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NCA
referendum challenge dismissed
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Nomalanga Moyo
28 February
2013
The High Court has dismissed a lawsuit by the National
Constitutional
Assembly (NCA), which was seeking to delay the start of the
constitutional
referendum.
Judge President Chiweshe ruled that the
court cannot question the President,
and threw out the application without
even considering its merits and
de-merits, NCA spokeman Blessing Vava
said.
In his judgement, Justice Chiweshe says President Mugabe is
adequately
empowered by the Referendums Act to announce the dates as he
did.
Part of the ruling reads: “That being the case, I conclude that the
content
of the first respondent [President], in setting the date of the
referendum
and the time within which voters may cast their vote, is not
subject to
review by a court.’’
It is just over two weeks to the 16th
March, when Zimbabweans will have 12
hours to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on the new
charter for the country.
That process will ultimately decide if and when
a general election can be
called.
The NCA has said it does not accept the
court judgement, and will appeal to
the Supreme Court.
In a
statement, the group said: “The NCA is dismayed and disgusted at this
wanton
abuse of the courts by the Judge President, himself infamous for
presiding
over the ZEC which in 2008 withheld election results for a record
5
weeks.
“The Judge President did not even seek to hear the merits or
demerits of the
NCA case, choosing instead to protect the president, a
public servant from
scrutiny from members of the public on his actions which
affect the same
public.”
The NCA had hoped to have the referendum
date moved to at least two months
later, saying there is not enough time for
Zimbabweans to analyse, question
and debate the contents of the
draft.
Vava told SW Radio Africa that the NCA will be vigorously campaigning
for a
‘No’ vote for the referendum.
Glen
View activists defence team to apply for dismissal of case
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By
Tichaona Sibanda
28 February 2013
The defence team representing the
MDC-T activists, who are standing trial
for the murder of a police officer
in May 2011, will apply to the court to
throw away the case for lack of
evidence.
After almost a year of trial, the state has only one witness
left to call to
testify; Dr Alveiro Aguero, a Cuban pathologist who carried
out the
post-mortem on Inspector Petros Mutedza who died following
disturbances in
Glen View, Harare two years ago. He will give his testimony
on the 8th
March.
Defence lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told SW Radio Africa
that the Cuban
government had demanded to know the name of the translator
who will help Dr
Aguero in court.
‘Basically the case has been
postponed to next week Friday to enable the
state to furnish the Cubans with
the name and date of the next court date,’
Mtetwa said. The lead defence
lawyer has described as a farce the numerous
delaying tactics by the
state.
After presenting two dozen witnesses, the state case has remained
weak after
most of the testimonies in court seemed to exonerate the
activists. All the
state witnesses have testified that they did not see any
of 31 MDC-T
activists throw stones that fatally injured the cop.
A
senior lawyer in Harare told SW Radio Africa that he was sure the first
route the defence team will take is to apply to the court to dismiss the
charges against the activists at the end of the state case.
He said
the state case had so many loopholes and is ‘littered’ with many
inconsistencies.
The lawyer explained that having followed the case
since it started in 2012,
he had not come across a shred of evidence that
could be used to convict the
accused persons.
Lack
of English: Cuban doctor throws Zimbabwe murder trial into chaos
http://www.zimdiaspora.com/
THURSDAY, 28
FEBRUARY 2013 10:25
By Correspondent
THE Cuban government has
authorised a Cuban doctor in Zimbabwe to testify
in the murder trial of
police inspector Petros Mutedza, however the set back
is that the doctor
could not speak English.
Up to 29 MDC-T Glen View activists are accused
of murdering Insp Mutedza.
The trial rolled over to today to enable the
State to secure the services of
a Spanish interpreter and for the State,
together with the defence team, to
decide on when the trial should
proceed.
The matter was postponed in High Court judge Justice Chinembiri
Bhunu’s
chambers.
On Tuesday, the activists’ lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa
described the continuing
applications by the State seeking postponements
over the unavailability of
the doctor as a farce.
Mtetwa told Justice
Bhunu that the State was not being sincere in the manner
it had handled the
trial of the activists since it started last year.
Five of the activists,
have been in custody since 2011 after Justice Bhunu
denied them bail on the
grounds that they were a flight risk and that
evidence against them was
overwhelming.
Police block debate on Zimbabwe Constitution in Harare
Published on : 28 February 2013 - 10:00am |
Update 28 February 2013, 15:00:
Since this article's original publication at 10:00, RNW received the following
statement from Harare's Media Centre programmes officer Charles Saki. For more
details about the rescheduled debate, see the Media Centre's Facebook page.
The police denied us clearance [for
the debate] on the grounds that they needed four days notification. However, we
made an application and were cleared [for] 21 February 2013, but we had to
postpone the meeting because our speakers had not confirmed. We informed the
police of our decision to postpone and they said it was fine as long as we
maintained the same topic.
On the day of the meeting,
yesterday, we were shocked to receive a clearance letter with the earlier date
(21 February 2013). After realizing that the date was wrong, we called [the
police] and they said that we had to reapply and they needed four days' notice.
They went on to say that the Media Centre was not supposed to hold the meeting
and they would take appropriate action if we did.
So that then informed our decision
to cancel the debate at the eleventh hour. We informed the panelists of the
cancellation and we had to turn members of the public away. They came to check
if we had gone ahead with the meeting and they left with no incident upon
realizing that we had not do so. We will reconvene the meeting and debate the
same topic as planned.
Originally published article begins
here:
The police have yet again come under
heavy criticism after blocking a public meeting organized by the Media Centre in
Harare on Wednesday. The public debate on the draft constitution was to include
senior members of Zanu-PF, the MDC formations, ZAPU, Mavambo Dawn/Kusile
political parties and the National Constitutional
Assembly.
By Violet Gonda as published by our partner SW Radio
Africa
One of the scheduled speakers,
president of the MDC-99 Job Sikhala, said he was notified by the Media Center on
the morning of the discussion and told that the police had banned the
indaba.
Sikhala told SW Radio Africa he was
told the police banned the meeting for a number of reasons including the issue
of how panelists were selected. The police also said they are “no longer
allowing public meetings to be convened by NGOs outside the arrangements of
government”.
Talking about the popularity of
meetings arranged by civic groups Sikhala said: “They are extremely popular.
Zimbabweans are anxious to hear how their country is going to move forward.
These are well advertised platforms for Zimbabweans to express their democratic
views and the police officers are now becoming more and more dangerous in
curtailing the democratic discourse in our country.”
Sikhala urged the NGOs to challenge
this latest police ban in the courts and also said they must “start organizing
demonstrations against such clampdowns.”
Media Centre programmes officer
Charles Saki confirmed the meeting had been cancelled even though they had given
the police advance notice. The organization is planning to organize the event
again in a few days.
A law that police frequently use to
silence the masses is the repressive Public Order and Security Act. Recently the
parliamentary watchdog, Bill Watch, issued a report about the MDC-T Mutare
Central legislator, Innocent Gonese, who tried to revive the POSA Amendment bill
in the Senate. After over an hour of debate a vote was taken and Gonese’s motion
was rejected by 28 votes to 17. Bill Watch said the vote illustrates Zanu-PF’s
domination of the Senate; the Chiefs who voted followed the ZANU-PF
lead.
However, Bill Watch said this is not
necessarily the end of the bill saying: “Gonese is to table a motion in the
House of Assembly asking that the Bill, as passed by the House in December 2009,
be sent to the President for assent, despite the Senate’s rejection of his
motion.”
Read the full article here.
Zimbabwe
Struggling to Raise US$95 Million For Referendum
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Blessing Zulu,
Jonga Kandemiiri
27.02.2013
WASHINGTON — A serious crisis is looming
in Harare as the government battles
to secure US$95 million needed to fund
the March 16 constitutional
referendum.
