May 30, 2009 Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai addresses delegates at the
Ninth Annual Congress of the MDC in Harare By Raymond Maingire HARARE – Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has
appealed for patience among party supporters frustrated by what they find to be
his party’s failure to influence wholesale change in Zimbabwe while in the
inclusive government. Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister, said his party was
still constrained by its status as a partner in the coalition government. “We are in a coalition with Zanu-PF,” Tsvangirai said to party delegates to
an ongoing MDC annual national conference in Harare Saturday. “It is the MDC
which is in government. We are not the government. “The crisis we face is a crisis of identity, half donkey half horse it’s a
mule. Tsvangirai said the apparent slow start in meeting the expectations of
ordinary Zimbabweans should not be conceived to be lack of commitment by the
MDC. “Confusion arises out of the fact that being in government does not
necessarily mean that we are the government. It does not mean we have the
liberty and unilateral decisions to make the changes we want.” He said the MDC was alive to the limitations in a coalition government some
of which were being brought by some forces within the old Zanu-PF government
which are still fighting the unity government. Tsvangirai, founding president of the now 10-year old MDC, was addressing
concerns by some sections of society who feel the MDC is soft pedalling on their
expectations while others lamented the very decision by the MDC to join its
archrival, Zanu-PF, in a government of national unity. “When we made a decision to go into this government,” he said, “we
appreciated the decision that given the plight of our people, we were not going
to be authors of chaos which was going to be inevitable anyway.” Tsvangirai also pleaded with civic society groups which have not forgiven his
party for alleged betrayal of the MDC’s founding principles by agreeing to a
parliamentary driven constitution making process with Zanu-PF. Civic groups, led by the National Constitutional Assembly, are adamant the
process must be driven by non-politicians to avoid the manipulation of the
process. Tsvangirai pleaded with his critics not to put too much emphasis on the
process that is intended to bring about a new constitution but on the
substance. Tsvangirai said his party appreciated the notion of an independent civic
society saying this should not bring too much haggling which is likely to
distract the overall objective of delivering a democratic Zimbabwe in the two
year lifespan of the inclusive government. “There is no doubt in my mind that to emphasise a point of process at this
strategic time of our history would be suicide,” he said. “A people driven constitution, yes, a party constitution, no, a parliamentary
constitution, no, but the involvement of the people in crafting that
constitution would be fundamental in ensuring that that constitution that we
have fought for all these years is achieved. “Let us disagree yes I accept. It’s always good to disagree.” The MDC leader asked his critics to also appreciate the positive change that
has been brought by his party’s 107-day old participation in the inclusive
government. He cited the stabilising of the economy and bringing down of the country’s
rate of inflation from a world-record breaking rate of 500 billion percent in
December last year to a minus 3 percent as at the end of March. He also said his party’s participation in the new government had restored the
health and education sectors and further brought a sense of normalcy within the
civil service while increasing humanitarian access by local and international
NGOs to needy communities. He added, “We have seen all basic necessities return to the shelves and with
the rationalisation of our currency base, prices are gradually returning to more
competitive levels. “Positive steps have been taken on our path towards democratisation. I am
pleased to see here today those detainees who were abducted and illegally
detained for so many months. “The holding of the media conference resulted in concrete recommendations
that will be implemented to create an open media environment and the
constitutional process has been triggered. “Our goal of restoring fundamental freedoms and human rights is not yet
achieved but we are moving in the right direction.”
May 30, 12:54 PM EDT
By ANGUS SHAW
Associated Press
Writer
HARARE, Zimbabwe
(AP) -- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Saturday that
his efforts to
restore democratic freedoms and the rule of law to Zimbabwe
have so far
failed.
The former opposition leader took his Movement for Democratic
Change into a
coalition government with longtime autocratic President Robert
Mugabe in
February to end the country's political deadlock and economic
collapse.
But Tsvangirai gave his party's annual convention a bleak
assessment of
Zimbabwe's situation and said that hard-liners backing Mugabe
were
frustrating progress.
"We have not yet succeeded in restoring
the rule of law ... our people do
not live free from fear, hunger and
poverty," he said.
The official state media remained biased and there was
only limited freedom
of movement and expression, he said.
"Our
members continue to be the victims of political persecution,"
Tsvangirai
said. "That society for which we are striving bears little
resemblance to
the reality in which all of us live today," he said.
His comments
reflected the tensions wracking the so-called unity government.
But despite
the unhappiness, Tsvangirai has so far shown no sign that he
will pull his
party out of the coalition in protest. Tsvangirai had been
frozen out of
office, despite election victories, until Zimbabwe's neighbors
forced Mugabe
to enter the unity government in February.
Tsvangirai and more than 1,000
delegates to the two-day convention wore red
T-shirts emblazoned with a new
party slogan: "Together to the end. Marching
to a New
Zimbabwe."
Despite agreeing to the coalition government, 85-year-old
Mugabe still seems
reluctant to cede real power to Tsvangirai, his former
foe.
Last week, for example, Tsvangirai announced an end to restrictions
on
foreign journalists entering Zimbabwe and to tough licensing rules for
local
media. Mugabe's spokesman this week said the restrictions would
remain.
The two men are also locked in dispute over the key appointments
of the
central bank governor Gideon Gono and the attorney general Johannes
Tomana.
Mugabe reappointed Gono to a second five-year term as governor of
the
Reserve Bank in November and also unilaterally chose Tomana. Tsvangirai
says
the appointments violate the power-sharing deal and wants regional
mediators
to intervene.
Gono is blamed for printing Zimbabwe dollars
until they were worthless and
accused of taking hundreds of millions of
dollars from foreign currency
accounts belonging to aid groups and private
businesses. Tomana also is
accused of being behind detentions of
pro-democracy activists.
Tendai Biti, Tsvangirai's finance minister, has
appealed for $8 billion to
rebuild the shattered economy. But most donors
and investors have insisted
more reforms and the rule of law be in place
before they commit funds.
Tsvangirai told his party loyalists Saturday
the adoption of hard currency
as the country's legal tender halted
world-record inflation of 500 billion
percent in the now abandoned local
currency.
More humanitarian aid was also being received to restore health
services and
collapsed utilities.
His party's role in the coalition
was "instrumental in stabilizing our
economy and bringing it back from the
brink of a truly national disaster,"
he said.
Mugabe's program to
seize thousands of white-owned commercial farms is
blamed for disrupting the
agriculture-based economy since 2000 and leaving
more than half the
population in need of food handouts earlier this year.
Farmers groups
have reported a new wave of seizures of white-run farms in
recent
weeks.
"Land reform must empower the majority of Zimbabwean without
victimizing any
of our citizens ... It cannot be based on racist persecution
that leaves
productive land fallow and our people hungry," Tsvangirai told
the party
convention that ends Sunday.
http://en.afrik.com/article15752.html
Senior Zimbabwean defence forces
personnel afraid
Senior defence forces members held a crisis meeting with
President Robert
Mugabe to discuss the increasing incidents of indiscipline
among rank and
file members of the uniformed forces.
Saturday 30 May
2009, by Alice Chimora
The meeting on Thursday at the Defence Forces
Headquarters lasted three
hours. The officers are reported to have told
Mugabe that they were now
afraid of reviewing parades in the military
barracks because of the
increasing hostility and indiscipline. "Senior
Defence Forces officers met
President Mugabe at Defence House. The meeting
was attended by all senior
army chiefs." said a army source.
Among
some of the senior defence forces personnel who attended the meeting
were
Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, Constantine Chiwenga, Zimbabwe
National Army (ZNA) Commander, Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Air Force of
Zimbabwe (AFZ) commander, Air Marshal Perrence Shiri, and his Number Two,
Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena.
There had been a public outcry to
Muchena's shock revelation after telling
mourners at the burial of Peter
Gono, the deceased brother of Reserve Bank
governor Gideon Gono, that the
security chiefs stood solidly behind the
beleaguered central bank chief, who
has openly admitted that he illegally
withdrew funds from the foreign
currency accounts of clients, including NGOs
and tertiary
institutions.
Chiwengwa is said to have pleaded with Mugabe to sort out
the welfare of
members of the uniformed forces saying: "We are sitting on a
time bomb."
Said the source "Chiwenga spoke about the welfare of service
men. He told
Mugabe that something must be done to improve the salaries and
working
conditions of the armed forces."
Fear
He is said to
have even told Mugabe that many senior officers were now
afraid of reviewing
parades in the military barracks because of the
increasing hostility and
indiscipline that many soldiers were said to be
displaying. "He told Mugabe
that it would not be surprising if one was shot
at while reviewing a
parade," said the source.
Indiscipline was said to be particularly
rampant among young officers who
are said not to be happy with the US$100
that they are being paid by the new
coalition government. It was recommended
that service firearms should be
withdrawn from members of the security
forces. Sources say is to limit the
prospect of a mutiny.
At the
height of political disturbances last year, a group of soldiers went
into
the streets of Harare and ransacked shops while beating members of the
public up indiscriminately.
The soldiers involved in the rampage were
wearing military fatigues.
The then minister of Defence, Sydney
Sekeramayi, apologised to the nation
for the behaviour of the soldiers.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=17150
May 30, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
HARARE - Zimbabwe's war veterans have threatened to go on
Year 2000-style
farm invasions if current calls for the replacement of
Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono persisted.
War
veterans' leader Joseph Chinotimba, a leader of the Zimbabwe National
Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) says his association will
summarily dislodge the 300 plus remaining white farmers from their land if
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) insists on Gono's removal from the
central bank.
Chinotimba, a self proclaimed leader of Zimbabwe's
nine-year-old land
invasions that have decimated Zimbabwe's once vibrant
agricultural sector,
told state controlled ZBC television Friday that war
the veterans would not
stand by and watch the MDC pushing for Gono's
removal.
"As war veterans," Chinotimba said, "we have agreed that the
politicians can
go ahead advocating for the removal of Gono.
