FinGaz
Govt orders varsity's immediate closure
Staff
Reporter
3/13/03 2:05:01 AM (GMT +2)
THE government has
ordered the immediate closure of the University of
Zimbabwe (UZ) because of a
crippling lecturers' strike, amid revelations
that the state and civil
servants have agreed to resolve a separate salary
dispute within 15
days.
Education Minister Swithun Mombeshora told Parliament
yesterday that
the UZ would be closed temporarily while the government
attempted to resolve
a salary dispute with lecturers.
The
University of Zimbabwe's teaching staff downed tools last month,
demanding a
50 percent retention allowance for all academic staff, an 80
percent hike on
basic salaries and a substantial increase in their housing
and transport
allowances.
Mombeshora said all lectures who had not performed
their duties since
the beginning of the year would not receive any
remuneration.
"I have failed to understand why the Association of
University
Teachers is adamant to go on with the strike action and why there
is no
appreciation of all the efforts we have made so far to address
their
demands," he said.
"Even more baffling is their
determination to hold my ministry at
ransom over a proposal that was never
formally presented to me. Government
is therefore compelled to direct the
university to close temporarily while
the contentious issues are being
addressed."
Mombeshora told Parliament that UZ departments that had
not been
affected by the industrial action would remain open. These include
the
education faculty, post graduate departments, medicine and the College
of
Health Science.
Exams scheduled for this month have already
been postponed to May and
June because of the strike.
Meanwhile,
public service union officials told the Financial Gazette
that the government
and civil servants had agreed to resolve a separate
salary dispute within 15
days.
The agreement was reached at a meeting on Monday between
civil service
unions and officials from the Public Service Commission
(PSC).
Civil servants want the government to iron out salary
discrepancies
that they say are the result of an inefficient grading
system.
A review of the grading system would bring the salaries of
all
government employees in line, leading to all civil servants being graded
and
paid according to their qualifications and work experience.
Union leaders say delays in sorting out the discrepancies have
resulted in
delays in the payment of salary hikes that were supposed to be
awarded to
civil servants at the beginning of this year.
Leonard Nkala, the
leader of the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association, told
the Financial Gazette:
"All the stakeholders met and agreed on a deadline of
15 days from Monday to
end the problem.
"Some ministries are arguing that they have not
been properly graded
but as teachers, we are saying we are okay. We have been
graded as per our
expectations. Were it not for the disparities in the
grading of other
ministries, I am sure we were not going to have these delays
in getting our
new salaries and other perks."
He added: "We all
agreed, including the PSC, that the 15-day deadline
is enough for the issue
to be solved amicably. We expect that by April all
this will be history. The
ministries that are complaining about the grading
of their professionals are
expected to submit their concerns by the set
window period."
FinGaz
Evicted farmers still receiving rates invoices
Staff Reporter
3/13/03 1:39:12 AM (GMT +2)
BULAWAYO - Some
rural district councils are still sending rates and
supplementary charges
statements to white farmers evicted under the
government's controversial land
reform programme, with agriculture experts
this week saying the councils
might be unable to collect revenue from
farmers resettled on appropriated
land.
More than 90 percent of Zimbabwe's 4 500 commercial farmers
have been
evicted under the govern- ment's programme to seize white-owned
farms for
the resettlement of blacks, about 350 000 of whom have been
allocated land.
Several white farmers evicted from their properties
in the
Matabeleland region this week told the Financial Gazette that rural
district
councils still wanted them to pay rates, unit taxes and other
supplementary
charges even though they no longer owned land.
They said they were still receiving monthly statements from some
rural
district councils, many of which cannot collect rates from resettled
farmers
because their records do not accurately indicate the changes that
have taken
place because of the farm seizures.
Commercial
Farmers' Union deputy president Mac Crawford said: "The
letters continue
coming from rural district councils demanding that farmers
pay unit tax but
we think this is stupid and crazy as most farmers being
sent the letters and
receipts demanding payment are no longer on their
properties.
"The farmers are unable to continue with their business of farming so
why
should they pay the unit tax and other rates to the rural district
councils?
This is unbelievable and the people now settled on the properties
should fork
out."
A farmer from Marondera, Kerry Kay, was sent an invoice
number 700/434
dated 1st January 2003 by the Marondera Rural Council,
requesting payment of
$395 400 for rates due for the year
2002/3.
Documents in the possession of this newspaper show that Kay
wrote to
the Marondera Rural Council alerting them that she had been evicted
from her
property in the area.
Part of her letter reads: "You
might not have heard that our farm,
together with the others in the area,
were compulsorily acquired last year
by the government and all the owners
evicted, some like ourselves at
gunpoint.
"As we are no longer
the legal owners in terms of the Land
Acquisition, might I suggest that you
refer this account to war veterans on
the farm. I am sure that they will be
able to collectively pay this large
sum of money in order to keep the roads
graded, the health workers paid and
all the other services provided by your
council."
A Ministry of Lands and Agriculture official blamed the
confusion to
inefficiency within rural district councils.
"The
government knows who is on what farm and what is left now is for
the rural
district councils to feed this information into their files," said
the
official, who declined to be named.
"The statements being sent are
emanating from the old files. These
will be updated soon."
But
farming experts pointed out that updating the rural district
councils'
records was not a guarantee that the resettled farmers would pay
the rates
and other charges that provide revenue for the councils and enable
them to
maintain infrastructure.
They said many of the new farmers were not
farming because of lack of
inputs, equipment, financial assistance and the
drought.
They said most of the resettled farmers were not earning
revenue and
therefore might not be in a position to pay the charges.
FinGaz
Financial firms' stance to fuel black market
McDonald Dzirutwe
3/13/03 1:50:58 AM (GMT +2)
MANY local
financial institutions are taking foreign currency
positions that will
provide substantial income for their operations this
year but which analysts
this week said could further fuel Zimbabwe's
parallel market for hard
cash.
The analysts said the financial institutions, buoyed by the
government
's recent devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar, were snapping up
hard cash in
anticipation of further depreciation in the course of this
year.
They said hopes of further devaluation were being driven by
Zimbabwe's
persistent hard currency shortages, which they said were unlikely
to be
alleviated by the adjustment of exchange rates for exporters and
other
foreign currency sellers.
Banks last week devalued the
Zimbabwe-US dollar exchange rate from $55
to US$1 to $824, which the analysts
said would act as a reprieve for
exporting companies facing collapse, but
would not lead to significant forex
inflows.
"Banks are taking
large foreign currency positions at the current
prices because they forecast
that by the end of the year, it is certain that
they will reap huge profits
from disposing of their forex," an analyst with
a local stockbroking firm
said.
"Some banks have been hesitant but I believe they now realise
that
while they can derive earnings from interest income, there is also scope
for
much growth in foreign currency income."
Sagit Stockbrokers
said in its commentary: "With no permanent solution
in place to enhance
foreign currency inflows, we foresee the foreign
currency factor remaining as
a good source of income for banks."
Most banks trade in foreign
currency although this is rarely shown in
their income statements, in which
it is sometimes only reflected as
non-interest income.
Financial
counters have in recent weeks posted exceptional results
that are above
market expectations, adding to the bullish sentiment on the
Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange (ZSE).
Stock market analysts said investors would be
cheered by a proposal by
Zimbabwe Sun (Zimsun) Limited directors to split the
company into two, which
would benefit shareholders.
The company
will be split into a hotel management firm and a property
arm, which is
expected to inherit Zimsun's assets estimated at $51 billion.
Analysts said the property company would be a particular target
for
institutional investors such as pension funds, which would take
long-term
investment positions while the management firm would draw interest
from
individual investors.
"The property company would suit
institutional investors and there
should be a huge appetite for such an
investment vehicle," an analyst with
Intermarket Stockbrokers told the
Financial Gazette.
"The institutions will obviously want to take
long-term positions,"
the analyst added.
Stock market watchers
said the two proposed companies' share prices
were likely to trade at between
$40 and $50.
Zimsun on Monday resumed trading on the ZSE, from
where it was
suspended last Friday after its share price shot to $40 from $18
within a
week.
Meanwhile, insurance heavy weight Old Mutual
tumbled 17 percent to $1
000 last Friday after it fell to an all time low of
R9.10 from R9.49 on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange, because of a firming
rand and uncertainty over
the United States' threats to attack
Iraq.
The share has been languishing around $1 300 in the last few
months,
making it one of the most inactive counters on the stock market
lately.
Meanwhile, on the money market rates remained firm in a
market that
was $13.8 billion short on Monday and was expected to remain in
deficit the
whole of this week.
The central bank's purchase
agreement rate remained unchanged at 41.88
percent this week, which saw call
rates being quoted at above 60 percent,
the same position as last
week.
Seven and 14-day rates were unchanged at 56 and 57
percent.
The 30, 60 and 90-day Treasury bills eased to 41, 40 and
40 percent
compared to 56, 46, and 45 percent respectively last
week.
According to dealers, the government again rejected all bids
on its
traditional 90-day Treasury bill because banks were quoting higher
rates and
also because the government still had resources from taxes paid
by
corporates at the end of last month.
On the foreign currency
market, dealers said although there were signs
that foreign currency inflows
into the official market could improve in the
short-term, there was however
still little activity.
The dealers however said the Zimbabwe dollar
rate on the parallel
market had firmed from $1 500 to $1 300 against the
United States dollar by
Friday last week, adding that the local currency
could strengthen to $1 000
against the greenback.
"There are
good prospects for the official foreign currency market and
we see the
Zimbabwe dollar touching the $1 000 level against the US dollar
on the
parallel market," a dealer with a Harare commercial bank said.
