The ZIMBABWE Situation
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JOC sends soldiers to enforce ZANU PF views in outreach programme
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 25 June 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
25 June 2010
The Joint Operations Command (JOC), a state security organization only accountable to Robert Mugabe, is spearheading ZANU PF’s campaign to foist the Kariba draft on the people of Zimbabwe.
Since the constitutional outreach programme started on Monday SW Radio Africa has been inundated with reports of soldiers roaming towns and districts intimidating people to toe the ZANU PF line.
Armed and uniformed soldiers have been threatening and intimidating villagers to support ZANU PF views in many districts of Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. On Thursday Senator Morgan Komichi told us they were receiving reports that in some areas the soldiers were toyi-toying and chanting ZANU PF slogans.
ZANU PF is eager to include in the new constitution the contents of the so called ‘Kariba draft’. It makes Mugabe eligible to continue in office with entrenched powers, for another 10 years, which means he would die in office and avoid prosecution for human rights abuses.
JOC remains the single biggest threat to the inclusive government. It is made up of army commanders, Central Intelligence Organisation directors, police and prison commissioners - most of them veterans of the 1970’s war of liberation.
In 2008 they spearheaded Mugabe’s violent fight back, after he lost the first round of the presidential election to then arch rival and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and Commissioner of Prisons, Retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi and Airforce of Zimbabwe Air Chief Marshall Perence Shiri, still refuse to meet Tsvangirai in the absence of Mugabe.
Though on paper JOC was dismantled under the Global Political Agreement and replaced by the National Security Council (NSC), the group still meets Mugabe on a weekly basis. Tsvangirai does not attend these meetings, though he meets the service chiefs once a month in the presence of Mugabe.
A highly placed source told us the security chiefs prefer not to discuss issues of military strategy and intelligence during NSC meetings, opting rather to exchange ideas and opinions on serious matters with Mugabe.
‘This is the only sector (security) that remains problematic in the government. While other institutions are slowly reforming the security chiefs have stuck with Mugabe and will not let go. We know issues to do with handling the MDC are discussed during these weekly JOC meetings. This is why we are not surprised they’ve sent troops to intimidate people from taking part in the outreach programme,’ our source said.
Zim delegation set for Brussels talks next week
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 25 June 2010
By Alex Bell
25 June 2010
A government delegation is set to meet with European Union (EU) officials in Belgium next week, for talks that ZANU PF will likely use to call for the lifting of targeted sanctions against the Robert Mugabe regime.
The talks in Brussels are said to be aimed at “improving Zimbabwe-EU relations,” relations that have been strained over Mugabe’s dictatorial rule of Zimbabwe. International Cooperation Minister, Priscilla Mishairabwi-Mushonga, on Thursday said talks between a delegation from Zimbabwe’s coalition government and EU officials were scheduled for July 2nd in Brussels. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, from Mugabe’s ZANU PF party, will lead the delegation that will include members from the main MDC party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The long awaited meeting was postponed earlier this year because of travel chaos brought on by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, which saw almost all flights into Europe being cancelled. Mumbengegwi then lashed out at the EU last week and accused it of deliberately delaying the dialogue, saying Brussels had not responded to communication from Harare over when to meet.
The agenda of the talks is not yet known, although observers have commented that ZANU PF will campaign for the lifting of the EU’s targeted sanctions, still in place against Mugabe and his inner circle. The measures were strengthened earlier this year with the EU citing a lack of progress by the unity government. ZANU PF in return has used the sanctions issue to hold the MDC to ransom within the unity government, refusing to make progress until the former opposition gets the measures lifted.
The EU has maintained that the measures will stay in place, a position echoed by the UK’s new Foreign Secretary William Hague. Zimbabwean campaigners in the UK have welcomed the pledge from Hague that there will be no change in British policy towards Zimbabwe.
The new coalition government in the UK, between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, was greeted with glee by Robert Mugabe, who said it would be ‘easier’ to deal with the new government than the former Labour administration. Mugabe’s hatred for the old administration under Tony Blair and his successor Gordon Brown is notorious, and there was concern that the new UK coalition would change its policy on Zimbabwe.
But in a letter to UK based protest group The Zimbabwe Vigil, Foreign Secretary Hague has made it clear there will no change of policy on Zimbabwe. He said it was clear that the inclusive government formed last year after the violent elections of 2008 was not a long-term solution. He also added that the new government in the UK will continue to support the targeted sanctions, until there is more real change in Zimbabwe.
“This government will focus on supporting a process that gives Zimbabweans a chance to state their democratic preferences, and that leads to a stable government genuinely representing the people’s will,” he said.
