http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 12:48
BY
NUNURAI JENA
THREE soldiers and two police officers have been arrested in
Chinhoyi where
they joined thousands of residents and nearby villagers who
have descended
on Heinze farm following last week’s discovery of gold on it.
The farm,
which was forcibly acquired by government from Gerry Heinz several
years
ago, is now said to be owned by a senior Chinhoyi police
officer.
Illegal panners from as far as Guruve, Karoi, Kenzamba, Norton,
Chegutu and,
Kadoma have also swooped on the farm about 12km from Chinhoyi
where they
are now engaged in running battles with riot police almost on a
daily basis.
Mashonaland West Provincial Police Spokesperson
Inspector Clemence
Mabweazara confirmed that three soldiers and two police
officers were among
the 71 illegal gold panners netted last
Thursday.
“I can confirm that we arrested police officers and
soldiers who were caught
panning. We are moving in to restore order and
anyone caught on the wrong
side of the law will be arrested regardless of
their position,” Mabweazara
said.
Some of the panners complained that
they were being harassed by corrupt
politicians, police and army officers
who were allegedly demanding
protection fees from them.
One
Chinhoyi resident alleged that plain clothes police and army officers
were
taking advantage of the situation by demanding US$2 per day from people
who
wanted to join in the illegal activity.
Zanu PF youths who joined the
rush were demanding gold from other panners in
a dog-eat-dog
situation.
Vendors were also being forced to pay US$1 in order to be
allowed to sell
food and other goods to the illegal
panners.
“They came and said that we have to pay them US$2 for us to
pan for the
gold,” said a Chinhoyi resident who refused to be identified
fearing
victimisation.
“They showed us their police identity
cards. We were left with no option but
to comply as we want to eke out a
living from the gold find.”
Other panners also complained that armed police
accompanied by dogs, were
using excessive force during their frequent raids.
There are unconfirmed
reports that a woman and her child drowned while
fleeing from the police.
One woman who escaped arrest by jumping into
the river alleged that police
indiscriminately beat up the illegal
panners.
“Police came and threw teargas at people including those who
were selling
goods,” she said.
“Several people were injured. I
only escaped by diving into the river. My
chest is however now painful and I
can no longer breathe properly.”
Locals have since renamed the area “Pahasha”
following the discovery of the
gold.
Recently gold was discovered
in Kwekwe’s Sherwood Block prompting another
gold rush by people mostly
connected to Zanu PF.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012
13:31
BY Patrice Makova
TOP Zanu-PF and government officials are
involved in widespread acts of
corruption — that was the message delivered
in front of President Robert
Mugabe at his Mutare birthday
party.
Zanu PF Manicaland’s provincial chairman for youth, Peter Mukodza
told a
stunned Mugabe during his recent 88th birthday celebrations in
Sakubva that
the party was being weakened by corrupt chefs and government
officials.
“Our party leaders are corrupt to the core,” he
said. “They are involved in
the massive looting of resources all over the
country. This is at the
expense of the people.”
Mukodza said
corruption and looting of resources was making it difficult for
Zanu PF to
regain the respect of people who voted against the party in 2008.
He
said youths were being sidelined from the corrupt deals by the big chefs
who
continue to amass wealth while the majorities continue to suffer under
difficult economic conditions
.
“Youths have no decent
accommodation,” said Mukodza. “They are disgruntled
because they cannot
access bank loans or afford to pay for their education
as chefs are looting
everything.”
But the party’s national youth chairman, Absalom
Sikhosana tried to downplay
the concerns raised by the youths.
He
said it was the wrong platform to raise issues of corruption by party big
wigs.
Mugabe said some of the concerns raised by the youths would
be addressed in
a new national youth policy which would give priority to the
empowerment of
the younger generation.
Although Mukodza did not
disclose the corrupt deals, top Zanu PF officials
have been fingered in the
looting of diamonds, gold, land and farming
inputs, among many other
things.
Some corrupt chefs face jail
The Anti-Corruption
Commission, which for a long time was perceived to be
toothless, recently
started arresting people accused of corruption.
However, influential
politicians,among them cabinet ministers who are
suspected of involvement in
massive acts of corruption, theft and fraud have
remained untouched and
analysts believe the commission was only targeting
the small
fish.
The ACCZ has so far arrested three legislators who are facing
charges of
defrauding the constituency development fund.
These
are Marvelous Khumalo of St Mary’s (MDC-T), Albert Mhlanga of Pumula
(MDC-T)
and Franco Ndambakuwa of Magunje (Zanu PF).
Others arrested include
Chitungwiza Town Council clerk and housing director,
Godfrey Tanyanyiwa and
Jemina Gumbo respectively; former Zifa chief
executive officer Henrietta
Rushwaya and a prosecutor, Moffat Makuvatsine.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 13:10
By Our Staff
A
senior ZBC manager and prominent television personality was on Friday
arrested by the police on allegations of defrauding the state broadcaster’s
credit scheme of almost US$100 000. The manager (name supplied) allegedly
withdrew money for the credit scheme which is exclusively for top managers,
on the pretext that he would “spin” it, make more money and share the
interest with colleagues. He is said to have used part of the money to buy
gold, which unfortunately turned out to be fake.
He then failed
to pay back the money he had been lent, leading to some of
the managers
reporting the matter to the police. Even some of ZBC’s top
journalists are
said to have fallen victim to the manager’s fraudulent
scheme
.
“Managers have a loan facility at CBZ where they can access loans
of up to
US$30 000 from CBZ, (the manager) would take money and try to get
an
interest from it,” one of the ZBC managers said yesterday.
The
source said the loans were meant to buy cars or houses for senior
management, but the offer they got to raise interest from their colleague
was too tempting to pass.
“The managers have been trying to get
their money for a while, but so far
they have hit a brick wall. That’s why
the police had to be called in,” said
another source.
ZBC boss,
Happison Muchechetere would not be drawn into commenting on the
matter
yesterday.