The crisis has been worsened
by the United Nations' refusal to fund the
referendum citing time
constraints.
The United Nations said it would have wanted to assess
Harare’s needs first
before committing resources. Several companies that the
government had
approached, including mobile phone operators and mining
firms, told VOA
that they too are struggling and cannot
assist.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti says the government is still to
secure funds
needed to run the constitutional referendum while on the other
hand Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa maintains Harare has secured
resources to support
the national vote.
There was speculation that
diamond revenues could have been availed to fund
the referendum.
But
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu told VOA that all government funds are
channelled
through Biti.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s deputy
chairperson Joyce Kazembe said
ZEC is waiting to hear from the justice
ministry about the funds.
Meanwhile, students from tertiary
institutions are devided over the draft
constitution with some saying they
will vote “No” in the referendum.
This came out at a meeting of
representatives from five student groups at
the University of Zimbabwe in
Harare on Wednesday with COPAC representatives
to discuss the draft
charter.
Representatives from the National Movement of Catholic Students,
Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU), Female Students Network of
Zimbabwe,
Students Christian Movement of Zimbabwe and the Students
Solidarity Trust
first audited the draft constitution before inviting COPAC
co-chairman
Douglas Mwonzora to clarify areas of concern.
National
Movement of Catholic Students coordinator Gift Mambipiri said most
of them
feel the draft takes away Zimbabweans’ the right to education.
Government
to hand over referendum money to ZEC
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
28.02.13
by Tavada
Mafa
Acting Justice Minister Emmerson Munangagwa is this week going to
surrender
Referendum funds to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which
the
country domestically sourced.
Government two week ago set a
cabinet task force led by Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara to approach
the private sector seeking for
referendum money.
That was after the
UNDP had turned down the country’s request for the same.
Responding to
the country’s referendum request last week UNDP said the
application
approached them very late.
“I can confirm to you that the referendum
money has been secured and the
acting Justice Minister Emerson Munangagwa is
working on modalities to get
the money to ZEC.This is so because I am out of
the country in Geneva, ”Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa told
TheZimbabwean in a telephone interview
Wednesday.
Chinamasa said,
“What is left is the money for elections but with the
referendum we are
done.”
Chinamasa however declined to reveal the actual amount they raised
for the
referendum.
But according to COPAC the country needs US$85
million for the referendum.
The referendum date has already been set for
the 16th of March, with COPAC
already educating people on the contents of
the draft constitution.
The holding of the referendum is going to pave
way for elections which would
mark the end of the Inclusive government
formed by ZANU (PF) and two MDC
formations four years ago.
The
Professor Lovemore Madhuku led National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) is
however opposing the draft constitution with its NO Vote campaign.
Coltart
bars teachers from referendum
http://www.herald.co.zw
Thursday, 28 February 2013
00:00
EDUCATION, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart has
barred
teachers from participating as polling officers in the constitutional
referendum slated for March 16, saying their involvement would disrupt
learning. This comes amid reports that the shortage of copies of the draft
Constitution has affected awareness campaigns being carried out in various
parts of the country.
Teachers constitute the bulk of civil servants and
have over the years been
used as polling officers during
elections.
“Schools will be used as polling venues, but not all of
them.
“As a ministry, we are concerned about the disruption of the
learning
process and we want to minimise the effects.
“My view is that
teachers should not be used as polling agents. This is
meant to ensure that
the learning process is not disrupted. We held a
meeting yesterday (Tuesday)
with officials from my ministry where we
discussed that
issue.”
Minister Coltart said his ministry would present its request to
the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission to have a common understanding on
the issue.
He said his ministry was concerned that if teachers
were to take part in the
plebiscite, a lot of learning time would be lost as
they would be required
to undergo training well before the actual voting
day.
“Our officers are looking into the issue and we feel that if ZEC
insists, it
would be better to release untrained teachers.
“We would ask
them to look for manpower from other Government departments
because we do
not want the children to be affected by this,” said Minister
Coltart.
However, there are reports that some teachers have already
been enlisted to
be polling officers.
Meanwhile, Copac outreach
programmes to raise awareness on the provisions of
the draft constitution
continue to roll on across the country’s provinces.
The meetings started
on Monday and are set to continue up to next week as
the Government seeks to
ensure that members of the public familiarise
themselves with the document
ahead of the vote.
Political parties in the inclusive Government, Zanu-PF
and the two MDC
formations have already endorsed the draft and are on a
joint crusade,
urging their supporters to vote “Yes”.
Members of the
civic society and smaller political parties have also
commended the draft,
although they expressed reservations on some of the
provisions.
Yesterday, the Copac leadership admitted that there was
high demand for
copies of the draft Constitution which were in short
supply.
“It is something that we are aware of and we are trying our best to
print
more copies.
“The problem, as you might be aware, is of
resources but everything is being
done to ensure that we increase the copies
of the draft,” Copac
co-chairperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora said.
His
counterpart, Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana also confirmed that demand for
the
copies outstripped supply.
“As we have said before that the issue of
resources has made it difficult to
print copies to satisfy demand, but we
are trying our best to ensure people
get information on the Constitution,”
he said.
Cde Mangwana said Copac was also running publicity campaigns on
Star FM
where they were explaining to listeners the contents of the draft
Constitution.
Copac printed 90 000 copies of the draft, with 70 000
being in English while
20 000 are in local languages.
The breakdown is 10
000 are in Shona, 6 000 Ndebele, 600 each for Venda,
Shangaan, Tonga,
Kalanga and Nambya, 400 each for Chewa and Sotho and 200
for
Xhosa.
Another 500 copies were also translated to Braille.
Copac also
printed 200 000 copies of the abridged version of the draft.
Public
meetings continued to be held countrywide with the Copac leadership
expressing satisfaction with the progress so far.
Copac is also using the
campaigns to advocate for a “Yes” vote.
The referendum will be held on
March 16 after which dates for harmonised
elections will be announced.
So
far, there haven’t been cases where people were attacked during the
outreach
programmes. — Bulawayo Bureau-Herald Reporter.
Teachers
slam Coltart over referendum
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
28/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
TEACHERS' unions have slammed Education Minister David
Coltart’s move to
block them from working in next month’s referendum saying
their members
should be allowed to make extra cash since the government
refuses to pay
them a living wage.
Zimbabwe holds a constitutional
referendum on March 16 and teachers, who
make up the bulk of the state’s
estimated 230,000 employees, have
traditionally worked as polling officers
during natiuonal votes.
But Coltart was quoted by the Herald Wednesday
saying he would seek to block
teachers from taking part in the referendum
arguing this would disrupt
learning around the country.
On Thursday
the minister, however, said the publication misrepresented the
ministry's
position over the issue.
"At no time did either I or any member of my
staff state that there would be
a total ban on teachers participating in the
referendum. What we have said
is that there should be minimal disruption of
the education sector and to
that extent qualified teachers should only be
used as a last resort to
ensure that as many of them as possible remain as
long as possible at their
posts in their classrooms," the minister said in a
statement.
"We cannot afford the remainder of the term being disrupted
with thousands
of qualified teachers leaving their posts to be trained. The
recently
released O Level results are a reminder that the education sector
remains in
crisis and children's education remains under threat. Accordingly
it is in
our national interest not to disturb their education any more as
far as
possible."
Still, teachers’ unions said the ministry should
have consulted them first
and insisted that their members could not be
stopped from taking part in
national events.
“The minister should not
stop teachers from participating in a national
event as that would create a
feeling of exclusion,” said Zimbabwe Teachers
Association (Zimta) chief
executive officer, Sifiso Ndlovu.
“To say the referendum would disrupt
the learning process is a flimsy excuse
because we have always participated
in national events and teachers have
made contingency measures for the time
lost.
