The Zimbabwean
BY OWN
CORRESPONDENT
HARARE - Zanu (PF) is broke - despite the billions
it gets from the state
coffers and its huge national network of commercial
and industrial
enterprises.
According to informed sources, the
party's finance guru David Karimanzira
told a national fund-raising
committee last week that he had resorted to
writing letters to private
company begging for donations. He is looking for
some Z$300 billion
following a massive downturn in the sale of party cards,
as hard times hit
even the party faithful.
This is not the first time the ruling party has
fleeced Zimbabwe's business
community to fund its activities. Mugabe's
recent birthday bash saw civil
servants and businesses in Mutare being
strong-armed into donating billions
of dollars to finance it.
"Let us
invest in Zanu (PF) today in order for our heritage to achieve
success as a
great nation in future. We are kindly appealing for cash or
kind . Kindly
make cash donations payable to Zanu (PF). The account number
is
4125-031273003 ZimBank," says Karimanzira's letter.
Meanwhile sources say
he told the committee meeting that the party was
committed to expanding its
business investments and finding other means of
generating
revenue.
Zanu (PF) commercial web has tentacles in just about every
sector, from
agriculture and mining to manufacturing, construction and
tourism. But like
everything else in the country, these companies are in
serious financial
trouble due to the chronic shortages of foreign exchange
and fuel,
compounded by corruption and mismanagement.
A few months
ago, the party ordered a full enquiry into all its businesses,
which were
under the supervision of former party strongman Emmerson
Mnangagwa. It is
understood the accounts had gone for five years without
being
audited.
Karimanzira confessed that the party's department of finance was
"disheartened by the rate at which membership cards (once a major source of
income) are selling since their launch on October 1 2004."
In
addition to all its companies, properties and a huge annual grant from
government under the Political Parties Finance Act, Zanu (PF) benefits
considerably from the abuse of state resources. This abuse includes using
government vehicles, offices, equipment and civil servants to do party
work.
The Zimbabwean
'Prayer,
flooding the halls of government, washing them of their filth'
BULAWAYO -
The Christian Alliance (CA), a national network of Christian
leaders who are
committed to bringing about transformation through Christian
action, says it
is concerned about the continued suffering of the people of
Zimbabwe.
"We note with concern that the government continues to
ignore the voices of
citizens as expressed by students, women and the
self-employed. The arrest
of women, students and vendors in both Harare and
Bulawayo is a clear sign
that conditions in our country are continuing to
deteriorate," the
association says in a statement this week.
"The
increases in students' fees from roughly Z$1.7 to 17 million and Z$3 to
33
million will lead to thousands of students losing a lifetime opportunity
of
being educated and empowered. The cries of the students regarding these
increases cannot be ignored. Education is the only escape route out of
poverty."
The CA called on the government to embrace a new culture of
listening to the
voices of the downtrodden and working with them to resolve
the crucial
issues at stake.
Bulawayo churches have been feeding more
than 20 NUST students in police
custody, charged under the Law and Order
Maintenance Act, since their
peaceful attempt to submit a petition to the
vice chancellor. They were
beaten by campus guards and arrested by the
police.
Pastors have condemned the heavy handedness of the authorities, which
they
say signals a general meltdown in the nation. "Locking people up is not
going to deal with the fundamental problems. Women and young people are
fighting for freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of
demonstration," they said.
"Government should be sincere in wanting
to deal with real issues and admit
that all is not well, instead of beating
citizens into silence," said Pastor
Ray Motsi of the Bulawayo Baptist
Church.
The churches in Bulawayo held a 24-7 prayer meeting last week (24
hours a
day for seven days) under the theme Praying for Transformation in
Zimbabwe.
The week culminated in a 24-hour worship service on Saturday and
Sunday.
This was found written on the wall of the prayer room: "Chaos
Theory: Quiet
prayers whispered in the dark in a small room in Bulawayo flow
like ripples
of hope and crash like a mighty wave destroying the walls of
bigotry and
flooding the halls of government, washing them of their
filth."
The Zimbabwean
BY
MUONGORORI
I believe that the general paranoia among members of
the Zanu (PF) regime
and its armed forces is because they live with fear, if
not outright terror,
24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 52 weeks a year.
This is bound to
have an adverse effect upon their health and mental
stability.
This fear starts at the very highest level. Mugabe lives in
terror of a
multitude of things. First and foremost, he fears assassination.
He knows
this happened to Kabila the Fat Toad of the Congo. Around the
world, many of
his fellow dictators have been killed or brought to book, and
the list
continues to grow. He knows that he can trust no one, no one at
all. It is
said that he never sleeps in the same place two nights
running.
Next, he fears the people. The opening of parliament in 2000
gave him a very
nasty shock when the crowd he thought were admirers instead
ridiculed and
taunted him and called his wife a whore in front of all the TV
cameras. He
has seen "people power" in action around the world and knows
that,
eventually, even the docile Zimbabweans will probably rise up against
him.
He fears the UN and the international community. Almost everyone out
there
is speaking out against his brutality and incompetence. And now even
the AU
has dared to criticise him publicly. He fears a pre-emptive strike by
the
United States because he has seen this happen to his few friends and
allies.
He also fears the USA, UK and EU because they are united in
condemnation of
him and his regime.
He is terrified of being deposed
by one of his supposed lieutenants, and
then being humiliated by having to
stand trial for his actions as has
happened to Saddam and Milosevic. He
knows very well that he is hated by the
people he has oppressed and
brutalised over many years.
At the next level, his cronies in the
politburo and cabinet live in fear for
many of the same reasons as Mugabe.
But added to that is the fear of their
unpredictable leader, who will not
hesitate to destroy them if he believes
they have accumulated too much
power. Now their fear has been increased
because it is becoming increasingly
apparent that he is not well mentally,
which makes his actions even more
unpredictable.
Below that we have the general level of chefs, politicians
etc. These too
are afraid of the anger of the people. They are also
terrified of losing all
their looted wealth. Because they have helped
destroy the rule of law they
know that what they have is solely at the whim
of those above them; what was
given can just as easily be taken away. They
are also terrified of plots and
the all-pervasive envy of their colleagues.
That is the way patronage
works - in order to keep everyone involved toeing
the line.
As we go down through the ranks we find that the fear is
all-encompassing.
Many are not in prison solely because of the protection of
patronage.
Others too know that everything they have can be taken away,
because it is
not theirs legally anyway. That is the way the web of
corruption and
patronage spreads out from the poisonous spider at its
centre.
What this achieves is to make Mugabe's supporters mere slaves to
the regime.
They do not actually own anything legally and their very freedom
is at the
whim of the person on the rung of the ladder above them. It is no
wonder
therefore that they hiss and spit at anyone and anything that would
seem to
threaten the status quo, because every minute of their lives is
lived in
fear, looking over their shoulders or terrified of the envy of
their
colleagues.
The anger and hatred they show every day towards
all those who are not with
them in their crimes is just the other face of
the fear and terror they feel
as the pressure against them mounts, slowly
and inexorably, day by day.
The Zimbabwean
The same facts do not make people draw
the same conclusions. A woman is seen
cooking and selling sadza for a little
profit with which to keep her family
alive. She may be technically breaking
the law, but to fair-minded people
the right to life overrules
technicalities. Not so in the eyes of the
politically controlled police: she
is breaking the law, so she must feel the
wrath of the law; she is doing
something dirty, so they rub her nose in the
filth, as it were.
The WOZA
women in Bulawayo and Harare demonstrated against their
deteriorating living
conditions. This is against the current law, so they
must be punished (say
the police and their masters).
They merely use their God-given right to
freedom of expression, say the rest
of us.
Pope Benedict XVI says,
"Justice never makes love superfluous. Beyond
justice, man will always need
love, which alone is able to give a soul to
justice. In a world so
profoundly wounded, as the one we know in our days,
this affirmation does
not need demonstrations. The world expects the
testimony of Christian love
that is inspired in faith. In our world, often
so dark, the love of God
shines with this love."
