(AFP) – 3 hours
ago
HARARE, Zimbabwe — An explosive device hit the security wall of
Zimbabwe
finance minister Tendai Biti's home in an attempted bombing early
Sunday but
caused no damage, a party spokesman said.
"An unidentified
object was thrown at Honorable Biti house and hit the
security wall," Nelson
Chamisa, organising secretary for the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)
told AFP.
"I am told the explosion was loud and caused some discomfort
among residents
in the neighbourhood. We are still trying to ascertain the
circumstances,"
he added.
The incident at Biti's home in the Grange
suburb came a week after police
detained 12 MDC supporters accused of
killing a police officer.
The police could not be reached for
comment.
Chamisa said a police guard was on duty at the time of the
incident.
Biti, a top aide of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and
firebrand critic of
President Robert Mugabe's economic policies, was
appointed finance minister
in the coalition government charged with reviving
the moribund economy.
He has been accused by Mugabe and members of his
party of refusing to
increase the paltry salaries of civil servants and
hanging on to a loan
meant to finance struggling business.
http://www.radiovop.com/
9 hours 15 minutes
ago
Harare, June 05, 2011 - Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) succeeded
in barring
the Movevement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) president and Prime
Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai to attend his party’s much publicised rally on
Saturday
after police told him to avoid criticising President Robert Mugabe
and stop
his from marching.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC-T spokesman
said Tsvangirai felt insulted by the
conditions given by the police only a
day before the “peace rally”.
Close to a thousand people flocked to the
Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield but
it was the MDC-T organising secretary
Nelson Chamisa and a few senior
officials who turned up to address
them.
Officials said more supporters could have attended were it not for
the
intimidation by Zanu (PF) militias who attacked people who were making
their
way to the venue.
“Before the rally kicked off, Zanu (PF)
youths at Machipisa shopping center
assaulted six members of the MDC who
were going to the people’s real change
peace rally at Zimbabwe grounds in
Highfield,” the party said in a statement
issued after the
rally.
“The matter was reported to Machipisa police station, but no
arrests were
made despite the identified youths being stationed at their
office just
opposite the police station.”
Other conditions given to
the party were that officials must not denigrate
other parties, engage in
hate speech and that Tsvangirai must report party
supporters who engaged in
violence.
Chamisa said they expected the weekend Southern African
Development
Community (Sadc) summit to be held in South Africa to build on
the
resolutions of the Troika which met in Livingstone, Zambia and told
Mugabe
to stop political violence and fully implement the power sharing
agreement.
"Our position as the MDC-T is that the resolutions that were
prepared in
Zambia in March should be adopted at the SADC summit to be held
next week,"
he said.
"If these resolutions are adopted, then no
elections will take place this
year and there will be no elections in
Zimbabwe without the MDC-T."
The next MDC rally will be held at Mkoba
Stadium in Gweru on June 19.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Jun 5, 2011 12:57 AM | By ZOLI MANGENA
Fierce
confrontation is looming between President Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe at a regional summit that starts in Johannesburg on
Friday.
Mugabe and Zuma will come face-to-face for the first time
since their
fallout after a Southern African Development Community troika
meeting in
Livingstone, Zambia, in March when his fellow-SADC leaders read
Mugabe the
riot act.
Zimbabwe's political crisis will be discussed at
the summit in Johannesburg
from June 10 to 12 where SADC members will hold
talks on a free trade pact
with two other regional groupings.
The
crisis was supposed to have been tackled at last month's SADC summit in
Windhoek, but the issue was postponed because Zuma could not
attend.
Mugabe had wanted to confront Zuma, who is SADC's facilitator for
Zimbabwe's
inter-party negotiations, in Windhoek over the Livingstone summit
communiqué. Mugabe has described the outcome of the Livingstone meeting as
"shocking".
Zuma and his colleagues on the troika for politics,
defence and security -
presidents Rupiah Banda of Zambia and Armando Guebuza
of Mozambique - joined
SADC chairman, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of
Namibia, in warning Mugabe
they were disappointed and growing increasingly
impatient.
Mugabe lashed out at Zuma and other SADC leaders, saying their
role was not
to dictate to him but only to facilitate talks. This opened the
floodgates
for Mugabe loyalists and Zanu PF politburo members, particularly
Jonathan
Moyo, to attack Zuma and other SADC leaders, claiming the regional
body
needed them more than they needed it.
In Windhoek, Mugabe
managed to ensure the SADC tribunal, which had handed
down rulings
challenging his land reform programme, was suspended.
Zuma insists there
can be no elections in Zimbabwe until conditions for free
and fair polls
have been created. This is in direct conflict with Mugabe's
position which
he repeated this week.
Zuma's team of facilitators was in Zimbabwe this
week to try to finalise an
elections road map.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Jun 4, 2011 1:50 PM | By ZOLI MANGENA
Finance
Minister Tendai Biti ruffled President Robert Mugabe's feathers on
Friday at
a tense National Security Council meeting - attended by
politicians and
state security chiefs - when he confronted him over remarks
he made about
him at a rally the previous day.