"But
having realised that the source of these calls for Gono's ouster are
whites,
we would respond by ejecting all the white farmers who still remain
in the
farms.
"As war veterans, we are saying those whites whom we had allowed
to remain
in the farms would leave with immediate effect -
immediately!
"We can only allow them to remain on condition that they
drop the issue of
Gono and (Attorney General Johannes) Tomana leaving their
jobs."
Tomana's position is also being fiercely contested. An avowed
"proud
supporter" of Zanu-PF, Tomana has shown apparent bias against MDC
political
prisoners.
Chinotimba emphasised, "Our point is that if the
inclusive government
insists on Gono's removal, we are determined to throw
every white farmer off
their farms and install blacks in those
farms."
Chinotimba, a municipal policeman with the City of Harare, who
took
advantage of the confusion and chaos of the farm invasions in 2000 to
worm
his way into the leadership of the war veteran community and amass
wealth
for himself, declared that the war veterans would not allow Gono to
be
dislodged before those he accused of helping in the creation of the
Zimbabwe
Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) left their
positions.
This was in apparent reference to the MDC, which has
repeatedly been accused
by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF of supporting
the law, passed in 2001
by the United States Congress to force Mugabe's
government to observe the
rule of law.
The war veterans, many of them
not genuine fighters for the liberation of
Zimbabwe, have become a militant
support base for President Mugabe. They
have committed crimes and other acts
of lawlessness with total impunity.
They have invaded businesses and
threatened to seize them for reallocation
to blacks. Chinotimba has become a
businessman in his own right.
They have also invaded courts threatening
those judges perceived to be
sympathetic to the MDC and white farmers.
Despite his elevated position in
the war veteran association, Chinotimba is
said not to have participated in
Zimbabwe's war of liberation. He has
attempted to build a political career
on the basis of his claimed status as
a war veteran. He has twice been
rejected at the polls in Highfields
constituency in 2005 and in Buhera in
2008.
Chinotimba's declaration
in support of Gono follows hard on the heels of
public declarations by
Mugabe himself, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa
and by Zimbabwe's service
chiefs who all declared this week they will not
allow Gono to be removed
from the central bank.
Mugabe said at a funeral ceremony for Peter Gono,
the late brother to the
RBZ governor, that he would not sacrifice one of his
most ardent supporters
to please the West while Chinamasa likened Gono's
ouster to an attempt to
get rid of Zanu-PF itself. Zanu-PF and Mugabe lost
elections in March 2008,
but the President refused to vacate office, coming
back through the back
door of a controversial and violent election re-run
three months in June.
Mugabe became the only candidate after Tsvangirai
withdrew from the polls,
citing widespread violence against his supporters,
close to 200 of whom were
allegedly massacred.
The country's partisan
defence force chiefs have also voiced their support
for Gono, who has
lavished them with generous disbursements of luxury motor
vehicles, imported
farm inputs and machinery as well as scarce foreign
currency and
fuel.
Speaking on behalf of the service chiefs, Air Vice Marshal Henry
Muchena,
Number Two at the Air Force of Zimbabwe, said Gono was a key member
of what
he described as an imminent economic revolution.
But the MDC,
which seems unperturbed by the growing volume of threats by its
former
rivals, remains adamant Gono should leave.
The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC
says Gono's continued tenure is both a
violation of the Global Political
Agreement and a deterrent to much-needed
financial assistance to Zimbabwe,
which is reeling from nearly a decade of
economic turmoil.
In the
latest bulletin of The Changing Times on Line, an MDC publication,
the party
condemned the attempt by Muchena "to drag our patriotic and loyal
forces
into political affairs".
"The MDC believes that the majority of our
soldiers are professional people
whose duty is to defend the country and its
institutions and not individuals
on the basis of 'trough ethics and
comradeship'," the MDC said.
"As a party of excellence, we believe that
the military belong to the
barracks and should not in any way drag the
bazooka into the negotiating
boardrooms."
The MDC continued, "At the
core of our liberation struggle was the issue of
the people's sovereignty;
the right of the people to determine their
destiny.
"In the case of
the Reserve Bank, the people have resolved not to have a
governor with a
perforated past and a chequered history.
"Chinamasa makes an unwitting
revelation that Gono is the same as Zanu-PF,
further confirming the fact
that the central bank has been at the core of
sponsoring Zanu-PF
activities.
"We believe that the unnecessary chorus claiming to be
defending Gono
confirms that indeed the central bank had strayed from core
functions and
had played Father Christmas to institutions and political
parties that feel
they will not survive without him at the helm of the
central bank.
"The MDC believes that we must build credible national
institutions that are
bigger than their leaders; institutions that have a
greater ethos than
individuals."
http://news.yahoo.com
Sat May 30, 7:33 am
ET
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday
urged
southern African leaders to help resolve a deadlock over the
appointments of
the country's bank chief and attorney general.
"The
outstanding issues, which have been referred to SADC (Southern African
Development Community), must be resolved so that confidence in the global
political agreement is not undermined," Tsvangirai said as he opened the
national conference of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
party.
Last week the parties of Tsvangirai and veteran leader Robert
Mugabe, who
formed a power-sharing government in February to end a ruinous
political
standoff, clashed over Mugabe's decision to keep Gideon Gono as
central bank
chief and Johannes Tomana as the attorney general.
Gono,
who has been widely criticised for failing to stop the Zimbabwean
economy's
freefall and slide into world record inflation, is a Mugabe ally.
Tomana has
declared his allegiance to Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.
The matter was
referred to the SADC following the dispute.
Tsvangirai said though the
new government had brought relief to Zimbabweans
who had endured years of
economic crisis and political tensions, there was a
lot of ground yet to be
covered.
"In the 107 days since the formation of the inclusive
government, the MDC
within that government, has been instrumental in
stabilising our economy and
bringing it back from the brink of a truly
national disaster," Tsvangirai
said.
"In fact, we have been able to
bring our rate of inflation from a
world-record breaking rate of 500 billion
percent to minus three percent as
at the end of March.
"While we must
recognise the positive difference that our entry into
government has brought
to the people of Zimbabwe, we must also admit the
fact that we have not
moved as far or as fast with these positive changes as
the peole
demand."
The new government also sought to ease political tensions in the
wake of
contentious presidential polls last year, which Mugabe won by
default after
Tsvangirai pulled out of the deciding second round due to
security fears.
The work of the power-sharing government has been stalled
by disagreements
among the parties over appointments to key posts; a
resumption of Mugabe's
controversial policy of farm invasions; and a delay
in the swearing-in of
top MDC official Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture
minister.
http://www.voanews.com/
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
29 May
2009
Zimbabwe's cabinet has approved an amendment to the Reserve Bank
Act
proposed by Finance Minister Tendai Biti which provides for a
non-executive
director to chair the board of the central bank, supplanting
RBZ Governor
Gideon Gono in that post, sources said.
Biti has argued
that the amendment will make the Reserve Bank more
accountable and credible,
and is consistent with advice from the
International Monetary
Fund.
Gono has dismissed the proposed amendment as part of a personal
vendetta by
the finance minister, maintaining that his replacement as
chairman of the
central bank board runs contrary to the best practice in
financial
institutions worldwide. But experts say most countries are moving
toward
central bank governance by committee.
Biti is expected to
present the amendment to parliament next month for
passage.
The
Movement for Democratic Change formation led by Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and Biti as the party's secretary general is pressing for Gono to
be replaced at the central bank, but President Robert Mugabe has insisted
that Gono must continue as governor.
The top job at the Reserve Bank
has become a major point of contention
within the national unity government
along with the office of attorney
general, and the MDC has asked the
Southern African Development Community
and African Union to mediate in the
matter.
Specialist Lance Mambondiani of British-based Coronation
Financial told
reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that
reforms at the
central bank are overdue.
http://www.radiovop.com
HARARE - May 30, 2009 -
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN)
national director Rindai
Chipfunde-Vava has said the lack of political will
in reforming the
electoral laws will haunt the inclusive government in the
near
future.
Speaking to RadioVOP during an interview in Harare
Chipfunde-Vava said
the failure by the Global Political Agreement to give
clear timelines in
addressing the electoral reforms was worrying.
"The GPA does not talk of the next election date and how long the
inclusive
government will be in effect. It is also silent on the date for
the
referendum and because of this we are likely going to encounter the same
problems as we had in 2008," said Chipfunde-Vava.
She said the
electoral environment in Zimbabwe was "still bad" and the
sooner the issues
were addressed the better.
"It's self defeating when all the electoral,
media, Constitutional
reforms are not taken seriously. We have had electoral
commissions running
the country's elections just a few months after being
formed.
In the 2005 and 2008 elections, the commissions were set up
less than
four months before the elections and that was after some
constitutional
amendments and it has proved to be disastrous," she
added.
Chipfunde-Vava said the inclusive government which was "set up
as a
result of a fraudulent election" has been moving "very slowly" to
address
all the electoral challenges.
"We have constituencies that
have gone for months without
representatives as a result of the political
agreement. There are MPs who
have died and no by-elections have been held.
We need a revamp of the whole
electoral system in this country," explained
Chipfunde-Vava.
She said the independent commissions should be
established in time to
ensure that they "clearly understand" their mandates
before an election.
"Establishing an independent commission before any
election will not
serve anything," she said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission is yet to call for by-elections for
seats that fell vacant after
the election of Lovemore Moyo and Edna
Madzongwe to Speaker of Parliament
and President of the Senate respectively.
There are four vacant
constituency seats in the House of Assembly and
three in the Senate. All
these vacancies have to be filled.
As all the vacancies occurred before
the end of last year, the
by-elections are now long overdue. Under the
Electoral Act the presidential
proclamations calling the by-elections should
have been gazetted within
fourteen days after Parliament notified the
President of the vacancies and
correctly that notification should have been
given immediately each seat
fell vacant.
