http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012
10:44
BY OUR STAFF
THE United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi
Pillay, is set to visit
Zimbabwe on May 20 at the invitation of the
government, her office said on
Friday. According to her spokesperson, Rupert
Colville, the visit is the
first ever mission by a UN Human Rights chief to
Zimbabwe.
“During the five-day mission, Pillay is due to meet
President Robert Mugabe,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the ministers of
Foreign Affairs, Justice
and Legal Affairs and other ministers, as well as
the Chief Justice, the
Speaker of Parliament, President of the Senate and
Thematic Committee of
Human Rights,” Colville said.
Pillay will
also meet with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) and
members of
civil society in the country. The spokesperson said Pillay is
considering a
number of field visits within and outside Harare, including
the Marange
diamond fields.
“During these visits, she will also meet local
communities and civil society
members in the area to listen to their
experiences and views,” Colville
said.
Civil society organisations allege
human rights violations in the
diamond-rich area adding hundreds lost their
lives when government moved in
to drive away illegal miners six years
ago.
Government says the allegations are baseless. Pillay’s meeting
with members
of the ZHRC would jolt government into making sure the body is
operationalised two years after the swearing in of
commissioners.
ZHRC’s mandate include promotion of human rights
awareness and development,
monitoring and assessing human rights observance
and investigating alleged
violations of human rights.
ZHRC also
assists the minister of Justice to prepare reports on Zimbabwe’s
compliance
with international human rights agreements to which Zimbabwe is a
party.
Zimbabwe has over the years witnessed human rights violations and
there are
fears it will increase as the country heads for elections which
President
Robert Mugabe wants this year.
Prior to her mission in
Zimbabwe, Pillay will visit South Sudan from May 8
to 12. Topics to be
discussed will include concerns about the protection of
civilians amid the
hostilities that have flared up along the border with
Sudan, as well as a
range of other human rights issues, her office said.
Members of the
ZHRC
ZHRC is chaired by Professor Reginald Austin and has Dr
Ellen Sithole, Dr
Joseph Kurebwa, Jacob Mudenda, Japhet-Ndabeni Ncube,
Sheila Matindike,
Elasto Mugwadi, Ona Jirira and Norma Niseni.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:35
BY PATRICE
MAKOVA
VICE-PRESIDENT Joice Mujuru, yesterday revealed sensitive
information
regarding her family and marriage to the late General, Solomon
Mujuru.
Speaking at his memorial service at Ruzambu Farm near Beatrice
yesterday,
she said for 10 years, Mujuru set up Central Intelligence
Organisation
agents on her to spy on her movements thinking that she was
cheating on him.
The memorial was attended by thousands of
people among them Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai, Vice-President John
Nkomo, deputy Prime Minister
Thokozani Khupe, cabinet ministers, service
chiefs, religious leaders and
Zanu PF supporters.
“They (CIO)
never saw me in any bar or with a secret lover because I was
always either
at school, church or at work,” she said. “I have always been
faithful to
him because I am a principled traditional and god-fearing woman
who wanted
to be a role model for my children.”
Mujuru said when she married,
the late general in 1977, he already had two
children, Maidei and the late
Charity, both of whom she raised as her own.
She said although Mujuru drank
a lot of beer and sometimes did not sleep at
home the marriage was based on
trust.
She said women who wanted to keep their marriages like what
she did with the
late general, should not listen to rumour or take the law
into their own
hands if they find out that their husbands have “small
houses”.
Mujuru said when investigators wanted to prove that the
charred remains
found at the farm house were indeed Mujuru’s, she agreed to
have her
daughter Kumbirai’s samples taken for DNA matching because she knew
all her
children belonged to the late general.
She said all the
other children who were claiming to be Mujuru’s should go
the similar route
of DNA testing to prove that they were sired by the late
general. “This is
what will happen to all those who are coming claiming to
be Mujuru’s. If
they prove this through DNA, I will look after them,” said
the
Vice-President.