“I am at my farm right now. I will only know when I get
back to the office,”
he said.
The state broadcaster’s spokesman,
Sivukile Simango, said he was not aware
of the arrest, as he was in Chipinge
for the 21st February movement music
show.
Efforts to get a
comment from the police also drew a blank.
Disgruntled manager
attempts suicide again
It has also been revealed that the senior manager
was last week admitted at
a hospital in the Avenues, after he allegedly
attempted to commit suicide.
“This is the second time he has tried to commit
suicide since other managers
started putting pressure on him to repay what
he had taken,” the source
said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 19:19
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
WITH calls for a leaner government, growing questions have
been raised if
there is need to maintain posts of Ministers of
State.
Some of the ministries that have been questioned were the Ministers of
State
in the President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office and those in the
Vice-President’s Offices.
These ministries are presently held by
Didymus Mutasa, Jameson Timba,
Sylvester Nguni and Flora Bhuka
respectively.
Sekai Holland is another Minister of
State.
Critics claim these ministries were created as “jobs
for the boys” to
accommodate people who would not ordinarily have made it as
ministers.
But a government official, who requested anonymity, said only the
Ministers
of State in the President and Prime Minister’s Offices were of any
value,
with the rest being ceremonial.
“The two ministers serve
as a link between the president and prime minister
on one hand and the
ministers on the other, so they are important,” he said.
He said it
was a global best practice that the president and the prime
minister have
ministers in their offices, but decried the way the situation
was handled in
Zimbabwe.
“I think South African President, Jacob Zuma, has two such
ministers, you
can even take the British example, but what happens here is
something else,”
he said.
The official described most ministers
of state as being personal assistants
to the vice-presidents and nothing
more.
“They are not full ministers, effectively they have the
position of deputy
ministers,” he said. “In a proper situation those posts
should be run by
bureaucrats, rather than people termed as
ministers.
Timba said he would not comment on the functions of the
other ministers, but
said his office coordinated policy between the prime
minister and the other
ministries.
“I work on the formulation of
policy, coordination and supervision between
the prime minister and the
other ministries,” he said.
A political analyst, Dumisani Nkomo was
scathing in his analysis, saying he
felt those ministries did not add any
value.
“I think those ministries are for political purposes, for the
three parties
to include their people in ministerial position,” he said.
“They do not add
value.”
Another analyst, Effie Ncube who heads a
consortium of NGOs in Bulawayo said
he was not aware of the roles served by
the ministries and as far as he was
concerned they could be scrapped. “I do
not know their role because it has
not been properly advertised, maybe there
is something important they do,
but we have just not been told,” he
said.
Ncube said since the ministers of state received perks like
others, this had
the effect of draining the little resources the state
had.
“It’s not just those ministries, but they are many, this is excessive on
the
fiscus,” he continued.
At the formation of the inclusive
government, it was agreed that there would
be 31 ministries, however, as a
political balancing act, more were added and
the number ballooned to more
than 40.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012
19:18
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo
has welcomed the
investigation and prosecution of MPs accused of looting the
Constituency
Development Fund (CDF).
“The question of accountability and
transparency in the use of public funds
must not end in the scrutiny of
government but MPs’ themselves must also be
accountable. In this light, I
welcome the stance taken by the
Anti-Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe
(ACCZ) in investigating allegations
of corruption levelled against MPs,”
said Moyo.
“It is my sincere hope that these investigations are not
targeting certain
individuals but are carried out in good faith on all MPs
regardless of
political affiliation.”
St Mary’s MDC-T legislator
Marvellous Kumalo and Zanu PF MP for Magunje
Franco Ndambakuwa were the
first legislators to be arrested on allegations
of abusing CDFs. Other MPs
accused of failing to account for the funds
include Zanu PF MP for Hurungwe
North Peter Chanetsa and MDC-T legislator
for Kariba Cleopas
Machacha.
Moyo’s observation comes at a time when a number of MPs are
facing charges
of abusing (CDFs), money meant for the development of their
constituencies.
The Speaker called for the enactment of a law that
directs parliamentarians
to declare their assets to curb
corruption.
Parliament already has a Code of Conduct and Ethics for
legislators to
declare their assets but it is not legally
binding.
“My office is committed in ensuring that all MPs sign a Code
of Conduct and
Ethics and register their financial interests according to
the Standing
Orders of Parliament,” said Moyo.
“As we reflect on
the implementation of the Code of Conduct and Ethics, let
us remember that
there is no legal instrument to compel the registration of
financial
interests by MPs.”
He added: “Therefore, there is need for Parliament
to enact a law that will
criminalise an MP’s failure to abide by the Code of
Conduct and force him to
register his/her financial interests on assumption
of office.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012
19:03
BY NDAMU SANDU
GOVERNMENT edged closer to introducing mandatory
fuel blending last week
after a crucial meeting endorsed the plan in a move
that could rescue the
US$600 million ethanol project in
Chisumbanje.
There has been a slow uptake of ethanol from Chisumbanje
as fuel players are
reluctant to blend the fuel saying it is an extra cost
to them since they
are supposed to have additional handling
facilities.
As a result, production stopped after the plant
reached its 10 million
litres storing capacity in December last
year.
The ethanol project is a partnership between the Agricultural
and Rural
Development Authority (Arda) and Billy Rautenbach’s Rating and
Macdom
Investments in a 20-year Build-Operate-and- Transfer arrangement to
transform estates at Chisumbanje and Middle
Sabi.
Standardbusiness heard on Friday the plan now awaited the
assent of the 11
ministers that form an inter-ministerial
committee.
A piece of legislation via a statutory instrument would be
in place to
ensure the plan takes -off smoothly, sources said on
Friday.
Cabinet has been seized with the matter since last year and
requested Joseph
Made, the minister of Agriculture Mechanisation and
Irrigation Development,
to present a detailed report to cabinet on the
ethanol project.
Cabinet then resolved the setting up of an
inter-ministerial committee
chaired by Made to coordinate the implementation
of the project.