Strip Mugabe of knighthood say Lib Dems
The
Liberal Democrats have challenged the government to
strip Robert Mugabe of
his honorary knighthood.
The party's peers have called
on the government to advise
the Queen to remove the honour conferred on
Zimbabwe's president.
They have tabled a question in
the Lords arguing that the
government should make a symbolic gesture in
protest at Mugabe's human
rights record.
"By and
large, sanctions from the international community
on Zimbabwe have not
worked. But there is a moral need to send signals to
Robert Mugabe that his
actions are deplorable," Lord Watson said.
"Robert
Mugabe has led the people of Zimbabwe to the brink
of destruction. He does
not deserve an honour of this kind. The government
should advise that his
honorary knighthood be withdrawn."
Zimbabwe: update from Jenni Williams
Dear Friends,
Further to my eye witness account of Saturdays
International Women's Day
Event, I was today visited by two CID law and order
officers who requested
that I visit their office to be formally charged. For
those of you who do
not know, I am a PR Consultant and my company is Public
Relations
Newsmakers.
I went down to Byo Central Police Station and
was charged under POSA Chapter
11:17 Section 24 (1)(6), a charge I denied as
I was merely an observer on
the day. I presume they will proceed by way of a
summons. I know of two
other ladies who have signed statements.
I
watched proceedings from a distance and for the most part was in the
presence
of journalists and was then arrested outside the Central Police
Station. I
had followed the groups of women seeking to assist those injured.
Both
officers were interested in obtaining more information on Public
Relations
and asked me if they could have lectures! I am left wondering
which form of
Public Relations they would required teaching. It seems that
the form of PR I
spend much of my time undertaking at present is 'Protest
PR'. I would gladly
arrange a workshop on this topic but not sure if they
will attend as
participants or if they will attend to arrest/assault the
participants as
they did Saturday.
My sister sent me this quote and hope it is a
meaningful to you as it was to
me ...
Be strong!
We are not here to
play, to dream, to drift.
We have hard work to do and loads to lift. Shun not
the struggle; face it,
'Its God's gift. Be strong it matters not how deep
entrenched the wrong,
how hard the battle goes, the day how long; Faint not,
fight on!
Tomorrow comes the song.
Malbie Babcock from the book by Frank
Mussel, A more excellent way.
To true FREEDOM!
Client information
- For privileged use by the addressee only.
Contact Jenni Williams on Mobile
(+263) 91 300456 or 11213 885 Or on email
jennipr@mweb.co.zw
or Fax (+2639) 63978
or (+2634) 703829
Office email prnews@mweb.co.zw
A member of the
International Association of Business Communicators. Visit
the IABC website
www.iabc.com
JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject
line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ON
THE LIGHTER SIDE:
The Lesson Of The Geese
This fall, when you see
geese heading south for the winter flying along in
the "V" formation, you
might consider what science has discovered as to why
they fly that
way.
FACT: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the
bird
immediately following. By flying in the "V" formation, the whole flock
has
at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its
own.
LESSON: People who share a common direction and sense of community
can get
where they are going more quickly and easily because they are
travelling on
the thrust of one another.
FACT: When a goose flies out
of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and
resistance of trying to go it
alone. It quickly gets back into formation to
take advantage of the lifting
power of the bird in front of it.
LESSON: If we have as much common sense
as a goose, we stay in formation
with those headed where we want to go. We
are willing to accept their help
and give our help to others. It is harder to
do something alone than
together.
FACT: When the lead goose gets
tired, it rotates back into the formation,
and another goose flies to the
point position.
LESSON: It is sensible to take turns doing the hard and
demanding tasks and
sharing leadership. As with geese, people are
interdependent on each
other's skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements
of gifts, talents, or
resources.
FACT: The geese flying in formation
honk from behind to encourage those up
front to keep up their
speed.
LESSON: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups
where
there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power
of
encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage
the
heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek. We need
to
make sure our honking is encouraging and not discouraging.
FACT:
When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two other geese will
drop out
of formation with that goose and follow it down to lend help and
protection.
They stay with the fallen goose until it dies or is able to fly
again. Then,
they launch out on their own, or with another formation to
catch up with
their flock.
LESSON: If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by
our colleagues
and each other in difficult times as well as in
good!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice
for
Agriculture.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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for Agriculture mailing list
To subscribe/unsubscribe: Please write to jag-list-admin@mango.zw
FinGaz
Mugabe firmly entrenched a year after poll
By
Sydney Masamvu Assistant Editor
3/13/03 2:09:22 AM (GMT
+2)
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has defied predictions by maintaining
a
semblance of stability in Zimbabwe in the 12 months since his
controversial
re-election last March, but analysts say there are clear signs
that the
country is ominously heading for collapse.
The analysts
said since the March 9 to 10 2002 presidential election,
Mugabe had
maintained tight control over Zimbabwe despite forecasts of
massive social
unrest that commentators predicted would be sparked by
worsening food
insecurity and an economic crisis that has left thousands of
people nearly
destitute.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), wracked by
internal squabbles, increasing state repression and the
treason trial of
three of its top leaders, has lost some of its lustre in the
past few
months.
Civic society and the general population have
been hard hit by
repressive laws that inhibit free expression, movement as
well as assembly
and have been used to ruthlessly stamp out criticism of the
government.
African leaders have come out in support of the ruling
ZANU PF,
calling for the suspension of sanctions imposed by Western countries
against
Mugabe and his top hierarchy.
Commentators said the
international community had lost some of its
credibility because of divisions
that the government had been quick to use
to its advantage.
"While the crisis deepens, the international response has become
more
divided," the International Crisis Group said in its latest report
on
Zimbabwe.
"The Commonwealth's very purpose is being called
into question. Though
the principles upon which it is based are being
flouted, leading members
South Africa and Nigeria are arguing against all the
evidence that Zimbabwe'
s suspension should be lifted because the situation
has improved."
The report added: "The relevant regional and
continental international
organisations (SADC and the African Union
respectively) have yet to engage
meaningfully while South Africa and Nigeria
set the tone. The European Union
is rent by divisions, with France's
invitation to Mugabe to participate in a
pan-African summit in Paris having
engendered a controversy that nearly put
an end to the targeted sanctions
regime that was established shortly before
Mugabe's re-election.
"The US remains a weak actor, able to implement a promised asset
freeze
component in its own targeted sanctions regime only after nearly a
year's
delay because of internal mid-level policy disagreements. "
Local
analysts said buoyed by the semblance of political stability,
the government
now felt secure enough to launch the agro-based National
Economic Recovery
Programme (NERP) it believed would curb Zimbabwe's
economic
meltdown.
At the launch of the programme last week, Information
Minister
Jonathan Moyo made much of the seeming political stability, saying
the
drafting of the NERP would not have been possible without the "stability
and
security in the country".
But economists and political
analysts warned that far from coming to
grips with Zimbabwe's economic and
political instability, ZANU PF had merely
"papered over the cracks" by coming
down hard on dissent.
In the past 12 months, Zimbabwe's economic
crisis has worsened, with
inflation rising 208.1 percent in the year to
January 2003 and several
companies cutting back or suspending production
because of fuel, foreign
currency and raw material shortages.
"A
year since the election, there is deepening distress of the
economy, it has
been downhill all the way, nothing has changed," said
economic consultant
John Robertson.
"In actual fact, in the past year the country has
been in limbo and
the economy is collapsing."
He said there had
been marked shrinkage in nearly every productive
sector in the past 12 months
while Zimbabweans had become poorer, with at
least 80 percent of the
population now believed to be living below the
poverty datum line and
unemployment estimated at more than 70 percent.
Robertson pointed
out that while Mugabe had received moral support
from other African states,
very few of them had come through with the
foreign investment crucial for the
Zimbabwean economy.
"Zimbabwe has received hollow moral support
from the expected
countries because of historical links, but no help of
substance to boost the
economy has been forthcoming and facts on the ground
speak for themselves,"
he told the Financial Gazette.
Close to
eight million Zimbabweans are in need of emergency food aid
because of severe
food shortages resulting from drought and the government's
seizure of
white-owned land for the resettlement of black peasants and
aspiring
commercial farmers.
Food insecurity is expected to worsen from
April after current food
aid initiatives expire and farmers bring in poor
harvests.
The International Crisis Group said in its report: "The
economic
meltdown, food crisis, and deepening state-sponsored violence that
have
plagued Zimbabwe in the year since the presidential election continue
to
point in one ominous direction: potential state collapse.
"One of Africa's most highly developed formal economies is
disappearing.
Despite price and wage controls, the inflation rate may hit
500 per-cent
before the year is out. Severe food shortages resulting from
the destruction
of the commercial farm sector and the use of food as a
political weapon have
turned one of Africa's breadbaskets into a beggar
nation subject to localised
famines."
The group said there was also a risk that "deterioration
of command
and control" over the war veterans and youth militias the
government has
used against its opponents could lead to a rapid increase in
unstructured
violence throughout the country.
Meanwhile, the
impact of the economic crisis, food shortages and
political violence has
sparked protests from several groups, including the
clergy and women's
groups, all summarily suppressed.
"There is nothing positive to
record over the past year," said
University of Zimbabwe political analyst
Brian Raftopoulos. "The economic
situation has been declining at a very fast
rate and there has been an
increase in state-sponsored
repression."
He said it was crucial for the Zimbabwean economy that
the government
re-establish relations with the international community and
resume internal
political dialogue.
The International Crisis
Group added: "New efforts to coordinate both
African and wider international
efforts are called for, with a practical
focus on restarting, ideally under
new sponsorship, the negotiations between
ZANU PF and the MDC."