Hague added: “It is vital that elections, when held, must be conducted in a manner that allows Zimbabweans to express their opinions in an informed and free way and without fear of violence or intimidation.”
The Foreign Secretary was responding to a letter from the Zimbabwe Vigil, which called for peacekeepers to be sent to Zimbabwe to monitor free and fair elections.
MDC activists abducted in Marondera during outreach exercise
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 25 June 2010
By Lance Guma
25 June 2010
Public hearings for a new constitution continue to be blighted by the endless persecution of people taking part, or those known to be aligned to the MDC. On Friday there were reports that 3 MDC activists were abducted by state security agents in Chief Svosve’s area in Mashonaland East province.
Eye witnesses say Rodreck Shamu, Temba Masimara and another person identified only as Makunyadze, were abducted by a group of armed men driving a white double-cab CAM truck. Worryingly for the MDC the whereabouts of the activists remains unknown. The party says the three were targeted because they had been instrumental in mobilising MDC supporters in the area to participate in the outreach meetings.
Details provided by the MDC information department are that ‘Shamu was the first to be abducted at Twoboy Business Centre, while the same people followed Masimara and kidnapped him at Village 17 in ward 21 of Marondera East.’ Makunyadze was later abducted by the same people outside Marondera Hotel.
In Bindura the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition reports that outreach meetings continue to be marred by chaos and incidences of politically motivated violence. On Thursday at Matepatepa Country Club and Number One Play Center in Bindura ‘ZANU PF participants were seen reading from prepared scripts allegedly written by their political party during the proceedings. Both meetings were characterized by high levels of tension between opposing party members.’
The coalition expressed concern that if participants have to rely on ‘party-written scripts’ to make contributions, clearly people ‘are being denied a right to freely air out their views.’ The group said this was compromising the legitimacy of the constitution making process. The absence of the police at both meetings did not help matters either the coalition said.
On Thursday we reported how 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’.
There is now a growing worry that the same army, state security and police units who were deployed to brutalize opposition supporters in the June 2008 elections have now been reactivated. The abductions in Chief Svosve’s area have been an ominous sign of things to come. The soldiers who marched in Karoi, arbitrary arrests and incidents of violence in Bindura, Murehwa, Chinhoyi, Marondera, Mutare and Chegutu, all point to an organized campaign.
JOC sends soldiers to enforce ZANU PF views in outreach program
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 25 June 2010
By Tichaona Sibanda
25 June 2010
The Joint Operations Command (JOC), a state security organization only accountable to Robert Mugabe, is spearheading ZANU PF’s campaign to foist the Kariba draft on the people of Zimbabwe.
Since the constitutional outreach programme started on Monday SW Radio Africa has been inundated with reports of soldiers roaming towns and districts intimidating people to toe the ZANU PF line.
Armed and uniformed soldiers have been threatening and intimidating villagers to support ZANU PF views in many districts of Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. On Thursday Senator Morgan Komichi told us they were receiving reports that in some areas the soldiers were toyi-toying and chanting ZANU PF slogans.
ZANU PF is eager to include in the new constitution the contents of the so called ‘Kariba draft’. It makes Mugabe eligible to continue in office with entrenched powers, for another 10 years, which means he would die in office and avoid prosecution for human rights abuses.
JOC remains the single biggest threat to the inclusive government. It is made up of army commanders, Central Intelligence Organisation directors, police and prison commissioners - most of them veterans of the 1970’s war of liberation.
In 2008 they spearheaded Mugabe’s violent fight back, after he lost the first round of the presidential election to then arch rival and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and Commissioner of Prisons, Retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi and Airforce of Zimbabwe Air Chief Marshall Perence Shiri, still refuse to meet Tsvangirai in the absence of Mugabe.
Though on paper JOC was dismantled under the Global Political Agreement and replaced by the National Security Council (NSC), the group still meets Mugabe on a weekly basis. Tsvangirai does not attend these meetings, though he meets the service chiefs once a month in the presence of Mugabe.
A highly placed source told us the security chiefs prefer not to discuss issues of military strategy and intelligence during NSC meetings, opting rather to exchange ideas and opinions on serious matters with Mugabe.
‘This is the only sector (security) that remains problematic in the government. While other institutions are slowly reforming the security chiefs have stuck with Mugabe and will not let go. We know issues to do with handling the MDC are discussed during these weekly JOC meetings. This is why we are not surprised they’ve sent troops to intimidate people from taking part in the outreach programme,’ our source said.