At the same service, President Robert Mugabe said he
was still puzzled by
the circumstances surrounding the retired general’s
death in an inferno at
his farm. He said the former army commander had a
strong military background
and high sense of alertness and wondered how he
could have perished in the
fire.
Mugabe still puzzled by
General’s death
Mugabe said it was baffling to understand how
Mujuru died, as he was a brave
person whose high sense of alertness had
saved him from similar disasters
during the war of
liberation.
“How could he burn like that without escaping?” he asked.
“Maybe he was
drunk, as a person who drank beer. Maybe he was deep in sleep
when the fire
started.”
However, witnesses testified at the inquest into
the death of Mujuru that
the retired general went home sober and had drunk
only two tots of whisky as
he wanted to wake up early on the morrow of the
fateful day, August 15 last
year.
Mugabe said Mujuru managed to
escape death by a whisker a few times before,
including in Switzerland in
1976 when his hotel room was engulfed by fire
during the Geneva talks. He
said Mujuru managed to escape from the third
floor through a
window.
Mugabe, who visited the gutted farm house for the first time,
said there was
no way Mujuru could have escaped the fire given the extent of
the damage due
to the intensity of the fire.
Mugabe praised
Mujuru for helping counter rebellions within Zanu PF during
the war of
liberation. He said Mujuru provided vital information on plans by
“group
ravashandi” led by former Zanla commander, Wilfred Mhanda, whose
Chimurenga
name was Dzinashe Machingura, who did not respect Mugabe’s
authority and
wanted to overthrow the leadership.
Mugabe said Mujuru managed to
rescue two leaders — Edgar Tekere and Hebert
Ushewokunze, who had been
arrested by the “rebels” who had dug a huge
underground hole to imprison
them.
Shiri insists Mujuru death a mystery
Air Force of
Zimbabwe commander, Air Marshal Perence Shiri, who chronicled
Mujuru’s
military history, said the death of his former commander was still
a mystery
up to today.
Shiri, who was said to be close to Mujuru, spoke at the
memorial service as
Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine
Chiwenga could not
attend due to a family bereavement.
Shiri’s
insistence that Mujuru’s death was still a mystery came as a
surprise to
many at the memorial, as the official position was in line with
coroner
Walter Chikwanha’s findings, concluding that there was no foul play
and that
the cause of death was “carbonisation”.
Although ZDF Chaplain,
Colonel Joseph Nyakudya instructed speakers and
members of the public to
desist from making statements which could “open old
wounds”, it was clear
that the atmosphere was tense, especially for Mujuru’s
relatives and
associates.
A woman who represented Mujuru’s mother, said she was
still pained and not
happy at the circumstances surrounding Mujuru’s death
before breaking down
in tears.
Family lawyer, Thakor Kewada, recently
told The Standard that the coroner
erred by concluding that there was no
foul play, as ample evidence was
provided that investigations were botched,
raising a lot of questions on
circumstances under which the general died,
including how the fired started.
Vice-President Mujuru accused the
media of “abusing” her by writing
falsehoods about her. “I think I deserve
an apology from the newspapers.
They have abused me and my departed husband.
They have belittled me. It’s
those people who envy to be part of the Mujuru
family who fed you wrong
information,” she said in apparent reference to
reports by whistle-blowing
website, WikiLeaks quoting American diplomats
saying the Mujuru’s were long
divorced.
Although the Mujuru
family did not speak much about Mujuru’s death, they
have insisted that the
mysterious death can only be brought to finality by
exhuming his body and
conducting a fresh autopsy, as they are still highly
suspicious that he was
murdered.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:14
BY PATRICE
MAKOVA
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF may have put themselves in a tight
corner by insisting on holding elections this year as the party is
struggling to contain serious infighting which threatens to tear it apart,
analysts have warned.
The current restructuring exercise and
election of District Co-odinating
Committees (DCC) has been marred by chaos
and violence in several provinces
among them Masvingo, Manicaland and
Bulawayo as rival factions belonging to
either Defence minister, Emmerson
Mnangagwa or Vice-President, Joice Mujuru,
are jostling to position
themselves ahead of the possible battle to succeed
Mugabe.
