http://www.amnesty.org
18 May
2010
The government of Zimbabwe must take action to protect hundreds of
thousands
of people left to survive in substandard settlements five years
after a
program of mass forced evictions, Amnesty International Zimbabwe and
a
coalition of partners said on Tuesday.
Amnesty International and
the Coalition Against Forced Evictions are calling
on the government to
provide adequate alternative accommodation or
compensation to those left
homeless and jobless.
"It is a scandal that five years on, victims are
left to survive in plastic
shacks without basic essential services. The
needs of these victims are at
risk of being forgotten because their voices
are consistently ignored," said
Amnesty International Zimbabwe's director
Cousin Zilala.
On 18 May 2005 the government of Zimbabwe began
demolishing informal
settlements across the country. The program, known as
Operation
Murambatsvina, affected more than 700,000 people - leaving them
without a
home or livelihood or both. Most were driven deeper into poverty
by the
forced evictions, a situation which has been further compounded by
Zimbabwe's
economic crisis.
Following widespread local and
international condemnation of Operation
Murambatsvina, the government
embarked on a re-housing programme, known as
Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle
later in 2005, which aimed to provide
shelter for the victims and improve
their living conditions. However, it was
a dismal failure and now appears to
have been abandoned.
"The few houses that were built under the
Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle scheme are
completely un-inhabitable," said Cousin
Zilala. "They have no floors,
windows, water or toilets. Communities living
in designated resettlement
areas are dependent on humanitarian assistance
and self help initiatives for
their survival."
Those affected by
Operation Murambatsvina rapidly became invisible; forced
to relocate to
rural areas, absorbed into existing overcrowded urban housing
or pushed into
government designated settlements. Those still in cities
remain at risk of
further forced evictions with no security of tenure. In
2009, Harare council
attempted to remove some of the victims of the 2005
forced evictions but was
forced to reverse the decision amid protest from
housing and human rights
organisations.
Since its creation in February 2009, the unity government
has done nothing
to improve the plight of survivors of the forced evictions
and their
children who have been born in informal
settlements.
Felistas Chinyuku is also the former chairperson of the
Porta Farm Residents
Association. Porta Farm, a settlement of about 10,000
people, was destroyed
by the government in 2005, despite the community
obtaining several court
orders barring the authorities from carrying out
evictions.
"Five years have passed and many of us are still living in
tents," said
Chinyuku a resident at Hopley Farm, on the outskirts of Harare,
where the
majority of residents survive in make-shift housing.
"There are
no schools, no health services and very little sanitation. This
is no way
for humans to live."
Residents of Hatcliffe Extension settlement in
Harare faced similar
injustice in 2005 when the authorities wilfully
disregarded lease agreements
and destroyed their homes. They have not been
compensated for their wrongful
eviction and continue to face battles with
the authorities; residents are
currently being asked to pay prohibitive fees
in order to renew their
leases.
"Operation Murambatsvina achieved the
opposite of the publicly stated
objective - restoring order. In Harare, it
resulted in overcrowding in poor
neighbourhoods with as many as three
families sharing a four-roomed house,"
said Lorraine Mupasiri of Combined
Harare Residents Association, one of the
coalition partners. "We are
particularly concerned about the rising housing
backlog in Harare. More than
half a million people are on the waiting list.
The forced evictions drove
people not only from their homes, but also from
their market stalls,
depriving informal traders of their means of earning a
living.
Women
have been especially affected since they form the majority of informal
market traders and in many cases are the primary providers, not only for
their own children but also for other children orphaned by the AIDS
pandemic.
When informal traders have tried to resuscitate their trade
they have been
persistently obstructed by the authorities.
"The
deplorable living conditions and struggle for survival which victims of
Operation Murambatsvina continue to face, reveals the government's failure
to address ongoing injustices against some of the most vulnerable members of
Zimbabwean society," said Cousin Zilala.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Staff Reporter
Monday, 17 May
2010 07:37
Chihuri fears police will turn violent and send wrong signals to
foreign
visitors
BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean police Commissioner, Augustie
Chihuri, has banned
public protests and demonstrations for the duration of
the 2010 FIFA Soccer
World Cup, to be played in South Africa between June
and July.
Sources within the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the country's
second biggest
city of Bulawayo told The Zimbabwean that Chihuri had already
informed
regulating officers in the country that they should not allow
public
protests in their areas with effect from June 1 until further
notice."
Recently police banned journalists from Masvingo and Bulawayo to
hold a
peaceful march to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, citing the
same
reason. "The Commissioner says that there will be several foreign
visitors
and journalists in the country during the World Cup, who will be
coming here
to see if the GNU (Government of National Unity) has made any
meaningful
changes here," said a senior police officer.
"As such, he does
not want people to hold any demonstrations because they
might get out of
hand just to provoke a stern police reaction, which might
be misinterpreted
by the foreign visitors and attract more sanctions for the
country." The
order, which is said to have been verbally given to all
provincial and
district police commanders in the country, is set to be
formalised through
an internal police signal to be dispatched by Chihuri
late this month,
according to the officers.
"The order is already in place because we have
been told not to allow any
protests in our areas or face disciplinary
measures from the commanders,"
said another police officer, a Chief
Superintendent, who is also a
regulating officer. A regulating officer is,
according to the repressive
Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a police
officer in charge of a
district, who should be notified by an organiser of a
protest.
Zimbabwean police is viewed as among the worst human rights abusers
in the
world. It uses the POSA to crush public protests, even peaceful ones,
by
savagely beating protestors. Police national spokesman, Senior Assistant
Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, refused to comment on the matter when
contacted by The Zimbabwean early this week, but several senior and junior
officers in Bulawayo confirmed the ban. "I cannot comment about that, I am
sorry," said Bvudzijena.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
18 May
2010
The MDC led by founding President Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday
endorsed the
expulsion of 5 youths, allegedly behind the assault of a party
official at
its Harvest House headquarters. A statement said; 'The party has
a zero
tolerance towards violence and condemns the events of the 12th and
14th of
April 2010.' This referred to the assault of the MDC Director
General
Toendepi Shonhe, whose party vehicle was also taken from
him.
Three 'private investigators' hired to probe the disturbances were
allegedly
kidnapped and tortured by the youths. The youths claimed that the
men were
state agents interfering in party affairs. In early May party
spokesman
Nelson Chamisa seemed to back these claims telling a paper; 'This
is also
part of our investigations. We want to find out what they were doing
at
Harvest House and who they are.' The 'private investigators' meanwhile
insisted they were recruited by MDC Director of Security Chris
Dhlamini.
This is where the plot thickened further. At the time of the
disturbances it
was alleged Dhlamini got the 3 unknown men into the party
headquarters using
a back entrance. This triggered accusations he had hired
state agents to
deal with the youths (Dhlamini was among a group of MDC
activists abducted
and tortured in 2008 by state security operatives. He
sustained serious
injuries and had to be hospitalized under police
guard).
The state owned Herald newspaper claims Dhlamini has since been
suspended
but MDC-T officials refused to confirm this. One official said
they were
currently 'chlorinating' problematic areas in the party. The
source however
confirmed that the security department run by Dhlamini was
dissolved over
the weekend. Newsreel was also told there were several
recommendations made
by the Commission of Inquiry which are going to be
implemented in the coming
weeks.
A recommendation made public and
endorsed by the MDC National Council this
past weekend saw the expulsion of
Rhino Mashaya, Shakespear Mukoyi, Stephen
Jahwi, Todini Todini and Francis
Machimbidzofa. "The above youths shall not
participate in any activities of
the Party and that no member of the Party
shall, within the context of Party
activities, associate or entertain the
above," a statement read. The party
said it would also offer training on
'non-violent and non-confrontational
programmes.'
Initially it was reported the disturbances were linked to a
power struggle
between party president Tsvangirai and Secretary General
Tendai Biti. Latest
reports however suggest the power struggle is actually
between Biti and Ian
Makone, the Chief of Staff in the Prime Ministers
Office. A report by the
weekly Zimbabwe Standard claimed Makone, a relative
newcomer in the party,
was eyeing Biti's position as Secretary General.
'Tsvangirai is being roped
in because he is very close to Makone,' the paper
reported.
Last week Tsvangirai told party officials in Harare that
'bootlicking' was
the biggest threat to party unity. He said officials who
frequented his
residence while seeking favours were feeding him a lot of
rumours and lies.
Tsvangirai also accused the provincial leadership in
Harare of being part of
a 'gossip peddling cycle' and that some of these
leaders were sponsoring
youths to push their agendas.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Patricia Mpofu Tuesday 18 May
2010
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he will this week
summon the
Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) to ascertain why it has not
issued a single
licence since it was appointed nearly three months
ago.
Tsvangirai told journalists on Sunday that it was misleading for the
ZMC
headed by former state broadcaster Godfrey Majonga to claim it had no
money
to meet or conclude the business of registering journalists and new
mass
media houses, saying Finance Minister Tendai Biti had provided the
media
supervisory body with required funds.
"I am going to summon the
ZMC to my office to impress on them that they are
independent as per the GPA
(global political agreement)," said Tsvangirai.
