http://www.timeslive.co.za
May 29, 2011 10:39 AM | By HARARE CORRESPONDENT
Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has heaped praise on the Southern African
Development (SADC) and its mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, South African
President Jacob Zuma, for showing patience in trying to find a lasting
solution to the political stalemate in Harare.
Tsvangirai told
delegates to the launch of a panel of elders on Friday in
Harare that SADC
and Zuma have remained patient despite provocations by
Zanu-PF spin doctors
and other hardliners intent on torpedoing the inclusive
government.
Zuma and SADC have since the March Troika summit in
Livingstone, Zambia,
come under fire from Zanu-PF functionaries, after it
was recommended that
the Global Political Agreement should be fully
implemented.
The meeting also called for an end to state-sponsored
political violence and
creation of an election road map, demands the Zanu-PF
has refused to meet.
The party's officials have cast aspersions on Zuma's
adviser, Lindiwe Zulu,
in the state media, with calls for her to be removed
from Zuma's
facilitation team as she is seen to be "parroting" MDC views
after she said
Zimbabwe was not ready for elections this year.
But
despite the attacks on Zuma and SADC's role, Tsvangirai said he was
grateful
for their intervention. "I wish to thank SADC and the facilitator,
President
Jacob Zuma, for their patience and hard work.
"Despite unnecessary
provocation, they have retained their firm and
unwavering commitment to the
crafting of a road map to ensure a peaceful
electoral environment that will
not breed another contested outcome."
Zanu-PF has been pushing for
harmonised polls with or without a new
constitution, against the advice of
SADC and the other two partners in the
inclusive
government.
Tsvangirai also took a swipe at top military officials said
to be demanding
elections this year. He said Zimbabwe's situation was being
compounded by
the war psychosis - the constant reference to Chimurenga and
the war talk
associated with it.
"It puts the country in an
unnecessary war mode because any war environment
necessitates the suspension
of the constitution and the undermining of the
civilian authority. We cannot
have peace unless all these issues have been
dealt with. Statements by
service chiefs that they will not respect the
people's will only serve to
confirm the uniqueness of our situation and the
importance of vaccinating
state organs from acting like political entities,"
he said.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
Copac sued for $200000 over unpaid PR
bill
May 29, 2011 2:45 PM | By HENDRICKS CHIZHANJE
The Constitution
Select Committee (Copac) has lurched into a fresh crisis
after a public
relations company, Glomedia, hauled the organisation and its
joint
chairpersons to court, demanding more than $200000.
Glomedia has
dispatched a summons to Copac, Parliamentary and Constitutional
Affairs
Minister Eric Matinenga, Copac co-chairpersons Paul Mangwana of
Zanu-PF,
Douglas Mwonzora from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and
Edward
Mkhosi of the smaller faction of the MDC.
The summons demands payment of
$202101.28 for carrying out media and public
relations exercises for the
constitution-making body between June 2009 and
November
2010.
Glomedia, which was appointed as Copac's sole media and public
relations
consultant for the constitution-making process, is claiming
$194101.64 for
unpaid retainer fees and fees for media and public relations
services, $6000
in unpaid retainer fees due since January 2011 and interest
on the debt.
Glomedia's lawyers, of Muzondo and Chinhema law firm, says
the public
relations company entered into a formal and written agreement
with Copac in
December 2009 to render advice on media and information
related matters,
creating and proposing media and information concepts and
creating media
products and other consumables.
Glomedia says despite
having used its services and immensely benefitting
from its work, Copac has
"notwithstanding demand failed, neglected or
refused to pay the services
provided in terms of the agreed contract".
"In the mutual interest,
plaintiff (Glomedia) has for a long time been
unprepared to resort to
litigation to recover the outstanding fees, but the
defendants' erratic and
intransigent behaviour have left it with no choice
but to rely on the
present proceedings to protect its rights," reads part of
Glomedia's
declaration, which was seen by the Sunday Times.
Glomedia says it has
been the sole author of all the media, information and
public relations
concepts and products used by Copac during the ongoing
chaotic
constitution-making process.
These include several audio and video
jingles in the country's main
languages which have been aired on the
country's state-run broadcaster,
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, and
radio and television spot
advertisements in all official
languages.
Glomedia has also been contracted to produce films,
photography, design
print and electronic media products, manuals, booklets,
fliers, logos,
posters, newsletters, itineraries and banners among other
products.
Copac member Jessie Majome, who is responsible for legal
affairs, confirmed
receiving the summons from Glomedia, which the
constitution-making body is
opposing.
"We do confirm that they are
suing Copac. They are entitled to use the law
to obtain recourse. We were
surprised that Glomedia started by suing without
giving us a letter. Our
legal practitioners are representing and defending
Copac," said Majome, a
lawyer by profession.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
May 29, 2011 2:46 PM | By VLADIMIR
MZACA
Longer power cuts have become the order of the day in winter at a
time when
the national power utility Zesa is importing less electricity from
the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
With the encroaching winter the
demand for electricity will go up on the
home, farming and industrial
front.
But Zesa has increased its load shedding too, because it is
failing to
import adequate power.
"We are unfortunately importing
less electricity at a time when the demand
is high. This is because we do
not have enough money," said Zesa's public
relations manager Fulhard
Gwasira.
The power utility is owed more than US$450-million in unpaid
bills, and its
power stations are not operating at full
capacity.
"There is no alternative for load shedding at this point. We
are not
generating enough electricity. Zimbabwe needs 2 200 megawatts a day
and
right now we are generating 1 300 megawatts. If people pay their bills
we
might be able to import more electricity," Gwasira said.