FinGaz
HIV/AIDS: legacy of a lost generation
3/13/03 2:08:42 AM (GMT +2)
With an average life expectancy that
has plummeted to 42, HIV/AIDS is
tearing Zimbabwean society apart.
Grandmothers taking care of 780 000
orphans, child-headed households and
dying teachers are some of the virus'
tragic legacies.
The World
Food Programme (WFP)'s Benson Gono reports on how Zimbabwe
is learning to
live without a lost generation.
Nkayi - Mamhlope Nyathi spends
sleepless nights praying and asking God
for forgiveness.
The
Zimbabwean grandmother believes God is punishing her.
In the past
four years, four of her eight children have fallen victim
to Zimbabwe's
raging HIV/AIDS pandemic, leaving her to care for five
orphans, all aged less
than 10.
They need to be fed and sent to school, but Mamhlope's
deceased sons
and daughters left her with virtually nothing to bring-up her
grandchildren.
"Why should all this be happening to me? I looked
after my own
children after the death of their father and up to now I have
never had any
rest in my life," she says.
Her four remaining
children abandoned Mamlhope's hometown of Dakamela
in Nkayi district over two
years ago and are spread in different cities
around the country. None have
returned to help.
"I don't know whether they are still alive or
they are also dead.
People of my age should be cared for by their children. I
don't know why God
is punishing me?"
Mamhlope, who only survives
thanks to a WFP monthly food distribution,
is just one of the increasing
number of elderly Zimbabwean women forced into
a tragic second motherhood by
HIV/AIDS.
Grandmothers taking care of orphans is just one of the
symptons of an
adult prevalence rate which now exceeds 33 percent.
Child-headed households,
780 000 orphans and dying teachers are other painful
realities.
With an average life expectancy that has plummeted to
42, HIV/AIDS is
literally tearing Zimbabwean society apart.
The
UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Southern African
humanitarian
crisis, James Morris, came face to face with the consequences
on his recent
visit to a home-care HIV/AIDS programme in Dziva rasekwa, a
suburb of the
capital Harare.
"I spoke to two young boys, one in seventh grade,
one in fourth
grade," said Morris after his visit, "Mom had died this year of
HIV. Dad has
simply left. Suddenly, these three kids had to fend for
themselves.
"17-year-old children should be having one kind of life
and it usually
doesn't imply being the head of a household."
Zimbabwe's ongoing food crisis, which has left close to eight million
people
in need of food aid, has exacerbated the impact of HIV/AIDS.
Food
shortages rob the infected of one of the first defences against
AIDS-related
illnesses and early death - good nutrition. While households
like Mamhlope's,
who have lost their main breadwinners, are poorer and more
vulnerable to
starvation.
Even before the current drought, the responsibility for
producing,
transporting and marketing the family crop had fallen on
Mamhlope's frail
shoulders.
"The lack of rain has made the
situation even worse," she says.
"After harvesting I would normally
sell part of my maize crop.
But I only managed to get maize seed in
January and that was too late
and so there are no crops in my
fields."
The lack of income from her maize crop means
Mamhlope has been unable
to pay her grandchildrens' fees at the nearby
Dakamela Primary School for
the past two terms.
"The school
authorities are aware of my plight and they no longer
bother to send the
children away from school," she says.
"They know that when I get
the money I will pay, but at the moment, it
is difficult to
promise."
In her own and Zimbabwe's current circumstances, Mamhlope
is only
prepared to make a single pledge.
"I hope that God will
hear my prayers and give me more time to live
and look after these innocent
souls," she says, her frail voice wavering.
"I don't want to think
about what will happen to these children when I
die."
FinGaz
Tamoil to launch first mobile fuel stations in
Zim
Staff Reporter
3/13/03 1:29:09 AM (GMT
+2)
LIBYAN oil firm Tamoil Private Limited plans to
introduce
southern Africa's first mobile fuel stations in Zimbabwe, as part
of a
partnership agreement with the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(NOCZIM), it
was learnt this week.
Mohammad Azabbi, the
Libyan ambassador to Zimbabwe, told the
Financial Gazette that the mobile
fuel stations - petrol and diesel
dispensing facilities on wheels - would
especially be targeted at remote
areas where there are fewer or no service
stations.
The proposed service stations are part of an
agreement between
NOCZIM and Tamoil to set up a joint venture oil firm in
Zimbabwe.
The Libyan ambassador said the two companies had
agreed in
principle to create the joint venture firm, but specific details of
the deal
were yet to be finalised.
"We intend to introduce
mobile fuel stations in Zimbabwe but we
are waiting for the conclusion of the
agreement between NOCZIM and Tamoil,"
Azabbi told the Financial
Gazette.
He said the mobile fuel outlets were
manufactured in Germany and
each cost US$150 000 and had the capacity to
carry more than 20 000 litres
of fuel.
Similar mobile fuel
stations are commonly used in north African
countries.
The
Libyan ambassador said Tamoil would provide 51 percent of
the joint venture
company's fuel requirements, adding that this would be
equal to 51 percent
equity in the new firm.
The company would control the
strategic oil pipeline from Beira
to NOCZIM's Mabvuku depot and all fuel
depots owned by NOCZIM countrywide.
It would also set up new fuel
outlets.
Azabbi said Tamoil and NOCZIM were also yet to agree
on a new
fuel supply arrangement for Zimbabwe, which is battling a crippling
fuel
crisis. Tamoil has in the past provided fuel to the country under a
special
arrangement.
The Libyan ambassador said any new
supply agreement would have
to take into account the recent devaluation of
the Zimbabwe dollar from $55
to $824 against the United States
dollar.
According to Azabbi, a team of Zimbabwean officials
that
travelled to Libya last month to renegotiate Zimbabwe's US$360 million
fuel
deal with Tamoil was unsuccessful because the Arab country was observing
a
religious holiday.
He however said a Tamoil official was
in Zimbabwe last week and
had held talks with the Jewel Bank, which in the
past has played the role of
broker in supply discussions between Tamoil and
NOCZIM.
"The mission that went to Libya last month did not
have much
success because we were observing a religious holiday," Azabbi
said, adding
that the trip had now been rescheduled.
"Negotiations are still ongoing but we will have to see the
impact of the new
exchange rate policy," he added.
Under the previous
arrangement between NOCZIM and Tamoil,
Zimbabwe's state oil procurer would
pay the Libyans using the exchange rate
of $55 to the Zimbabwe
dollars.
The money was then used to buy commodities such as
tea and beef
and to invest in local state entities.
3/13/03
1:29:09 AM (GMT +2)
LIBYAN oil firm Tamoil Private Limited plans to
introduce southern
Africa's first mobile fuel stations in Zimbabwe, as part
of a partnership
agreement with the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(NOCZIM), it was learnt
this week.
Mohammad Azabbi, the Libyan
ambassador to Zimbabwe, told the Financial
Gazette that the mobile fuel
stations - petrol and diesel dispensing
facilities on wheels - would
especially be targeted at remote areas where
there are fewer or no service
stations.
The proposed service stations are part of an agreement
between NOCZIM
and Tamoil to set up a joint venture oil firm in
Zimbabwe.
The Libyan ambassador said the two companies had agreed
in principle
to create the joint venture firm, but specific details of the
deal were yet
to be finalised.
"We intend to introduce mobile
fuel stations in Zimbabwe but we are
waiting for the conclusion of the
agreement between NOCZIM and Tamoil,"
Azabbi told the Financial
Gazette.
He said the mobile fuel outlets were manufactured
in Germany and each
cost US$150 000 and had the capacity to carry more than
20 000 litres of
fuel.
Similar mobile fuel stations are commonly
used in north African
countries.
The Libyan ambassador said
Tamoil would provide 51 percent of the
joint venture company's fuel
requirements, adding that this would be equal
to 51 percent equity in the new
firm.
The company would control the strategic oil pipeline from
Beira to
NOCZIM's Mabvuku depot and all fuel depots owned by NOCZIM
countrywide. It
would also set up new fuel outlets.
Azabbi said
Tamoil and NOCZIM were also yet to agree on a new fuel
supply arrangement for
Zimbabwe, which is battling a crippling fuel crisis.
Tamoil has in the past
provided fuel to the country under a special
arrangement.
The
Libyan ambassador said any new supply agreement would have to take
into
account the recent devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar from $55 to
$824
against the United States dollar.
According to Azabbi, a
team of Zimbabwean officials that travelled to
Libya last month to
renegotiate Zimbabwe's US$360 million fuel deal with
Tamoil was unsuccessful
because the Arab country was observing a religious
holiday.
He
however said a Tamoil official was in Zimbabwe last week and had
held talks
with the Jewel Bank, which in the past has played the role of
broker in
supply discussions between Tamoil and NOCZIM.
"The mission that
went to Libya last month did not have much success
because we were observing
a religious holiday," Azabbi said, adding that the
trip had now been
rescheduled.
"Negotiations are still ongoing but we will have to
see the impact of
the new exchange rate policy," he added.
Under
the previous arrangement between NOCZIM and Tamoil, Zimbabwe's
state oil
procurer would pay the Libyans using the exchange rate of $55 to
the Zimbabwe
dollars.
The money was then used to buy commodities such as tea and
beef and to
invest in local state entities.
COMMERCIAL
FARMERS' UNION
CLASSIFIEDS
- TUESDAY 11th MARCH 2003
Please
note that the classifieds will go out every Tuesday. Payment is required upfront and all adverts
to be in by 0900 hrs every Tuesday. This
ensures efficient distribution of the Classifieds.
Ø ACCOMMODATION
/ PLOTS / PROPERTIES
PROPERTIES
FOR SALE
BORROWDALE
CENTRAL
Mature
2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house plus 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom cottage. All set in
approx.. 2.7 acres with pool, borehole. Walled 2 sides with electric
gate.