The vacancies are from
Gokwe-Gumunyu, Bindura North and Guruve North
resulting from the death of
the ZANU-PF incumbents in the House of Assembly.
The other two are from
Chiredzi and Gokwe South and these are seats
vacated by Titus Maluleke and
Jaison Machaya on appointment as a Provincial
Governor for Masvingo and
Midlands respectively.
http://www.insiderzim.com/
A Kimberley Process Review team due to
visit Zimbabwe in early June to carry
out an audit of the diamond industry
in the country will be under tremendous
pressure to prove that the
organisation, formed to stop the trade of "blood"
or conflict diamonds, is
not a toothless bulldog.
There have been reports of rampant diamond smuggling
in the country although
industry sources have said Central Bank governor
Gideon Gono is inflating
the figures.
The KP has been under pressure
to stop diamond sales from Zimbabwe because
of rampant smuggling and human
rights abuses which saw scores of illegal
diamond miners being killed last
year during the clean up of the Chiadzwa
fields in Marange.
The last
KP review mission to Zimbabwe was in 2007 but its report has come
under
heavy criticism because it claimed there was no smuggling from mines
like
River Ranch when the figures did not seem to add up.
It also said there
was no mining activity at Chiadzwa, now the centre spot
of human rights
violations.
The KP team also cleared the United Nations Development
Programme office in
Harare of any involvement in diamond smuggling yet a
report by a special
UNDP investigation says someone fraudulently registered
vehicles that were
used by River Ranch in the name of the UNDP.
The
KP was dealt another heavy blow this week when Ian Smillie of
Partnership
Africa Canada, a non-governmental organisation that was heavily
involved in
creating the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to curb the
flow of
conflict diamonds, resigned from his organisation saying he could no
longer
keep the pretence.
"I am leaving Partnership Africa-Canada (PAC) because
I feel that I can no
longer in good faith contribute to a pretence that
failure is success, or to
the kind of debates we have been reduced to," he
reportedly said in a
farewell letter to KP members.
"I thought in
2003 that we had created something significant. In fact we
did, but we have
let it slip away from us. The KP has been confronted by
many challenges in
the past five years, and it has failed to deal quickly or
effectively with
most of them: smuggling and fraud in Brazil, and issues of
even greater
importance in Côte d'Ivoire/Ghana, Guyana, Venezuela, Zimbabwe
and now
Guinea and Lebanon. In each case the issue has had to become a media
debacle
before the KP would deal with it (if at all), and in the case of
Venezuela,
we have effectively condoned diamond smuggling - the very thing
we were
established to prevent," Smillie says.
He added: "There is a basic truth:
when regulators fail to regulate, the
systems they were designed to protect
collapse. In this case, the diamond
industry, which means so much to so
many, is being ill served by what has
become a complacent and almost
completely ineffectual Kimberley Process.
Without a genuine wakeup call and
the growth of some serious regulatory
teeth, it leaves the industry exposed,
vulnerable and perhaps, in the end,
unworthy of protection."
The KP
team is expected to meet the Minister of Mines and hold discussions
with the
Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, the KP agent in the
country; the
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation which is now supposed
to be running
Chiadzwa, Rio Tinto which operates Murowa and River Ranch
which owns a
diamond mine of the same name near Beitbridge.
The team which will be in
the country for five days will also meet officials
of the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the Police
and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs officials.
The team is expected to visit Murowa to look at its
mining operations and to
assess the mine's stockpiles. It will also carry
similar visits to River
Ranch and Marange.
Zimbabwe is reported to
have a stockpile of 1.33 million carats of diamonds
valued at about US$150
million.
There has been rampant smuggling with some diamond dealers being
arrested in
India and others in Dubai.
Posted- 30 May 2009
http://www.radiovop.com
BULAWAYO, May 29 2009 - Langton
Masunda, the businessman and farmer
embroiled in a farm ownership stand-off
with John Nkomo, the Minister of
State for national Healing, has written to
the Attorney General (AG)
demanding him to clarify whether the state will
prosecute the man who shot
and injured his young brother,
Patrick.
John NkomoLangton's young brother, Patrick, was
injured after a
security officer employed by Nkomo shot him five times
during a visit to the
disputed farm.
The security officer,
Eddie Sigoge, was arrested and charged with
attempted murder and unlawful
possession of a firearm, but was released the
following morning in
suspicious circumstances after the state had initially
opposed
bail.
Masunda wants the Attorney General, Johannes Tomana, to
clarify his
position on the matter.
A certificate of 'nolle
prosequi' in legal terms is an application
made after the filing of an
information or indictment, when the prosecutor
representing the state's
interest or a lawyer is of the opinion that the
available and admissible
evidence is not sufficient to satisfy the court
beyond reasonable
doubt.
The lawyer representing Masunda in the matter, Vonani
Majoko said his
client applied for nolle prosequi, as it was now clear that
the police want
his client to be charged for public
violence.
"The case we have before us is one where Masunda will
be a witness in
the attempted murder of his brother and he will take the
stand as the
accused in the same matter," Majoko said.
Majoko said the letter written to the AG is seeking clarification on
whether
the state will prosecute the security officer accused of shooting
and
injuring one of the Masunda brothers.
He said the complainant
also wants top know the owner of the firearm
that was used in the shooting
of Patrick.
When Sigoge appeared in court for a remand hearing
prosecutors said he
was not the registered owner of the pistol, but did not
give details of the
gun owner.
Under Section 28 of the Fire
Arms Act it is an offence to transfer a
firearm to another person.
4 hours ago
HARARE (AFP) -
France's junior trade minister Anne-Marie Idrac praised
Zimbabwean Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for his work in the unity
government and invited
him to visit France in June.
The visit, scheduled for June 24-25, will be
Tsvangirai's first overseas
trip as prime minister, an official said on
Friday.
Idrac issued the invitation during her visit to Zimbabwe, the
first by a
French minister since the power-sharing government was formed in
February.
"I hope the mission will be successful when you come (to
France) next
month," Idrac told Tsvangirai at a press conference.
"We
are very impressed by the job you have done in the first 100 days," she
added.
"My feeling is that should you not succeed, it will be the
collapse of your
country."
Tsvangirai said the formation of the
power-sharing government was the only
option for Zimbabwe as the country
faced worsening political and economic
crises.
"The challenge to the
international community is how they react after the
signing of the political
agreement," Tsvangirai said.
He also commended the International Monetary
Fund as its technical
co-operation team completed its mission on
Friday.
"The IMF has been very helpful," Tsvangirai said. "We are working
closely to
monitor their recommendations."
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Andrew Moyo Saturday 30
May 2009
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday
said the government
should not politicise programmes to empower indigenous
Zimbabweans, adding
that such programmes should be implemented in line with
international norms
and standards.
Tsvangirai said empowerment
programmes should also not discriminate against
other Zimbabweans - in a
clear repudiation of the controversial empowerment
policies of President
Robert Mugabe that critics say have been mainly
fuelled by a desire to catch
votes during elections.
Empowerment or indigenisation should also aim to
attract investment while
helping eradicate poverty, said Tsvangirai, who
formed a unity government
with Mugabe last February in a bid to end a long
running political stalemate
and pluck Zimbabwe out of crisis.
"The
term indigenisation tends to raise emotions when it is used merely as a
political gimmick to win votes," Tsvangirai said, while officially opening
the Chamber of Mines annual general meeting in Harare last Friday.
He
added: "The concept of indegenisation should be one of ensuring that the
ordinary Zimbabweans benefit from the country's mineral endowment and
participate at all levels in the business of mining and mineral
exploration.
"The manner in which this approach and objective are
realised has to, as a
matter of principle, lead to growth of the economy and
uplifting of the
standards of living of our people. There should be no
preferred class or
people in adopting this approach and realising this
objective."
Several foreign-owned companies have packed their bags in the
past nine
years, galled by Mugabe's controversial and mostly chaotic
empowerment
policies, including the seizure of white-owned farms to resettle
blacks,
which have called into question Zimbabwe's commitment to uphold
property
rights.
Mugabe's old government also threatened to
nationalise foreign-owned
businesses he accused of plotting with his Western
enemies to bring down his
government and externalising foreign currency
earnings.
The previous administration had also proposed amendments to
mine ownership
laws to allow the state to expropriate controlling
shareholding from
foreigners to give to local blacks as part of the
empowerment process.
Mining industry experts say unresolved controversy
over mine ownership laws
continue to hamper foreign investment in the
sector, which they say has seen
few expansion programmes and drop in mineral
output.
Statistics provided by the Chamber of Mines yesterday indicated
that Nickel
output declined by 26 percent in 2008 compared to 2007,
Palladium declined
by 18 percent, coal declined by 25 percent, gold declined
49 percent while
many more minerals reported declines. - ZimOnline.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=17159
May 30, 2009
By James
Makuwire
SOME 25 years ago at Heroes Acre, the smartly uniformed then
Director of
Prisons stood at attention together with the commanders of the
Zimbabwe
National Army, the Air Force of Zimbabwe and the Commissioner of
Police.
"The Fox", aka General Sheba Gava but better known as General
Vitalis
Zvinavashe, now late, turned to a colleague seated next to him and
pointed
at the prisons boss before asking: "Ko uyo ndiyani? (But who is this
fellow?)"
Zvinavashe was only No. 2 then in the military hierarchy
but he was a force
to reckon with.
So with plenty of heads around
nodding in agreement that a prisons officer
could not be considered as a
member of the security forces, this was the
last time the man in smart
khakis was ever allowed to stand in line when the
so-called
commander-in-chief, President Robert Mugabe, pumped hands on the
airport
tarmac on his way out or into the country or at official functions
that
required a guard of honour - independence celebrations, Heroes Acre
functions and the opening of the International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, among
others.
