The Zimbabwe Situation

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
SW Radio Africa
6 June 2013

The SADC summit on Zimbabwe, which was due in Maputo, Mozambique on Sunday,
will now be held in Pretoria, South Africa on Monday, according to sources.

SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that the summit was postponed by a day
to give all parties to the GPA enough time to consult on a date for
elections.

President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team spent hours on Thursday in meetings
with GPA negotiators in Harare. They were insisting that by the time all
parties attend the summit, there should be an agreed date for an election.

This prompted the ZANU PF negotiators to ask for a postponement to allow its
negotiators time to consult President Robert Mugabe, who is currently
outside the country.

The summit on Zimbabwe is due to be convened at a time when there is
mounting disagreement between the political parties following the
Constitutional Court ruling that Mugabe should proclaim an election date
before July 31st.

The ruling last week suits Robert Mugabe better than his political
opponents, who have however ganged up in a rare show of unity to condemn the
court’s election ruling. The five parties – the MDC-T, MDC-N, ZAPU, MKD and
ZANU Ndonga – have united to demand changes to laws that inhibit freedom of
association, movement and expression and the media.

They have agreed to speak with one voice at the SADC summit to call for the
security sector to be reformed in line with the new constitution, which
demands neutrality.

That court judgment, described as an ‘election judgment fiasco’ by a leading
human rights lawyer, dominated much of the discussion between Zuma’s team
and the GPA negotiators.

While all parties, including Zuma’s team, were trying to abide by the court
ruling and work out if it was feasible to hold elections before 31st July,
legal experts say it will not be possible.

Senator David Coltart, the Education Minister and MDC-N secretary for Legal
Affairs, told SW Radio Africa that while it is the duty of everybody to
respect the court ruling, it brings with it a big challenge for politicians
and Mugabe.

‘The dilemma we find ourselves in is that it is impossible to hold elections
in compliance with that court judgement without breaking other provisions of
the new constitution.

‘In essence, the new constitution says we must go through a 30 day process
to re-register voters. And subsequent to that is a period specified by the
constitution that there should be another 30 day period between nomination
day and the election itself. Nomination day starts immediately after voter
registration. So you are looking at 60 days from June 10th when voter
registration starts,’ Coltart said.

He continued: ‘These two processes cannot run concurrently. They have to run
separately. There is no way round it and it is clear these constitutional
requirements will go beyond July 31st.’

The Minister suggested it would be wise for Mugabe and any other interested
party to approach the constitutional court and ask the bench to revise the
order.

Civil society groups to petition regional leaders on poll roadmap

Tsvangirai Says Constitutional Court Erred in Making Election Ruling

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

Nothando Sibanda
06.06.2013

BULAWAYO — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told civil society leaders in
Bulawayo today that the Constitutional Court erred last week in giving a
judgement compelling Harare to hold elections by July 31 in the absence of
critical democratic reforms.

Mr. Tsvangirai, who is on a two-day visit to the city, said his Movement for
Democratic Change party is not concerned about the date the court wants the
elections to be held but the lack of political will on the part of his
governing partner, President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party to
implement necessary reforms ahead of the poll.

Mr. Tsvangirai said Southern African Development Community leaders should
push Harare for reforms ahead of the elections, adding the region had a
right to question political and court decisions in Zimbabwe as guarantors of
the Global Political Agreement that gave birth to the unity government.

Commenting on yesterday’s statement where his party united with other
political formations in the country in saying they won’t participate in this
elections in the absence of reforms, Mr. Tsvangirai said he hoped this was
the beginning of an alliance that will bring change to Zimbabwe.

Chairperson of the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations,
Effie Ncube, said it is critical for civil society to constantly engage
government, especially at when there’s a lot of debate and uncertainty on
the electoral process.

Mr. Tsvangirayi also met with representatives from various labour unions and
the local business community. He was expected to visit the United Bulawayo
Hospitals this evening.

Zimbabwean Vote in July Would Violate Constitution, Senator Says

http://www.businessweek.com/

By Brian Latham
June 06, 2013

Zimbabwe can’t hold general elections by a July 31 deadline set by the
Supreme Court without violating the constitution, according to Senator David
Coltart.

There isn’t enough time for the registration of voters that ends July 9 and
the nomination of candidates 30 days before a vote as the constitution
stiplulates, Coltart, a lawyer and secretary for legal affairs in a faction
of the Movement for Democratic Change party, said today on his website.

“The election cannot under any circumstances be held lawfully and in
compliance with the constitution before the 9th August 2013,” he said.

Coltart made his statement as the 15-nation Southern African Development
Community prepares to discuss Zimbabwe’s elections at a June 9 meeting in
the Mozambican capital, Maputo. President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly
called for an early vote, while both factions of the MDC have said the May
31 Supreme Court ruling was unconstitutional and unfeasible.

The electoral commission yesterday described the voters’ roll as a
“shambles,” Newsday, based in the capital, Harare, reported. The body said
an election date must be at least 44 days after voter registration is
completed.

Mugabe, 89, has ruled the southern African nation since its independence
from the U.K. more than three decades ago.

He shares power with the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC and a
smaller faction of the party led by Welshman Ncube, a law professor. The
five-year power-sharing agreement was brokered by SADC after it declared
elections in 2008 void because of violence mainly against MDC supporters.

Election schedule tight: Zec boss

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

By Chengetayi Zvauya, Parliamentary Editor
Thursday, 06 June 2013 11:43
HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is in a race against time
as it battles to beat the July 31 deadline imposed by the Constitutional
Court last week, Zec admitted yesterday.

Speaking to the Daily News after a consultative meeting with the media, Zec
chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said although the body that is in charge of
conducting electoral processes in the country is ready for the watershed
elections if dates for elections are proclaimed, it has a “tight schedule”
in terms of administration.

Zec has to clean up a shambolic voters’ roll and supervise the 30-day mobile
voter registration exercise.

The Constitutional Court ruled that President Robert Mugabe calls for
elections immediately after the dissolution of Parliament whose term expires
on June 29.

The Constitutional Court verdict has invoked anger in some quarters, with
some legal experts saying the time-frame given in the judgment is
impractical and quashes the rights of Zimbabweans to partake in the
important national event.

Makarau said legally, there was nothing that stands in the way of the July
31 polls, as the period between the the proclamation of dates, the seating
of the Nomination Court and the actual polling dates would fit in the
available time frame between now and July 31.

The former Supreme Court judge said a minimum of 44 days is all that Zec
needs to hold elections but stressed the fact that in terms of
administration, it will be difficult.

“Once there is proclamation if the President declares poll dates, then we
would be ready because we are governed by the legal time frame. Although
this can be achieved, it will be a tight schedule because we don’t know when
the president is going to announce the dates,” she said.

A 30-day mandatory voter registration blitz is yet to kick-start with Zec
yesterday vaguely saying the process would start soon.

With the government still to secure funding for polls in order to buy
materials like indelible ink, ballot boxes, ballots and put in place
necessary logistics, analysts said elections if they are held before July
31, would make it difficult for candidates to campaign.

Makarau yesterday admitted that the cash-strapped body that has received $20
million for a fresh mobile voter registration blitz, is concerned with the
state of the voters’ roll, promising to ensure that every Zimbabwean
eligible to vote will exercise his right.

“We want everybody to participate in the elections and we don’t want to
attack the system but we need to provide remedies. We want to give people
back their rights to vote,” said Makarau.

“Give us evidence of the state of the voters’ roll and we will clean it for
you. It is trite that a credible electoral process begins with a credible
votes’ roll which is acceptable to all stakeholders.”

Some civic rights organisations allege that the voters’ roll is in shambles
and after a chaotic three week mobile voter registration exercise, MDC
formations in the unity government were fuming against the Registrar of
Voters, Tobaiwa Mudede, whom they say is incompetent.

Mudede and Makarau are expected to meet Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to
give a heads-up on the state of preparedness.

Makarau admitted that the voters’ roll is not in the best shape.

“The commission is concerned that the voters’ roll may not be in the shape
it ought to be in before the harmonised elections,” she said.

“In particular, the commission is concerned that people who lawfully
registered as voters in a particular ward may have found their names removed
from the roll of that ward without their knowledge.

“It is on the basis of this grave concern that Zec is calling upon each and
every one of the registered voters to inspect the voters’ roll during the 30
day voter registration exercise,” she said.

Apart from dealing with a voter registration exercise, the commission, under
the Electoral Act which is yet to be aligned with the new constitution, also
has to ensure that postal voting for Zimbabweans in foreign countries on
government business takes place as well as ensure that the disciplined
forces also exercise their rights to vote two weeks before the actual
polling date.

Tsvangirai, whose party has grudgingly accepted the Constitutional Court
ruling, says he is going to take the issue of poll dates to the impending
Sadc Extraordinary Conference in Maputo that will among other things
deliberate on poll funding as well as the implementation of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), the basis of the coalition government.

Parties gang up against poll date

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

Thursday, 06 June 2013 14:55
HARARE - A grand coalition of political parties in Zimbabwe has set
stringent conditions to which the much anticipated elections will be held
under, stating that the July 31 deadline set by the Constitutional Court is
impossible.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai representing MDC, Mavambo Kusile Dawn
leader Simba Makoni, Zanu Ndonga chairperson Reketai Semwayo, Zapu leader
Dumiso Dabengwa and Edwin Mushoriwa presenting Welshman Ncube-led MDC
attended the meeting.

They insisted that before elections are held, a mandatory 30-day period of
voter registration should be held as well as amendments of other laws that
have a bearing on the polls.

The political parties yesterday told journalists in the capital after a
three hour closed-door meeting that the forthcoming polls will only be held
if certain conditions prescribed in the new constitution and those outlined
in the Sadc election roadmap are fulfilled.

Indications are that the parties are planning to boycott the next elections
if they are held without the necessary reforms.

The five main political parties minus Zanu PF resolved to take the matter up
with Sadc stating that they will not entertain an election that is
disputable done in the “spirit of complying with the Constitutional Court’s
ruling.”

“The political leaders expressed reservations about the practicality of the
July 31 deadline set by the Constitutional Court and resolved that they will
communicate their position to Sadc,” a statement read MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai after the meeting said.

“They (political leaders) noted that the court action, ironically supposedly
informed by the desire to safeguard the rights of the individual applicant,
has resulted in the infringement of rights of millions of Zimbabweans, in
particular the right of eligible voters to have adequate tome to register
and elect a government of their choice in a free and fair environment,” said
Tsvangirai, the group’s spokesperson said.

Last week, the Constitutional Court ordered that elections should be held
before July 31 and told President Robert Mugabe to announce the preferred
date.

The court led by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and eight others ruled
that a postponement of polls beyond July 31 would be a violation of people’s
rights.

Seven judges of the bench conquered in their individual rulings that
elections should be held by July 31, while two others -Deputy Chief Justice,
Luke Malaba and Justice Bharat Patel gave disserting judgements stating that
the July 31 deadline is unconstitutional.

The two judges stated that the executive-who are the president, prime
minister and cabinet, can run the affairs of the country for four months
after the collapse of the current parliament on June 29.

Mugabe, who will battle it out with Tsvangirai, Ncube, Dabengwa and Makoni
among other political leaders in the coming elections, has hinted that he
will abide by the court’s ruling.

However Edwin Mushoriwa, deputy to Ncube said he doubted whether the 89-year
old leader will do so considering his previous action on court judgements
and the legacy he would want to leave after the elections.

“The issue is not about holding of an election, it is about having
undisputed results and a scenario where the winner is able to work with the
loser for the purposes of developing this country.

“I believe that the Constitutional Court has a mechanism of reviewing their
judgements, and if it is in the interest of the public, it would be
advisable for it to sit and have a re-look at the judgement,” Mushoriwa
stated.

According to the statement, the forthcoming extra-ordinary Sadc summit
should make a final determination as to how Zimbabwe will have elections as
well as ensure that all agreed reforms are implemented.