This is the latest clash between
Mugabe and Biti as tensions rise within the
shaky inclusive
government.
Insiders said Biti confronted Mugabe and asked him why he
lambasted him at a
rally with traditional leaders in Manicaland province on
Thursday, claiming
he had tried to usurp presidential powers.
Mugabe
was said to have angrily mumbled something back before state security
service chiefs came to his rescue.
"Biti asked Mugabe why he was
attacking him at the meeting with the chiefs.
The president just furiously
mumbled back something before state security
service chiefs intervened with
complaints that the minister was being
disrespectful," said a senior
government official who attended the meeting.
"Biti was annoyed by
Mugabe's remarks and he wanted to get even at the
meeting."
Mugabe
told the rally that Biti had been trying to grab his powers through
the back
door, apparently referring to the amendment of the Exchange Control
Act.
Although this was done last year, Mugabe was clearly still harbouring a
grudge against Biti.
In December, Biti was stopped by Zanu-PF
lawmakers from amending the act
during the national budget, who claimed that
he was plotting to usurp "the
president's powers conferred to him by the
law".
"Biti is even trying to grab some presidential powers in various
ways,"
Mugabe said. "We now want this Global Political Agreement to end and
this
should happen this year."
Mugabe has never hidden his discomfort
with the inclusive government, in
which he is constantly challenged and
exposed over many issues by officials
of the MDC factions.
He is
demanding elections this year to end the coalition government, but he
is
facing stiff resistance from the MDC officials, who say the conditions
for
free and fair elections must be created first.
Another government
official said Mugabe's fight with Biti showed the growing
hostility between
state security service chiefs and the MDC officials.
"After Biti's
question directed at Mugabe, (Zimbabwe Defence Forces
Commander General
Constantine) Chiwenga and (Police Commissioner General
Augustine) Chihuri
intervened and engaged Tsvangirai and (Co-Home Affairs
Minister Theresa)
Makone in protest," the official said. "They said Biti was
being
disrespectful."
Mugabe chairs the NSC, which is also attended by
vice-presidents Joyce
Mujuru and John Nkomo, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and his deputies
Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara and Defence
Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa, among others.
In a new twist to the
succession saga, Chiwenga is said to be interested in
taking over from
Mugabe. Last week one of Mugabe's loyalists,
Brigadier-General Douglas
Nyikayaramba, said the army wanted the Zanu-PF
chief to be president for
life and they would never acknowledge Tsvangirai
even if he won the
elections.
http://www.radiovop.com
8 hours 8 minutes ago
Harare, June 05, 2011
-The mainstream Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T)
party has admitted
that the current constitution making process is flawed
and promised to
rewrite a perfect one when it gets into power.
“As MDC we have agreed
that this constitution which is underway is not the
perfect one, but we will
support it to sell through parliament and
referendum for the sake of
facilitating the end of the inclusive government.
We want to let Zimbabweans
know that when this government is over we will
write a new constitution
which will reflect true views of the people not
this one which is being
done against the wills of citizens. We will write a
constitution which
people will be freely airing they democratic views,”MDC
National Spokes
person Nelson Chamisa told Radio VOP.
Zimbabwe is in the process of
writing a new constitution which will pave way
for fresh elections. The
constitution making process which is being
spearheaded by a wing of
Parliament has been condemned by the civic society
the National
Constitutional Assembly NCA in particular which argues that the
supreme law
of the country should be written by an independent body not by
politicians.
NCA has already started campaigning against the new
constitution through
its Take Charge Campaign meetings in which it is
pushing for a NO vote
campaign that seeks to resist the Parliament sponsored
constitution. The NCA
has lined up a number of activities countrywide. The
view gathering process
of the constitution making process has been
characterised by violence with
Zanu (PF) standing accused of coaching people
what to say at the meetings.
At one point the revolutionary party
launched operation Chimumumu, to
silence members of the MDC from
contributing to the process.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Jun 4, 2011 1:56 PM | By Simplicius
Chirinda
The Minister of Local Government Rural and Urban Development,
Ignatius
Chombo, who is famous for owning more than 100 properties, has
facilitated a
skewed state land-leasing deal to a former military
officer.
According to a lease agreement dated May 3 and written on an
official
government letter, Chombo is leasing prime state land - located in
the
exclusive Pomona area in Harare - to retired army major Thomas Utete
Wushe
for just $42 a month.
Wushe is leasing the land for the
purposes of carrying out a horticulture
business. The going rental rates for
such land is between $2000 and $20000 a
month, depending on the kind of
business.
The lease agreement states "deals will be valid until
2016".
"The first month's rent shall be the sum of $42, which translates
to $504 an
annum. Subsequent rent shall be payable in advance on or before
the first
day of each month to the Accountant, Ministry of Local Government,
Rural and
Urban Development ... "
The agreement states that the rent
will escalate at 15% for the second and
third year, and may be varied after
three years.
http://www.radiovop.com/
8 hours 9 minutes
ago
Harare, June 05, 2011- A $98 million Chinese loan approved by
parliament has
been castigated by analysts as crucial in extending President
Robert
Mugabe's hold on power as it is meant to build a special purpose
military
academy on the outskirts of Harare. The academy will be funded from
proceeds
of the country’s diamonds.