The law by itself is never enough. If the application
of the law has such
absurd consequences we must ask who is at fault: the
people who break it, or
the people who made it.
We need justice that has
a soul, is humane and inspired by love. - Jesuit
Communications In
Touch
The Zimbabwean
MBARE - She had
her home destroyed by "Murambatsvina". She braved the cold
nights of June
and July sleeping in the open, with her children. She lost
her income when
she was barred from informal trading.
But she fought back. She went back to
her trading, first trying her luck in
Mozambique. She found some friends and
squeezed in with them after months
out in the open. She served her customers
behind closed doors since police
keep harassing traders. She is absolutely
determined to pay for the
education of her two teenage sons.
Last Sunday
evening the police caught up with her when she was cooking and
selling
"sadza" (our Zimbabwean staple diet). She was held for two days and
nights
in a filthy stinking police cell, reeking of urine, dirty with human
waste.
If the authorities are so concerned about hygiene and public
health, why is
refuse not removed in Mbare? Why are people held in such
filthy police
cells?
This woman is not a criminal. She would be quite
happy to operate legally.
But the fees charged for trading licences are
exorbitant. Only big business
people can pay that kind of money and still
make a profit. The little people
like this mother have no choice but to
operate illegally if they want to
survive. Do they not have the right to
keep their families alive? A starving
person is permitted to take what is
needed to keep him/her alive; the
Church, for one, has always been saying
so.
Police enter even homes and take away anything they think is for trading.
On
top of that, people are fined heavily.
A supporter of
"Murambatsvina", writing to the editor of the "Daily Mirror",
9th February,
wants "another operation targeted at the squatters".
Whom does he mean by
"squatters" anyway? Fellow citizens who lost their
homes through
"Murambatsvina", lodgers who never owned a home because the
government
housing policy failed? "Remove squatters to save us from
Cholera," the
writer ends his letter because he does not want "filth to
return to
Mbare."
He sounds as if the homeless to him are "filth". This is the language
of
inhumanity. Is our society totally devoid of compassion? Do we no longer
recognize our common humanity?
A teacher learnt from an essay written
by one of his pupils about the total
destitution of his homeless family who
seek refuge at night in a corridor of
one of the many hostels in Mbare. He
sends us a message: can the church
help? They need food urgently, the child
is obviously starving.
This family of five - parents and three teenage
children - used to live with
the husband's parents in an outbuilding. That
was destroyed by
"Murambatsvina". The wife promptly went to register the
family's name for a
stand on which to build a family home. Hundreds of
people went to queue for
such registrations at the time, each paying $ 120
000. No one has heard
anything about it since.
Now the family - parents
and children - sleeps in one room. Who has ever
heard of anything so
improper? But this is just one of many such families.
This is what
"Murambatsvina" has done and is still doing to people. It is
destroying our
families and our family culture. But the real obscenity is
that the people
who ordered the "cleaning up" of Mbare, throwing thousands
into misery,
build themselves palaces.
Naome used to sleep in a park near the city
centre until she was chased
away. Recently she joined the homeless sleeping
near the central bus
terminus in Mbare. There she met Mrs Chapera. For
helping her sell food to
travellers she was given a place to
sleep.
Naome, 14 years old, was born in Zimbabwe, but her father was from
Zambia,
the mother from Nigeria. Both parents died when she was still small.
A
Nigerian family took her in and taught her to speak English, though she
never went to school. Her Shona is not so good, and she is shy to speak it,
which adds to her loneliness and isolation. The Nigerians went back home and
left her stranded. A small band of caring people are trying to find out more
about her and how to help her.
She is just another "squatter", another
bit of "filth" our friendly Mirror
reader wants "evicted" and "removed".
Whereto, for heaven's sake? Whereto?
Lord, have mercy, we pray, Lord have
mercy because your people haven't .
Oskar Wermter SJ, Jesuit Communications
In Touch
The Zimbabwean
We
asked readers what they thought about the emergence of Arthur Mutambara
as a
rival for the presidency of the MDC. This is what you said:
We don't
want jambanja
Being a president does not need an intellectual, but the
sticking point is
people are saying Arthur is a person who was renowned for
jambanja. We do
not need that because Mugabe during the liberation struggle
used jambanja
and up until today he can use it among his people. I prefer
Morgan because
he does not advocate for violence and has a connection with
poor people. -
Godfrey Magwindi
Elevated to messianic
pedestal
If Mutambara tries to promote the agenda, the intransigence and
stubbornness
of the pro-Senate lobby he should not be surprised to see
himself falling by
the wayside. The breakaway faction led by the pro-senate
group is, to all
intents and purposes, seen as a tribal formation even
though it has now
elected a leader from outside Matabeleland. The
pro-senate group of
Welshman Ncube, Paul Themba Nyathi, Gibson Sibanda,
Fletcher Dulini, Gift
Chimanikire and co. has, by shopping outside for a
leader, proved what has
always been said about them, namely, they have no
capacity for leadership.
One wonders why they were in a leadership
position in the MDC in the first
place. Much has been said about the new
leader, Arthur Mutambara. Some
websites like newzimbabwe.com are virtually
salivating and have elevated
Mutambara to a messianic position. Little do
they know that, for many of
his qualifications, there are scores of other
Zimbabweans who have achieved
equivalent, if not greater, skills. The
pro-senate group are
over-emphasising Mutambara's active politics 15 years
ago at the University
of Zimbabwe.
In describing Mutambara in
superlatives in terms of dignity, respect and
leadership prowess there is an
obvious contradiction of logic. How can such
a statesman-like figure, if he
indeed is, join a splinter group of
opportunists that have no mass support,
no vision and no agenda for the
liberation of Zimbabwe?
Unless
Mutambara can prove otherwise, the media hype may well be a misplaced
dream. If, on the other hand, he can articulate and implement a policy of
unification of the MDC that is not based on some meaningless agreements
among leaders, but is legitimated by the masses through a referendum at an
extraordinary congress of the people, he will have lived up to the hype
about him.
But if Mutambara tries to promote the agenda, the
intransigence and
stubbornness of the pro-Senate lobby he should not be
surprised to see
himself falling by the wayside, as did the likes of Simba
Makoni and
Jonathan Moyo.
As things stand today, Mutambara may well
be advised to keep his job in
South Africa. It will serve as a convenient
getaway car for him when things
get really hot in the rat hole of the
pro-Senate group that he thrust
himself head-first into. - Stanford
Mukasa
Why has he been hiding?
Mutambara is a novice in
the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe. If he is as
revolutionary as some
would have us believe, why then has been hiding for so
long at the height of
the struggle?
Where was he when some cadres were being detained, tortured
and harassed? Is
this the stuff heroes are made of? NO! The Ncube party is
just desperate for
a leader with the aura that matches that of
Tsvangirai.
Foolishly they believe Mutambara has what it takes simply
because he once
led a vibrant UZ SRC. Give me a break! Wasn't Munyaradzi
Gwisai part of this
leadership? Where is now? The common people don't care a
cent about
someone's degrees especially after experiencing the brutal
leadership of the
learned Mugabe. Therefore, trying to sell Mutamabara by
his impressive CV is
infantile.
The most popular politician in the
world is Mandela and he is not so because
of his education. He is simply a
man of the people, due to his bravery,
consistency and simplicity. So is
Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe. Let's face it,
Tsvangirai is the most popular
politician in our country.
He further endeared himself to the masses when
he firmly stood against Zanu
(PF)'s senate project. I am sorry there is no
space for another opposition
leader in the country at the moment. This is
why Tsvangirai is set to retain
his presidency come the real MDC congress in
March. And this is why, under
his leadership, MDC is poised to retain the
Budiriro constituency in the
coming by-election. - Max
Pasvanhi
People have short memories
The introduction of Arthur
Mutambara is a welcome event in the sense that
he is an addition to the
people who are already fighting for democracy in
Zimbabwe.