"They must just do the job.
The nation is waiting."
The GPA is the power-sharing agreement that gave
birth to the Harare
coalition between Tsvangirai and President Robert
Mugabe.
Tsvangirai's comments follow weekend reports that that the ZMC
had last week
postponed a critical workshop to expedite the licensing of new
media players
because of financial constraints.
Sources said the
postponement of the workshop would result in further delays
in licensing new
newspapers in a country where the state has a monopoly in
the
media.
The ZMC, a constitutional body created last February as one of the
key
reforms to open up the country's political space after formation of the
unity government last year following a dispute over general elections in
March 2008, replaced the state-appointed MIC that used the government's
tough media laws to police the newspaper industry.
Majonga called for
applications and registrations of new mass media houses
and journalists on
March 30 and sources indicated to ZimOnline two weeks ago
that at least five
new mass media players - including NewsDay and the once
popular The Daily
News - had applied for licences.
But potential newspaper owners are still
in the dark about the fate of their
applications.
"We are all worried
and baffled why there are still no newspapers in the
streets. They need to
explain. It's not a question of money because the
Finance Minister has
provided the ZMC with the finance. I will be engaging
them some time this
week," Tsvangirai said.
Biti allocated in his budget statement US$47 000
to the ZMC, part of four
critical commissions agreed to by the three
principals under the GPA. The
other three commissions are the Zimbabwe Human
Rights Commission, Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission and the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission.
The finance ministry could not immediately
confirm whether it has released
the funds but Tsvangirai said money was not
an issue. "Certainly it is not
money because the Finance Minister has been
through with them. We want to
find out from the ZMC what the problem is
really is," the Premier said.
The commission requires prospective media
operators to provide among other
things a code of ethics, projected balance
sheet, editorial charter, code of
conduct for employees, market analysis,
attach a dummy, mission statement,
house style book and projected three-year
cashflow statement.
Local media houses are required to pay an application
fee of US$500,
registration fee of US$1 500 and a renewal fee of US$1 000
while application
and registration for news agencies is set at US$1 300 per
year and the
renewal of registration will be US$500.
Local
journalists have to fork out a total of US$30 to work in the country
while
local journalists working for foreign media are required to pay a
total of
US$120 down from the US$3 000 that the now defunct Media
Information
Commission used to charge.
Foreign media organisations or news agencies
who are willing to set office
in the country are expected to pay a total of
US$2 500 down from about US$30
000 per year while those from the Southern
African Development Community
will pay US$1 250. - ZimOnline
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010
14:13:00
Harare, May 18, 2010 - The case in which Tourism Minister
Walter Mzembi
filed criminal defamation charges against Masvingo Mirror
publisher, David
Masunda, and his editor, Golden Maunganidze, was dropped on
Tuesday for lack
of evidence.
Masunda and Maunganidze's lawyer,
Arthur Marara, of Mucheche and Matsikidze
law firm, said the Attorney
General's office was forced drop the case
because of lack of evidence. The
office said police should do further
investigations.
"The trial could
not continue due to lack of prosecuting evidence. The AG
said the case is
not worth to go for trial due to lack of evidence. He
instructed the police
to do further investigations," said Marara.
Masunda and Maunganidze were
set to appear in court in the capital after
Mzembi filed criminal defamation
charges against the two over a story that
linked senior Masvingo politicians
to the theft of President Robert Mugabe's
birthday gifts last
month.
Among the alleged stolen gifts are hundreds of tones of sugar, and
an
unlimited quantity of fuel and beef.
However, The Mirror article
never mentioned any names, but said 'big names'
were implicated in the
theft.
Marara also challenged why the matter was being handled in Harare
when it
originated in Masvingo, where there were competent courts, as well
as police
stations.
Two freelance journalists from Harare, believed
to have been sent by Mzembi
to spy on Maunganidze, were supposed to give
evidence in court in support of
Mzembi's case.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Violet Gonda
18 May
2010
Jonathan Samkange, the lawyer representing Africa Consolidated
Resources CEO
Andrew Cranswick, was briefly arrested by police in Harare on
Monday, in a
move the outspoken lawyer says is continuing harassment by the
police.
The state controlled Herald newspaper reported that the prominent
lawyer had
'fled arrest' after a Harare magistrate issued him with a warrant
for not
appearing in court Monday, to face charges of perjury. The lawyer is
accused
of 'lying' under oath that his client Cranswick had been arrested
four years
ago, for unlawful possession of diamonds.
Samkange said
the report in the Herald was 'false, malicious and defamatory'.
He denied
running away from the police. He told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday
that he was
'accosted' by police officers as he entered the magistrates
court around 9am
for the court hearing on the perjury charges.
His hearing was supposed to
start at 8:30, but he says he had called the
public prosecutor earlier on to
say he was running late and was assured it
would be okay. He was also told
that court hearings usually failed to start
on time.
Upon arrival
Samkange said he was surprised to be stopped by police who
wanted to arrest
him for failing to turn up for his court hearing, even
though he was already
in the courthouse and had only been a few minutes
late. He said he started
making noise to alert his colleagues in the legal
fraternity, that he was
about to be arrested. The police said they were
acting on instructions of
Senior Police Commissioner Pondo from CID Minerals
section.
Samkange
was taken to Matapi Police Station in Mbare, but the Officer in
Charge
refused to arrest him, because there was no official warrant to
detain him.
But Samkange was then taken to Pondo's Minerals Unit and later
taken to
court. He said strangely it was the prosecutor who told the court
that the
arrest was wrong.
Commenting on his perjury charges, Samkange
maintains his client was
arrested in 2006 and that the onus is on the police
to prove that he wasn't.
He also said that the police have a shambolic
records system and that 'in
court on Tuesday one of the police officers was
writing information on
toilet tissue'.
Samkange's client, ACR, has
the legal rights to mine the Chiadzwa diamonds
in Marange but has been
fighting a battle with the government over ownership
of the controversial
diamond claim.
One of the ACR officials, Ian Harris, is currently out on
bail after being
arrested for allegedly fraudulently acquiring the Chiadzwa
diamond claim,
through an ACR subsidiary. The company denies any
wrongdoing.
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010
10:44:00
Harare, May 18, 2010 - The Norwegian Ambassador to Zimbabwe,
Gunnar
Foreland, has blasted the three Zimbabwe leaders for delaying to
fully
implement the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that formed the
inclusive
government and to a draft a new constitutution to pave way for
fresh
elections in the country.
The GPA signed by Zanu (PF)'s
President Robert Mugabe and the two Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
faction leaders Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
and his deputy Arthur
Mutambara in 2008, has stalled due to outstanding
issues regarding the
swearing in of MDC's Roy Bennett as deputy Minister of
Agriculture, the
reversal of appointments of Gideon Gono as Reserve Bank
Governor and
Johannes Tomana as Attorney General as well as the removal of
western
sanctions on Zimbabwe, among other issues.
Foreland said the three
principals were not being considerate to the people
and urged the South
African mediator, President Jacob Zuma, to speed up the
process in order to
urgently solve outstanding issues.
"Speed up the talking. Start
implementing what you have agreed on," he told
Radio VOP on Tuesday. "Solve
the outstanding issues and deliver to the
people because they have great
hopes in you and the inclusive government."
"We expected quick
implementation of the GPA, a new constitution and fresh
elections," he said.
"We hope President Zuma and his facilitation team will
speed up things. As
foreigners, we remain observers. We understand that
there are difficult
issues that Zimbabweans themselves cannot do alone but
their hope remains in
SADC (Southern African Development Community) and
South Afirca to
solve."
Tsvangirai has called for an urgent SADC summit.
http://www.namibian.com.na/
Denver Kisting
18 May 2010
THE
Zimbabwean Government will have to fork out at least US$70 million -
close
to N$530 million - should a renewed claim by three applicants against
President Robert Mugabe's government and its "unlawful land-reform
programme" succeed in the SADC Tribunal.
Norman Tjombe filed the case
on behalf of Christopher Mellish Jarret, Tengwe
Estate and France
Farm.
They applied to the Tribunal to order the Zimbabwean government to
pay not
only close to US$70 million but to also interest of 30 per cent on
this
amount, starting from September 14 2005 to the date of
payment.
The applicants also asked for the Tribunal to order the
Zimbabwean
government to foot the bill for this legal application.
In
the voluminous court documents, it is stated that Jarret, a Zimbabwean
citizen, had been farming on Luchabi Ranch, a cattle and game farm situated
in the Nyamandlovu district, "until it was illegally and compulsorily
acquired by the respondent with effect from September 14
2005".
Tengwe Estate was the owner of Fumeria Estate, a mixed farming
enterprise
situated in the Urungwe district, it is stated.
"Its title
to the property similarly ceased on September 14 2005 as a
consequence of
the respondent's unlawful land programme."
It is further stated that
a game ranch had been managed on Woodlands Estate
A, owned by France Farm.
The game ranch is situated near the Victoria Falls.
"It too suffered
illegal dispossession of this property due to the
respondent's unlawful land
programme."
All three these applicants were part of the groundbreaking
so-called William
Michael Campbell case, of which the latest judgement
against the Zimbabwean
government was in June 2009.