Price
Guide $ 100 million
HIGHLANDS
Huge,
character, executive residence set in 2 acres, fully walled with electric gate
and fence. Pool, borehole, all weather flood lit tennis
court.
Price
Guide $ 150 million
MOUNT
PLEASANT / GROOMBRIDGE
Immaculate,
secure executive residence set in approx 1.5 acres of walled grounds with razor
wire and electric gate. Pool and
borehole.
Price
Guide $ 150 million
MEYRICK
PARK
Immaculate
hill top residence with superb views of the city. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.
Good Value.
Price
Guide $ 50 million
Please
phone EDWARDS REAL ESTATE (PVT) LTD
745642/7 edward@mweb.co.zw
for full details
NP
[11/3]
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LOVELY
OLDER HOUSE TO RENT:
On two acres, with pool and tennis court. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large
reception room and dining room (parquet flooring). Pretty garden. Alarmed. Barred. Double car port and electric gate. Walking distance to the Borrowdale Shops (for
all but teenagers!) $220
000/mth.
Phone
882412
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOUSE
TO LET
- Bluff Hill, 3-bedroom house with two bathrooms, double lockup garage, lovely
garden, staff quarter, walled and gated.
$70 000. Avail 1st
May.
Contact
Marion 091 215548, 091 300684.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COTTAGE
for
rent. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Very neat.
Contact
073-2786.
AF19
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRISTON
BANK. 3
bedroom cottage, lounge, separate dining room, lockup garage. On 12 acres.
Available April 2003. Phone
075-2232, 075-2615, 091 260 494.
DL
[11/3]
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FARMS
FOR SALE.
Natal
Midlands developed dairy farm, supplies nearby cheese factory; fully irrigated
with housing and some machinery. Supplementary income from a tile
factory.
Strawberry
farm with trout dam; up market housing; tourism
potential.
These
farms are adjacent and are available jointly or
separately.
Phone
- 27 33 396 5498 fax - 27 33 386 9993
Cell - 0832744253
GD
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small
secure private cottage available to rent.
Picturesque surroundings in the Avondale area. Rental $40 000 per month includes lights and
water. Tel
304572.
BK
[4/3. 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOOKING
FOR CARING TENANTS. Live-in basis - look after 2 dogs. 1 Rottie,
1 Foxy and keep an eye on property and servant.
Available mid-year.
For
more information write Box WGT 240 or e-mail jfairley@mango.zw.
AF4
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking
for a small house, cottage, flat or house to share in the Marlborough, Westgate,
Avondale, Strathaven or surrounding areas, rent around $30 000.00 per month for
a lady with 3 school going children.
Please call Leonie at 309800 ext 241, cell:
091252076.
LN
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KARIBA:
house for occasional letting. Consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Fully furnished and equipped, swimming pool
and double lock-up garage, walled and serviced.
House is located in Baobab Ridge.
Tel Ben Kaschula on Harare 498121 or at CFU
309800.
#BK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upmarket
two bed-roomed garden flat with courtyard, self-contained garage, in small
complex for sale in Mandara, Harare.
Please
contact Carrie Wilson on 747935 (evenings).
#CW
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
House
to share in Highlands. Fully furnished. Suit single lady or gentleman, available
immediately.
Phone:
Ben on 309800 (Bus) or 498121 (Home).
#BK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø COMPUTERS
RD
COMPUTERS
We
offer a personal and efficient service for all your computer requirements,
including: -
*
upgrades
*
hardware and software sales
*
maintenance contracts
*
trouble shooting
*
repairs
Please
call Gus McTiernan at RD Computers on 091 347 961 or email rdc@zol.co.zw for
further details.
#GM
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEARN
HOW TO USE YOUR COMPUTER in a
safe, friendly and pleasant environment, by the real professionals in the
field. If you need to start right at the
beginning, expand your existing knowledge or learn something new, then contact
us to book a place on one of our many courses on offer. Enrol for the ICDL course to gain an
internationally recognised certificate in just 12 days. Join others in a classroom situation or book
the trainer for a one-to-one either at your place or our offices. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU! For more information, phone Sutherland
Computers on 732286 or 726476/9 or E-Mail us on : suth@mweb.co.zw Stay on track . . . .
TRAIN!
AE60
[4/2-11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø FOR
SALE
BUSINESS
FOR SALE : Photocopying
bureau, stationery shop, binding, laminating, manufacture of rubber stamps,
laser engraving. Msasa. Good customer base, sound investment, trained
staff.
AF33
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VEHICLE
FOR SALE : Nissan
3.2 Diesel Pick-up, 2001, 55000 ks, air-con, power steering, snug-box, tonneau,
solex locks, radio/tape, rhino lined, tow-hitch.
Phone
Mitch Green,- 011 211 911
NP
[11/3. 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHADE
CLOTH 30% WHITE FOR SALE
12
x 12m x 100m
2
x 6m x 100m
10kg
black twine
Contact
Ken King e-mail chinyika@mweb.co.zw Tel 055 24250
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAKE
CROCODILE PARK are selling 51 White Work suits of various
sizes.
Anyone
interested in the items above should contact Serena on email: serena@zol.co.zw
AF32
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2
BRICK MOULDING MACHINES.
Over
2 000 bricks/day.
New
price US$6 500 – Our price Zim $2 000 000.
Phone
011 416 592.
AF20
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PEUGEOT
FOR SALE
Peugeot
405 - 1995. Genuine mileage 135 000km,
radio/tape. In excellent condition
(single owner).
$6.8
million plus tax.
Phone
Steve Riley 496675 (h), 091-232713/4.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEEP
FREEZE to
fit standard pickup.
Internal
dimensions 2.7m (long) x 1.5m (wide) x 1.1m (high). Minus 20 degrees.
Highest
Offer secures.
To
view phone for appointment Allan Poultney 091 238 740
AF30
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES FOR SALE
:
1
Defy Fridge/Freezer
1
Kelvinator stove
Contact
Sam - 091 380
814
SC
[4/3, 11/3, 18/3, 25/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACK
ON OFFER – Piranha
75 Mercury.
Plenty of extras.
Tel
Hickman 300443 Cell 011 403 765
AF16
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1x
Drotsky vertical food mixer c/w switchgear & cables.
1x
Drotsky Hammermill c/w 50 Hp electric motor, switchgear &
cables.
For
more info contact Mike 04-481532 or 091 352 267.
AF13
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brand
new Isuzu double cabs and pick-ups.
Brand
new Opel Astra sedans.
Good
quality used cars and pick-ups.
Phone;
Mitch Green 011 211
911.
AE91
[18/2, 25/2, 4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hino 8
tonne lorry for sale. Bulk sides. Motor is sound. Contact : 334802-4.
CC
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzuki
125 farm bike. Good condition. Recent overhaul. Contact : 023 782 824 or
496672.
CC
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25000
tobacco clips for sale. Contact : 023
782 824 or 496672.
CC
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø WANTED
VEHICLE
WANTED : Diesel
Double-cab, 1998 upwards, must be in good nick.
Phone
: Mitch Green - 011 211 911.
NP
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VEHICLE
– Looking
for a diesel pickup.
Phone
04-301565 (pm) or 091 235 161
AF31
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
x Washing Machine with spin dryer in good working order
1
x Polisher
Please
contact:
Jenny
Swift at 055-20160 or e-mail bemthree@ecoweb.co.zw
or write Box 44, Kwe Kwe.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAKE
CROCODILE PARK are wanting to purchase a 9 000 litre petrol tank (for
underground use).
Contact
Serena on email: serena@zol.co.zw
AF32
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanted: Second hand swimming pool fence. Telephone Jo on 301289 or 011 412
901.
BK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SMALL
RELIABLE RUNABOUT VEHICLE FOR OLD COUPLE.
PHONE ROB VAN VUUREN 490771 (H), 309861 (W), 011 203
822.
RVV
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second
hand back pack and warm coat/s. Phone :
303673 (After
hours)
or 091 338 047.
#AB
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buyer
of Irrigation Equipment.
The
buyer of irrigation equipment mentioned in previous Classified Advertisements
has committed all his current resources to the purchase some of the equipment
offered so far. As a result, he is
unable to consider any more offers for the time being. When he is able to re-enter the market, a
notice to that effect will be issued. Water Affairs Exec @
CFU.
#GD
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanted:
1. Old
solid wood furniture e.g. Oak or Teak items.
2. Portable
car port, preferably 2 car size with shade cloth cover.
3. Old
Belgian or Persian carpets.
4. Old
silver plate tableware e.g. candelabra and old
brassware.
Phone
Ben Kashula on 309800 (Bus) or 498121 (Home) or Sheila Mumford on
495699.
#BK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second
Hand Asbestos Roofing Sheets, Wheat straw delivered to Harare (a couple of truck
loads). Please Phone Nick on 011 213 188 / 304310
#KP
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any
old camping equipment e.g. paraffin pressure lamps, folding chairs etc. Phone
Ben on 309800 (Bus) or 498121 (Home).
#BK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø HOLIDAY
& TRAVEL
Ahoy
There! For all your Houseboat and
Cruiser Bookings on Lake Kariba.
Please
contact Rhino Rendezvous Harare
745644/8 rhino@mweb.co.zw
PS.
Discounted Rates Available on Selected Boats.
NP
[11/3, 18/3, 25/3, 1/4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kariba
- Warthogs Bush Camp. . Simple self cater accomm nestled in Mopane bush
on lakeshore for up to 20 people. 'A' frame bashas and a family dorm. Splash
pool, bar. Boat launching nearby. 3km from Kariba shops and fuel (!!) From
$1,000 p.p or have the whole camp to yourselves for $18,500/night. Bookings being taken now for
Easter.