A strong and
viable alternative to mainstream MDC is welcome, because it
forces the MDC
to work harder and in the process it is the people of
Zimbabwe who will reap
benefits.
However, the amount of hype that some media outlets have tried to
generate
over
the arrival of Arthur Mutambara has been embarrassingly
over the top. I
could not
help but laugh at times. Perhaps the people who
are losing control over the
arrival
of Arthur Mutambara feel that his
academic genius will automatically
translate into
political
genius.
People have short memories. They have forgotten that the
legendary professor
Jonathan Moyo arrived into the Zimbabwe political
landscape with a bang.
Robert Mugabe is one of the most educated national
leaders in Africa,
although
ofcourse he presides over the worst
performing economy in the world and
leads
the most polarised and divided
country on the continent today.
Education is a powerful tool in politics, but
it is by no means a panacea.
People
should be judged on the basis of what
they have done and not on the basis
of educational achievements. This is why
there are honorary degrees. They
are
given to people who may not have
excelled academically. Education is not an
end. It is a means to an
end.
As far as the majority of Zimbabweans are concerned Tsvangirai is
fighting
the enemy and not pacifying the enemy. So why should they suddenly
abandon
him. It is very embarrassing for anyone to suggest that Arthur
Mutambira has
arrived
in order to deal with Tsvangirai. Mugabe is the
enemy and not Tsvangirai.
Mutambara is a distinguished academic who is also a
talented bussinessman.
Ppeople like Mutambara and Masiiwa should use their
talents to spearhead
economic development in Zimbabwe just like Bill Gates,
Einstein and Ford
have done for their country.
For Mutambara to
accept an invitation to lead a political party whose
ideology he does not
necessarily share smacks of political opportunism. He
was recently quoted as
opposing participation in the senate. He is talking
of unity when he has
joined a group of people who decided to sidestep
congress and rebel against
a party president who was elected by congress. I
do not think he meets the
criteria. I stand corrected. History will be the
final arbiter. - Jonathan
Chawora
Mutambara a better choice
I think Mutambara is
a better choice than Tsvangirai. He has vision and is
brave enough to
challenge the foundations of Zanu (PF). his education will
make him a
better person to match Mugabe intellectually. Tsvangirai never
impressed me.
- Mkhumbuzi Mabodoko
He could be a Churchill
I
equate him to Churchill during the 2nd world war. Then Churchill was
useful
but after the war he was voted out of power. That is to say Mutambara
is
ideal to come now just as Tsvangirai was six years ago. He brought
political
awareness to Zimbabwe and introduced vigorous opposition but is
now
irrelevant.
Mutambara will shake Zanu (PF) as well as the opposition. Two
good things
will emerge: Zanu will bring in good leadership to fight him
and the
opposition will transform into a serious party.
But for him
as president, I am not comfortable for the following reasons:
Very
intelligent African leaders have a tendency of not listening to the
people
(e.g. Mugabe and Mbeki). Leaders who get called to lead the people
have a
tendency of abusing people in the name of consolidating power
(e.g.Kamuzu
Banda). - A. Pswarayi
Give him a try
All current
Presidents were only tested once on the throne.No one had an
experience of
leading a nation before,only then after voting them into power
we realised
the good and the bad in their leadership so why can`t we put him
to
test?
Anyone can lead and govern a country. - Innocent
Chamisa
Lack of judgment
I am surprised at the contrast
between all Mutambara's educational
accolades being displayed on the web and
his lack of judgment of the
situation back home. If it is true that he
worked with Prof Jonathan Moyo
to form UPM, one would wonder why he
abandoned it to join the pro-senate
faction.
It is a sign that he
does not know what is going on in Zimbabwe. If he
thinks mobilising
students is the same as mobilising the Zimbabwe masses, he
has to rethink
his program. People in Zimbabwe find it very difficult to
trust leaders.
It is strange that Mutambara would join those leaders who
are despised by
the people of Zimbabwe and expect to win the hearts of the
opposition.
Mutambara will only relive Jonathan's life, only that he will
not be in
parliament. - George
Isolated for too long
Why has
Mutambara changed employment so many times in a short space of
time?. No
organisation, especially in UK and America will want to lose a
good leader
(worker) so easily, they will pay you what you want if they
consider you to
be an asset.
Mutambara has been isolated from real politics for too long
and his academic
education in science has no relevance to Zimbabwean
politics. The man is too
young and inexperienced to lead Zimbabwe even if he
is elected as president
on the basis of his academic prowess. Zimbabweans
should use the right
criteria to choose their next president. - King Collis,
UK
Let's be united
I think Arthur Mutambara is an
excellent candidate. May peace prevail in
Zimbabwe and may the UN be
allowed into the country to feed the masses of
starving stranded people left
homeless from the township demolitions. Let's
give Arthur Mutambara all the
encouragement and support he needs. Let's be
united. - M Curtis,
Sydney
The Zimbabwean
JOHANNESBURG -
Zimbabwe's main opposition political party, the Movement for
Democratic
Change (MDC) says it is appealing for financial support in order
to hold its
congress on 17-19 March.
Addressing a sizeable crowd of Zimbabweans
living abroad in Johannesburg on
Saturday, MDC National Chairman, Isaac
Matongo, said his party had no money.
He told the gathering that the MDC
was targeting the Zimbabweans living
abroad, especially in South Africa, the
United Kingdom and United States of
America.
"Ladies and gentlemen,
our congress is being held between March 17-19, 2006
in Harare, so we are
appealing for financial support. Remember that we don't
have any funding
from abroad nor from inside the country," said Matongo.
The pro-Senate
faction recently received Z$8 billion from the government
which was handed
over just in time to finance its congress.
Speaking at the same ceremony
was Thokozani Khupe, MP for Makokoba, who
insisted that the MDC supporters
in South Africa were not doing much for the
party, arguing that their focus
was on divisions. - CAJ News
The Zimbabwean
BY A
DELEGATE
BULAWAYO - Congress was astounding in many ways. The current
inflation and
food and fuel shortages made it very difficult to organise a
meeting of this
magnitude and I don't think anyone anticipated the huge
interest and
response of the grassroots structures countrywide to
participate.
People came from every corner of the country - Mash East and
Binga, Harare
and Chipinge - they were there, old and young, men and women,
some with
babies. Sadly, and short-sightedly, the food shortages were the
main focus
of news reports.
Members of the diplomatic community
attended as observers, along with civic
society groups who delivered
solidarity messages from student
representatives, Zimbabwe Liberators'
Platform Initiative, NCA and the South
African-based Zimbabwe Solidarity
Group. After they left we went into
lengthy closed session to consider
resolutions and constitutional issues.
The Congress then went into the
election of office bearers, for which the
diplomatic and civic society
observers were invited back in. Each Province
nominated candidates for the
National Council, which will later select who
will attend to the various
portfolios.
The election of the National Executive was next. Tremendous
excitement built
as provincial nominations were announced for each position
with the final
nomination of Arthur Mutambara as President. The roof nearly
came off as the
whole gathering erupted in joy - was this the turning point
we have all
longed for?
Mutambara has an energy and dynamism we have
not seen for some time. The man
has matured from the student leader of the
1980s but he means business. He
sees the first task clearly as being to
remove Zanu (PF).
In his acceptance speech, he gracefully acknowledged
the enormous
contribution made by Morgan Tsvangarai in our struggle against
tyranny, but
offered himself ready to contest should there be opportunity
for
reunification of the party.
He is ready to engage African leaders
and the AU and to jolt them into
dealing with an errant dictator. Mutambara
vigorously reclaims the values of
the liberation struggle for every
Zimbabwean - no longer to be monopolised
by Mugabe. He is also clear about
seeking equity in international
relations, ready to challenge superpowers
over aggressive foreign policy.
"Do I look like a puppet?" he
challenged.
