The Scotsman
DANIEL PEPPER IN HARARE
WHEN THE soldiers rolled past Lot Dube's land and set up camp, they told him
and other farmers that all non-maize crops would be destroyed.
Their entire
harvest would have to be sold to the Zimbabwean government's Grain Marketing
Board so it could be used to purchase foreign currency.
It is the Mugabe
regime's latest ploy to buy its way out of an economic crisis so severe that
inflation is running at more than 1,000%, a record for an African nation
supposedly not at war.
Dube, 63, who has farmed in the southern Insiza
district since 1982, had to watch while the troops ploughed his market
vegetables - onions, tomatoes and sweet potatoes that bring in money to pay for
his children's school fees - into the ground.
There was little point
complaining to the Grain Board; Robert Mugabe has recently put a military
commander in charge of its operation.
With pressure now building both
internally and externally on the 82-year-old president to save his country by
removing himself from power, Mugabe is strengthening his grip over the country's
rural masses.
This week, the UN representative to Zimbabwe is being recalled
to New York to brief the Secretary General Kofi Annan on a situation rapidly
spiralling out of control. Annan intends to visit the troubled African state
later this year. Although the UN is making no official statements, it is
believed Mugabe will be offered financial aid in return for giving up power.
UN Under-Secretary Ibrahim Gambari, who heads the political affairs
department, said he is working with Zimbabwe's foreign minister "on how best to
prepare for a positive visit by the Secretary-General which would help advance
this process of helping the people of Zimbabwe".
What all sides appear to
want most is to prevent a descent into bloody civil war. The conditions are
certainly ripe. Last month, annual inflation hit 1,042%, the worst of any
country outside a war zone.
Once the breadbasket of southern Africa,
Zimbabwe's economy has been shrinking for the past six years and has been
dependent on food aid since 2002. At least 75% of Zimbabweans probably have no
jobs, and food and fuel are scarcer than ever. Last month, the UN distributed
emergency food aid to about one fourth of the 12.5 million population and said
many people were surviving on one meal or less a day.
Now Mugabe, who has
been in power since the country's independence in 1980, has ordered his military
to fan out across several rural areas to ensure the government's grain silos are
full. He is also appointing military commanders to top positions in civilian
institutions, presumably to stave off instability anticipated over rising
prices.
As well as the Grain Board, senior officers, both on active duty and
retired, are now in control of the Reserve Bank, the Electoral Commission,
Zimbabwe Railroads, the Ministry of Energy, the Public Service Commission, the
National Parks and other key institutions.
Jonathan Moyo, a former Secretary
for Information and currently Zimbabwe's only independent Member of Parliament,
said: "This is an admission that things have fallen apart and national
governance can no longer continue in a civilian mode. It's a crisis and we are
in an undeclared state of emergency."
The result could be "massive
spontaneous demonstrations sliding into anarchy", Moyo added. "Zimbabwe is a
case of worrying potential because should it erupt it will be out of control."
The presence of the military predominantly in the southern part of the
country, and not in the north where Mugabe's draws his support, is no
coincidence. "The army has targeted areas that are potential opposition
strongholds, those farmers that have voted for the opposition," said Gordon
Moyo, leader of the Bulawayo Dialogue advocacy group. "It's an act of
intimidation and a violation of human right of those people."
David Coltart,
a white Member of Parliament with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), said: "The militarisation of the state of government is viewed by Mugabe
as a passport to a post-State House security. He hopes that after he leaves
State House he will not be pursued by the law and not dragged to Senegal or the
Netherlands for crimes against humanity."
Earlier this month, the
pro-government Herald newspaper announced a likely constitutional amendment for
Mugabe to remain in power until 2010, two years past the next scheduled
presidential election.
None of this is helping the economy, critics say.
"The economy will only turn around when you get competent and experienced people
running it, not the military," says Coltart. "The appointment of military people
to run things like the railroads will only speed up the demise of the regime."
Many officials in prominent positions are accused of pillaging from the
institutions they oversee and profiting from corruption rackets.
John
Robertson, an economist in the capital, Harare, said: "It is robber baron stuff
of the highest order. It's a pirate ship with Robert Mugabe as the captain. It's
an exciting, profitable ride while it lasts, but inflation is the consequence."
In eerily quiet tourist destinations, such as Victoria Falls, a cup of tea
that as recently as last year cost 12,000 Zimbabwean dollars now costs 250,000.
Supermarket shelves are stocked full of goods too expensive to purchase.
The
economic squeeze is affecting all sectors of society. Last December, graffiti
appeared in the bathrooms of army barracks, calling for Mugabe to be ousted.
Shortly after the government announced a 300% pay increase for soldiers and
teachers.
But the increased printing of money is only likely to spur even
greater inflation. "It is a way of buying off the soldiers," said Gordon Moyo.