“What the minister says is not plausible at all. Some educators
want to take
part in this exercise to get some pennies. This is a once off
opportunity
for teachers to make extra cash especially in this difficult
economic
situation.”
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) secretary general, Raymond
Majongwe, added: “The referendum is a
government programme and teachers must
participate although we want a clear
contract and conditions of payment.
“This exercise will help the teachers
to augment their paltry salaries. The
minister knows that civil servants are
poor and such programmes come as an
advantage to teachers.”
Teachers
and the rest of the civil service spent most of last year battling
the
government for a near doubling of their salaries from the current US$296
for
the least paid to about US$600 in line with the country’s poverty datum
line.
The government maintained it could not meet the demands arguing
the state
wage bill was already accounting for more than 60 percent of
overall
revenues and expenditure. An inflation-adjusted 5,3 percent
increment
backdated to January was announced early this month.
SA
Constitutional Court reserves judgment on Zim land grabs
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Violet
Gonda
28 February 2013
The South African Constitutional Court on
Thursday reserved a ruling in a
landmark case against the Zimbabwe
government. Harare is appealing an
earlier Supreme Court ruling in favour of
white commercial farmers, who had
challenged the country’s land reform
program.
The late Mike Campbell and 77 Zimbabwean farmers had initially
approached
the SADC Tribunal in Namibia in 2008 to seek recourse after their
farms were
targeted during the controversial land redistribution
programme.
The now defunct Tribunal which consisted of five regional
judges, ruled that
the Zimbabwean land reform process was ‘illegal’ and
‘racist’ and that the
affected farmers should be compensated. The Tribunal
was effectively shut
down by Southern African leaders after President Robert
Mugabe’s government
complained about this ruling.
The Zimbabwe
government ignored two of the court orders resulting in the
farmers taking
the matter to the High Court to have the Tribunal’s
instructions enforced in
South Africa. The High Court in Pretoria upheld the
ruling by the Tribunal
and ordered the attachment of properties owned by the
Zimbabwean government
in Cape Town to compensate the white commercial
farmers.
Zimbabwe
appealed this decision and tried to block this ruling but the
application
was denied in the High Court and also in Supreme Court of
Appeal, with the
latter dismissing Harare’s application with costs.
Undeterred Zimbabwe
took the matter to South Africa’s top court arguing that
the Supreme Court
decision was in violation of international law. Zimbabwe
lawyers have argued
that a sovereign country should not be subjected to the
processes that they
are being subjected to by their neighbor and that “a
diplomat is inviolable
as much as diplomatic property in a foreign land.”
One of the farmers,
Ben Freeth, told SW Radio Africa that the proceedings in
court went well and
that he is hopeful that they will get a favorable
response. He said judgment
is expected within the next few months.
Willie Spies, legal
representative for AfriForum which is handling the case,
expressed his
satisfaction with the course of the trial.
He said in a statement: “If
the appeal by Zimbabwe is dismissed,
international legal history will be
made as the planned sale will be the
first sale in execution of property
belonging to a state that had been found
guilty of gross human rights
violations.”
Zimbabwe: “Hope in a Desert” at the Royal Geographical Society, London
MEDIA RELEASE
The Mike Campbell Foundation
28 February 2013
Zimbabwe: “Hope in
a Desert” at the Royal Geographical Society, London
“Hope in a Desert” is the theme of a presentation on the
future of Zimbabwe hosted by the UK-based Mike Campbell Foundation at the Royal
Geographical Society (with IBG) in London on Thursday March 7. The evening will
be chaired by Kate Hoey MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Zimbabwe.
Despite the Zimbabwean economy’s spectacular
collapse in the wake of the violent land invasions of 2000, the destruction of
property rights and the demise of the rule of law, the country still has the
irrefutable potential to recover its thriving economic status.
Ben Freeth MBE, executive director of the Mike
Campbell Foundation, and Professor Craig Richardson, a U.S. economist who
specializes in property rights and the Zimbabwean economy, will speak at the
event.
They will contend that the imperatives for
economic recovery and growth are enabling laws and policies, as well as the
restoration of property rights.
They also believe that the chronic, widespread
poverty can only be addressed when the country’s diverse resources – including
its agricultural potential and mineral wealth - are utilised productively for
the benefit of the entire nation.
Richardson’s theme, “Why do property rights
matter? The case of Zimbabwe”, will demonstrate how property titles unlock
financial capital, which can flow to a multitude of different areas and not only
alleviate poverty and hunger, but create wealth and a better life for all.
He will contend that although the Zimbabwean
economy is currently believed to be growing faster than most other economies,
this is off a very low base - and that the artificial nature of its reported
economic growth is dependent on massive infusions of foreign aid.
With the current conflict that remains on the
land delaying any sustainable recovery of the agricultural sector, Richardson
will propose possible solutions.
The third speaker, Gillian Higgins, is a
London-based barrister from the chambers of 9 Bedford Row. She is a founding
member of the International Criminal Law Bureau and the Director of ARC, a
project concerned with the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Higgins, who has extensive experience in
international criminal law and human rights law, will discuss issues related to
justice and accountability. This will help to break the culture of impunity so
prevalent in countries such as Zimbabwe, and which causes much suffering and
stifles progress.
These issues are particularly relevant with
Zimbabwe being in another election year.
The programme will include messages from the
foundation’s two patrons: Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, and
the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.
Archbishop Tutu has spoken out forthrightly on
the gross human rights abuses and rule of law infringements in Zimbabwe, while
Dr John Sentamu has described the existence of dictatorship and oppression as an
affront to God, humanity and the principles of democracy and the Rule of
Law.
In December 2012, Zimbabwe was ranked as one
of the world’s worst performers in upholding the rule of law by the World
Justice Project, which covered 97 countries.
Tickets cost £15 and the programme is from 7pm
to 9pm on Thursday March 7. Doors open at 6pm and there is a cash bar available
before and after the event.
To make a booking, log onto the Mike Campbell Foundation website: www.mikecampbellfoundation.com or contact Claire Freeth: phone: +44 (0)1795
842 341, e-mail: info@mikecampbellfoundation.com
ENDS
Starving
residents asked to produce ZANU PF cards
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Nomalanga Moyo
28
February 2013
Reports have emerged that ZANU PF officials in Gwanda, in
Matebeleland
South, are using food as a political weapon against starving
residents.
Gwanda was declared a drought-hit area by the provincial
governor, Angelina
Masuku, paving the way for the government and relief
agencies to step in and
provide food relief.
Since December Gwanda
has been receiving wheat, rice and maize, with
distribution being
coordinated by Mathomula Makhurane, who is the ZANU PF
chairman for Ward
16.
However, residents were stunned when they were asked to produce ZANU
PF
party cards as a pre-condition to receiving food aid.
SW Radio
Africa correspondent Lionel Saungweme was told by some residents
that those
who cannot produce the cards are being turned away without the
much-needed
grain.
Contacted for comment governor Masuku said as far as she was
concerned the
grain should be distributed to all the residents regardless of
party
affiliation.
“Anyone who is denied food is free to come into my
office and discuss their
concerns.
“So far no-one has raised any
issues about food distribution in Gwanda, and
if it is happening I would
take action as the office responsible for
sourcing the grain,” Masuku
said.
There have been similar reports across the country of selective
distribution
of food relief in favour of ZANU PF supporters.
In 2012
a serving soldier, who is also the son of a traditional leader in
ward 15 in
Chimanimani, Manicaland Province, is alleged to have hijacked a
shipment of
maize meant for all villagers and distributed it to ZANU PF
supporters
only.
Also in 2012, villagers from Ezimnyama Ward in Plumtree, told the
Daily News
how the district administrator was giving food aid meant for the
entire
community to ZANU PF supporters only.