Mutambara seeks to break the habits of a political culture
defined by Zanu
(PF) since 1980, where violence and intimidation are seen as
inevitable
strategies. We cannot continue in a culture of violence, whereby
we all end
up as "little Mugabes"; we need new values and a new society,
which includes
attention to the dire situation of women in Zimbabwe. The
Diaspora will be
engaged; if they are contributing to the economy so should
they participate
in the decision-making, i.e. voting rights for citizens
abroad.
In combative mode, Mutambara says "No turning back, No retreat
and No
defeat".
This is a new beginning, a new opportunity for all
of us whether pro- or
anti-Senate. Can we afford to miss the turning of the
tide? I think not.
Zanu (PF) are on the ropes, financially and
diplomatically, yet never to be
underestimated. We cannot afford to ignore
this new infusion of energy and
vision. We need to support it in every way
we can, if we ever want our
country back.
|
26/02/06 |
Z$ |
|
Bread |
65,000-75,000 |
|
Old Fashioned
Brown Sugar 1 kg |
195,000 |
|
Brown Sugar - 2
kg |
85,000 |
|
Salad Cream -
375 grams |
107,000 |
|
Tomato Sauce -
375 ml |
55,000 |
|
Yoghurt - 150
ml |
53,000 |
|
Milk - 500
ml |
45,000 |
|
Mazoe Orange - 2
litres |
211,000 |
|
Mangoes - 1
kg |
62,000 |
|
Tomatoes - 1
kg |
80,000 |
|
Potatoes - 1
kg |
60,000 |
|
Mealie Meal - 10
kg |
500,000 |
|
Tea Bags - 100 -
no name brand |
130,000 |
|
Kapenta Dried -
750 grams |
360,000 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
|
Pineware 2 slice
Toaster |
8,800,000 |
|
Insect
Spray |
414,000 |
|
Peaceful
Sleep |
1,269,500 |
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - A new
organisation calling itself the Zimbabwe Patriotic Resistance
Front (ZPRF)
has issued a statement renouncing "all submission to Zanu (PF)'s
rule" and
calling for "the creation of an enabling space for the democratic
and
economic empowerment of the people".
Signed by General Ibva Chembere, the
statement calls on all patriotic and
democratic political forces and persons
to "join us in establishing and
drawing up an effective strategy for armed
resistance to smash the despotic
regime, employing all available means and
by mobilizing all the capacities
of our people who reject
oppression."
The statement continues: "We can no longer leave the
destiny of our country
in the hands of an obdurate despot and corrupt
criminals .We have a duty to
defend our people and our future. It is our
right to fight for freedom." -
Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
BULAWAYO - The Tsvangirai-led
MDC has welcomed the pro-Senate faction to the
turbulent political scene in
Zimbabwe.
"A group of former leaders of the MDC are exercising their
constitutional
right of freedom of association and could decide to form a
new political
organization. We continue our struggle to dislodge the Zanu
(PF)
dictatorship," said spokesman Nelson Chamisa at the weekend.
He
urged the newcomers to decide on a new name quickly to avoid confusion,
saying the legal and constitutional position regarding the leadership of the
MDC remained unchanged.
"Morgan Tsvangirai, as confirmed by the
unchallenged High Court judgment of
December 2005 remains the lawful
President of the MDC until a Congress
convened, in consultation with him, is
held or until the High Court judgment
is set aside by a competent court,
whichever comes first," said Chamisa.
"We have no doubt that our fellow
citizens in the new political formation,
the majority of whom claim moral
constitutional superiority will uphold the
rule of law and the Constitution
of the MDC and do the right thing without
being compelled to do
so."
Meanwhile, the pro-Senate group's lawyers have said the faction
would
continue using the party name and symbol despite the High Court
judgement,
arguing that they were never instructed to appeal against the
decision.
Nicholas Mathonsi, of Coghlan and Welsh legal practitioners
said the High
Court decision against them was based on "a technicality and
not on merit"
hence Tsvangirai was still irrelevant with or without the
court's judgement.
Tsvangirai's lawyers, Dube, Manikai and Hwacha tried
to halt the congress,
saying it was not an MDC gathering and was in
violation of the judgement by
Justice Yunus Omerjee.
Tsvangirai's
lawyers said the pro-senate faction "may not act in the name of
the MDC
without lawful authority" hence "they have continued to act in
defiance of
the logic and principle of the High Court."
However in his response
Mathonsi said: "We were never instructed to appeal
that decision because in
our clients view it never altered the complexion of
the
matter."
According to Tsvangirai's lawyers, the High Court ruled that the
national
council that set aside the suspension of Tsvangirai was 'fully
constituted'.
But Mathonsi dismissed it as a kangaroo council in
violation of Article 6:4
(a) and 6:4 (d) of the constitution, which states
that the meetings should
be convened by the secretary general.
"It is
these illegal gatherings which purported to pass the resolutions that
your
client now wants to rely on and.shall forever remain null and void."
He
said a 'proper' national council appointed Esaph Mdlongwa to exercise
functions of national chairman and conduct provincial elections in place of
Isaac Matongo who had been dismissed from the party with Tsvangirai. - Own
correspondent/CAJ News
Food runs out at
Congress
BULAWAYO - There was commotion at the pro-Senate MDC congress
last weekend
as supporters denounced the leadership for failing to provide
them with food
and accommodation. They said they had spent more than three
days without
food. Some delegates from Masvingo as well as students from the
University
of Zimbabwe were stopped in their tracks as they tried to loot
some food on
tables meant for delegates.
MDC security personnel had
to be called in to quell the commotion but the
hungry delegates did not
budge. The delegates said the party had failed to
book them into reasonable
lodgings, forcing them to sleep in the open
without blankets.
Some
women were seen with babies strapped on their backs trying to queue for
food
but the stronger youths pushed them aside and headed for the front
where the
food was being served. Acting president, Gibson Sibanda,
apologized for the
confusion saying the party had under-budgeted for the
congress.
"This
is the Zimbabwe we are talking about when we say that Mugabe must go.
Look
at what happened this morning. There was a lot of confusion and there
was a
shortage of food. We apologize to our members and supporters. This
problem
was caused by the ever-rising cost of food in Zimbabwe.- ANDZimbabwe
The Zimbabwean
Eric Worby, writing in Zimbabwe's
Unfinished Business, describes how, on 23
July 2002, President Mugabe opened
the third session of the fifth parliament
of Zimbabwe. 'Streets leading to
the city center were blockaded, cars
searched, and demonstrators and
suspected supporters of the opposition
banned.'
On the same chilly
afternoon, he continues, 200 workers on Leopardvlei Farm,
in Central
Mashonaland, were ordered out of their compound by the new owner,
Reward
Marufu, the president's brother-in-law; their houses were burned and
they
were ordered to leave. Effectively, they were banned.
Back in Harare the
opposition walked out of Parliament refusing to recognize
the legitimacy of
the recently held elections. They were doing their best to
'ban' the
president. And then, Worby concludes, the US and the EU banned
senior
Zimbabwe leaders from traveling to their countries.
To ban, exile,
displace, ostracize, outlaw or scapegoat are all exercises of
different
degrees of violence, long practiced in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe. They
are tacit
admissions of failure to engage, dialogue, include, tolerate or
integrate.
The discriminatory laws of the 1920s and 1930s, which divided up
land, jobs,
laws, sport, housing and schools created habits of mind that
survived the
hoisting of our multi-coloured flag on the 18 April 1980.
To this day we
live in a deeply divided land where those on the 'inside'
enjoy wealth and
power to the exclusion of the majority on the 'outside' who
are effectively
banned from living a life of health and dignity. To grow
crops, to sell
produce, to find school fees, to obtain medicine or just to
find somewhere
to live - all of these are major energy draining activities.
They are the
daily life of the banned.
Is it possible that we could just open our eyes
and stop banning each other
and enter into some kind of dialogue for the
good of everyone? Is it
possible to leave judgments aside for a while and
reach out to one another?
We will get absolutely nowhere if we continue with
bitterness and division.