"It is by now a
matter of public notoriety that the respondent has
persistently and
contemptuously failed to give effect to the Tribunal's
award in the main
Campbell case. Also the Tribunal's subsequent orders are
flagrantly
repudiated by the respondent."
The Zimbabwean government has until the
end of May to file answering court
papers with the Tribunal in Windhoek.
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010
13:42:00
Johannesburg, May 18, 2010 - The International Football
Federation (FIFA)
says it is looking at ways of getting Zimbabweans into
South Africa next
month to fill up empty seats in Polokwane during World
Cup.
FIFA General Secretary, Jerome Valcke, told Radio VOP that the world
soccer
body is planning to bus soccer supporters from Zimbabwe and other
regional
countries into Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth to fill up
empty
seats of the expansive stadiums build for the World Cup.
"We
are working on bringing and bussing people from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and
other neighbouring countries to matches in Polokwane and Nelspruit because
it is not far," said Valcke. "We can't show the world empty stadiums because
many overseas media are still saying it was a mistake to take the World Cup
to South Africa." Valcke said ticket sales in the three towns have been slow
and they still have empty seats, which is why they are reaching out to
countries like Zimbabwe.
Initially Zimbabwe, through the Zimbabwe
Football Association (ZIFA), got a
ticket allocation of just 90
tickets.
If the plan by FIFA comes to fruition, it will be sweet music
for many
Zimbabweans who could not buy World Cup tickets online.The majority
of
Zimbabweans do not have access to credit cards and plastic
money.
Matches in Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, three of South
Africa's
smaller cities hosting World Cup matches, have not
been
impressive as many poor South Africans opt to either watch the soccer
showpiece from the comfort of their homes or in the many fan parks that will
be opened on June 11 when the event kicks off.
The online ticket
sales system initially used by FIFA to sell tickets was
not user friendly
for many soccer loving Africans, most of whom have no
access to regular
internet access. This coupled with a complicated ticket
application system
resulted in few Africans buying tickets.
Upon realising that the system
was not working for Africans, even those in
technologically advanced South
Africa, FIFA opened over the counter sales
which saw over 200 000 tickets
being snapped in just a week. But still
soccer fans in neighbouring
countries could not travel to buy these tickets
in South
Africa.
However Valcke said the experience was a learning
curve.
"Maybe we have to think about our online system for host
countries who do
not have good internet access. What we have learnt is that
next time we need
to mix the culture and systems," said Valcke.
Associated Press
By DONNA BRYSON (AP) - 4 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG - Security
forces paraded their World Cup arsenal through the
streets of South Africa's
financial capital Monday, hoping to reassure fans
the country will be safe
during soccer's premier event.
The show of force came the same day an
Iraqi official told reporters in
Baghdad that security forces had detained
an al-Qaida militant suspected of
planning an attack on the monthlong
tournament that starts June 11.
South Africa's high crime rate has been
under intense scrutiny since the
country was awarded the right to host
Africa's first World Cup, though
terrorist violence also has been a concern.
Police have recruited and
trained 44,000 officers for the event, and bought
vehicles, water cannons
and other equipment, some of which was on
display.
Johannesburg, where the parade was held, has two World Cup
stadiums and a
third in nearby Pretoria means that this central region of
South Africa will
host more World Cup games than any other. Most of the 32
teams competing in
the tournament have their training bases in this area and
the majority of
tourists are expected to stay in Johannesburg or
nearby.
"South Africa will host the safest and most secure FIFA World
Cup," Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa said. "The force is ready. That is the
message we
shared with South Africans over the past year and that we will be
articulating to our 2010 visitors. Police will be everywhere, ready to
respond to any eventuality."
Mthethwa said his forces were ready for
everything from petty criminals to
terrorists.
"South Africa will be
hosting the whole world, and therefore will take no
chances," Mthethwa
said.
Last month, Mthethwa said officials were aware of al-Qaida-linked
threats
against the World Cup, and in particular against the United
States-England
group game on June 12, on Jihadist forums.
In Iraq
Monday, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Baghdad
security
services, told a news conference that Abdullah Azam Saleh
al-Qahtani, an
officer in the Saudi army and al-Qaida militant, had been
detained on
suspicion of planning a "terrorist act" in South Africa during
the World
Cup. Al-Moussawi said al-Qahtani entered Iraq in 2004 and is
suspected in
several attacks in the country.
Vish Naidoo, a spokesman for South
African police, told The Associated Press
that Iraqi security officials had
not contacted their South African
counterparts about the suspected plot.
Naidoo said the report from Baghdad
would not affect World Cup security
planning because terrorism had always
been part of the
calculations.
South Africa's national police chief Bheki Cele pledged
Monday to leave "no
oxygen" for criminals, and added the World Cup would
leave a security
legacy.
"The resources have been put here, the
training will be there to benefit the
people of South Africa," Cele
said.
Some 200 vehicles were on display Monday, along with two
helicopters and
special police squads demonstrating parachuting from
aircraft and rappelling
down buildings.
Financial experts and
constructions workers paused to watch in a part of
Johannesburg where
skyscrapers gleam and hovering cranes attest that more
glass-and-steel
buildings will soon rise.
Banker Lina Chauke danced on high heels and
waved a tiny South African flag
as the parade passed. She said she believed
World Cup visitors would be
safe, and that South Africans would be safer
because of investments in
security made as a result of the country hosting
the tournament.
Police officers "won't have an excuse. All of them,
they'll be
well-trained," she said. "I'm very optimistic."
Interpol
secretary general Ronald K. Noble has praised South Africa's
preparations
for the World Cup, which have included seeking training from
other
countries. Interpol, the agency formed to help police around the world
work
better together, is sending 200 experts, while each of the 31 visiting
teams
will be sending up to eight officers to work with South African
police.
Also Monday, a Cabinet minister in neighboring Zimbabwe said
political
protests and other demonstrations would be banned there during the
World
Cup.
Giles Mutsekwa of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's party, who
shares responsibility for the police ministry, said
the aim was to "rebrand"
Zimbabwe and the region as safe for World Cup
visitors. Mugabe's party has
long been accused of trampling on democratic
rights to stay in power.
Zweli Mnisi, spokesman for South Africa's Police
Minister Mthethwa, said
there were no plans to ban demonstrations in the
host country.
"To protest and to march is a constitutional right of every
South African,"
Mnisi said, though he did call for protests to be
orderly.
Associated Press Writer Angus Shaw in Harare, Zimbabwe
contributed to this
report.
http://www.businessweek.com
May 18, 2010, 8:22 AM
EDT
By Brian Latham
May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe's
government extended by a month a deadline
by which all businesses must
submit plans on increasing black ownership,
Indigenization and Empowerment
Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said.
Under a law signed in March, companies
had until the end of May to show how
they would ensure that 51 percent of
their equity was held by black
Zimbabweans. The deadline was extended until
June 30, Kasukuwere said in a
phone interview today from Harare, the
capital.
Zimbabwe's Indigenization and Empowerment Act compels all
foreign and
white-owned companies to sell 51 percent of their shareholdings
to black
Zimbabweans within five years.
The law applies to companies
with assets of more than $500,000. If enforced,
it may affect lenders
including London- based Standard Chartered Plc,
Barclays Bank Plc and
Standard Bank Group Ltd. and mining companies such as
Anglo American Plc.
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010
08:31:00
Harare, May 18, 2010 - More than 600 companies are said to
have applied to
comply with the government's controversial law that has seen
some
international investors backing off from investing in the
country.
"Yes I can confirm that at least 600 firms have applied ..."
Savioiur
Kasukuwere, Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic
Development said.
He said the government was now working on adjusting the
new mining
regulations which had caused "alarm and despondency" among the
foreign
investing public.
Locals have to get at least 51 percent of
all companies operating in
Zimbabwe under the new
regulations.
Kasukuwere said things were working well despite some
foreign firms
threatening to pull out.
He said they were however
adjusting some regulations mainly in the mining
industry which were rather
harsh according to foreigners who want to invest
in Zimbabwe.
He said
govenmnet would publish the new regulations before the end of the
month for
all to be able to read and understand.
"We need to rectify a few issues,"
he said from Gweru. "We will show the
public what we are doing and it is all
transparent."
Foreigners have been uneasy about the new regulations which
have come into
effect in Zimbabwe.
Kasukuwere led the decision to
indigenise the economy but this has been met
with mixed reactiuon mainly
from foreingers with a huge stake in many firms
operating in Zimbabwe. Some
have threatened to pull out while others have
withheld their
investments.
Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change led by
Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai have differed on the new regulations.
Tsvangirai said they
were going back to the drawing board with the
regulations but President
Mugabe has insisted there was no reversal of the
controversial policy as it
was aimed at correcting historical imbalances in
Zimbabwe's economy.
Zimbabwe, has failed to raise funds it appealed to
the international
community to revive its battered economy following a
decade long political
instability. Some donors have said they will give
funds after full
implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA)
entered into by Zanu
(PF) and the two MDCs, to form the inclusive government
in 2009. The GPA has
been stalled because of lack of agreement, by the
political parites, to a
number of outstanding issues, which include the
refusal by Mugabe to swear
in the MDC's treasurer general, Roy Bennett as
deputy minister of
Agriculture, and the demand by Zanu (PF) to remove
sanctions, among other
issues.