Saungweme said a report
has been made to The Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee (JOMIC),
which has been monitoring reports of
partisan food distribution. But just
like the two MDCs in the coalition
government, JOMIC is powerless to make
arrests or change the situation.
U.S. provides $140,000 to Zimbabwean communities
class=MsoNormal>Harare,
February 28, 2013: The
United States Embassy is providing $140,000 to eight community-based
organizations in various parts of Zimbabwe for community initiatives.
class=MsoNormal>
class=MsoNormal>“I am happy to
announce that my Embassy will provide $40,000 in U.S. President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (also known as PEPFAR) and $100,000 in African Development Fund
(ADF) grants to eight community-based projects in Manicaland, Mashonaland
Central, Midlands and Matabeleland,” said U.S. Ambassador Bruce Wharton during a
signing ceremony at the Embassy in Harare on Thursday.
class=MsoNormal>The beneficiaries of
the support include Bonda Art and Craft Community in Mutasa district in
Manicaland and Little Children of the Blessed Lady in Chinamora, Mashonaland
Central. Both organizations received $20,000 from PEPFAR for income
generating projects that will benefit HIV/ AIDS affected orphaned and vulnerable
children and women in their respective constituencies.
class=MsoNormal>
class=MsoNormal>An additional six
organizations received various amounts from the Ambassador’s Self-Help African
Development Fund. They are Rose of Charity Orphanage in Victoria Falls; Binga
Craft Women’s Welding and Craft program; Dombodema and St. Francis Tshitshi high
schools in Plumtree; Takaza Horticulture Community in Shurugwi, and Vungu
Secondary School in lower Gweru.
Congratulating the
recipients, Ambassador Wharton said they have demonstrated the exceptional
tradition of community self-help. “As self-help project managers, you have
demonstrated leadership, tireless work to improve the lives of those around you,
and commitment to make the project last beyond the life of the grant. We honor
and commend you for your leadership and hard work.”
The
Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund was established in 1980 by the U.S. government to
give support to local communities in developing countries. The funding is goes
to organizations and communities at a grassroots level that have already shown
the initiative to improve their own communities.
There are three types
of 2012-2013 Ambassador’s Self-Help grants in Zimbabwe that are extensions of
USAID, PEPFAR and ADF funding. The small grant
funding provides flexibility to fund small-scale development activities
that fall outside the established structure of PEPFAR and ADF programs. Grants
are typically $5,000 to $20,000 and given to organizations that are legally
established, demonstrate strong community support, and possess an ethos of
supporting women and youth through income generating or skills training
projects.
The Ambassador’s
Self-Help ADF Grant program is in its third year in Zimbabwe with funding totals
of $225,000 since its inception. Eighteen organizations in ten provinces of
Zimbabwe with strong community support have been granted funds for income
generating projects, such as piggery and poultry programs, grinding mills, and
market gardens. The Ambassador’s Self-Help PEPFAR Grant program in Zimbabwe has
operated for two years, providing $80,000 in grant money to four organizations
that support training and income generation projects for women and child-headed
households struggling with the effects of HIV/AIDS.
Since 1980, the U.S. Ambassador’s Special Self-Help
Small Grants Program in Zimbabwe has awarded over 3 million dollars to over 320
community projects throughout Zimbabwe. The funding has been used for a wide
variety of community projects including classrooms, community centers, housing
for teachers or nurses, irrigation schemes and vocational training for women,
youth, orphans, and handicapped persons. The program also supports income
generating projects.
# #
#
Comments and queries
should be addressed to Sharon Hudson-Dean, Public Affairs Officer.
E-mail: hararepas@state.gov Tel. +263 4 758800-1,
Fax: 758802. http://harare.usembassy.gov
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Christpower
Maisiri buried in Headlands
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda and Violet
Gonda
28 February 2013
Christpower Maisiri, the 12 year-old boy burnt
to death in an alleged arson
attack, was laid to rest on Thursday in
Headlands. His death has provoked a
storm of criticism against political
violence.
Christpower was buried at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai and several senior figures from the MDC-T, including
Thokozani
Khupe, Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and Morgan Komichi.
The
party disclosed that it will help rebuild the destroyed hut and has
raised
enough money to ensure that the Maisiri family live
comfortably.
Tsvangirai told mourners at Dzikiti Village that
Christpower’s death was not
a good indicator that the country will be able
to hold a free and fair poll.
Following the tragic events in Headlands
the Prime Minister explained that
on Tuesday the cabinet had dwelt at length
on the upsurge of political
violence.
Cabinet strongly condemned the
violence and told the police to arrest any
perpetrators. But the same police
have been roundly condemned for their
reluctance to get to the bottom of
what happened at the Maisiri homestead
last Saturday night.
Police
said they’ve not found any evidence of foul play, although
Christpower’s
father Shepherd Maisiri believes it was an attempt on his
life.
Pishai Muchauraya, the MDC-T spokesman for Manicaland, told SW
Radio Africa:
“They (CIO and war vets) went around the villages last night
telling people
not to attend the burial and that there would be dire
consequences for
anyone seen going to a gathering to be addressed by
Tsvangirai.”
The Makoni South MP said despite the intimidation and
threats the villagers
came out in large numbers to grieve with the Maisiri
family.
Co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone has accused ZANU PF of
putting
pressure on the police to downplay the arson attack that killed
Christpower.
She said it took the police more than eight hours to go to
the Maisiri
homestead, even though the police station is not far from the
MDC-T activist’s
home.
Makone warned that this year’s poll will be
bloodier than the 2008 elections
unless ZANU PF, “switches off its violence
machinery.”
In a wide ranging interview on the Hot Seat program Makone
said between the
Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and President
Mugabe, “someone is not
doing their work” as the violence continues, in
spite of their calls for
peace.
“While we speak of ‘free and fair
elections’ by day, at night we are talking
‘win at all cost’ even if it
means repeating or exceeding the violence of
2008.”
She said the
political parties in the coalition government are supposed to
campaign
together for a Yes vote at the referendum but ZANU PF has already
gone into
its default position, “which is power at all cost never mind that
we have
something we have in common.”
“I personally will not be surprised to hear
that we will not have a
referendum after all, and everybody is now being
catapulted into a rushed
election which would have had to follow a
referendum.”
No
proof of foul play: fire death cops
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
27/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporters
POLICE have ruled out foul play in the fire death of a
12-year-old Headlands
boy which has stoked political tensions in the country
with the MDC-T
accused of turning the tragedy into an election campaign
event.
The party confirmed that its leader and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai
would attend Thursday’s funeral of Christpower Maisiri (12) whose
dad is the
party’s local organising secretary. The youth died when a fire
gutted a
thatched hut in which he slept with siblings last
Saturday.
The MDC-T was said to have barricaded the Maisiri family home
in Headlands,
near Rusape, ahead of Thursday’s funeral with campaign posters
featuring
Tsvangirai posted around the area.
The party blames Zanu PF
for the attack which dominated Tuesday’s Cabinet
meeting amid fears of
renewed violence ahead of fresh elections later this
year.
“(On
Tuesday) we spent four hours in cabinet deliberating … the resurgence
of all
the bad habits that were there before the inclusive government. The
tragic
and horrifying murder of this young boy is perhaps the most traumatic
but
every day we have such issues,” MDC leader Welshman Ncube told a public
meeting in Harare Wednesday.
"President (Robert) Mugabe repeatedly
said these things should not be
happening. (He said) if it’s Zanu PF people
doing it they must be dealt
with. The police are told again and again but it
doesn’t stop.
"(But) one of the most interesting things to come out of
the Cabinet meeting
was that ministers thought to be sponsoring violence
were (confronted)
accused directly and told that ‘you are a merchant of
violence’. That
opportunity was not there in 2008.”