The political leaders stated that security chiefs should stop meddling in
the country’s political affairs as it a violation of the new supreme law
which requires that the military should not be actively involved in civilian
politics. - Xolisani Ncube

Sadc in catch 22 situation over poll dates

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

By Maxwell Sibanda, Assistant Editor
Thursday, 06 June 2013 11:55
HARARE - All eyes will be on Sadc leaders as they meet this weekend in
Maputo, Mozambique, for an extraordinary summit to deal with Zimbabwe’s
political and security situation ahead of elections which the Constitutional
Court says have to be held by next month.

Sadc is eager to restore political and economic stability in Zimbabwe and
prepare the southern African nation for harmonised free and fair elections.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is also MDC leader, and Industry and
Commerce minister and smaller MDC leader Welshman Ncube are said to have
lobbied regional leaders for the special summit.

The Maputo extraordinary meeting is set to make a comprehensive review of
the situation in Zimbabwe in the context of the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) and the roadmap for elections as set by Sadc.

It will also look at the poll funding and how the country seeks to raise
more than $100 million urgently needed for the elections.

But everything else under discussion at the Maputo extraordinary meeting
will be dominated by the Constitutional Court’s deadline for holding
elections and the electoral environment.

Mugabe and his party have in recent years been fighting with regional
leaders over implementation of the GPA, roadmap and reforms before any
credible elections could be held.

Sadc facilitator, South African President Jacob Zuma, and his team, have
resisted Mugabe’s moves to wriggle out of the GPA set conditions and call
for polls unilaterally.

But now armed with a Constitutional Court ruling compelling elections to be
held by next month, a showdown looms in Maputo as Mugabe sees this as an
excuse to ultimately hold the elections without adhering to all expected
reforms.

Will Sadc accept the date set by the Constitutional Court given that all the
reforms it had been lobbying for have not been met?

Media practitioner Rashweat Mukundu said this is a catch 22 situation for
Sadc as the body cannot be seen to be going against a court ruling.

“Nevertheless this does not take away the demand by Sadc that significant
reforms take place before the election, to make that process credible.

The pressure might as well fall on Zanu PF and President Mugabe to make this
election process acceptable to their peers before the date set by the court.

“I doubt Sadc will accept anything less simply because there is no time,”
said Mukundu.

Political activist Tabani Moyo said we have two positions here; the first
one is that the court ordered the holding of elections by July 31 and that
the political parties on the other hand are not yet ready for that hyped
election which is being annexed to institutional reforms.

“Sadc will stick to its roadmap compliance before elections call and try as
much as is possible that the feuding parties should reach an agreement. So
as far as the elections date is concerned, I don’t see a radical change from
the previous resolutions.

“But you must also realise that Sadc does not want to be seen to be
interfering where court matters are involved so there is a catch 22
situation on the date. In terms of implementation, the message will remain
that of insisting that reforms must be completed for the outcome to be
respected across the national divide,” said Moyo.

He added that it is therefore critical that the political parties should
iron out their differences on the issue internally before pinning their
hopes on Sadc which will also face its limitations in terms of being
perceived to be calling for the non-compliance with court orders.”

Theatre producer Daves Guzha was doubtful that Sadc would have come this far
insisting on the reforms only to give in this last minute.

“Assuming that the MDC formations and Zanu PF agree on a way forward, I
think Sadc still has to convince the world that everything is being done
above board.”

Social commentator Phillip Pasirayi said the Supreme Court judgement is
ultra vires the GPA which gave birth to the coalition government.

“The GPA is clear on the need for consensus among the GPA principals on
setting the election date. President Mugabe cannot unilaterally set the
election date, but should consult with PM Tsvangirai and the other MDC
formation led by Ncube, as spelled out in the GPA. So contrary to what some
lawyers are telling us the correct position is that in this new dispensation
which was ushered in by the GPA election dates are set by consensus by the
three principals and not by Zanu-PF alone or by Zanu-PF through suspicious
court process,” said Pasirayi.

He said as civil society they expected Sadc to stick to its original
position that parties in the inclusive government in Zimbabwe should agree
on an election date which is informed by progress in the implementation of
media and security sector reforms.

“We also reiterate our calls for a more hands-on approach, a kind of
interventionist strategy by the sub-regional body, Sadc, to save the
situation from imploding.

“The stakes are high- the forthcoming election is going to be hotly
contested because Zanu PF wants to regain its lost hegemony while the MDC
believes it is their time to govern,” said Pasirayi.

He said as Zimbabweans there are questions we should ask as we interrogate
the Supreme Court ruling on the forthcoming elections.

“Is the law what the courts say it is as we are being told? What if the
courts are not competent and are a mere extension of the Zanu-PF party
patronage politics?

“Can the decisions by these court processes still be considered as genuine
law or this is now politics?”
Commentator Thomas Deve said the Sadc election roadmap was a mediation
instrument designed to bring some semblance of normalcy in the country.

“And it now becomes difficult for Sadc to ignore the existence of some form
of constitutionalism as this is the bedrock of liberal democracy.

“The judgement on elections opened a new chapter for Zimbabwean politics and
observers have no option except to follow what the Constitution puts before
us as guidelines and president Mugabe must oblige with the ruling or be
condemned by the same Sadc.”

Social commentator Precious Shumba said Sadc has no option but to respect
the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe, which is a creature
of the GPA-led constitution-making exercise.

“The regional body’s reform path can only be revisited upon satisfying
itself that the three parties are serious about going for elections, which
Zanu PF is not ready for given that they have failed to produce election
guidelines for its primary elections.

“Zimbabwe is above all the three political parties concerned, and they
should give the nation a break from its ransom politics.

The best Sadc is likely to do is to acknowledge the steps taken by Zimbabwe’s
GNU partners in ensuring democratic, free and fair elections are held in
Zimbabwe without further delays.

“All the three parties have previously denounced the GNU as dysfunctional
and only an election can settle this matter. All the three governing
political parties have been in the inclusive government, and in the past
four years, they should have prioritised reforms in the media and electoral
conditions, but they wasted a lot of time testing each other’s powers and
fighting useless power games,” said Shumba.

If you provoke Zanu-PF, it destroys, says MP: video

‘Irrelevant’ diamond watchdog under pressure to reform

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
6 June 2013

The international diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process (KP), is
once again under pressure to reform, to remain a relevant player in the
fight against diamond trade abuses.

KP members are currently gathered in Kimberley, South Africa for an inter-
sessional meeting, hosted by that country’s Mineral and Resources Minister
Susan Shabangu. She used her opening speech at the start of the session on
Tuesday to applaud the KP for being responsible for what she said was a “99%
conflict free” diamond trade.

Shabangu however also used the opportunity to recognize the growing calls
for reforms and urged the body to consider proposals that have been made on
the organisation’s policy reforms and structural changes.

“The moment has finally arrived for the KP to sharpen its efficacies. It is
against this background that the KP is conducting a review of its processes
and functions. It is for this reason that my government is fully behind the
KP proposed reform initiatives,” she said.

These comments have been cautiously welcomed by civil society, who have for
years been calling for the KP to urgently reform and refocus its mandate.
Civil society groups, who gathered ahead of the KP meeting last Saturday,
again reiterated that the group needs to expand its mandate to remain
relevant.

The civil society meeting was co-hosted by the Southern Africa Resource
Watch group (SARW), the International Crisis Group and Partnership Africa
Canada (PAC). The SARW’s Director Claude Kabemba said the KP has to be
reformed “or fade into insignificance.”

“Now that most diamond-linked conflicts have ended, the KP will only remain
relevant if it is given the mandate to monitor the entire diamond industry
chain – from mining the rough stones to polishing the final jewels – and to
look at diamonds that are fostering human rights abuses as well as armed
conflict,” Kabemba said.
Kabemba told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the KP’s ‘irrelevance’ has
been on display, particularly when dealing with the Zimbabwe diamond
situation.

The KP cleared Zim diamonds for international trade, despite warnings by
human rights groups that abuses are being committed at diamond mines in the
Marange region. This clearance was the result of the KP’s limited mandate
that it only deals with diamonds fuelling conflict by illegitimate
governments and rebels. In Zimbabwe, the situation did not fit this
description, because the technically legitimate ZANU PF government was
involved.

This has seen the KP overlooking the abuses as well as the deaths of more
than 200 diamond panners in 2008, who were killed in a military led
operation to clear the Chiadzwa diamond fields.

There has also been ongoing controversy about the diamond sector in
Zimbabwe, fuelled by revelations by the country’s Finance Minister Tendai
Biti that almost no diamond remittances were reaching the national coffers.
This is despite the government being part of joint venture initiatives
actively mining the diamond fields.

Biti’s concerns have echoed those voiced by groups like the PAC, which last
year reported that over US$2 billion had been stolen from the diamond mines.
The PAC blamed high level members of the Robert Mugabe regime, amid
speculation that diamond profits were being used to fund a ‘parallel
government’ aimed at keeping Mugabe in power.

The SARW’s Kabemba said that this situation, and others around the world, is
a key reason why the KP needs to reform.

“The protracted conflicts in Africa fuelled by diamonds are over, and this
was the mandate of the KP. But it doesn’t mean the problem has been
eradicated. The situation in Zimbabwe is similar to situations elsewhere
where thousands of diamond miners are working in appalling conditions, and
still diamonds are reaching the international market. So the definition of a
conflict diamond is not relevant anymore,” Kabemba said.

Gay rights group ‘attacked’ by unknown assailants

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
6 June 2013

Zimbabwe’s main gay, lesbian and transgender rights group on Thursday came
under attack by a group of unknown, armed men, who forced their way onto the
premises and ransacked the offices.

The attack happened about 11am on Thursday morning, and saw five men, armed
with hammers, forcing their way into the Harare offices of the Gays and
Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) group.

According to a statement from GALZ, one of the men “disguised as a mentally
challenged person,” threatened the security personnel manning the gate with
a hammer while a visitor was driving onto the premises.

The men rounded up all staff and board members and locked them up in the
guard room whilst they ransacked the offices, collecting all personal
property including cellphones, laptops and bags.

The attack was short lived as the police arrived promptly on the scene and
arrested the five men. They were taken to Harare Central Police station for
questioning.

“We commend the Police’s swift reaction that arrived at the scene and
promptly arrested the men. All members present at the office were unharmed
and one cellphone and some cash belonging to a board member is allegedly
missing,” GALZ said.

The group went on to insist that they do not believe the incident was a
random attack, but something that had been orchestrated.

“We are not taking this incident as a random act of attempted robbery but
that of youth militia acting on someone’s orders. The men were constantly
making communication with an individual addressed as ‘Machacha’ of an
unknown ‘security wing’ over the phone,” GALZ said.

High Court sets date as MDC-T 29 seek acquittal in murder case

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Nomalanga Moyo
SW Radio Africa
6 June 2013

The case of the 29 MDC-T activists accused of murdering a police inspector
in Glen View two years ago is set to resume next week after the High Court
set a date for the hearing.

The matter had been postponed indefinitely in April to give the defence team
time to prepare discharge applications for each of the accused, five of whom
have been in custody since May 2011.

Gift Mtisi, one of the defence lawyers, told SW Radio Africa Thursday that
his team had submitted the discharge application for each of the activists
on May 12th.

Mtisi said the State, which had two weeks to submit its responses, had
already indicated that they will be seeking a conviction for the 29
activists.

All 29 MDC-T activists have pleaded not guilty to murdering police inspector
Petros Mutedza two years ago in Harare’s Glen View suburb.

In the application, the defence will have to satisfy the court that the
prosecution team failed to prove their clients’ guilt and that they have no
case to answer.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa in April, Mtisi said the defence team was
optimistic that their application for discharge will be granted. He said all
the evidence given by state witnesses had no substance and exonerated their
clients.

Justice Chinembiri Bhunu is expected to hear the matter, while Edmore
Nyazamba will be representing the State.

The 29 activists were arrested in May 2011 when a police detail, responding
to reports of political disturbances in Harare’s Glen View area, was
attacked, resulting in the death of Inspector Mutedza.

Five of the activists Tungamirai Madzokere, Yvonne Musarurwa, Rebecca
Mafukeni, Last Maengahama and Simon Mapanzure were deemed a flight risk and
held in custody when their colleagues were bailed last year.

Lawyers for the five detained activists say they have been tortured and
ill-treated.