Although, there has been improvement
in inflation following the decision to
dump the use of the worthless
Zimbabwe dollar, in favour of multiple
currencies, unemployment is still
high. Although shops are well stocked with
food, most people are unable to
afford particularly civil servants who are
among the lowest paid, earning
between US$ 160 and 250.
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010 09:22:00
Harare, May 18,
2010 - Donors are said to be refusing to financially back
the newly created
Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) because of the existence
Zanu (PF)
sympathiser Tafataona Mahoso who was recently appointed chief
executive
officer.
Mahoso is regarded as a media hangman, after he caused the
arrest of several
journalists and closure of newspapers in Zimbabwe,
resulting in loss of
jobs, under the repressive Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy
Act (AIPPA), when he was chair of the defunct Media
Information Commission
(MIC).
Mahoso who was brought back to the new
ZMC in unclear circumstances, is also
seen as a Zanu (PF) propagandist after
writing several stories in the
state-owned Herald in support of the harsh
media laws and President Robert
Mugabe.
A ZMC commissioner, who
requested anonymity, said they had held several
meetings with international
and local donors who had expressed their
unwillingness to donate to ZMC
activities because of the presence of Mahoso.
"Donors are playing a wait
and see attitude. Some of them have clearly
indicated their displeasure over
the presence of Mahoso.We have had a number
of meetings with some of them
who are saying they have no confidence in the
ZMC, especially in the
presence of Mahoso. What we have told them is that
they should remember that
like the inclusive government, everything came as
a result of a compromise
and we have promised them that we will deliver."
"It is not donors only
who are complaining about Mahoso, even the majority
of journalists have
expressed disappointment," he said. "The problem we are
having is that we do
not have the funds to establish our own secretariat and
new infrastructure.
What we have told the Mahoso staff, which is doing all
the accreditation is
that they should not deny any journalist
accreditation. If they have any
doubt we have told them to direct such
issues to us, "said the
official.
He said they were not sure of how long Mahoso will be at the
ZMC.
"We do not have the time-frame of Mahoso's continued existence at
ZMC. But
from the look of things, he will be there for as long as Webster
Shamu
remains the Minister of Information and Publicity, because he is his
right
hand man. But this will not compromise our service delivery because we
are
tightly monitoring every activity, "added the official.
Recent
media reports said the ZMC was facing financial constraints and had
postponed an important workshop aimed at expediting the licensing of
newspapers owing to financial problems.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Own Correspondents Tuesday 18
May 2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said
at the
weekend export of six animal species to the Democratic People's
Republic of
Korea (DPRK) was a "purely business" transaction, dismissing
reports of a
decree from President Robert Mugabe to capture the animals and
export them
to the Asian country as a gift.
Media reports last week
quoted animal rights groups as saying two baby
elephants intended as a gift
to the DPRK or North Korea - a long-time ally
of Mugabe - were unlikely to
survive the journey by air.
But Parks director general Vitalis Chadenga
at the weekend said the deal was
a "purely business" transaction involving
elephants, giraffes, zebras,
warthogs, spotted hyenas and rock
dursy.
"With the exception of elephants, the animals being sought by the
DPRK are
not endangered and not listed in the (Convention for Trade in
Endangered
Species) CITES Appendices. Zimbabwe's elephant population is on
Appendix 2,
which allows trade according to the annotation number 5b-trade
in live
animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations," Chadenga said
in a
statement.
"Consistent with this resolution, Zimbabwe sent two
scientific experts to
the DPRK for purposes of verifying the appropriateness
of the destination.
We are satisfied that the recipients of the animals are
suitably equipped to
house and care for them. The authority has duly
conducted non-detriment
findings for all species being exported . . . this
is a purely business
arrangement with no directive from government, the DPRK
is paying for the
animals as well as meeting the capture and translocation
costs," Chadenga
said.
An independent animal rights group, the
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
said the 18-month-old elephants had been
held inside pens at the Hwange
National Park together with other animals
bound for the Asian country.
Head of the animal rights group Johnny
Rodrigues warned elephant experts had
said they were not sure if the young
elephants would survive the trip
separated from their mothers.
Citing
officials in the park, Rodrigues said several animals including
zebra,
giraffe and others had been captured at Mugabe's instruction to be
shipped
to North Korea.
He said officials at the authority had opposed the
captures and leaked
details to conservationists when government
persisted.
They even reported some areas of the 14 000 square kilometre
Hwange National
Park, the biggest in Zimbabwe, being closed to tourists and
photographic
safari groups.
"We fear a pair of endangered rhino in
Hwange will also be included,"
Rodrigues told a local
newspaper.
Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have always regarded North Korea
among their
closer allies dating from when the reclusive communist state
assisted Mugabe's
party during Zimbabwe's 1970s war of
liberation.
However most Zimbabweans will remember the DPRK as the
country that helped
train and arm the notorious 5th Brigade - a crack unit
deployed by Mugabe in
the early 80s in Zimbabwe's southern Matabeleland and
Midlands provinces
ostensibly to quell an armed insurrection against his
rule.
The 5th Brigade ended up killing more than 20 000 innocent
civilians
belonging to the Ndebele ethnic group that largely supported
Mugabe's
political rival, Joshua Nkomo. - ZimOnline
http://www.reliefweb.int
Source: The
Zimbabwean
Date: 17 May 2010
Written by Thabani
Shumba
BULAWAYO - Zanu (PF) officials and war veterans in Mberengwa
district in the
Midlands province are blocking food aid to HIV/AIDS orphans
demanding that
they should join the party's youth league first.
The
inclusive government has embarked on a feeding programme to benefit
children
orphaned through HIV/AIDS in Mberengwa. The children receive food
hampers
containing packets of beans, cooking oil, mealie-meal, rice, soap
and many
other items on a weekly basis.
However some Zanu (PF) officials and war
veterans in Mudavanhu area in the
district have taken over the programme and
are demanding that all
beneficiaries should join the party's youth league if
they want to continue
receiving food.
Sharon Shiri, a former food
programme co-ordinator from Zibanga village in
Mudavanhu area, who was
booted out by Zanu (PF) officials and war veterans
for not following their
orders, told Radio VOP confirmed that children were
being denied
food.
"The whole project has been taken over by Zanu (PF) and young
children, some
even below eight years. They are being forced to produce
party cards to get
food," said Shiri.
Shiri said she was forced out
of the project by two notorious war veterans
from the area namely Tinashe
Zhou and Batanai Hove after she defied their
orders.
"I had no option
but to buy the party card and get food for my two little
sisters who are
aged nine and six years," said a 14 year-old AIDS orphan
from Bvute village
under Chief Mudavanhu.
http://news.radiovop.com
18/05/2010 13:46:00
Johannesburg,
May 18, 2010 - A Zimbabwean wine maker has scored a first, by
making two of
the three official World Cup wines.
Tariro Masayiti, 37, who works for
the Paarl-based wine maker Nederburg, is
responsible for making two of the
exclusive three Nederburg FIFA Limited
Edition wines, which have been chosen
as the official wines for the FIFA
World Cup taking place between June and
July. The company is therefore the
official wine supplier of the three
wines.
Masayiti made the Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rose.
The
bespectacled Masayiti grew up in Marondera, where some of the country's
wineries such as Mukuyu produce about 5 million litres of wine a year,
despite the economic challenges that the country currently
faces.
Masayiti studied Chemistry and Bio- Chemistry at the University of
Zimbabwe.
The Sauvignon Blanc loving gentleman learnt his wine tasting
craft at the
Mukuyu Winery under the tutelage of Brent King, a New
Zealand
winemaker, still based at the Marondera facility.
Masayiti
later left Zimbabwe and took up studies in Viticulture and Oenology
at the
University of Stellenbosch.
After his studies, Masayiti worked for
Distell-owned Bergkelder as assistant
white wine maker before joining
Nederburg in 2005 as a white wine maker.
He is currently in charge of a
portfolio of 25 white wines at Nederburg,
which was last year recognised as
South Africa's most successful wine
producer at London's International Wine
and Spirit Competition.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Staff
Reporter
Monday, 17 May 2010 15:15
HARARE - The Morgan Tsvangirai led
Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) said
moving its treasurer general Roy
Bennett to another ministry will be a
serious breach of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA). (Pictured: MDC’s Roy
Bennett)
MDC-T Deputy National
Organising Secretary Morgan Komichi said under the
GPA, it was agreed that
Zanu (PF) ministers would be deputised by MDC and
vice versa. He said Zanu
(PF) refused to have the Ministry of Defence,
headed by Emmerson Mnangagwa,
deputised by an MDC MP. As a result the MDC
had also denied a Zanu (PF) MP
to deputise the Finance Ministry, under
Tendai Biti.
If sworn in,
Bennett, will deputise Zanu (PF) Minister Joseph Made in the
Ministry of
Agriculture.