Zanu PF has
denied any involvement in the attack as police revealed that
preliminary
investigations had ruled out the possibility of foul play.
“At the moment
we cannot point fingers at anyone. This emanates from our
preliminary
investigations so far which indicate that no foul play had taken
place,”
deputy national police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka said.
“Basing on our
preliminary investigations there is no pointer or clue to
suggest that the
incident was politically motivated.
“Right now investigations are in full
swing. We have embarked on thorough
investigations because we need to get to
the bottom of the incident by all
means.”
Information Minister
Webster Shamu said the Cabinet had ordered the police
to establish the cause
of the tragedy.
“The nation may wish to know that Cabinet has directed the
Co- Ministers of
Home Affairs to institute thorough investigations through
the relevant arms
so that the nation gets full facts surrounding the
incident and for justice
to be done,” he said.
“Our society is
founded on the principle of sanctity of life and any actions
that are shown
to undermine this sacred principle will attract the full
weight of the
law.”
Zimbabwe will later this year hold elections to end the uneasy
coalition
between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and both leaders have repeatedly
appealed to
supporters to ensure there was no repeat of the violence
experienced in
2008.
Black
Empowerment Scheme Haunts Unity Govt
http://www.voazimbabwe.com
Gibbs
Dube
27.02.2013
WASHINGTON — Zimbabwe rolled out its controversial
indigenization program
two years ago, compelling foreign-owned companies to
sell a 51 percent stake
to black Zimbabweans.
So far, several firms
have transferred ownership stakes and millions of
dollars into community
share ownership trusts.
President Robert Mugabe and his supporters say
more still needs to be done
to put control of the Zimbabwe economy into the
hands of local people.
Critics say the indigenization program is little
more than a pet project for
the president’s party as the country prepares
for general elections this
year.
Zanu-PF embarked on a land
re-distribution program in 2000, following its
defeat in a constitutional
referendum which could have consolidated
President Mugabe’s 31-year tenure
in office.
Beneficiaries of the program were mainly Zanu-PF supporters,
most of whom
had no experience in commercial farming.
Over 4,000
white commercial farmers lost control of their farms. Twelve
years on, the
productivity of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector has plummeted,
but that did
not deter Zanu-PF from extending indigenization beyond the
farming
industry.
Opponents, including both formations of the Movement for
Democratic Change
(MDC) in the unity government, say Zanu-PF is using
indigenization to buy
support as the country prepares for presidential,
parliamentary and local
government elections later this year, to prevent a
repeat of the 2008
elections, when the party lost control of almost all
urban areas.
But beyond the politics, indigenization has been the target
of much
criticism.
According to the Ministry of Investment Promotion
and Development, many
potential foreign investors are scared of the black
economic empowerment
scheme, as it makes it very difficult to anticipate
costs and revenue
streams that are a part of the foundation of any new
business.
But Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo says his party is happy with
the progress
made so far in indigenizing the Zimbabwean economy. Mr. Gumbo
dismisses
critics who say the initiative is meant only to entice voters in
the
forthcoming elections.
Deputy Indigenization Minister Tongai
Matutu disagrees, saying the program
is currently in a state of
confusion.
Mr. Matutu adds that he is never consulted even when
Indigenization Minister
Saviour Kasukuwere launches community share
ownership schemes and other
projects related to the black empowerment
program.
Nhlanhla Dube of the MDC formation of Industry Minister
Professor Welshman
Ncube says his party also believes that the black
economic empowerment
program is riddled with inconsistencies as Zanu-PF is
using the ministry of
indigenization to further its political
interests.
There is need to come up with a black empowerment model which will
create
jobs for poor Zimbabweans"
Some political analysts say Zanu-PF
members, especially top officials, also
want to amass a lot of wealth
without taking into account the negative
impact of the indigenization
program on the Zimbabwe economy.
For independent economist John
Robertson, Zimbabwe’s black economic
empowerment program is designed to
benefit the ruling elite.
Harare-based economist Daniel Ndlela also says
the Indigenization and
Economic Empowerment Act, which compels foreign-owned
companies with
investments in Zimbabwe to part with majority shares,
discourages foreign
direct investment.
Mr. Ndlela argues that the
majority of people are waiting for a new law that
will respect property
rights and take into account the needs of industries
and citizens - black or
white.
Bulawayo Agenda director Thabani Nyoni adds that the black
economic
empowerment program will again plunge Zimbabwe into another
economic crisis
if foreign-owned companies are forced to parcel out shares
to blacks.
Mr. Nyoni believes that the program will not economically
empower black
Zimbabweans currently struggling to make ends
meet.
Bulawayo-based human rights lawyer Kucaca Phulu agrees, saying that
the
indigenization law violates private property rights.
Mr. Dube
concurs, noting that the current indigenization program is a
non-starter. He
says there is need to come up with a black empowerment model
which will
create jobs for poor Zimbabweans.
So far, some mining companies including
Zimbabwe Platinum Holdings, a
subsidiary of South Africa’s Impala Platinum
Holdings, insurer Old Mutual
and hotel operator Meikles Africa Limited are
in the process of selling 51
percent of their shares to black
Zimbabweans.
Some of them have set up community share trusts and workers’
ownership
schemes as a form of empowerment credits instead of parting with
shares.
They have also contributed a combined $40 million towards
the setting up of
a sovereign wealth fund for purchasing shares in private
firms targeted for
indigenization.
The fund is administered by a
national indigenization board and Minister
Kasukuwere, Zanu-PF’s front man
in driving the black economic empowerment
agenda.
Zanu-PF says this
is a crucial struggle in the liberation of Zimbabwe from
foreign
domination.
It remains to be seen whether Zimbabweans will raise the
required funds to
buy equity stakes in foreign-owned companies. The majority
of Zimbabweans
are currently living below the poverty datum line of $590 per
month for an
urban family of six.
Zisco
collapsed beyond repair: Ncube
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
27/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
KEY plant and equipment at Ziscosteel such as blast furnaces
have collapsed
beyond repair due to neglect meaning the company’s new owners
will virtually
have to build a new company altogether, a cabinet minister
has revealed.
The Redcliff-based steelmaker has been renamed NewZim Steel
following its
US$750 million take-over by Indian firm Essar Africa Holdings
in a deal that
has however stalled over the transfer of rights to the
company’s iron ore
reserves.
But Industry and Commerce Minister
Welshman Ncube revealed Wednesday that
apart from the stand-off over the
mineral transfer the new owners would
likely have to build the company
anew.
Ncube said Zisco’s main Number 4 blast furnace as well as the
company’s coke
oven batteries had collapsed beyond repair due to neglect
meaning the new
investors would have to spend millions building new
structures.
"Two years ago we would have been rebuilding Blast Furnace
Number 4. Now it
is in such a sorry state it can’t be rebuilt. We have to
pull it down and
put up a new furnace,” he said.
“We also have to
pull down all the coke ovens and build new ones.
Essentially all you have is
the site of the old ZISCO but everything you
need to rebuild from
scratch.”
Production at Zisco stopped in 2008 following years of poor
management,
undercapitalisation as well corruption which was said to involve
senior
politicians.
The government agreed to sell the company to
Essar Africa Holdings in 2011
but the deal, which was expected to facilitate
what was once Africa’s
biggest integrated steelworks north of the Limpopo,
has stalled following
disagreements in cabinet.
The Mines Ministry
has blocked the transfer of mineral rights to Essar,
arguing the country may
have handed over a US$30 billion asset for less than
US41
billion.
The company’s 3,500 workers have been the worst affected by the
delays in
concluding the deal with Essar stopping the payment of salaries
early last
year citing the lack of production.