Ten or so years ago a political chameleon called Jonathan
Moyo burst onto
the political scene, grabbed Zanu-PF politics by the throat
and, in a moment
of sheer ingenuity, combining brutal force and the carrot
of parcelling out
favors to the faithful, almost single-handedly ensured
that Robert Mugabe
was re-elected. That was in 2002 when for the first time
the Armed Forces
chiefs told the world that although Zimbabweans were
inclining towards
voting for a change they would not salute anyone who had
no liberation
credentials.
Seated among the security chiefs was
Paradzai Zimondi, director of prisons.
He was later to issue his own
venomous statements against MDC President
Morgan Tsvangirai, as if to make
sure the others accepted him as a security
chief. But Paradzai needn't
have.
The militarised situation in Zimbabwe meant that the system
survived anyway
by turning virtually every public institution into a
military entity. The
GMB, the Prison Services, the CIO, National Railways,
permanent secretaries,
directors in ministries and even ambassadors, you
name it, have all become
sacred preserves of the military or the retired
military, to be more
precise. Men who were supposed to have left the
military were in effect
being stealthily re-deployed.
The statement
that The Fox read, rather stammered through at a packed press
conference in
2000 after he became the first Commander of the Defence
Forces, had all the
fingerprints of one man, a man who at that time occupied
a luxury suite in
the then Sheraton Hotel and allegedly managed the Zanu-PF
campaign of
terror. Today, the militarization of Zimbabwe is complete.
Unlike Zambia and
Tanzania where military men were required to discard their
military links
completely before moving into civilian jobs, President Mugabe
is today still
promoting "retired" generals to higher ranks and making a
complete mockery
of suggestions that these people had divested themselves of
their military
duties.
It is tantamount to abuse of the military. But it is also now a
question of
self-preservation. The military need Mugabe and the power while
Mugabe needs
the military, all facets of the "uniformed services", and the
security to
continue in office. Mugabe has completely lost power to the
military and can
now not retire the generals when their time is up. They are
required to
serve for just four years each. But he can manipulate them,
extending their
contracts by a year at a time.
Sometimes he even
forgets to extend Chihuri's contract and extends it only
for a year when
there will be just three or four months before the end of
that
year.
Then he promoted him to Commissioner General for the simple reason
that
there was strong internal opposition to the possible take over of the
police
by Mugabe's own nephew.
Back to Jonathan Moyo, the professor
was soon fired by Mugabe, something
that Mugabe has done only once in his
presidency. The first and only
minister to have been fired was Hebert
Ushewokunze but he came back even
more powerful. Enos Nkala, Dzingai
Mutumbuka, Maurice Nyagumbo, Enos
Chikowore were all forced to resign. They
were not subjected to the
indignity of being fired.
But Jonathan Moyo
actually received an open fax, slipped under his hotel
room door in Bulawayo
late in the evening, telling him he had been fired.
You would forgive him
for being angry, very angry. But barely five years
later, he is walking in
lock-step with the man who so publicly humiliated
him? The answer, dear
friends, is survival. Moyo never relinquished his
association with the man
who supplied the money that made Zanu-PF's world
and its election campaign
tick: Gideon Gono. And through Gideon Gono and the
JOC, Jonathan maintained
his contacts with the military. Jonathan loved his
power, the security
convoy around him, the way people jumped when he barked
and he has been
missing that so dearly.
President Mugabe seems to be warming up to
Jonathan Moyo lately. Mugabe
argues, and correctly so, that Moyo was the
most effective election director
Zanu-PF ever had, especially at a time of
immense unpopularity. If Gono has
been campaigning for his friend to come
back into the mainstream he needn't
push very hard. The Zanu-PF leadership
almost unanimously accepts they lost
the last election because there was no
one around like Jonathan Moyo who
could have directed the subjugation of the
nation.
Gono and Moyo are super-glued at the hip, dancing together in
unison in the
shadows. They are said to be working together on Gono's
forthcoming daily
newspaper. That should be some newspaper and the people
will surely love to
read news brought to them by the popular Gono and the
even more popular
Moyo.
I can see them "outing" themselves soon and
the prodigal son being received
with open arms again by Mugabe. That should
make two people very nervous -
Mukoma Webby Shamu, the Information Minister,
and his permanent secretary,
the venomous but nervous George "Shakespeare"
Charamba, aka Nathaniel
Manheru.
Finally, back to the prison
services. The prison services are certainly not
part of either the armed
forces or the security forces. They have no role
whatsoever in securing the
borders of the country or in disaster management
or in riot
control.
It is only because the current Commissioner of Prisons,
Paradzayi Zimondi,
is a former military man and an ex-combatant, that they
have upgraded the
prison services to the status of the armed or the security
forces. Otherwise
their role is simple - maintaining the welfare of
prisoners by ensuring that
they are clothed and fed, which they no longer
do, leaving prisoners to
starve and work on the farms of the politicians
while virtually naked.
http://www.voanews.com
By
Patience Rusere
Washington
29 May
2009
Member states of the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa opened
their 13th summit this week in the Zimbabwean resort
town of Victoria Falls
aiming to conclude a long-delayed agreement on a
customs union.
Some 19 heads of state are expected to attend the summit
on the theme of
"Consolidating Regional Integration through Value Addition,
Trade and Food
Security."
The Comesa summit runs through June
9.
Establishment of a customs union would help countries in the far-flung
region harmonize tariffs to favor regional integration in line with the
organization's mission.
The summit has drawn more than 1,000
delegates from the Comesa countries,
the Southern African Development
Community, the African Union, the
Commonwealth, the United Nations, the
European Union, the World Bank and the
International Monetary
Fund.
Dennis Nikisi, director of the Graduate School of Management at the
University of Zimbabwe told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that the host country's economy isn't likely to benefit near-term
from reduced barriers to trade.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=17155
May 30, 2009
By Our
Correspondent
BULAWAYO - The British Ambassador Andrew Pocock has said
signs of positive
change are now showing in Zimbabwe, prompting Western
countries to consider
assistance for the country.
Western countries
have insisted on substantive democratic reforms as a
benchmark before they
can directly support the coalition government formed
between Zanu-PF and the
MDC parties in February.
Pocock indicated that Western governments were
now ready to assist the
country with direct aid because of the thawing
relations between Zimbabwe
and its former colonial power and other
countries.
"We feel change is in the wind," Pocock said Thursday
afternoon. "It may not
be quick or fast. It might delay but we can see change
coming to Zimbabwe."
He was addressing students at Northlea High School
in Bulawayo where the
British Embassy was presenting a donation of textbooks
worth US$5 000 to
eight secondary schools in the city.
The text books,
which the Ambassador said were aimed at helping the
government revive the
crumbled education sector, were shared between
Northlea, Emganwini, Montrose,
Hamilton, Cowdray Park, Magwegwe, Emakhandeni
and Entumbane secondary
schools.
"Zimbabwe has many international friends and that friendship has
never been
lost even when it was frosty for years," he said. "Zimbabwe's
friends are
ready and already beginning to assist this country with resources
as they
see change coming."
Relations between Zimbabwe and the West
hit a low over human rights
violations and poor governance by President
Robert Mugabe's administration.
Mugabe, who formed a coalition government
with the opposition in February,
has denied committing human rights
violations and accused the West of
pursuing an agenda to oust
him.
Western governments have demanded political and economic reforms
before
direct aid can start flowing in to assist the coalition government
rebuild
the country's economy.
About US$8 billion is needed by the
coalition government to revive the
economy. So far it has secured nearly US$1
billion.