Zim pastors embrace social media tools for peace monitoring

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
6 June 2013

Zimbabwe’s church and spiritual leaders are becoming the latest nationals to
embrace social media tools, in order to develop a peace monitoring
initiative ahead of and during elections.

The Southern Africa Crisis Management Agency (SACMA) and Christian Action
Trust Zimbabwe (CAT-Zim) have come together to launch a grassroots anchored
peace initiative ahead of the polls expected this year.

Their plan is to create a network of individuals who will monitor electoral
processes and any incidents of political violence, so that the incidents do
not pass by unchecked, unreported and forgotten.

The first step in this programme has been the training of church pastors and
spiritual leaders in electoral processes and monitoring. A total of 200
church leaders, comprising Pastors, Reverends, Apostles and Bishops have so
far been trained, and the programme is expected to reach 5,000 church
leaders across Zimbabwe.

“We are part of a broader group of organisations affiliated to the Zimbabwe
Council of churches who have embarked on various strategies to minimise
violence and torture as part of our normal pastoral work in Zimbabwe. This
program seeks to compliment the efforts already underway…to address Zimbabwe’s
perennial legacy of violence before, during and after elections” said
Reverend Kadenge, chairman of CAT-Zim.

Speaking after the Pastors training in Mutare on Monday, SACMA Zimbabwe
Coordinator Tichanzii Gandanga said: “SACMA in partnership with CAT-Zim is
training pastors in electoral processes and monitoring of political
violence, equipping them with various skills like terrain scanning, event
diarising, incident recording as well as peace building. The initiative aims
to finally set up a Zimbabwean version of Ushahidi, where incidences of
violence are fed onto an online database in real time with church leaders
as Community focal persons in scanning, detecting, verifying and feeding our
call centre”

The Ushahidi initiative an online mapping tool that started in Kenya in 2008
to track and map political violence there. Meaning ‘witness’ or ‘testimony’
in Swahili, Ushahidi has grown over the years to become a free to use,
online mapping system, used around the world to report and track issues like
violence and corruption.

The technology is already used in Zimbabwe to map and report corruption
through the ‘I paid a bribe’ anonymous reporting website. A political
violence map was also started using Ushahidi in 2011 by the blog
3rdLiberation.

It was a similar project that is believed to have been the cause of the
police’s deliberate targeting of human rights defender Jestina Mukoko’s
earlier this year. Mukoko was in March charged with allegedly running a
non-registered organisation and for smuggling radios and cell phones, which
had previously been seized during a police raid on her offices.

But it later emerged that Mukoko was in the process of starting a violence
monitoring initiative, using smart-phone and internet technology to allow
people to report incidents of violence

Human rights activist Phillip Pasirayi told SW Radio Africa said such social
media tools, if used effectively, can make a difference during this year’s
election, because the online community “is far more difficult to control.”

“You’re aware of the political situation we have faced, with human rights
violations and so on. People do not always feel safe having meetings to
discuss what is happening, but social media means you feel safer from
potential targeting by the police,” Pasirayi said.

He added that Zimbabwe’s still limited internet coverage meant only a
minority had real access to social media tools. But he said: “There is
progress and social media will definitely play a role in the elections this
year.”

Chombo unprofessional: MDC MP

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

By Chengetayi Zvauya, Parliamentary Editor
Thursday, 06 June 2013 14:56

HARARE - Parliamentarians yesterday castigated Local Government Urban and
Rural Development minister Ignatius Chombo for political patronage and
nepotism in appointing special interest councillors.

The legislators also blasted the minister’s appalling meddling in local
authorities.

Lynette Karenyi, MDC MP for Chimanimani West and chairperson of Local
Government and Urban Development parliamentary portfolio committee
presented a special report to the august house condemning Chombo’s
leadership qualities.

The committee recommended that Chombo practise professionalism in the
administration of council affairs by ensuring that the law is not applied
selectively and that special interest councillors should truly represent the
interest of special groups.

“The appointment of special interest councillors to serve in the various
local authorities left a lot to be desired,” Karenyi said. “The minister
alluded to the fact that different parties could present their candidates to
be considered as special interest councillors in the various councils.

However, Chombo did not inform the political parties which special interests
their parties would present.

“The majority of the special interest did not bring in any special interest
to the councils. Instead the special interest councillors appointed by the
minister to represent interest groups in different local authorities came
from one party, Zanu PF.”

Some of the councillors mentioned were Esau Mupfumi, Zanu PF Central
Committee member in Mutare, Monica Chinamasa, wife of Justice minister
Patrick Chinamasa, Alfred Tome, Harare provincial administrator, and Tapiwa
Matangaidze, a Zanu PF loyalist.

Karenyi said there seemed to be selective application of the law when
dealing with cases of misconduct by councillors.

“The committee could not comprehend the logic of imposing different
disciplinary measures for similar offences by councillors in the same
ministry. Some were dismissed, others were pardoned, cautioned or suspended
for exactly the same offence,” said Karenyi.

She said Chombo disregarded the laws of the country by dismissing
councillors who had been acquitted by the courts.

Blessing Chebundo, MDC MP for Mbizo, seconded the report, describing Chombo
as the “worst minister” who had performed dismally.

He said the minister had to be ashamed of the corruption by the councillors
he was protecting. Chombo informed the committee that he suspended the
councillors for corruption and said they were not following the laid down
procedures in conducting their duties.

He blamed the mayors for allowing cases of impropriety to flourish with the
local authorities. He said he had given the councillors the chance to
explain extricate them but had failed to do so.

Do not force people to register — Zec

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

By Fungai Kwaramba, Staff Writer
Thursday, 06 June 2013 14:48
HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has warned political
parties to stop forcing people to register as voters for the forthcoming
harmonised elections.

During the abortive three-week mobile voter registration blitz, civic
society groups claimed that President Robert Mugabe-led Zanu PF, was forcing
members of the public to submit their names and national identification
numbers to Zanu PF youths who were moving around in a door-to-door campaign.

In volatile high density suburbs such as Mbare and the town of Chitungwiza,
for instance, Zanu PF youths have allegedly been forcing people to buy the
party’s membership cards as well as provide voter registration slips for
those who would have registered at the Registrar General’s office.

However, Zec yesterday told more than 20 political parties that excluded
Zanu PF that such a practice is an infringement of human rights which may
affect the holding of a free and fair election.

Zanu PF snubbed the consultative meeting that was graced by the two MDC
formations in the unity government and several smaller parties that
included, the Zimbabwe Freedom Party, the National Development Party and a
new party Good of the People.

Bessie Nhandara, Zec’s commissioner responsible for voter education said the
parties should let people make a choice of whether they want to participate
in polls or not.

“Let us not force people to go and register as voters and political parties
should not help people even with transport — that should be for the people
to decide.

“Political parties should not ask for people’s ID numbers in order to have
them registered. That is the responsibility of Zec.

“We now have our teams on the ground and they will be educating people on
voter registration. We are warning parties to stop such practices,” she
said.

Zimstats Survey: 63% of Zimbabweans are Poor

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

Irwin Chifera
06.06.2013

HARARE — Finance Minister Tendai Biti today launched three poverty survey
reports whose findings he says need to be addressed urgently if the country
is to effectively deal with socio-economic problems and poverty.

Mr. Biti said the surveys show that 63 percent of Zimbabweans are poor with
16 percent living in extreme poverty.

The three reports - the Poverty Income and Consumption and Expenditure
Survey, the Poverty Datum Line Analysis, and the Demographic and Health
Survey - were produced by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency.

Major findings of the poverty reports are that 70 percent of rural
households are poor compared to 38 percent in urban areas.

The reports show that Matabeleland North has the highest percent of
households in poverty at 81.7 percent.

Mr. Biti said these and other findings are depressing.

He said the reports dispel some statistics that unemployment in Zimbabwe
stands at above 85 percent as they show that most Zimbabweans are
economically active.

The minister said the reports show that government must come up with
policies to counter the rapid growth of poverty in the country adding this
must include equitable allocation of resources to every section of the
society.

With poverty remaining predominantly a rural problem, Mr. Biti, said there
is need for viable drought mitigation programs to alleviate poverty in rural
areas.

The finance minister said the reports provide crucial data for evidence
based policy formulation and decision making.

European Union Launches Zimbabwe Export Help Desk

http://www.voazimbabwe.com/

Gibbs Dube
06.06.2013

WASHINGTON DC — The European Union today launched an export helpdesk in
Harare expected to boost trade between Zimbabwe and the 27-member bloc of
developed nations.

According to the EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell'Ariccia, 100 exporters
of various commodities attended the launch seminar in the capital, focusing
on the use of the free online helpdesk.

Mr. Dell’Ariccia says the informative service, which was launched worldwide
in 2004, is a one-stop shop to inform businesses in developing countries
like Zimbabwe on how to export goods to the EU.

He says in a few clicks, businesses can find the EU requirements, taxes,
tariffs, preferential arrangements, rules of origin and the necessary export
and import statistics.

“It is a free online service which permits the business community to have
all relevant information needed for the export of their products to the EU.
This will enable them to make an informed decision about exports to the
27-member bloc,” says Mr. Dell’Ariccia.

Zimbabwe last year ratified an economic partnership agreement signed by the
EU and Eastern and Southern African (ESA) nations, making the ESA region the
first of four African regions on the continent to have a partnership
agreement with the European nations.

“This means that all the products exported from Zimbabwe to the European
Union have access to these markets with half a billion people. They will
have this access free of quarters and free of duty which means they don’t
have to pay taxes when the products are imported in the EU and people do not
have restrictions in terms of quantity,” said Ambassador Dell’Ariccia.

He says this helpdesk will therefore help exporters to make sure that they
take full advantage of the opportunities that the EU offers as a market.

He further says total trade between the European Union and Zimbabwe in 2012
amounted to $800 million. “There is a positive trade balance for Zimbabwe as
the country exported to the EU $170 million more than what it imported from
the EU.”

Mr. Dell’Ariccia says Zimbabwe’s total exports to the EU amounted to $500
million and imports of EU goods to the country were pegged at $300 million.

Zimbabwe exports to the EU various commodities including copper, sugar,
flowers, cotton, fermented tea and leather. It imports vehicles, chemicals
and other goods from the European nations.

Meikles gets mining rights after donating cars to Zanu PF

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

Staff Reporter 20 hours 39 minutes ago

MEIKLES LIMITED will start mining operations next year after its investment
vehicle, Meikles Resources, obtained a special mining grant in the Midlands
province, the group said in a statement Meikles Hotel in Harare’s
contribution to revenue was constrained due to renovations yesterday.

Meikles owner business mogul John Moxon, widely regarded as one of the
richest men in Zimbabwe, has nailed his political colours firmly to the Zanu
PF mast by donating brand new vehicles to spearhead the party’s campaign for
crucial general elections later this year, the local weekly business
newspaper Zimbabwe Independent said in February this year.

Moxon, Meikles Africa Ltd chairman, handed over the vehicles to Zanu PF
secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa at the party headquarters last
year to boost President Robert Mugabe and his party’s bid to remain in
power.

The special grant allows the group to prospect for various minerals,
including iron ore and chrome.

Meikles said it also had opportunities relating to gold and tantalite. “We
plan to have at least one mine in operation in 2014,” the statement said.

In a report by the State media, Meikles said “We have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding, which will shortly become a full shareholders’ agreement,
with a substantial technical partner to pursue these opportunities,
including the provision of necessary capital, skills and expertise in
mining.”

The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed firm could not say how much investment is
needed to start the mine but indicated “the division will raise its own
capital and will not be dependent on the group’s financial resources”.

During the year end to March 31, 2013, the group reported a revenue increase
of 11 percent from US$354,1 million to US$391,3 million, boosted by
supermarket sales. But the group managed to make an operating profit of
US$5,1 million compared with a loss of US$8,3 million in the same period
last year.

Supermarket division contributed US$335,9 million compared with US$296,4
million last year, followed by the agriculture division which contributed
US$24,2 million from US$20 million in the prior year.

