SW Radio Africa News Stories for 24 June 2010
By Alex Bell
24 June 2010
An aide to a former MDC legislator is still being held behind bars, one week since his arrest in Nkayi.
Joram Dube, a convener for former Nkayi South MP Abednico Bhebhe’s campaign meetings, was arrested late last Thursday night on unspecified charges. According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) the Officer in Charge at Nkayi Police Station, where Dube is being held, said that there was a valid warrant for Dube’s arrest.
Chief Inspector Tshabangu said the arrest warrant was issued under instruction of the District Police Commanding Officer, Chief Superintendent Chiwota.
Lawyers who tried to offer their assistance to Dube were ordered to direct all their questions about their client’s arrest to Chiwota, who was said to be away from Nkayi. They received absolutely no assistance from the Officer in Charge, Tshabangu. Since then, Dube has remained behind bars.
ZLHR project lawyer Nosimilo Chanayiwa told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the ZLHR legal team had successfully applied for Dube’s release in the High Court.
But as of Thursday evening there was still no word if Dube had been released or not.
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SW Radio Africa News Stories for 24 June 2010
By Alex Bell
24 June 2010
Robert Mugabe on Thursday swore into office two new Cabinet ministers and three deputy ministers from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party, after four ministers were dropped from the government on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s reshuffle of government ministers from the MDC-T was described by party leader Tsvangirai as a move to make the MDC more effective in delivering change to Zimbabweans. Tsvangirai said that despite continuing disputes between the MDC and ZANU PF that have paralyzed the unity government, Zimbabwe has seen ‘improvements’ in the economy, health and education. He described the coalition government as “the most practical means of moving forward and halting the needless suffering of the people.”
The reshuffle has seen Giles Mutsekwa booted out of his position as co-Minister of Home Affairs, shared with ZANU PF’s Kembo Mohadi. Mutsekwa has been accused of being ineffectual in the top position, and recently admitted that his orders were not listened to. The position will now be filled by Theresa Makone, a close ally of Tsvangirai’s, although doubt is already being voiced over what difference she can make if the police force will only follow ZANU PF orders.
Senior party member Elias Mudzuri was dropped from the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, reportedly for failing to tackle the energy crisis. Educationist Fidelis Mhashu, who was minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, also lost her Cabinet position, for reportedly failing to deal with the housing shortage.
Evelyn Masaiti, formerly deputy minister of Women’s Affairs and Thamasanqa Mahlangu, formerly deputy Minister of Youth, were also dropped.
Tsvangirai said the Cabinet reshuffle was aimed at “strengthening the performance of the party in the inclusive government.” However, observers have commented this week that these attempts are fruitless until the Global Political Agreement (GPA) is fully implemented by ZANU PF. Mugabe’s refusal to honour the terms of the GPA has left the coalition government in a stalemate, with no agreement on how to move forward.
All the political bickering meanwhile has taken place against a backdrop of ongoing human rights abuses, political intimidation by ZANU PF members, intensified farm invasions and widespread hunger. The situation, which has changed so little since the formation of the unity government, has seen Zimbabwe being ranked as the fourth most failed state in the world. This ranking places Zimbabwe among countries torn apart by war, and is a serious indictment of the unity government that promised so much change.
Commentator Tanonoka Joseph Whande on Thursday accused Prime Minister Tsvangirai of doing the “Mugabe shuffle”, by making small changes within an ineffectual government that mean nothing for the people. Whande said Zimbabweans were being “betrayed by the hour” with the MDC continuing to follow in ZANU PF’s footsteps.
“The truth is we have lost the MDC to this political situation,” Whande said. “They no longer care about what is the best for Zimbabweans, and that is a sorry state of affairs.”
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SW Radio Africa News Stories for 24 June 2010
By Lance Guma
24 June 2010
After the initial logistical issues which marred the beginning of public hearings on a new constitution, a new and predictable problem arose as ZANU PF unleashed its militants to disrupt scheduled hearings.
On Thursday the MDC-T complained that 200 uniformed soldiers marched in the Chikangwe and Chiedza suburbs of Karoi, in the politically volatile Mashonaland West province. The soldiers were said to be chanting ZANU PF slogans and ‘threatening to bring war to the doorsteps of those who will give different views to those of ZANU PF in the constitution consultation meetings’.