Tel
011 201 733 or email relax@warthogs.co.zw
.
AF26
[25/2, 11/3, 25/3, 8/4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VARDEN
SAFARIS - MAVURADONHA MOUNTAINS
SPECIALIST
HORSE RIDING SAFARIS
WALK
- RIDE - RELAX
KOPJE
TOPS LODGE - BAT CAVES CAMP
STUNNING
TRANQUIL LOCATION - NO CELL PHONE SIGNAL!!
PROFESSIONAL
GUIDES - FULL ENSUITE CHALETS
WONDERFUL
FOOD. ONLY 2.5 HOURS EX
HARARE
CONTACT
US FOR OUR LATEST SPECIALS –
DON'T
FORGET EASTER AND OTHER LONG WEEKENDS COMING UP.
AF18
[4/3, 11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EASTER
– HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION – 6 bed wooden Chalet – fully equipped/serviced,
on beachfront. No 10 Kowie River
Chalets, Port Alfred. Two week rental -
April 12th – 26th.
Also available for part time or monthly rental for March/April - 6 bed fully equipped house in Port Alfred,
walking distance from sea.
AF10
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three
bedroom luxury thatched house, bathrooms on suite open plan kitchen upstairs bar
with magnificent view, comes with a domestic, lock up garage, sleeps maximum
8. Bookings can be made direct with Eve
at Lomagundi Lake side on 061-3037/39 bookings confirmed on
payment.
#BK[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“THIS IS IT” HOUSEBOAT FOR
CHARTER
12
Passengers. 3 Crew. 2 Tender
boats.
Splash
pool on top deck. Phone / Fax 066 7315
or 72942.
AE47
[7/1, 28/1] AE48 [4/2] AE51 [11/2] AE49 [18/2] AE50 [25/2] NC [4/3] AF7 [11/3]
AF8 [18/3] AF9 [25/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø POSITIONS
WANTED
SITUATION
WANTED: Gardener. Young, strong and
willing.
Tel:
Hickman 300443, e-mail phickman@mango.zw
AF16
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMPLOYMENT
- S/retired army officer (Lt. Col) Rhod/Zim army looking for anything
within reason – army career including tactical, logistical and quarter mastering
(stores and transport). Civilian
occupation included the following:
warehousing and distribution incl. transport. Worked as an area manager in a security
company. On leaving the service spent
one year with a crop-spraying aircraft company responsible for fuel. Tel:
Harare 744556 or 744591 or email:
topaz@cfu.co.zw
or balado@mweb.co.zw.
AF27
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø POSITIONS
OFFERED
WORKSHOP
MANAGER
MOWPOWER
(PVT) LTD
The
Job Involves:
§ Management
of the mower repair department in every aspect of its
operations.
§ Monitoring
repair throughput and ensuring that delays are minimized as much as
possible.
§ Training
mechanics in repair work and ensuring correct tool usage – quality control is a
very important part of this job both as regards in-house and field service
work
§ Attending
personally to special repairs, and overseeing work on specialized
mowers.
§ Establishing
an engine shop for the correct re-building of engines.
§ Overseeing
warranty work in conjunction with Assembly.
§ Liasing
with Spares and ensuring that stock holdings are adequately
managed.
§ Ensuring
that the workshop is kept to high professional standards of safety and
cleanliness at all times.
§ Servicing
and repair of company transport if required.
§ Setting
budgets where applicable and when required.
The
person should:
1) Ideally
have a background in petrol mechanics and engine machining, and experience in
repairing/servicing petrol engines – a definite mechanical aptitude is a
prerequisite for this post.
2) Have
substantial people management experience in a technical environment coupled with
training them and achieving increased levels of
productivity.
3) Have
a strong and focused personality
4) Be
highly organized and have the desire to involve themselves in other parts of
Mowpower’s business.
5) Be
entirely self-motivated and highly diplomatic, particularly as regards dealing
with customers.
Contact
:
Please
either e-mail CVs to mowpower@mweb.co.zw
or
fax them to : Attn: Ralph Stead fax no.
(04) 497100
Phone
: Mowpower (Pvt) Ltd – 485738/486729/486780 (Attn: Ralph or Rose
Stead)
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FARM
SITTER REQUIRED
in Odzi for 26.3.03 - 26.4.03.
Duties
to include supervising reaping of tobacco crop and
livestock.
Contact
no: 020-4-2376 or 020
62307.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOOKKEEPING/ADMIN
POSITION
using Pastel available with immediate effect.
All male environment - would suit a mature gentleman. Good benefits and a pleasant working
environment.
For
more details please phone Dale on 011 401 128 or 498525.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KEIRAY
ESTATE
is looking for couple to get involved in management of farming operations. The horticulture is the primary area we are
looking in at the moment, the spouse will be absorbed in the other
operations.
Anyone
interested please respond on this means or telephone 011613190 or 069252 or
011615840 or 091365060. Speak to Keith
or Adrian.
NP
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FARM
MANAGER REQUIRED
for 6 month contract to supervise combining, reaping and curing of current
tobacco and soya crop. Workshop and
dairy knowledge a distinct advantage.
Farm situated 60kms from Harare.
For
further details please contact Cell: 011 209 241 or leave message on Harare tel:
303847.
AF28
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REQUIRED:
A
man and wife with a farming background to manage the maintenance of a wine farm
in Franschhoek, South Africa.
ü The
couple to be in their fifties
ü The
husband to be a handyman, who has an understanding of
building
ü The
wife to be able to run a household for the owner, and
ü Have
a knowledge of bookkeeping
ü House
and transport provided
ü Salary
to be negotiated
Tel:
27 11 804 3630
Fax:
27 11 804 2960
NP
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSSIBLE
OPPORTUNITY FOR EX FARMER:
Transport
Operations Manager required for Tour Company depot in Vic Falls. Attractive
package offered. Phone 091-338627 or 04-723151/2, Ext
215.
DTF
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOB
OPPORTUNITY FOR A RETIRED FARMER.
A
small saw milling operation based in Harare seeks a suitable person to assist in
the running of its operation which entails saw milling, firewood and charcoal
distribution. Please phone Harare 703774
office hours.
AF
11 [4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FARM
MANAGER REQUIRED for
commercial farming operation in the Midlands province near Kwekwe. Farming operations include paprika, soyas,
barley and dairy. A person with
mechanical aptitude will have distinct advantage.
Please
reply by e-mail to kifaru@ecoweb.co.zw
or phone 011 406 846.
AF5
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WANTED:
FULL TIME BOOKKEEPER
with sound computer and company secretarial skills. To work in a small congenial accounting
practise in Mount Pleasant.
Contact
Alasdair Hidden on 744265 Harare.
NP
[4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upmarket
peri-urban restaurant offers employment and accommodation to displaced farming
couple, or single person. Duties include
supervision and maintenance of extensive gardens, general upkeep of restaurant,
cleanliness and flower arranging, etc.
Telephone
Dan at Four Seasons 499038 for interview.
BK
[25/2, 4/3, 11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ø SERVICES
OFFERED
BR
TOYOTA
for friendly, efficient attention to your service and parts requirements
specialising in Toyota. Please call
Godfrey on 302027, 304059, 304650, 304659.
New and second hand vehicle sales, call Glen or visit us at 7 Brickfields
Road, turnoff 15,5 km peg Lomagundi Road.
Remember
your St Patrick’s and April Fool’s gift!
AE69
[11/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you
having difficulty keeping your motor vehicles correctly
insured?
With
motor car values increasing almost monthly it has become almost impossible for
Zimbabweans to keep their cars adequately insured. To avoid being penalised with the “average”
clause you have to top-up your insurance.
We have
the solution!
You
are now able to insure your Zimbabwean registered motor cars with an
international insurance company. The
obvious benefit to doing this is that you will only have to do your insurance
once a year as the vehicle is insured in hard currency.
AF20
[11/3, 18/3, 25/3, 1/4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MANUFACTURE
AND FABRICATION of
Long
Range fuel tanks for any type of vehicle, big or small.
Buddy
Gym equipment for home or commercial use.
NP
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE
BUY CARS AND SELL CARS ON COMMISSION.
We
buy and sell on commission cars, trailers, boats, tractors, and earthmoving
equipment.
Contact
The Sales Team of Carisbrooke Enterprises –
Mathew
Katoma 023 512 550 or S Dube 011 800 867 or 309800 ext
313
MK
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SERVICES
OFFERED AT TAYMECH ELECTRICAL (PVT) LTD
Alarm
Systems
Automatic
Gates
Electro
Fencing
Borehole
Repairs and Maintenance
Garage
Doors
Electrical
Contracting
General
Engineering
Lightening
Protection Systems
Phone
300893/309427/091 238 740/011 601 672
AF29
[11/3, 18/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We
have an on line International Business waiting just for you, this opportunity
could change your life.
NP
[4/3, 11/3, 18/3, 25/3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUPA
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL AID
Are you worried about the increasing costs AND treatment which may not be
available in Zimbabwe. Would you like to
choose which country AND which hospital or clinic within that country to go for
your medical treatment?
If so,
why not join 5.0 million others and subscribe to the world's biggest
international healthcare provider, BUPA. Depending on which scheme you choose -
you will enjoy an annual overall maximum cover from up to GBP1,000,000! On all schemes BUPA provides a "full refund"
for all in-patient treatment, outpatient surgical operations, MRI and CT scans
and cancer tests, drugs and consultants fees for oncology. Would you like a FREE quote for your family
or company directors? Would you like a
brochure with full details of all the schemes?