Sokwanele - Enough is
Enough - Zimbabwe
PROMOTING NON-VIOLENT PRINCIPLES TO ACHIEVE DEMOCRACY
Zimbabwe Inclusive Government Watch : Issue
5 April closed with the recurrent themes of wanton violence, continued
farm invasions and harassment through the courts of MDC MPs, politicians and
activists, as well as high profile legal figures and journalists. Their actions demonstrate that Zanu PF have had no change of heart. Rather,
their activities are clearly and increasingly geared towards intimidating,
frustrating or otherwise weakening their former opposition and with it, the
inclusive government. Their antics in twisting the law to suit their own ends -
often with the complicity of the police - indicate that Zanu PF - or the
arrogant diehards within the party - are not going to give up their positions of
wealth or power without a fight. The month started with a Chegutu farm worker, wounded after police opened
fire on Stockdale citrus farm, being arrested and held for questioning. The
worker and a colleague were both struck in the legs when police fired random
shots at the vehicle they were travelling in on the farm. They had accompanied
the farm's owner, Peter Etheredge, to inspect his property which has been
forcibly taken over by the President of the Senate, Edna Madzongwe. Etheredge
was arrested after the police attack and spent almost four days behind bars. He
was released, but the harassment continued with the arrest of his wounded
employee. Such is the continuing arrogance of the invaders that, when faced with Deputy
Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at Swantoen Farm south of Masvingo, they defied
his order to leave. Mutambara said the former owner of the farm, Ronnie Sparrow,
should be allowed back but the invaders vowed never to vacate the property. They
have joined senior Zanu PF officials who are now multiple farm owners. The violence that has characterised many of the farm invasions
continued, with new and violent attacks on Chegutu's Mount Carmel farm. Invaders
viciously beat a farm worker as well destroying property, all in retaliation to
a court order handed down to the invaders, ordering that they leave the
land. Mount Carmel is owned by Mike Campbell who took his case to the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal in Windhoek. Both Campbell and
Etheredge are two of the 79 Zimbabwean farmers protected by the SADC Tribunal
ruling of November 2008. The tribunal held that that the seizure of land by the
Government of Zimbabwe is arbitrary, racially discriminatory and contrary to the
rule of law. Elsewhere, the illegal actions of complicit and vindictive police officers
have been clearly shown, as in Chinhoyi where farmer Murray Pott's 80-year-old
mother was severely assaulted by police when they arrested her son for being on
his land 'illegally'. Banket farmer Patrick Stooks, who received serious facial injuries after
being repeatedly punched and then hit in the face with the butt of a shotgun,
was attacked in full view of the Deputy Sheriff of the High Court who was there
to serve the order papers on an invader and his men to have them vacate the
farm. The attacks are viewed as ongoing efforts to scupper the transitional
government. With respect to farm workers, it has come to light that many workers on farms
that have been forcibly taken over are suffering depravation and ill treatment
under their new Zanu PF masters. Reports from Masvingo indicate that Tourism and
Hospitality Minister Walter Mzembi, who has called for the payment of decent
salaries in that sector, has failed to pay workers on his farm BW Farm,
allegedly for more than three months. Those attempting to take legal action have
been victimised by the minister and boycott attempts have been thwarted. Female
employees also claim they were sexually harassed by the cabinet minister. Even more serious are allegations that some of the new 'owners' of the farms
have resorted to de-facto slavery in the running of the farms. A senior prison
officer at Harare Central Prison has revealed that prisoners who are hired by
top Zanu PF officials are paid in the form of a bar of soap and a single bottle
of Vaseline for labour rendered per week. Some of the farmers who hire these
inmates do not even give them food. Retired Army General Solomon Mujuru recently
bought 'his' group of ten prisoners blankets and donated paint for a single cell
where they are now housed. The clearly partisan nature of the land 're-allocation' exercise was
highlighted when Zimbabwe and South Africa, about to sign an investment treaty,
deadlocked over the land issue. Zimbabwe government representatives balked at
appending their signatures to the treaty after their South African counterparts
insisted that the deal should cover land investments. Zimbabwean authorities
were adamant that even existing bilateral investment protection agreements were
not immune from the government's controversial land reforms. Embattled farmers were dealt a further and unexpected blow when Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai played down the serious nature of the ongoing and
violent farm invasions, calling them "isolated incidents" that have been "blown
out of proportion". "We have investigated examples of those so called farm invasions," the Prime
Minister said, "and have asked the Minister of Lands (Zanu PF) to give us a
detailed report of what has been happening…" Tsvangirai also insisted that the matter was being attended to, despite the
clear lack of action by the government that has already sparked anger in the
beleaguered farming community. The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) said
Tsvangirai's statements were a clear attempt to "gloss over the truth to
encourage Western donors to loosen their purse strings…" Turning to the next major trend of the last month, Zanu PF kept up the
pressure - through its control of the judiciary - on MDC MPs, politicians and
activists, as well as high profile legal figures and journalists. Human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace
Project, and 14 other abductees were back in jail, after having been formally
charged in a Magistrate's Court. At that hearing the Attorney General's offices
immediately made a submission to have their bail terminated, using provisions of
the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, claiming "compelling new evidence" was
available. Magistrate Catherine Chimhanda remanded them all in custody,
including 70-year-old Fidelis Chiramba. Rights groups and the MDC said that this
undermined the entire Global Political Agreement that created the transitional
government. In a new twist to Zanu PF's legal assault programme, Constance Gambara, a
clerk to High Court Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, was arrested for allegedly
assisting defence lawyers in paying an earlier bail for the detained activists.
Her 'offence' was that she took the record from her office and gave it to the
Registrar, who signs bail orders. Rights lawyers say this is a normal
procedure. To create further confusion, Alec Muchadehama, a high profile lawyer
representing the political detainees, was arrested and accused of obstructing
the course of justice by "conniving with a judge's clerk (his co-accused,
Constance Gambara) to get bail orders filed." This lead to the release of three
of his clients. According to Muchadehama, the Attorney General's office appealed
against the granting of bail after the seven-day period allowed by law had
elapsed. Zanu PF has once again resorted setting up 'opposition' officials so that
they can be arrested, jailed and, in the case of MPs, eventually lose their
Parliamentary seats. Mathias Mlambo, the MDC-T MP for Chipinge East, was
convicted and sentenced to ten months in jail with hard labour by a Chipinge
magistrate for allegedly obstructing the course of justice and inciting violence
at a funeral when a Zanu PF activist came to provoke the mourners. According to
Zimbabwean law, an MP loses his/her parliamentary seat if given a custodial
sentence of more than six months. Despite the formation of the transitional government, Robert Mugabe and his
security chiefs have refused to disband Joint Operations Command (JOC), which
was at the forefront of strategising Mugabe's retention of power in last year's
violence-ridden elections. It is widely believed that JOC, which is claimed to
have taken over control of the day-to-day decision-making of the government in
the wake of the presidential election, is once again gearing up for violence to
maintain its grip on power.
Wounded Chegutu farm worker arrested A Chegutu farm worker who was wounded after police opened fire on Stockdale
citrus farm last week, has been arrested and is being held and questioned by
police. The farm worker and a colleague were both struck in the legs when police
fired random shots at the vehicle the workers were travelling in. They had
accompanied the farm’s owner, Peter Etheredge to inspect his farm which has been
forcibly taken over by the President of the Senate, Edna Madzongwe. Mutambara clashes with war veterans Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara clashed with war veterans over the
invasion of Swantoen Farm, south of Masvingo after they defied his orders to
vacate the property. The farm was invaded by former Masvingo Zanu-PF provincial
chairman, retired Major Alex Mudavanhu, and Isaiah Muzenda, the former
provincial chairman of Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association in
Masvingo. Mutambara said the former owner of the farm, Ronnie Sparrow should be
allowed back. They have joined senior Zanu-PF officials who are now multiple
farm owners. Meanwhile, a pride of about 59 lions left behind at Swantoen Farm
faces starvation after the invaders failed to adequately cater for them. Elderly woman beaten and detained by police as farm attacks
continue Chinhoyi farmer, Murray Pott’s 80-year-old mother was severely assaulted by
police on Monday when they arrested her son for being on his land ‘illegally’.
The attacks are seen as clear police brutality and harassment and part of
ongoing efforts to scupper the unity government. A Banket farmer was beaten on
his farm by the son of political official Philip Chamboko. A High Court ordered
the illegal occupation of the land to cease, but Patrick Stooks came under
attack after confronting Chamboko, whose thugs had vandalised farm
equipment. Minister fails to pay workers on his farm Tourism and hospitality minister Walter Mzembi, who has called for the
payment of decent salaries in the sector, has failed to pay workers on his farm
BW Farm and Supermarket in Masvingo, allegedly for more than three months. Some
of the workers say those attempting to take legal action have been victimised by
the minister. “We have been relying on handouts from well-wishers since January
this year and our employer threatens us with unspecified action once we talk of
taking the matter to the Ministry of Labour for arbitration”, said one of the
workers who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation. The workers say they
have tried to boycott work on several occasions but the minister has allegedly
instructed his drivers to forcibly collect them from their homes and drive them
to work. Female employees also claimed that they were sexually harassed by the
cabinet minister. Mzembi yesterday dismissed the workers’ allegations out of
hand, saying he only owed them a month’s s alary, and asked why the women had
not reported their allegations of harassment to the police. Prisoner Abuse by Farmers Rampant A senior Prison officer at Harare Central Prison has revealed that prisoners
who are hired by ZANU PF top officials are paid in the form of a bar of soap and
a single bottle of Vaseline for the labour rendered per week. Twenty prisoners
are usually released from Harare Central Prison daily to work for a single
farmer. “Slavery is happening at our prisons, prisoners are being abused by
these corrupt ZANU PF officials. Imagine a single bar of soap per week, which is
not even given directly to them but to the organization. Some of the farmers who
hire these inmates do not even give them food, and yet they demand their
services”, said the senior Prison guard who declined to be named. He said some
of the farmers now demand the same prisoners, with Retired Army General Solomon
Mujuru demanding the same ten inmates. “The retired army chief recently bought
‘his’ ten prisoners some blankets and donated some paint for a single cell where
his inmates alone are now housed. These peopl e are enslaving prisoners”, said
the guard. Investment Treaty Deadlocked Over Land Issue Zimbabwe and South Africa are deadlocked over the signing of an investment
treaty due to the land issue, it emerged this week. Sources in the coalition
government said on Thursday representatives from the Zimbabwe government balked
at appending their signatures on the treaty after their South African
counterparts insisted that the deal should cover land investments. It is
understood that the Zimbabwean government officials pointed out that land was a
national resource, which should not be covered by any trade agreement. The
official said Zimbabweans authorities were adamant that even existing bilateral
investment protection agreements were not immune from the government’s
controversial land reforms, hence the takeover of some farms that previously
belonged to multinationals such as the case of the Dutch, French, Italians and
English farmers. Gorden Moyo, the minister of State in the Prime Minister’s
Office, on Thursday confirmed no deal was signed between Harare and Pretor ia
but was reluctant to disclose the cause of the dispute. Welshman Ncube, the
Minister of Industry and International Trade, said he was confident a deal would
be struck soon after outstanding issues on the treaty had been ironed out. Prime Minister plays down farm attacks Members of Zimbabwe’s farming community, which has been left reeling by the
ongoing farm invasions, have reacted with outrage to comments by Prime Minister
Tsvangirai about the attacks. During an interview about the 100-day milestone of
the Global Political Agreement last week, the Prime Minister played down the
serious nature of the ongoing and violent farm invasions, calling them ‘isolated
incidents’ that have been ‘blown out of proportion’. “We have investigated
examples of those so called farm invasions,” the Prime Minister continued,
repeatedly referring to the land invasions as ‘so-called’ attacks. “We have
asked the minister of lands (ZANU PF) to give us a detailed report of what has
been happening over all these so called farm invasions and the outcry over
that.” Tsvangirai also insisted that the matter was being attended to, despite
the clear lack of action by the government that has already sparked anger in the
beleaguered farming community. The Commercial Farmer s Union (CFU) on Monday
said Tsvangirai’s statements are a clear attempt to “gloss over the truth to
encourage Western donors to loosen their purse strings, hoodwinking them into
giving up funds by making them believe everything is fine on the agricultural
front” , they said. Zimbabwean abductees re-arrested, pending trial Human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko and 14 other abductees were back in
jail on Tuesday, after having been formally charged in the Magistrate’s Court on
Monday. At that hearing their trials were set into three separate cases, for the
months of June and July, and the Attorney General's offices immediately made a
submission to have their bail terminated, using provisions of the Criminal
Procedure and Evidence Act, claiming “compelling new evidence” was available. On
Tuesday Magistrate Catherine Chimhanda remanded them all in custody, including
70 year old Fidelis Chiramba. Lawyer Charles Kwaramba said it is believed 15
activists have now been taken back to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
Freelance journalist Shadreck Manyere, plus MDC officials Chris Dhlamini and
Gandhi Mudzingwa, are still being ‘detained’ in hospital. Rights groups and the
MDC say this undermines the entire Global Political Agreement that created the
unity government. Kwaramba said the Magistrate did a u-turn on Tuesday despite
the fact that on Monday she had agreed to defer the matter. On Tuesday the
Magistrate said she was not going to entertain any submissions from anyone. An
urgent High Court appeal is expected to be heard on Thursday. High Court delays ruling on detainees’ bail and clerk of court
arrested The three political detainees still in custody will spend some more days not
knowing their fate, after High Court Justice November Mtshiya deferred a ruling
on their matter to Monday, on whether or not it should be heard. Meanwhile
Constance Gambara, a clerk to High Court Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, was arrested
for allegedly assisting defence lawyers in paying an earlier bail for the three.