Wheat
farmers are also expecting a constant supply of electricity, and
without it
the winter crop is doomed.
Farmers raised concerns that if they failed to
get a constant supply of
power they would abandon their projects.
In
a bid to avert such a scenario Zesa has come up with a timetable for
farmers.
"We have allocated 162 megawatts three days per week for the
farmers. We
have grouped them according to their geographical clusters in
the interest
of food security and the economy. It is not enough but it will
at least get
us somewhere," Gwasira said.
Investing in a generator
for city dwellers and businesses has become a must.
In urban areas, such
as the two big cities Harare and Bulawayo, power cuts
are even done during
the day, making it difficult for small businesses.
Restaurants, cafes,
computer shops and just about anyone who needs
electricity to conduct
business are now buying generators as power backup in
case of
blackouts.
"Without a generator what I store in my refrigerator would go
bad and that
would affect my business," said Dumisani Kodzayi, who runs a
chain of
restaurants in Bulawayo.
At times the big cities are plunged
into darkness at night and night clubs
have also invested in generators to
stay in business.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
May 29, 2011 2:46 PM | By VLADIMIR
MZACA
Winter wheat producer prices should be announced well ahead of the
planting
season and attract farmers to plant the crop, Matabeleland South
Agritex
provincial officer Innocent Nyathi has said.
Nyathi said
farmers needed to be persuaded to plant wheat as in previous
years the crop
had become expensive to produce because government offered
low producer
prices.
This follows revelations that some farmers in Matabeleland had
pulled out of
winter wheat farming, citing poor yield, Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) inputs,
water and power cut challenges.
The target hectares of
wheat to be planted in Matabeleland South were pegged
at 2032 hectares,
while 1205ha was set for Matabeleland North.
He said only 19% of farmers
in his province had started planting and had
completed planting on 281ha of
land.
"Producer prices should be announced before the season so as to
attract
farmers' participation in the programme. Farmers' reluctance to
plant the
crop stems from the fear that their efforts, which are
characterised by many
challenges, such as power and water cuts, would not be
properly rewarded.
They believe that producer prices would be low," said
Nyathi.
He said farmers' reluctance was heightened by the GMB's tendency
to pay them
late for their produce.
"It has become hard for us to
persuade farmers to partake in the planting
programme as over the years they
have said they feel short-changed as the
GMB delayed in paying for wheat
delivered," said Nyathi.
The government has set this year's winter wheat
target at between 40000 to
45000 hectares. However, obstacles such as power
cuts and unavailability of
farming implements pose a threat to the
target.
Analysts contend that a low hectarage of wheat would mean that
government
would have to commit more funds for importing the grain.
http://mg.co.za/
GODFREY MARAWANYIKA BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE - May 29 2011
07:25
Ravens squawk from the rooftop of a deserted building, once
a top producer
of animal feed that employed hundreds in Zimbabwe's second
city of Bulawayo.
Empty factories are now a common sight in Bulawayo's
industrial district as
the economy struggles to recover from a decade-long
crisis, with firms
downsizing, closing or relocating to the capital for
better opportunities.
"Companies are closing here, Bulawayo needs money,"
said Ruth Labode, who
runs a textile mill.
"A banker openly told us
that if they receive a loan application to fund a
restaurant business from
Bulawayo, they would not fund it.
"In Bulawayo, there are no prospects of
having the project breaking even
fast enough, when compared to other towns
such as Mutare or Harare," she
said.
Planning ministry figures show
that 87 companies closed in Bulawayo last
year, including clothing, auto and
construction firms. An unspecified number
of others relocated to
neighbouring Botswana.
"Bulawayo today is a national crisis, a national
crisis that manifests
itself in the closure of companies resulting in
poverty, high unemployment
and low economic activity," Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai told a recent
rally in the southern city.
Besides the lack
of cash, Bulawayo suffers from perennial water shortages
common to arid
southern Zimbabwe.
"The problem with Bulawayo, besides the issues of
water, is that there is no
money circulating here," Labode
said.
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed Apex Corporation said it plans
to dispose of
its loss-making All Metal Foundry in Bulawayo, putting 200
jobs at risk, its
chairperson said.
"We have decided to sell because
its long-term viability is questionable,"
said company chairperson Farai
Rwodzi.
"Although the gold mining sector, which uses the foundry is
recovering, the
technology at the company is old and unviable. That is why
we are selling."
Zimbabwe's economy has begun recovering since the
government abandoned the
worthless local currency two years ago, allowing
trade in US dollars and
other major foreign currencies.
But most
companies still operate at less than half their capacity due to
funding
woes, according to the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.
Bulawayo
mayor Thaba Moyo said he hopes to attract investors back to
Bulawayo, partly
by trying to win over Zimbabweans who have moved abroad.
"Our aim is to
reclaim our spot as an industrial hub of Zimbabwe," he said.
"We have to
find new investors, as our economy was being run by big
[business] people
but they have left."
Bulawayo needs to "go out, especially to South
Africa, to go and meet our
Zimbabweans in the diaspora to try and address
them on the problems we are
facing as a city", he said.
"All we have
to do is to get them back so that they take responsibilities
and take over
those companies that have either closed down or relocated."
Hundreds of
thousands of people, especially from southern Zimbabwe, have
migrated to
South Africa and Botswana in search of greener pastures.
Uncertainty over
new elections tipped for this year has scared off new
investors who also
worry about President Robert Mugabe's threats to take
over foreign
firms.
But the main issue is finance, with banks only offering 90-day
loans at
rates of up to 45%, said economist Eric Bloch.