Minister of Finance Tendai
Biti signed on behalf of the Government of
Zimbabwe while Li Ruogu Chairman
and President of the Export-Import Bank of
China appended a signature on
behalf of the Chinese investment bank. As part
of the deal, Zimbabwe will
offset the loan using proceeds from Anjin
Investment (Private) Limited , a
Chinese mining firm in a joint diamond
mining venture with the Zimbabwean
government.
Article 9 of the agreement document made public after the
presentation in
parliament says AFEC will garnish Zimbabwe’s diamond
proceeds from Anjin’s
operations in the industry, with the deal stipulating
that China will be the
preferential primary supplier of materials to be used
during construction.
To cement benefits accruing to the Chinese, part of
Article 2.5 of the
agreement reads:
“The goods, technologies and
services shall be purchased from China
preferentially (and) also from
Zimbabwe where this will benefit the Project
and End User,” the agreements
states.
The deal brokered and spiritedly defended last week in parliament
by
Minister of Defence Emmerson Mnangangwa and later confirmed by Minister
of
Finance Tendai Biti, will see all construction materials and essential
manpower sourced from Beijing. Under the deal signed on March 21, 2011
between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Export –Import Bank of China, the
Chinese will provide seed money to build the purpose.
Although the
deal looks very much in China’s favour, Mnangangwa told senate
last year in
his defence of the deal launched by Mugabe in 2007 that it
comes with
massive benefits for the country, among them employment creation
and benefit
to local downstream industries. “The military facility will
serve as a
premier defence education centre in Zimbabwe especially training
in the
field of national security,” he said.
Zimbabwe will pay 0.5 percent
management and commitment fees to the Chinese.
Ironically President Mugabe
hastily recalled parliament this week to approve
the loan. The haste recall
came at a time when a delegation of about 30
senior Chinese military
officers was visiting the country. The delegation
was led by Chief Air
Marshal Xu Qiliang. It was not clear why they were in
the country. "China is
a great friend of us in many ways. To us all,
citizens of China are our
great friends," Mugabe said after meeting the
Chinese military
men.
Security experts have in the past described it as “a techno-spy and
communication base” whose purpose will be to spy on communications in and
outside the country.
A Harare based economic commentator said the
loan shows just how misplaced
the priorities of government are. “When we
expected them to spent money in
social services they are busy splashing it
in things that we don’t need now.
Why a military college, we are not under
threat from anyone. Not even one of
our neighbours would think of attacking
us, this probably has more to do
with something else rather than state
security,” said economic commentator
John Robertson.
Minister
Mnangagwa says the academy will also be used to select the military
and
civilian officers from the various segments of the society to represent
the
country in various capacities. In addition he said it will also act as a
think tank for providing research, military, defence and national security
studies for the national Security Council, ministry of defence and other
national institutions.
Chinese government, businesses and individuals
have invested heavily in
several sectors in Zimbabwe including in textile,
retail, mining and the
food sector. Several Zimbabweans now eat, dress,
ride, fly and live Chinese.
The country has bought buses and planes from
China but most of the buses are
no longer on the road while two of the three
planes bought in 2003 are now
grounded. The University of Zimbabwe has also
since set up a Department for
Chinese mandarin language.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Staff Writer
Sunday, 05 June
2011 14:50
HARARE - Government's decision to borrow close to $100
million to finance
the military has caused outrage.
Debt
strategists, civil society, professional unions and ordinary
Zimbabweans are
querying the coalition government’s prioritisation,
particularly with the
gaping funding needs in key sectors such as health and
education.
On
Tuesday, Parliament approved a deal that would see China loan US$98
million
to Zimbabwe for the construction of a state of the military college
for top
military officers in exchange for diamonds.
The deal, signed by finance
minister Tendai Biti on 21 March this year, will
run for the next 20
years.
“The loan ties the diamond resource and it creates generational
debt to the
future of this country,” said Showers Mawowa, an economist with
the Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD).
ZIMCODD is
involved in economic literacy campaigns on issues of debt, trade
and
sustainable development.
“The Chinese know that they have a lot to gain
from this loan agreement and
this is why they have agreed to it. We know
that there was a lot of secrecy
surrounding this loan and it is time both
the Zimbabwean and Chinese
governments come out in the open to explain to
the people of Zimbabwe about
Chiadzwa diamonds and this loan,’’ said
Mawowa.
The loan adds to Zimbabwe’s already heavy debt, which is over
US$7 billion.
In March this year, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told
top business
executives and government officials at an investment conference
that part of
this debt would be cleared using diamond proceeds.
That
same month, the government was signing an agreement that ties the same
diamonds to even more debt, a development described by organisations and
people interviewed by the Daily News as a scandal.