This paper was reliably told there was no way the
industry could take up all
the ethanol as it could only use 10% meaning that
the remainder has to be
taken up elsewhere.
However, financiers
have rolled out an ambitious plan that will see 11 000
hectares under cane
this year in Chisumbanje and Middle Sabi up from 7 000ha
in
2011.
It will rise to 16 000 next year.
At the same time 5
000 ha will be put under cane in Nuanetsi next year. This
year 120 million
litres of ethanol will be produced up from 18 million last
year.
The production is set to more than double to 252 million
litres next year.
By 2020 fuel production would have reached the 1,5 billion
litre mark with
raw materials coming from Chisumbanje, Middle Sabi and
Nuanetsi.
According to the projected rollout, the blending will save
US$120 million
annually in fuel imports. By 2020, the country would have
saved US$400
million from fuel imports.
Currently 10% of the
blended fuel contains ethanol and there are plans to
double that to
20%.
Projected data also show that exports will start in 2015
generating US$60
million assuming that half of the fuel produced is used for
local
operations.
The earnings are set to reach US$1,1 billion in
2020.
Basil Nyabadza, Arda board chairman said last week the project
is the only
route for the parastatal to be self-reliant in line with
government’s
intention for state-owned enterprises to wean themselves off
treasury
coffers.
The project has seen the recruitment of labour
from outside Chipinge and
more work needs to be done, taking into
consideration there is need for more
schools, clinics and accommodation
facilities.
The financiers, Nyabadza said, want to build a US$300
million Kondo dam
because the project needs more water for its expansion
programme.
To get enough cane, villagers in Chipinge have been given a
quarter acre
each to grow cane under contract.
“The raw materials
and the final product are coming from a village
environment thereby creating
jobs in the village. This fits well into Arda’s
vision of rural
development,” he said.
Analysts say a holistic approach has to be
adopted taking cognisance of the
concerns raised by fuel players and
motorists.
There are also calls for legislation governing ethanol
production laying the
parameters for the fuel industry.
More
required before mandatory blending: experts
Experts in the fuel
industry told Standardbusiness on Friday, more needs to
be done before
government introduces mandatory blending.
“For players in the
industry, they need separate tanks for handling and this
is an extra cost to
operators. Government cannot just force oil companies to
blend because it is
an extra cost,” one expert said.
“In addition, the promoters of the
project were telling us that they can
export (ethanol). The question is why
can’t they export?”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 19:18
BY OUR STAFF
THE
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) has failed to pay Ordinary
and
Advanced level examination markers due to serious cash flow problems,
The
Standard has been told.
One examiner last week said the failure by Zimsec to
pay the allowances was
inconveniencing the teachers who dedicated their time
marking the
examinations.
“We were told that we would get our
money, seven days after marking the
final papers, but it’s now a month after
the results are out and most pupils
have gone for Lower Sixth and we are
still waiting,” the examiner said.
“We were given a few dollars a
month after marking and no explanation has
been given for the outstanding
balance.”
The examiner said it was outrageous that Zimsec breached a
contract, whose
terms the organisation set without consulting the
markers.
“We do not negotiate the contract, but just sign one they create
unilaterally,” he said.
“One would think they could fulfill their
own terms, but they have the
impunity to breach the
contract.”
The markers were supposed to be paid between 90 cents and
US$1,20 per each
paper they marked. Markers who were expecting between
US$600 and US$700 but
got only US$300.
Zimsec director Happy
Ndanga said his organisation communicated its position
to the
examiners.
“We have communicated with them and do not know why we
should talk to the
newspaper,” Ndanga said. “They know why there is a delay
and how they will
be paid.”
The Minister of Education, Sport,
Arts and Culture, David Coltart last week
confirmed the non-payment of
examiners adding that they were still waiting
for funds from
treasury.
“The failure to pay is part of a major cash crisis within
Zimsec,” Coltart
said. “Treasury has not released money for Zimsec to pay.
Payment will be
done once Zimsec gets the money.”
Coltart said
the Ministry of Finance had not indicated when the money was
likely to be
availed.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 19:13
BY
PATRICE MAKOVA
THE International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says human
trafficking
deserves attention in Zimbabwe as more people are falling prey
to the
problem due to socio-economic challenges.
IOM spokesperson, Folen
Murapa told The Standard that while Zimbabwe was a
signatory to the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organised
Crime and the Palermo
protocol, the country is yet to domesticate these key
international
instruments.
“The 2011 Trafficking in Persons report notes that
Zimbabwe is a source,
transit and destination for human trafficking given
its central geographical
position in southern Africa among other factors,”
she said.
Murapa said although the magnitude of human trafficking was
difficult to
ascertain due to the clandestine nature of the phenomenon,
government
recognised the problem and is currently in the process of tabling
in
Parliament a bill on Human Trafficking.
Chinese citizens have
joined the list of nationals being trafficked to
Zimbabwe where they are
illegally working in restaurants, mines and other
businesses.
The
department of immigration recently said over 100 foreigners mostly
Chinese
and Nigerians were arrested and deported for illegally operating
businesses,
with some of them believed to be victims of human trafficking.
But
Murapa said anyone could be a victim of trafficking regardless of
nationality, sex, age and profession. She said trafficking in general was
driven by various factors, among them promises for better economic
opportunities, perception of greener pastures among other push and pull
factors, depending on the origin and destination of the
victims.
“Victims of trafficking to South Africa, Mozambique and
Angola are
reportedly being forced to perform duties against their will for
the benefit
of the trafficker,” said Murapa. “These include sexual
exploitation, forced
labour, domestic servitude — under horrific, ruthless
and hazardous working
conditions.”
She said the IOM in
conjunction with its partners in both the public sector
and the civic sector
has several programmes to prevent and protect people
from human trafficking.
These include awareness initiatives, provision of
direct support to victims
of trafficking and reintegration assistance.