Hotel contribution to revenue was overall constrained due to renovations at
the Meikles Hotel in Harare and Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls Hotel’s
revenue increased relative to the previous year due to improved room rates.

A deliberate decision to curtail credit saw revenue from Thomas Meikles
Stores declining from US$24 million to US$18,5 million.

Cash flow from operations increased by 243 percent from US$6,1 million to
US$21 million. About US$18,3 million was spent on refurbishments at the
hotels and supermarkets. Net borrowings rose by US$14,3 million to US$59
million, including a long-term debt of US$7,4 million.

Total assets grew by 7 percent to US$275,5 million with current assets
declining by 32 percent to US$69,6 million due to the disposal of US$38
million worth of assets which were held for sale in the prior year.

Current liabilities grew by 23 percent due to an increase in short-term
debt, trade and other payables. Thus, the current ratio deteriorated from
1,2 to 0,66 as short-term obligations increased.
Meikles highlighted the challenge the company is facing in accessing its
Initial Public Offer funds deposited with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,
amounting to US$26 million and the impact it is having on the gearing
position of the company.

The funds on deposit with the central bank originated from the listing of
the group on both the Zimbabwe and London stock exchanges and the raising of
funds from a number of substantial international investors for the benefit
of the group.

The funds were remitted to Zimbabwe and ultimately placed on the deposit to
be used for balance of payments support.

“We have without success engaged both the RBZ and the Ministry of Finance in
an attempt to negotiate arrangement whereby access to these funds may be
facilitated,” said the group. “In the circumstances, we deem it appropriate
to further escalate our efforts to access these funds.”

The management said believed if it had had an opportunity to utilise this
money, the interest burden on the financial statement would be much less
than the current situation. Going forward, the company said “the group’s
fortunes will be affected if the funds held on deposits at the RBZ are not
made available”.

Moxon –– once targeted by Zanu PF bigwigs during the controversial Kingdom
Meikles Africa Ltd demerger saga — reportedly played an important role in
the acquisition of an assortment of single and double-cab 4×4 vehicles,
including ranges of Toyota Hilux, Nissan NP300s, Ford Ranger and Mazda
BT50s.

Curiously, around the same time, Moxon’s flagship company Meikles Africa
Ltd, formed a mining arm, Meikles Resources (Pvt) Ltd, and applied for a
diamond mining licence with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation
(ZMDC) as a possible partner in a joint venture.

It was not clear whether the vehicle donation was linked to the application
for the diamond mining licence although sources said the two could not be
separated.

However, Moxon said Meikles had not supplied vehicles, but said a company
“with whom we have a connection” donated some vehicles, claiming he was not
sure of the beneficiary.

“A company with whom we have a connection donated a small number of
vehicles, but I’m not sure exactly whom they were donated to as we have not
seen any registration certificates,” said Moxon.

He said 500 or more vehicles would cost over US$15 million, adding no one
connected to him would have that kind of money.

Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo declined to comment, referring questions
to Mutasa.

When approached for comment, Mutasa said: “Tell me who is the source of your
story. If you can’t tell me then I won’t comment.”

Parties reject poll ruling, approach SADC

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

05/06/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC
formations and three other political parties have rejected the election
deadline set by the country’s top court and hinted at the possibility of
forming a grand coalition to fight the next elections.

The Constitutional Court last week ordered President Robert Mugabe to set a
date before the end of July for crucial elections in a case filed by
Harare-based activist Jealousy Mawarire in which he argued that the failure
to proclaim a poll date had violated his rights.

In a joint statement soon after emerging from a lengthy crisis meeting at
Harare’s Crown Plaza Hotel, the leaders of the five parties resolved to take
the push for a later election date to SADC’s Extra-ordinary SADC summit in
Maputo, Mozambique at the weekend.

“The leaders expressed reservations about the practicality of the July 31st
deadline set by the Court and resolved that they will communicate their
position to SADC,” read the statement which was presented to the media by
Tsvangirai.

“The parties therefore look forward to the Extra-ordinary SADC summit to
affirm previous SADC resolutions and agreed roadmap to elections.”

Tsvangirai stood in his MDC-T party while the Ncube-led MDC was represented
by deputy president Edwin Mushoriwa. Mavambo Kusile Dawn was represented by
party leader Simba Makoni while Dumiso Dabengwa stood in for Zapu and
Reketai Semwayo represented Zanu Ndonga.

The parties said by upholding Mawarire's claim that his rights had been
violated the top court may have infringed on the rights of millions of other
Zimbabweans.

“The (leaders) note that the court action, ironically supposedly informed by
the desire to safeguard the rights of the individual applicant, has resulted
in the infringement of the rights of millions of Zimbabweans, in particular
the right to eligible voters to have adequate time to register to vote and
elect a government of their choice in a free and fair environment,” read the
statement.

The parties said they feared the country would slide back to the 2008
political paralysis which resulted in the formation of the inclusive
government if attempts to short-circuit the process were to succeed.

Responding to questions by journalists, Tsvangirai accused President Mugabe
of double standards after the veteran leader told the media in Japan this
week he was would respect the Constitutional Court ruling.

“I doubt whether that position is sincere. If the question of respecting the
rule of law and court decisions is anything to go by, lam sure it’s a
dishonest position,” said the MDC-T leader.

Tsvangirai cited his 2002 court challenge against his defeat by Mugabe which
he said has still not been heard insisting the rule of law was being applied
selectively in Zimbabwe.

“And lam sure that if he is committed to the rule of law it must apply in
all cases and not to change the law to suit yourself. So we can’t change
goalposts when it comes to the law. The law cannot be applied selectively.
It has to be applied in all cases,” he said.

The parties further mooted the possibility of a loose pre-election coalition
against President Mugabe and his Zanu PF.
“We and the organisations that we lead are committed to working together
both among ourselves and with others like minded in order to improve the
conditions of life of Zimbabweans,” said Makoni.

“We have cooperated on this one matter today because we have judged it
important that we should work together. When such similar other matters
present themselves, we will not hesitate to work together again in order to
bring benefits to the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

MDC's Edwin Mushoriwa insisted it was still within the capabilities of the
Constitutional Court to revise its unpopular ruling.

He further accused President Mugabe of double standards after the 89 year
old leader opposed another Supreme Court ruling a few months ago which
compelled him to call for by-elections in three Matabeleland constituencies.

Dabengwa said the parties would take the matter up with SADC if they fail to
reach an agreement with Mugabe.

“Well we intend to take the matter further so that SADC also aware.”
Tsvangirai added: “I want to remind you that SADC (and the) AU are committed
to resolving the political crisis in Zimbabwe (and) that resolution can
only come when there is a free and fair legitimate and uncontested outcome.”

'I would never want to see Mugabe behind bars'

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

By Guthrie Munyuki, Senior Assistant Editor
Thursday, 06 June 2013 14:56

HARARE - MDC youth leader Solomon Madzore spent 405 days at Chikurubi
Maximum Prison as he was jointly charged with 28 others for allegedly
murdering a policeman.

Recently, he was charged for insulting or undermining the president after
prosecutors said he called President Robert Mugabe a “limping old donkey” at
a party rally in Mushumbi Pools, Mbire.

As Zimbabwe prepares to hold crunch elections whose dates are expected to be
announced very soon following a Constitutional Court ruling ordering Mugabe
to proclaim dates and hold the plebiscite before July 31, Madzore told the
Daily News he has no hard feelings about his torment.

Instead, the lanky MDC youth leader says Zimbabwe needs healing for it to
move forward.

“I would never want to see Mugabe behind bars. I think there has to be time
for healing and there has to be time for progress. There has to be time for
development. I think we have to agree on that,” Madzore said.

“It’s non-negotiable. For me forgiveness is all we need in this country. I
know they (Mugabe and his allies) have done very heinous things against our
people. But I believe strongly that where forgiveness is found, progress is
also attendant to that.”

Madzore was arrested in May 2011 with 28 others for allegedly murdering
Inspector Petros Mutedza at Glen View 3 Shopping Centre according to the
State.

He spent close to one-and-a-half years in remand prison in one of the high
profile cases to be brought before the courts during the life of the
inclusive government.

Rights groups claimed the arrests and the current trial are an assault on
the pro-democracy movements.
However, the State maintains emotions must be separated from the trial as it
has a strong case against the suspects.

But Madzore does not see the reason to hold grudges, whether justified or
not — choosing to take the root of peace and forgiveness.

“In fact, I think I have already forgiven those guys who imprisoned me for
close to one-and-a-half years. And I meet them, and we laugh, we talk. Who
am I not to forgive?

“I think forgiveness is Godly. And we would all want to go back to our
likeness. I am a Christian. I believe in what the Bible says. God created us
in His own image,” said Madzore.

“I think it’s about love. It’s about forgiveness. Zimbabwe needs love. This
is the missing link in this country. The more we pray; the more we believe
in forgiveness and the more we can move forward. I am not bitter at all. I
have gone past that.”

Madzore believes the MDC’s quest to bring change has been hazardous but
remains alive amongst the party’s supporters and the general populace.

“I have travelled this journey and it has been a very arduous trip towards
what we believe to be the real transformation for this country. What drives
me is the quest to see a better Zimbabwe where each and everyone of us as
Zimbabweans, is able to exercise their rights.

“I have been in touch with so many people across many provinces around the
country. People are not able to exercise their right to free speech.”

The aspiring MP for Dzivaresekwa said the current environment makes it
difficult to promote and recognise people’s rights, such as freedoms of
expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Zimbabwe has some of the harshest laws in the world that are synonymous with
dictatorship.

Among them are the nefarious Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (Aippa), Public Order Security Act (Posa) and the overly used Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

These directly and indirectly curtail free press, freedom of expression and
peaceful assembly.

Critics say these have been used to silence the media and opposition
political parties to the benefit of Zanu PF.

But cases of harassment against the media and opposition parties receded
with the consummation of the inclusive government.

Madzore, however, expressed disappointment with the way the inclusive
government has handled its business.

“It was our strong belief that through the GPA (Global Political Agreement)
executive authority was going to be shared equally between the winner of
March 29, 2008 elections, Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe. That’s what we
believed,” Madzore told the Daily News.

“But I want to say looking back now I think we were very wrong. I am really
very disappointed in how the GPA was implemented. There are so many things
that were left hanging. There was an issue of rotating ministries that was
never done.

“And you have got Mugabe leading his team in Zanu PF behaving like big
brother in the inclusive government. For us this has been a very tiring
journey. I don’t think I would want to see it going beyond its envisaged
lifespan.

“I am one of those people who think the inclusive government did what it
could, it stabilised the economy, violence has been going on but we are very
disappointed in the behaviour of the president of this country. He treats
the prime minister as if he is a political novice, as if he did not win the
election yet he (Mugabe) is the beneficiary of the GPA.”

Madzore, while lauding the positives in the new Constitution, remains
sceptical of Mugabe protecting the citizens’ rights, at least between now
and the elections.

He believes the MDC will form the next government.

“Sometimes I used to think that if you take the American Constitution and
bring it to Zimbabwe; the million dollar question that you would ask Mugabe
would be, will he implement it in the same manner the Americans do?

“I think the answer will be very simple. The answer will be no. We need a
new political culture to be inculcated into the minds of the people. I think
you are talking of a system that has overstayed in power. For me, Mugabe has
been institutionalised.

You are looking at a situation where people have not been able to provide an
alternative.

“While I have hope that something positive is in the making, and you would
also want to recognise that there are so many reforms that have been
brought forward by the new charter, but I want to be sceptical about Mugabe
and Zanu PF officials being able to safeguard people’s rights.

“The past speaks of itself; they have failed dismally. I would want to
believe this is the very same reason why we must ensure that the forthcoming
elections are going to be free, fair peaceful and its outcome must not be
contested by all the political parties contesting for power,” said Madzore.

He said the MDC was ready for the elections and its structures have been
activated to mobilise the youths to register to vote.

“We are going to ensure that people get registered as voters. We have a very
clear position as the youth assembly that there shall be no election without
voter registration because that is a total disregard of the people’s rights.

“As much as we want to respect as a party the decision that was given out by
the Supreme Court (Constitutional Court) that elections should be held by
the July 31st; we don’t have a problem with that. But we have problems with
a scenario where such a pronouncement is not met with reforms that we have
been clamouring for.”