Plaudits and criticism for Tsvangirai’s cabinet reshuffle
SW Radio Africa News Stories for 25 June 2010
By Violet Gonda
25 June 2010
There have been mixed reactions to the cabinet reshuffle announced by MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday, which saw four ministers from the party dropped from the government. Tsvangirai said the Cabinet reshuffle was aimed at ‘strengthening the performance of the party in the inclusive government’.
Political analyst Professor John Makumbe believes the ‘shake-up’ is a good move by Tsvangirai. He said it’s 16 months since the inauguration of the inclusive government and that the team in government was ‘on trial’ and that it is correct to evaluate and assess their performance. Makumbe said some of the individuals dropped from cabinet have enjoyed ‘the power and the perks’ that go with being ministers, but have failed to deliver.
However the programmes manager of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Pedzisai Ruhanya, said he doesn’t believe it has been a good move by Tsvangirai. He said: “The problem is not the performance of the ministers. The problem is the nature of the power that Tsvangirai himself has. The leader of the MDC has no power, compared to the power that Mugabe has.”
While ZANU PF has been accused of undermining the MDC there are other observers who say infighting within the party is also playing its part in weakening the MDC internally.
Ruhanya believes Tsvangirai is misdirecting his energy dealing with the alleged factionalism, instead of addressing the issue of strengthening his power in government. Commenting on the ‘underperforming’ MDC ministers, Ruhanya responded by saying: “Is Tsvangirai himself performing?”
Makumbe on the other hand said while it is true that the MDC has little power in government there are things that the ministers can and should do, in spite of the difficult circumstances of having to work with ZANU PF. He believes that having the right ministers in place would help the MDC achieve much more.
The ministers who were relieved from their government duties include Fidelis Mhashu, who was minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Elias Mudzuri who was dropped from the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Evelyn Masaiti, formerly deputy minister of Women’s Affairs and Thamsanqa Mahlangu, formerly deputy Minister of Youth.
Makumbe said: “Mhashu was supposed to have made noise about the allocation of Operation Garikai houses, to help victims of Operation Murambatsvina, but he didn’t. He was supposed to make noise about asking money from the UN habitat to build more houses for Operation Garikai. He didn’t.”
“There is a lot that these people could have been doing which would have ruffled the feathers of ZANU PF but which would have demonstrated to the people of Zimbabwe that these are people who are meaning well for the benefit of the people. They didn’t. They literally sat back and enjoyed the Mercs.”
Meanwhile the Herald quotes Mudzuri saying he had served in government ‘exceptionally well as a professional’ and he could not understand what he had done wrong. “I thought I was doing well and was hoping to bring better results with time….How could I underperform when I was working without the needed material resources?” he is quoted saying.
But Makumbe argues that the former energy minister, who is now expected to concentrate on his duties as MDC organising secretary, could have made more noise around the lack of power generation and shouldn’t have made misleading statements. “Sometimes he made misleading statements such as saying there would be no power cuts. And as a minister you discredit yourself when you say things like that and then the opposite of what you are saying actually happens.”
SW Radio Africa
Violet’s guest on the Hot Seat programme is Elly Harrowell from Global Witness – a member of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition. The human rights campaigner tells us why there was a lack of consensus at the KP meeting in Israel over the certification of Zimbabwe’s Chiadzwa diamonds, and why there was also no consensus on the future role of the controversial KP Monitor, Abbey Chikane. What are the implications of Zimbabwe’s threat to unilaterally export diamonds?
In Callback on Friday Nyoni says the GNU has only brought misery and confusion to people and, we hear from Ezra Sibanda who is currently visiting South Africa where Zimbabweans and other foreigners fear a rise in xenophobia, related to the football World Cup.
In Cathy Buckles Letter From Zimbabwe she writes about the constitutional outreach process and says: "For those of us who have managed to stay in the country during the eleven years since we last tried to rewrite our constitution, there is a distinct feeling of exhaustion in the air. There is hope too, but it is tempered with scepticism and fears of interference".
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Constitutional
Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga on BTH
swradioafrica.com
Following the chaos, confusion,
disruptions and intimidation that marred the beginning of public hearings on a
new constitution, SW Radio Africa journalist Lance Guma 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?
Interview
broadcast 24 June 2010
Lance Guma: Hello Zimbabwe and welcome to Behind
the Headlines. Any hope that public meetings meant to shape the content of a
new constitution would finally kick off smoothly, after the initial
administrative challenges, faded on Thursday as ZANU PF unleashed its entire
machinery to disrupt the process.
In addition, there have been
logistical and administrative issues which have created confusion around the
process. To help me get over this and explain what’s happening is the
Constitutional Affairs Minister in the inclusive government Mr. Eric Matinenga.
I first asked him to explain what’s been happening.