On Zimbabweans who
continue to be deported from South Africa, Murapa said
between October 7
2011 and February 10 this year, IOM had assisted 10 000
returnees.
The United States 2011 trafficking report notes that
Zimbabwean women were
being lured to China, Egypt and Canada for
prostitution.
Men on the other hand were being lured for labour to
countries such as South
Africa, Malaysia, Nigeria and the United Arab
Emirates on false offers of
good employment in the construction, agriculture
and hospitality sectors.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 19:15
BY KUDZAI
CHIMHANGWA
A stroll down the streets of Harare reveals numerous
Chinese and Nigerian
shops dotted in downtown areas that sell cheap
products.
The shops are always bustling with customers jostling for the
cheapest
jeans, t-shirts, sandals, children’s clothing, dresses and
shirts.
But what is most perplexing is that the owners of the shops —
mostly
Nigerians, Chinese and Indians — are rarely seen in banks depositing
their
day’s takings.
This has reinforced the widespread
conception that most of them either keep
their monies at home or repatriate
profits to their native countries,
causing a serious liquidity crisis in
Zimbabwe which is emerging after a
decade-long economic
downturn.
Most of them have fallen victim to armed robberies in
recent months because
they are known to keep huge amounts of cash in their
homes before they find
a way of taking their “loot” back to their
countries.
Foreigners from the East, mostly Chinese, began flooding
the country after
President Robert Mugabe’s administration adopted the “Look
East Policy”
after he and his party counterparts were slapped with targeted
sanctions by
Western countries on allegations of gross human rights
violations.
Nigerian communities followed suit and have virtually taken over
the capital
by randomly opening small and medium-sized shops in various
downtown city
corners.
Sources in the banking sector last week
confirmed that very few Chinese,
Indians or Nigerian nationals have bank
accounts in the country.
Those that have accounts, the sources said, use them
to send monies to their
home countries. They said a number of Chinese
nationals running businesses
are reportedly banking their takings with a
known reputable international
bank in the country and they withdraw the
money only when they are back in
China.
Although the sources
could not give a figure of how much foreigners
expatriate on a monthly
basis, they were adamant that it runs into millions,
figures which can help
ease the current liquidity crunch the country is
experiencing.
“These
foreigners are the chief culprits,” said one source.
“But Zimbabweans
also shun banking their monies because they do not have
confidence in the
sector. Very few have the money to keep in the banks
anyway.”
It
is estimated that US$3 billion is circulating in the informal sector.
Most
Nigerians, Chinese and Indians approached by The Standard refused to
divulge
their banking preferences.
Some were even hostile.
Consumer
Council of Zimbabwe boss Rosemary Siyachitema said if indeed the
reports
that foreigners were not banking their monies locally were true,
then this
had negative implications on the consumers at the end of the
spectrum.
“Certainly the lack of money in circulation results in
local companies
failing to access that money which they need to implement
their own capital
projects while capacity utilisation levels remain low,”
she said.
“Consequently, locally produced goods become more expensive
and there is
very little produced for exports, a factor which contributes
towards stunted
growth of the economy,” she said.
Retailers’
Association of Zimbabwe official Themba Ndebele declined to
comment on the
development.
But president of the Nigerian Community in Zimbabwe Simon Udemba
said most
Nigerians have “settled down” and would not engage in any
unbecoming
behaviour.
“The Nigerian community has families and
investments in this country,” said
Udemba. “There is absolutely no reason
why we would seek to work outside the
confines of the law. In fact, we have
already adapted to Zimbabwe as our
home country.”
He said there were
about 500 Nigerian nationals living in the country
engaged in the
manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sectors as well as
property businesses.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 19:08
BY
NQABA MATSHAZI
FOR Marko Masese the prospect of living without his wife and
two children
was too much of a burden to bear and, probably with a heavy
heart, decided
to take his own life a fortnight ago by jumping in front of
an oncoming
train in Cape Town, South Africa.
What made the situation
even more tragic is that three weeks earlier, Masese’s
wife Nyarai
Chiwandire had committed suicide in the exact manner and at
almost the same
spot.
Chiwandire had taken the leap of death with the young
Zimbabwean couple’s
two children — one only six days old while the other was
four months shy of
her second birthday.
The couple had just been
blessed with a baby-boy and naturally, Masese was
ecstatic as he had wanted
a son, as they already had a daughter.
He told South African media that in
his excitement he had bought expensive
baby clothes, but his wife’s actions
had robbed him of a chance to have a
family.
“I can forgive her
but I can’t forget. It will tick in my heart forever,” he
said.
Masese received counselling in the aftermath of the tragic
death of his wife
and children, telling the media he had no clue what led
his wife to commit
suicide.
After receiving guidance many thought
Masese, who moved to South Africa four
years ago, had put the dark event
behind him, but alas, there was yet to be
a cruel twist of
fate.
An official at Metrorail said the consequences surrounding
Masese’s wife’s
suicide had been tragic and they offered the bereaved
husband counselling.
“Masese had attended two counselling sessions and was
scheduled for a third
when he too decided to end his life,” Riana Scott, the
utility’s
spokesperson, said.
It seems Masese was still haunted
by the death of his wife and children and
the heart-broken 31-year -old
father decided to take his life.
South African authorities are still baffled
at what could have led the
Zimbabwean couple to take such drastic measures,
but unfortunately, they may
never know the answers.
A rights
organisation, People Against Suffering Oppression and Poverty
(Passop), said
this incident was only a microcosm of the psycho-social and
psychological
problems many Zimbabweans faced in South Africa.
“In our view, this
tragic incident illustrates the psycho-social and
psychological problems
caused by the many hardships that Zimbabweans are
going through in South
Africa,” Langton Mariyoga said in emailed responses.
Passop has long
been fighting for the rights of Zimbabwean immigrants in
South Africa,
particularly over discrimination at workplaces and the
xenophobic violence
many have been subjected to.