“Millions of
Zimbabweans are living as inferior citizens outside the country
because they
fled army-driven violence. They had put faith in the coalition
government to
improve the situation so they can return home.
“Yet that same government
is signing Zimbabweans into bondage by giving away
resources to fund the
military, an institution known for violently
protecting Mugabe,” said
Gabriel Shumba, whose Zimbabwe Exiles Forum fights
for the rights of exiled
Zimbabweans.
The country’s run down public health and education sectors
have only shown
mild signs of recovery due to donations from international
community
partners such as United Nations agencies and the European
Union.
“The education sector needs about US$200 million to be revived and
this is
the money they should be borrowing, instead of building the defence
college,” said Raymond Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe.
“The civil servants and the teachers need
money and we are waiting for it.
We are now wondering whether we are second
class citizens of this country.
We might be civilian but we are workers
of the government who need to be
taken care of,” said Majongwe, whose
organisation on Thursday said members
would embark on strike action at the
end of this month if salaries are not
reviewed.
That the government
is fêting the military ahead of elections possibly this
year or early 2012
has unnerved many, given the army generals’ growing
appetite to interfere in
political processes.
Controversial top soldier, brigadier-general Douglas
Nyikayaramba last week
sensationally demanded elections this year. The
general, a fierce Mugabe
loyalist, repeated his colleagues’ statements that
they would not allow
anyone other than Mugabe to rule.
Commentators
queried the MDC’s wisdom in legitimising the deal.
“The other thing to
consider is that Zimbabwe does not have a good record of
the defence forces.
This is why there is an issue of security sector reform.
There is
possibility that the project could be used to pursue an agenda of
harming
the people of the country,” said Mawowa.
Raymond Majongwe says the money
should have been used to fund the education
sector and not a millitary
college.Morgan Tsvangirai told business
executives that part of the debt
will be cleared using diamond proceeds.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Defence College pact slammed as facilities to be used by
Mugabe and his
intelligence men
Jun 4, 2011 1:49 PM | By SUNDAY TIMES
CORRESPONDENT
Zimbabwe's Defence College, which is being built by the
Chinese in a
controversial deal with the government, will have a
state-of-the-art medical
facility for President Robert Mugabe and other top
government and military
officials.
Diamond watchdogs, diplomats,
civil servants and others have castigated the
deal, with Albrecht Conze, the
outgoing German envoy to Harare, dismissing
the Chinese investment as
"exploitation".
The Sunday Times has been told members of the Central
Intelligence
Organisation (CIO) will - with Chinese help - also be trained
at the
college, which was blindly agreed to by Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC)
Members of Parliament after a heated debate.
Top
military officials of Zimbabwe and Southern African Development
Community
(SADC) countries will also undergo training at the centre.
According to
highly placed sources, the centre will have an Olympic-size
swimming pool,
sports grounds, gyms, a well-equipped hospital, entertainment
centres and
many other recreational facilities.
In a deal human rights groups and
unions describe as "stinking", Zimbabwe
mortgaged diamonds worth
$100-million to the Chinese in exchange for the
construction of the Defence
College, just outside Harare.
There have been allegations of underhand
dealings in the awarding of the
deal to Anjin Investment - a suspicious
joint venture between Zimbabwe and
the Chinese government's Anhui Foreign
Economic Construction Group (AFECC).
Under the arrangement, the Chinese
will provide Zimbabwe with a $98-million
loan to complete the construction
of the college. Zimbabwe will service the
loan through diamonds from
Chiadzwa in the deal which will not benefit
Zimbabweans, as AFECC will bring
its own equipment, material and labourers.
A top government official
privy to the deal said the MDC had been hoodwinked
into signing a deal that
might come back to haunt it, especially as the
college will be used for
training CIO officials who have been out to destroy
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's party.
"On the surface it looks like an ordinary situation,
but there is more to
it. It has a deep impact on the politics of this
country and, unfortunately,
the MDC did not read into it well.
"For
example, the complex will have a world-class hospital which VIPs,
especially
Mugabe and his cronies, will use. They do not want to use public
hospitals
with little privacy. That college is a Zanu-PF project.
"This college
will not benefit the people of Zimbabwe at all. Instead, it
will only
benefit Mugabe and his cabal and there will be nothing for the
majority. As
you might be aware, when the Chinese invest in Africa, they do
not give back
- and that is why they are bringing their own workers," he
said.
Part
of the agreement seen by the Sunday Times reads: "The related Zimbabwe
side
should establish an escrow account to secure the payment and repayment
of
the facility with the revenue of Zimbabwe's side benefits from Anjin
Investment (Private) Limited.
"An agreement on the escrow account
should be signed by Zimbabwe sides and
the lender (Export-Import Bank of
China). The goods, technologies and
services shall be purchased from China
preferentially (and) also from
Zimbabwe where this will benefit the
project."
Zimbabwe will pay 0.5% management fees to the
Chinese.
There was a heated debate in parliament last week with MDC MPs
querying the
deal, while Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Minister of Defence, was
making a
presentation. They wanted to know why the government wanted to
spend
$100-million worth of diamonds to build an elite military college at a
time
when service delivery has virtually collapsed.