If
so please email by return to bupa@zol.co.zw: individual names and dates of birth
of all potential members and their families. We will email you a quotation and
offer to meet to discuss things further.
Call:
John Ford 091 499485, OR Dee Connolly at BUPA Adviser Office, tel: 862265
Harare, to discuss your BUPA quote further.
AF12
[18/2-22/4]
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CC
SALES
in conjunction with
TORTOW
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IN
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AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT SALES FROM OUR
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PHONE
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AE95
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THE VALUATION CONSORTIUM (PVT)
LTD
An
independent professional group of internationally qualified
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COMPENSATION
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GET
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Contact: The Valuation Consortium (Pvt)
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Participating
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& Co (09)70753; Purkis & Co - (04)572369;
Holland & Redfern
(020)64303;
I.
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AE93
[18/2 – 18/3]
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STRESSED
OUT
Pam
Mullins is offering her services as a stress management consultant. Please call
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[]
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Ø GENERAL
MOZVEST
2003
International
Investment Conference
2 & 3 April,
2003
Maputo,
Mozambique
In line with the government’s identified investment objectives,
Africa @ Work will be running the Mozambique Investment Opportunities
Conference, MozVest, in Maputo on April 2 and 3.
This
high-level event aims to highlight investment and business opportunities in
Mozambique and promote international partnerships.
The
two-day Conference will be held in conjunction with MozBex, a three-day
exhibition taking place from 2 – 4 April 2003 at FACIM, the showground facility
in Maputo, run by pan-African exhibition specialists, EMS.
The
conference will focus on investment opportunities in the key sectors described
above, the prevailing business and investment climate, and areas of possible
co-operation. Attached herewith, please find the provisional programme as well
as sponsorship opportunities.
Cost:
Early Bird Registration Fee US$250.00 or R2,500 (Registration Forms to be
received by 28 February 2003)
Normal Registration Fee
US$350.00 or
R3,500
Registration
Fee includes: Documentation, Lunches, Refreshments and any
Receptions.
Sponsorship
Opportunities Available
· Main
Sponsorship
· Co-Sponsorships
· Lunch
Sponsors
· Cocktail
Party Sponsor
· Delegate
Folders/Bags
· MozVest
CD
· File
Inserts
· Audio-Visual
Branding
For
more information on the above, please contact Sharon Stocks Tel:
+27 11 234-9338, Fax: +27 11 234-9337 or email sharonstocks@mweb.co.za
For
delegates in Mozambique, please contact Helen or Rob Batten on: Tel: (258 1)
485-336, Fax: (258 1) 485 994 or mobile: 082 311 907
NW
[]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
Your Information....
CFU
Classifieds via email - plain text format every
Tuesday
Costs:
-
Up
to 30 words
$750/wk
31
- 50 words $1000/wk
51
- 75 words $1500/wk
76
- 100 words
$2000/wk
300
words MAX $6000/wk
Please
send advert to aisd1@cfu.co.zw by Tuesday 9:00 am and send PROMPT payment with a
copy of your advert to CFU, Agricultural Information Services Department, Box
WGT 390, Westgate, Harare.
FinGaz
Gubbay struggles to get pension
Staff
Reporter
3/13/03 2:05:48 AM (GMT +2)
FORMER Chief Justice
Anthony Gubbay, who left the bench two years ago
amid a government crackdown
on the judiciary, is facing difficulties in
securing his state pension, it
was learnt this week.
A source close to Gubbay, who stepped down
amid accusations by the
government that he was using his position to protect
"British interests",
said the former chief justice had made several trips to
the Pensions' Office
in an attempt to resolve the matter.
"They
have not been very fair to the judge because he has made
countless trips to
the Pensions' Office to have this issue sorted out," the
source told the
Financial Gazette.
"At times, he has been given far much less than
is due to him and it
could all be part of the politics of frustration which
saw him being retired
from the bench," the source added.
But
Gubbay, who this week declined to discuss the matter in detail,
said the
issue was being resolved by the Pensions' Office.
"I understand
they are sorting it out. Get the details from the
Pensions' Office," he
said.
A senior official in the Department of Pensions was adamant
yesterday
that the former chief justice was receiving his pension and that
any late
disbursements of correct monthly amounts could have emerged after
the
January salary increments awarded to civil servants.
"If
there are any problems, I believe it can only be because we get a
schedule
from the Ministry of Justice for those who are on pension for
updating and in
that case, it becomes a matter of procedure which is
affecting other people
as well," the official said.
"Otherwise, the issue will be sorted
out," the official added.
Gubbay, one of several judges who retired
because of what critics said
was a government campaign to fill the bench with
ruling ZANU PF
sympathisers, was accused by the ruling party of being
sympathetic to white
commercial farmers fighting the compulsory acquisition
of their farms
through the courts.
Soon after his retirement in
2001, there were reports that the
Zimbabwe government had interfered with
plans by Botswana and Namibia to
appoint him to senior judicial posts. The
government has denied the reports.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network
(IRIN)
ZIMBABWE: Post-flood concerns over malaria and
diarrhoea
JOHANNESBURG, 13 March (IRIN) - Malaria and diarrhoeal diseases
are likely to worsen the plight of Zimbabweans already battling to survive. This
follows a year marked by floods, drought, and serious food
shortages.
According to the latest Zimbabwe Humanitarian Situation Report
by the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU), there has been a sudden increase in
malaria in Binga, Hurungwe and Kariba in the north west of the country and
outbreaks have been reported in Bindura and Shamva districts in the north
east.
The report said that although no statistics had been provided, the
affected populations were mainly the newly resettled farmers who had benefited
from the land redistribution programme.
The RRU noted that by the end of
the first eight weeks of the year, there were 163 deaths from malaria and 97,885
cases reported. A spraying programme was still ongoing but coverage was "very
low". Also, two important drugs had not been procured leaving the drug situation
"critical".
The agency warned that there would be a malaria outbreak in
Muzarabani, Guruve and parts of Masvingo and Manicaland provinces which were
affected by Cyclone Japhet last week.
At least eight people died in the
south and east of the country during floods brought on by the cyclone.
"There is a high potential for disease outbreaks and thus interventions
for mitigation are urgently needed. Resources are needed for the rehabilitation
of water supplies, and chemicals for disinfection of drinking water at household
level," the report said.
Chris McIvor, director of Save the Children UK
(SCF) told IRIN that last Friday the Zimbabwe Air Force had had to rescue at
least 30 people stranded between two rivers in Nyaminyami in the north west,
while villagers came to the rescue of another 20 people.
"They have been
displaced from their homes so SCF provided them with blankets, cutlery, cooking
equipment, mosquito repellant and food," McIvor said.
They were currently
being housed with family and friends. However, the concern now is for their
crops and whether it would be possible to plant a late season bean crop to
replace those lost in the floods for a community where at least 12,000 people
were already dependent on food aid.
"A few weeks ago there were
indications that the harvest would be reasonable, but although assessments are
being conducted, it seems there is a significant amount of crop damage," he
said.
In Chimanimani in the east of the country, a visit by the RRU and
the local district administration found that up to 70 percent of the banana
crop, 50 percent of the avocado crop and 50 percent of the maize crop had been
lost during the floods in the low lying areas. These were mainly cash crops for
the people living there.
In nearby Chipinge the cyclone's effects were
more severe with reports of infrastructure damage to both housing and schools.
Sixty percent of the maize crop has been estimated to have been damaged and
beans, avocado and coffee crops had also been damaged.
The team that
toured the area, which borders Mozambique which bore the brunt of the cyclone,
suggested that if 5 mt of short-season maize seeds were procured for the area
over the next 14 days there could be adequate agricultural
recovery.
Meanwhile, cholera continues to pose a threat in the Beitbridge
area with four deaths and 52 cases were reported from 17 February to 4 March,
the report said. All cases were reported outside Beitbridge town itself and the
district has set up treatment camps and mobile teams for the control and
surveillance of cholera.
Daily News
Letter
Closing borders won't seal out the truth
from the world
3/13/2003 3:22:07 AM (GMT +2)
I
have been back to Zimbabwe many times over the past 10 years - many
of these
being secret visits, because as a former member of the British
South Africa
Police (BSAP), I am only too aware of what is happening and
what would happen
to me if I was caught filming.
I wanted to get a filmed
record of the decline of the country, so I
visited all three major areas in
the country. I also visited friends, black
and white, who still remain in the
country and have on film their responses
to questions I raised. I also have
films of police brutality, basically
ethnic cleansing by the government not
supplying food aid destined for the
whole country. Wherever I went I saw
poverty and, to some extent, greed.
It would seem that to stay alive
one has to hold a Zanu PF membership
card, irrespective of personal views.
Without this card there is no access
to basic food rations and medical aid. I
also revisited the many old mine
shafts in Matabeleland and know fully well
that many thousands of people in
that region were killed and thrown into
these shafts as their last resting
place.
You would be amazed
just how much documentary evidence there is in
Bulawayo of the atrocities of
5 Brigade. It is my understanding that all
this, together with all other
information available, is to be handed to the
British Foreign Office as a
means of determining what action to take to
protect the people (as a whole)
in Zimbabwe. I personally cannot reconcile
someone who reportedly earns just
£19 000 per year, allowing his wife to
spend thousands on shopping trips.
Perhaps it is from the money that Colonel
Muammar Gaddafi has paid the
President, but it simply does not make sense. I
have it on good authority
that the existing sanctions against President
Mugabe and his cohorts are to
be extensively strengthened in the immediate
future, and aid of various types
is to be given to the opposition MDC in
order that it can flourish and
provide for a stable government in a country
that was once regarded as the
breadbasket of Africa, and today cannot even
feed its own
people.