Meetings scheduled to take place in Chinhoyi were cancelled after ZANU PF supporters disrupted them. According to a report issued by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition ‘all hell broke loose at 11:30hrs today when an elderly ZANU PF supporter and four youths converged at Gadzema Domestic Signs Crèche, and demanded to know what the outreach team was doing in the area.’
Efforts by the team to explain their work were in vain, as the ZANU PF supporters accused the team of using the outreach to ‘misuse donor money.’ The team had to leave the area after the 5 militants vandalized one of the vehicles the outreach team was using. The ZANU PF supporters were also singing ‘Nyika yakauya neropa- we got our independence via the spilling of blood’. Over a hundred people who had come for the meeting were forced to go back home.
Still in Chinhoyi, independent monitors of the process reported that there were similar disruptions at Chikonohono Primary School. Another venue, the Chaedza Hall, saw about 50 people who attended the meeting refusing to participate, because there were no police officers present.
The MDC-T has also complained that war vets in Mutare North have taken charge of the accreditation of outreach teams and are threatening participants. They are also turning away all suspected MDC members from the consultation venues. An army officer and well known ZANU PF activist known as Major Badza addressed villagers waiting to participate in the consultation meetings in Chivi North at Utete clinic on Wednesday. He allegedly threatened to deal with them after the meeting if they gave opinions that opposed the ZANU PF position.
Meanwhile events in Bindura, the scene of intense ZANU PF sponsored political violence over the years, showed that Mugabe’s party is determined to use the exercise to entrench his powers via the Kariba Draft constitution. MDC and ZANU PF supporters were seated on different sides of the hall and contributors from ZANU PF were all reading from written scripts, exposing the sham nature of the consultation.
On Thursday Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga refused to apportion blame to any one particular party, choosing instead to be positive about the other areas where meetings had run more smoothly. He acknowledged that some of the areas the outreach teams were going into are traditionally polarized along party lines, but he remained optimistic they would get over these challenges.
Commenting on the logistical problems Matinenga said it would have been surprising if they did not encounter any given that the outreach was an ‘extensive program’ and they were trying to make the best of a very challenging situation with very ‘thin’ resources.
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SW Radio Africa News Stories for 24 June 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
24 June 2010
Massive incidences of violence and intimidation continue to mount at an alarming rate since the launch of the constitutional outreach program on Monday.
The deputy organizing secretary of the MDC-T, Morgan Komichi, said reports from the around the country point to a ZANU PF led orgy of violence that includes assault, intimidation, threats and damage to private property. As usual, it is those perceived to be opposed to Mugabe who are on the receiving end.
Komichi told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that ZANU PF was getting jittery at the upcoming referendum and elections because it was aware it had lost support.
‘The time has come to get rid of ZANU PF. God has given us the opportunity to do so through peaceful means and we must not be deterred by ZANU PF. We must all be brave and stand up and take this opportunity and express ourselves and contribute towards the new constitution,’ a defiant Komichi said.
He added; ‘Zimbabwean people are politically more mature now and therefore no amount of intimidation and violence will stop them expressing their views. I urge all Zimbabweans to stand up and fight for their democracy.’
With only three days into the 65-day programme, analysts fear the worse in the days ahead. Pishai Muchauraya, the MDC-T MP for Makoni South, told us on Wednesday if the present trend was allowed to go unchecked by authorities, then it could lead to similar scenes of violence that blighted the 2008 harmonized elections.
Muchauraya said Manicaland has already recorded incidents that included assaults, threats, and intimidation. The MP said complaints were coming from all the districts of the province, with Chimanimani and Chipinge districts taking the brunt of the attacks from war veterans and armed soldiers.
In most cases the police have, as usual, failed to act to prevent the intimidation and attacks and the MP urged legislators from all parties to play a key role in ensuring a violence-free polls campaign by disciplining their supporters.
In Marondera, MDC-T MP for the area Ian Kay echoed similar concerns. He said in Mudzi, a volatile district in the province, most of the complaints were about attacks on home and property rather than on individuals.
‘We have at least four homes which have been burnt since weekend. We hope police will not let the situation get out of hand,’ Kay told ZimOnline on Wednesday.