On the 17th April Justice Hungwe granted Manyere, Dhlamini and Mudzingwa bail,
but the state was unhappy with this and an argument between the legal teams
ensued, the issue being the interpretation of the ‘seven day period’ as the
defence team argued that the State had missed the stipulated period for appeal.
The clerk’s “offence” was that she took the record from her office and took it
to the Registrar, who signs bail orders. Rights lawyers say this is a normal
procedure. She was charged with abusing the public office. She was granted her
bail, but as usual the State invoked the notorio us Criminal Law (Codification
and Reform) Act to appeal against this. This means the clerk will remain in
custody, awaiting the State’s appeal, which has to be done in seven days. Lawyer Alec Muchadehama arrested Alec Muchadehama, the lawyer representing the political detainees, was
arrested Thursday, accused of obstructing the course of justice. He said he was
being accused of ‘conniving with a judge’s clerk’ to get bail orders filed which
eventually led to the release of three of his clients on 17 April, after the
State had obtained leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The lawyer said he
committed no crime and simply interpreted the law to the best of his ability.
According to him the Attorney General’s office appealed against the granting of
bail after the seven day period, allowed by law, had elapsed. Muchadehama
believes the seven set days included weekends and public holidays. Muchadehama’s
co-accused is Constance Gambara, a clerk to High Court judge Justice Chinembiri
Bhunu. She was arrested last week and is still being held in remand prison with
her nine month old baby. She was charged with ‘criminal abuse of duty as a
public officer’. The accusation is that she assisted M uchadehama in
facilitating “the improper release” of the three activists, after bail was
granted for the first time. Muchadehama is a prominent human rights lawyer who
has been representing several political and human rights activists. MDC MP jailed for 10 months, with hard labour Mathias Mlambo, MDC MP for Chipinge East, was convicted and sentenced to ten
months in jail with hard labour by a Chipinge magistrate on Monday. Mlambo, who
was arrested in early April, was found guilty of allegedly obstructing the
course of justice and inciting violence at a funeral. Magistrate Zuze gave him
ten months but suspended three months on condition of good behaviour. The MP
attended a funeral for an MDC activist in Chipinge on 10th April. It is alleged
a ZANU PF activist came to provoke the mourners and was moved away by force.
Mlambo was at the burial site of the deceased while the commotion was taking
place elsewhere at the funeral. The gathering was later disrupted by the police
who stormed the funeral in search of an unidentified ‘suspect’, which resulted
in Mlambo being arrested for obstructing justice. Muchauraya believes this was
nothing more than a political judgment and has no legal merit. An MP loses their
parliamentary seat if they get a custodial sen tence of more than six months.
Mlambo remains an MP until his appeal has been heard. Lawyers were on Monday
applying for bail, pending appeal. Kwekwe MDC MP arrested on rape charges Member of Parliament for Kwekwe, Blessing Chebundo from the Tsvangirai MDC,
was on Tuesday arrested on charges of raping a 13-year old girl. Police
spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said the MP was arrested while on parliamentary
business in Harare and has been transferred to Kwekwe ‘to assist police
investigations’. Chebundo will appear in court on Friday around 11am in Kwekwe.
A complaint was filed by a young girl, who alleges that the MP raped her in his
car on the banks of the Sebakwe River between Kadoma and Kwekwe. It’s been
reported that the incident happened in January, but has only been re-ignited
after Chebundo questioned the two Home Affairs Ministers in parliament over the
arrest of two Zimbabwe Independent journalists. One of the Ministers, Giles
Mutsekwa, had been forced to admit they were detained on the orders of the
Attorney-General, Johannes Tomana. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa confirmed
Chebundo was still in police custody Thursday afternoon. He described the
incident as unfortunate, vowing they would carry out their own investigation.
Similar problems have erupted in the past with cases being concocted against
their members he said. Zimbabwe Police Arrest Lawyer, Kwekwe Mayor Charging Obstruction of
Justice Zimbabwean authorities on Friday arrested the lawyer for a parliamentarian of
the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, along with the mayor of the Midlands town of Kwekwe, on obstruction
of justice charges. Police arrested lawyer Tapera Sengwini and Kwekwe Mayor
Shadreck Tobaiwa on charges that they contacted the family of a teen allegedly
raped in January by lawmaker Blessing Chebundo in an effort to negotiate an
out-of-court settlement in the matter. Chebundo was charged Tuesday in the case
and on Friday remained in the hands of the Kwekwe police. Sengwini told VOA
earlier Friday that he expected to be arrested. Sources in the west-central town
said the lawyer and the mayor were also being held at the Kwekwe station. All
three men are members of the Tsvangirai MDC formation. Statement by the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
-21/05/2009 An understanding has been reached on: Provincial Governors - will be sworn in
at the soonest opportunity, 5 for MDC-T, 4 for ZANU PF and 1 for MDC-M. The six
governors whose tenure is to be terminated will be paid an agreed compensation.
Permanent Secretaries - we have reached agreement on these appointments.
Ambassadors - Appointments will be filled using a formula to be agreed upon.
Five vacant Ambassadorial posts will be filled in the ratio, MDC-T, 4, MDC-M, 1.
Ministerial Mandates - The Principals agreed that the functions of the
communications portfolio will be shared among the three Ministries: the Ministry
of Information Communication Technology, the Ministry of Media Information and
Publicity and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Roy
Bennett - will be sworn in. The Principals failed to reach agreement on the
appointments of the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the Attorney General. These
are senior government appointments yet, in breach of the Memorandum of
Understanding, the GPA and the Reserve Bank Act, they were appointed by the
President. There is a deadlock on the status of the two individuals, therefore
the Principals now refer this matter to SADC as the guarantors of the GPA. Mugabe refuses to disband notorious JOC Robert Mugabe and his security chiefs have refused to disband JOC (Joint
Operations Command), which was at the forefront of strategising Mugabe's
retention of power in the chaotic aftermath of the March elections in 2008.
Instead, JOC still sits regularly, thumbing its nose at the Inclusive
Government. The meetings are mainly held at State House, which Mugabe now uses
as his preferred office after moving his family to his mansion in Helensvale,
Borrowdale. The Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai
and Mutambara commits to the creation of a National Security Council, on which
Tsvangirai is guaranteed a seat. The Service Chiefs and Mugabe have simply
ensured that the Security Council never meets. The MDC-T made the mistake of
assuming that the creation of a National Security Council meant the disbanding
of JOC, but the agreement says nothing about disbanding JOC. Based on this, the
Service Chiefs and Mugabe have said the continued meetings of JOC are legal and
not in violation of the agreement. Technically, they are correct. MDC has been
reduced to demanding that the National Security Council meets without further
delay.
Sokwanele : 30 May 2009
Zimbabwe Inclusive Government Watch (ZIG Watch) is tracking
articles and reports which provide examples of violations of the agreement
between Zanu PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Formations
signed in Harare on 15 September 2008. This report reflects a small sample of
breaches identified through comprehensive logging and monitoring of media
articles. Many more breaches are viewable here.
SW Radio Africa (ZW):
27/04/2009
Zimbabwe Times, The (ZW):
04/05/2009
SW Radio Africa (ZW): 19/05/2009
Zimbabwe Times, The
(ZW): 22/05/2009
RadioVOP:
22/05/2009
RadioVOP:
21/05/2009
SW Radio Africa (ZW):
25/05/2009
SW Radio Africa
(ZW): 05/05/2009
SW Radio Africa (ZW): 08/05/2009
SW Radio Africa (ZW):
14/05/2009
SW Radio Africa
(ZW): 11/05/2009
SW Radio Africa (ZW):
21/05/2009
VOANews (USA): 22/05/2009
Sokwanele.com: 21/05/2009
Nehanda Radio:
21/05/2009
We have a fundamental right to freedom of expression!
It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today to look back on our decade of struggle and outline our vision for the way forward for the MDC as we continue to build a party of excellence.
The past year has been the most turbulent, challenging and decisive year in the history of our party and our country.
Having won the elections in March 2008, the past year saw the MDC enter into protracted negotiations to find a sustainable solution to the political crisis plaguing our country.
It was a year that saw the MDC taking its place in government for the first time, although not through a process or in a form that the people of this country had demanded when they cast their votes in March of last year.
As a party of excellence, it was our belief that in forming this government we would be able to begin replacing a culture of governance which had been based on fear and oppression with one based on empowering the people and creating opportunities for prosperity and development.