Madzore said their youth policy was clear on what needs to be done for young
Zimbabweans, both in the political movements, church and civic groups.

“The party’s youth policy is very clear; it begins and ends with the people.
We are coming from a backdrop where the MDC youth assembly is not
necessarily an autonomous body in the party.

“We are part of the bigger picture, which is the party. We have a clear
vision where young people are actually part of the main structure of the
economy. Our policy has various functions. We are proponents of free
education for young people during their primary education. We believe that
it is the State’s role to ensure that youngsters go to school for free.

“There has been a lot of burden on the shoulders of parents. You hear of
issues of incentives in schools and that is very burdensome. So we are
saying free education as far as primary education is concerned. We would
want to see grants coming back and we would want to see students getting
what they deserve,” said Madzore.

The party has an upliftment plan which takes a broader approach to include
all classes in generating jobs and wealth for the people.

It also seeks to provide optimal health for the nation and remove the
commercialisation of health services which he says currently dominate the
health services sector.

MKD not a Zanu PF project - Makoni

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

Thursday, 06 June 2013 11:29
HARARE - Daily News' political editor Gift Phiri (GP) talks to opposition
Mavambo Kusile Dawn leader Simba Makoni (SM) about the forthcoming election.

GP: How do you define yourself as a leader, and why should Mai Rherhi in
Mahenye vote for you?

SM: I am a team player, who works with others. I place importance on
consensus rather than unilateral decisions.

I seek high office to serve, rather than to wield power and control. I am
motivated to enable and or facilitate others to do things for themselves
rather than I doing things for them, or trap them into dependence.

I believe in honest, clean, hardworking and exemplary leadership. I believe
in community and sharing rather than greed and selfishness. I believe in
kindness and compassion rather than cruelty and arrogance.

I believe in the equality of all citizens, and in equity and fairness.

I believe in the oneness of our country and all its people, and in the right
of all of us to justice, security, peace, happiness and harmony.

GP: Is your party conducting primary elections?

SM: Not yet, but we will shortly launch our candidate selection.

That selection will entail the holding of primary elections, in cases where
there are more than one candidate vying for the same seat.

GP: Are you fielding candidates in all the forthcoming harmonised elections,
I mean municipal, legislative and presidential polls?

SM: Yes, we plan to participate fully at all levels of the elections.

GP: Dumiso Dabengwa told a rally held in Gwamayaya communal lands in Nkayi
recently that “We used Makoni to stop the old man (Mugabe) and Tsvangirai
whose track record we did not feel would make him a good president.” He
actually said you were used as a “braai stick”, a Zanu PF project.

Is this correct and what guarantee is there that your current campaign is
not another regime project?

SM: I have no evidence that Dumiso said that. But even if he did say that,
it is not true.

In the statement I issued on February 5, 2008, I explained why I left Zanu
PF, and why I offered to stand for the office of President of Zimbabwe as an
independent candidate.

On July 1, 2009, we launched Mavambo Kusile Dawn as a fully fledged
political party, under whose auspices many colleagues and I, as law abiding,
patriotic citizens are contributing our best to get Zimbabwe working again.

GP: What caused the fallout between MKD and Dabengwa?

SM: The facts are that Dumiso Dabengwa supported independent candidate Simba
Makoni in the 2008 presidential election.

In late 2008, he and other former PF Zapu members decided to revive that
party, for reasons they have explained. On the other hand as stated above,
we launched Mavambo Kusile Dawn as a party in July 2009.

He and I maintain cordial relations, and our two organisations liaise with
each other constantly.

GP: There is talk of talks about a grand coalition involving yourself and
Tsvangirai. Is there any such dialogue underway, and what are you
envisaging?

SM: On January 23, 2013, in a formal statement presented to the media, I
proposed a ‘Grand Coalition for Change’ and called on all like-minded
Zimbabweans committed to solving the problems of the country to agree to
work together.

Such like-minded Zimbabweans may be in politics, civil society, business,
faith organisations, and all other walks of life.

They may be young or old, men or women, urban or rural, in the country or
outside, in organisations or just individuals; they are welcome to
participate in the grand coalition.

We are actively canvassing this idea to all who care to listen to us.

GP: You are one of more than 20 presidential candidates. What’s your take on
the number of candidates, and what does your manifesto say?

SM: I am not aware there are more than 20 presidential candidates. However,
if there are, that is democracy.

We are finalising our manifesto. It focuses on healing, uniting and
reconciling Zimbabweans, thereby eradicating the fear that currently grips
the nation. It emphasises on empowering citizens, families and communities
to fend for themselves, rather than waiting for ‘Dai Hurumende …’

The manifesto exalts honesty, integrity and hard work. We implore citizens
to patriotism, without turning them into mindless and thoughtless zombies.

GP: Who funds MKD?

SM: It is funded by our members, as well as many citizen sympathisers and
well-wishers.

GP: Ex-ZNA soldier Rtd Major Kudzai Mbudzi, a founding member of MKD claims
you failed to account for $3 million in cash donated to the party by
well-wishers for your 2008 campaign including cars, 300 000 litres of fuel,
and 100 000 rims of bond paper among other gifts.

These are serious charges, how do you respond to that ?

SM: Rtd Major Mbudzi was in the ‘Movement of Volunteers’ who supported
independent presidential candidate Simba Makoni in 2008. A not-for-profit
Trust was established to mobilise, deploy, husband and account for resources
for the independent candidate’s campaign.

As stated countless times before, MKD was launched on July 1st, 2009.

Rtd Maj Mbudzi was no longer working with us from October 2008, and is,
therefore, not a founder of MKD party.

GP: How do you plan to tackle corruption?

SM: First, through my own anti-corrupt behaviour, and not tolerating
corruption among colleagues in leadership with me.

Then, by growing a culture of honesty among citizens, through national
anti-corruption programmes.

Further, by ensuring that State agencies responsible for enforcing
anti-corruption laws do so without fear or favour.

GP: Do you think we’ve lost the belief that we can succeed as Zimbabwe?

SM: No, I have not seen any evidence of that anywhere. On the contrary, I
see everywhere evidence of a burning desire to succeed, a resilience to
overcome all impediments. Although notably less so than in earlier years,
Zimbabweans are still hardworking, still honest and still ambitious to
succeed.

That is why our motto is ‘Let’s get Zimbabwe Working Again’.

Deported from South Africa, Zimbabweans struggle at home

http://www.irinnews.org/

Photo: Guy Oliver/IRIN

South African soldiers apprehend migrants from Zimbabwe (file photo)

HARARE, 6 June 2013 (IRIN) - Maxwell Zimbume, 37, left his job at a beverage company in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, at the height of the country’s economic crisis in late 2008. His salary was not being paid regularly and had become almost worthless due to hyperinflation. Like hundreds of thousands of other Zimbabweans, he decided to try his luck in neighbouring South Africa.

After failing to obtain a passport at the Registrar General’s office, where officials demanded hefty bribes, Zimbume slipped into South Africa without one. He found work teaching information technology at private colleges in Pretoria and Johannesburg, and earned enough for his wife and two children to join him. His wife, a trained bookkeeper, found a job at a supermarket as a cashier.

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs declared a moratorium on deportations of undocumented Zimbabwean migrants in 2009, and later gave them the opportunity to regularize their stay by applying for work and study permits through the Zimbabwe Documentation Project (ZDP), but neither Zimbume nor his wife applied. Because they had entered the country without passports, they did not think they were eligible, and suspected that the ZDP was a way of trapping undocumented migrants.

About 276,000 Zimbabweans applied for work, business and study permits under the ZDP, according to South Africa’s Home Affairs Department - a fraction of the 1 to 1.5 million Zimbabwean migrants that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated were living in the country.

As the ZDP project concluded, South Africa lifted the moratorium on deportations in October 2011. Since then, IOM says it has assisted 50,635 returnees - an average of 2,600 deportees per month - at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre at South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe.

The figure, says the organisation’s acting chief of mission in Zimbabwe, Natalia Perez, is “only a reflection of returnees who have opted for IOM assistance, and not necessarily the total number of returnees from South Africa since the resumption of deportations”.

No work at home

One night in April 2012, police officers raided the house where Zimbume and his family were living.
They were detained for two days at the local police station before being transferred to Lindela Repatriation Centre outside Johannesburg, the main departure point for undocumented foreign nationals awaiting deportation. Finally, they were loaded into a truck with scores other Zimbabweans and taken to the border.

They left behind all of their households goods, arriving in Zimbabwe with only a few clothes and a little money.

“Since our deportation, my wife and I have been trying to find jobs, but all the companies we have approached say they are not recruiting because they are still struggling. We have been living from hand to mouth from the time we returned,” Zimbume told IRIN.

"There is a groundswell of unemployment that has been worsened by the deportations, pushing poverty levels in Zimbabwe up"

Zimbume is among thousands of deportees, among them skilled workers, who are struggling to restart their lives in an economy that has not recovered enough to accommodate them.

“There are no livelihood opportunities for most of the deportees. There is a groundswell of unemployment that has been worsened by the deportations, pushing poverty levels in Zimbabwe up,” Innocent Makwiramiti, an economist and former chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, told IRIN.

Another economist, Eric Bloch, said even the informal sector was “overcrowded”.

“The informal sector is also a victim of a poorly performing economy and cannot be expected to absorb the returnees who are inflating the number of unemployed people [estimated at more than 80 percent]. There are only a few exceptional cases who are getting employed because their skills are in short supply,” Bloch told IRIN.

Assistance needed

Vimbiso Mhara, 25, a polytechnic graduate who was deported from South Africa in November 2012, is also struggling to earn a living. She left behind a job as a hairdresser in downtown Johannesburg. She lost her passport and educational and professional certificates when she was deported.

“There are too many hairdressers in Harare now. Even though my job in Johannesburg enabled me to get by - and now and then send money back home for my child’s upkeep - I had not managed to make savings by the time I was deported, so I cannot start my own business,” Mhara told IRIN.

In January, she borrowed money from a friend to travel to Mozambique and buy used clothes for resale, bribing immigration officials along the way because she had no travel documents. But competition in the informal used clothes trade is so stiff that she lost money and is still trying to repay the debt.

“I am now back at zero and can hardly afford food for my child,” said Mhara, who is living with an aunt.

She called for the establishment of a government unit to assist deportees and help them find jobs that would complement the humanitarian interventions of organizations like IOM, which provides food, medical care and free transport home to returnees coming through the reception centre at Beitbridge.

IOM also monitors migrants with protection and medical needs after they have been transported to their homes. According to Perez, vulnerable migrants - such as minors, the mentally challenged and the terminally ill - are linked to organizations and government departments in their home areas that can help them with health, documentation or legal challenges.

Perez said they also collaborate with the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF), the Registrar General’s office and police to help migrants who have lost property or identity documents during deportation. “A number of migrants have reported leaving their properties in South Africa, and IOM has advised on how to facilitate such properties being brought to Zimbabwe, through linking them with relatives and friends who have remained in South Africa,” said Perez.

Requesting postponement

Mhara said several friends with whom she was deported have returned to South Africa by bribing officials at the border.

“A lot of people who were deported are going back to South Africa because life here is unbearable, and I am thinking of doing the same,” she said.

Last month, Zimbabwe’s home affairs ministry officially requested that its South African counterpart postpone further deportations. Home Affairs Co-Minister Theresa Makone told IRIN that they have yet to receive a response.

“Our position as a government is that the deportations should be done in a humane manner and should ensure that there is no extreme suffering of deportees,” she said.

Makone promised that her ministry would help needy returnees acquire documents to enable them to travel to other countries, but added that the South African government should consider reopening the ZDP as an alternative to deporting Zimbabweans.

Arnold Sululu, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament who sits in the home affairs and defence committee, told IRIN: “While South Africa has legitimate reasons to deport undocumented Zimbabweans, the problem is that a significant number among them are leaving their jobs to come home and face severe unemployment and no livelihood opportunities.”