Chiredzi
farmers get offer letters
http://www.herald.co.zw
Thursday, 28 February 2013
00:00
Masvingo Bureau
Government has issued nearly 150 offer
letters to new A2 sugar cane farmers
allocated plots at Hippo Valley and
Triangle sugar cane estates.
This brings to 1 000 the number of indigenous
people now into commercial
cane
production since the inception of the
land reform programme over a decade
ago. Three Chiredzi chiefs namely
Sengwe, Tshovani and Gudo whose subjects
had for long protested against
their exclusion from sugar cane farming in
the Lowveld are among those who
were given the offer letters.
The new farmers were issued with offer
letters after Government entered into
an agreement with sugar cane growing
giant Tongaat Hullet to develop nearly
4 000 hectares of virgin land at
Hippo Valley and Triangle estates into
sugar cane plots.
Masvingo
Governor and Resident Minister Titus Maluleke yesterday confirmed
that 150
offer letters were recently issued to indigenous players.
He said each of the
beneficiaries would get about 20 hectares.
“Tongaat Hullet offered to
develop nearly 4 000 hectares of virgin land at
Hippo Valley and Triangle
that will be demarcated into individual plots for
the beneficiaries and the
project will be done on a cost recovery basis,’’he
said.
Governor
Maluleke said they were now working on repayment modalities to make
sure
that the new beneficiaries were not left vulnerable in the repayment
plan.
“Tongaat Hullet will develop the land and plant the initial
cane and will
recover its money from the beneficiaries but we are working on
a deal that
does not suffocate the new cane farmers,” said Governor
Maluleke.
“We want them to be able to repay their loans but at the same
time be able
to pay their workers to earn a living from cane farming and
that is the deal
we are working on right now.’’
Under the deal,
Governor Maluleke said, Tongaat Hullet would develop the
land build
irrigation canals and plant the cane and would recover its money
from the
beneficiaries over a certain period. Land planning has already been
completed and actual development is expected to start anytime soon.
Former
Hwange boss arrested over fraud
http://nehandaradio.com
on February 28, 2013 at 1:20 am
Former
Hwange Colliery Company managing director, Fred Moyo was arrested
Monday
night on fraud charges involving the embezzlement of funds close to
US$3
million from foreign partners in a gold mining venture in
Shabanie.
He was being held at the Rhodesville Police Station.
Assistant Police
Commissioner Oliver Chibage is said to be handling the
case.
Moyo is said to have taken loans (US$2 million from ZB Bank and
US$700 000
from Stanbic) using company documents without the knowledge of
the other Ox
Mining partners Dirk Benade and Sydney Steyn.
The former
HCC boss reportedly managed to pay only $850 000, contravening
the purchase
agreement which required full payment of the purchase price by
end of June
2011, thereby making the sale null and void.
Police spokesperson
Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the
arrest saying Moyo
will appear in court later in the week.
Coltart
outlines six-point plan for new SRC board
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
28.02.13
by Mxolisi
Ncube
David Coltart, the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture,
recently
spelt out the six-point 2013 mandate of the recently-appointed
Sports and
Recreation Board.
The principal policy objectives
and goals of the Board include organising
Zone VI Youth Games, the Hockey
World Series of February 2014, mapping an
action plan for 2016 Olympics and
Paralympics, coming up with new sport
regulations and the tightening of
discipline and improvement of
administration of NSAs.
It is also
tasked with mapping government policy on strategic sports and the
integration of Sport to Zimbabwe’s Education curriculum
Zimbabwe will
host the Zone VI Youth Games in December 2014 and the
immediate task of the
board is to appoint an Organising Committee and a CEO
and make the decision
on whether Bulawayo or Harare should be the host city.
“I am dissatisfied
with the comparative analysis and costings done in this
regard to date and
urgent further work needs to be done,” said Coltart, who
is also the Senator
for Bulawayo South.
“Once the host city has been chosen, the various
venues will need to be
refurbished and it is imperative that this work be
commenced in 2013 and
completed well before the start of the games. It goes
without saying that
this is the greatest sporting event Zimbabwe has hosted
since the All Africa
Games in 1995 and it is imperative that it be well
organised.”
Zimbabwe will also host one of the Hockey World Series
Tournament in
February 2014, subject to its preparedness to rehabilitate
Harare’s Magamba
Hockey Stadium in Harare.
The Minister of Finance
has since confirmed that Government would provide
the funds.
The SRC
was also tasked with urgently developing a strategic plan in
conjunction
with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee with regards to the
Olympics, which
should include the early identification of potential medal
winners and the
mobilisation of support for them and their respective
associations.
The Board needs to be more proactive in enforcing a
higher standard of
administration and financial accountability in all
National Sports
Associations.
“Whilst Government is committed to
respecting the right of all Zimbabweans
to promote and develop all sporting
disciplines, Government itself needs to
be more strategic in identifying and
supporting those sporting disciplines
which Zimbabwe has a comparative
advantage in, and which can assist in
creating jobs and generating wealth,”
added Senator Coltart.
“We increasingly need to recognise that ‘sport is
business’ and
strategically direct Government and Corporate sector support
for certain
sports. Accordingly the SRC needs to advise Government on say 10
key
sporting disciplines which we need to focus on it particular. Tied to
this
is the development of a strategic plan to invest in these disciplines
with a
view to contributing to Zimbabwe’s GDP.”
Implementation of the
recommendations made by the Nziramasanga Commission
regarding the
development of a more vocationally-oriented curriculum was
also identified
key component of sports development.
“Closely tied to this is the need to
recognise that sport needs to be part
of a vocationally oriented curriculum.
Key, strategically targeted, sports
must be taught in schools not on the
periphery but as an integral and
fundamental part of the curriculum. In this
regard the SRC needs to take an
active part in the review and reform of the
curriculum.”
Parly to
punish errant ministers
http://www.herald.co.zw
Thursday, 28 February 2013
00:00
Herald Reporter
A parliamentary committee has called for
Government ministers who fail to
respond to portfolio committee reports on
time to be penalised.
Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy chairperson Cde
Edward
Chindori-Chininga (Zanu-PF) said on Tuesday that there was a need
to revisit
Parliament’s Standing Orders, to invoke sanctions on Government
ministers
who fail to respond to committee reports for the legislature’s
oversight
role to be effective.
He was speaking while presenting the
committee’s report to the House where
he said four ministers failed to
respond to the committee’s report on
Shabani Mashava Mine on how the mine
could be revived and save 4 000 jobs.
He accused Justice and Legal
Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa of failing
to respond to issues related
to Reconstruction of State Indebtedness
Companies and Insolvency
Act.
The Government relied on the law when it took over SMM after it felt
the
firm was heavily exposed.
Cde Chindori-Chininga said co-Ministers of
Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and
Theresa Makone failed to respond to the
committee’s report on the
implementation of the Prevention of Corruption
Act, while Mines and Mining
Development Minister Obert Mpofu failed to
respond to issues to do with the
Mines and Minerals Act.
The
committee gave the responsible members of the Executive more than one
year
to respond to the report but up to now, no feedback had been given, he
said.
Cde Chindori-Chininga said there was a need to revisit the
Standing Rules
and Orders as, while it compelled a Cabinet Minister to
respond, it did not
give time frame and sanctions. In any normal functional
democracy, there
should be checks and balances between the three organs of
the State, namely
the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature, said Cde
Chindori-Chininga.
From the manner in which the Executive has responded
to this report and many
other reports it appears as if Parliament cannot
effectively hold the
Executive accountable for its actions. This is
unacceptable.
In other countries like South Africa, said Cde
Chindori-Chininga, it was
mandatory for members of Cabinet to provide
Parliament with full and regular
reports concerning matters falling under
their control and the Legislature
in Pretoria could even pass a vote of no
confidence.