'If you are bringing your offering to the altar
and there remember that your
brother has something against you, leave your
offering there before the
altar, go and be reconciled with your brother
first, and then come back and
present your offering.' (Matthew
5:23)
The Zimbabwean
LONDON - Activists
determined to see the closure of the Zimbabwean Embassy
in London are
braving the cold to hold an all night vigil to further their
cause. Exiled
Zimbabwean Arthur Molife encouraged other Zimbabweans to come
and support
them at the vigil which will be held weekly on Monday and
Tuesday nights
from 6pm.
"We demand the closure of this embassy. This building is doing
no good for
Zimbabweans," said Molife. "Employees in high commissions across
the world
are not being paid so why keep something so expensive open when
people have
no medicine or food in the country?" he asked.
Molife
also said that he aimed to build up solidarity among Zimbabweans both
inside
and outside the country "no matter which faction of the MDC you are
from, we
welcome all Zimbabweans from all walks of life to come and protest
with us,"
he said. The vigil will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6pm
until 9am.
Anyone wishing to participate is encouraged to bring banners and
placards
which Molife says can be "left behind for the embassy employees who
come to
work in their limousines to see." - KJW
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The
six student leaders from the University of Zimbabwe who were
arrested on
Monday are being kept in inhuman conditions at the Matapi Police
Station in
Mbare. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has complained to the
officer in
charge of the CID Law and Order section who arrested them about
the filthy
conditions of the holding cells.
The group, which includes Secretary
General Mfundo Mlilo, Zimbabwe National
Students Union president Washington
Katema, Wellington Mahohoma, Collen
Chibango and two others, were picked up
by riot police for allegedly
organising a demonstration at UZ against the
massive tenfold hike in tuition
fees.
Matapi Police Station was
declared unfit for human habitation by the High
Court a few years ago
because of the filthy conditions there. ZLHR said the
cells were covered
with human excrement and urine and the accused have to
walk bare foot and
sleep on the messed floors causing them much distress and
exposure to ill
health.
There is no bedding, no wash basin, no soap or toilet paper, no
drinking
water and detainees are not allowed out into the sunlight. - Own
correspondent
The Zimbabwean
JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe teachers
who fled the country because of political
persecution and economic
mismanagement are being under-paid and ill-treated
by South Africa private
colleges.
The teachers are made to work for long hours even during the
night and are
only paid R300 per month. This has forced many Zimbabwe
teachers to shift
from
their profession and look for general hand
jobs which pay approximately R500
per month, says the Progressive Teachers
of Zimbabwe Association in South
Africa.
"Some teachers have no
option as the South African government does not
recruit teachers from
Zimbabwe despite the shortage of skilled teachers in
government schools
here. We have experienced and highly qualified teachers
with Masters Degrees
who are now security guards or doing other menial jobs.
The highest paid
teacher in private schools is around R2500-R3000," said a
spokesman for the
organisation. - From Trust Matsilele
Only Zezurus benefit
EDITOR - There is one
thing all other Zimbabweans must understand about
local politics. The
maZezuru continue to be loud-mouthed about selling out
the country to
"Whites". The fact is that only the Zezuru clan is benefiting
from all the
resources. There are more constituencies, more tertiary
institutions, more
projects on AIDS, in Mashonaland than all the other
provinces.
The
question is: where are all the other people of Zimbabwe? I challenge
your
journalists to investigate my claim further. They therefore have all
the
benefits of independence. A white man was more neutral than the current
status.
HARD ROCK, Zimbabwe
Trouble with 10
Commandments
EDITOR - Mugabe feasted in Manicaland to celebrate his birthday
when
millions in the country face starvation. But who knows this might well
be
his last feast?
"Our Robert," that devout Catholic, appears to be
having trouble with the
Ten Commandments.
1. "You shall have
no other gods before me." Power and money appear
to be Our Robert's
gods?
2. "You shall not make yourself an idol in any form." Our
Robert
revels in those surrounding him treating him as a
god?
3. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." Did
Our
Robert send the Fifth Brigade into Matabeleland "in God's
name?"
4. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." Does Our
Robert
refrain his CIO from torturing his opponents on
Sundays?
5. "Honour your father and your mother." When people
read about Our
Robert's atrocities will they believe that his parents will
be proud of
their son's atrocities?
6. "You shall not
murder." A particularly tricky one for Our Robert
with his hit squads, and
his Gukuruhundi?
7. "You shall not commit adultery." Did God
bless Our Robert's
relationship with Grace?
8. "You shall not
steal." Never mind the farms, or businesses or
savings - what about Our
Robert taking away the liberty of the subjects?
9. "You shall not
give false testimony against your neighbour." Not
one single problem in
Zimbabwe is Our Robert's fault - in his opinion - it's
the USA, UK, white
farmers, IMF or gays.
10. "You shall not covet your neighbour's
house, wife, servant, ox, or
anything that belongs to your neighbour." So
obsessed with self is Our
Robert, that this does not apply to him -
everything is his and for him to
decide, anyway?
Last words on this
must be for the late Pope John Paul ll referring to his
time under the Nazis
in Poland: "I participated in the great experience of
my contemporaries -
humiliation at the hands of evil."
MUGABOLOGIST, Kutama
Mission
St Patrick's Hospital
EDITOR - We would like to
thank all those who supported our recent
fund-raising disco. We managed to
raise £600. The support from the locals
was outstanding. The support from
the Zim girls at Redhill who organised the
catering was heart-warming. the
cooking organisation is heart warming. The
finances are being handled by the
Croydon diocese.
ORGANISING COMMITTEE, UK
What is
PMF?
EDITOR - What is the Patriotic Military Front? Where is it based?
How does
it operate? What is required for one to be a member?
I am a
former member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police who is willing to join
this
organisation. I served the country for plus six years and left
employment
for political reasons. Please could you help me and connect me to
these
people or if possible facilitate my move to join them.
CONCERNED,
Zimbabwe
Please will the PMF provide us with contact details.
Ed
Don't be alarmed
EDITOR - There were some very
frightened people as a result of the recent
earthquake that. But the bible
says in Matthew 24;4: "Do not be alarmed
when earthquakes and famines come
upon you, but know that they are birth
pangs
that precede the coming
of the Lord". So we praise our Father God and are
excited by what He is
doing among us. We believe the earthquake that rocked
this whole area was
His sign to us of a breakthrough in our lives.
Even as Daniel and his
friends worshipped God in the fire, so we will
worship Him. Even as Jesus
walked with them in the fire He is walking with
us in this fire. And out of
the crucible will come a refining which will
cause this nation to shine with
the Glory of God. We are not alone in our
suffering. Be
encouraged!
A JAMES, Harare
Camouflage
threat
EDITOR - A good friend of ours was out doing chores this week.
His
four-year-old son accompanied him as the youngster was suffering from
tonsilitis and was not fit enough for pre-school.
One of the chores
was to visit the CVR (Central Vehicle Registry) building
in the former South
Avenue in Harare.
Young Grant (name changed) was dressed in his favourite
camouflage trousers
and tee shirt (which were purchased locally). Certain
individuals
interrogated our friend and threatened to arrest little Grant
for wearing
camouflage garments without permission from the Minister. The
youngster was
very shaken up and could not understand what the commotion was
all about.
What are we coming to in Zimbabwe. On a recent visit to the
UK I noticed
that half the children were wearing camouflage garments, caps,
had tents,
kit bags etc, it was extremely fashionable. What are we afraid
of? What
threat is a little child??
Not a day goes by when something
happens to upset us all.
BORN & BRED, Harare
It's all
part of the plan
EDITOR - I think the return of Mutambara is part of a
larger grand plan by
the Zanu (PF) regime to arrange for Mugabe's smooth
exit. This guy has
clearly been invited by Mugabe via Welshman Ncube. The
fact that Mutambara's
entry into mainstream politics coincides with Bob's
tongue-lashing of his
cabinet, his public pronouncement that he wants to
talk to Blair, and the
congress that would usher Mutambara to the top of the
Zanu (PF)-aligned (and
funded) MDC faction certainly raises
eyebrows.
