among a
plethora of other evils. This propaganda you are
spreading is typical of the
cold war time where the communist bloc would
speak against the capitalist
bloc and vice versa. Do not try to put your
ideas in our minds.
I bet
Joseph Goebbels is smiling in his grave right now seeing how some
people are
still perpetuating his legacy.
How can you tell us to like the Russians
and the Chinese, when the Chinese
are engaging in illegal business dealings
with a coterie of Zanu PF
politicians? In their country the Chinese have an
ingrained system of
patronage.
Party affiliation not only opens the
door for career opportunities, but also
allows access to political resources
for economic gain. In all, the regime
gains loyalty by rewarding those that
collaborate with it. In their quest to
emerge as the world’s economic giant,
the Chinese are taking advantage of
African states.
How are they
taking advantage of us? The answer is simple: In return for
protection in
the UN Security Council. It is mainly the Chinese and Russians
who use their
veto power against any decisions by the Americans against most
African
states like Zimbabwe.
The Chinese goods are inferior in quality and only
perpetuate poverty. Their
goods are threatening the very survival of our
locally made products and it
is alleged that the Chinese are not being
affected by the indigenisation.
The reason why authoritarian regimes opt
to conduct business with China is
because Chinese aid comes with no
conditions of human rights and democracy.
The western world will not
recognise any government that violates human
rights and rig elections. Given
this background, they do not extend
financial aid to such regimes, they will
only give humanitarian aid.
How then can two walk together unless they
agree? China being a
non-democratic polity is a good friend of Zimbabwe, the
Chinese practise a
form of state capitalism (a refined version of it is
found in Brazil).
There are human rights violations and there is no
political pluralism in
China. The Chinese are also good at propaganda under
the pretext of public
diplomacy. They are doing everything in their power to
spread their
ideologies, beliefs and culture. China is not a high-tech
producer, but just
a place for foreign companies to exploit cheap labour —
the assembling
factory of the world.
In China there are fast-emerging
social inequalities: that a rural migrant
worker has to work 16 or more
hours a day for seven days a week to earn
about US$80 a month, and we cannot
call that “development”.
Finally, Amai Jukwa, Zanu PF has an ideological
belief of ruling in
perpetuity. Just because they took part in the armed
struggle, they now
believe it is their God-given right to rule us forever.
If the people want a
new government, who are you to deny them of their
democratic rights? It is
up to the masses to choose who they want to rule
over them. Let’s not all
forget that this is a social contract: The people
have agreed to elect
people who represent them as leaders.
The only
reason why we even choose MPs in the first place is because it is
no longer
practical for a nation of over 12 million citizens to convene and
craft
their own laws, hence the need to trust a few individuals based on
their
charisma and understanding.
Back in the days it was still practical in
places like Rome (Athenian
democracy) mainly because the population then was
not as big as it is now.
People would convene under a tree and
collectively agree on what would
become the law.
Unfortunately when
the leaders we have chosen start enjoying power and the
spoils of
corruption, they start believing that it is God who has chosen
them , yet is
us the people who have chosen them. The people have the right
to terminate
this contract whenever they feel their leaders have failed to
translate
their pre-election pledges into concrete policies. If the people
want the
west to rule over them, let them shape their own destiny.
Amai Jukwa is a
character with a Facebook page. Most of her posts are in
support of Zanu PF
and its policies.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in
Opinion
I read with disgust and disbelief recent comments to the effect
that Zanu PF
spokesperson Rugare Gumbo has defied the Southern African
Development
Community (Sadc) in its calls for reforms before elections,
saying in part
they were outdated.
Sunday View with Benjamin
Takavarasha
For the record, Sadc has reiterated in all its recent summits
that before
elections are held in Zimbabwe, not only the new Constitution
should be in
place, there also must be full implementation of the rest of
the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), which gave rise to the Government of
National
Unity.
The GPA stipulated from the outset that a great deal
of work had to be done
during the existence of the inclusive government to
prepare Zimbabwe for
free and fair elections, which Sadc would
endorse.