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

HOT SEAT: Interview Mutumwa Mawere on citizenship fight

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

Mawere talks to Violet in the programme Hot Seat

Violet Gonda’s guest on Hot Seat is Zimbabwean business mogul Mutumwa Mawere, who was recently told by Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede that he had to renounce his South African citizenship before he could apply for a Zim identification document. Mawere says under the new constitution, signed into law by President Mugabe last week, an individual cannot be denied dual citizenship if they were born in Zimbabwe. There are tens of thousands of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who were born in the country, but have taken citizenship in foreign countries where they now live and work. The businessman has now written to the Registrar General, who is the authority that administers the Citizenship Act, and has given him a deadline to make an official response explaining the status of the dual citizenship provisions in the Constitution, or he will seek redress in the Constitutional Court.

Broadcast: 30 May 201 3

Listen here

VIOLET GONDA: Zimbabwe’s citizenship law has come under the spotlight again after a well known businessman with foreign citizenship was told by the country’s Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede that dual citizenship is not permissible in the country. Mutumwa Mawere gives us the details in the Hot Seat programme.

MUTUMWA MAWERE: What happened is I did go to the Registrar General to establish citizenship and I applied for the identity document and I was then referred to the Registrar General who then advised that the proper procedure and the only procedure, is for me to first come through immigration and then following that, then apply for Residence and then to be followed by an application for citizenship. As you know foreign born persons who wish to naturalize as Zimbabwe citizens are required to go through a roadmap that includes initially residency and then that is followed by citizenship as I think the same situation applies in the United Kingdom.

GONDA: So in your case, you were born in Zimbabwe but you also have South African citizenship.

MAWERE: I was born in Zimbabwe, naturalized as a South African citizen, which means first I was a resident of South Africa, then I applied for citizenship having completed the minimum period that is required to apply one to apply for citizenship; and by operation of the Zimbabwe Citizenship Act it meant that when I acquired South African citizenship I forfeited the right to Zimbabwean citizenship. I think some people have misconstrued that I did renounce Zimbabwean citizenship but there’s no provision in terms of Zimbabwean law for someone to renounce citizenship when you are naturalized in a foreign state and the same situation applies to South Africa. South Africa would not permit me to renounce South African citizenship unless I have the citizenship of another state and those facts were brought before the Registrar General and he simply dismissed that reality.

So what happens is, in the case of what the Registrar General is proposing, is that I will go to Zimbabwe – and for me to leave South Africa it is common cause that I must be a holder of a valid passport and that passport would have to be a South African travel document. If I renounce South African citizenship then it means I can’t travel to Zimbabwe anyway to establish residence in Zimbabwe. So what he is proposing is that I go to South Africa, I go to Zimbabwe holding South African citizenship and then apply and then have residence, have a minimum of five to ten years before I can even be considered as a Zimbabwean or a Zimbabwean citizen. That is the absurdity that the Registrar General is proposing that, not just for me but for all the people who were born in Zimbabwe and by birth are qualified to be Zimbabwean citizens.

GONDA: Doesn’t the new constitution allow you to have dual citizenship?

MAWERE: I did raise that issue that in light of the new constitution I thought dual citizenship was permissible and he says no that’s not the case. Even under the new constitution one still has the obligation to renounce foreign citizenship before you can apply for Zimbabwe citizenship – that’s the version of the Registrar General. So I said to him – then what was the point of amending the constitution? I am a Zimbabweans, as a Zimbabwean born person you automatically have a right to acquire citizenship when you can’t even exercise that right in terms of the law? He says that is the case. If I have any queries I must refer to Honourable Chinamasa the Minister of Justice – which I said how does the Minister of Justice come in? Either the constitution stipulates this and is applicable once it’s in force then one doesn’t have the obligation to renounce another citizenship because that gives you an automatic right to citizenship and the only way to exercise this is by you obtaining the document that pursuant to the operation of the Zimbabwean laws. And clearly the Zimbabwe constitution and the Zimbabwe Citizenship Act are not speaking to each other and therefore the extent of citizenship by birth – it will appear that the Zimbabwe Citizenship Act is unconstitutional and that’s the point I made to the Registrar General.

GONDA: So what are you going to do?

MAWERE: Like everyone else – is to make sure that this position is in writing because I find no legal authority supporting the version of the Registrar General. What I do know is that under the new constitution it’s very clear that any person who is Zimbabwean-born, whose parents, either the father of the mother is Zimbabwean, is automatically entitled to citizenship but obviously the Registrar General is not a registrar of citizenship. He may be a registrar of political citizenship because he seems to have powers from God which gives him the right to appropriate citizenship as he wishes not as the constitution says.

GONDA: So what would be the right forum to approach in a situation like this if the Registrar General is saying something that is totally different from what is in the new constitution?

MAWERE: Obviously the right forum would be the court to conclusively establish whether it was the intention of the drafters of this constitution and the people who voted that they would insert a provision which gives a right that cannot be exercised. So I’ll definitely have to take this issue for a review by the courts but up to now I’ve yet to receive a written statement from the Registrar General confirming that the position that he asserted is the legal position and a constitutional one.

GONDA: Why do you think this is happening and what are the implications, especially for the many Zimbabweans who are in a similar situation?

MAWERE: After 33 years of Independence there are a number of absurd occurrences in Zimbabwe. This is just one of many so anything is possible in Zimbabwe so one cannot put this as a special case but obviously the constitution supports the position that Zimbabwean citizenship is open and qualified for anyone who is born in Zimbabwe or outside Zimbabwe but of Zimbabwean parentage. That is the position but obviously the Registrar General for different reasons may wish this to be different but I would presume that the fact that this issue is being discussed and people are digesting what is happening in respect of, not just my case, there could very well be many people whose rights have been also affected, who don’t know what would happen.

Just imagine Violet if you were to die in the UK and your body is to be buried in Zimbabwe it may very well be the case that the Registrar General may refuse your body to be buried in Zimbabwe because you are now deemed to be foreign. This is how absurd it is. Also for instance somebody who left home and got married to a foreign born person and decides to come back home, they’ll now be subjected to an application for residence in their country of birth. What we do know is that in any other country, except the country of birth, one applies for citizenship but in the country of birth one doesn’t apply to be born and one doesn’t have a decision to make as to which place one is born and what the Registrar General is now proposing is that Zimbabwean born persons must also apply as if they were born in the air.

GONDA: How do you respond to your critics who are saying that this is a publicity stunt and that you are only doing this as you want to participate in the forthcoming elections?

MAWERE: Obviously history when it is being made, it looks like publicity but if underpinning that experience there is no issue then I can’t create an issue out of nothing but if people believe that they are secure, safe and with this kind of interpretation then one cannot help them. There’s no better time to test this case than when the constitution is coming into force. This could have been somebody else, it just so happens that it’s me and obviously because of the profile I was targeted. I went there as an ordinary person to seek, to establish citizenship. If I was just an ordinary person with citizenship elsewhere, I don’t think I would have been subjected to the treatment or even to the VIP treatment of meeting the Registrar General when I’m applying just for an identity document. That doesn’t call for the Registrar General to meet somebody. I consider myself privileged to have been invited to meet the Registrar General although I had no intention of meeting with him. But not many people would be given that honour and that privilege to meet with the Registrar General.

So to the extent that I did meet, if I kept it to myself having established this absurdity then it would be an injustice on other people who may be subjected to the same – because as you can imagine, it is very difficult for anyone to know what status you have because when you take foreign citizenship that occurs outside the borders of Zimbabwe and if it occurs outside the borders and knowledge of the Registrar General it means he has no personal knowledge of your status. It’s only relevant for me because my status was known; I never sought to publicize my status because it was irrelevant. But it only came to the fore when these guys tried to use dirty tricks in Zimbabwe and that’s how it came to be known.

That’s how you know I’m a holder of South African citizenship but even when I was elected by Zanu PF in the provincial structures of Zanu in Masvingo, I was already a South African citizen, but no one knew about it because it was not relevant. But now it is common cause what citizenship I hold and it’s common cause what is happening. That’s why it has become relevant. If we don’t test this ourselves who is going to test it for us?

GONDA: So you said you were actually personally invited to see the Registrar General himself? Tobaiwa Mudede?

MAWERE: Firstly I went to apply in the ordinary course of business for an ID. At no stage did I seek to meet with the Registrar General. In the course of processing my ordinary application I then became the guest of the most senior person in that office and how did I acquire that status and how did the Registrar General know of my application? What I was told is that in the computer system my name was already flagged – the fact that I have a South African passport was already in the system which means for anyone else who goes to apply, they will give their ID documents and they will not even know that you are a holder of a foreign citizenship but in my case that is not the way I am now treated. So I’m already treated as a special person anyway by the system so whatever I do it’s now no longer a private matter.

GONDA: Right, did you try to get hold of the other political actors in the GNU to find out what they think about these latest developments since they are the ones who wrote this new constitution which allows dual citizenship by birth.

MAWERE: Yes as you appreciate once the constitution has been put into place it ceases to be political football for parties, it now becomes a state matter so I can only meet the Registrar General who has the power and authority to administer the Citizenship Act so that’s what I did but obviously some of the political actors that you refer to are in the government and they will be aware of it. They maybe affected to the extent that the political parties that they represent may have members who fall into the same category and their silence can only be an issue that you investigate, not for me. I can only deal with the officer of the state in resolving this matter but I do hope that if my matter is resolved it will then open the door or clear the way for other people who may feel insecure or who may not know what is to become of them if they acquire the status that I now have – because ordinarily you will keep your foreign passport as a private matter, between you and the state concerned, it would not have any effect or impact on Zimbabwe but it would appear that my relationship with the South African government or the South African state is of such importance to Zimbabwe that the Registrar General feels that I’m not entitled to the right that is enshrined in the constitution.

GONDA: Are you planning to contest in the forthcoming elections?

MAWERE: No. I hear that in the media about a plan and I’ve not been privileged – first I am reputed to have formed a party and yet I don’t even, according to Mudede, qualify to be a Zimbabwean and this party, is a Zimbabwean party that is contesting the Zimbabwe elections and the unfortunate part is that my name becomes associated with a body corporate that should stand on its own. But it’s not unusual for Zimbabwe because it’s the only country where political parties have surnames where you have MDC-this, MDC-that, Zanu PF also has a surname but all the parties have surnames so it has become customary for people to expect parties to belong to somebody. So one person with two eyes, two hands, and two ears is now presumed to follow a party. That will be a most unusual party where I’m the follower and I’m the leader. I’ve not called anyone to say follow me because there’s nothing to follow.

What I do wish is that Zimbabwe deserves better; Zimbabwe actually has to rise above the thinking of people like Mudede the Registrar General and he should not be afraid of anyone having the right to vote. After all the liberation movement was fought to allow people to express themselves freely. So I don’t see that Zimbabwe can advance itself with small minds.

GONDA: Do you think he was serious? Perhaps he was just… (interrupted)

MAWERE: He was serious, he was serious! He actually wanted me to surrender the passport to him, hand over my South Africa passport to him. I said no. He said; ‘but Mawere how do I make sure you will renounce this SA citizenship I cannot take chances with you.’ That is when I said you are an idiot – under what laws do I surrender a South African property to you?

GONDA: What do you think it is really about?

MAWERE: Most people obviously when you leave home, they think you have deserted home, they think you have turned your back on home. Mudede when he was born, he only knew of one nationality so he has not known anything else except the government of Zimbabwe. After all do you know how old he is now? He is now 69 and the retirement age is 65. The man will only go when Mugabe goes. They have signed a contract that ‘we have no other life except to be in the government of Zimbabwe’. So the fight is going to be long.

GONDA: On Tuesday 4 June the Zimbabwean businessman filed an urgent application calling for the Constitutional Court to confirm the provisions regarding the issue of dual citizenship and to stop the voter registration exercise, which was supposed to restart on Monday, until his case is finalised.

Zimbabwe Wall of Shame: Kembo Mohadi

http://nehandaradio.com/2013/06/06/zimbabwe-wall-of-shame-kembo-mohadi/

By Lance Guma

Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi was implicated in the 1999 murder of Lutheran World Federation employee Strover Mutonhori and has since then used his control of the police to kill off any investigations into the case.