Do you honestly think Bob would give the real opposition such a
reprieve?
This, I believe could be part of Mbeki's idea of constructive
engagement
where Mutambara could be parachuted to an influential post of say
Executive
Prime Minister with Joyce as the ceremonial president in a new
power-sharing
arrangement.
Bob knows that noone in his government has
the clout and respect to lead
this country and has been looking at the less
radical elements in the MDC
for alternatives.
WILLARD,
Harare
United against insanity
EDITOR - Returning from a
visit to Bulawayo after a long absence I was
struck by how united the people
were against the insanity of their
government.
I interviewed street
vendors and filing clerks, attorneys and cashiers,
butchers and a manager of
a large supermarket. All were tired of an economy
that just did not recover.
A few years back I would still hear conflicting
arguments as to the source
of the economic predicament. Now every one
agrees - Mugabe and his minions
are the one and only cause.
When the current government took over power
in 1981 they had a nation who
had been largely excluded from business
training. They could be told
anything. They had no frame of reference with
which to compare. They could
not judge whether the info was right or wrong.
However today most
Zimbabweans know how business, the economy and foreign
investor confidence
works. They see the lavish lifestyles of their leaders.
They observe the pot
holes, dirty unkempt buildings and person-high grass
verges.
Today most Zimbabweans know they are being drilled into the
ground by the
people they voted into power so many years ago.
As long
as this story is told, more and more Zimbabweans will demand change.
Any one
remembering their history will know it is individual people and
determined
groups that create pressure for change. Not governments.
Governments will
only act if their voters demand that they do. So you living
in the diaspora,
keep demanding and demanding and demanding. Thank you The
Zimbabwean for
doing your part.
A HOLMES, Zimbabwe
Why the
silence?
EDITOR - Of late we have all witnessed the incessant onslaught
of
accusations against the United States because of its human rights record.
Both Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Commission have had plenty
to say about Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners of the War against Terror are
being held.
Yet it is the US that has done more for Human Rights than
virtually any
other country in the world and plays safe host to many
organizations
defending the rights of those being persecuted across the
globe. Its young
men die on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq while
other nations
benefit, in comfort, from these sacrifices.
Yet, in my
own country we have recorded 4200 cases of State-sponsored
torture in 2005
up from 2711 in 2004, a 55 % increase! Why the silence?
Why did the UN
Human Rights Commission vote, yet again, not to send a team
of investigators
to Zimbabwe? What shameful duplicity and double standards!!
SIMON
SPOONER, Zimbabwe
What is a secret ballot?
EDITOR - I also
wish to contribute something to the paper since I have no
platform to air
these views here in Zimbabwe. I come from a poor community
where there is
untold suffering.
The causes of suffering in Zimbabwe will not end now as
long as the general
community does not know what a secret ballot is. As long
as people are
threatened to make their own choices. In most elections held
in Zimbabwe you
find that that the community is threatened to vote for a
certain political
party or risk being chased away from their own
homes.
During the March 2005 elections, most people did not make their
own choice,
but were threatened to vote for a certain party. I attended one
rally in
Chegutu in which Charles Ndlovu was the speaker, I remember him
saying that
'umwe noumwe sabhuku achamira nevanhu vake toona kuti ndiani
achakanda
chiruoko mubokisi munhu iyeye tichaona zvokuita naye'. Such
statements are
uncalled for. Only once people are allowed to exercise their
constitutional
right of voting freely can our suffering end.
GILBERT
MAKANDA, Silobela
Women in crowded cells
EDITOR - It is
really disturbing to note that the ruling gegime will never
value human
rights and freedom of expression. The aim of the WOZA women was
to
resuscitate the love in the face of violence and hate in Zimbabwe. Surely
its time this regime and its police desist from these acts.
Some of
the women had babies on their backs, but were forced into an open
truck and
locked in cells. Food and water did not reach all the women. They
were
marching peacefully, but because of the laws crafted by the Mugabe
regime
they suffered inhuman treatment. Standing in filthy cells with urine
on the
floor. Some police officers assaulted these women in the process. The
bad
part of it is when asked about these ill-treatments and violations of
human
rights they refused. Enough is enough, We Zimbabweans want freedom and
democracy.
DANFORD, Luton
Scoop, New Zealand
Thursday, 2 March 2006, 11:26 am
Press Release:
Green Party
2 March 2006
Guaranteed welcome for Zimbabwe cup side
disappointing
The Government should not give away the right to refuse
entry to cricket
team representing Mugabe's Zimbabwe when negotiating to
host the 2011
Cricket World Cup, according to Green Party Foreign Affairs
and Sports
Spokesperson Keith Locke.
New Zealand Cricket has just
completed a joint bid with Australia to host
the 2011 Cricket World Cup. As
part of the Government's support for the bid,
Immigration Minister David
Cunliffe has offered a guarantee to New Zealand
Cricket "of support for the
World Cup bid in the knowledge that that will
involve a Zimbabwe
team."
"Of course, everyone hopes that by 2011 there won't be a Mugabe
regime, and
New Zealanders will be welcoming the cricketers from a
democratic Zimbabwe,"
Mr Locke says.
"But the Government shouldn't
rule out doing what it did last year and
refusing visas to the Zimbabwe
cricket team. Last year this decision was
made to illustrate New Zealand's
total opposition to Mugabe's abuse of power
and the large-scale demolition
of people's homes, and we should retain the
right to express this opposition
in future.
"Denying visas to a sports team should never be done lightly,
and only in
response to a strong call from the oppressed majority of a
nation. And
obviously, the views of international sporting bodies must be
fully taken
into account in the case of large-scale events like World Cup
tournaments.
But they shouldn't be given a blank cheque.
"New Zealand
should say it is willing to host the World Cup, but with a
clause in the
contract that reserves us the right, after consultation with
the
International Cricket Council, to refuse entry to a team from a country
that
is experiencing extreme human rights violations. This right should only
be
exercised when there is a call from the people of that country for us to
do
so, as was the case with Zimbabwe last year and with South Africa under
Apartheid," Mr Locke says.
Zim Daily
Thursday, March 02 2006 @ 12:30 AM GMT
Contributed by: goliati
Allow my brief letter in your
good newspaper to comment on the
events happening to Zimbabwe. I am a PhD
aerospace engineering student in
America. Being black African, I have always
followed African events
especially Zimbabwe very closely.
The western media and the white South African press have always
portrayed
Morgan Tsvangrai as a true hero for Zimbabwe and the only leader
who people
trust a lot. I have always doubted that. I have also doubted the
argument
that the MDC has been losing elections solely because of unfair
political
ground. My argument to westerners has always been that Morgan, and
MDC,
could not win any free and fair election because they didnt have
platform.
They allowed themselves to be used by the western media and
especially the
British for their own good. Articles were written in British
newspapers
portraying the MDC as a party that believed that black
Zimbabweans prefer to
be farm workers than farm owners. The MDC were said to
believe that Zimbabwe
is now worse off than it was under Ian Smith. I dont
know any African
opposition which can win with such a position.
Here is a
problem with black Africa. The colonials and in deed
apartheid defined
intellectualism as being pro European. This was taught in
our schools and
universities for many years. So you are an intellectual when
you endorse a
European point of view. Consequently, you can not be an
intellectual when
you support an African view. This sort of reasoning led to
a form of dead
intellectualism on the continent where black Africans though
educated did
not hold any independent thoughts on anything. Unless the BBC
says it then
it is not true or correct. So as I browse through the African
media hardly
do I see intellectuals writing opinion debating issues
affecting the
continent. Is it true that Zimbabwe problems are just a result
of Mugabe?
Does Britain has a role? Has history affected Africa at all?
My belief has always been that NO intelligent independent black
African
analysis will look at Zimbabwe and blame Mugabe only. As a matter of
fact
most of the blame for Zimbabwe ought to be on the door of the Britain.