"Mugabe is a terrified man."
Not much hope can be pinned on the official
opposition. After years of repression, the MDC is utterly split. MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai is threatening to take his opposition to the streets, but may
struggle to muster enough supporters to avoid being brutally crushed by the
country's powerful security forces.
Back in the southern fields, their
tactics are plain to all. Soldiers are accused of beating local residents -
women as well as men - who have not obeyed the orders to uproot their vegetable
gardens and fruit trees. They can be seen guarding roads and footpaths
throughout the irrigation schemes and driving tractors, which is as close as
they come to farming.
"They say they want to end hunger in Zimbabwe," Dube
said. "But I think they want to take the fields for their own use."
Neighbour Gabrial Nkala, 55, who has been farming on the same plot since
1980, added: "
We need agriculture exports, not soldiers, but it seems they
are here for a very long time."
The Telegraph
By
Daniel Pepper in Zhampali, Zimbabwe
(Filed: 28/05/2006)
For years,
Zimbabwe's white farmers have felt the wrath of Robert Mugabe, as they have been
thrown off their land to make way for soldiers and ruling party cronies. Now,
black farmers have also become the focus of his unwelcome attentions.
Lot
Dube's crops of onions, tomatoes and sweet potatoes were growing nicely when
soldiers marched into Insiza district, in the south of the country, set up camp
and declared that all crops other than maize would be destroyed.
Robert
Mugabe has ordered farmers to grow only maize
"They told us, 'We are taking
away your fields from you' ," said Mr Dube, 63, who has farmed 10 acres, 80
miles south of Bulawayo, since 1982. The soldiers ploughed in the market
vegetables which he grew to raise cash to pay school fees for his children, and
told him to plant maize.
Just for amusement, they forced him to pick stones
off his field, while neighbouring farmers - some of them women - who refused to
uproot their own vegetables and fruit trees were beaten until they submitted.
That was in November. Now Mr Dube, and other farmers like him, have been
told that they must sell almost their entire harvest to Zimbabwe's Grain
Marketing Board, for a price yet to be determined, as part of Mugabe's drive to
boost the nation's supply of the staple food.
"They want to feed the nation
with maize," Mr Dube said. In fact, the government also plans to export the
grain, to earn desperately needed hard currency to finance imports. To make sure
the country's grain silos are filled, Mugabe has ordered his soldiers to fan out
across the countryside, and in Mr Dube's district, they can be seen driving
tractors.
"They don't know anything about farming," Mr Dube added. "They say
they want to end hunger in Zimbabwe. But I think they want to take the fields
for their own use."
For all the army's efforts, and despite the best rains in
20 years, even the government's own figures predict the grain harvest will be
only half as large as in 2001, when the eviction of white farmers began.
Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, but has depended on food
aid since 2002.
The economy has been shrinking for the past six years and
last month inflation hit 1,042 per cent - higher than any other country not at
war.
The economic consequences of the regime's failings are everywhere to be
seen. Tourist destinations, such as Victoria Falls, are empty and supermarkets
are stocked with goods too expensive for most Zimbabweans to purchase.
But
Ephraim Masawi, Zimbabwe's deputy secretary for information, said reports of
soldiers destroying farmers' vegetables had "never come to my ears". He added:
"These people have invited the army to try to help them because some have no
collateral to go to the bank for loans."
The use of the army to take control
of the countryside has been mirrored by the appointment of military commanders
to top positions in the civilian institutions, in an effort to strengthen
82-year-old Mugabe's grip on the country.
Generals, some still on active
duty, others retired, now control the reserve bank, the grain marketing board,
the electoral commission, the state railway, energy ministry, parks authority
and other key institutions formerly run by civilians.
Jonathan Moyo, a former
minister of information who quit the Mugabe government and is now Zimbabwe's
only independent MP, said: "This is an admission that things have fallen apart
and that governance can no longer continue in civilian mode."
He forecast a
possible "slide into anarchy" if social unrest erupted into violence. The army's
presence in the countryside is less evident in the north, where Mugabe's ruling
Zanu-PF Party draws its strongest support.
Gordon Moyo, the leader of an
opposition pressure group, Bulawayo Agenda, said: "The army has targeted those
areas that are potentially opposition strongholds. It is partly a retributive
act to take over their land and send signals to the surrounding landowners. It's
an act of intimidation, and a violation of human right of those people."
For
southern farmers the military presence is reminiscent of the mid-1980s, when a
North Korean-trained unit of the Zimbabwean army massacred up to 20,000 Ndebele,
the predominant ethnic group in the southern region, crushing support for an
alternative to Zanu-PF.
Mr Dube still keeps a handful of chickens and rabbits
in a small pen in a corner of his farmyard, and has half an acre of sorghum
wheat under his control.