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SW Radio Africa News Stories for 24 June 2010
By Violet Gonda
24 June 2010
Member states and partners of the Kimberley Process, an organization set up eight years ago to eradicate the trade in blood diamonds, failed to reach agreement on whether to allow Zimbabwe to resume its trade in diamonds from the controversial Chiadzwa fields. As consensus wasn’t reached this means the Kimberley process will maintain its ban on diamond exports from Chiadzwa.
The international diamond watchdog works on total consensus and delegates at the meeting, which started in Tel Aviv on Monday, have been sharply divided over the Zimbabwe diamond saga.
It’s reported that all countries from Southern Africa, including Botswana, wanted the Kimberley Process to certify Zimbabwe’s diamonds. Other supporters included the United Arab Emirates, India and Russia.
However, Canada, USA, Australia and the KP Civil Society Coalition, were among the outspoken critics. They argued that Zimbabwe had failed to meet the KP’s minimum requirements, and should not get certification.
There was fierce debate and much division in those attending the conference, which was supposed to have finished on Wednesday but which dragged on for another day.
During the meeting Mines Minister Mpofu continually threatened to reject any decision by the Kimberley Process that blocked Zimbabwe from exporting the precious stones. Mpofu told critics at the meeting: “To those who dream about regime change, there will never ever be regime change in Zimbabwe. We fought for our liberation and we are still ready to fight again.”
Once again Mpofu warned that Zimbabwe will be exporting its stockpile, even without KP approval. He claimed the money is needed to feed the many who are starving in Zimbabwe. But rights groups say there is clear evidence that political and military leaders are involved in mass plunder of the diamonds in Manicaland province and that this valuable resource does not benefit ordinary Zimbabweans at all.
Security forces currently control the diamond fields, in spite of calls by the KP for the demilitarisation of the area.
At the end of the deadlocked negotiations it was not immediately clear what happens next. A delegate said the next meting is in November and explained that the chairman of the KP can always choose to call an extraordinary meeting to discuss this issue again, before then.
Callback
Revai, who was part of the Constitution Outreach programs two day training session, says that the issue of violence, especially in the rural areas, is not being addressed and; Mambo says that genuine war vets like him should be impartial, as they fought for freedom and not violence.
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Behind the Headlines
Following the chaos, confusion, disruptions and intimidation that mar the beginning of public hearings on a new constitution, Lance speaks to Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga. With reports that over 200 uniformed soldiers in Karoi marched through the suburbs chanting ZANU PF slogans, plus other reports of disruptions countrywide, how will they ensure the delivery of a people-driven constitution?
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Heart of the Matter
Tanonoka Joseph Whande criticises the MDC’s role in the unity government, which he says has failed to address the crisis on the ground in Zimbabwe. He laments the fact that Zimbabweans remain the highest number of asylum seekers in the world, despite the GNU, saying it is an indication of the “failed policies of the MDC.”
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ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE
24th June 2010
Following our May report about the animals being captured in
Hwange National Park for the purpose of being sold to Pyonyang Zoo in North
Korea, we are now delighted to announce that the shipment has been cancelled.
We would like to thank everybody who participated in
protesting against the removal of these animals from Zimbabwe. We do not yet
have accurate information on what will now become of the animals that have
already been captured but we have an unconfirmed report that the 2 young
elephants will be sent to Wild Horizons in Victoria Falls for rehabilitation
before being released back into the wild.
Although we are very grateful that the shipment was cancelled,
we are still concerned because at a National Parks press conference last month,
the Director General of National Parks stated that there were a further 5
countries who had placed orders to buy animals from Zimbabwe. We do not know
whether or not National Parks are planning to fulfill those orders.
A very big thank you to the following people who have very
kindly assisted us with funds:
Clare Hone
John & Helen Buckle
Ernest & Paula Blomkamp
Renee Wagner
Pearl & Iain MacCallum
Mrs L Brough
Lesley & Tim Covar
Johnny
Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline: 263 4 336710
Landline/Fax: 263 4 339065
Mobile: 263 11 603
213
Email: galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website:
www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Website:
www.zimbabwe-art.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211
VOA
Mr.