I
have also argued that NO intelligent independent black African analysis
will
only blame Mugabe without acknowledging what good things Mugabe did for
Zimbabwe.
Enter Arthur Mutambara, the brilliant young
professor and
robotic scientist! On accepting the presidency of an MDC
faction said, and I
quote, "While we put the failure of the land reform
program squarely on the
Zanu PF government, we also acknowledge the
complicity of some Western
governments which reneged on agreements, and the
inertia of white farmers in
seeking pre-emptive solutions..." and also he
said, "We stand on the
shoulders of the founding fathers of this nation;
such as Nikita Mangena,
Josiah Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo, Leopold Takawira,
Joshua Nkomo, and
Robert Mugabe...."
Well, it looks like
we are getting somewhere with Zimbabwe now.
Wonder why the western press and
the white South African newspapers did not
report these Mutambara
remarks?
Zim Daily
Thursday, March 02 2006 @ 12:25 AM
GMT
Contributed by: correspondent
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights have filed an urgent chamber
application seeking the
release of eight arrested university student leaders
in a series of protests
over massive fee hikes, Zimdaily heard yesterday.
The students, from the
University of Zimbabwe, were moved to Harare Central
Police Station today
from Matapi Police Station in the high-density suburb
of Mbare where they
were detained overnight, said Otto Saki of Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR).
"We have filed an urgent chamber application seeking
their
release," Saki said. "We are waiting to argue the case before a
judge." A
student representative, Promise Mkwananzi, said that his
colleagues
addressed a student meeting on Monday morning and then were
"urged to march
to the vice-chancellor's office". "The police barricaded the
way and
arrested the eight students," said Mkwananzi.
One
of the detained is Washington Katema, the president of the
Zimbabwe National
Students' Union (Zinasu). Zimdaily heard that as of
yesterday, only 500 out
of a total of 13 000 UZ students managed to pay the
recently introduced
astronomical tuition fees. The new fees, excluding
accommodation fees, range
between $60 million and $90 million per semester,
which is equivalent to the
annual salary of an ordinary Zimbabwean worker.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa
condemned the arrest of the student leaders as
"the work of a cornered
regime that has lost the compass in the high seas of
governance, and is now
allowing the winds of fate to drift the ship to
whatever hidden water
coral."
"Once again, this regime has been exposed as a major
predator of
all forms of human rights," Chamisa said. "Only last week, the
police
pounced on defenceless women with babies strapped on their back and
detained
them in police cells."
Chamisa said the government
has abdicated its responsibility to
educate citizens in breach of its pledge
to the people of Zimbabwe adding
the "regime is now a threat to the
post-independence education sector
improvements and
advances."
"It is unAfrican as it is inhuman to commodify
education,
particularly considering the deprived backgrounds of most of our
parents and
students," Chamisa said. "Our colleges and universities have
become a source
of national shame. At all the polytechnics and universities
across the
nation, it is the same story that only a handful have managed to
pay the new
fees. In fact, it is a de-investment in the future." Protests
have been
mounting over shock fee hikes announced earlier this month for
many
institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe. In some cases the new fees
-
which were reportedly approved by the government - were 10 times more than
those for last year.
At least 21 students were arrested
earlier this month for
staging a violent protest against fee hikes at the
National University of
Science and Technology in the country's second city
of Bulawayo. Students
complain that with the new fees education will become
a preserve only of the
very rich. Many Zimbabweans - young and old alike -
are struggling to keep
afloat in an economy characterised by inflation of
more than 613 percent and
frequent price increases.
Also
on Monday, the ZLHR lodged an official complaint with the
commissioner of
police
and the attorney general over the "inhuman and degrading"
conditions in which students have been kept in Harare police cells in
earlier incidents. Chamisa said: "The MDC condemns the commercialisation of
tertiary education and the continued assault on our civil liberties. We
demand that the new fee structure be scrapped or that students' allowances
be at par with the new fees. We demand an end to police brutality. We demand
affordable education for our children. We demand respect for basic human
rights and we call upon this regime to come to its senses before it suffers
a major backlash from disgruntled people."
Zim Daily
Thursday, March 02 2006 @ 12:58 AM GMT
Contributed by:
Zimdaily
United States President George Bush on Tuesday
extended by one
year a series of sanctions against Zimbabwe officials,
including President
Robert Mugabe, deemed to be undermining democracy. The
decision renews
Bush's executive orders of March 2003 and November 2005
freezing the assets
of more than 100 people and 30 entities considered to be
opposing reforms in
Zimbabwe.
Professor John Makumbe
teaches political science at the
University of Zimbabwe. He told English to
Africa reporter Ashenafi Abedje
he welcomes President Bush's decision to
extend the sanctions. He says,
"Things are becoming difficult for the
government and the Zimbabwean
people," and that "renewal of US sanctions
will force the Zimbabwean
government to re-examine its going-it-alone policy
and do the right thing."
Makumbe says sanctions by outside countries
generally have "limited impact"
in achieving their objectives. He says in
Zimbabwe's case, "the West should
supplement its sanctions with an active
lobby for cooperation by neighboring
African countries. "Only then," he
says, "will sanctions have their maximum
impact."
MaKumbe
says President Mugabe "will do everything to ensure,
with or without him at
the helm, his party's continued stay in power after
the 2008 elections." He
says, "If Mr. Mugabe succeeds, his government's
policies will likely
continue for years to come."
"The crisis constituted by the
actions and policies of certain
members of the government of Zimbabwe and
other persons to undermine
Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions
has not been resolved," Bush
said in a statement.
"These
actions and policies pose a continuing unusual and
extraordinary threat to
the foreign policy of the United States. For these
reasons, I have
determined that it is necessary to continue this national
emergency and to
maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat,"
he said. -
Sapa-AFP
New Zimbabwe
By Violet
Gonda
Last updated: 03/02/2006 11:13:38
THE legal affairs spokesman for
the MDC, David Coltart, has rejected his
appointment to the National
Executive of the pro-senate faction of the
party, which held its congress in
Bulawayo at the weekend.
Coltart told SW Radio Africa that he has always
wanted to preserve his
neutrality so he can help the two warring factions
reach an amicable
divorce.
He said: "I am obviously honoured to have
been nominated but, with the
greatest respect, I will turn it down as I said
in my letter to both Morgan
Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda that I would not
be attending either Congress
and would not seek election, or accept
nomination, to either Executive.
He said he would only decide where his
"political home will be" once a
settlement had been reached.
A press
statement issued with a list of new officials for the group now led
by
Professor Arthur Mutambara was sent out on Wednesday. Coltart said he was
surprised to discover that he was appointed a Committee Member of the
Bulawayo province.
He stated that his position was pending the
completion of his attempt to
bring about an amicable settlement of the
dispute between the two factions.
Coltart has in the past refused to
align himself with either group but news
of his election has further fuelled
speculation about his position on this
matter.
The Mutambara-led camp
successfully filled most of the positions but the
posts of secretary for
legal affairs and the secretary for economic affairs
were left vacant in the
hope of giving them to either Coltart or Tendai
Biti, who supports the
Tsvangirai led camp.
Coltart said he has been distressed by the divisions
as he believes that
these two factions cannot be as effective apart from
each other as they
would be if they were aligned with each other.
He
said: "I recognise that this decision may well result in me not having an
Executive position in future and that reconciliation is minimal but I feel
it's important that an amicable divorce is achieved so that the groups do
not fight each other for the next two years. "
The two camps are
fighting over the party name, logo, symbols and assets.
Coltart warned
that it would be a sad day if the dispute was to go to the
courts.
He
said if that were to happen, Zanu PF would be given the opportunity
through
the courts to determine how long the dispute will go on for.
He added:
"It will effectively give Zanu PF the right to ultimately decide
which
faction they want to deal with, which faction they want to give the
assets
to. And it's not in the interest of democracy. It's not in the
interest of
either faction to give Zanu PF this power."