In this process, we are grateful to our African brothers and sisters and the international community, who supported, and continue to support, our progress towards a democratic, free Zimbabwe.
We in the MDC, saw the formation of the inclusive Government as the most practical means of moving towards a Zimbabwe where our people can live free from fear, hunger, poverty and prosecution.
A New Zimbabwe where each citizen has a voice and where the leaders listen to those voices to create a society where everyone has access to education, healthcare, food and jobs. A society where we are all protected by the laws of the country and which are enforced by a non-partisan, professional police force.
It was the vision of this Zimbabwe that lead to the formation of the MDC ten years ago, and it is this vision which has guided us ever since. It is this vision that drives us towards building a party of excellence.
As leaders, we acknowledge that this vision is yet to become a reality, but that that reality can be delivered through the implementation of the Global Political Agreement and, in particular, through the formation of a new constitution that will be people-driven.
It is this people-driven constitution that will provide the foundation upon which our New Zimbabwe will be built and it will enshrine our rights and promote the type of society in which we all wish to live.
That society for which we are striving still bears little resemblance to the reality in which all of us live today and we must acknowledge that through forming this inclusive government we have just taken another step in a journey that began ten years ago.
Fellow members of the MDC and invited guests, our transition from an opposition party to a majority party, and ultimately to a member of this inclusive government, has not been an easy one.
While we must recognise the positive difference that our entry into government has brought to the people of Zimbabwe, we must also admit the fact that we have not moved as far or as fast with these positive changes as the people demand and deserve.
Before I elaborate upon the obstacles that we have faced and continue to face, it is important that we first acknowledge the areas where we have been able to improve the quality of life for our people. In this, as in our decade–long struggle itself, we have a right to feel proud and we must use this pride to propel ourselves forward to fulfil the mandate that we have from the people.
In the 107 days since the formation of the inclusive government, the MDC within that Government has been instrumental in stabilising our economy and bringing it back from the brink of a truly national disaster.
In fact, we have been able to bring our rate of inflation from a world-record breaking rate of 500 billion percent to minus 3% as at the end of March.
Through the provision of a monthly allowance to all government workers, we have enabled teachers to return to schools, health workers to return to our hospitals and the civil service itself to return to a sense of normalcy.
The past three and half months have also seen increased humanitarian access by local and international NGOs to those communities most in need as well as seeing more medicines for our hospitals and chemicals for water treatment.
We have seen all basic necessities return to the shelves and with the rationalisation of our currency base, prices are gradually returning to more competitive levels.
Positive steps have been taken on our path towards democratisation. I am pleased to see here today those detainees who were abducted and illegally detained for so many months.
The holding of the media conference resulted in concrete recommendations that will be implemented to create an open media environment and the constitutional process has been triggered. Our goal of restoring fundamental freedoms and human rights is not yet achieved but we are moving in the right direction.
In the sphere of international relations I am also pleased to note significant improvements evidenced by the willingness of the international community to engage with our new Government and to match the progress that we make with increased assistance.
Members of the MDC, as I said, despite this progress there is still much to do. The progress that we have made, and are intent on making, is being undermined by those that are threatened by the democratic changes contained in the GPA.
In addition, despite our party being committed to restoring the rule of law, our members continue to be the victim’s of political persecution.
Over the past ten years, each one of us has lived for the democratic ideals upon which our party is based. Each one of us has struggled for the democratic ideals upon which our party is based and each one of us have sacrificed for these democratic ideals.
It is these ideals that have been our compass and our light that guided us through the darkest days of our struggle. It is these ideals that continue to guide us now and which show us the direction in which we must continue to move and how far we still have to travel.
It is these ideals that continue to unite us as a party and which continue to unite us with the people. As long as we stay true to our ideals there can be no divisions within the party, no divisions between those in government and those in parliament, or those in local government and those that continue to work within the party structures.
It is these ideals that must continue bind us through the journey ahead and upon which we must remain vigilantly focussed.
As Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and as President of the MDC, it is these ideals that continue to guide me.
It these ideals that show me that we have not yet succeeded in restoring the rule of law, that our people do not live free from fear, hunger and poverty, that our state media remains partisan and prejudiced, that freedom of association is not yet a right that all can enjoy.
It is these ideals that tell me that a land reform program must empower the majority of Zimbabweans without victimising any of our citizens and it must ensure food self-sufficiency. It cannot be based on racist persecution that leaves productive land fallow and our people hungry.
It is these ideals that tell me that Zimbabwe is still not a country where I can be confident about the futures of all our children. The process of National Healing is critical to ensuring a peaceful future for all our citizens. This process must be based on our ideals of transparency, justice and genuine reconciliation.
It is these ideals that tell me that we must move faster to ensure the full implementation of the GPA, the rapid progress of a people-driven constitutional process and the return to the rule of law.
The outstanding issues, which we have now referred to SADC, must be resolved so that confidence in the GPA is not undermined and it continues to provide a positive transitional framework.
Members of the MDC and invited guests, let me assure you that the MDC in Government will be guided by MDC the party.
The MDC entered government as part of the roadmap we defined in 2006, as the most strategic means to deliver a new, people-driven constitution and a transition to a truly free and just society.
In order for us to achieve this and build a party of excellence, we must be disciplined regardless of what roles we are playing in this democratic struggle.
Whether, in government, parliament, councils or the party, it is the party that is our anchor. It is the party that has brought us this far and it is the party that will carry us through this transitional phase to a truly democratic Zimbabwe.
The MDC was formed by the working people for the people. We struggled for the people and with the people, and we entered this inclusive government because of the people. It is the MDC that is the people’s source of hope and it is the people that are the MDC’s source of legitimacy and we connect to the people through our structures.
Therefore, we must concentrate on strengthening our structures and we, your political leadership, will ensure that there is the will and the resources to undertake this essential exercise to build a party of excellence.
Fellow members of the MDC, the past ten years have been ones of hard struggle and sacrifice. They have been years in which we have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and stayed true to our ideals. They have been years in which we defeated powerful foes and formed strong friendships.
The coming years will test our strength and our friendships. They will test our commitment to our ideals as the journey ahead will not be easy but it is a journey that we must complete.
The completion of this journey will not be possible unless everyone strives to ensure that the MDC is truly a party of excellence.
To achieve this we must have a leadership of excellence. This can only happen when each one of us in positions of responsibility, abide by the ideals of the party and put the interests of the party and the people above thoughts of personal gain. In building a party of excellence, there can be, and there will be, zero tolerance for any party leader, whether in government, parliament, local government or the party that allows him or herself to be corrupted by the trappings of the office they hold.
We owe it to our heroes who have paid the ultimate price in our struggle for a truly free Zimbabwe, to stay true to the principals of the party and the needs of the people.
Fellow members of the MDC and invited guests, I am proud to be leading our party of excellence on this definitive stage of our struggle. I am proud to stand alongside the leadership and proud to represent each of you that proclaims their membership of our great party.
I know that together we will overcome the obstacles ahead of us. Together, we will build a new Zimbabwe based on hope, respect and the will of the people. I know that we are together to the end and we are marching to a New Zimbabwe.
I thank you.
Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
(FEWS NET) Date: 29 May 2009 - It is anticipated that efficient and effective redistribution of domestic
production and cereal imports from within the region and from international
humanitarian organizations will cover this cereal gap. - Prices of most basic foodstuffs continue to decline, though they remain
beyond the reach of most urban poor households, and April monthly allowances
paid to civil servants remained about 77 percent below the cost of the minimum
family basket. - Though area planted to maize in 2008/09 dropped compared to last season,
maize harvests are higher this year, but lower than the long term (10 year)
average. The April MOA assessment estimated maize production at 1,240,000 MT,
about 160 percent more than last year's production. April Zimbabwe Vulnerability
Assessment Committee (ZimVac) rural assessment findings indicate most households
have enough harvests to last for four to six months. - Input shortages and associated high costs are likely to lead to a below
normal 2009 winter wheat season, for which harvests are expected in
September/October.
- With the arrival of
2008/09 harvests and continued imports by private traders, food security in
Zimbabwe is improving. However, 2008/09 harvests are unlikely to completely
cover national cereal requirements, and the Ministry of Agriculture's (MOA's)
April Second Round Crop and Livestock Assessment estimated a national cereal
deficit of 690,000 MT.
****************
"I am actually seeing myself
as a human being again."
When I heard these words at a food distribution point in Bulawayo's Mzilikazi township yesterday, I was jolted as I understood for the first time the impact that Zimbabwe's economic crisis has had on human dignity. While there is much talk about physical suffering like hunger and illness, we often overlook the psychological impact, particularly on the elderly and people with disabilities.
The source of this revelation was 80 year old Evelyne Mandizvidza, as she queued for her monthly food basket at a Joint Initiative for Urban Zimbabwe project run by Oxfam's partner organisation Lead Trust. "Before I joined this scheme last November there were times when I had no food at all for days. Then I would just boil water and drink it while it was warm to fill my stomach. My skin was hanging off me."
She now receives a monthly assistance package that includes maize meal, corn soya blend, cooking oil, peanut butter, soap and cotton wool. "Before, we didn't have soap for a long time so I was just removing sweat with water instead of washing properly."
The cotton wool included in the relief packages is a boon for younger women who have had to face the indignity of coping with menstruation without sanitary towels.
And while there is a sense of cautious optimism among
most people about the government of national unity, the most vulnerable
Zimbabweans are not yet experiencing any benefits. For them the bickering about
the appointment of ambassadors and control of ministries is academic: day-to-day
survival continues to be the issue.
The "dollarization" of the economy -
which has seen foreign currencies replace the Zim dollar - has helped to curb
inflation and shelves in shops are now full. But for people who have no access
to currency particularly orphans, the elderly and people with disabilities, this
has actually made life harder.