The organisation says Zimbabweans,
mainly illegal immigrants, who fled the
economic and social decline in
Zimbabwe, were finding it difficult to
integrate into communities in South
Africa. An estimated three million
Zimbabweans live in South
Africa.
Just before his death, Passop had issued a number of alerts
looking for
Masese, fearing for his life, but this was in vain, as he died
the following
morning.
“Among other things, we will also
facilitate counselling of some of the
close relatives who have been directly
affected by this tragedy so that they
are able to recover from grief,”
Mariyoga said.
Gabriel Shumba, of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF),
said his organisation
had intervened in many trauma cases that they had been
referred for
psycho-social support.
“However, these are limited
owing to lack of resources, in addition to the
fact that many cannot access
them,” he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 13:38
BY JENNIFER
DUBE
THE Harare City Council has engaged a South African manufacturer of
water
treatment chemicals to conduct a trial run on one of its water works,
in a
move that is set to reduce its huge water treatment bill. Mayor
Muchadeyi
Masunda last week told a council meeting that Zetachem was doing a
trial run
at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Plant.
“Zetachem,
which is part of the Omnia Group, is among the largest suppliers
of water
treatment chemicals in South Africa,” Masunda said. “They use
innovative and
modern techniques which have the potential of significantly
reducing our
water bill.”
If the trial run is successful, council would give the
company an
opportunity at the next tender for the supply of that particular
type of
water treatment.
Masunda said the deal would also see the
council’s monthly water chemicals
bill reduced from between US$2 million and
US$3 million to below US$2
million.
This would give council extra money
to spend on service delivery.
Masunda said the move would also reduce the
current cocktail of between
eight and 10 water chemicals to just
four.
If successful, the deal will also result in clean water for
Harare which has
been grappling with water-borne diseases since 2008 blamed
largely on
contaminated water.
Two deaths have been reported
following a typhoid outbreak which started in
October 2011, while over 2 800
people have presented typhoid symptoms at
various clinics.
City
health director Prosper Chonzi said he feared the typhoid outbreak may
spread to other parts of Harare because the environment was not conducive
for total control of the disease.
“The cases being attended to at
our clinics have dropped from 70 to 20 per
day,” Chonzi said. “This includes
both suspected and confirmed cases. But
despite the reduction, our worry is
that the disease can spread to other
parts of the city because the
environment remains unconducive.”
Water supply remains erratic, sewer
bursts are still common while refuse
collection is not being done on a
regular basis. Chonzi said Epworth and
Chitungwiza are some of the areas at
high risk due to poor supply of water.
“The Kunzvi and Musami Dams
projects, together with the Mazowe one, are the
ones which will enable us to
effectively deal with the situation.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 13:21
By NQOBANI
NDLOVU
BULAWAYO — The revived Zapu has been issued with an eviction order
from its
party headquarters in Bulawayo after failing to settle rent arrears
amounting to over US$10 000. Sources told The Standard that Zapu was given
seven-days’ notice to vacate the building by owners of the property after
defaulting on rentals for several months.
The party was supposed
to vacate the rented premises last week but has since
pleaded for more
time.
Party spokesman Methuseli Moyo confirmed last Wednesday that the Dumiso
Dabengwa-led party was facing eviction from its headquarters in central
Bulawayo.
Moyo said Zapu has assigned the party’s secretary for
legal affairs Stephen
Nkiwane to negotiate with lawyers representing the
owners of the property
for an extension of the eviction
notice.
“We are seeking a grace period from our landlord so that we
can settle our
debt,” said the Zapu spokesman.
He said the party
was busy “scrounging” for funds to clear the debt to avoid
the embarrassment
of eviction.
Analysts are questioning the ability of Zapu to launch a
credible election
campaign given the fact that it is failing to raise funds
to pay for
rentals of its offices.
Zapu has threatened to take
legal action to recover party properties which
were seized by the government
during the political disturbances in
Matabeleland and Midlands regions in
the 1980’s.
The properties which were seized before Zapu merged with
Zanu PF in 1987
include Magnet House in Bulawayo, which houses the regional
headquarters of
the Central Intelligence Organisation, Castle Arms Motel and
properties in
the Snake Park area.
Formed on December 17 1961 by
the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, Zapu
merged with PF-Zanu in 1987 to
end a decade of mass killing during the
Gukurahundi
era.
Dabengwa, a former minister and Zanu PF politburo member, led
the revival
of the party after quitting the then ruling party three years
ago citing
continued marginisation and underdevelopment of Matabeleland.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 18:58
BY OUR
STAFF
THE Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) says the country’s entire maize crop
is in
dire need of rain following the isolated and sporadic rainfall
experienced
in some parts of the country.
In its weekly market guide, the
ZFU said the condition of the maize crop
remained varied as most of the
crops in good rainfall areas are doing well
while some in areas with poor
rainfall are between temporary and permanent
wilting stages.
Most
of it will not recover even if heavy rains were to fall.
“The early
planted crop is now at soft to hard dough stages. The rest of it
is between
late vegetative and pollination stages,” said the ZFU.
“Therefore, all the
maize crops badly need rains.”
Agricultural experts say the sporadic
rainfall pattern experienced in the
country has contributed to low levels of
agricultural crop production over
the years, among a host of other
factors.
Zimbabwe’s estimated annual maize consumption stands at
three million metric
tonnes against annual production levels of 1,4 million
metric tonnes last
year.
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union
(ZCFU) notes that annual maize
production increased from 500 000 metric
tonnes in 2008, 1,2 million metric
tonnes in 2009 and then 1,3 million
metric tonnes in 2010.The agricultural
sector contributed 17% to the
country’s Gross Domestic Product according to
the ZCFU.
The union
noted that while some parts of Midlands and Mashonaland provinces,
received
sporadic and isolated rains with hailstorm in some cases, other
areas
continued to experience long dry spells.
Turning to tobacco, the ZFU
said the irrigated crop is being graded and
delivered for sale to the
auction floors with prices received being better
than the similar time
period last season, as farmers deliver good tobacco.