Bennett was recently acquitted of terrorism charges. Mugabe has
refused to
swear him as deputy Agriculture Minister, citing the charges. The
state
lawyers have since appealed against Bennett's acquittal.
"We have
not taken any position as the party to remove Bennett from the
Deputy
Agriculture post. Now that the courts have vindicated him then Mugabe
should
swear him in," said Komichi.
Komichi, a member of the party's National
Standing Committee, the highest
decision making body in the MDC, said that
statements by Bennett that he was
ready to take another position for
progress in the Inclusive Government was
not a party position.
The
swearing in of Bennett has been one of the major stumbling blocks
stalling
the GPA.
"As the party we want Bennett to be sworn as the courts have found
him not
guilty. He is our candidate for that post. We know that Zanu PF
...does not
want Bennett simply because he is a white man in the MDC.
However Zanu (PF)
has got whites and at some point in time just like most
members of the MDC,
Bennett was once a Zanu (PF) member," said Komichi.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by John
Chimunhu
Monday, 17 May 2010 08:51
MUTARE - Madzibaba Gandiwa, a
member of an apostolic sect in Zimbabwe's
eastern Marange district, is a
strict follower of his religious beliefs that
is against western medicine
and local traditional remedies. (Pictured:
Health Minister Henry Madzorera
calling for stiffer laws to force child
vaccinations)
He believes a
government immunisation campaign to curb an outbreak of
measles, which has
claimed the lives of at least 200 children, is a ploy to
reduce the
population of his growing sect, which does not believe in modern
birth
control methods.
"At first the government people came with pills, saying they
wanted women to
bear fewer children," Gandiwa said, referring to
government's national
campaigns on family planning.
"We rejected that, so
they now want to kill the children. I think they want
to kill the children
with their injections. I have heard that some children
who have been
injected have died. I think they want to make us few because
they say
mapositori have too many children," Gandiwa said.
"The government can do
anything. They can arrest me or even kill me. What I
will not do is to
submit to a human being. I listen only to God," Gandiwa
vowed.
Sinners
The influential leader said those with children who
had been diagnosed with
measles or had died from the disease, were sinners
who should confess their
sins to God so they can be spared from them the
plague.
Members of the sect keep a vigilant watch for health officers and
hide their
children in mountains when teams from the Health Ministry come to
the
village to immunise children against measles and other child killer
diseases.
As a result children of sect members form the majority of
causalities of the
measles outbreak.
Stiffer laws
Health minister
Henry Madzorera expressed concern at the sect members'
behaviour.
"There
has been avoidance of use of health services by the communities for
several
reasons, including religious groups that prevent children and women
from
being treated and allow just men and leaders to be seen (by health
professionals) when sick," Madzorera said.
Madzore has called for laws to
make it compulsory for all children to be
immunised.
The government and
the religious sects are set to clash with sect members
such as Gandiwa
unwilling to embrace both conventional and traditional
medicine.
(Subhead) Secret meetings
Politicians have avoided openly
criticising the sect members with some
visiting sect leaders secretly in the
hope of boosting their political
fortunes.
Recently, the powerful Zanu
(PF) secretaries for Administration and Women's
Affairs, Didymus Mutasa and
Oppah Muchinguri visited a sect leader in
Marange, where some of the highest
measles deaths have been recorded.
Addressing thousands of the vapostori sect
members, the two politicians
steered clear of the controversial subject of
immunisation and instead
blamed targeted sanctions imposed by western
country for the country's
problems.
The UNICEF representative in
Zimbabwe, Peter Salama said: "It is true that
measles in Zimbabwe is now out
of control, given the fact that it is now in
all parts of the
country."
Risk
Salama said all children in Zimbabwe should now be
considered to be at risk
from the disease.
"This is symbolic of the
breakdown of the infrastructure in Zimbabwe. This
is similar to what
happened during the outbreak of cholera in 2008," Salama
said as he
launched an $8.4 funding appeal to deal directly with the crisis.
Minister
Madzorera revealed that measles had killed 183 people, mostly
children under
five by the end of March and afflicted another 1 843.
"The immunisation
programme in Zimbabwe has, over the years, declined due to
the economic
hardships that we faced," Madzorera said.
In some areas, people have to
travel for about 50 kilometres, to get to the
nearest health facility. Many
of the government facilities are poorly
stocked and
under-staffed.
Donor appeal
The UN was hoping to address some of the
health problems through an
international appeal to donors. However, donors
are shunning Zimbabwe.
"Given the magnitude of the humanitarian needs in
Haiti following the
devastating earthquake in January 2010, it is inevitable
that donors would
focus on that emergency. Consequently, most CAP appeals
outside Haiti have
received limited funding and Zimbabwe is no exception,"
said Elizabeth
Lwanga, the United Nations Humanitarian
Co-ordinator.
"The US$378 million is the total funding request for
humanitarian projects
under Zimbabwe's consolidated appeal (CAP) for 2010,
which covers various
sectors, including Agriculture, Early recovery,
Education, Food aid, Health,
Logistics, Nutrition, Protection and Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Out of this broad appeal, the requirement for
Food aid is US$58 million,
which is 15% of the total.
By the last week of
March 2010, the 2010 CAP had received US$12 million,
representing 3.2% of
the US$378 million required in total.
This amount is very low for this time
of the year, compared to previous
years and is of concern to the
humanitarian community in Zimbabwe," said
Lwanga.
Desperate
wait
At Chitungwiza hospital last week, dozens of mothers clutching sick
babies
waited desperately for good news. Sorry, they were told by a nurse,
there
were no medicines to treat the sick or vaccines to immunise those
still
healthy.
Minister Madzorera told the media recently that a
consignment of medicines
from Europe had failed to arrive due to disruptions
to air traffic caused by
the Iceland volcano. As a result a national
immunisation programme had been
suspended for two weeks.
Coming so soon
after a cholera pandemic that killed 4 000 and an AIDS
epidemic that is
claiming the lives of 3 000 people every week, the measles
outbreak has
become a major cause for alarm.
http://www.zimeye.org/?p=17415
By Gerald
Chateta
Published: May 17, 2010
Harare - Health and
Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera has demanded a
share of the country's
toll gates, tobacco, and pollution fees remitted to
the government to be
channeled to the country's health system, saying all
have a relationship to
health.
In an interview Minister Madzorera said, "There is a pollution
penalty that
companies are charged for polluting the environment but there
is nothing
that comes to the ministry who are the eventual recipients of
problems of
pollution,road traffic accidents and diseases caused by smoking,
and those
are the pieces of cake we want to share so that we improve health
care, and
emergency and accident services.
"A big chunk of our
budget goes to managing road traffic accidents and
nothing is remitted to
the us, those who bear the burdens of the victims.
"Tobacco causes cancer
and let's get some of the monies charged from
advertising to buy ex-ray
machines so that we diagnose cancer early",he
said.
According to the
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) as of April it has
collected over US$12
million in revenue, and the revenue according the
government is directed
towards the maintenance of the country's poor roads.
Road accidents are
among the major killers in Zimbabwe, where roads are in a
state of
disrepair, riddled with potholes due to years of neglect.
The disregard
for safety regulations has seen some vehicles unfit for the
streets cruising
the country's roads.
Minister Madzorera urged that since victims of road
traffic accidents end up
in hospital, using ministry of health resources,
there was need for the
government to remit a small portion of the toll gate
revenue towards
accident emergency services.
http://www1.voanews.com
Energy industry sources said NOCZIM, now operating at 30%
of its capacity
and laying off thousands of workers, is negotiating with the
Harare
government to retain a controlling 51% stake in the enterprise after
raising
equity capital
Jonga Kandemiiri & Gibbs Dube | Washington
17 May 2010
The National Oil Company of Zimbabwe is planning to sell
a 49% share stake
in an effort to raise capital to pay US$270 million in
debt which threatens
the survival of the state-controlled
enterprise.
Energy industry sources said the company, now operating at
30% of its
capacity and laying off thousands of workers, is negotiating with
the Harare
government to retain a 51% stake. The sources said NOCZIM had to
shut down
projects including plantations of jatropha intended to produce
biodiesel,
among and other unprofitable activities.
Harare economist
John Robertson told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that
it is unlikely
investors will buy shares in the state-run company as it
lacks credibility
given past losses and reports of internal abuses.
Elsewhere, the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe has revised national totals for
domestic and external debt,
which now stand at a combined US$5.84 billion.
Zimbabwe owes around US$5.3
billion to international lenders, much of which
has fallen into arrears,
preventing the country from accessing new lines of
credit from public
financial institutions.
Economist Prosper Chitambara of the Labor and
Economic Development Research
Institute of Zimbabwe told reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri that the national debt
has surged due to Harare's inability to
make payments.
http://www1.voanews.com/
Security for the outreach process has become a concern
amid reports from
various provinces that alleged ZANU-PF supporters are
intimidating members
of the public who do not endorse adoption of the
so-called Kariba
constitutional draft
Irvin Chifera and Chris Gande |
Washington 17 May 2010
Zimbabwe's Parliamentary Select Committee on
Constitutional Revision says it
cannot afford to pay the police to provide
security during the
constitutional revision outreach process, as
correspondent Irwin Chifera
reported.