Another farmer, Gabrial Nkala, 55, said: "We never
wanted soldiers to come to our fields. We need agriculture exports, not
soldiers."
Mail and Guardian
Mugabe proposes eavesdropping law
Harare,
Zimbabwe
27 May 2006 01:26
Zimbabwe's government has published
a Bill that, if passed by Parliament, would enable state agents to eavesdrop on
private conversations and monitor faxes and e-mails, a state daily reported on
Saturday.
"The government has gazetted the Interception of Communications
Bill 2006, that seeks to establish a communication centre to intercept and
monitor certain communications in the course of their transmission, through a
telecommunication, postal or any other related service system," The Herald
said.
The Bill, a copy of which has been circulating among the media and
rights groups, was published in the Government Gazette late on
Friday.
The gazette is the last stop for draft laws before reaching
Parliament, where President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National
Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) enjoys a majority.
Under the proposed
law, telecommunication service providers will be compelled to install devices to
enable interception of phone conversations, faxes and e-mails.
The draft
law allows the Minister of Transport and Communications to issue an interception
warrant to state agents "where there are reasonable grounds for the minister to
believe, among other things, that a serious offence has been, is being
or
will probably be committed or that there is a threat to safety or national
security".
Rights groups have slammed the proposed law as further
tightening President Robert Mugabe's iron grip on the media and
communications.
Zimbabwe passed a tough media law early 2002 which has
been invoked to expel foreign correspondents, shut down four independent
newspapers -- including a popular daily renowned for its anti-government stance
-- and emasculating a once-vibrant independent press.
The country's
broadcasting laws have been used to maintain the monopoly of state broadcasters,
while independent media have circumvented the laws by operating pirate radio
stations from abroad. - Sapa-AFP
SABC
May 27, 2006,
14:45
Zimbabwe's government unveiled a proposed law that would give it
the authority to monitor phones and mail - both conventional and Internet - to
protect national security and fight crime. Rights groups say the bill is part of
a government crackdown, which has included tough policing and political
intimidation, to stifle criticism over a severe economic crisis many blame on
policies by Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president.
In a weekend
government gazette, Christopher Mushowe, the transport and communications
minister, published a general framework of the "Interception of Communication
Bill." If passed by parliament it would give him authority to monitor the phones
and mail of anyone suspected of threatening national security or involvement in
criminal activities. The bill says the government will set up a "communication
centre to monitor and intercept certain communications in the course of their
transmission through a telecommunication, postal or any other related service
system."
Mugabe's government announced its intention to draw up the
legislation earlier this year, saying it is similar to laws in other countries
to fight international crime and terrorism. But its critics say although there
is a right in the bill to challenge a "monitoring warrant" in court, the
government's plans are driven by political vindictiveness.
There was no
immediate comment today from the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), but when the law was first muted months ago, the party denounced it as
part of Mugabe's drive to silence his foes. The bill is expected to be approved
by parliament in the next three months.
Mugabe, Zimbabwean president
since 1980
Mugabe (82) and in power since Zimbabwe's independence from
Britain in 1980, has a two-thirds majority in both parliament's lower House of
Assembly and upper chamber Senate.
The veteran Zimbabwean leader denies
allegations of repression and mismanagement, and in turn accuses domestic and
Western opponents of demonising him and sabotaging the economy over his seizures
of white-owned farms for landless blacks. - Reuters
IOL
May 26 2006 at 07:54PM
Malabo - West African petroleum producer Equatorial Guinea has signed a
deal with Zimbabwe to supply oil to the fuel-starved southern African state,
state media said on Friday.
State-run radio and TV reported an "oil
supply agreement" was signed on Thursday in Malabo by Equatorial Guinea's Mines
and Energy Minister Atanasio Ela Ntugu Nsa and his Zimbabwean
counterpart.
The government media said Equatorial Guinea would sell the
oil to Zimbabwe but gave no further details of the deal.
IOL
May 26 2006 at 02:12PM
South Africa has refused asylum to white Zimbabwean opposition
politician Roy Bennett who fled his country two months ago amid fears for his
life, the home affairs department said on Friday.
Bennett, a former
member of parliament for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
had requested asylum in South Africa on the grounds that he was the victim of
political persecution.
He fled Zimbabwe in March after police sought to
question him over the discovery of an arms cache that security agents claimed
was to be used to overthrow President Robert Mugabe's government.
"His
application for asylum was not approved," home affairs spokesperson Nkosana
Sibuyi said.
Bennett is appealing the decision, said Jacob van
Garderen of South Africa's Lawyers for Human Rights, who is helping Bennett make
his case.
A rights organisation representing Zimbabweans living abroad
criticised the decision and expressed concern that Bennett could be tortured if
sent back to Zimbabwe.