Mugabe must know that there are government officials from
many
countries carrying out secret enquiries in Zimbabwe. All of them can
only
report back what I have seen and filmed. Closing official borders does
not
keep out those who are determined to find out the truth as to what
is
happening, record the same and get this information to the
appropriate
bodies. I would think it's only a matter of time before a new
government is
voted for and installed. The MDC must remain committed to
progress and is it
not time for the Zimbabwe Republic Police to start acting
as an independent
body, just as the BSAP did, and stop all this corruption,
violence and
death. It is quite obvious how the President keeps control: he
does so by
fear and rewarding his close colleagues with seized land and
property, all
of which will have to be returned shortly. It is simply a
matter of time.
BM
United Kingdom
Daily News
Tatchell steps up bid to curb Mugabe's
travels
3/13/2003 1:09:46 AM (GMT +2)
From Raymond
Mgadzah in London
British gay and human rights activist, Peter
Tatchell, says he wants
to file an application against President Mugabe to
curtail his foreign
travel and make him a virtual prisoner within
Zimbabwe.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily News,
Tatchell said despite
his recent abortive attempt to have Mugabe arrested for
human rights
violations on his trip to Paris, he planned to press ahead with
action
against the autocrat. Tatchell said: "In June I plan to go to a
London
magistrate and file an application for Mugabe's arrest and extradition
on
charges of torture under British and international law. "Section 134 of
the
British Criminal Justice Act of 1988 says that any one who
commits,
authorises or condones acts of torture anywhere in the world can be
arrested
and put on trial in Britain. This Act is the incorporation into
British law
of the UN Convention Against Torture 1984 which has been signed
by over 130
countries."
Tatchell said if an extradition order
was granted against Mugabe he
could face arrest if he travelled to any of
around 100 countries which have
extradition treaties with Britain, including
South Africa, Malaysia and
Thailand. Tatchell said: "The only way President
Mugabe will avoid being
extradited to Britain is by ceasing all overseas
travel. My aim is to make
him a prisoner in Zimbabwe." Tatchell, who was
severely assaulted by Mugabe'
s body guards after attempting to carry out a
citizen's arrest in Brussels
nearly two years ago, attacked Mugabe for
alleged human rights abuses which
made him "Ian Smith with a black face".
"Lots of Zimbabweans have been
tortured but finding a direct connection to
Mugabe has been difficult. But
now I have two affidavits. Ray Choto's
torturers said that Mugabe had
personally authorised his torture and Tom
Spicer's torturers said they were
acting under presidential
powers.
"I will personally be applying for the arrest warrant and
extradition
order but if it ever comes to trial I would hand over the case to
some of
ritain's top human rights laws who are very keen to take on the case,
"
Tatchell said. He said his goal was "to put Mugabe on trial the same
way
that the former Yugoslavia president Slobodan Milosevic is now on trial
for
human rights abuses". "There are lots of legal and political obstacles
to
getting Mugabe arrested and extradited but if we don't try there is no
hope
of ever succeeding. "When Milosevic was first indicted no one
seriously
thought he would end up on trial," said Tatchell.
Daily News
Agribank pumps $3,3bn into agriculture
3/13/2003 3:32:09 AM (GMT +2)
By Chris Mhike Business
Reporter
THE Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe (Agribank) says it has
supported
agricultural activities to the tune of $3,3 billion. The major
agriculture
sectors financed in the 2002 fiscal year included A1 and A2
farmers, and
agro-industries mainly input providers such as fertiliser and
chemical
companies.
Of the $3,3 billion advanced, $918
million was granted to agricultural
corporates and $2,4 billion to individual
farmers and entrepreneurs.
Further, the $3,3 billion loan advances included
$235 million paid to
communal farmers by the Agricultural Development
Assistance Fund.
Commenting on the latest agricultural finance
statistics yesterday,
Taka Mutunhu, the Agribank managing director, said the
bank could have done
a lot more had it not been for a limited capital base.
Agribank currently
has a significant non-performing book inherited from the
now defunct
Agricultural Finance Corporation as well as from defaulting
clients whose
productivity was affected by the controversial fast-track
land
redistribution programme.
Mutunhu said negotiations were
under way with the government, the sole
shareholder of the bank, for
recapitalisation. Finalisation of the
negotiations was expected within this
half of this financial year.
Recapitalisation would enable Agribank to
sustain and increase lending
levels to both A1 and A2 resettled farmers. It
would also enable the
creation or improvement of the earning asset base,
thereby generating more
internal resources. Despite the massive disturbances
suffered by the
agricultural sector over the past three years, and the
present deficits in
the bank?s books, Mutunhu remained optimistic. He said:
?At Agribank we know
where we came from. We have moved from a glorious past,
into a glorious
future. The past was in agriculture. The future is in
agriculture. Our
intention is to remain the leading provider of agriculture
financial
services.
Agriculture in Zimbabwe grew by an average
of five percent every year
during the five years leading to 2000. The growth
was in sharp contrast to
the 12,9 decline in 2001, and a further still
unquantified contraction last
year. The year 2000 was the date when farm
invasions were intensified by
State-sponsored Zanu PF supporters and war
veterans. Performance of the
sector in the past two years was further
constrained by inadequate fuel and
electricity supplies, as well as foreign
currency shortages to procure
fertilisers, machinery and spare parts. To the
end of last year agriculture
was a pillar to the domestic economy, accounting
for 15,9 percent of Gross
Domestic Product and 26,3 percent to formal
employment.
The government has therefore been on a fund-raising
campaign, to
support newly settled farmers, the ordinary and the elite, so
that they may
be as productive as the displaced farmers were before the onset
of the land
reform exercise.
Daily News
Leader Page
Ugly manifestations of absolute
power
3/13/2003 3:26:07 AM (GMT +2)
When
Lord Acton made his famous observation that "power corrupts and
absolute
power corrupts absolutely", he obviously had in mind some of Europe
's
notorious absolute monarchs.
But there can be no doubt he
also had in mind some of the continent's
iron-fisted despots, such as
Germany's Adolf Hitler, Romania's Josip Broz
Tito and Russia's Joseph Stalin.
All these acceded to power through
revolutions that toppled insufferable
monarchs with the promise of greater
freedom for the people but, invariably,
they turned out to be far worse in
every respect than the kings they had
deposed. At the time that remark was
made, Africa, then almost entirely under
colonial rule perceived as fairly
democratic - if the racially discriminatory
aspect of their exclusion of
"natives" from having a say in who governed them
is conveniently ignored
that, is - was relatively free of tyrants, as
colonisers had brutally
accounted for all its infamous absolute monarchs such
as Shaka.
But the end of colonialism and the emergence of
independent nations on
the continent has seen the emergence of African rulers
who have made for the
worst examples of absolute power corrupting absolutely.
They have included
among them the Ugandan buffoon Idi Amin, the barbaric
Jean-Beddel Bokassa of
the Central African Republic and the Congo's
compulsive looter, Joseph
Mobutu Sese Seko. A common feature among all
would-be absolute rulers is the
speed with which they move to transform
national security organs, in
particular the police and the army, into
politicised personal security
organisations.
These forces then
start paying allegiance not to the state but to the
ruler and, consequently,
protecting not the people but the ruler against the
growing wrath of his own
understandably disaffected people over whom he can
only continue to rule by
the use of brute force. It is doubtful that our own
President Mugabe will,
after he leaves office, escape being included by
historians among the list of
Africa's absolute rulers whom absolute power
corrupted absolutely. With the
wisdom of hindsight, it is not difficult to
see that almost everything he has
done since assuming power appears to have
been carefully calculated to not
just consolidate his hold on power but,
more disturbingly, to make that power
absolute.
Among the more obvious ugly manifestations of his quest for
absolute
power was his declared intention to turn the country into a
one-party state
and his party's mobilisation of women and youth to spearhead
that clarion
call and drown all dissenting voices.
But the
master stroke was his swift move to retire, at the earliest
opportunity, all
senior police and army officers from the pre-independence
era, replacing them
with ex-guerrillas whose total loyalty he could count
upon, thus effectively
turning the army and the police force into security
arms of his ruling Zanu
PF party. Apparently still not completely satisfied
that these seemingly
fail-safe measures would guarantee him the attainment
and retention of
absolute power, the idea was hatched to brainwash all the
country's young
people into virtual zombies to be used by the government to
literally whip
everybody into line in support of Mugabe and Zanu PF. Of all
the cruel
strategies Mugabe has employed to entrench himself in power, the
deepest cut
is what he has done to the youth through what his government
has
euphemistically labelled "national youth service training". The
profundity
of the chillingly sinister nature of that programme was publicly
revealed
for the first time by journalist Charlene Smith.
In an
article which appeared in South Africa's Sunday Independent
newspaper early
this week and reproduced in abridged form in this newspaper
yesterday, Smith
said she interviewed 14 "Green Bombers" aged from 15 to 28
who, unable to
contain their own abuse any more, have fled to South Africa,
"giving the
world the first insight into that terror organisation". One
youth said he
fled after being forced to take part in the murder of his
uncle, an MDC
supporter. Another said he fled after being instructed to
murder his own
father, also an MDC supporter, while yet another said he fled
after being
involved in killing an MDC chairman. According to Smith, the
youths said they
"were taught how to kill people in ways that would be quick
and silent and
leave no evidence." And they call that "national youth
service training"?
Daily News
Zesa staff implicated in cable theft
3/13/2003 1:06:56 AM (GMT +2)
By Precious Shumba
CORRUPTION involving senior workers with the Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply
Authority (Zesa) has reportedly drained the power utility of billions
of
dollars through the systematic thefts of cable and aluminium wires over
the
past six months.