"Most
businesses are under-capitalised. Those that have relocated, it's
because
they have bigger operations in Harare," he said. "For example they
have
larger factories there so they are consolidating their operations.
"The
single biggest problem is lack of capital. Companies need long-term
financing instead of the 90-day loans they are being offered," he said. -
AFP
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Ngoni
Chanakira
Saturday, 28 May 2011 13:07
...More cash needed to kick-start
ailing business sector
HARARE - Removing ghost workers from the civil
service payroll could be one
way of improving the moribund economy, top
stockbroking firm Imara Edwards
Securities has said.
In an analysis of
the economy distributed to international investors, Imara
Edwards says the
"fiscal gap" is a result of wage bill overruns and a large
stock of
outstanding domestic payments arrears accumulated by the end of
2010.
"However, the gap could be reduced by the removal of ghost workers,
controls
on employment levels and a reduction in low-priority transfers to
State-owned enterprises," said the firm.
"That said, the bottom line is
that there is plenty of potential for
economic growth to be maintained at a
high pace in the near term, and it
could accelerate further if the reform
process deepens."
Zimbabwe is believed to have an unemployment rate of more
than 80 percent
despite the fact that industrial production has improved
from about 20
percent to 40 percent, according to the Confederation of
Zimbabwe
Industries.
Imara, currently led by Tadious Kasaira, says First
Quarter 2011 performance
was impacted by limited revenue inflows, subdued
performance for industry, a
widening trade deficit and high levels of
unemployment.
In an exclusive interview, the Minister of State for Economic
Planning and
Investment Promotion, Dr Samuel Undenge, told The Zimbabwean
that
"sanctions" were the main hindrance to economic recovery.
"Sanctions
are killing us," he claimed. "They are on all of us and are not
only for the
leaders. There is no money on the market and until the West
gives us funding
our economy will continue to be stagnant."
However, there are no sanctions
against Zimbabwe – only targeted measures
against Zanu (PF) individuals and
related companies responsible for human
rights abuses against the people of
Zimbabwe.
Analysts say that although per capita Gross Domestic Product is
still very
low, the country still enjoys a number of advantages which make
growth
likely.
"There is a very high literacy in Zimbabwe," Imara said.
"There is generous
endowment of natural resources, dynamic private sector,
and commodity price
rally."
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
noted that the macro-economic
outlook for 2011 in Zimbabwe remains "highly
uncertain" although the
short-term growth prospects for mining remain
strong.
"The impediments to further economic growth include: the likely
substantial
fiscal funding gap for 2011, inefficient composition of public
expenditure,
financial sector vulnerabilities and weakness in the business
climate
worsened by the recently gazetted fast track indigenisation of the
mining
sector," Imara said.
"Nonetheless, a timely addressing of the
policy issues could see the strong
growth momentum being sustained. The
fiscal gap is a result of wage bill
overruns and a large stock of
outstanding domestic payments arrears
accumulated by the end of
2011.”
Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe President, Victor Gapare, says Zimbabwe
will
this year produce only nine tonnes of gold, down from more than 13
tonnes
produced previously.
"There is no long-term capital coming into
the mining industry which is
hampering progress," Gapare said.
"We need
between $5 billion and $6 billion during the next five years to get
back on
track. I can, however, safely tell you that Gaths Mine has already
had a
private placement approved by the market."
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Chief
Reporter
Sunday, 29 May 2011 12:04
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai has said the grim political
threats by army generals that they
will never salute anyone without
liberation war credentials reinforces his
oft-repeated call for security
sector reforms and the need to vaccinate
State organs from acting like
political entities.
Zimbabwe hangs in
political limbo after members of President Mugabe's
security Cabinet, the
Joint Operations Command, threatened this week to
block the political
transition if the incumbent veteran President loses the
forthcoming
presidential poll.
The Commander of 3 Brigade, General Douglas Nyikayaramba
told the financial
weekly, the Zimbabwe Independent in remarks published in
a front-page splash
of yesterday's edition that he will never salute
Tsvangirai. He is just the
latest General to announce to the world that they
would not accept, let
alone support or salute, anyone without liberation war
credentials.
This statement has been repeated on the eve of every national
election since
2002. Tsvangirai said yesterday at the launch of a Panel of
Elders -- a
distinguished panel of Zimbabwean leaders hoping to use their
collective
influence to bring political violence to center stage -- that the
army
generals' routine election time statement was tantamount to
intimidation.
Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said the Generals refuse to countenance
the prospect
of Zimbabwe being ruled by a political party other than Zanu PF
– the
deliverer of Zimbabwean independence. Drawing from their experience of
fighting in the country's liberation war, some senior army officers see
themselves as the guardians of Zimbabwean independence. Nyikayaramba
insisted elections must happen this year to end the power-sharing government
that has been wrecked by internal wrangling and sharp disagreements on
policy. Tsvangirai, far from facing down the military commanders, said the
threats reinforce his call for security sector reforms. Tsvangirai has
appealed to regional leaders to persuade Mugabe to allow for wide democratic
security sector reforms before elections, but political analysts believe he
will only concede ground if there is threat of regional isolation.
The
matter has been set down for discussion at the Heads of State and
Government
meeting on the sidelines of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite
Council and
Summit in South Africa on 12th June.
"Statements by service chiefs that they
will not respect the expression of
the people’s will, as well as statements
in the press today in which a
senior army officer is trying to determine the
date of the election, only
serve to confirm the uniqueness of our situation
and the importance of
vaccinating State organs from acting like political
entities," Tsvangirai
said at the launch of the Panel of Elders, headed by
Prof Gordon Chavunduka,
at a local hotel yesterday.