Mugabe himself admitted on Friday at the burial of
national hero Edson Ncube
that Zanu PF risked being destroyed because of
greed, rampant imposition of
candidates and rigging which was widening rifts
in the party.
University of Zimbabwe Political Science Lecturer,
Shakespeare Hamauswa said
Zanu PF was in a catch 22 situation which it
created for itself. He said if
the party went ahead with elections this
year, squabbles would prove costly,
while postponing the polls would make
the party lose credibility.
He said divisions, though not uncommon,
were not healthy for a political
party which was gearing to go for
elections. “Voter apathy is going to
increase in the elections. There will
be defections to other parties but
these will be minimal. Defections will
largely depend on what the MDC-T is
offering,” said
Hamauswa.
However, he said divisions within Zanu PF would not make
the political
playing field even, unless radical political and electoral
reforms were
implemented. Hamauswa said the current divisions would not
deter Zanu PF
from calling for elections this year, as the party wanted to
give people an
impression that it was determined to fulfill its
promises.
“The party will not admit it if they realise that divisions
will cost them
elections because this will undermine their credibility,” he
said. “Instead
Zanu PF may shift the blame and say we have failed to hold
elections because
of opposition by Sadc and MDC-T. They will also blame
Finance minister
Tendai Biti for failing to mobilise funding for
elections.”
Jostling would split votes, says
analyst
Political analyst, Tawanda Chimhini said it was
significant to note that the
squabbles were intense in Masvingo and
Manicaland provinces where Zanu PF
dismally lost in the last
elections.
He said the party had been fighting to regain lost ground
in the two
provinces and elsewhere, but factionalism and the imposition of
candidates
would make this an uphill task, come elections.
“There
is a high likelihood that we will see an increasing number of
disgruntled
Zanu PF officials contesting as independent candidates, thereby
dividing
votes,” Chimhini said.
He said in the amended Electoral bill there
was no more room to field
parallel candidates from the same party, hence
those elbowed out may opt to
contest as independents.
“This gives
an advantage to the MDC-T; that is provided that the party will
not face
similar problems,” said Chimhini. Chimhini said the Zanu PF
infighting which
has been marred by violence, reflected badly on peace and
tolerance in the
country ahead of elections.
“If violence has already started chances
of it increasing are high. This is
because if there is lack of tolerance
amongst members of the same party,
what more between supporters of rival
political parties?” he said.
Social rights activist, Hopewell Gumbo
said the squabbles were a sign of the
depth of the crisis around Mugabe’s
possible departure from active politics,
sponsored by strong pockets that
would be rendered vulnerable.
“Time is running out for many who had
sought comfort in his rule,” he said.
“Now that the bonding force is
disintegrating, the mascots are running for
cover. If there is no force that
will keep the Zanu PF machinery together,
then this is the election in which
Zanu PF is going to be drubbed hands
down.”
But Zanu PF
spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo argued that the current squabbles
within the
party had no bearing on the elections. He said a special
politburo meeting
would be held in two weeks’ time to sort out the problems
which emerged
during the restructuring exercise and election of DCC’s.
“The
problems are not insurmountable,” he said. “It’s wishful thinking for
some
people to say the party is weaker because of the current problems. The
reality is that Zanu PF will emerge stronger after the re-organisation has
been completed by the department of commissariat lead by Webster
Shamu.”
Gumbo said his party was geared for elections which it was
confident of
winning.
Political analyst, Dr Ibbo Mandaza agreed with
Gumbo saying there was
nothing unusual about the Zanu PF infighting as this
happened each time the
country is about to hold elections.
“It
has always been acrimonious. In fact, the current infighting is nothing.