"Things are now available in shops but the problem is in getting cash to buy those things," explained Mandizvidza. "At my age it is impossible to get a job and earn cash, and I don't have anything to sell." Even those in formal employment such as civil servants are only earning a $100 a month allowance - not a lot in an economy where a newspaper costs $2 and a loaf of bread $1. For the elderly their precarious situation has been exacerbated by the fact that pensions have not been paid out since December.
Many have joined the urban gardening project run by the Joint Initiative which provides seeds, watering cans and training, allowing people to grow vegetables and fruit in their backyards.
Mpanywa Siwela (83) is a member of the food committee in Mzilikazi, growing carrots, garlic and spinach in his yard. He exchanges gardening tips with Mandizvidza, his wizened face wrinkling even further in consternation as he tells her "I need something to spray those red spiders that are attacking my tomatoes." The success of his crop is not just a matter of pride - it is also about putting food on the table. But there are things he can't grow and can't afford to buy: "I can't tell you when I last drank tea..." he says longingly. "But where can we old people get rands or dollars?"
The lucky few have cash remittances sent home from relatives working abroad, but in a country in which HIV/Aids has decimated the economically active population and where unemployment stands at 90%, they are not in the majority.
Sixty six year old Christopher Ndabambe has signed up for the pilot cash transfer project, an offshoot of the food distribution programme.
Admire Chinjekure of the Lead Trust explains that the cash transfer project in which participants are given $25 a month aims to allow people to access hard currency: "Some people prefer to get the cash so they can pay their rent or for medical services. Some reinvest the money - for instance they buy firewood which they sell."
"I have diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart problem," says Ndabambe. "Dollarization is good because it means there are drugs available now, but it is quite difficult for me if I can't get currency. We need a better health system and to be able to get drugs from our hospitals. I opted out of the food programme and joined the cash transfer project so I can buy my medicines."
Ndabambe is regularly forced to make a choice between buying food and buying medicine. "I have to go into town to buy my heart tablets and that costs a lot of money for transport. So then I can only buy a one-week supply. If there is anything left over I buy some food".
It's a choice no one should have to make.
For more information on Oxfam's work click here
Dear Family and Friends,
The unity government is being torn apart
over the retention of the
Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono. While they
argue, threaten and
grandstand, we look at our tattered lives.
In a
box, abandoned and covered in dust and fluff, lies the evidence
of my lost
life savings, seizure of my home and property and
destruction of my pension.
I am not alone but am one of ten million
Zimbabweans who find themselves in
the same position, one that has
unfolded in just 9 ugly years.
At the
bottom of the box are the last accounts from our farm that was
seized by the
Zimbabwe government in 2000. The accounts show no income
and there is a note
attached with a rusting paper clip which says: "No
compensation paid for
house, fixtures, fittings, infrastructure,
fencing etc." That statement
remains true 9 years later.
Next in the box is a tattered orange
cardboard file. Most of it's
contents are still too painful to revisit. One
section deals with
lost life savings which had been invested in a bank that
was closed
down by Zimbabwe's banking authorities.
In dog eared, dirty
bundles held together with melting,
perishing elastic bands there are
piles and piles of money. Purple
500 hundred dollar notes, olive 1,000 dollar
notes and then strange
things called 'bearers cheques. They are blue, red,
brown, purple and
green bits of paper with expiry dates and values ranging
from 5 to 100
thousand dollars. They bear the signature of Reserve Bank
Governor,
Gideon Gono.
Then other bundles with even higher
denomination 'bearer cheques'
ranging in value from 1 to 500 million dollars.
These too have expiry
dates and are signed by Gideon Gono.
There in
the box are the records of new attempts to save money -
futile efforts
because Mr Gono slashed three zeroes from the currency
and thousands became
single dollars overnight.
More bundles of money, this time they are in
billion dollar
denominations and are called Special Agro Cheques. they too
have
expiry dates and are signed by Mr Gono: purple, green, brown,
blue,
valued from 5 to 100 billion dollars.
Then more records of how
everything was lost again when Mr Gono
imposed daily withdrawal limits from
the banks. We could only draw
out enough of our own money to buy half a loaf
of bread a day; the
queues were in the thousands and our money lost all its
value before
we could get it out of the banks.
Again Mr Gono removed
zeroes from the currency; in a single swipe
billionaires became paupers. New
bank notes which started at one
dollar soon got bigger as mismanagement
continued and again we had
bank notes for 500 thousand, 1 million, 1 billion.
We went dizzy as
notes were issued by Mr Gono for 1 trillion, 10 trillion.
When Mr
Gono's presses physically couldn't print the money fast enough,
all
out trillions, quadrillions and septillions were lost when trading
in
Zim dollars was suspended and we moved into US dollars.
At the top
of the box is a small newspaper cutting. It quotes Mr Gono
admitting that he
removed money from private bank accounts to fund
government expenses.
And after all this there is cause for argument? Until next week
with
a view of scarlet poinsettias, love cathyCopyright cathy buckle
30th
May 2009.
www.cathybuckle.com
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Eddie Cross
30 May 2009
Eddie
Cross writes on the return home, and the MDC's uphill battle in the
unity
govt
We are all aware of time. The older you get, the less time there
is for
anything and it seems to accelerate each year. Only when we are
children
does time seem interminable. Can any of us believe it is June
already? The
changes in the veld tell us it is winter although the clear
blue skies and
warm days belie that fact. So far no frost although I heard
that there was
light snow in Francistown the other day!!
Two years
are left before we can really expect another election. That seems
a long
time but it will be gone in the blink of an eye and we must make sure
that
we are able to accomplish all we have to do by then. The list of our
priorities is intimidating.
We must try to manage the affairs of
State and put the country back on the
path to recovery and growth. We must
get all 85 local authorities back on
their feet and restore basic services
to ordinary households. We must get
new legislation passed by the House to
correct the legal environment and
make conditions amenable for the
restoration of our basic freedoms and
rights.
If that is not enough,
we must draft a new Constitution and get it passed by
a referendum. We must
reform the basis upon which the next elections are
held so that they can be
regarded as being 'free and fair'. We must rebuild
the Party so that we can
compete for power in the new elections and persuade
the electorate that we
are the people to back when it comes to creating the
conditions under which
Zimbabwe can be restored to its rightful place in the
world.
This
daunting task is made all the more difficult because we are in a
transitional arrangement that requires us to work consensually on everything
despite the fact that we hold diametrically different views on everything.
This is compounded when you understand that within this transitional
government there is a secret cabal that seeks to undermine the new
government at every opportunity.
It has taken us 4 months to secure
agreement on the appointment of
Governors, Permanent Secretaries, Diplomats
and Roy Bennett as deputy
Minister of Agriculture. Such issues should have
been routine matters for
the new authority but became a battle ground for
power and influence and
even control on the ground.
Still no progress
on Gono, Tomana and the rule of law. Still no progress on
agriculture - in
fact in this area we are still rolling backwards, down
hill. No progress on
reform of security services, hundreds of prisoners are
still dying each
month in the Prisons and the political control of the
Police Service remains
a problem.
I think Zanu PF understands a few new truths about the
situation now and it
will be interesting to see how they handle this in the
weeks and months
ahead. They now know we are in this deal until it runs its
course and
results in the adoption of a new Constitution and are able to
hold an
election on a free and fair basis. They also understand that if this
programme of reform does take place they are basically finished.
So
we can expect them to try and arrange for elections before the reform
process has a chance of getting underway and taking root, we can expect them
to fight the reforms that we need to create democratic space. I think they
understand also that this will not be easy or without cost to themselves.
They are on the wrong side of history and they simply do not know how to
stop or slow down the passage of time.
We of course also suffer from
the passage of time. We want to see economic
recovery get underway and
living standards restored, we want to see our
economic institutions
recovering and delivering the services we require for
everyday life. We want
to see our schools and hospitals operating again and
the level of skills and
performance being restored. None of this is going to
happen anytime soon. We
have to adjust to the harsh reality of life in a
shattered economy and
broken infrastructure.
All of this we can take if we are satisfied that
at the end of it all we can
expect life to become more liveable. The
proverbial light at the end of the
tunnel.
I have never had any
doubts about the final outcome of this struggle, just
had no idea of just
how long it would take to get there. It has already been
ten years and there
have been thousands of casualties. MDC has always said
this was not a
sprint, it is a marathon and we must be ready for the long
haul.
Telling people that we must accept another two years of
hardships and
struggle before real change comes is tough. Many are tired of
facing the
daily grind; business does not seem to get any easier. It's that
time in the
race when your legs are giving way and cramp threatens, you have
a stitch in
your side and wonder just how you are going to tackle that long
slope that
you know is just around the corner.
It is at this moment
that the mind must take over and your courage and
determination much kick
in. I spent last week in South Africa having a
health check up and doing
some business and MDC 'stuff'. A week of full
supermarkets and street lights
and no potholes. A week of heavy traffic and
congestion and great meals in
many different places. A week of a free press
and free debate and no
watching what is behind you or waiting for you when
you get home.
Yet
when we crossed the Limpopo there was no doubt we were home. Driving
along a
terrible bit of road, potholes and worse, a small car passed us and
then
turned and chased us waving us down. It was four leaders from the local
MDC
leadership - we stopped and had a great discussion on the side of the
road.
That would not happen in South Africa. We held a meeting in my
constituency
attended by at least 2000 people - poor as mice but universally
cheerful,
warm and welcoming. They are willing to go on for as long as it
takes to
finish this job, trusting us to stay the course with them and help
where we
can.
Back in the saddle, I discover that we have made some progress but
much
remains to be done. No one is going to sort out this country for us -
they
will and are helping but in the end it is down to us - the people who
live
here and who love the country and its warm hearted, courageous people.
We
are going to win; it's just a matter of time.
Eddie Cross is MP
for Bulawayo South and the MDC's Policy Coordinator. This
article first
appeared on this website
http://www.eddiecross.africanherd.com/