“It is our hope
that the good prices persist as the selling season
continues. The rest of
the dry-land crop is at vegetative to reaping or
curing stages,” said the
union.
“Some tobacco crops in the Banket area were hard hit by
hailstorm with great
losses to the farmers.”
ZFU noted that the
outlook looked good for cotton and farmers would be
expecting good harvests
if rains persist.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Saturday, 03 March 2012 18:59
BY OUR
STAFF
THREE undercapitalised banks have submitted recapitalisation proposals
on
how they would meet the requirements set by the central bank.
Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Gideon Gono, on Friday warned that
those
which are capital-short would not be allowed to conduct business as of
April
1.
In his update on the fate of the undercapitalised banks, Gono said
while the
banks had submitted roadmaps on how they would be capital
compliant, such a
programme has to be finalised by March 31.
In
January, Gono gave the five undercapitalised banks — Royal, Genesis,
ReNaissance, Zabg and Kingdom — a deadline of February 14 to submit their
recapitalisation plans.
AfrAsia Holdings recently snapped up 35%
in Kingdom’s parent company,
Kingdom Financial Holdings Limited while the
National Social Security
Authority recently acquired 85% in
ReNaissance.
This has left Zabg, Royal and Genesis in a
fix.
The banking sector is dominated by five institutions — CBZ,
Stanbic,
Barclays, Standard Chartered and BancABC —that control over 50% of
the total
deposits leaving smaller banks to scramble for
crumbs.
This has reinforced calls for mergers and acquisitions to
build a solid base
but such calls seem to have fallen on deaf
ears.
In January, Gono said shareholders should invite investors to
resuscitate
struggling banks.
“The idea of clinging onto
ownership structures which have no meaning or
capacity should just go
because you will be swept with your 100% ownership,”
he said, warning banks
to desist from seeking political protection.
Ailing banks seek
mergers
Gono said Zabg, which had a negative capital of US$15,35
million as at March
1, was finalising negotiations with three potential
investors, Unicapital
Finance of Mauritius, Swiss-based company AFG Global
and a local company
Trebo & Khays (Private) Limited.
The
transactions are expected to be brought to fruition by March
28.
“Royal Bank which currently has capital of US$3,42 million is
pursuing
mergers with two local banking institutions with combined capital
of US$34
million,” said Gono.
“In addition, the bank is also
finalising an agreement with a local pension
fund for equity participation
of US$5 million.”
Gono said Genesis, with a negative capital of
US$3,2 million, is in
negotiations with SwissCharge of Zambia and a
consortium of local investors
for a capital injection of US$20 million.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012
15:46
When the late North Korean dictator, Kim Jong IL handed over power
to one of
his trusted sons before his death, a third generation dynasty was
imposed
upon the impoverished and oppressed Korean people. Thus Kim Jong Un
became
one of the youngest presidents in the world courtesy of his
iron-fisted
father who had inherited power from his authoritarian father,
Kim II Sung
in1994. At 27, Kim Jong Un had rested upon a “hot seat” and the
recent
threat of a war against bitter rival South Korea and the United
States over
the military drills that the two countries are staging boggles
the mind. One
hopes the young dictator won’t be pushed into starting a
dangerous war with
the two stronger allies.
Barely three months
after the death of his father, Kim Jong Un is already
showing signs of being
a warmonger and the world should not take his threats
lightly. What can the
world expect from somebody who just inherited power on
a silver
platter?
So is the Syrian incumbent Bashar al-Assad, another
inheritor of power who
continues to kill his own people because they are
demanding democratic
rights.
The late Libyan strongman Colonel
Muammar Gaddafi was rumoured to have been
eying to catapult his western
educated son, the now incarcerated Saif Al
Islam, to the
presidency.
Such arrogance by the dear colonel and the
overzealousness displayed by his
son prior to the February 2011 uprisings,
led to the demise of both father
and son.
Back home, President
Robert Mugabe’s son Bellamine Chatunga was quoted by
his father as being
interested in the presidency. While there is nothing
sinister in the young
boy’s statement, such remarks could have sent wrong
signals to power-hungry
Zanu PF members who are eager to take over the hot
seat once the ageing
Mugabe steps down.
The failure by President Mugabe to groom a
possible successor has resulted
in a lot of hearsay pertaining to who will
succeed him. Possible candidates
have been hinted by the media and chief
among them is Defence minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa.
For a tried
and tested party member, Mnangagwa has been tipped to succeed
his boss and
one wonders how Ngwena received such utterances being made by
Chatunga.
At 15, Chatu-nga even falls short in reaching the age
at which Mnangagwa
joined active politics when he bombed a goods train
resulting in his
imprisonment.
Some might have laughed off
Chatunga’s utterances as a boy’s fantasies, but
it would be naíve to assume
the same of the numerous power-hungry army
generals.
Indeed, it
was rather naíve for President Mugabe to reveal on state
television the
wishful thinking of his son.
While this debate does not seek to find
possible successors of the ageing
octogenarian, it is very advisable for
Chatunga to concentrate more on his
education rather than dreaming of being
the next head of state.
In doing so, he will do his father proud
since his brother disgraced his
learned father by scoring “undertakers” at
Advanced level. Zimbabweans aren’t
prepared to witness a North Korean or
Syrian type of power transfer and
democracy is the appropriate route that
they want to determine their
destiny. President Mugabe wishes that he had a
grown up son whom he could
catapult to the presidency but God had his own
will.
Dynasty-like power transfers have proved to be a continuation of the
old
order since the sons of dictators invariably inherit authoritarian
tendencies of their fathers thus maintaing the status quo.
For
instance, Kim Jong Un s threats of war against the North have displayed
to
the world that he isn’t a reformer as the world expected. So is the
Syrian
incumbent Bashar Assad, another inheritor of power who continues to
shell
and kill his own people because of their demand for
democracy.