"The South African government's stance regarding
the self-evident case of Roy Bennett is not only callous, but also smacks of the
hypocrisy that characterises the government of President Mbeki's approach to the
Zimbabwean crisis," said Gabriel Shumba, director of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum
(ZEF).
"ZEF strongly urges the South African government to review its
decision, especially because the decision is blind to international, continental
and even South African laws for international protection," Shumba said in a
statement.
The home affairs department noted that Bennett had the right
to appeal the decision. "I obviously cannot comment on what the Zimbabwean
government will do to him," said Sibuyi.
The asylum request from Bennett,
a vocal Mugabe opponent, came as South Africa was struggling to keep afloat its
diplomatic efforts to steer Zimbabwe out of economic and political
crisis.
A senior member of the opposition MDC, Bennett served eight
months in prison for shoving Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the floor
during a rowdy exchange over land reform in parliament.
Bennett lost his
large coffee plantation in eastern Zimbabwe during Mugabe's land reform
programme, launched in 2000, which saw nearly 4 000 of the 4 500 white farmers
evicted from their land which was given to landless black
people.
Following his release from prison in June of last year, Bennett
returned to opposition politics and was elected treasurer in March of one
faction of the split MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
His latest problems
arose after the discovery last month of a huge arms cache, in which a white
ex-soldier Mike Peter Hitschmann was identified as being
implicated.
State authorities said Hitschmann, whom they described as a
member of a shadowy organisation called the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement (ZFM), was
involved in stashing arms at various locations in the country.
State
media reports said a Kalashnikov 47 assault rifle, seven Uzi machine guns, four
FN rifles, 11 shotguns, six CZ pistols, four revolvers, 15 tear gas canisters
and several thousand rounds of ammunition had been found at Hitschmann's
home.
The MDC has denied any links to Hitschmann and claims he is a
member of the police reserves. - Sapa-AFP
TUDUETSO SETSIBA
Staff Writer -
Mmegi
5/27/2006 12:06:43 PM (GMT +2)
Botswana Federation of Secondary
School Teachers (BOFESETE) has called on civil society and the media to
pressurise the government to renounce quiet diplomacy on Zimbabwe. BOFESETE said
silent diplomacy by Botswana has failed Zimbabweans.
When addressing
a press conference at Gaborone Hotel on Wednesday, BOFESETE president, Eric
Ditau condemned the media and civil society for following the footsteps of
government when it adopted quiet diplomacy. "When the government adopted quiet
diplomacy, the media and civil society kept mum over the Zimbabwean issue and it
has not benefited anyone," said Ditau. He cried that Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe is becoming intolerant and introduces draconian laws each day. "The
economy is deteriorating and nobody is doing anything about it," he said. Ditau
said it is time that President Festus Mogae of Botswana is convinced that quiet
diplomacy is not viable. He raised concerns over the growing xenophobic
tendencies among Batswana. He complained that Batswana ill-treat Zimbabweans. He
cited cases in which Batswana give Zimbabweans piece jobs and fail to pay them.
"Mind you, our economy depends mainly on diamonds and once that crashes, we
shall not be exempted from the Zimbabwean conditions," he said. Ditau complained
that even the security system is failing Zimbabweans. He mentioned an incident
where members of Botswana Police and Botswana Defence Force allegedly instructed
three Zimbabweans to have sex. "We kept quiet about the issue because we do not
treat them like humans," he said. He cited the case of a Zimbabwean who was tied
on a pole and an incident in which a woman in Goshwe village was instructed to
de-register her sister's children when authorities realised that they were
Zimbabweans. Ditau said his organisation is prepared to consult with other
stakeholders who want to help Zimbabwe. "We are prepared to go all the way to
assist Zimbabweans and we are ready to network with any one who would want to
help," he said. BOFESETE is still consulting with its members to come up with
strategies that would assist the Zimbabweans.
© Mmegi, 2002
Mmegi
FRASER MPOFU
Correspondent
5/27/2006 12:08:34 PM (GMT +2)
HARARE: The Francistown-Bulawayo
commercial passenger train took the first of its five-day test runs on Monday.
Officials from both Botswana Railways (BR) and the National Railways
of Zimbabwe (NRZ) hailed the first test run as a success judging from the
response from the travelling public. The tests will continue until Friday to
determine whether the service, which was suspended in 1999 before it was
terminated in January 2000, should be revived to link Francistown and Bulawayo.
A joint venture project between BR and NRZ, the train service, runs thrice a
week during the day. During the trial run, the train will have eight standard
class coaches and a sleeper. Gaone Kepadisa, BR's passenger services manager
said, if it is finally re-introduced, the service would help thousands of people
from both countries who commute by road every day to conduct various business
activities. She said although the patronage on the Botswana side was low on the
first day of the test run, it was expected to improve. She attributed the poor
initial patronage to poor publicity about the service prior to the trial run.