This puts pressure on members of Cabinet to perform and to be
more
accountable to Parliament. However, this was not the situation in this
country, he said. The committee recommended that there be dialogue between
Government and former shareholder of SMM Mr Mutumwa Mawere to find a
solution which would be for the benefit of the workers. The Reconstruction
of State Indebtedness Companies and Insolvency Act, said Cde
Chindori-Chininga, should be amended so that it is consistent with the draft
constitution.
Cde Chindori-Chininga noted the hesitancy by
legislators to debate on SMM,
yet it touched a very important national
resource which had the potential to
generate substantial revenue.
“Zimbabwe must
respect fundamental freedoms in run-up to constitutional referendum,” warn
UN rights experts
http://www.ohchr.org
GENEVA (27 February 2013) – Three United Nations
Special Rapporteurs urged
today the Government of Zimbabwe to respect
international human rights norms
and standards pertaining to freedoms of
association, of peaceful assembly
and of expression in the run up to the
constitutional referendum on 16 March
and subsequent elections which may
take place next July.
As Zimbabwe is entering a critical electoral
period, the three international
human rights experts have received
increasing numbers of reports about acts
of intimidation and harassment,
physical violence and arrests against civil
society actors, mostly working
on human rights issues.
“In the context of proposed constitutional
reforms and the elections, it is
disturbing and shocking to learn that civil
society organizations that have
been operating for years, including election
monitoring groups which aim to
promote free and fair elections, have been
searched by police,” said the
Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of
association, Maina Kiai.
“Search procedures
must not be applied selectively, and the right to privacy
needs to be
respected. Otherwise, the independence of associations and the
safety of
their members will be seriously at risk,” he emphasized.
For several
months, a number of civil society organizations have been
subjected to
searches by police. During these searches, several items,
including files
with donor information, annual reports and human rights
documents, have been
seized.
“With the referendum less than two weeks away, human rights
defenders who
promote participation have a critical role to play,” added the
Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret
Sekaggya,
while expressing alarm at the apparent on-going crackdown against
rights
defenders. “They must be protected by the Government and attempts to
stifle
criticism must end,” she urged.
The experts also voiced their
concern at the police’s use of force against,
and arrests of, peaceful
protesters taking part, and handing out roses and
teddy bears, in an annual
Valentine’s Day protest outside Parliament in
Harare on 14 February
2013.
“The on-going practice of arrests against the activists could
seriously
hamper the right to freedom of expression,” stressed the Special
Rapporteur
on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue.
“The
Zimbabwean authorities must ensure that such measures are applied in
accordance with international standards and everyone is guaranteed the right
to speak freely without fear of persecution, arrest and
intimidation.”
The three independent human rights experts expressed
serious alarm that the
increase in attacks against civil society actors
coincided with the official
announcement that 16 March had been set as a
date for the constitutional
referendum.
“We urge the authorities to
take all relevant measures to ensure everyone’s
voice is heard, in view of
the recurrence of acts of intimidation and
harassment against those
exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful
assembly and of association,
which are essential components of democracy,”
they underscored.
The
Special Rapporteurs noted that constitutional referendum and elections
are a
unique opportunity for the authorities to promote and ensure the
participation of all. “We stand ready to provide any assistance to
contribute to the protection of fundamental freedoms in Zimbabwe, including
through a country visit,” they said.
'No space for
opposition in Zim politics'
http://www.news24.com/
2013-02-28 10:21
Cape Town – Zimbabwe
is not ready to hold fair and free elections this year
as there is little
space for opposition politics in the country, the
Institute for Democracy in
Southern Africa (Idasa) has said.
According to News Day, the regional
think-tank also accused the Southern
Development Community (SADC) of failing
to fulfil its mandate to stop
Zanu-PF dominance and the structures
responsible for the 2008 bloody
campaign.
"There is little space for
opposition politics and therefore inadequate
oversight . . . In Zimbabwe,
Zanu-PF continues to dominate the political
arena... The use of state
resources for personal and party gain is common.
For this reason, no level
playing field has been created for fair elections
to take place," said Idasa
in research paper titled Ready or not? Elections
in Kenya and Zimbabwe
2013.
"In contrast [with Kenya], the Zimbabwean process is incomplete and
highly
politicised. In addition, the draft [constitution] that has been
released
does not address contentious issues adequately such as dilution of
presidential powers and devolution. In both cases, repressive legislation
remains in the statutes.
"This situation is exacerbated by a lack of
enforcement of the GPA [Global
Political Agreement] reforms by the SADC
mediators. It is also considered a
shortcoming of the MDC formations that,
despite holding a majority in
parliament, they have not pursued
possibilities for legislative reform
vigorously."
The report comes at
a time when Zimbabwe is expected to hold a
constitutional referendum on
March 16 and to go for polls later this year.
Already there have been
reports of increased violence in the country with
the latest being an arson
attack on the home of an election candidate in the
eastern part of the
country, which resulted in the death of the politician's
12-year-old
son.
The attack, according to the Movement for Democratic Change was one
of 120
incidents of violence recorded so far this year.
Idasa is an
independent public interest organisation that strives to build
sustainable
democratic societies in collaboration with African and global
partners.
- News24
Little talk of
amnesty
http://www.iol.co.za
February 28 2013 at 11:19am
By BRYAN
SIMS
Zimbabwe’s state-sponsored human rights abuses – the Gukurahundi
massacres,
Operation Murambatsvina, election-related violence and mass
atrocities in
the Marange diamond mines – have repeatedly been swept under
the carpet or
annulled through the granting of amnesty.
Now, as the
country lurches towards a constitutional referendum and its
first national
election under its power-sharing government, incentives to
facilitate a real
transfer of power and attain justice for state-sponsored
abuses must be
considered to take the country into a new phase of
transition.
While
it’s unlikely the conditions for a free and fair election will be in
place,
Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC-N are committed to an election this year.
As such,
conditional amnesty is a potential tool that can be used to entice
potential
spoilers within Zanu-PF and the security sector to the negotiating
table
while laying the groundwork for future transitional justice
initiatives.
The key aim is to devise a way to use amnesty to isolate
the hardline
insurgents from the communities that support them
ideologically,
financially, or
logistically.
Transition
Amnesty must only take place as an
element of a wider transitional justice
framework.
However, the
application of amnesty is not without risks in a democratic
transition.
Should the MDC-T gain political power in the next
election, Zanu-PF would
probably seek control of economic resources and
ensure members of the party
elite, the military elite and their families
maintain the vast wealth they
gained by stripping state assets and abusing
social justice programmes.
Moreover, these elites have seized most of the
country’s diamond wealth
through a combination of state-sponsored violence
and the introduction of
opaque joint-venture companies, as well as land
grabbing, illegal mining and
indigenisation.
Outside amnesty, there
are several options that would allow this to take
place. They could, for
example, act before any political transition occurs.
Once they secure their
assets, they’ll be happier to “negotiate” and move
out of office. They will
also probably insist that asset forfeiture is not a
condition of any amnesty
deal put forward.
Some members of the security sector are in reform
discussions now.
They have expressed anxiety related to the loss of
ill-gained wealth held in
various forms, notably land, resource extraction
(mining) and other
businesses.
One observer of these discussions with
the security sector noted there was
less concern about imprisonment and
extradition than about the loss of
wealth.
These conversations are,
however, in nascent stages, so it is difficult to
understand or speculate
why those mentioned above do not fear imprisonment.
Yet, it does create the
space for conditional amnesty to be examined.
However, the MDC-T has not
taken a position on amnesty. In an interview with
one high-ranking MDC-T
official, it was clear amnesty is seen as a necessity
for the top generals
that comprise the defence forces, army, air force,
prison service and
police.