Mugabe swore in Economic Planning Minister Tapiwa Mashakada and Minister of
State Jameson Timba, who is attached to Mr. Tsvangirai’s office, among others
named to new posts in the MDC cabinet shuffle
Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe on Thursday swore into office two new ministers and three deputies
appointed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in a shuffle of the ministerial
portfolios held by his formation of the former opposition Movement for Democratic
Change, now a partner in the power-sharing government.
Mr. Tsvangirai said on
Wednesday that the move was intended to bolster his ministerial team and make
it more effective in the unity government. He removed two ministers and two
deputies from their positions and assigned them to party duties, including the
former energy minister, Elias Mudzuri.
Mr. Mugabe swore in Economic
Planning Minister Tapiwa Mashakada and Minister of State Jameson Timba, who is
attached to Mr. Tsvangirai’s office. Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire,
Deputy Youth Minister Tongai Matutu and Deputy Justice Minister Obert Gutu were
also sworn in. Gutu told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo he will strive
to ensure fairness and justice for all and "make sure there is justice and
rule of law in the country."
Mr. Tsvangirai and his two
deputies, Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara, attended the ceremony.
Political analyst John Makumbe,
a professor at the University of Zimbabwe, said he was pleased that the
ceremony went on without the problems that often hamper cooperation between Mr.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the MDC.
VOA news
Officials
said incidents of disruption or intimidation were isolated, but accounts from
around the country suggested the process is highly vulnerable in certain
provinces to elements aiming to derail or delay it
Authorities running Zimbabwe's
constitutional revision process fared somewhat better on the second day of a
public outreach phase Thursday following widespread chaos the day before, but
many consultative meetings still failed to take place or were called off for
reasons ranging from logistics to disruption to threats of violence.
Officials said incidents of
disruption or intimidation were isolated, but accounts from around the country
suggested the process is highly vulnerable in certain provinces to elements
aiming to derail or delay it.
Co-Chairman Douglas Mwonzora of
the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Revision said the reports
of violence or intimidation were isolated and did not warrant much concern.
Independent monitor Tadziripira
Khumalo told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri in an interview from Manicaland that the
process ran better on Thursday though people were still being harassed by war
veterans.
Correspondent Sylvia Manika
reported from Harare that the outreach process in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West,
was especially troubled as teams seeking to gather views abandoned the exercise
when they were threatened.
In Mutare North constituency of
eastern Manicaland province, sources said liberation war veterans and known
ZANU-PF activists barred entry to meetings by supporters of the Movement for
Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and individuals
whose garments suggested affluence.
Outreach teams were unable to master the situation as the war veterans verbally
attacked Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC formation. At a Mutare
North venue called Mount Zonwe, sources said war veterans were forcing local
Zimbabweans to vote on the questions asked, rather than speaking their minds.
In Manicaland's Chimanimani West constituency, sources said war veterans and
soldiers in civilian garb forced villagers to surrender their political party
membership cards before allowing them to enter meetings.
Seven public consultative meetings were put off in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West,
because unruly elements said the meetings could not go ahead in the absence of
police. Parliamentary officials in Mashonaland West called for a meeting
between local representative of the main political parties and the war
veterans.
Some participants complained that others attending were unknown in the ward,
demanding their exclusion.
Sources in the western
Matabeleland region said the atmosphere was generally peaceful, though outreach
meetings had not gotten under way in many locations. In the Matabeleland
capital of Bulawayo, venues and dates were announced but authorities turned
away people who seemed eager to participate. Venues for outreach meetings were
advertised in Lupane, Matabeleland North, but no firm dates were set.
Activists in Plumtree, Matabelaland South, said most people in rural areas were
unaware of the outreach process or how to participate. State radio and
television signals cannot be received in that area where residents rely on
broadcasts from South Africa or Botswana for news and information.
Reception is also problematic in Nkayi, Matabeleland South, but activists said
they are waiting for outreach teams.
Believe Gaule, constitutional outreach leader for Bulawayo (itself one of
Zimbabwe's 10 provinces) and Matabeleland North, said his team is preparing to
deploy despite logistical problems. Teams led by Edward Mkhosi in Plumtree were
also getting ready to launch meetings despite logistical and other problems.
Sources said teams were having difficulty informing residents of the meetings
as funding is scarce for flyers, posters and other informational materials.