The train left the Bulawayo Main Station at 9.30am and arrived in Francistown
around 3pm. It left Francistown at nine o'clock in the morning and arrived in
Bulawayo around three o'clock in the afternoon. The service, which costs
Z$400,000 (about P20) from Bulawayo to Francistown, is likely to be a hit for
passengers, especially informal Zimbabwean cross-border traders, because of its
convenience. It costs P20 for a straight journey by road from Francistown to
Bulawayo but for the same journey from Bulawayo to Francistown, passengers pay
about Z$700,000 or P38. Another advantage of the rail service is that
immigration and customs formalities are conducted on the train whereas
passengers travelling across the border by road have to stop over at the
Ramakgwebane and Plumtree border posts to present themselves before customs and
immigration officials. An NRZ official, Fanuel Masikati, said with the
anticipated success of the test run, a regular day service is likely to be
re-launched in the second week of next month. The joint venture highlights the
continued co-operation between the two rail utilities, which also co-operate in
other areas such as maintenance and repair of locomotives and wagons.
©
Mmegi, 2002
Dear Family and Friends,
They say that there is no smoke without fire and if
that is true then there is
a big bonfire burning somewhere very close to home
this week. It has been a very
confusing few days in Zimbabwe with a number of
different media reports about
diplomatic manoeuverings that are going on to
help us. First we heard that UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan was putting
together a plan to rescue Zimbabwe from
its political and economic crisis.
Then, insinuating that something was already
well underway by Kofi Annan,
South African President Thabo Mbeki said "We are
all awaiting the outcome of
his intervention"
Then came reports on South African television that Kofi
Annan was going to
visit Zimbabwe and that international aid would be given
in exchange for
President Mugabe's retirement. Those reports on SABC TV even
went as far as to
say that President Mugabe would be given immunity from
prosecution for human
rights abuses. As the days passed the reports seemed
to become more speculative
than factual and the atmosphere got smokier.
Things got confusing when
Zimbabwe's state owned TV announced that both Zanu
PF and the MDC would accept
Kofi Annan as a mediator. Whew, I must have
missed something, where did the
question of mediation come from all of a
sudden? A few days later the mediation
theme popped up again but this time it
wasn't Kofi Annan's name being fronted
but that of former Tanzanian president
Benjamin Mkapa.
Just as things had started getting interesting someone
must have poured a
bucket of water on the fire. The smoke got thicker than
ever and from all sides
came denials, back tracking and classic claims of "I
Am Not The One."
Ibrahim Gambari, the UN under secretary-general for
political affairs said : "I
think it is premature to talk about any package,
and certainly even more
premature to talk about that package including the
possible departure of
President Mugabe." Zimbabwe then said that the
invitation extended to Kofi Annan
to visit the country was no longer valid or
applicable. Full stop. End of
manoeuverings? Who knows, as they say there's
no smoke without fire.
In the midst of a confusing week, and to make
everything seem even more
delusional, there was another earthquake. Most of
us can't ever remember
earthquakes in Zimbabwe or at least not for the last
thirty years but now all of
a sudden we've had two series of quakes and
aftershocks in the past three
months. At around midnight on Sunday two
earthquakes measuring 3.9 and 4.0 on
the Richter scale shook eastern parts of
Zimbabwe. This time the epicentre of
the quakes was much closer to home and
near the Nyamudzi River in Wedza. Some
people are saying that all these
earthquakes are a sign that God is coming.
Others are saying that they are a
sign from God. So from the country of smoke
signals and shaking beds and
mysterious signs, until next week, love cathy
Copyright cathy buckle 27 May
2006 http://africantears.netfirms.com
My
books "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" are available from:
orders@africabookcentre.com
May 27 2006 at 11:35AM
By
Angus Shaw
Harare - As impoverished Zimbabweans hunkered down for a
biting winter, business tycoon Philip Chiyangwa unveiled his latest acquisition
- a car that rolls off the assembly line at nearly R1,2-million.
A blaze
of publicity surrounded the car this week in a country where public utilities
are collapsing and thousands of families, homeless because of a government slum
clearance operation in 2005, face night temperatures plunging to near
freezing.
The contrast between the wealth of the few, symbolised by the
politically influential Chiyangwa, and the crushing poverty of the many "is
entirely symptomatic of the state of the economy and governance", said Mike
Davies, an official of the Combined Harare Ratepayers Association, a civic
group.
'The businesses I have demand such a car'
"This is a
case of telling those hungry for bread to eat cake. People are flaunting their
wealth in the face of massive poverty and deprivation," Davies
said.
State media pointed out the value of the car "could create
employment for hundreds of people roaming the streets", but added that owners of
luxury cars insisted they bought them only after creating successful businesses
that provided jobs.