Democratic forces in Zimbabwe including those within ZANU
PF should resist
any imposition of a member of the Mugabe family. Whether
the President was
serious or joking, he has to groom a successor from within
his party so as
to avoid a leadership vacuum in the event of his
demise.
Children of seating Heads of states should not view the
Presidency as a
personal family asset but a job that every citizen can
aspire to vie for.
Zimbabwe has a population of more than ten million people
with a cream of
‘capable thinker’s that can formulate the country to roll
again.
BY TERRY MUTSVANGA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 15:42
In
over three decades in power, President Robert Mugabe has been crafty
enough
to outwit his foes even from within his Zanu PF inner-circle and has
survived the most daunting situations during his political career, raising
the question of whether there is really anyone who can outwit him. Lest
people forget the circumstances behind Zanu PF winning the 1980 election
against Joshua Nkomo’s PF-Zapu, the truth is that the party won for two main
reasons.
Firstly, the guerrillas threatened to go back into the
bush and continue
fighting if Zanu PF did not win the
election.
Secondly, people were tired of the war with all its horrors
and wanted it to
come to an end at all costs.
Similarly,
Zimbabweans today desperately need a government-change no matter
who comes
into power. In the 1980 elections people were cowed into voting
for Zanu PF.
According to the Lancaster House agreement, all ex-combatants
were supposed
to be at the assembly points, but Zanu PF sent mostly the
mujibas (war
collaborators and informers) there instead and left the real
ex-combatants
to roam free, terrorising the people, something they are still
doing over 30
years later, because for them it is a tried and tested method
that bears
results.
In the 1980 elections, ex-combatants went about with
binoculars, making the
rural folk look through them to see how they were
able to read things from
afar. This was a novelty to the people who had
experienced that before, they
were amazed to see how binoculars were able to
miraculously bring things
incredibly close.
People were told that
on election day the ex-guerrillas would use binoculars
to see who they were
voting for.
The same crooked means have been consistently employed by
Zanu PF to attain
victory in all elections to this day.
Even the
way Mugabe ascended to lead the Zanla guerrilla fighters was
questionable.
During the decade Mugabe was in detention, between 1964 and
1974, the late
General Solomon Mujuru and Josiah Magama Tongogara led the
liberation
struggle.
At the time Mugabe and Edgar Tekere were released from
prison, they were
helped to cross into Mozambique to join other guerrilla
fighters, where
Mujuru implored guerrillas, most of whom had never met
Mugabe before, to
accept him as their leader. The move was initially met
with resistance but
eventually the guerrillas gave in.
Seeing a
deepening tribal conflict in which over 20 000 Ndebeles were
reportedly
massacred by Mugabe’s North-Korean trained soldiers, Mugabe
crafted another
survival strategy in which he coerced Joshua Nkomo into a
unity
government.
The coming of the Zimbabwe United Movement (ZUM) to the
political playing
field did not ease the tension in the country, with Zanu
PF crushing the
former left, right and centre, frustrating the party’s
leadership by
arresting activists and supporters. This led to ZUM losing in
the 1990
elections under conditions that were deemed
unjust.
Another presidential election was held in March 1996,
contested by Zanu PF’s
Mugabe, Zanu-Ndonga’s Ndabaningi Sithole and former
Zimbabwe Rhodesia Prime
Minister, Abel Muzorewa.
Mugabe won,
claiming over 90% of the vote, although turnout was just 32,3%,
largely as a
result of Sithole and Muzorewa withdrawing from candidature
shortly before
the elections.
Sithole withdrew after claiming that Mugabe undermined
his campaign, while
Muzorewa pulled out after the Supreme Court turned down
his bid to postpone
the elections on the basis that the electoral rules were
unfair as state
funds were only available to parties with 15 or more seats
in parliament. In
December 1997, Sithole was convicted of conspiring to
assassinate Mugabe; he
appealed and then died while out on
bail.
Then came 2002, through hook and crook, Mugabe again shot his
way back to
State House. In March 2008, Mugabe’s future looked bleaker than
ever as
Zimbabweans again voted in presidential elections.
Prior
to the plebiscite, Mugabe had declared that he would “abide by the
will of
the people”. In an interview on the BBC, a spokesman for Zanu-PF
said of the
Mugabe presidency; “He shall rule this country for as long as he
likes.” But
the vote was a huge blow to the party that has ruled Zimbabwe
since
independence in 1980.
When he cast his ballot in the first round,
Mugabe said: “If you lose an
election and are rejected by the people, it is
time to leave politics.”
Surprisingly after failing to win enough votes to
avoid a run-off with
opposition challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe
displayed more
characteristic defiance, swearing “only God” could remove him
from office.
Clearly, one can see that Mugabe has never won a
legitimate election before.
BY JEFFREY MOYO
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 04 March 2012 15:37
Zimbabwe on
Friday unashamedly chose to stand by the Syrian government which
is
butchering its own citizens. Zimbabwe, which is a member of the United
Nations Human Rights Council, went alongside Russia and China to oppose a
motion to condemn the Syrian government’s crackdown on a 11-month old
opposition uprising.
The council however adopted the motion to
condemn “widespread and systematic
violations” on citizens opposed to the
regime after 37 countries
overwhelmingly endorsed the resolution which
called on Syria to stop attacks
on civilians and to allow aid to reach those
who need it without any
hindrance.
Although the resolution
carried no legal weight, only offering a strong
moral signal against
Damascus’s actions, by going against all the other
peace-seeking countries,
Zimbabwe sent a message to the rest of the world
that it counts rogue
regimes among its friends.
Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa, who
represented Zimbabwe, said the
Syrian people had to “peacefully resolve
their differences without any
foreign interference”, a statement that rang
hollow when considering
circumstances on the ground.
Chinamasa
also repeated President Robert Mugabe’s mantra about the need for
other
countries to take “full cognisance of the sovereignty and territorial
integrity” of Syria.
Mugabe, himself accused of widespread human
rights violations, has on
innumerable times, unsuccessfully sought to use
“sovereignty and territorial
integrity” to stop other countries from voicing
concern about the human
violations in the country.