The MPS were
demanding to know the benefits of the deal to the nation given
that the
military has been used to perpetrate violence against the people.
However,
both the House of Assembly and Senate ended up approving the deal,
apparently after realising that Finance Minister Tendai Biti had already
signed the controversial deal.
"This development is unfortunate,"
Farai Maguwu, whose Centre for Research
and Development has been
instrumental in exposing shady deeds at Chiadzwa,
has been quoted as saying
this week.
"China will do well investing in Zimbabwe's social sector as
opposed to
strengthening the military. It's not a wise investment and it
will not
improve the quality of life for the ordinary Zimbabwean," said
Maguwu, who
has been harassed before by the state for his work.
Conze
told journalists that China's dealings with African countries such as
Zimbabwe were not balanced and exploitative. He said Germany was concerned
about the way the Chinese were conducting business in African
countries.
Conze pointed out that China's dealings with Zimbabwe were not
bringing real
value into the country .
"Most of the agreements signed
by China will buy out the whole world's raw
materials and block other
countries from having access to these raw
materials," he said.
The
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe also attacked the loan deal,
saying
it was immoral for the government to be hoodwinked in such a way
instead of
using the money to pay teachers' salaries.
The teachers have threatened
to go on strike with one teacher telling the
Sunday Times this week, "Mugabe
must send the Chinese to teach in schools".
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Reserve Bank report fingers shareholders and directors for
fraud
Jun 4, 2011 1:50 PM | By ZOLI MANGENA
Fresh revelations show
that Zimbabwe's troubled ReNaissance Merchant Bank
(RMB) - which is
technically insolvent - was closed due to an unprecedented
looting spree by
its shareholders and directors, working in cahoots with a
pliant management,
through fraudulent siphoning of depositors' funds and
unsecured lending to
relatives and cronies.
A Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) report on RMB,
exclusively obtained by the
Sunday Times, says there was some "Nick
Leeson-type" looting at the bank
which has left many companies, individuals
and even schools exposed and
unable to fulfil their urgent
obligations.
The bank, which recorded a total deposits base of
$63.15-million as of April
30, had unsettled client payments of
$11.1-million. Faced with call and
fixed deposit maturities as high as
$10-million, the bank could not even pay
claims as little as $40.
RBZ
governor Gideon Gono closed RMB on Friday for two weeks, saying it will
open
on June 20 under the management of a curator after government's
promised
$20-million bail-out package from the National Social Security
Authority
failed to materialise because of conflict of interest among
officials and
public resistance to the deal.
The looting and closure of the bank have
angered government officials and
the public who are now calling for the
arrest of those responsible.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said in
parliament this week that the bank was
run like a "tuck shop" and the "law
must now take its course".
The RBZ report says the pillaging of RMB -
never seen in Zimbabwe before -
was of "Leeson proportions".
Leeson,
a former derivatives broker's fraudulent, unauthorised speculative
trading
and other activities caused the collapse Barings Bank, for which he
was
jailed.
RMB, whose closure has shaken the market, is wholly owned by
ReNaissance
Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) which also controls
ReNaissance Securities
Limited and ReNaissance Capital Limited in
Uganda.
In addition, RFHL owns 30.89% of the Africa ReNaissance
Corporation.
The RBZ report says RFHL group CEO and RMB non-executive
director Patterson
Fungai Timba and his cohorts, mainly Dunmore Kundishora,
also a major
shareholder and director, ran down the bank through fraudulent
activities.
"Mr Timba and Kundishora, who are the major shareholders of
the bank,
orchestrated a plan to abuse depositors' funds via a 'Nick
Leeson'-type of
RFHL account with RMB, which they used as a conduit siphon
funds from the
bank," the report says.
Timba, who ran into problems
after borrowing $5-million from local business
tycoon Jayesh Shah, which he
struggled to repay, and Kundishora have between
them share-holding of up to
68.9% in the group.
If the 9.13% of Clementine Sibve's share is taken
into account, the three
founding directors effectively own an unlawful
78.03%.
Timba and Kundishora allegedly used Bethel Trust and Dunca Trust
as
"convenient handmaids" to camouflage their activities and to "hoodwink
regulatory authorities", while engaging in "gross abuse of depositors' funds
which is tantamount to fraud".
"The group chief executive officer, Mr
Timba, and the group executive
director: business development, Mr Mundishora
instilled a culture of lack of
respect to approved limits, internal controls
and board-approved policies
and procedures," the RBZ report says, adding
they illegally lent money to
themselves, relatives and cronies endangering
the bank's survival.
"With total insider borrowings of $12,4-million, Mr
Timba and his relatives
exceeded 25% of the bank's capital base and there
was a negative
$16.4-million gap in violation of Section 16 (2)(a) of the
Banking
Regulations (SI 205 of 2000).