"Unnecessary election
talk leads to dysfunctionality and polarity in the
country. It polarizes
Cabinet, Parliament and the security sector and leads
to unilateral actions
and selective application of the law."
The Generals’ threat to never allow
President Mugabe to cede executive
powers to Tsvangirai was an ominous sign.
The MDC leader alleged the
generals were imposing a "war psychosis" on the
country.
"Our current situation is being compounded by the war psychosis -
the
constant reference to Chimurenga and the war language associated with
it,"
Tsvangirai said. "It puts the country into an unnecessary war mode
because
any war environment necessitates the suspension of the Constitution
and the
undermining of the civilian authority. The
civilian authority
becomes substituted by partisan organs of the State and
the whole country is
thrown into fear and insecurity. We cannot have peace
unless all these
issues have been dealt with."
The decorated security chiefs are all veterans
of the guerrilla war against
supremacist Ian Smith's brutal white rule in
the 1970s that brought
Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.
Many see their
open support for President Mugabe as a formidable obstacle to
Tsvangirai's
bid for the Zimbabwean presidency. The MDC has been unequivocal
in
reassuring security forces that they have nothing to fear from a change
of
government if they remain "professional".
In recent days, Defence Forces
commanders pointedly Brig Gen Nyikaramba and
police chief Augustine Chihuri
have issued tough statements ahead of next
year's crunch poll backing Mugabe
and denouncing Tsvangirai and his party as
"puppets and running dogs" of
Western countries and clearly stated that they
will not accept the MDC
leader’s victory.
Political analysts say the political transition did not
require the security
officials' acquiescence if the people have elected a
leader of their choice
even though he could not have liberation war
credentials.
"The threat is there but that threat is unlawful, that threat is
unconstitutional, that threat is a violation of the GPA, that threat
is a
violation of the SADC Treaty, it is a violation of the AU Constitutive
Charter, it is a violation of the United Nations Charter,
it is a
violation of the Unilateral Declaration for Human Rights, it is a
violation
of all norms of civilized governance," political
analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya
said. "Nyikayaramba must appreciate the
consequences of such violations. He
will be a war criminal."
A desperate MDC has tried to buy off the Generals
without success. The MDC
in 2009 requested the US government to provide a
'Trust Fund' to sweeten
retirement packages for the army generals to ease
them out of office. The US
refused to fund that.
The extraordinary plea
was allegedly made by MDC deputy treasurer-general
Elton Mangoma in an
October 29, 2009 meeting with political and economic
affairs chief at the US
embassy Katherine Dhanani, according to a memo drawn
up by American
officials which was obtained by the secrets-spilling
WikiLeaks
website.
"According to Elton Mangoma, (then) MDC-T minister of Economic
Development
and member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's inner circle,
the MDC would
like the U.S. to contribute to a 'trust fund' to buy off
securocrats and
move them into retirement," says the US cable.
The cable
further said Mangoma, one of Tsvangirai's closest advisors and one
of the
MDC-T negotiators of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), reiterated
Tsvangirai's views that a primary obstacle to political progress and reform
was the service chiefs.
"Unlike many Zanu-PF insiders who had stolen and
invested wisely, these
individuals had not become wealthy," the US cable
wired to Washington says.
"They feared economic pressures, as well as
prosecution for their misdeeds,
should political change result in their
being forced from office. Therefore,
they were resisting GPA progress that
could
ultimately result in fair elections. Mangoma asked for consideration of
U.S.
contribution to a ‘trust fund’ that could be used to negotiate the
service
chiefs' retirement. He said he planned to approach the UK and
Germany with
the same request."
The US cable said Washington believed the
service chiefs could not defy
Mugabe if he personally wanted to implement
terms of the power-sharing pact
that also calls for security sector
reforms.
"While no doubt there are hardliners, including the service chiefs
close to
Mugabe who are pressuring him not to further implement the GPA, we
continue
to believe he could make concessions should he choose to do so,"
says the US
cable.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by John
Chimunhu
Saturday, 28 May 2011 13:19
HARARE - Robert Mugabe’s theft of
the 2008 presidential vote was quickly
exposed because of the internet,
former British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown has said.
Interviewed Friday
on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight programme, Brown
warned that with further
growth of internet access for people under
oppressive regimes, dictators like
Mugabe would soon face the full
wrath of their own people, as is happening in
North Africa.
“It’s because of the internet that we knew about the flawed
elections
in Zimbabwe,” Brown said, adding: “What will happen over the years
is
that social organisations will emerge from the floor.”
Brown said
‘elite leaders’, meaning dictators, could no longer rest
comfortably while
suppressing the wishes of their people as local
online protest actions now
quickly turned into “worldwide campaigns”.
“It will change the way we see the
world,” Brown said.
Brown was at the helm in Britain in 2008 when Zimbabwe’s
post-election
crisis exploded, triggered by Mugabe and the army’s alleged
tinkering
with results of the first round of voting in which then
opposition
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the clear winner.
Britain,
which has thousands of its nationals and private companies in
Zimbabwe was
quickly drawn into the conflict as it mobilized other
Western nations to act
against Mugabe. Pro-democracy activists used
the internet successfully to
publish horrific pictures of murdered and
mutilated MDC-T supporters. The
images shocked the world when they
were flashed around the world by
international news networks.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Xolisani Ncube, Staff writer
Sunday, 29 May
2011 15:59
HARARE - A cabinet minister has likened President Robert
Mugabe’s unilateral
push to have elections this year to ruthless colonial
leader Ian Smith’s
unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in
1965.