Eric
Matinenga: Look, it would have been abnormal
not to ever have these teething problems. In an operation of this nature, of
this extent, you always have a, this problem. I would be surprised that people
would have thought that this would have been similar to day following night. It
can’t be. We are embarking on a very extensive programme, we have been thin on
resources and people are trying to make the best out of very challenging circumstances.
So it is not something which I did
not anticipate but I must say that the people on the ground, the members of the
Select Committee, the co-chairpersons are working their socks off in order to
see that this process indeed takes off. And I can say that in certain
provinces, in certain areas, the process has taken off commendably and thanks
to their efforts.
Guma: Now Minister, VERITAS, a Harare
based organization obviously that monitors legal and constitutional issues says
it was unfortunate that so many administrative details were left to the last
minute and they’re pointing to a meeting held by COPAC in Parliament on the 17th
of June where there were still substantive disagreements and many of those
attending the meeting walked out. Is it not the point then that a lot of this
has arisen because there have been more squabbles in this process than people
actually agreeing on what to do?
Matinenga: I’m not aware of the details of the
meeting you refer to. I’m not a member of COPAC so unfortunately I’m unable to
address your question substantively, but what I know is that there may not have
been, is that yes, there may have been disagreements here and there but at the
end of the day, one must act in accordance with the common consensus and the
common consensus, from the information I got, was that we must proceed with the
Outreach. If COPAC had said that we should not, then we would have taken their
advice and we would not have proceeded with the launch of the Outreach.
Guma: Now as we speak today we have been
receiving various reports from around the country from different groups; we’ve
just received one report from Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe that says meetings
that were slated for Chinhoyi did not take place as there were disruptions and
similar meetings in Bindura were rather chaotic with ZANU PF people chanting
slogans and reading from prepared scripts in terms of their positions and this
scenario seems to be replicated country-wide. How confident are you then that
given these reports that this process will go on smoothly?
Matinenga: Look, the information which I have
would appear to be different from what you are giving me. Yes, I’ve been told
that there have been difficulties in Chinhoyi but I’m told that the
difficulties have arisen not on account of the explanation you give but on
account of ZANU PF saying that it is MDC which caused the disruption. I’m not
trying to apportion blame here but I’m simply saying in a process of this
nature and particularly in polarized provinces like the one you refer to, you
are always going to have this because there is jockeying for power,
unfortunately.
People simply have not left their
trenches. Their trenches from their respective parties and mistakenly, they
believe that this is the time to flex your muscles in accordance to which party
you belong to. But I’ve spoken to a member of the said committee in Chinhoyi
and he assured me that they are going to hold a meeting in the afternoon at 3pm
today to be exact and he was confident that out of that meeting they are going
to forge one way forward.
I have not received the reports
containing, saying to regards to what has been happening in Bindura. In fact
funnily enough I was speaking to a reporter about 30 minutes ago who had some
very encouraging comments about what was happening in Mashonaland Central,
Mashonaland East and Manicaland. So sometimes it also depends on who you speak
to but I don’t want to say that we don’t have problems but I am sure that the
persons on the ground are keen to see that those problems are addressed and
that this process moves on and I’m confident that the process will move on.
Guma: Now I have in front of me a
statement that was issued by the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai,
this issued from Harvest House – it says more than 200 uniformed soldiers
marched in the Chikangwe and Chiedza suburbs of Karoi today. The soldiers were
chanting ZANU PF slogans and threatening to bring war to the doorsteps to those
who give a different view to that of ZANU PF in the constitution consultation
meetings. Clearly that presents a problem for you, does it not?
Matinenga: No it does not present a problem for
me, it presents a problem for the inclusive government. When this Outreach was
launched, all the three principals were present. All the three principals
committed themselves to see to it that this process is conducted in peace. I’m
not aware of the incident you refer to but I’m sure that the Prime Minister
would have been adequately briefed in order for him to have made that
statement. But I’m sure that as the Prime Minister having received that report,
he would be addressing that report at the highest level so that this process
goes on.
Guma: I do recall when the Outreach was
launched, the three principals, or at least one of them I think, spoke about an
all-party committee that would be configured to try and deal with some of these
incidents. Has anything of the sort been put together because I heard MPs in
Chinhoyi saying they were going to refer this issue to the principals?
Matinenga: No, no, no, no, no, I never said the
Chinhoyi incident was going to be referred to the principals…
Guma: No I’m saying some of the MPs in
Chinhoyi were saying that.