"RFHL's unsanctioned borrowings
of $9.8-million were being camouflaged as a
dealing limit. This borrowing
was in violation of Section 16 (2)(b) of the
Baking Regulations (SI 205 of
2000) which stipulates that advances given to
the insider and any of the
relatives of the insider shall not exceed 5% of
the institution's capital
base, unless it has been disclosed and approved by
the board."
The
RBZ reports says the investigation unearthed a series of shocking
findings
which included gross undercapitalisation; inappropriate
shareholding
structure; disintegration of corporate governance and internal
controls;
systematic abuse of depositors' funds; high levels of
non-performing insider
and related-party exposures; chronic liquidity and
income-generation
challenges and blatant violation of banking laws and
regulations.
The
bank was technically insolvent with negative capital of $16.7-million in
April against a prescribed minimum capital requirement of $10-million for
merchant banks. The bank required $32.6-million to comply with regulatory
capital requirements.
The capital position is projected to worsen to
minus $39.2-million if the
contingent liabilities on account of RFHL
amounting to $22.6-million are
factored in.
The bank will require
about $55.1-million to comply with regulatory capital
requirements by June
30.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Military man says he will not salute
Tsvangirai
Jun 4, 2011 1:52 PM | By HARARE CORRESPONDENT
Independant
war veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle have demanded the
resignation
of Brigadier Douglas Nyikayaramba after he stated that President
Robert
Mugabe should rule the country forever.
Nyikayaramba, the commander
of the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Zimbabwe
National Army (ZNA), publicly
stated last week that the country's generals
would not salute Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai even if he won the next
presidential elections.
He
added that the army generals, and police commissioner general, Augustine
Chihuri, were sure Mugabe would win the next election against Tsvangirai,
raising suspicions the army would again unleash violence against citizens
suspected of supporting Tsvangirai as they did in the bloody 2008
elections.
Nyikayaramba also said that Tsvangirai was not the right
candidate to
succeed Mugabe.
But two stalwarts of the war of
liberation, Happyson Nenji, and Wilfred
Mhanda, board trustees of the
Zimbabwe Liberation Platform (ZLP), said
Nyikayaramba was "conceited" and an
"overzealous Zanu-PF zealot". They said
he should resign from the army
because of his partisan views.
ZLP is a rival of the Zimbabwe National
Liberation War Veterans Association
which is aligned to Mugabe and
Zanu-PF.
The two leaders of ZLP in their written response said
Nyikayaramba's
utterances were a callous disregard for democratic principles
that entitled
the people of Zimbabwe to vote for political parties and
leaders of their
choice.
They added that his statement undermined the
letter and spirit of the
constitution which provided for free and fair
elections and for a
non-partisan military force.
"If Brigadier
Nyikayaramba, and those of like mind, fought for Zanu-PF and
Mugabe to rule
Zimbabwe forever, we wish to state categorically that the
majority of the
freedom fighters within Zanla and Zipra fought, among other
things, for
unfettered political freedom and democracy based on the right to
vote on the
basis of one person one vote," reads part of the war veterans
statement.
"We are surprised that Brigadier Nyikayaramba, a very
senior army officer
who once served as a leading national election officer,
does not appreciate
the need and purpose of elections by insisting that
Mugabe must rule
forever. What therefore is the need for elections if the
outcome is
predetermined? On what basis does he demand that elections be
held this
year? Is he really itching for a bloody fight that he insists that
the
elections be held this year?"
In his comments in an independent
weekly newspaper last week, Nyikayaramba
bragged that he joined the war for
Zimbabwe's independence when he was 14
years old. But the two war veterans
said maybe the war of liberation ended
too early for him "as he was too
young to have demonstrated his military
prowess".
"We have full
respect for liberation fighters who demonstrated their heroism
by fighting
against the enemy during the war but only abhorrence and
revulsion for those
who lead bloody campaigns against defenceless civilians,
whose only crime is
to resist Zanu-PF misrule and repression," the statement
read.
Nenji,
who used the name Webster Gwauya during the war, and Mhanda, who went
by the
name Dzinashe Machingura, said the utterances by Nyikayaramba
underlined the
urgent need to reform Zimbabwe's state security sector.
"No professional
soldier should be seen to be expressing public contempt for
the constitution
by stating partisan political support and we demand his
immediate
resignation. Furthermore, we demand a disciplinary hearing into
his conduct
as should be required in a professional army."
Mugabe has vehemently
refused security sector reforms, claiming it was
tantamount to regime
change. Tsvangirai has demanded reforms in the sector,
citing the
partisanship of the police and the army.
Mugabe and Zanu-PF have not
commented on Nyikayaramba's utterances, giving
credence to widely held views
that the army generals were in charge of the
country.
http://www.independent.co.uk
By Simon
Murphy
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Some of the world's most illiberal
regimes – including Burma, Iran and
Zimbabwe – owe the UK debts worth more
than £2bn, new figures reveal.
The list of 16 indebted countries, almost
a third of which have no agreed
final payment date, also includes Egypt,
Iraq , North Korea and Sudan.
Sudan owes the UK more than £663m, the bulk
of which is thought to be
interest, while Indonesia is in the red to the
tune of £445m. Iraq's bill to
the UK totals £290m, meanwhile Zimbabwe owes
more than £190m.