David Coltart, the education minister, said Mugabe and his
military backers’
election rally could return Zimbabwe into a pariah state
in the same manner
Smith did when he broke ranks with Britain under his UDI
call.
“If Mugabe calls for elections this year against the wishes of Sadc
and the
rest of the world, he will be just acting like Ian Smith who thought
that he
would declare Zimbabwe an independent country without the concert of
others
partners,” he said.
Coltart, a top ranking official of
Welshman Ncube’s MDC party represented
several liberation war heroes who
were under attack from Smith during the
UDI era.
He told a public
meeting on elections on Thursday night that it was
“foolish” and
“premature” to talk about elections now because the process
of holding free
and fair elections was yet to be achieved.
“We have at least ten steps
which are outlined in the Global Political
Agreement talking about the
roadmap to hold free and fair elections and it
is unfortunate that we have
only completed three of them. So I don’t see any
sense in us talking about
elections,” he said.
Political analyst Trevor Maisiri told the same
meeting that Mugabe’s Zanu PF
party was creating its own crisis by
attempting to call for elections
against the wishes of the region, who were
the overseers of the power
sharing agreement reached by the three main
political parties.
The African Union in June 2008 mandated Sadc with
overseeing the formation
of a coalition government and creation of
conditions for a fresh free
election after rejecting a violent presidential
election runoff held that
same year.
“Sadc is likely to hold on its
stance because they would like to avoid the
challenge it facedin 2008,” said
Maisiri.
He said that Sadc was likely to take a tough stance against
Mugabe if he
went ahead with a unilateral call for elections before the
adoption of a
clear roadmap being supervised by regionally-appointed
mediator, South
African President Jacob Zuma.
“More so, Sadc is South
Africa and in this case South Africa is fighting its
legacy in conflict
resolution and its glory and position in mediation
considering that they
have not done much in other missions in Africa,” said
Maisiri.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC spokesperson said it was
“suicidal” for Mugabe to
go it alone.
“It is not about fearing Zuma
as other people in Zanu PF would by listening
to what he advices but it is
about respecting him and his position in our
case as a guarantor to this
GPA. We should not fight against other heads of
states,”
“If Mugabe
tries to go it alone it will be suicidal and the consequences are
so huge
such that it will not affect not only Zimbabwe but even other
countries
close to us,” said Mwonzora.
Maisiri said Zanu PF had realised that South
Africa held sway within Sadc
hence the moves to frustrate Zuma.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Sunday, 29 May 2011
15:49
HARARE - Businessman and former fitness trainer turned
commercial farmer,
Temba Mliswa, has been acquitted of charges of
intimidation and contravening
the Post and Telecommunications Services
Act.
Mliswa was yesterday cleared of the charges by regional
magistrate Morgan
Nemadire, who described complainant Paul Westwood’s
allegations of fear as
“figments of imagination”.
Charges against
Mliswa arose in December 2009, when he allegedly forced
Westwood to hand
over his firm.
The State alleged that Mliswa approached Westwood at
Noshio Motors in Msasa,
a company Westwood co-owned with one Banda and
induced fear in him so that
he would hand over the firm.
Westwood
told the court that Mliswa had sent him a message which he
interpreted as a
threat to him and his family.
“I believed he was going to hurt me if I
was not going to cede my company,”
he said.
Mliswa denied the
charges, saying that when he approached Westwood he wanted
to introduce
himself to the businessman and his employees since he had
acquired shares
that belonged to Banda.
In his judgment, magistrate Nemadire pointed out
that the state had
completely failed to prove a prima facie case against
Mliswa. He said
Westwood had a very strong interest in the
matter.
“This is a scenario of the boxing match where each party fights
to win. The
fact that this was a single witness and is the sole proof that
we have
against the accused creates a scarcity of evidence.
“There
would have been a compelling need for corroborating Westwood’s
evidence,”
the magistrate said.
He said Westwood’s evidence was unreliable
considering that none of the
three witnesses that testified in court
corroborated his evidence.
“The evidence of the three witnesses who were
like defence witnesses, was
similar on the material dispute of facts. They
never heard accused (Mliswa)
threatening Westwood but instead he urged
employees not to meddle in
administration and managerial issues,” said
Nemadire.
In a statement to court, one of Westwood’s employees, Naison
Mudukuti had
stated that: “Mr Mliswa introduced himself to us and went on to
say that he
had bought 50 percent company shares which belonged to Mr Banda
and that the
remaining shares still belonged to Mr Westwood.”
Samuel
Mukupe and Wonder Rwatirera, who are both employees of Noshio Motors,
echoed
Mudukuti’s sentiments. They explained that Mliswa had told them that
he was
going to be one of the directors and expected to have a good working
relationship with the rest of them.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Vusimuzi Bhebhe
Saturday, 28
May 2011 13:09
HARARE - Diamond mining giant De Beers said it has not yet
been approached
for a comment and is therefore unaware of an ‘expert’panel
set up by the
Zimbabwean government to probe alleged looting of diamonds by
the company.
Zimbabwe's Mines Ministry announced at the beginning of this
month that an
‘expert’ panel had been set up to investigate the alleged
diamond fraud
committed by De Beers when it held prospecting rights in
Marange prior to
2006.
Harare said it would take De Beers to court if
the report by its panel
confirmed their suspicions. However, De Beers
spokesperson Lynette Gould
said this week: ‘We are not aware of any such
'expert' panel nor have we
been approached to comment.’
She said her
company had nothing to hide and was confident it would be
cleared of any
wrongdoing by the panel when the investigation commences.