This was reiterated at the Windhoek Summit of August 2010, where
Sadc
demanded that the inclusive government and the Zimbabwean political
parties
“find an uninterrupted path to free and fair elections and the
removal of
all impediments to the same”. At no time since then did they go
back on that
stance, significantly even after the peaceful referendum on the
new
Constitution.
Gumbo is quoted as saying that calls for reforms
(by Sadc and other parties)
before elections has been overtaken by the new
Constitution which he claims
would be the grounds for free and fair
elections, apparently on its own.
But the fact of the matter is that the
new Constitution was never meant by
itself to supersede the reforms set up
by Sadc as a precondition for
elections.
Significantly, Zanu PF
itself never said that to the electorate in its
campaign together with other
major parties in campaigning for a “yes vote”
in the referendum. To only say
so after the outcome of the referendum is
disingenuous as it is tantamount
to having misled the electorate.
The same electorate is surely bound to
be suspicious as to whether they will
be misled by Zanu PF in its election
manifesto — again — come the elections.
it is also a painful truism that
adoption of the new Constitution and its
implementation are far and away
from being one and the same thing. As a case
in point, the horrendous
violence meted out to the electorate in the 2008
Presidential runoff — that
dark episode in our recent history — was itself
contrary to the constitution
as it was then.
Among the outstanding items to be achieved, at least
according to opposition
parties, are: Rule of Law, Freedom of Association
and Assembly and Electoral
Reform. On the specific issue of the rule of law
as it pertains to election
violence, Gumbo says his party was currently
making efforts to ensure
non-violent elections, implying that Zanu PF would
be the sole arbiter and
custodian of non-violent elections!
While the
peaceful referendum was most welcome, it should not be used as a
barometer
of what would happen during the elections, given that all the
major parties
were of one accord in campaigning for a “Yes vote”.
So the only tangible
indicator is the last election, the Presidential runoff
of 2008, and that
does not arguer too well given that the nation is still
licking its wounds
from that election.
Gumbo gives the excuse of sovereignty saying the
regional group’s calls for
reform before polls “undermines Zimbabwean
sovereignty”. This is a
contradiction given that Zanu PF was a signatory to
the GPA in the first
place. In doing so, is Gumbo implying Zanu PF was party
to compromising our
sovereignty at the time?
And much more than this,
there is a deep sense of irony in that by general
consensus, the GPA
resurrected Robert Mugabe as the losing candidate in the
March 2008
elections, and Zanu PF itself, who between them would otherwise
be in the
doldrums. Zanu PF must be grateful to Sadc and respect its
recomendations.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
May 26, 2013 in
Opinion
Elections are a key component of any functioning democracy in any
society.
They provide the most credible and respected platform or mechanism
upon
which societies and nations are able to exercise their right to choose
leadership of their choice.
REPORT BY KUDZAI KWANGWARI
It is a
platform where citizens express themselves and expect their choice
to be
respected. This is especially so if the elections are held in a way
that
makes key stakeholders feel they were free and fair. We are aware of
the
fact that there are some schools of thought who have argued and
questioned
whether democracy is the best system of governance i.e Is it the
best way
that ensures better quality of life to the governed.
While I respect this
opinion, I believe that though democracy may not be
good, everything else is
worse, hence the need for countries, communities,
organisations or even
families to embrace democratic principles in their
governance or better
still, in their leadership.
One of the most critical components of
democracy is participation. The
active participation of communities is
critical at all levels, be it in the
establishment of electoral frameworks,
preparation, voter registration and
power transfer systems.
The
just-ended mobile voter registration process is a case in point. This
piece
argues that the lack of vibrant community media such as community
radios
hamper the full active participation of our citizens in the
democratic
process, thereby negating the whole democratisation process. In
order for
citizens to participate actively, they must have adequate useful
information
so that they are able to make important decisions.
The fact that the
voter registration process was very unsuccessful
considering the numbers of
people who registered to vote and the number of
potential new voters in our
communities has more to do with the extent to
which these communities were
able to access information than anything else.
This is very disturbing
given the fact that our government continues to
frustrate efforts to promote
the growth of the community broadcasting
sector.