The new statistics emerged after Labour MP Andrew Gwynne
tabled a
parliamentary question last month asking the Export Credits
Guarantee
Department (ECGD) to come clean about the extent of debt and
expected
repayment.
The ECGD, which reports to Vince Cable
(pictured), the Secretary of State
for Business, was originally established
to aid British business abroad,
offering insurance to companies'
dealings.
However, fears have been raised by MPs that public money has
funded deals
that "fuel poverty, human rights abuses and climate
change".
The debt disclosure has been met with cross-party condemnation
from MPs who
are calling for an overhaul of the agency and an immediate
public audit.
Labour MP Lisa Nandy tabled a Private Member's Bill in April,
which has
passed through to a second reading, demanding improved
accountability.
The ECGD has defended allegations claiming the bulk of
the £2.35bn debt
originated from "dodgy deals" brokered with authoritarian
regimes.
Some of debts date back decades and the rate of interest on
repayments is
unclear, while Burma, Iran, North Korea and Zimbabwe have no
agreed final
payment date.
The coalition has put export-led growth at
the heart of its economic
strategy, which has been underscored by recent
visits to India and Pakistan,
and is unlikely to scale back the agency's
role.
However, MPs maintain that the ECGD has a history of supporting
"destructive" deals, such as the sale of arms to Indonesian dictator General
Suharto.
Liberal Democrat MP Malcolm Bruce attacked the "opaque"
nature of the
department. "There should be a proper risk assessment and
transparent
process," he said.
"Who are the beneficiaries of the
payments? A lot of them are large
companies who should cover their own
insurance.
"We need a much more open and transparent system. It's almost
impossible to
track down when the debts originated and what status they have
at any given
time."
http://www.radiovop.com
9 hours 16 minutes
ago
Harare, June 05 ,2011- Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Australia Ms
Jacqueline
Zwambila is being investigated for sexual harassment after she
allegedly
called an embassy employee into her room while half
naked.
Zwambila who was last year accused of stripping naked in front
of embassy
staff faces yet fresh allegations of sexual harassment
.
The employee who has been identified as Mr Felix Machiridza has written
a
formal complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailing the alleged
abuse, the state owned Herald newspaper reported at the weekend.
He
claimed that Ms Zwambila forced him to stay at a garage for a year after
he
refused to occupy a bedroom on the same floor as hers.
Mr Machiridza said
he had been lured to Australia by the ambassador who
promised him a job and
was now victimised for refusing to give in to the
sexual advances.
“I
am almost certain that my abuse by Ms Zwambila was retribution for
refusing
to bend to her seductions,” he wrote in the complaint that was sent
to
various media houses.
He said he was also forced to pick up used condoms
from the ambassador’s son’s
bedroom without protective clothing.
The
ambassador who was temporarily recalled to Harare last year after male
embassy employees accused her of stripping in front of them after accusing
them of leaking information to the state media has not commented about the
latest incident.
Mr Joey Bimha the permanent secretary in Zimbabwe’s
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs told the Herald that investigations were already
underway.
“We received a report with regards to that and we are currently
studying the
report,” he was quoted as having said. “We will ask for a
report from
Ambassador Zwambila as well, and then we will make a
determination.”
Ms Zwambila was nominated to her post by Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai as
part of a power sharing agreement he signed with
President Robert Mugabe in
2009.
In the past she has claimed that she was
a victim of a media smear campaign
orchestrated by the veteran ruler’s Zanu
(PF) party.
Benjamin Zephaniah signs Vigil
petition
One
of
(The
Vigil remembers the occasion well because Mandela’s comment followed a campaign
by the Vigil and others to urge him to reject Mugabe when he visited
The
Vigil welcomes Zephaniah’s support particularly highly because we have had such
difficulty getting our message over to our
Unfortunately
the message has not yet been taken seriously by the African Union which has
appointed
The
Vigil is alarmed that even the opposition has been co-opted into this police
state. Despite the MDC having a majority of MPs, Parliament ratified spending
$98 million on a giant spy centre being built by the Chinese in
But
the real question facing Zimbabwe is not whether the MDC is confused about its
role or whether the AU is fit for purpose – it is whether SADC will continue to
stand up to Mugabe’s bluster at its meeting in Johannesburg at the weekend. The
Vigil was encouraged by remarks by the former SADC Executive Secretary Prega
Ramsamy. He said he was
convinced that the new leadership in SADC had opened a new chapter in handling
issues within the bloc, particularly taking into account events in
Other
Points
·
It
was great to have Vigil team member Patson Muzuwa with us again with a party
from
·
We
were glad to be visited again by our Jesuit friend Father Bernard.
·
Grateful
thanks to David McAllister who spent long hours sorting out our website when our
webhost omitted to tell us they were upgrading the system which resulted in all
sorts of formatting problems.