Mugabe fears
that intervention in Syria would continue the trend where the
international
community intervened and deposed Libyan dictator Muammar
Gaddafi by force
when he began to kill his own unarmed people.
The same international
community is keeping an eye on Zimbabwe which has in
the past acted
similarly in the face a popular movement to change the Mugabe
regime.
Intervention in Syria would worry him and his cronies such as
Chinamasa
since it would be a clear signal that sovereignty no longer
matters when
dictators trample on the rights of their subjects with impunity
or when they
set the military on unarmed citizens tired of dictatorship.
Chinamasa
and his crew need to reflect on this reality.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Zimbabweans generally know very little about Senegal. The little
they do
know includes that the Senegalese national football team are known
as the
Lions of Teranga. They started this year’s Afcon as favourites to
lift the
cup but despite having a galaxy of stars that included Demba Ba and
Cisse
they were bundled out in the first round by rank outsiders Chipolopolo
of
Zambia. Ba has been phenomenal at Newcastle in the English Premiership
while
Papiss Demba Cisse has also shown form at the same club.
The
other fact little known to Zimbabweans is that Trudy Stevenson is our
ambassador there. As we speak she is — according to a post on her Facebook —
“going on a long-booked luxury cruise up the Senegal River tomorrow for a
week — Mauritania on one bank and Senegal on the other, Saint Louis to
Podor. My treat to myself!” Enjoy yourself, Trudy!
What we
may not know is that Senegal is experiencing a bit of a problem. For
the
past 10 years it has been ruled by a gentleman named Abdoulaye Wade. He
is
now aged 85. President Wade has defied the constitution which limits the
presidential term to 10 years in office. He has used the argument employed
by all African presidents who wish to cling to power, namely that the
constitution was written when he was already in power so does not apply to
his first term in office.
The Senegalese people are sick and
tired of him; signs of senility and
dementia have been evident in the
octogenarian for the past few years. His
opponents accuse him of corruption
and nepotism. They also resent him for
curtailing freedom of the press and
other civil liberties.
Wade’s folly is the African Renaissance
Monument that he caused to be built
on a hill in the capital, Dakar.
Fashioned in the mould of the Statue of
Liberty in New York, the monument
stands more than 50m tall. It cost US$25,5
million to erect. It’s definitely
going to attract tourists because of the
sheer madness of the idea behind
it. But Wade claims it as his intellectual
property and would like to get
35% of all tourist revenue arising from it.
In 2009 he gave a
visiting IMF official a bulging bag as a goodbye present.
It turned out the
bag contained US$200 000. He was also criticised for
apparently grooming his
son Kassim to succeed him.
When Wade last year declared he would
stand in last Sunday’s presidential
election, Dakar erupted in protest.
Citizens were angry that he had violated
the constitution by seeking a third
term. He unleashed the security forces
onto them leaving several civilians
dead. But a street movement arose to
spearhead the fight against Wade’s
candidature. He stood in the election
anyway winning 34,8% of the vote. His
closest rival Macky Sall won 26,6%.
So, Wade fell short of the
majority needed for victory necessitating a
run-off later this month against
Sall, who at 50 is 35 years his junior.
The mention of the word
run-off would send a chill down the spine of any
Zimbabwean. Senegal has
generally been known as a peaceful country so a
genocidal wave such as the
one seen in Zimbabwe before the June 2008
presidential election run-off is
hardly likely. But violence cannot be
dismissed entirely considering that
Wade used the military in an attempt to
crush the Fed-Up and M23 street
movements which led the campaign against
him.
Now Wade faces
humiliation; a consensus has built up against him. Almost all
the losing
presidential candidates are encouraging their supporters to vote
against
Wade in the run-off. Co-founder of the Fed Up movement Fadel Barro
has led
the way.
Showing his support for Sall he said: “We are calling all
young Senegalese
to vote en masse in the second round and to ignore the Wade
ballot because
for us he is not a candidate.”
Another civil
rights activist Alioune Tine who leads the M23 movement has
also supported
Sall. “We always said Wade’s candidacy was
anti-constitutiion. Since he used
tricks to force it through we will use the
ballot box to make him leave,” he
said. The “M23” movement was named after
the June 23 anti-Wade protests last
year that ended in fierce clashes with
security forces.
But does
Wade have to go through all this?
He has ruled for 10 years and is
well past his prime considering his
advanced age. There is evidence to show
that he is rich which means he can
live a fine retirement. African dictators
deposed last year either in the
Arab Spring revolutions (Gaddafi, Tunisia’s
Ben Ali and Egypt’s Hosni
Mubarak) or through elections (Ivorian Laurent
Gbagbo) all had the chance to
retire peacefully but clung to power against
their people’s will. They had
disgraceful ends.
Wade is also facing an
ignominious end if he refuses to go after the run-off
or if he uses violence
to retain power; Senegalese civilians have shown that
they are ready to
fight to the bitter end to get rid of him.
At home President Robert
Mugabe is ready to have another go at the
presidency in the next elections
which he wants held this year. They are
however likely to be held next year
when he will be one year short of being
a nonagenarian. He has said there is
no one in his party, Zanu PF, who can
replace him and win an election. But
consensus has built up in the party
that he should leave office. Recently
senior people in the party had let
slip through into the draft constitution
a clause that would have barred
anyone above 70 — meaning him — to stand in
a presidential election.
Also, last year leaked cables had revealed
that people who had been deemed
close to him were tired of him. These
included his two vice-presidents and
other senior people whose support he
must have taken for granted. In the
March 2008 elections he lost to Morgan
Tsvangirai because his own people
“kicked the ball into the bush” by
campaigning for themselves while
de-campaigning him. The writing is
therefore on the wall that time is up for
the old man. It is highly unlikely
he will win a free and fair election as
things stand.
There are
lots of lessons to be learnt from the Senegalese experience.