Kembo Mohadi (left) shares a smile with businessman Mutumwa Mawere

It was reported that Mutonhori worked with Mohadi’s wife Tambudzani and the two allegedly had an affair. Mutonhori disappeared from the Omadu Hotel in Kezi, only for his remains to be found in Mzingwane outside Bulawayo.

Soon after the murder, family members were harassed by suspected state security agents.

In May 2001 a team of police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) travelled to South Africa and interviewed a number of people in connection with the murder.

The matter was transferred from Matabeleland South to the Special Investigating Branch at the Police General Headquarters in Harare. The officer investigating was identified as Chief Superintendent C. R. Gora.

Although police finally interviewed Mohadi, who was then Deputy Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, he was later promoted to Home Affairs Minister in 2002.

This effectively put a stop to any chance of a proper investigation, since the police fell under his Ministry.

“I did not appoint myself Minister. The Mutonhori family is free to contact me or my lawyers, instead of communicating with me through the Press,” Mohadi told journalists. Mutonhori’s family have kept up the fight for justice.

In January 2007 they sought the intervention of the Attorney General and the President’s Office to try and open up investigations into the murder case. But it was reported that the docket had disappeared and the evidence tampered with.

Mohadi remains co-Home Affairs Minister and is in charge of the same police force that is supposed to be investigating him. The Mutonhori family say their best chance for justice is either a cabinet reshuffle or a new government.

In March 2010, Jane Dongo, a family member, wrote an open letter to Mohadi saying; “It is now 10 years since my uncle Strover Mutonhori was murdered, but we are still waiting for the Minister of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi, to prove that there is rule of law, justice and that he has not covered up his own tracks in this murder case.”

Dongo wrote several letters, one through the Zimbabwean embassy in London, and several directly at Mohadi in Harare – but no reply.

“I call upon Mr. Mohadi to come clean and be proven innocent in the courts so that we can put this case to rest” she said at the time. She even quoted remarks by then Home Affairs Minister Dumiso Dabengwa who in 1999 said;

“Zimbabwe will not tolerate a situation where people are kidnapped and murdered. The culprit will definitely be brought to book. It has been brought by a colleague in our weekly Cabinet meeting and there will not be any cover up”.

Dongo said that Mohadi, who was then Deputy Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, wrote a letter to Mutonhori asking to meet him at the Ambassador Hotel in Harare. Mohadi did not say why he wanted the meeting but offered to take him back home at the end of it.

“It was the last week of February, that is 1999 when Mutonhori had come to Harare when he was off-duty and I remember very well, according to that letter because the letter was written by Kembo Mohadi.

“He cannot deny it, he wrote it in his own handwriting. If it was going to be proved, his handwriting, the authenticity of the handwriting, I’m quite sure and he signed it “KB”; Kembo Mohadi signed that letter,” Dongo said.

Sensing something was wrong Mutonhori is said to have declined to meet the Deputy Minister. It’s suspected that Mohadi was following up on allegations that Mutonhori was having an affair with his wife, Tambudzani.

The two worked together in Mberengwa. Dongo said the family are in possession of a letter written by Tambudzani to Mutonhori, but in the letter she only discusses the degree program the two were doing at the time.

Because Mutonhori declined to meet Mohadi the family believe that a further plot was hatched to set him up for the kidnapping several days later.

Dongo said what puzzles them is that Mutonhori was not supposed to be at work on the day he was kidnapped, “he was off duty but was called and told – you have got to attend it, you have got to attend it.”

Eventually he went to the workshop at the Omadu Hotel in Kezi.

Mutonhori played soccer that night and around 9pm went to his room. Dongo said delegates to the workshop were booked into rooms in pairs but somebody tampered with the arrangement and gave Mutonhori his own room to ensure he was alone.

Mutonhori was told that the person booked in the room with him was no longer coming since they lived in Bulawayo and would come to workshop the following day.

Dongo said Mutonhori’s kidnapping was meticulously planned. She said the bed was never used on the night.

“Mutonhori was kidnapped with one shoe, one sock. The two hundred Zim dollars which was in his purse was there, the cell phone was there, the suitcase with his clothes was there. Only him and one trainer and one sock were missing.”

Mutonhori went missing on the 1^st of March and his decomposing body was only found on the 17th August at the Whitewaters Range in Matopos, “just bones, sheer bones,” Dongo said.

Mutonhori’s wife was able to identify his remains by counting the number of teeth he had in the upper jaw. “She only identified those bones with one tooth which was missing and a belt which he was wearing on that particular day.”

When Mohadi was appointed Home Affairs Minister in 2002, investigations into the case were dropped and evidence went missing.

In May 2011, Mutonhori’s son Ian Tatenda Mutonhori (19) said ever since the murder of his father the family has been struggling to make ends meet. Mutonhori left behind a wife and three children, Ian and two girls (22 and 28).

“My mother is unemployed and can’t get work,’ Ian explained.

An added challenge to finding work is that they keep having to move house, because Mohadi allegedly keeps track of where they are staying and they are afraid of being in one place for too long.

“My dad used to earn a good salary working for an NGO, the Lutheran World Federation, but now things have changed and life is hard for us.”

Sadly, the Mutonhori family still wait for justice.

Imprisoned by our 'liberators'

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/

Vince Musewe
06 June 2013

Vince Musewe says fewer than ten men of average intelligence are holding 12
million Zimbabweans to ransom

The evil that men do

The embellished role of those that served in the liberation struggle for
Zimbabwe has become an albatross upon our necks.

I cannot believe how our security sector has become so pernicious in their
claim as our liberators and therefore our infinite rulers. It is incredible
that 33 years after the effect, we continue to be denied that very freedom
which they solely claim to have attained for us. My question is always; what
freedom?

As I listen to the arguments being presented by ZANU(PF) on why they need to
continue govern us, it continues to show me how man has become so debased
and inhuman in his aspiration to hold onto political power and acquire
personal wealth and comfort at the expense of the simple values of human
dignity.

We cannot watch and wait for the army generals masquerading as politicians
to act and decide for us what is best. I have heard calls for them to be
fired and for me that would be the right thing to do. Can less than ten men
of average intelligence hold 12 million of us at such a costly ransom? In my
opinion, our true freedom can only begin when we begin to reject the idea
that they have a better plan for us.

The revelations we now hear everyday from Baba Jukwa must surely make us
realize how rotten our leadership has become. The evil that permeates our
political leadership is just too deep to fathom and I can bet there is worse
to come. In my books anyone who supports ZANU (PF) needs their head read.

Besides denying Zimbabweans the freedom they deserve, ZANU (PF) has
practically killed the work ethic that Zimbabweans were once so well known
for. They have created a society that aspires for instant gratification. The
take over of land assets by individuals with no clue on farming or any
willingness for hard work is evident as one drives across the country.

The policies of Gideon Gono around 2008 which led to the "burning" of money
further exacerbated the situation where an honest day's work was no longer
necessary. The indigenization policy that seeks to take over for free that
which people have not worked for is the nail in the coffin of hard work,
honesty and integrity. We have become a nation of speculators, schemers and
traders and it will take some doing to change this culture.

My message to all is that Zimbabwe if we wish the future to be significantly
different prom the past, we will have take the responsibility of creating
it. We must therefore take the leadership now to create new empowered
communities through behaving differently.

For far too long we have just accepted mediocrity and apathy. We cannot give
the responsibility of creating a better future for Zimbabwe to the army
generals, the police top brass or the intelligence services; they are
incapable of thinking beyond their stomachs.

Time and time again we have seen that liberation cannot be given unto us,
but must be taken by us. We are our own liberators.

We however must find joy from Hesiod, the Greek poet's words that: "He
harms himself who does harm to another, and the evil plan is most harmful to
the planner"

Vince Musewe is an economist based in Harare. You may contact him on
vtmusewe@gmail.com

Zimbabwe Election Watch : Issue 3

Sokwanele : 6 June 2013

Simba Makoni, Morgan Tsvangirai, Dumiso Dabengwa

Zimbabwe Election Watch Issue 3 is written in the wake of a Constitutional Court ruling handed down on 31 May which compels the President to hold elections before 31 July 2013. This ZEW summary focuses primarily on the ensuing issues raised by the ruling.

The case was brought before the courts by Jealously Mawarire, a private citizen, a registered voter and a member of the Centre for Election Democracy in Southern Africa. His complaint was that his constitutional rights to have elections before the 30th June had been violated by the failure to do so by the President.

The court ruling follows endless disputes between the three main parties on when elections should be held. Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party has been adamant that elections should be held earlier - 29 June 2013 was their preferred date - while the MDC parties have insisted on September/October as a more reasonable time. The later date, the MDCs and others have argued, allows time for necessary legislation to be passed following the acceptance of a new constitution, and also allows time for reforms to be implemented as agreed in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). Zanu PF is resisting implementing reforms, and their push for an early election date has been seen as one way for them to secure elections without reforms.

The court ruling also comes one week before the Southern African Development Community (SADC) holds a special summit on 9 and 10 June 2013 in Mozambique to discuss and approve a roadmap for Zimbabwe's elections.

How the various parties respond to the ruling will have consequences for clauses in the SADC electoral guidelines. Two of these are of particular concern to election weary and violence wary ordinary Zimbabweans: in particular, 4.1.1 compelling governments to protect the constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens, and 4.1.2 asking governments to provide a conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections.

Zanu PF has responded with support for the date: Robert Mugabe has said he will comply with the ruling and hold elections before 31 July regardless of objections from his rivals (http://bit.ly/13wQMvg). And both MDCs have publically recognised the importance of the rule of law and their willingness to comply with it: Douglas Mwonzora, spokesperson for MDC-T, said “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" (http://bit.ly/17og5Fk). Welshman Ncube, MDC leader, has said "We all need to respect court judgments because not to do so invites anarchy" (http://ht.ly/lILYh).

Despite stated support for the principle of the rule of law, the two MDC parties have also expressed serious reservations over the rightness of the ruling. Welshman Ncube, himself a constitutional lawyer, wrote:

No court of law should ask us to believe and accept that 1 plus 1 equals 3. I have read and reread the majority judgment over and over, again and again and I have read again and again the provisions of the former constitution and the current constitution that fell for interpretation and my mind refuses to accept the possibility of the correctness of that judgment.

To accept that judgment as correct would amount to me committing grave violence on my intellect. With the greatest respect, the majority judgment is PLAINLY wrong. One plus one is not three. Yes, the judgment binds us and we have to comply with it to the extent that it will be possible to do so, but we cannot accept that it is correct when it is plainly wrong (ibid.)

The MDC-T said:

The case was clearly sponsored by the chaos faction of Zanu PF to achieve three results. First, it was to force an election in June 2013. Second, it was to enable President Mugabe to singularly set the election date without consulting the Prime Minister as is required by the Global Political Agreement. Third, it was to force elections in Zimbabwe without the necessary reforms. Fourth, it was to avoid the election being in proximity of the UNWTO (http://on.fb.me/11htt5J).

The MDC-T has also inferred that they believe the recent appointment of two new judges to the bench was Zanu PF's way of securing judicial advantage for their party in cases like this one. They argue that Robert Mugabe swore in the judges before he assented to the new constitution, and in so doing bypassed the more rigorous new conditions for judicial appointments enshrined in the new constitution. There is clear precedent for Zanu PF influencing judicial appointments that dates back through the last decade right up until the current time: in ZEW Issue 1, for example, we highlighted the current harassment of Justice Charles Hungwe following two judgements he made which did not support the political agenda of Zanu PF hardliners.

Senator Coltart, MDC Secretary for Legal Affairs, has also identified a fundamental contradiction in the Constitutional Court ruling, and that is that if all parties are to comply with the ruling, then the only way they can do so is to break the law. He points out that the new constitution specifies a minimum 30 day period for voter registration and inspection exercise which is a fundamental precursor for nomination courts. He points out that the new constitution demands a further 30 days between nomination day and election day:

I am writing this as plainly as I can! 30 days plus 30 days equals 60 days. Today is the 5th June 2013. Add 60 days to that and you will see we get to the 5th August.

[...]