Security for the outreach
process has become a major concern amid reports
from various provinces that
alleged ZANU-PF supporters are intimidating and
even assaulting those who
resist adoption of the Kariba draft which the
former ruling party of
President Robert Mugabe says should become the basis
of the new
document.
Select committee member Reggie Moyo, member of Parliament for
Cowdray Park,
Bulawayo, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that the
police lack the
means to provide security for the outreach process.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
18 May
2010
A young Zimbabwean woman in the UK is recovering from a deliberate
overdose
of pain medication, after being detained and lined up for
deportation out of
the country.
24 year old Roselyn Mujaranji,
avoided deportation last August after the
intervention of a local newspaper
and charity group in Norwich, which
highlighted her case. But during a
routine visit to a police station in
Norwich last Wednesday, she was
detained and sent to Yarl’s Wood immigration
removal centre in Bedfordshire.
It is understood that Mujaranji saved up
four days of pain medication while
at the centre, swallowing all the pills
on Sunday. She was rushed to
hospital and is being treated for the overdose.
Mujaranji fled to the UK
early last year after her mother was murdered and
she herself was tortured
by ZANU PF supporters. She left Zimbabwe as soon as
she was able and arrived
in Norwich, via Germany last March.
But the UK’s border agency insisted
she return to Germany to seek asylum
there. She then narrowly avoided
deportation after campaigners appealed on
her behalf, on the grounds that
she was in ill-health and a medical
assessment had not been carried out. She
then returned to live with her
uncle Ignatius Chihata and aunt Christine
Mujaranji Chihata in Norwich.
Amanda Hopkinson, chairperson of the
Norwich Justice and Peace Group, who
has campaigned for Roselyn to remain in
the UK, told Norwich’s Evening News
last week that it’s a “desperate
situation.”
“I cannot believe what has happened and why the UK Border
Agency is acting
this way. It’s ridiculous and very dangerous behaviour as
Roselyn has been
rated as a suicidal risk by a psychologist,” Hopkinson
said.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by WALLACE
MAWIRE
Monday, 17 May 2010 15:24
...as Zimbabwe becomes a dumping ground
for used cars
HARARE - Zimbabwe's Environmental Management Agency (EMA)
is ready to start
monitoring pollution emitted by vehicles in the country to
meet world
atmospheric control regulations.
EMA Education and
Awareness Manager Steady Kangata, said they had at the
beginning of April,
deployed a team to South Africa to source the equipment
needed for the
monitoring exercise.
They had set up offices in every district and province
in the country.
He said motorists will have their cars tested for pollution.
This will be
done using mobile equipment, which will be fitted on the
exhaust of a
vehicle and the driver asked to rev the car to determine the
pollution
levels.
Kangata said motorists should leave a reasonable
distance when they are
driving to avoid health risks associated with vehicle
pollution.
He said every citizen had the right to a clean, safe and wholesome
environment.
The EMA programme had two facets, which involved stationery
and mobile
monitoring. The stationery monitoring focused on industrial
emissions from
factories while the mobile monitoring was for
vehicles.
He said in monitoring factories, comprehensive surveys of the type
of gases
produced and their concentrations will be done, and premises issued
with
licenses.
He said the licenses should be produced when needed by
enforcement agencies,
failure of which will lead to a fine or in extreme
cases, lead to a close
down of operations.
So far 64 licenses had been
registered.
The mobile monitoring of motor vehicles will not require
licensing.
Kangata said this may involve mounting roadblocks to test vehicle
emissions.
Excessive emissions will result in a fine or impounding of a
vehicle.
Repeat offenders will be prosecuted and may face imprisonment of up
to three
months.
He said the control of emissions had come in the wake of
the rising concerns
about the impacts of global warming and climate
change.
He added that vehicle emissions remained prevalent and had become a
major
source of pollution in Zimbabwe.
The problem was worsened by the
fact that most countries were using Zimbabwe
as a dumping ground for used
vehicles.
"The EMA is now out in full force to make sure that vehicular
emissions are
reduced," warned Kangata.
He also warned against the
burning of worn out tyres to recycle the wire. He
said the practice was
prevalent in the Sunningdale and Willowvale areas,
where thick clouds of
heavy smoke from the burning tyres, was a common
sight.
"Every citizen
has a responsibility to act in a manner that protects the
environment for
the benefit of the present and future generations," he said.
He said it was
therefore important to ensure to ensure regular maintenance
of vehicles,
which did not only help to reduce pollution but resulted in
personal savings
in terms of fuel.
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Date: 18 May 2010
IOM dedicated 693
permanent housing units on May 13, built in partnership with the Civil
Protection Unit of the Government of Zimbabwe, for victims of floods in the
Country's eastern, Chipinge District.
Nearly 700 families from four flood prone communities including Nyerere, Masimbe, Gumira and Muchayiyana, each received a two-roomed house at an official handover ceremony chaired by the Minister of Local Government and attended by Zimbabwe's Housing and Social Amenities Minister, local authorities and IOM.
Zimbabwe's low lying areas were devastated by floods in 2008 with the Chipinge district particularly hard hit, leaving hundreds of families without homes, sources of livelihood or access to basic social services. Through an IOM rapid assessment conducted in the aftermath, shelter was identified as the most urgent humanitarian need in the affected communities. In response, local authorities allocated land for relocation purposes. Working in close collaboration with the Governmental Civil Protection Unit, IOM's Emergency Assistance Programme to Displaced Communities provided building materials and technical advice to support shelter reconstruction and new construction efforts for the vulnerable communities. Displaced families also participated in reconstruction efforts by mobilizing available material and providing labour.
"The 693 families benefiting from housing assistance in Chipinge represent a major step towards alleviating the housing need in the Chipinge province", says IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission Marcelo Pisani.
Funded by the Dutch and Swedish Governments, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) the project will ensure that flood affected communities are protected from environmental hazards and have access to social services lost during the disaster. In addition to carrying out shelter activities, IOM has assisted the displaced communities through HIV awareness and Gender Based Violence Prevention activities. IOM also assisted local District Environmental Health Technicians in containing a cholera outbreak by providing medical supplies and transport assistance for a comprehensive health assessment of the affected communities.
For more information please contact, Zuzana Jankechová, IOM Zimbabwe, Tel: +263 4 335048. Email: zjankechova@iom.int
http://www.allvoices.com
By
LloydMsipa send a private message
Harare : Zimbabwe | May 18, 2010
In
a recent radio interview in Tanzania, the Deputy Prime minister Professor
Arthur MutambaraArthur Mutambara decried the mediocrity that characterizes
African politics in general and Zimbabwe in particular. His assessment of
the African political landscape could not have been far from the truth. In
fact this observation, I am convinced came in the back drop of the recently
held parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom. These elections ushered
in the youngest Prime minister in over two hundred years of British politics
David Cameron, the leader of the conservative party aged 43.
The
elections as we are all aware were characterized by high levels of
polarity
amongst the electorate following the expenses scandals that rocked
West
minister. This scandals did not spare any of the political parties, be
it
labour the conservatives or the liberal democrats. Of most importance to
the
subject matter is that the elections resulted in a hang parliament, in
which
none of the three major political parties managed to garner the 326
parliamentary seats required to form a majority government.
The
result was the formation of a coalition government between the
conservatives
and the liberal Democratic Party with David Cameron, the
leader of the
conservatives becoming prime minister and Nick CleggNick Clegg
the leader of
the liberal democrats taking up the position of the deputy
prime
minister.
What is important to note from this is that, whilst the
politicians were
bickering on who should form the next government; the civil
service swiftly
moved in and facilitated high level negotiations between the
three parties.
And forty eight hours later the country had a new government
in place.
Now, if we drew a parallel with our own situation in Zimbabwe
after the
March 2008 elections, it seems the Deputy Prime minister has made
an
interesting observation that requires further interrogation. Our politics
are most definitely mediocre. They are characterized by politics of
personality and this engenders mediocre. The leader of the political party
is central to both government and civil institutions. There is no clear
demarcation between state institutions, political parties, civic
institutions in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean civil and political institutions
need to be brought to life. And
the only way this can become a possibility
is if there is a sudden avalanche
of new, young political players that enter
mainstream politics.
Zimbabwean political parties across the political
divide are bottled necked
at the top. The reason for this bottle neck is
because there is no
sufficient movement at the bottom of all these political
parties to unsettle
those at the top to move on. Politics does not attract
many Zimbabweans
despite many having gone through programs in political
science at the
University of Zimbabwe and elsewhere. This has resulted in
the political
parties being identified with the leaders that have occupied
that space for
many years. For example it is a truism that one can not
imagine a ZANU PF
without President Robert MugabePresident Robert Mugabe.
And equally true one
can not imagine an MDC without Morgan Tsvangirayi. To
demonstrate the extent
of personality politics the latter is referred to as
MDC-T. What does this
say about our politics? Can you imagine the labour
being called New Labour-
G (Gordon BrownGordon Brown) our politics are
dominated by personalities
instead of the political party as an institutions
being stronger than the
individual.