He said both sides have to
compromise and retreat from some of their current
positions - SW Radio
Africa
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Patson
Ndhlovu
issue date :2006-Mar-02
VICE-President Joseph Msika yesterday
said white commercial farmers fully
utilising land and conforming to
government's agrarian reform programme must
not be ejected from their
properties, amid reports of a new wave of farm
occupations in the
country.
Addressing a SeedCo national field day in Kadoma, Msika said
government was
prepared to work with white farmers as long as they respected
the country's
laws and strive for the success of the nation's agrarian
reform programme.
"Regerai kubvisa munhu anogona kurima nokuti ane ganda
rakasiyana nerako
(stop occupying utilised farms just because they are owned
by whites), that
is shooting yourself in the foot," Msika said. "We cannot
remove every white
man in this country, if you think it's possible, that
will not happen. We
will only respect those white people who respect our
laws and want to live
with us."
However, the Vice-President said the
government would not hesitate to weed
out unruly elements from within the
white farming community bent on
sabotaging the land reform programme, which
started in 2000.
Msika took a swipe at resettled farmers saying some of them
had gone out of
the way to destroy infrastructure left by whites on the
farms instead of
utilising it to boost production. Before the land reform
programme, Zimbabwe
had about 5 000 white commercial farmers, most of whom
later relocated to
Zambia, Mozambique and Nigeria.
The country still has
about 700 white farmers.
The Vice-President's call comes barely two months
after Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Gideon Gono implored the
government to ensure that
law and order prevails on farms. Gono said the RBZ
was concerned with a new
wave of farm occupations late last year that
spilled into 2006, threatening
to disrupt production and to render in
jeopardy the central bank's
turnaround efforts premised on
agriculture.
"As we (the central bank) step up our efforts to fund the
agricultural
sector, no one should be allowed to disrupt the production
process," Gono
said. "The nation stands to lose, if the infrastructure that
will have been
supported is disturbed and is not put to productive use. This
destabilises
the programmes that are being put in place in good faith to
turn around our
economy."
Msika also expressed his disappointment with
some of the newly resettled
farmers not utilising land allocated to them,
saying the government would
not hesitate to repossess the farms. Quoting the
Bible, Msika said: "He who
does not work should not eat." He said Zimbabwe
was ranked among countries
in Africa with hardworking people and there was
no way land could be left
lying idle.
"We will not allow that.
Hatingarambe tichipa simbe minda (We cannot
continue allocating land to lazy
people), we are repossessing it and
re-allocating the land to productive
people.
"My word to you is don't be lazy, be a thinker and work. Develop
agriculture
in the country so that we will retain Zimbabwe as the
breadbasket of Africa",
Msika added.
The Vice-President said the State
will continue to support the agrarian
reform programme and warned farmers
not to continue relying on handouts from
the government.
"Don't have this
cancerous disease of a dependency syndrome," he told the
farmers. Last year,
President Robert Mugabe took a swipe at what he dubbed
"cellphone farmers"
and warned that his government would repossess under
utilised land. The
Minister of State for Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement, Didymus Mutasa,
last month lashed out at senior politicians
for allegedly being multiple
farm owners through incorporating brief case
companies, which in turn
acquire land.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2006-Mar-02
THE
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communication was on
Monday barred from touring offices belonging to the Chronicle and Sunday
News in Bulawayo after Justin Mutasa, the chief executive of the Zimbabwe
Newspapers Group (Zimpapers), which publishes the two titles, reportedly
said the members were not welcome.
The committee, chaired by Zanu PF
Makonde legislator Leo Mugabe, was on a
two-day tour of the country's second
largest city, which also took them to
the National Railways of Zimbabwe
(NRZ) facilities on Monday.
On Monday, Mugabe confirmed that the Zimpapers
boss had prevented his
committee from carrying out its duties at The
Chronicle, situated at the
corner of 9th Avenue and George Silundika Street
in the city centre.
"We are at The Chronicle at the moment, but we have been
advised that we
cannot conduct our business. We have been shown a letter
from Justin Mutasa
saying our committee had no business at the newspaper,"
he said.
Mugabe said such actions smacked of contempt of Parliament, but did
not
divulge the action his committee would take against Mutasa.
"He is
obviously in contempt of Parliament," Mugabe said.
Mutasa yesterday could not
confirm or deny that indeed he had written a
letter barring Mugabe's
committee from visiting the media house's offices in
Bulawayo.
"I cannot
comment on that issue. Why are you interested with Zimpapers
business? Are
you shareholders in the company? I can only make a comment to
shareholders,"
Mutasa said.
On Mugabe's sentiments that he was in contempt of Parliament,
Mutasa
remarked: "Let cross the bridge when we get to it."
Mugabe's
committee on Tuesday visited Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International
(JMN)
Airport and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH's) Spot FM (formerly
Radio
1) studios in Montrose.
The airport is currently undergoing refurbishment and
extensions while the
NRZ is undergoing a turnaround programme aimed at
unbundling its operations
into five strategic business units (SBUs).
Spot
FM was relocated from the capital to Bulawayo as part of the unbundling
of
the former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), now ZBH.
Last year
Mugabe's committee criticised the unbundling of ZBC, which was
spearheaded
by former Information and Publicity Minister, Jonathan Moyo.
It also lashed
out at how ZBH management was running the former corporation
claiming that
some members of the staff at the national broadcaster did not
have requisite
qualifications.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
Court Reporter
issue date :2006-Mar-02
THE High Court
dismissed an application yesterday by a local farmer to expel
30 people
allocated land at Railway Farm 26 in Chegutu acquired by
government under
the land reform programme.
The ruling followed a request by farmer Maxwel
Kufakunesu Chisvo for the
High Court to evict the new settlers.
Justice
Bharat Patel said the court recognised that the 30 defendants had
been
allocated land by the government as no evidence was led in court that
the
farm had been de-listed.
The judge ruled that the defendants' ejection from
the farm would be
improper and ordered them to continue farming
there.
"In the premises, the Court finds that the plaintiffs have no legally
enforceable right in Railway Farm 26 entitling them to eject the defendants
from the property or any of its subdivisions.
"Furthermore, the
defendants are entitled to occupy and remain on the
property as the duly
authorised allottees of their respective holdings. In
the result, the
plaintiff's claim for the ejectment (sic) of the defendants
is dismissed
with costs," Patel said.
The judge, however, said the State should explicitly
acknowledge and
regularise the 30 defendants' rights of occupation
formally.
He urged the State to formalise the underlying land allocation
system by
compiling and maintaining readily accessible official records
based on
legally recognisable titles that clearly identified the designated
landholder.
"The A1 resettlement scheme, in my view, is the very raison
d'etre of
Zimbabwe's Land Reform Programme which was originally conceived
and designed
to benefit the landless and colonially disposed people," Patel
said, adding
it would be unforgivable for the programme to be "unraveled by
the vagaries
of supine bureaucracy".
He said the defendants, though were
not issued official allocation letters,
it was clear from the outset that
the State's intended to allot them the
land.
The judge noted that a
preliminary notice had been issued to plaintiff
Chisvo in November 2002
indicating the State's intention to acquire the
farm. The noticed was not
revoked, Patel said.
". It is abundantly and unquestionably clear that the
property in question
was duly acquired by and vested in the State with
effect from the 6th of
March 2003," said the judge.
Chisvo, in his
application had argued that he was the rightful owner of the
farm he had
bought from Wynand Bezuidenhout in 1999.
Chisvo said the farm was eventually
registered in his name in July 2002
before he invested heavily on the
property.
However, Chisvo admitted that he received notice of intention to
acquisition
that particular farm from the lands ministry in 2002.
But
Chisvo claimed that his farm was de-listed on October 18, 2002 because
he
was an indigenous farmer.
The 30 defendants said they resettled on the farm
by district administrator
for Chegutu in May 2001. They however, admitted
that they were not given
offer letters identifying or confirming their right
to occupying the land.
In July 2002, Chisvo came to the farm and claimed it
entirely sparking the
dispute.