Chiyangwa, a Harare property developer and former
ruling party politician, seemed to revel in the attention drawn by his top of
the range Mercedes S600.
With all its extras, including navigation,
entertainment and telephone and Internet systems, along with import duties, the
asking price at a Harare showroom was close to R3,25-million, dealers
said.
"The businesses I have demand such a car. In business, how you
present yourself, dress and all that surrounds you, matters," Chiyangwa said.
Fashion pages in the state media have described the tycoon as one of Zimbabwe's
best dressed men.
Other Zimbabweans have more elementary concerns, coping
with inflation pegged by the government at 1 043 percent, the highest rate in
the world, record unemployment of more than 70 percent and acute shortages of
food, gasoline and imports.
The National Water Authority this week
announced water rationing across Harare, blaming shortages of imported spare
parts for broken pumping equipment that remained unrepaired. Faucets ran dry in
several suburbs last weekend as the price of water was set to increase
eight-fold in the crumbling economy.
Lengthy power outages occur
daily.
The Combined Harare Ratepayers Association said new water and
power shortages were a further threat to public health in a city already hit by
increasing cases of dysentery, deaths from the diarrhoeal disease cholera this
year and collapsing medical and garbage collection services.
Fungayi
Mati, an accountant in the middle class Newlands suburb, said most mornings his
family battled amid power and water outages to wash, cook and prepare for
school, where fees have more than doubled in the current term.
"The
strain is becoming unbearable. I'd be ashamed to drive a car like that. I'm
surprised people are not throwing stones at it," he said of Chiyangwa's new
purchase.
Day school fees for a 12-week term for his son went up to
45-million Zimbabwe dollars (R2 700) this year, he said. Some of his son's
friends had not been admitted to class on Monday because their parents couldn't
pay the fees, he said. - Sapa-AP
This article was originally
published on page 4 of Pretoria News on May 27, 2006
With all the problems in Zimbabwe it seems
unfair to complain about the drought in England. But the trouble is that it
does affect the Vigil. It never stopped raining. Our tarpaulin protected us
from drowning and nothing could dampen our spirits: we were all greatly
entertained by seeing people drenched when water cascaded from a build-up on the
tarpaulin.
The Vigil was only one of the Zimbabwean events on offer in
London this weekend. We sent a representative to a news conference at
Parlaiment addressed by the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. It was hosted by the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, chaired by Kate Hoey, MP, who, we
were glad to say, spoke highly of the Vigil as representing the Zimbabwean
diaspora. Mr Tsvangirai warned that if the democratic route failed the forces
of violence, civil war and anarchy would take over.
The Vigil also sent
representatives to the Dignity Period Fund Raiser organised by ACTSA on Friday
night. It was addressed by Thabitha Khumalo, women’s secretary of the ZCTU
(Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions), who spoke movingly about her own abuse at
the hands of the Mugabe regime. Immediately after the Vigil some people rushed
off to a performance of “Breakfast with Mugabe”, a psychological
portrait.
Despite the rain there was a very exuberant feeling with many
people making plans to attend a meeting in London on Sunday to be addressed by
Morgan Tsvangirai. A new supporter, Juliet, was waiting for us when we
arrived. She was so efficient in helping us set up in the terrible drought!
She also saw off a young Zimbabwean who asked how can you judge if elections are
free and fair. He looked pretty sleek and we think he is probably the offspring
of a Zanu-PF crony. Nevertheless it is disturbing that the likes of him are
still swanning around when he should be grappling with the realities at home.
We would like him to know that we are pressing the EU to extend targeted
sanctions to the offspring of cronies.
For the latest Vigil pictures:
http://uk.msnusers.com/ZimbabweVigil/shoebox.msnw.
FOR THE RECORD: 43
signed the register. For archive diary
Vigil
co-ordinator
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London,
takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross
violations of human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which
started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and
fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
May 28, 2006, 2 hours, 3
minutes and 56 seconds ago.
By Andnetwork .com
FARM workers
yesterday threatened to go on strike to press for a salary review in tandem with
the galloping inflation, a move that will throw into disarray the winter farming
season.
General Agriculture and Plantations Workers Union of Zimbabwe
(GAPWUZ) general secretary, Gertrude Hambira, yesterday said the union was
consulting its members to weigh out possible ways of forcing employers to
urgently review their salaries, which averages $1,3 million a month.
“We are
currently in consultations with them (farm workers) to find a way forward. We
are weighing different options including the downing of tools,” Hambira
said.
The Agricultural Labour Bureau (ALB) – made up of farmer
organisations and labour representatives – yesterday confirmed that GAPWUZ had
called for a strike, despite that salary negotiations were still on.
ALB
chairman, Joseph Mafanuke said: “We have been reliably informed that GAPWUZ has
called for industrial action,” Mafanuke said. “Our concern as farmers is that
the move was sudden and we were not notified.”