Zimbabwe needs a new breed of
politicians that will take Zimbabwe beyond the
politics of personalities. We
need to usher in a new politics that is based
on institutions being stronger
than the personalities that lead them. For
example, if Zimbabwe had strong
institutions by way of the civil service,
the inconclusive election outcome
of March 2008 would not have required
SADCC or the AU to settle the
differences.
In the United Kingdom for instance power passed within
labour, a political
party, from Tony BlairTony Blair to Gordon Brown. And
when the labour party
got less votes in the recently held parliamentary
elections, Gordon Brown,
the leader passively resisted to hand over power,
the political institutions
moved in swiftly to usher him along. This only
happened because the
mechanisms within the labour party to replace him were
already in motion the
moment he lost the majority seats in the House of
Commons to rival parties
as the leader of the party.
Even closer
home, the Africa National Congress (ANC) party recalled a
sitting president
from his position. This is the strength we need to
cultivate in the new
political culture of Zimbabwe, strong institutions. The
need for new young
players in Zimbabwean mainstream politics is a
prerequisite for this to
happen. It is not possible for Zimbabweans to
expect the current crop of
elderly politicians to do this, MDC, ZANU PF or
otherwise.
As young
Zimbabweans we need to move beyond the politics of blame, excuses,
violence,
fear and realizes that we are the masters of our destiny. We need
to move
and take up the challenge of entering politics in our country.
Zimbabwe
needs young and brilliant minds that will move swiftly to put in
place civil
and political institutions that are independent of the various
political
parties. This will make politics more attractive for future
generations to
come. There are sufficient young and brilliant Zimbabwean
minds sitting both
at home and in the Diaspora that need to make a conscious
decision to enter
politics and become part of the solution.
The question we need to
consciously ask ourselves is: How long can we rely
on external organizations
and governments to help us govern our own country?
One can count the number
of young politicians in Zimbabwean mainstream
politics in one hand as
compared to the large number of geriatrics that
occupy the rest of
mainstream politics. By entering mainstream politics in
large numbers we
will nudge the old generation to move on. Large numbers of
young politicians
will make it increasingly more difficult for our leaders
from yesterday to
hang around longer than is necessary to do so. Power
struggles within
political parties will fast become a thing of yesterday as
leaderships in
political parties change hands more frequently.
The entry into mainstream
politics by young Zimbabweans in large numbers
will transform our politics
from mediocrity to excellence. As Hobbes once
said, “As in the case of all
human dilemmas, the anger, heartache, and
despair is for the most part
entirely too self-conscious. It is no one man's
responsibility to make the
world safe for democracy, but everyone's to make
it safe for
unself-conscious acts of compassion and charity. "Don't be
afraid,"
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) said,” of doing good."
Lloyd Msipa is Lawyer
writing from the United Kingdom. He can be contacted
at lmsipalaw@googlemail.com
145 Robert Mugabe Way, Exploration House, Third Floor; Website:
www.chra.co.zw Contacts: Mobile: 0912 864 572, 011 756 840, 0913 042 981, 011862012,
0733 368 107 or email info@chra.co.zw, admin@chra.co.zw, ceo@chra.co.zw CHRA conducts a clean-
up campaign in Mabvuku 18 May
2010 The residents of
Mabvuku-Tafara, in conjunction with CHRA and Lafarge Cement, conducted a
clean-up campaign in Mabvuku on Friday, the 14th of May 2010. The clean-up campaign was aimed at
removing the dumpsites that had sprouted at Kamunhu and Matongo Shopping
centres. The dumpsite at Matongo had actually been detected to contain the
typhoid bacteria. The campaign started
at 10 am with the CHRA CEO, Mr. F.B Mangodza, giving the welcoming remarks. Mr.
Mangodza told residents who had come to participate in the clean-up campaign
that CHRA is committed to serve the interests of residents and it was in that
context that the Association had mobilised resources together with other
stakeholders to conduct the campaign. Inspector Madzimure from the City of
Harare thanked CHRA, Lafarge and the residents for their commitment to keep the
suburb of Mabvuku-Tafara clean. He also said that the City of Harare would
continue to work together with residents so as to improve service delivery. A
representative from Lafarge encouraged residents to adopt good waste management
practices and avoid throwing litter everywhere. The clean-up campaign
saw the two dumpsites at Kamunhu shopping centre being cleared. About 75% of the
huge dumpsite at Matongo was cleared and the process took more than four hours.
The dumpsite could not be completely cleared due to time constraints. CHRA
intends to re-engage the dumpsite again so as to clear the place completely. The
Association also intends to engage the City of Harare to allow residents to use
the cleared space as a flea market so as to avoid the sprouting of another
dumpsite. CHRA is also in discussion with partners and stakeholders to
facilitate the purchase of rubbish bins that will then be placed at these
shopping centres for use by residents. CHRA remains committed
to advocating for good, transparent and accountable local governance as well as
lobbying for quality and affordable municipal services on a non partisan
basis.
Zimbabwe is more than a year into dollarization and hyperinflation has receded in our memories to a distant nightmare. However, we are now faced with the daily displeasure of having to handle US$ notes that pass through thousands of unwashed hands, their designated value testing even those with 20/20 vision as it is so faded and their erstwhile crisp allure long gone. Sadly, although he would love to do so, Gono cannot print the US$ needed so Zimbabweans face major health risks when dealing in the grubby, infested cash.
The toll-takers on Zimbabwe's roads seem to have adopted a new policy for dealing with the cash health risks: no filthy, grimy, or faded dollar bills will be accepted!
I certainly sympathize with them. Confronted with a wad of disgusting notes, I'm feeling tempted to carry rubber gloves in my purse, or at least disinfectant wipes.
But what we really need is a proper cleaning service, a true money laundering service, that will clean up the muck that is the currency. After all, U.S. dollars are not made out of paper; they're recycled cotton and linen. So washing them really isn't such a mission: I tried it and it works!
So I'm planning on setting up a chain of shops - African Money Launders Ltd. - Cleaning Up Zimbabwe, One Note at a Time. For 5 percent of the value of the cash to be cleaned, we'd remove the worst of the grunge, on the spot. The least hygienic notes - the ones that have become redolent of the sweaty cleavage of an unwashed cross-border trader - will command double the fee. For the mafikozolos who need starched cash to match their crisp Mercedes, or the Sugar Daddy groupies who prefer their lucre soft, I'm planning to offer starch or fabric softener for a 1 percent surcharge.
Business will boom at my shops in urban areas, but I expect to make a killing with drive-up mini-branches by the nation's toll booths, offering emergency service for thwarted travellers, 24 hours at day.
Rather than run all the branches myself, I'm considering offering franchise possibilities. Who wants to open?
Only $5,000 - also payable in pula, rand, euro or pounds, but only crisp, new notes accepted, of course.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Mutumwa Mawere Tuesday 18 May
2010
OPINION: In 1980, Howard Zinn, the late American historian and
political
scientist, published a book entitled: A People's History of the
United
States, in which he sought to present the American history through
the eyes
of working people rather than that of political and economic
elites.
He eloquently observed that: "The power of determined people
armed with a
moral cause is, I believe, the ultimate power".
Most
societies are pyramidal in power structure with a select few at the top
commanding a large number of underlings.
The majority is in the
valley while a few whether in pre or post-colonial
Africa are at the top of
the power ladder.
Many nation states exhibit the same power structures
with the majority
feeling alienated from the political processes and
decisions that are
critical in shaping their societies.
In any
constitutional democratic order, it is rational to expect the
majority who
after all are the authors and custodians of the power
structures that should
prevail, to be in charge.
National democratic revolutions were waged
precisely to assert the rights of
the majority to take charge and impact
directly on their future.
Regrettably, the change of guard at
independence did not produce the kind of
outcomes that were
expected.
Whether it is Cuba, Haiti, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Brazil, or South
Africa, for
example, the majority of the population feels powerless and
alienated.
In post-colonial Africa, each year of the experience of
independence
produces unacceptable outcomes and undermines the hope and
expectation that
characterised the transitional phase from colonial to
majority rule.
The only power that people who feel powerless is the power
to organise and
yet this is where the challenge really lies.
As Zinn
correctly observed, the ultimate power lies in the determination of
the
powerless to make tomorrow a better and brighter day. It does not lie in
the
benevolence of the rich or powerful.
Even where the majority has the
freedom to speak through the ballot, rarely
do they actively participate in
the process to ensure that the people who
govern them are accountable to
them.
In the product and services market, the majority makes markets
dynamic and
efficient but rarely do they organize as consumers to leverage
on their
market power.
The people who acquire political power in
democratic dispensations do so in
the name of the majority and yet when they
assume office they often govern
in the interests of the few who have access
with the majority playing a
spectator role.
The majority has the
power to change governments and yet rarely to they
exercise the power vested
in them instead they naively expect the economic
and political elites to
surrender their personal interests in the national
interest.
In most
developing countries it is not unusual to hear people in power
complaining
at every opportunity granted and available about the economic
hegemony of
foreigners.