· Thanks to ROHR members (Shoriwa Mutandiro, Georgina Makaza, Brighton
Manhansva, Collin Chitekwe, Paradzai Mapfumo) who once again supplied soft
drinks for thirsty Vigil supporters.
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website. For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check http://www.zimvigiltv.com/.
FOR THE RECORD: 99
signed the register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of Human Rights in
Zimbabwe (ROHR) is
the Vigil’s partner organisation based in
·
ZBN News. The Vigil management team wish to
make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not responsible for Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that they attend our
activities and provide television coverage but we have no control over them. All
enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.
·
The Zim Vigil band (Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has
launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our Vigil)’ to raise awareness through
music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the video
check: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukqctWc3XE.
·
Lecture: A Shadow of Its Former
Self: Robert Mugabe and
·
ROHR National Fundraising
Event.
Saturday 25th June from
·
Free film screening of 'Hear
Us'. Saturday
25th June from 7 - 9 pm. Venue: The Frontline Club, 13,
·
Service of Solidarity with
· Stop the violence in
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith
Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.
To receive a copy by post in the
UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a
cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close,
Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which
provides bursaries to needy A Level students in
·
Workshops aiming to engage African
men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins
Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the
Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
BILL WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE SERIES
[3rd June 2011]
1. Public Hearings on Statutory Instrument on Road Traffic
Regulations
6th to 8th June in Mutare, Masvingo and Bulawayo
The House of Assembly Portfolio Committee on Transport and
Infrastructure Development will be holding public hearings on the Road Traffic
(Construction, Equipment and Use) Regulations [SI 154/2010]. This week they will be in Mutare, Masvingo
and Bulawayo, as follows:
Monday 6th June: Mutare
Moffat Hall, Sakubva: from 9.00
am
Tuesday 7th June: Masvingo
Municipal Hall: from 9.00 am
Wednesday 8th June: Bulawayo
Small City Hall: from 9.00 am
The chairperson of the Thematic Committee is Hon Chebundo. The committee clerk is Ms Macheza.
The committee seeks public input on the regulations, some provisions
of which have drawn criticism from both transport operators and ordinary
motorists. Interested
groups, business persons and organisations and all members of public are invited
to attend the hearings, at which they will be given the opportunity to give
evidence and make representations.
Contributions made will be considered by the Committee in compiling a
report to be tabled in Parliament. If
you want to make oral representations, signify this to the Committee Clerk so
that she can notify the chairperson to call on you. An oral submission is more effective if it is
followed up in writing. If you are
making a written submission, it is advisable to take as many copies as possible
for circulation at the hearing.
If
you are unable to attend a hearing, written submissions and correspondence may
be addressed to: The Clerk of Parliament, Attention: Portfolio Committee on
Transport and Infrastructure Development, P.O. Box CY298 Causeway, Harare. If delivering, please use the Kwame Nkrumah
Avenue entrance to Parliament, between Second and Third Streets.
For further information contact the committee clerk, Ms Macheza. Telephone
04-700181, 252931, 252941, extension 2222.
Email machezas@parlzim.gov.zw
Reminder about the Regulations Following amendments made by
Statutory Instrument 44/2011, SI 154/2010 will come into force on 1st July
2011. The regulations that lay down a
complete code of requirements for the construction and equipment of motor
vehicles, replacing regulations dating from the early 1970s. Provisions that have hit the headlines and
drawn criticism from the transport industry and the motoring public include:
· prohibiting the importation into Zimbabwe after 31st October 2011 of
second-hand motor vehicles that are more than five years old
· prohibiting the registration of left-hand drive motor vehicles after
31st October 2011
· prohibiting the use of left-hand drive heavy vehicles after
31st December 2015
· requiring that all motor vehicles must have fire extinguishers and
red reflective triangles complying with specifications detailed in the
regulations from 1st July 2011.
In a recent public statement the Minister of Transport,
Communications and Infrastructure Development indicated his readiness to receive
representations on contentious aspects of the regulations.
2. Committee Meetings Open to the
Public
Meetings of Senate Thematic Committees and House of Assembly Portfolio Committees will resume on Monday 6th June. Most of the meetings are closed meetings for
reviewing work plans, deliberating on draft reports, etc., but the following
meetings are open to members of the public as observers only, not as
participants, i.e. members of the public can listen but not speak.
Monday 6th June at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Defence and Home
Affairs
Briefing on landmines history in preparation for the Committee’s
programme of visits to minefields to determine progress on clearing of
landmines
Committee Room No. 2
Chairperson: Hon Madzore Clerk: Mr
Daniel
Portfolio Committee: Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism
Update on CAMPFIRE Association and Timber Producers’
Association
Committee Room No. 311
Chairperson: Hon M. Dube
Clerk: Mr Munjenge
Note: As there are sometimes last-minute changes to the meetings
schedule, it is recommended that those wishing to attend a meeting avoid
disappointment by checking with the relevant committee clerk that the meeting is
still on and still open to the public. Parliament’s telephone numbers are Harare
700181 or 252936. If attending, please
use the Kwame Nkrumah Ave entrance to Parliament. IDs must be produced.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information
supplied.