Matinenga: Again, I’ve not heard that. As I
said, the person I spoke to who is in charge, in Chinhoyi there is Minister
Chidhakwa and member of Parliament Matamisa. I spoke to Mr. Chidhakwa who said
they were going to invite the political leadership across the broad spectrum
and address this issue and he assured me that from his assessment this committee
which he described as liaison committee will resolve the problems in Chinhoyi.
In so far as the reference you make
to a committee of all political parties, that statement was made within the
context of addressing the issue of violence generally, not necessarily for
constitution making, but as I said, if the Prime Minister has been briefed
about this unfortunate, misguided incident of soldiers, chanting slogans in
Chikangwe and Karoi, I’m sure that the Prime Minister has addressed that and
he’s going to address that at the highest level.
I was with the Prime Minister at a
different meeting this afternoon, maybe about an hour ago and he did not bring
this aspect to my attention. I’m not saying that he should have but I’m sure
that the Prime Minister is aware of how that issue should be resolved.
Guma: Let me slightly go to Bindura and
just point to you some of what we received today. We were told that there was
one meeting where you had MDC people on one side and ZANU PF people on the
other side, ZANU PF people were chanting slogans and reading from prepared
scripts in terms of what their position is. I’m sure maybe as a Minister, you
will try and be diplomatic since you are part of the inclusive government but
surely, some of the events do suggest that ZANU PF is not interested in a
people driven constitution?
Matinenga: You know I really am unable to
comment or to be drawn to make a comment in respect of the incident you
describe because I simply have not received a report on it and I therefore am
unable, from your report, to then seek to apportion blame. I can’t do that.
Guma: Let me give you another example
maybe you might have heard – in Chivi North there is an army major known as
Major Badza, he’s been threatening villagers about expressing any opinion which
is not in line with the ZANU PF opinion. There have been several other examples
in Manicaland where you have members of the army who have been doing the same
threatening people and this is obviously something that has been picked up a
lot. How worried are you that at the end of the day, maybe the views that you
would have collected would not really reflect what people really want to say?
Matinenga: You know I am not one to seek to pick
on incidents and then to simply make conclusions there from. Manicaland is
represented by (COPAC) co-chair (Douglas) Mwonzora. I wasn’t in yesterday, he
left to go to Mutare today and yesterday he told me, and I sat with him at the
same table, he told me things were moving swiftly or smoothly in Manicaland. In
fact it was the first province where the Outreach had taken off and taken off
smoothly.
Again today I was speaking to this
journalist I referred to earlier, he’s been to Manicaland and he tells me that
look things are moving smoothly in Manicaland. I have not as yet seen a
contrary communication from Honourable Mwonzora who is in fact in Manicaland as
to the incidents you are referring to. So I naturally have to act on the
reports of the officers on the ground in respect of what is happening. And it
is only in respect of those reports that I can take those reports before the
principals so that they recommit themselves to what they said last week
Wednesday and steps are taken to see that this process is conducted peacefully.
Guma: Minister Matinenga, would you say
perhaps we as the media are focusing more on the negatives than the positives?
Matinenga: I don’t know. Maybe that is the
information which you are getting. Maybe you are but again I said I’m not in
the habit of apportioning blame because also we have received contrary reports
to what you are saying, so you know, everybody has got a different way at
seeing this issue (inaudible) but from what I have heard so far and I dare say
that the person who has been most negative is yourself. What I have heard so far
is that - yes there are problems but we are addressing them in regard to the
challenges which we knew we were going to face and which challenges we must
nevertheless try to overcome.
Guma: My final question for you –
obviously Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there have been administrative,
logistical and other challenges that you have had to face, for Zimbabweans
listening in to this programme, can you assure them that these have been
resolved and all the advertised meetings will go ahead as scheduled?
Matinenga: I want to say yes, but in a process
of this nature you cannot have a dividing line that on this line, this is what
is happening, on the other side of the line, this is what is happening. Again,
let me give you one example – OK? Not even one example but let me take you back
into history. On Sunday I called the meeting to be held at the manager who is
dealing with the resource and funding issue at UNDP, where (COPAC) co-chairs
Mangwana, Mwonzora, members of the UNDP and members of the COPAC secretariat
attended.
There were various logistic problems
which we addressed and we made certain recommendations as to how these logistic
problems should be addressed. On Monday afternoon I think I was in a long
conversation with the chief executive officer of CMED, trying to impress upon
him the need to release motor vehicles and I dare say that after that lengthy
discussion with him he was agreeable to have those motor vehicles released
although payments had not been made immediately primarily for the simple reason
that when payment was demanded, it was too late in the day and when one has to
get the amount which was being requested it was simply not possible to meet
those payments.