Mafanuke accused GAPWUZ of
having acted in bad faith during the negotiations by failing to submit a
position paper on the salaries last month as per agreement.
“Our worry
therefore is that we were taken unaware by the call for the strike. We are still
waiting for GAPWUZ to come up with its position paper,” he
added.
However, sources said GAPWUZ submitted its position paper to the
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on Wednesday this week.
Hambira told this newspaper that farm workers were finding it difficult to make
ends meet with their earnings.
She claimed that, instead, farmers were
buying expensive properties and sending their children to private schools.
“Workers are finding it hard to survive on the salaries we are getting. Imagine,
the minimum wage for general agriculture workers is $1,3 million and those for
plantations is $2,8 million,” Hambira said.
“Many children have joined
their parents as labourers because parents can longer afford to send them to
school. This is depriving children of their right to education.”
Hambira
had earlier on told New Ziana that the low wages affected the growth of the
agricultural industry as most workers were shifting to gold panning, defeating
the government’s call for the sector to reclaim the country’s status as Africa’s
breadbasket.
The labourers, the majority of whom are of Malawian origin, held
a conference in Harare early this month at which they demanded a living wage.
They noted domestic workers and government employees’ salaries were reviewed
last month and urged farmers to do the same.
The farm employees also
argued the government had reviewed producer prices for maize and cash crops and
implored their employers to do the same with their salaries. The government
reviewed the price of a tonne of maize from $2,7 million to $31 million while
tobacco farmers are getting $180 000 per kg plus a $40 000 per kg bonus for
early delivery, while soya beans is now $60 million a tonne.
Agro-economist,
Jonathan Kadzura, told New Ziana that there was need for a review of the
country’s agricultural policies, which he said did not promote production,
resulting in poor wages for workers.
"The government must review the
agricultural policies so that farming becomes more productive. There should be
an equilibrium between prices paid for farm produce and salaries paid to
workers," Kadzura was quoted saying. "Employers must also realise that they use
the same supermarkets as workers."
Agricultural and plantation workers are
among the least paid workers in the country.
The poor wages have fuelled
prostitution as workers try to cushion their meagre earnings and this has
affected production as a lot of workers are succumbing to HIV and
Aids.
Source : Daily Mirror
May 27, 2006,
7 hours, 44 minutes and 27 seconds ago.
By Andnetwork .com
GREECE has provided 50 000 euros (about $6,5 billion) for the
construction of an opportunistic infections clinic at Chivhu General
Hospital.
The funds donated through the Chikomba District
Association will also be used to buy anti-retroviral drugs, home based care kits
and support HIV and Aids programmes in Mashonaland East Province.
Speaking at the handover of the money on Wednesday, Greece Ambassador to
Zimbabwe Mr Dimitri Alexandrakis said the donation would bring close
co-operation between the Embassy of Greece and the Chikomba Development
Association in combating HIV and Aids.
"Greece, in solidarity with the
people of Zimbabwe and in particular with those of Chikomba District, will
strive to continue its donations as we work together for the success of the HIV
and Aids management programme," he said. Mr Alexandrakis said the donation would
also strengthen ties and co-operation between Zimbabwe and Greece.
"In
light of the warm relations between the people of Zimbabwe and Greece, it is
therefore only natural that Greece should contribute to the struggle against the
HIV and Aids pandemic," he said. He noted that the relations between the two
countries date back to the early 1980s when Greece trained the first Zimbabwean
pilots and supported the country during the successive droughts that hit the
country.
"For example, some of Air Zimbabwe’s first pilots were trained
in Greece. In 2005, Greece donated 30 000 euros to the World Food Programme for
emergency food assistance to Zimbabwe following the drought that affected the
country," he said. In addition, he said the many Zimbabweans of Greek origin
have over the years contributed significantly to the economic development of the
country.
Speaking at the same occasion, Chikomba Member of the House of
Assembly and Information and Publicity Minister, Cde Tichaona Jokonya, said the
donation would go a long way in assisting people affected by the HIV and Aids
pandemic.
"The donation is most appreciated by the people of Chikomba
and our Government and it is expected that it will go a long way in alleviating
health and HIV and Aids-related problems in the district," Cde Jokonya said. The
minister also noted that Greece has been supportive of Zimbabwe and commended
the European country for its continued support.
Chikomba Development
Association, acting chairman Mr Lance Jera assured Mr Alexandrakis the funds
would be put to their intended use. Chikomba District has about 1 251 people
living with Aids and around 3 204 registered orphans and vulnerable children.
At least 426 infected people in the district have been diagnosed and are
already on ARV treatment, while about 224 others, who are living with the killer
disease, are currently awaiting treatment. Senior Government officials,
traditional leaders, councillors and Zanu-PF leaders in the province attended
the ceremony.