MDC officials and supporters in Mudzi, Mashonaland East, reported incidents of
violence in the past few days and said they were harassed by ZANU-PF supporters
when they tried to speak during outreach meetings.
VOA Studio 7 correspondent Irwin Chifera reported that the homes of MDC supporters
in Mudzi and surrounding villages have been burned, but the police have taken
no action.
Officials of the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union reported
intimidation of members in the run-up to the outreach phase. The organization
has asked civic monitoring groups to follow the process on farms where tension
has been running high, according to GAPWUZ information officer Tapiwa Zivira.
For further perspective on the troubled outreach process VOA Studio 7 reporter
Sandra Nyaira spoke with Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Coordinator McDonald
Lewanika and Beatrice Nyamupinga, chairwoman of the Parliamentary Women's
Caucus. Nyamupinga said the turmoil shows that the parliamentary committee
running the process has failed in its task and that ordinary Zimbabweans were
not ready for such a daunting process.
Newsdayday.co.zw
STAFF WRITER - Jun 24 2010 22:46
President Robert Mugabe has been ranked as one of the
world’s top five dictators in an annual survey by a United States based
non-governmental organisation (NGO) which on Monday said Zimbabwe tops its 2010
failed states index.
Zanu PP spokesperson
Rugare Gumbo immediately dismissed the survey as part of the regime change
agenda to get rid of President Mugabe.
A list released by the Foreign Policy/Fund for Peace,
says President Mugabe comes second after North Korea’s Kim Jong-il who tops the
list of the world’s top 23 dictators.
The report blames President Mugabe for the nation’s
socio-economic and political ills as the reason for listing the former
liberation war leader as a dictator.
“(President) Mugabe has arrested and tortured the
opposition, squeezed his economy into astounding negative growth and
billion-percent inflation, and funneled off a juicy cut for himself using
currency manipulation and offshore accounts,” the organisation claimed in its
report.
But Gumbo retaliated: “I really don’t understand these
people. One can freely come in and out of Zimbabwe,” said Gumbo. “There is
freedom of speech and movement. I don’t attach much credit to these reports and
surveys.
“The West hates President Mugabe because he is tough,
strong and speaks against racism and neo-imperialism. That is why they hate him
and regime change to them is removing President Mugabe. That’s not democracy.”
The survey said North Korea’s leader is “a
personality-cult-cultivating isolationist with a taste for fine French cognac”.
It went on: “Kim has pauperised his people, allowed
famine to run rampant, and thrown hundreds of thousands in prison camps (where
as many as 200 000 languish today) – all the while spending his country’s
precious few resources on a nuclear programme.”
In their
order from third position as the world’s dictators, the Fund for Peace lists
Than Shwe of Burma, Omar Al Bashir of Sudan; Gurbanguly Berdimuhamed of
Turkmenistan; Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea; Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia); Hu Jintao
(China); Teodoro Nguema (Equotorial Guinea); Hosni Mubarak (Egypt); Yahya
Jammeh (Gambia); Hugo Chavez (Venezua); Blaise Compaore (Burkina Faso); Yoweri
Museveni (Uganda); Paul Kagame (Rwanda); Raul Castro (Cuba); Aersandri
Lukashenko (Belarus) and Paul Biya of Cameroon.
On Monday, the Foreign Policy/Fund for Peace ranked
Zimbabwe as one of the world’s top 10 failed states based on factors including
its economy, human rights record and security.
The US-based NGO released its 2010 Failed States Index,
on Monday, ranking 177 countries to determine those most at risk of failure.
The annual report uses matrix including security
threats, economic implosion, human rights violations and refugee flows.
Since the index was published for the first time in
2005, the top 10 slots have rotated among 15 countries, and Foreign Policy said
it seems that state failure “is a chronic condition”.
The organisation’s 2010 Failed State Index says the
world’s top 10 most vulnerable nations are: Somalia; Chad; Sudan; Zimbabwe;
Democratic Republic of Congo; Afghanistan; Iraq; Central African Republic;
Guinea and Pakistan.
Countries ranked as being in danger of becoming failed
states include India’s neighbours like Sri Lanka, which appears in 25th
position and China at 62.
Last week a United Nations agency in its annual report,
said Zimbabweans still top the world list of asylum-seekers.