According to employees at Zesa
headquarters in Harare, last Wednesday,
a worker in the Projects Department
drove a T35 truck,registration numbers
ending with -481K, to a house in
Hatfield and dropped off four cable drums
with copper wire between 50 and 150
metres long each.
The employee went to the house in Glamis Road
accompanied by 11 men,
most of them reportedly ex-convicts. The
officer-in-charge at Hatfield
Police Station, where a report of the incident
was made, refused to comment.
The Zesa employees, who refused to be
identified for fear of victimisation,
said the cables were moved from
Ardbennie under the pretext that they were
to be used under the Rural
Electrification rogramme.
Dr Sydney Gata, Zesa's executive
chairman, was last December quoted in
The Herald as saying the power utility
had lost copper and aluminium cables
and conductors valued at over $130
million since May 2002.
People familiar with the dealings at the
Hatfield house said there
were women popularly known as "sisters". The stolen
copper cables are
reportedly smuggled out of the country to South Africa and
Botswana, where
they are sold. Last Thursday, a loss control officer and two
policemen with
the Gold Squad at Harare Central Police Station visited the
Hatfield house
and discovered two cable drums of copper and aluminium wires
but had not
acted against the "sisters". The visit to the house followed a
tip-off by a
member of the public. At the same time, two Toyota Hilux
vehicles and a
Nissan Hardbody belonging to the power utility were stolen in
January, amid
reports that Zesa employees were involved.
An
eyewitness said yesterday Zesa officials had deliberately left the
vehicles
at the Zesa yard in the Willowvale industrial area claiming they
had run out
of fuel. Stan Mupunga, the Zesa services manager for Harare,
yesterday
admitted one of their vehicles had been sold by an employee who
has since
been arrested. Mupunga said the corrupt deals involving copper and
aluminium
cables and vehicles needed to be thoroughly investigated. Mupunga:
"On some
of the issues of corruption and thefts of cable drums and cars, we
have
managed to pick up some of the people implicated. "There have been
some
arrests of outsiders following tip-offs supplied by members of the
public.
"The information that I have concerns one vehicle which disappeared
from the
transport yard in one of our departments. "The person who was picked
up was
one of our employees."
Sources said the stolen vehicles
were taken to a house in Greendale
Avenue in Harare for spray-painting.
Investigations revealed the vehicles
were taken to an engineering company in
Waterfalls before being driven to a
diesel bay in Chinhoyi, en route to
Zambia. Before being taken to Greendale,
the stolen vehicles were driven to a
house along Alexandra Drive in
Hatfield, where the registration and engine
numbers were defaced. Officers
at Southerton Police Station are reportedly
involved in facilitating the
provision of the registration books. Last
January, six guards from Kadison
Security Company, who were guarding Zesa
Central Stores in Harare, were
arrested after the theft of electrical gadgets
valued at over $15 million.
In the same month, the police recovered stolen
bundles of copper and
aluminium cables worth over $20 million from houses in
Mbare and Hatfield.
Daily News
Witness denies Menashe's mugging claim
3/13/2003 1:07:30 AM (GMT +2)
Court Reporter
ARI
Ben-Menashe's personal assistant, Tara Thomas, yesterday denied
the claim of
her boss that she was mugged in Montreal, Canada, by thugs
hired by the MDC
when she announced that she would testify in the treason
trial of three top
MDC officials.
Ben-Menashe, the key State witness, told the
High Court during
cross-examination three weeks ago that Thomas was attacked
by thugs hired by
the MDC after she said she would testify in the
high-profile trial. "You
will see for yourself," Ben-Menashe said in his
evidence, saying the
"attack" on Thomas showed the MDC's "violent nature".
Thomas said yesterday
she fell off a bicycle in an accident that had nothing
to do with the trial.
She told Bharat Patel, the Deputy Attorney-General, she
did not suspect any
foul play. "I have never fallen off my bike since I was
seven." The court
adjourned before the close of business yesterday after
defence lawyer,
George Bizos protested that Thomas had written notes and
personal opinions
on a transcript she was using in giving her
evidence.
Bizos said there was danger that Thomas would be
influenced by what
she had written on the copy of the transcript and
requested that she be
barred from reading from the transcript. "A witness
cannot go to court with
notes for the purpose of giving evidence," Bizos
said. "She cannot refer to
the notes and the witness has such notes in this
document." Patel argued it
was "perfectly permissible". Justice Paddington
Garwe is expected to make a
ruling on Bizos' application today. Thomas said
Morgan Tsvangirai, one of
the accused, at one point walked out of the meeting
at the headquarters of
Ben-Menashe's consultancy, Dickens and Madson, on 4
December 2001 following
a disagreement with Ben-Menashe.
Problems started when Tsvangirai told the meeting about going to
elections
and Ben-Menashe accused him of backtracking. Tsvangirai, Welshman
Ncube, the
MDC secretary-general and Renson Gasela, the party's shadow
minister of
agriculture have pleaded not guilty. Thomas said she
clandestinely switched
on the video equipment to record the meeting between
Tsvangirai, Ben-Menashe,
his deputy Alexander Legault, Rupert Johnson and a
man identified as Mr
Simms. She said the meeting was to discuss the
transition process in Zimbabwe
after the elimination of President Mugabe.
But from Dickens and Madson's
point of view, the purpose of the meeting was
to collect evidence of
Tsvangirai's alleged plot to assassinate Mugabe and
subsequently depose his
Zanu PF government. "Mainly, they were trying to
ascertain what arrangement
had been made on the ground to ensure a smooth
transition process after the
elimination of the President and whether the
army would be co-operative,"
said Thomas. The trial continues today.
Daily News
Resettled Bulima villagers starving
3/13/2003 3:20:21 AM (GMT +2)
From Ntungamili Nkomo in
Bulawayo
THERE is hunger among the resettled Bulima District
villagers after
they were left out of the ongoing World Vision Zimbabwe (WVZ)
relief aid
scheme because they were allegedly highly
productive.
The villagers were resettled in the early 1990s
before the
controversial fast-track land resettlement programme. WVZ said the
people
who live in the resettlement area were left out of the programme
because
they were "highly productive" and therefore did not need any food
aid. The
humanitarian aid organisation feeds more than 10 000 people in
the
hunger-stricken area. It is also running a child supplementary
feeding
scheme. Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, the MP for Bulima constituency said
yesterday it
was very unfortunate that the villagers were not receiving any
food aid
despite the worsening starvation.
Mzila-Ndlovu said he
approached the aid organisation last week and
requested that they start
distributing food in the area to avert a "looming
calamity". "World Vision is
certainly doing a commendable job in my
constituency, but what worries me
most is that people in the resettlement
areas are not getting any relief
aid," he said. Mzila-Ndlovu said most of
the villagers had resorted to eating
wild roots to survive as starvation
worsened in the area.
"The
situation is so pathetic, crops in the area have shrivelled
beyond recovery
because of the ongoing dry spell. "As a result, more food
aid is needed if a
calamitous situation is to be avoided," he said. The arid
and drought-prone
Bulima district is one of the areas hardest hit by
starvation in the country.
Most people could not plough their fields this
season after failing to secure
draught power. Thousands of cattle in
Matabeleland perished at the height of
the drought. WVZ officials said they
were yet to launch investigations into
the matter.
Daily News
Chivaura runs amok
3/13/2003 1:06:24 AM
(GMT +2)
By Brian Mangwende Chief Reporter
VIMBAI
Gukwe Chivaura, a senior lecturer in the Department of English
at the
University of Zimbabwe, is alleged to have tried to stab the rector
of
Peterhouse, a prestigious school outside Marondera, with a
dagger.
Police at Marondera Rural Police Station confirmed
the incident, but
declined to give further details. The incident reportedly
took place at the
beginning of the school term. The incident followed a
dispute between
Chivaura and John Calderwood, the rector, over the lecturer
and TV
personality's child's enrolment at the $400 000-a-term school.
Calderwood
was acting on the instructions of the child's mother who enrolled
him there,
sources said. A senior official at the school, who spoke on
condition of
anonymity, said trouble started when Chivaura seemed to be
highly disturbed
at the large number of white students at the elite
school.
Chivaura features regularly on ZBC-TV's programme, National
Ethos,
viewed as a Zanu PF propaganda tool. Chivaura allegedly threatened
to
stab Calderwood with the dagger after he refused to withdraw the
child
from the school, the official said. There was pandemonium at the school
and
activity came to a standstill. More than 20 students rushed to
Calderwood's
rescue and subdued Chivaura, who was stalking the
rector.
Fearing for their lives, school authorities have banned
Chivaura from
entering the school premises without his wife's consent.
Calderwood refused
to comment on the incident yesterday but said the child
was still at the
school. The police also refused to comment. Contacted for
comment, Chivaura
said: "Some of these incidents should not be reported
because they do not
benefit the nation. Not everything is news."
Last year, the lecturer was briefly appointed chief executive officer
of the
Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency, seen by many as a reward for
his
pro-government propaganda on television.
But his brief
flirtation with the State agency did not last. Chivaura
was allegedly fired
by Jonathan Moyo, the Minister of State Information and
Publicity,
after he demanded a hefty salary of $600 000 a month and
that his children be
enrolled at private schools at the news agency's
expense. Fees cost at least
$400 000 a term at Peterhouse, an amount which
allegedly infuriated Chivaura.
The source said it was not certain whether
Chivaura was separated or divorced
from his wife. The wife enrolled the
child at the school but Chivaura is
responsible for the fees, the source
said.