‘We are
confident that should such a panel be convened that they would find
absolutely no wrongdoing on the part of De Beers. By way of background, De
Beers was prospecting in Zimbabwe for around 10 years until it departed in
2006. It carried out prospecting in the Marange area for only two years, all
of which is recorded by the relevant authorities,’ Gould added.
Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu and Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire say
the
South African diamond giant took rough stones from Marange but never
declared their value to the state.
The government officials argue
that De Beers allegedly told Harare that it
was looking for Kimberlite pipe
diamonds that required deeper digging than
alluvial diamonds. This raised
questions as to how De Beers could have
missed stones that artisanal miners
extracted with hoes and hands.
Gould insisted that De Beers' business
model was based on exploring for
primary deposits. ‘Marange is a secondary
or alluvial deposit and we thus
concluded that it was not appropriate for
our portfolio,’ she said.
Political analysts have said the move by the
Zimbabwean government was an
attempt to divert attention from alleged
looting of diamonds from the
controversial Marange field by shadowy firms
working in partnership with
senior Zanu (PF) officials.
Human rights
organizations have alleged serious abuses by Zimbabwean
military units in
control of Marange, and others say millions of diamonds
are being smuggled
out to the enrichment of a clique with close ties to
President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party.
http://www.radiovop.com
7 hours 43 minutes
ago
The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has called on the
members of
the Kimberley Process to resolve their internal disagreements on
the issue
of rough diamond exports from Zimbabwe, and without any further
delay take
the essential and courageous decision to allow Zimbabwe to export
rough
diamonds from all diamond mining areas in the country, including the
controversial Marange fields in the eastern part of the country.
"The
KP, due to the deadlock in its decision-making process and its experts'
ensuing indecision to allow rough diamond exports from Zimbabwe to resume,
is about to cause irreparable damage throughout the entire to supply
pipeline of our industry and trade, and threatens the livelihood of
literally millions of people throughout the internationaldiamond and jewelry
sector " said WFDB President Avi Paz.
Paz emphasized that by
perpetuating the current impasse in its decision
making, the KP bears direct
responsibility, not only for the reputational
damage done to the diamond and
jewelry sector, but also for a significant
part of the economic hardship
that continues to befall the people of
Zimbabwe. "In addition, if the KP
remains indecisive on [Zimbabwe], there is
a real danger that the relevance
of the KP itself will be at stake," the
WFDB president said.
Meanwhile,
the WFDB president stressed that along with its strong statement,
it had
instructed all WFDB members to continue to follow the KP's and the
WFDB's
clear directives not to trade in rough diamonds without the proper KP
certification.
http://bulawayo24.com/
by Bhebhe
Mandla
2011 May 29 09:01:25
A bogus prison officer stole duplicate
keys to cells at Chikurubi Maximum,
Harare Central and Remand prisons. The
Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) has
activated its tracking systems amid fears
that the fake officer could free
suspects and hard-core criminals from the
holding facilities.
Sources revealed last week that the man, only
identified as Zvoma,
approached the ZPS traditional lock and key supplier on
the pretext that the
service required fresh stocks.
Posing as the
head of the procurement department, he convinced the supplier.
It is
understood he told company officials that payment would be made at
headquarters. On the first occasion, he led the officials to the complex but
subsequently made off with the keys after dumping them in one of the
offices.
He used the same tactic on his second and third outings
after dealing with
different members of the firm's staff. On his last
adventure, he marched
into the ZPS Mashonaland regional office complex clad
in service uniform.
He drew salutes from low-ranking officers, as he once
again got away with
another set of keys. Sources suspect he is a former
officer given his
intricate knowledge of procedure.
Last week, ZPS
authorities paraded male officers from headquarters and the
regional office
in the hope that the company officials would identify the
culprit. The
service immediately activated its tracking systems after
failing to net him
in the parade. ZPS Mashonaland regional spokesperson
Principal Prison
Officer Solomon Mutamba said they had launched a manhunt
for "prison
officer" Zvoma.
"Well, we are on high alert at both our offices and jails
in Mashonaland
since we do not know what he will do with the keys," he
said.
"Maybe he has plans to become a supplier of keys or he has other cruel
intentions like selling them to other people who can free their
colleagues.
"We are working with the police force on the
matter."
Security breaches have become a major concern to the ZPS in
recent months.
Only a month ago, an officer had to be recommended for
psychiatric
evaluation after he "promoted" himself.
In March, a female
prison officer was transferred from Harare Central Prison
to Chikurubi
Female Prison after she fell in love with an inmate.
Source: TNZ
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Chengetai Zvauya, Staff
Writer
Sunday, 29 May 2011 15:53
HARARE - Members of the Johanne
Marange apostolic sect who have invaded one
of the country’s biggest dairy
farms have forcibly grabbed over 100 cattle
belonging to the farm’s owner,
Francis Kotze.
A Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) official told the
Daily News yesterday that
the apostolic sect members, reinforced by Zanu PF
youths, had disrupted
operations at Spillemeer Farm in Chipinge.
The
official said the apostolic faith members ordered Kotze to remove a
drove of
pigs claiming the presence of the animals ran contrary to their
religious
beliefs. They however, demanded that he slaughter several sheep to
feed
them. They declared the cattle as theirs, the CFU official said. They
are
now milking the cattle themselves.
“The invaders have also looted his
property and are demanding him to
slaughter sheep for their meat. His
workers are also being threatened with
violence as they are supporting
Kotze,” said the CFU.
Police, the CFU said, had refused to intervene,
claiming the matter was
political.