Source : Herald
May 27, 2006, 8
hours, 35 minutes and 34 seconds ago.
By Andnetwork .com
THIRTY-FIVE people were injured, four of them seriously, when the
Bulawayo-Victoria Falls passenger train with 480 people on board derailed near
Malindi Siding in Dete on Thursday.
National Railways of Zimbabwe
experts, who attended the scene about 30 kilometres from Dete Business Centre,
said the accident was caused by a broken track as a result of wear and tear
caused by rail fatigue.
The track was laid in 1959. Three of the injured
were admitted to Hwange Colliery Hospital, while another was transferred to
Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo. The other passengers were treated and discharged
at the NRZ Clinic in Dete.
As a result of the accident, Mr Gwizi said
trains running between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls had been temporarily stopped
to pave way for repair work.
Source : Chronicle
May 27,
2006, 16 hours, 51 minutes and 11 seconds ago.
By Andnetwork .com
Britain is adamant that it will continue working with United Nations
secretary-general Mr Kofi Annan and the rest of the international communiuty to
exert, mobilise and maintain international pressure for change in
Zimbabwe.
The British government also revealed that it has ensured that
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) keeps Zimbabwe suspended from accessing
balance of payment (BOP) support and that the UN Security Council keeps Harare
under scrutiny. Former British Defence Secretary Mr Geoffrey Hoon — speaking in
his new capacity as Minister of Europe — made the revelation in parliament on
Wednesday.
"During the past six months, the Government has worked with
our EU partners to maintain travel, financial and military sanctions on the
Mugabe regime; ensured that the International Monetary Fund keeps Zimbabwe
suspended; kept Zimbabwe under scrutiny by the Security Council; worked with the
UN Secretary-General to address Zimbabwe’s governance problems; and, with the US
and leading allies, maintained international pressure for change," Mr Hoon said.
"We will sustain that pressure," he said in response to a question by the
Conservative MP for Macclesfield, Sir Nicholas Winterton.
The
parliamentarian wanted to know what recent action the British government had
taken to influence world opinion on the situation in Zimbabwe. "Clearly, we want
to see sustained pressure on the regime and further international action to
isolate Mugabe’s leadership," Mr Hoon said while answering another question from
Labour MP for Vauxhall Kate Hoey. The latest developments come in the wake of
media reports that Mr Annan intended to visit Zimbabwe to negotiate a deal with
President Mugabe that would include his exit package and an economic rescue
plan. The planned exit package is despite the fact that President Mugabe’s term
expires in 2008.
However, Zimbabwe has since said it does not need UN
intervention because it (Zimbabwe) is not a UN issue and Mr Annan is not welcome
in Harare on such a mission. The only invitation he has had is to come to
Zimbabwe to assess the clean-up operation but the purpose of that invitation has
since fallen away. Mr Annan’s spokesman and the UN under secretary-general for
political affairs Mr Ibrahim Gambari have attempted to shoot down the reports.
"It’s premature to talk about any package and certainly even more premature to
talk about that package including the departure of President Mugabe," Mr Gambari
said in New York. Mr Annan’s spokesman also told journalists at a daily
briefing: " . . . it would be premature to describe any of the contacts, the
exploration the secretary-general has been doing, as a package.
" Despite
these denials, behind the scenes scheming confirm the British government’s
revelation that it is working with the UN chief. The Herald is reliably informed
that on Monday Mr Annan dispatched an emissary to try and turn former Tanzanian
President Mr Benjamin Mkapa into his envoy on Zimbabwe. It is believed that Mr
Mkapa was initiating contact between the Zimbabwe and British governments whose
relations were strained over Harare’s land reform programme.
MDC leader
Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, at a Press conference in London yesterday, urged the UN to
intervene in Zimbabwe, further confirming that the British were working with the
world body. "The Zimbabwe crisis is an international crisis," Mr Tsvangirai -–
who is on a tour of Europe – said adding that Mr Annan should not be
deterred.
Observers said the strategy to rope in Mr Annan by the British
is linked to the changes
at the British Foreign Office following a recent
reshuffle by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Ms Margaret Beckett replaced Mr Jack
Straw as Foreign Secretary, a move diplomatic sources said left British
Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Dr Roderick Pullen, who has been trying to build bridges
with Harare since his arrival early this year, in a quandary. Dr Pullen was
heeding President Mugabe’s call for him to help build bridges between Zimbabwe
and Britain. He is understood to have gone around Zimbabwe assessing the
situation in the country and presented his findings to London. But that whole
process has been thrown off the track by the changes at the British Foreign
Office. "The British ambassador has indicated that he is now at a loss and will
need to go back home for a fresh brief," said a diplomatic source following the
issue.
Source: The Herald