Organisations such
as the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations
(Zacras) and Media
Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) that work daily to
promote the growth
of this sector must be applauded and the government of
Zimbabwe must embrace
them as development partners, as opposed to enemies as
they work with many
community radio initiatives dotted around Zimbabwe.
In the face of
limited access to airwaves, these organisations have been
working with these
community radios to provide alternative media platforms
to promote access to
information in rural and other outlying communities.
If the pending
harmonised elections are held without this important media
sector, then we
are likely to have a meaningless election where the majority
of citizens
will again not vote or will vote for what they don’t know, as
was the case
in the constitution referendum.
The government must ensure that community
media is available, supported and
allowed to operate freely. It is dangerous
to go for elections without this
important sector. In a community where a
newspaper costs US$1, and more than
70% of the population live on less than
US$1, it is inhuman for a government
to expect citizens to participate
actively in local and national development
processes without reliable
sources of critical information.
While the Sadc Rules and Guidelines on
the Holding of Democratic Elections
are clear on issues of equal access to
media for the candidates, we think
the same must be said of the electorate.
No one should be marginalised and
play the role of a victim when it comes to
information and free expression.
l Kudzai Kwangwari is a human rights and
community media activist.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Editorial
There is a reason why
buildings frequently collapse in many cities in Africa
but not in
Harare.
The Standard Editorial
The city has solid regulations
governing the construction of commercial
buildings and residential houses,
some dating back to the colonial era.
Although these regulations have
been criticised as working against poor
people, they have ensured that
Harare, unlike other disorderly African
cities, boasts of well-planned
structures that can withstand severe weather
patterns and the test of
time.
Sadly, this is becoming history as these time-tested regulations
are no
longer being enforced by the Harare City Council.
Like
mushrooms, illegal settlements are sprouting at every open space and
the
city fathers lack the political will to stop this trend.
Sub-standard
commercial buildings are also being erected in Harare in broad
daylight.
We wonder if building inspectors still have a role to play
in the
construction of houses and commercial buildings since nowadays,
anyone can
pitch up at an undeveloped piece of land, even wetlands, and
start
construction work.
Many buildings are being constructed at
breakneck speed and do not meet city
bylaws governing the construction of
high-rise buildings. It doesn’t require
an engineer to discern that some of
these structures are a disaster waiting
to happen.
We reported a few
weeks ago about a multi-storey building that had no
protective sheeting to
protect people walking past it from falling bricks
but nothing was done
about it.
Not surprisingly, early last week a building collapsed in
Harare leaving one
person dead and three others injured.
The mishap
that left mangled metal and other debris littering a section of
Orr Street
at Mohammed Mussa Wholesalers on Tuesday should be a wake-up call
to the
authorities.
It is only a matter of time before a major disaster happens
in Harare if
authorities fail to stop the erection of sub-standard
structures in the
city.
What is also worrying is that the city now
allows the construction of houses
with mud bricks, another recipe for
disaster as they are not strong enough.
Without regulation, Harare will
end up like other African cities where
collapsing buildings kill many people
each year.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw
June 2, 2013 in Editorial
While the heads
of state busied themselves with neo-liberal discourses about
“poverty
reduction and governance” at this year’s African Union summit, the
intellectuals, activists, artists and writers focused on acceleration of the
full unification of the peoples of Africa and the need for concrete steps
towards a government that can defend Africans at home and
abroad.
Sunday Discource by Horace Campbell
African Liberation
day, May 25 2013 was marked with meetings and reflections
in all parts of
the Pan-African world, from Kingston to Abuja and from
Kampala to
Accra.
But it was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the current heads of
state held
their celebration.
Many international leaders including
the Secretary General of the United
Nations participated in the celebrations
in Ethiopia. The two-day event at
the new headquarters were preceded by a
week of meetings by many groups from
across Africa and the dispersed African
family. The reflections and
discussions of these groups were very different
from the communiques that
came from the heads of state at the end of the
celebration. While the heads
of state focused on a standby force and their
vision of Africa by 2063, the
intellectuals, activists, artists and writers
focused on the acceleration of
the full unification of the peoples of Africa
and the need for concrete
steps towards a government that can defend
Africans at home and abroad.