The apostolic faith members,
donning their famous white robes, invaded
Spillemeer farm on Tuesday. They
claimed to have an offer letter from
government granting them ownership of
the farm.
Kotze was one of the few whites remaining in the farming
business following
the violent takeover of farms under the land reform
programme that began in
2000.
http://www.politicsweb.co.za/
RW Johnson
29 May
2011
RW Johnson on that country's grossly rigged electoral
register
Despite clear and binding international agreements to the
contrary, evidence
now available shows that President Robert Mugabe's ruling
Zanu-PF is again
planning to steal the next elections with the help of a
grossly rigged
electoral register.
After the 2008 elections, in which
the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change won a parliamentary majority
but in which the MDC leader, Morgan
Tsvangirai, was forced to withdraw from
the ensuing presidential election
due to the overwhelming level of
government-orchestrated violence,
Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern
African Development Community (SADC)
stitched together a deal, the Global
Political Agreement, which saw Mugabe
remain as President with Tsvangirai as
Prime Minister and a commitment to a
new constitution with free and fair
elections.
In terms of the GPA the constitution has to be passed by a
popular
referendum before elections can take place, probably around June
2012. But,
of course, the new register is thus fundamental to both the
referendum and
the elections - for parliament and President.
In all
previous elections the electoral register has been a major source of
controversy. Drawn up by Tobaiwa Mudede, an outspoken Zanu-PF supporter, it
was notoriously full of dead and fictional voters - who always voted
Zanu-PF. Mudede regarded the register as a state secret and defied all court
orders to make it available to the press or opposition parties.
When
an NGO did finally procure a copy in 2002, it was found to contain at
least
twice as many voters as was plausible. Despite that, the supposedly
independent Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) - in fact stuffed with
government supporters - never upheld any complaints about the
register.
With this unhappy history in mind SADC insisted that a wholly
new voters'
roll be drawn up and that all the personnel of ZEC be changed to
allow a
properly independent commission to be constituted. These changes
were then
confirmed by the Zimbabwean parliament.
In fact all this
has been illegally set aside by ZEC. Mudede, though rising
70 and way past
retirement age, has been retained as Registrar-General -
clearly for
political reasons. Similarly, several of the old ZEC members
have, despite
the stipulations of the GPA, been re-appointed to the new ZEC.
Under
their guidance the ZEC has agreed not to do as SADC and Parliament
determined but simply to keep the old, discredited register and add new
names to it. The results are grotesque. Although the new roll is a closely
guarded secret I have managed to gain sight of a copy.
The first
notable fact is that an impossible 5,727,902 voters were
registered on the
2008 register. Given that over four million Zimbabweans
have fled Mugabe's
rule, most analysts now believe Zimbabwe's population has
fallen to between
8 and 10 million. Even if the 10 million figure is
preferred, 60% of the
population is aged under 18 and all previous surveys
show a maximum 80%
voter registration rate.
So the maximum possible number on the voters'
roll should be 3.2m. So the
2008 register had at least 2.5m too many voters
on it - more than enough to
settle any election. Thus the (illegal) decision
to retain the old 2008
register as a baseline has fatal
consequences.
However, Mudede has now added another 366,550 new voters -
a remarkable
figure given that Zimbabwe's population is shrinking. Moreover,
these are
not all young voters coming of age. Although Zimbabwe's average
life
expectancy is now down to 44.8 years, an astonishing 33,206 of these
new
voters are aged 50-70, and another 16,649 are over 70.
Even more
remarkable, 1418 are over 100, although everyone knows that the
famines and
hardships of recent years have carried off most of the old.
Oddly, although
it is legally required for all voters to give a valid
address, quite a few
names on the roll lack one. There are also hundreds of
under-age persons
registered, some of them as young as two or three years
old.
It is
also striking that these anomalies are by no means evenly distributed
across
all constituencies. Instead they are concentrated in seats where
Zanu-PF
feels under threat. Thus in Mount Darwin East one finds 118 voters
aged over
100, the majority of them all born on the same day, 1 January
1901. Another
nine 96 year olds are all born on 1 January 1905 and 25
further 91 year olds
are all born on 1 January 1910.
Once one looks at the new register as a
whole one finds there are no less
than 16,828 voters all born on the same
day, 1 January 1901. Such a
concentration of 110 year olds with identical
birthdays is no doubt a
planetary record. Even more remarkable, though, no
less than 1101 of these
are concentrated in Mugabe's birthplace, Zvimba,
which, no doubt, will help
to guarantee a pleasing election result
there.
All told the register includes 41,119 voters aged over 100. Yet in
Britain,
with a population more than five times the size of Zimbabwe and
with an
enormously higher life expectancy, there are only 10,000 people aged
over
100. It seems clear that Mudede has only arrived at such absurd figures
by
systematically failing to remove dead voters from the rolls.
What
is clear enough of Zimbabwe's 41,119 centenarians is that if they ever
really existed they doubtless died long ago. It is also interesting to note
that 18,525 voters are listed merely as being attached to "housing
co-operative" associations without any proper address. Such phantom voters
vote early and often in Zimbabwe. There is a notable concentration of such
address-less voters in Harare North which helped Zanu-PF evict the MDC MP
Trudy Stevenson from the seat in 2008.
I will publish a full report
on the voters' roll under the auspices of the
South African Institute of
Race Relations, together with supporting
documentation. President Zuma has
acted well on this matter so far,
insisting that Mugabe be held to the terms
of the Global Political Agreement
(GPA), to Mugabe's vocal
irritation.