There is the issue of equipment, when
I addressed this issue on Monday, I had been given to understand that equipment
will be ferried at least to some stations on Sunday evening and on Monday but
there were certain challenges. Today I was speaking to co-chair Mangwana in
Masvingo when the equipment was actually delivered in Masvingo today,
apparently some of this equipment needed their batteries charged because it was
equipment which has been lying in certain storerooms, it was not realized that
batteries had not been charged.
So they were there to charge those
batteries, I was told it would take eight hours but once again assured that
look, we are all set, when this is done we will be raring to go and that they
will make up the delay which has been caused by this logistic problem. So I’m
confident that these issues are being attended to and I again say that I’m
impressed by the manner in which people on the ground are prepared to face the
challenges they face and try to overcome those challenges.
Guma: That was the Constitutional Affairs
Minister Eric Matinenga joining us on Behind the Headlines. Minister, thank you
very much for joining us on the programme.
Matinenga: You are welcome, anytime.
You can listen to this programme on
the link below:
http://swradioafrica.streamuk.com/swradioafrica_archive/bth240610.wma
Feedback can be sent to lance@swradioafrica.com or http://twitter.com/lanceguma
SW Radio
Africa is Zimbabwe’s Independent Voice and broadcasts on Short Wave 4880 KHz in
the 60m band.
Ending Political Tensions: What Africa Could Learn from Latin America
Ending Political Tensions: What Africa Could Learn from Latin America
Practically no one in Africa needs to be convinced of the value of preventing war. Conflicts spills unrest, with negative consequences. If one considers the premise that long-term political struggles in Africa are "cold civil wars" with periodic "hot flashes," then it could be argued that the protracted "civil wars" in Latin American countries like Colombia, Bolivia, etc. have followed similar patterns. However, the latter situation is now changing, and perhaps African nations like Zimbabwe could learn something from new developments regarding the implementation of Invincible Defense Technology (IDT) in Latin America.
The Invincible Defense Technology is a field-tested, practical approach to world peace and national defense - an approach validated by more than 50 replications and 23 studies published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. It is a direct technological application of the most advanced discoveries in the fields of quantum mechanics, neuroscience, and human consciousness. The approach calls for the immediate establishment of large national groups of peace-creating experts practicing specific "technologies of consciousness" that have been scientifically shown to neutralize acute ethnic, political, and religious tensions that fuel violence, terrorism, and social conflict.
Four countries in Latin America are now in the process of deploying IDT. They are establishing "Prevention Wings of the Military" - large groups of soldiers who have been trained in these technologies of consciousness, including the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. At least one of these Prevention Wings will consist of 3,000 military personnel. Although details are still being finalized, the leader of the Latin American TM organization has provided the two accompanying photographs of one of the Prevention Wings for publication.
In addition, another Latin American country has decided to implement Consciousness-Based Education, which utilizes the same technologies of consciousness applied in IDT, throughout the national school system. Furthermore, the Brazilian government is training 1.5 million of its citizens in these technologies. And civilian groups in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, The Netherlands (Holland), Trinidad and Tobago, already are staffing fully operational IDT systems.
Scientific research has confirmed that large groups of peace-creating experts practicing the TM and TM-Sidhi program together can create measurable positive change in the surrounding population, including reductions in crime, violence, war and terrorism. The underlying mechanism appears to be a field effect of consciousness in which collective coherence within the group spills over into the surrounding population, dissolving the buildup of racial, religious, and political tensions in society that fuels the outbreak of violence. To create this effect on the national level, research shows that a country must maintain a TM-Sidhi group of at least the square root of one percent of its population. The powerful coherence generated by such groups defuses enmity so that no enemies arise, thereby leading to a more invincible nation.
Here is an example of how to calculate the size of these groups. According to Wikipedia, the country in Latin America with the largest population is Brazil. In The World Factbook, the CIA gives Brazil's population as 198,739,269, which when multiplied by 1% equals 1,987,393. The square root of 1,987,393 is 1,410. Therefore, if the military of Brazil wanted to become invincible, it would need to maintain a minimum of 1,410 Invincible Defense Technology (IDT) experts. (Zimbabwe would need approximately 338 experts.) A Military Prevention Wing of 3,000 soldiers well exceeds the square root of one percent of the population of any Latin American country. So the military leaders organizing the new Prevention Wing pictured above, and those in other countries who have launched earlier such projects, are to be congratulated for their wisdom of deploying a military strategy of "overwhelming force" to ensure invincibility for their countries.
 | Sometimes major discoveries take time to be fully accepted and used. Nevertheless, these examples in human history should be a lesson so as to avoid committing new mistakes. Let us recall that history is made by those who, in life, think beyond their contemporaries. - Lt. Gen. Tobias Dai, (Ret.)