He also suggested amnesty should also be considered for
lieutenant-generals,
major-generals and brigadier-generals and their
families. The official
believed the MDC-T should see that this discussion
and offer take place
before an election since the party perceives the
military as the key threat
to a peaceful transition of
power.
However, it was acknowledged that this had not taken place and
there was no
plan taking shape.
The MDC-T’s failure to address the
matter of amnesty and its application,
despite noting that it is a
necessity, demonstrates that the party lacks a
strategy and even an
understanding of how amnesty should be used.
Any future discussion and
decision on amnesty would only take place at the
highest decision-making
levels within the party.
There is no plan to sell the idea of amnesty to
the members of their party
or to the country as a whole, posing a serious
risk to the legitimacy of the
MDC-T and to the transition of
Zimbabwe.
Others interviewed (outside of the MDC-T) did not believe that
the MDC-T was
a serious partner in amnesty. Numerous examples were cited in
which private
discussions with the MDC-T about amnesty were leaked to the
press.
As a result, they are not perceived as a serious partner in
discussions
involving the transition of the security sector and it also
threatens their
ability to take power should they win an election this
year.
A fact that remains undisputed is that until the party can
adequately
address the concerns and fears of those within the security
sector, no
transition of power will take place.
Zimbabwean civil
society is primarily focused on the need for a truth,
justice and
reconciliation commission.
Civil society does not generally support the
concept of amnesty because it
claims there is a widespread desire for
justice through prosecution and
reparations among victims.
This is
supported by the most recent 2012 Afrobarometer survey that 47
percent of
Zimbabweans do not want amnesty to be granted to perpetrators of
political
crimes under any condition. A further 52 percent want crimes
brought to
justice in Zimbabwean courts.
Other surveys suggest conditional amnesty
could be acceptable under certain
circumstances as a tool to ensure peace
and stability.
In light of such evidence and given other historical and
political
considerations relevant to Zimbabwe, any conditional amnesty
options would
need to include full disclosure of crimes committed, entail an
agreement
that rights abusers are barred from seeking public office and,
where
relevant, ensure state institutions participate in lustration as part
of
reform.
By better understanding the advantages and disadvantages
of amnesty, civics
and citizens alike may be able to pitch or sell their
demands to hardliners
in advance of an agreement, but discussions will
probably remain behind
closed doors for some time since the conditions for a
public debate are not
yet present.
Therefore, stakeholders must carry
forward a discussion that seeks to
achieve a transitional justice framework
that will advantage citizens and
victims while bringing the spoilers to the
negotiating table.
* Sims is a political analyst at Idasa. His views are
his own. He can be
reached at bsims@idasa.org.za
The wealth beneath
Zambia, Zimbabwe and
Botswana
Commodities are potentially the biggest threat to Africa’s
future
FROM BEHIND THE wheel
of an air-conditioned car on the Great North Road bisecting northern Zambia it
is easy to argue that Africa can be wealthy and well-governed. The country’s
road system is so good that many visitors hire a car and drive themselves. The
police are benign and rest stops are plentiful. The same goes for much of
southern Africa. Lines of tarmac unspool in all directions across fertile
savannahs and open deserts.
Most roads have been
financed with what is found below them: a wealth of minerals and metals. Ever
since the arrival of Cecil Rhodes more than a century ago, local miners have
generated immense wealth and inspired successive eras of Afro-optimism. From
colonial railways to modern airports, public infrastructure would not exist
without this wealth of resources.
In the central province
of Copperbelt, a day’s drive south-west of the Tanzanian border, copper has been
mined since 1895. Puffing smelters and hill ranges of slag loom over towns.
High-voltage power lines and dual carriageways cut up the countryside. “My
firstborn wants to be a lawyer,” says a father of three who guards a mine. “I
think it’s possible.”
National copper
production recently broke a four-decade-old record, generating enough revenue
for the government to announce the building of two new power plants and three
new universities. Government income from mining levies increased by 25% in 2012.
Across the continent, official budgets are being buoyed by resource revenues.
Commodities are estimated to generate one-third of Africa’s GDP growth, not
counting indirect benefits. Many expatriate miners, especially Chinese,
eventually move into other occupations, spreading skills, contacts and capital
more widely. Chinese vendors, for example, have come to dominate Zambian chicken
markets.
The Chinese have rushed
to Zambia before. During an earlier commodities boom in the early 1970s Mao
Zedong financed a railway line from Tanzania. But the gains petered out,
mismanaged by officials on both sides of the border. This time may be different.
No African resource boom in the past has ever coincided with democratisation. In
the 1970s socialists and autocrats held sway. When elections became more
widespread in the 1990s, commodity prices were depressed and there was no money
to invest. Now for once everything is coming together. Democracy in Zambia and
elsewhere is flourishing, prices are high and economic management is
improving.
Africa’s economy is not
all about commodities. That became clear during the 2007-08 financial crisis:
African growth rates did not dip as much as those elsewhere because domestic
demand held up. But the continent cannot insulate itself from the world economy
altogether.
In Zambia just now all
eyes are on copper, which makes up 80% of the country’s exports. One Canadian
mining company, First Quantum, generates 15% of the country’s tax take.
Agriculture at best ticks over, and the government is committing itself to ever
more expensive projects such as highways in remote areas. What happens when
world demand for copper falls and prices drop from recent record levels? Ndola,
the capital of the Copperbelt, knows the answer. Only ten years ago, in between
booms, Ndola was a ghost town. The grand but run-down Savoy hotel, built in the
1970s, was closed for a while. Even now that it has reopened the owners refuse
to renovate. Who knows how long the current boom will last?
Many African countries have come to rely on incomes inflated by
the commodities boom
Commodities, famously,
are a mixed blessing. Many African countries have come to rely on incomes
inflated by the boom, raising unrealistic expectations. Their leaders nervously
watch prices on international markets. Moreover, too much wealth in the ground
makes elites greedy. Neighbouring Zimbabwe is a prime example. It telegraphs its
misery ahead. Before taking his bus to the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, a driver
buys cheap Chinese shoes in a Zambian shopping mall and hides them in bags to
smuggle them across the border. On the other side they are a rare luxury
item.
Peanuts and diamonds
Zimbabwe’s economy has
collapsed, along with its currency. Shops use dollar bills. In the absence of
American coins, they give out bags of peanuts instead of change. The country’s
GDP is pretty much the same as it was three decades ago, despite extraordinary
mineral wealth. The ground is full of bauxite, coal, diamonds, gold, platinum
and nickel. Mining is still going on, but is of little benefit to ordinary
people. Diamond mines are run by security forces to prop up the party of Robert
Mugabe.
Many foreign investors
stay away, not least because they fear nationalisation. The government claims to
be “empowering” the nation by taking stakes in foreign- and white-owned
businesses. It started with farms more than a decade ago and now interferes with
almost all sectors of the economy. Savior Kasukuwere, a cabinet minister, is
happy to invite your correspondent to a meeting where he personally requisitions
a stake in Mimosa, a subsidiary of a company listed on the London Stock
Exchange.
Even in benign hands
commodities can be problematic. Zimbabwe’s neighbour Botswana is Africa’s oldest
functioning post-colonial multi-party democracy, and income from diamond mining
is spread widely enough to provide almost half the population with middle-class
lives. But all mines eventually run out, and Botswana’s may have less than two
decades to go. The government has already taken action to deal with that,
persuading De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond firm, to move its global
trading operation from London to Gaborone, Botswana’s sleepy capital. Long after
the last domestic mine shuts down, teams of Botswanans will still be sitting in
a hermetically sealed room near the airport, sorting buckets of diamonds flown
in from across the globe. Nonetheless, many African governments find it hard to
diversify their economies. It is too tempting to make the most of commodities
while the going is good.