Even the power with power often forget that the power they
hold is
derivative and not absolute compelling them to act in the interests
of the
people from whom they draw such power.
In any environment, if
people with power fail to use it so that the people
who do not have it want
it then surely it would be absurd to expect a
dynamic political power supply
chain market.
How can people in power dream of being empowered when they
have the power to
make a difference? Often the majority expects the minority
to go out of
their way to commit class suicide so that they can be less
economically and
politically powerful in the interests of national
progress.
In countries like the United Arab Emirates, it has been shown
that the
native minority can construct a social contract in which the
minority
controls the majority without tinkering with the constitutional
order.
In post-colonial Africa, the majority of the population is black
and yet
people who would not want to call Africa home make key economic
decisions
about the continent's future.
Some of the fundamental
decisions about the continent's political and
economic health are made at
conferences that are organised by people who
live and work outside the
continent.
Rarely, are we able to convene our own indabas and workshops
to debate about
the key nation building architectural issues.
How
smart are the political processes that produce African leaders? The
promise
of electoral power cannot be trusted to produce "smart and dynamic
leadership" that the majority yearns for.
Democracies and free
markets claim to empower people by offering people
choices as voters and
consumers and yet the countries that claim to be
politically and
economically democratic have exposed their majority
inhabitants to a growing
sense of powerlessness.
People make choices everyday and yet the majority
of the people expect state
actors to make the decisions that they do not
want to make themselves.
History has demonstrated in the words of
Margaret Mead that a small group of
thoughtful and committed citizens has
the power to change the world rather
than expecting change from the actions
of a fragmented majority.
This is what Ms Mead had to say: "Never doubt
that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has."
In the United Kingdom,
we witnessed how the convoluted message from the
voters did manage to
produce a coalition government that can pick from what
the Labor
administration left.
If Gordon Brown were an African incumbent President,
he would certainly have
argued that the results produced no winner and,
therefore, could hardly be
considered as a marching order.
What was
clear in the UK is that the message of change was as a clear as day
and
night and the power of the people to speak was respected in the
outcome.
We need to better understand the concept of powerlessness
because this is a
necessary step towards better arming citizens to take
charge of their
destiny.
History is full of examples or ordinary
people who started by networking and
connecting with like a like-minded
circle of friends, neighbors, family and
even enemies to share concerns with
a view to being part of a process to
make Africa the kind of society that we
want to live in.
Powerlessness of the majority is nothing but a state of
mind. Political
actors cannot be relied to help change the state of the
mind. We all have a
part to play in the change agenda for the future lies in
our hands. -
ZimOnline
BILL WATCH
19/2010
[17th May
2010]
The
Senate has adjourned until Tuesday 15th June
The
House of Assembly has adjourned until Wednesday 30th
June
State Appeal against
Roy Bennett’s Acquittal
The law allows the
State to
appeal to the Supreme Court against Mr Bennett’s acquittal, but only if given
permission to do so by a Supreme Court judge. The State has sought this
permission and the defence has lodged notice of opposition. To get permission the
State will have to satisfy the Supreme Court judge dealing with the application
that it has a reasonable prospect of persuading the Supreme Court that the
acquittal was wrong. Both sides must file heads of argument [their detailed
written reasons] ahead of the hearing of the application. The judge will hear
the application in chambers, which means that the hearing will not be
open to the public. But both the State and defence lawyers will be there to
present their arguments. The hearing is likely to be within the next two weeks,
but the date has not yet been fixed. If an appeal is permitted, and
if it succeeds, the Supreme Court could send the case back to Justice
Bhunu to continue the trial or order a new trial before another judge.
Meanwhile, the
acquittal stands and neither the
present application, nor the lodging of an appeal if the application is
granted, will legally curtail Mr Bennett’s liberty – he will not revert to being
a person on trial and subject to bail conditions. However, when Mr Bennett went
to the magistrates court in Mutare for the return of his bail money, surrendered
title deeds and passport, he was told the passport had been taken by a
prosecutor and could not be returned. Mr Bennett has still not got his passport
back and it is most improper of the State to withhold it.
Note: On Monday 10th
May Mr Bennett was acquitted of all charges the State had brought against him of
possession of arms and incitement to insurgency, and walked out of the High
Court a free man. The judge said the State had failed to establish any
connection between Mr Bennett and the crimes the State had
alleged.
[Judgment
available on request.]
Initially the
prosecution team indicated there would not be an appeal. But on Monday evening
ZANU-PF Legal Affairs head
Emmerson Mnangagwa [also Minister of Defence] told TV viewers that the acquittal
was “appealable”. On Tuesday the AG’s spokesman said the State would seek
permission from the Supreme Court to lodge an appeal. On Wednesday the State’s
application for permission was lodged at the Supreme Court, and on Thursday the
defence lodged notice of opposition..
[Copies
of State notice of appeal and defence reply available on
request.]
Does
GPA Allow One Party to Refuse Nominee for Deputy Minister
Post?
In
the wake of Mr Bennett’s acquittal prominent ZANU-PF members were quick to
assert that, notwithstanding his acquittal, Mr Bennett “just can’t” and never
will be sworn in as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, the post for which he was
nominated by MDC-T over a year ago. They claim that Mr Bennett’s
pre-Independence service with the Rhodesian forces, and the fact he was a white
farmer, preclude his appointment. MDC-T has insisted that Mr Bennett’s
nomination stands. And the Prime Minister has pointed out that under the GPA
neither the President nor his party can veto Mr Bennett’s appointment. The Prime
Minister is right. Article 20 of the GPA states that the President “formally”
appoints Ministers and Deputy Ministers nominated by each of the GPA parties
[20.1.3.(k) and 20.1.6.(5)]. Constitution Amendment No. 19 made Article
20 part of the Constitution; the Article appears in Schedule 8 to the
Constitution, which starts with a statement that, during the subsistence of the
GPA, Article 20 “shall prevail notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
this Constitution”. So Article 20 overrides any discretion the President
might ordinarily have in such matters. The President cannot reject MDC-T’s
nomination of Mr Bennett; he must appoint him.
Law
or Misuse of Political Powers?
The
continued dragging on of the Bennett case – started in February 2009 and still
going despite the acquittal – creates the impression that it has more to do with
politics than its legal merits. In law there is a totally clear-cut principle
that a person is presumed innocent until proved guilty in court. Nevertheless
this universal legal principle has been ignored by the President or his
advisors, who are also ignoring precedents both in the inclusive government and
also in prior ZANU-PF governments. It is unfortunate that there also seems to
be a campaign of disinformation directed against Mr Bennett in an attempt to
cloud what is a clear-cut legal issue.
Misinformation:
The
State press is now downplaying the significance of the legal proceedings [in
anticipation of the appeal failing?] and building up an overblown political case
against Mr Bennett’s appointment as Deputy Minister of Agriculture by
misrepresenting his past [replete with references to the Selous Scouts and
“hands dripping with blood”]. The facts briefly are that as a school-leaver in
the then Rhodesia all Mr Bennett wanted was to go to agricultural college, but
he was called up for compulsory national service and rather than serve in the
defence forces he asked to serve in the police instead, which he did from 1974
to 1978. He was then free to go to agricultural college. After Independence he
was in fact asked by the people of Chimanimani, where he was farming, to
represent them as a ZANU-PF candidate and was at that time willing to do so to
serve his country. But he did not make it through the party primary elections.
Later, after MDC was formed, he exercised the right of every citizen, enshrined
in the Constitution, to join the political party of his
choice.
Precedents:
Precedents
argue against the refusal to appoint Mr Bennett. Other Ministers in the
Inclusive Government were appointed and sworn in last year despite having
serious criminal charges pending. Going further back, ZANU-PF Ministers
actually found guilty by the Electoral Court of involvement in election violence
in 2000 were permitted to retain their Ministerial posts and managed to keep
their seats in Parliament by noting appeals, which were never heard. Even
further back, after Independence several former Rhodesian Front Cabinet
Ministers were appointed to key Ministries, including the Ministry of
Agriculture. And as even some prominent ZANU-PF political and business figures
have a “Rhodesian past”, it is invidious to single out Mr Bennett. The
political attack on one of MDC-T’s nominees and refusal to swear him has no
basis in law, facts or precedent and it is breaking not only the letter but the
spirit of the GPA and is discrediting the “rebranding of Zimbabwe”.
Defence Lawyer
Honoured by American Bar Association
Senator Bennett’s
lead defence lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, is to receive the American Bar
Association’s 2010 International Human Rights Award for her “extraordinary
contributions to the cause of human rights, the rule of law, and the promotion
of access to justice in Zimbabwe”. The award will be presented at a ceremony in
San Francisco in August.
Perception of Rule of
Law Observance Vital to Investment
Direct foreign
investment in Zimbabwe is essential for the development of the economy. Serious
investors seek assurances that they will be investing in a country where the
rule of law will be observed by the government and the courts are truly
independent. The potential benefits from the Bennett acquittal may have been
wiped out by the disappointing post-acquittal developments. Mrs Mtetwa and
other Zimbabwean human rights defenders may have many battles still to fight.
Veritas
makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal
responsibility for information supplied.