Former Defense Minister of Mozambique |
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 | I am currently working with an international group of generals and defense experts that advocates Invincible Defense Technology. Our goals are twofold: to establish a new, larger and more powerful coherence group in Ecuador that will meditate and create societal coherence in support of the new government; to create the conditions necessary for economic and social progress that will lead Ecuador out of "underdevelopment" by 2025. Our strategy is to make Ecuador "invincible" in the sense that it will no longer have any enemies. No enemies, whether foreign or domestic means - no war or terrorism. - Lt. Gen. José Martí Villamil de la Cadena (Ret.) Former Vice-Minister of Defense of Ecuador |
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Countries that have implemented IDT have based their defense on the Unified Field of all the laws of nature. According to the Harvard-trained physicist Dr. John Hagelin, the technology of the unified field is a thousand million million times more powerful than the nuclear force. Yet it is inherently safe, despite its power, because it is based on the application of a completely holistic level of natural law. Years from now, in retrospect, it is likely that this development may have far more historical significance than the US military's Manhattan Project quest to develop nuclear weapons.
Despite the extensive scientific research validating the efficacy of IDT, as well as the results of field tests by the militaries of Mozambique and Ecuador. African nations like Zimbabwe have still not tried IDT. Perhaps in the future the predicted successes of the various Military Prevention Wings in Latin America will inspire African leaders to deploy IDT after they endure another crisis in places like the Congo. But it would make more sense for them to act now by preventing the danger before it arises - and before the next crisis escalates into another full-blown and very hot "civil war" potentially worse than previous outbursts.
About the Author:
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David Leffler, Ph.D. a United States Air Force veteran, is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)http://www.StrongMilitary.org. Dr. Leffler served as an Associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science, recently published a paper that Dr. Leffler presented at an international military conference titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising - Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of Transcendental Meditation has merit. |
Ambassador Mr Marchal at the opening of the stakeholder conference on Coffee in Mutare.
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EUROPEAN UNION
DELEGATION
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO THE REPUBLIC
OF ZIMBABWE
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High level Coffee stakeholder Conference
Mutare, 25 June 2010
Address of Ambassador Xavier Marchal
Head of Delegation of the European
Union
This is one of my last formal event, as I am, sadly, ending my
assignment as EU Head of mission to Zimbabwe in a few days.
My
involvement with this country started five years ago with a serious and
comprehensive attempt to engage with Government authorities on how to go about
reviving the coffee industry.
The
European Commission was here in December 2005 to assess the coffee sector. Our
findings at the time were simple, and dramatic: 1) coffee production had
declined from 10 000 tons in 2002 to less than 2 500 tons in 2005, mainly due
to a land reform that had gone off track, resulting in precious coffee trees
being replaced by maize on commercial farms; 2) the Mutare Mill, one of the
best in Africa, was already operating at loss as it needed 4 000 tons to be
viable; 3) most significant was the fact that the part produced by small coffee
growers mainly from the Honde valley was only about 50 tons, or one per cent of
the total.
It
did not take to be a coffee specialist to understand the following: 1) without
vibrant commercial coffee production, small communal coffee growers cannot
exist, for technical and economic reasons; 2) this country needs to develop
coffee production by small producers for social and political reasons; 3) small
communal farmers and large commercial farmers need necessarily to develop and cherish
their symbiotic relation, a question of survival for all.
And
this was to become the basis of what has been ever since called the
"Coffee Initiative", spearheaded by the European Commission.
Unfortunately,
it has unnecessarily failed so far. I will dwell on this in a few moments.
Today
the coffee sector is moribund, with 300 tons produced in 2010. A sheer
embarrassment, particularly for thousands of communal farmers who want to
improve their livelihoods and income, and become part of the prestigious world
fraternity of growers of what is called the “black gold”, in partnership with
commercial coffee farmers.
But
the potential is significant in term of coffee playing a significant role in
the Zimbabwe economy and for Zimbabweans: coffee is in increasing demand
worldwide; Zimbabwe coffee is of high potential quality; production reached a
peak of 15 000 tons back in 1990; thousands of small farmers could rely on it
to walk out of poverty; Zimbabwean commercial farmers are certainly among the
best in the world and should not be forced out in the way this is being done;
coffee can be “teamed up" with other very valuable crops such as macadamia
nuts or avocados; and to top all of these, growing conditions are about ideal.
EC
involvement to support small holder coffee producers of the Honde valley
started back in 1982. Since, never have
we abandoned our involvement and support, well know to growers whether communal
or commercial. The climax of our support has been the establishment of the
coffee Mill in Mutare, especially designed for small holders, a state of the
art facility known around the continent.