Unless we amend the Constitution to reduce the days mentioned above an election held on the 31st July will be unconstitutional and therefore unlawful. That is hardly the best way to start this new Constitutional era (http://on.fb.me/11htt5J).

The confusion and discussion will make its way to the SADC summit this weekend and pressure will be on SADC to broker a way forward. Five of Zimbabwe's political leaders have come together (leaders representing MDC-T, ZAPU, MDC, MKD and ZANU Ndonga) to form a joint position demanding that political and electoral reforms are implemented before the next harmonized elections. In a statement released yesterday, the five said:

The leaders expressed reservations about the practicality of the July 31st deadline set by the court and resolved that they will communicate their position to SADC. The parties therefore, look forward to the extra ordinary SADC summit to affirm previous SADC resolutions and the agreed roadmap to elections.

SADC, via the office of Jacob Zuma, the South African President and facilitator of Zimbabwe's GPA, has provided some indication for the focus of the meeting:

With or without the court ruling, we are going ahead to meet the parties as the facilitation team ahead of the SADC summit (to be held in Mozambique on Sunday), which (decision) was agreed on during the summit held in Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia, two weeks ago). All parties have been invited.

As the facilitator put it at the summit, we want the comfort of having a clear roadmap to the elections, with timelines agreed upon by the parties themselves. The ultimate is to have credible elections. We want to avoid the 2008 scenario" (Lindiwe Zulu - http://bit.ly/1b3KMg1).

ZEW continues to log breaches of the SADC electoral principles and guidelines throughout, and eight examples of breaches since Issue 2 are outlined below.

ZEW Issue 3 - Charts

The new voter registration drive, as required under the new constitution, was due to start on Monday this week (3 June) but will now only start on 10 June 2013 and run-up until 9 July 2013. The previous registration drive was plagued by problems right up until it concluded. Examples of breaches affecting voter registration in this ZEW issue include funding shortages, an admission by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson that the exercise was chaotic, and a serious concern raised by the Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development deputy minister Jessie Majome, who noted that the registration exercise disenfranchised women:

Proof of residence disenfranchises women because of the nature of the society we live in. There are very few women who can claim to own a house, let alone a lease agreement in their name.

Majome's point is a violation of SADC electoral guideline 4.1.3 which compels signatory states to ensure non-discrimination in voters’ registration. And when the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs attempted to visit voter registration centres to monitor and inspect the voters’ roll countrywide, their permission to travel was refused by the Clerk of Parliament. Silobela MP, Anadi Sululu, who is also a committee member, described the decision as 'political'.

Police obstacles to meetings and voter education continued. Two examples: in Hwange, police falsely accused Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) officials of illegally carrying out voter education in the region. They confiscated hundreds of materials meant for distribution in the area to encourage people to register to vote. Simba Makoni, leader of the Mavambo / Kusile / Dawn (MKD) party, had police permission to hold a meeting with the Norton Community withdrawn only hours before the meeting was scheduled to start.

Finally, in previous ZEW issues we have highlighted extreme partisanship on the part of security sector leaders. In this issue, three police officers found themselves charged with contravening the Police Act because they attended a political rally - an allegation they deny. The difference in this case is that the police officers apparently attended an MDC-T ralley. Noting the very different approaches to these men and the heads of the security sector, Zimbabweans will infer that political partisanship is acceptable within the security sector, provided it is supportive of the Zanu PF party.

Broke ZEC urged to rope in NGOs for voter education ~ http://bit.ly/19IViLM
SW Radio Africa: 9 May 2013

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Wednesday May 8 revealed that a serious shortage of funding is hampering the voter education exercise which is part of preparations for the forthcoming general elections. Briefing journalists in Harare, ZEC chairperson Rita Makarau said that the electoral body had deployed only two voter educators per district, raising fears that these will not be able to cover most areas by the time the exercise ends. On average, a district has about 25 wards. Makarau said out of a budget of $8 million submitted to treasury for the voter education exercise, the commission had so far only received $500,000.She raised concern that if the balance was not released soon the civic education programme, which started a week later than the registration exercise, will be seriously hampered. Elections expert Jack Zaba on Thursday said “ZEC can easily approach the many NGOs and stakeholde rs that work in the field of civic education to help raise awareness of the electoral process. So far ZEC has not done this, we haven’t seen space being given to civic society organisations to do their part."

2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process
2.1.8 Voter education
7.6 Ensure the availability of adequate logistics and resources for carrying out democratic elections

Voter outrage ~ http://bit.ly/14wjKMM
Daily News: 16 May 2013

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has admitted that the on-going voter registration exercise is chaotic, and there is a growing in government that Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede is doing a shoddy job and should be fired. Zec chairperson Rita Makarau told church leaders in Harare yesterday May 15: “We accept that there are gaps between what we are saying and what is happening on the ground.” Another Zec commissioner, Petty Makoni, said she witnessed “sad scenes” in Mashonaland Central Province. "when we went out yesterday, we were saddened ... but there was nothing we could do,” said Makoni. Zec says voter registration is in the hands of Mudede and Zec can do little to influence the process. Church leaders said their members are failing to register as voters because of stringent requirements by Mudede’s officers. This comes as government insiders said a meeting of top Cabinet ministers this week roundly condemned the on-going voter registration exercise. Zanu PF ministers who have previously defended Mudede are also outraged after finding irregularities on the voters’ rolls for their constituencies.

2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for
2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration
4.1.4 Existence of updated and accessible voters roll
7.3 Establish impartial, all-inclusive, competent & accountable national electoral bodies [...] as well as competent legal entities including effective constitutional courts to arbitrate in the event of disputes arising from the conduct of elections
7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]
7.6 Ensure the availability of adequate logistics and resources for carrying out democratic elections

Voter registration nightmare for women ~ http://bit.ly/17E9oP7
Daily News: 17 May 2013

Requirements demanded by the Registrar General (RG)’s office for voter registration are leading to massive disenfranchisement of potential women voters, Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development deputy minister Jessie Majome said, speaking at a round table discussion hosted by the Media Centre on women participation in politics. Proof of residence disenfranchises women because of the nature of the society we live in. There are very few women who can claim to own a house, let alone a lease agreement in their name...,” said Majome. “Zimbabweans are notorious for not registering marriages and now that there is need for someone to prove where they live it makes it even more difficult. The new draft constitution provides for universal adult suffrage but women have to be on the voters’ roll in order for them to be able to claim the 60 seats reserved for them as well as take up their place among the other 210 legislators,” said Majome.

2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process
2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration
7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]
7.9 Encourage the participation of women, disabled and youth in all aspects of the electoral process in accordance with the national laws

Zvoma stirs hornet’s nest over voters’ roll inspections ~ http://bit.ly/ZP2EeU
NewsDay: 24 May 2013

Clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, stirred up a hornet’s nest after blocking the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs from monitoring the shambolic mobile voter registration exercise and inspecting the voters’ roll. Zvoma’s move raised eyebrows as the House of Assembly Standing Orders makes it clear that it was the Speaker, Lovemore Moyo, who approves travelling by committees and not the Clerk of Parliament. The portfolio committee, which plays oversight role on the Defence and Home Affairs ministries, last week resolved to visit voter registration centres to monitor and inspect the voters’ roll countrywide as the chaotic scenes were disenfranchising a large number of Zimbabweans who were keen to cast their ballot in the forthcoming elections. Silobela MP Anadi Sululu, who is also a committee member, said Zvoma’s decision to deny them the opportunity to m onitor the exercise and inspect the voters’ roll was “political”.

4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
4.1.3 Non-discrimination in the voters’ registration
7.5 Take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the perpetration of fraud, rigging or any other illegal practices throughout the whole electoral process, in order to maintain peace and security
7.6 Ensure the availability of adequate logistics and resources for carrying out democratic elections

Police ban political parties from door-to-door campaigns ~ http://bit.ly/ZP93XF
The Zimbabwe Independent: 17 May 2013

OFFICER Commanding Harare Suburban District, Chief Superintendent Reggies Chitekwe, this week of May 17 announced the ban of door-to-door campaigns to curb political violence which might increase as the country heads for general elections this year. Chitekwe told representatives from the main political parties Zanu PF, MDC-T, MDC and Mavambo/Dawn/Kusile, saying this was an official directive to curb political violence and protect citizens. National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said the regulating authority is given powers to assess situations in their areas as far as security and the safety of citizens is concerned. However, MDC parties’ activists said the move was unfair as Zanu PF has been embarking on door-to-door campaigns since early this year without any arrests taking place. Lately Zanu PF supporters have been accused of carrying out door-to-door voter registration exercis es in high density residential areas checking whether names of citizens above 18 years of age appear on the voters’ roll. Those not found not on the roll were asked to go and register while the registered were given Zanu PF membership forms.

2.1.2 Freedom of association
2.1.3 Political tolerance
2.1.6 Equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections

Police in Hwange summon ZESN and confiscate civic education material ~ http://bit.ly/ZRfadT
The Zimbabwean : 29 May 2013

Yesterday May 28, Sergeant Dzvimbu of Hwange police summoned the ZESN Director and officials to answer charges of allegedly conducting voter education in the province. Later, two police details visited the Hwange offices of ZESN member organisation, Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) offices and confiscated hundreds of ZESN posters and flyers meant for distribution in the province. The materials were confiscated following unsubstantiated and false allegations that ZESN had conducted voter education from the 13th to the 17th of May 2013 without the approval from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The materials confiscated include posters and flyers meant to encourage Zimbabweans to register to vote in the impending harmonised elections. According to Mr Settie Ncube, the ZESN taskforce Chairperson for Matabeleland North, the two police officers who were in plain clothes demanded to know the persons responsi ble for distributing the materials before confiscating the posters and flyers. The police officers did not have a search warrant.

2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process
2.1.7 Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]

Police thwart Simba Makoni’s meeting with business community ~ http://bit.ly/11YK1qt
SW Radio Africa: 22 May 2013

Efforts by Dr Simba Makoni’s political party to hold discussions with the Norton community a fortnight ago were thwarted, after police went back on their word and withdrew clearance.The Mavambo / Kusile / Dawn (MKD) party had received permission to hold its ‘Conversations with Simba Makoni’ in Norton on Saturday, May 11th. However, a few hours before party president Makoni was due to meet the town’s business community, police withdrew clearance citing missing documentation in the MKD application. MKD official Liberty Mukwakwami told SW Radio Africa Wednesday that when he telephoned Norton police for clarification, a Sergeant Demha could only say the party had not attached an authorisation letter from the owners of the venue. “We asked why the police had not informed us in advance but the officer refused to discuss the issue further, asking us to visit the station instead.” Mukwakwami said this was the first time the authorisation letter had been used to block his party’s meetings. Previous applications had been granted without one.

2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process
2.1.2 Freedom of association
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]

Detained police officers deny ‘crime’ of attending MDC rally ~ http://bit.ly/1a7jpRH
SW Radio Africa: 22 May 2013

Three police officers, who have been detained over their alleged attendance at an MDC-T rally last month, have denied they are guilty of this ‘crime’. Courage Manyengavana, Marshal Zindoga and Lovemore Mupedzapasi were tried and convicted for contravening the Police Act, after being accused of acting in a manner which brought ‘disrespect’ to the police force. The police claimed that the three officers attended an MDC-T rally held at Mushumbi Business Centre in Mashonaland Central Province on 27th April.The three police officers were reportedly spotted at the rally while in civilian clothing by members of the police’s Internal Security and Intelligence unit. Zindonga and Mupedzapasi were tried by a “trial officer” early this month, while Manyengavana’s trial was conducted in Harare. They were all sentenced to serve 14 days in detention at Chikurubi Support Unit C amp, and their sentence is set to come to an end by the end of this week.He explained that the three might appeal their conviction once their sentence is completed, but he could not confirm is this was the case.

2.1.1 Full participation of the citizens in the political process
2.1.2 Freedom of association
2.1.3 Political tolerance
4.1.1 Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
4.1.2 Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections
7.4 Safeguard the human & civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, & campaigning as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders [...]

We have a fundamental right to freedom of expression!

SADC summit on Zimbabwe delayed to Monday