It was from the global African family where the
activists were reminded of
the spirit of 1804 and why the challenges laid
down by the revolution in
Haiti were still relevant, especially in relation
to the dignity and
citizenship of the African person in the 21st
century.
Hilary Beckles of Barbados reminded the intellectuals who were
gathered in a
session called “Being Pan-African” that the question of
reparations must be
at the top of the agenda in order for there to be
healing and peace in the
21st century.
The three terms of
dignity, emancipation and unity were repeated and
elaborated on by confident
presenters who participated in a forum on
“Framing a 21st century narrative
on Pan-Africanism and African
Renaissance.”
In this submission, I want
to share some of the discussions and reflections
that went on at these side
meetings to celebrate 50 years of African unity.
One memorable presentation
was that of Beckles who spoke on the question of
reparations and the healing
of the African peoples.
Drawing extensively from his new book Britain’s
Black Debt: Reparations for
Caribbean Slavery and Native Genocide, Beckles
reminded the Pan-African
movement of criminal legacies of the mass
enslavement of Africans in the
trans-Atlantic slave trade.
From the
moment of the UN World Conference against Racism, Racial
Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) in Durban 2001,
European diplomats
and politicians have been active in Africa, claiming that
the enslavement of
Africans was perfectly legal and moral.
Those Africans whose ancestors
were complicity in this criminal enterprise
argued that the matter was
simply a commercial activity.
Beckles reminded the gathering that the
same leaders who were selling their
brothers and sisters in Africa
yesterday, were the same leaders who were
assisting in the plunder of
African resources today.
The current African leadership remained deaf to
the calls for reparative
justice. The same leaders from the AU who were
willing and able to place on
the table the matter of the relationship
between Africans and the current
International Criminal Court could not
whisper a word about the need to
build a solid front over
reparations.
The mandate of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), when it
was launched
on May 25 1963, was to speed the full decolonisation of
Africa.
Throughout the meetings, there was the celebratory mood that
Africans have
been able to overcome colonialism and apartheid. At the time
of the launch
of the OAU there were more than 20 countries that had not yet
achieved
independence. Many have forgotten of the sacrifices that were made
so that
African states could achieve formal independence.
And yet,
even in this moment of celebration, Pan-Africanists had to be
reminded that
the tasks of decolonisation have not yet been completed.
There are still
colonial enclaves in Africa in Mayotte, Diego Garcia, Cueta
and Western
Sahara. Outside of Africa there are millions who are still in
colonial
territories in places such as Aruba, Cayman Islands, Montserrat,
Virgin
Islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Cayenne, Puerto Rico, Curacao and
Saint
Maarten.
During the period of the activism of the OAU Liberation
Committee, Africans
who were fighting for independence pressed that the
status of these
territories be placed before the decolonisation committee of
the United
Nations.
Beckles used his presentation to invoke what he
called the spirit of 1804.
This was the spirit of the Haitian independence
struggle that conferred
citizenship on all Africans.
Any enslaved
person from any territory would automatically receive
citizenship and be a
free person in Haiti. The current leaders of the
African Union were called
upon to confer the same principle of automatic
citizenship and freedom to
all Africans and at the same time guarantee
freedom of movement for Africans
everywhere.
In my own presentation on reconstruction and transformation
in the 21st
century, I drew attention to the reality that the meeting was
taking place
at a moment of deep crisis within the international capitalist
system and
that the planning for a common currency in Africa may be
overtaken by the
present currency wars manifest in the competitive
devaluations.
Focusing on the positive lessons of the OAU Liberation
Committee at a moment
when the majority of the African summit was dominated
by generals, I
reminded the Pan-Africanists that commitment and clear
leadership can make a
difference. Like many, I underlined the reality that
there can be no unity
without peace.
Mention was made throughout
these meetings that the current leadership of
the AU simply view the Global
African Family in relation to remittances and
the possible skills that could
be useful for Africa.
In commemorating the African heroines and heroes
over the past 50 years
there was the effort to steel the next generation so
that the present
self-confidence will be imbued with new creativity to
launch a leap so that
African emancipation and dignity will be a beacon for
humanity in the 21st
century.
This is an abridged version of the full
report published in Pambazuka News.