In
the course of the years the STABEX fund contributed with over €7.6 million to the coffee sector. The entire sector
benefited from a comprehensive support approach: the Coffee Research Centre,
the Zimbabwe Coffee Mill, the Small Scale Growers in Honde Valley and
Commercial Growers after the 2002 hurricane "Aileen".
But
more than a natural disaster like “Aileen”, it is the way the land reform
launched in 2002 was implemented, which led to a drastic reduction in the
surfaces devoted to commercial coffee.
For
the reasons I explained a few moments ago, the EC was forced to suspend its
assistance in 2006. It was making no sense to support a coffee sector in which
commercial coffee trees, each of them essential to communal farmers, were
removed and replaced by maize. Needless
to say here, this was not about the EC being against the land reform.
But
we remained engaged with the aim of bringing back the coffee sector of Zimbabwe
where it should be. I became personally and heavily involved and offered a way
out, which was constructive and respectful of Zimbabwean sovereignty.
Everyone
in Government who has something to do with coffee even distantly knows this.
After
months of challenging if not protracted negotiations with the Ministers of Land
and of Agriculture of the previous Government, back in 2006, we finally agreed
on an exchange of letters as regards the way forward. The idea was simple: the
EC offered to fund a high level workshop aimed at identifying what was needed
to restore the coffee industry, and would fund the implementation of its
recommendations if they would allow that goal to be achieved.
But
the exchange of letters was never signed. I still don’t understand why, and I
deeply regret this.
However,
farmers never give up, and today we are here for a stakeholders conference that
they want, and which I sincerely hope will eventually lead to a redress of the
coffee industry.
This
conference is based on parameters articulated by experts representing small and
commercial farmers, which the EC has funded together with Government
authorities. They are the following: 1) communication and dialogue amongst all
stakeholders; 2) putting in place the right policies; 3) protecting the
sustainability of the industry; 4) and securing its viability.
We
could have done this back in 2006. It will be more difficult now since the
coffee sector has basically disappeared from Zimbabwe.
Unless
there is immediate intervention with a sustainable business plan, Zimbabwe will
no longer be able to produce fine Arabica Coffee. But with good immediate
political will and serious technical foundations, it is not an impossible goal
to reverse this trend.
I
am leaving Zimbabwe shortly. But this is not about me, or even about the EC. It
is about Zimbabwe as a nation deciding if she wants a coffee industry, and if
this is the case, taking action to make that happen.
Zimbabwe
has a milling capacity to handle 50 000 tonnes of green coffee annually and has
facilities including Zimbabwe Coffee Mill Limited, the Grain Marketing Board
and at least ten Export Processing Zones which are now running far below their
viable thresholds.
As
I said, consultants have been hired to work closely with key stakeholders to
understand the challenges being faced by the industry. They worked to
formulate a sustainable business model for the stabilization, recovery and
growth of the Zimbabwe Coffee Industry.
If
the industry is allowed to stabilize and to become self sustaining, there will
be tremendous opportunities for growth by attracting and promoting new entrants
to the Coffee Industry, which will in turn play a positive role in improving
the living standards of vulnerable communities, creating employment and
improving the Gross Domestic Product of Zimbabwe which will have knock on
effects on the national economy.
This
conference should encourage open debate to enable the conclusion of the
proposed sustainable business plan for the rebuilding of the Zimbabwe Coffee
Industry.
But
what needs to be done is not purely technical. Political decisions need to be
taken without which any attempt of revival of the coffee industry will fail. I
call on the Zimbabwean Government to take those right decisions.
The
recent eviction of the very consultant contracted to represent the commercial
constituency in the symbiotic relationship I mentioned earlier, is very
problematic in my view. Beyond legal issues which are being put forward, the
Government needs to decide what it wants, act politically, and appreciate the
need for compromise.
In
the end, the overall community of actual and potential small and commercial
coffee growers and stakeholders must clearly indicate that there is room in
this country for a vibrant coffee industry for the benefit of all and of
Zimbabwe.
Most
importantly, I would like to highlight the significance of the presence of
Deputy Prime Minister Khupe, as well as of Minister Ncube who is in charge of
the coffee industry. Their participation is testimony of a strong Government
commitment to resuscitate the coffee industry.
I
hope that a positive way forward can be agreed at this conference. I do want to
believe that this is a new beginning, and not the end of a lost cause.
Thank you.
Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Zimbabwe
tel. +263 4 338158 to 64, extension 165
website http://www.delzwe.ec.europa.eu
email: Delegation-Zimbabwe-Fsc@ec.europa.eu