However, this new data on the voters' roll makes it crystal
clear that
Mugabe intends to subvert the GPA and cheat his way back to power
again. If
President Zuma and his SADC colleagues are serious, they can
prevent this.
The agreement to free and fair elections with a new voters'
roll was part of
the Global Political Agreement which Mugabe personally
signed. SADC is due
to meet to consider the situation on May 20 in Windhoek,
Namibia.
RW Johnson
This article first appeared in Business Day
The revelation that
Britain is harbouring a CIO torturer has caused outrage beyond the Vigil’s
expectations when we reported on the scandal in last week’s diary. The press
have been besieging Phillip Machemedze’s house in Wales (provided at public
expense). Anger at the ridiculous decision to allow him to stay in the UK is
unlikely to flag, given the gruesome possibility that it could further open the
door to any torturer in the world to find haven in Britain under crazy human
rights legislation which seems to support the perpetrator of abuses rather than
the victim.
The Vigil cannot
understand the decision of the immigration judge not to send Machemedze back to
Zimbabwe ‘because he might face ill-treatment there’. To Zimbabweans who have
fled to the UK to escape persecution from people like him, his very presence
here among us is a threat. It reminds us of the swaggering presence of Zanu PF
murderers at home enjoying immunity from prosecution.
We cannot understand
why Machemedze cannot be tried here in Britain under international laws against
human rights violators. After all, he has admitted committing atrocities
‘too gruesome to recount’. Otherwise he should be sent to the Hague for trial by
the International Criminal Court. A third possibility is that any of his victims
who may be in the UK should sue him in the British courts – though they will
have to face the dispiriting prospect that he will have funds from British
taxpayers to support his case through interminable levels of appeals . .
.
As it is, it appears
that Machemedze has been breaking British law. Police are said to be
investigating allegations that he illegally obtained work here by deception –
appropriately enough as a ‘care worker’! It’s not clear whether he was equipped
with the pliers he said he had used to pull out the teeth of an MDC supporter
after he had broken his jaw (https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/may29_2011.html#Z4).
What is galling to
people at the Vigil who have been forced to leave our country is that someone
like him should be allowed to live here when so many of us are facing
deportation back to Zimbabwe. Who will be allowed in next to be plugged into the
British welfare system – Robert Mugabe? For a view of this case from Zimbabwe
read Cathy Buckle’s latest letter (http://www.cathybuckle.com/index.php?id=40).
On the subject of
torture, the Vigil has again been invited to play a prominent part by providing
the music for the annual service for Zimbabwean victims of torture organized by
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum at 2 pm on Sunday, 26th June (the
UN international day in support of victims of torture) at Wesley’s Chapel and
Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London. Speakers are Irene Petras of the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights and Kudakwashe Chitsike of the Research and Advocacy
Unit (Zimbabwe). For more details check ‘Events and
Notices’.
The Vigil was glad to
have many Spanish people signing our petitions. They were in London for the big
football match between Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley. We were glad
they were so supportive and wish them a speedy recovery from their
hangovers!
For latest Vigil
pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website. For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check http://www.zimvigiltv.com/.
FOR THE
RECORD: 67 signed the
register.
EVENTS AND
NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe.
·
ZBN News.
The
Vigil management team wish to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN
News.
·
The Zim Vigil
band
(Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) has launched its theme song ‘Vigil Yedu (our
Vigil)’ to raise awareness through music. To download this single, visit: www.imusicafrica.com and to watch the video
check: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukqctWc3XE.
·
Lecture:
A Shadow of Its Former Self: Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe's Education System.
Thursday
9th June 6 pm. Venue: Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building, Lower
Ground Floor (LG.09), London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A
2AE. The speaker is Peter Godwin, award-winning foreign correspondent, author,
documentary-maker and screen writer. Chaired by Baroness Bonham Carter. The
event is organized by Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) and the LSE
Africa Initiative. The lecture is followed by a reception (7.30pm - 9.00pm): NAB
8th Floor. RSVP: zimbabwe.cara@lsbu.ac.uk. Admission free
but donations welcomed on the door towards CARA's work supporting Zimbabwean
academics and the re-building of the country's higher education system.
·
ROHR National
Fundraising Event.
Saturday 25th June from 12 noon till late.
Venue:
St
Peters Church Hall, Whitehall Road, West Bromwich B70 0HF. Come and enjoy
African dishes and music while donating to a good cause. Admission fee £8
includes a plate of food and a soft drink. Raffle tickets on sale @ £1. Contact:
Peter Nkomo 07817096594, V J Mujeyi 07403446696, Tsvakai Marambi 07915065171,
Solomon L Matshoba 07733741065, P Chibanguza 07908406069, R Chifungo 07795070609
or P Mapfumo 07915926323 / 07932216070
·
Service of Solidarity
with Zimbabwe’s torture victims:
Sunday 26th June from 2 – 4 pm. Venue: Wesley’s Chapel and
Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London EC1Y 1AU (nearest tube: Old Street). The
event is organized by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (www.hrforumzim.com). Speakers are Irene
Petras, Director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Kudakwashe
Chitsike, Lawyer in the Women’s Department of the Research and Advocacy Unit
(Zimbabwe). Vigil supporters will be providing the music in the form of
Zimbabwean hymns.
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace
page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith Todd’s
acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe. To receive a copy by post in the UK
please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to
Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All
proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level
students in Zimbabwe.
·
Workshops aiming to
engage African men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the
Terrence Higgins Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator Takudzwa Mukiwa (takudzwa.mukiwa@tht.org.uk) if you are
interested in taking part.
Vigil
Co-ordinators
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 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