Wait until primary elections are being held and you will see real war,” he
said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:10
BY CAIPHAS
CHIMHETE
ZANU PF hardliners are pushing for the declaration of a stalemate in
the
constitution-making process to force an early election under the old
constitution or at least extend the life-span of the coalition government as
they feel agreeing to the proposed law is signing own “death warrant”,
sources have said.
The proposed constitution, they said, is “too
meticulous and democratic for
Zanu PF”, a party accused of holding on to
power for the past three decades
through intimidation, outright violence and
electoral chicanery.
Hardliners believe the passing of the proposed
draft constitution into the
supreme law marks the end of President Robert
Mugabe and Zanu PF’s rule. But
the 88-year-old leader is singing a different
tune.
He told mourners at the burial of Edson Ncube at the National
Heroes’ Acre
last week that: “We are looking forward to have an election on
the basis of
a constitution.”
But the sources said Zanu PF hardliners
would have none of that.
“There is no way Zanu PF hardliners will
allow this proposed constitution to
see the light of day,” said one source.
“They would rather declare a
stalemate and force elections under the
Lancaster Constitution or extend the
tenure of the coalition government to
allow themselves time to
re-strategise.”
Even most Zanu PF MPs
do not want elections this year before finishing their
terms in 2013. Those
pushing for elections are mostly officials outside the
coalition government
who see the posts occupied by the MDC formation
officials as
theirs.
Former Information minister, Jonathan Moyo, believed to be
working closely
with the securocrats, has already described the
constitution-making process
as a fraud which must not be taken to a
referendum.
He has also described a team of drafters known as the
constitution select
committee (Copac) “mafia”. Another Zanu PF sympathiser,
Tafataona Mahoso,
has also written deriding the constitution-making
process.
Moyo claimed the proposed constitution targeted Mugabe,
central bank
Governor Gideon Gono, Commander of the Defence Forces
Constantine Chiwenga
and Commissioner General of Police Augustine Chihuri in
what analysts said
were attempts to whip up emotions of the security chiefs
and other Zanu PF
hardliners.
Why the new constitution is
less appealing to Zanu Pf
The new constitution severely reduces
the president’s powers to the extent
that he would, in many of the critical
issues, have to consult parliament or
commissions before taking decisions of
national interest.
Rising calls for devolution also send waves of
shock down Zanu PF’s spine as
authority would be taken away from the central
government to the regions,
severely limiting the influence of the former
ruling party, which has for
years used a centralised command-and-control
political system to maintain an
iron grip on power.
Under the new
constitution, the President would no longer appoint service
chiefs but this
would be done by a service commission. The service chiefs,
who have publicly
declared that they would not salute anyone without
liberation war
credentials, are believed to be the power behind Mugabe’s
protracted
rule.
The parties have also failed to agree on issues such as land,
dual
citizenship and war veterans.
‘New constitution too
democratic for Zanu PF’
University of Zimbabwe lecturer John
Makumbe said Zanu PF would use anything
at their disposal to ensure the new
constitution does not see the light of
day. He said Zanu PF hardliners would
continue to put a spanner in the works
to make sure that there is a
political deadlock because they see a new
democratic constitution as their
end.
“It’s too good. It is too democratic for Zanu PF’s liking,” said
Makumbe, a
known MDC-T sympathiser. “It includes a justice, truth and
reconciliation
commission which those in Zanu PF detest most because of the
skeletons they
have in their closets.”
Another University of
Zimbabwe political scientist Shakespeare Hamauswa
concurred, noting that
Zanu PF would not agree to let the new constitution
prevail. But Sadc would
be Zanu PF’s nemesis as the body will continue to
push for reforms, said
Hamauswa. This could mean a continuation of the GNU
for some time, he
said.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said his party wanted the new
constitution
completed as soon as possible to enable the holding of
elections. “We want
this constitution-making process to be completed very
soon so that we can
hold election,” said Gumbo. “In other countries this
process takes very
little time.”
He denied that Zanu PF
hardliners wanted to declare a stalemate to force
elections under the old
constitution which favours Mugabe. Gumbo said
comments by people like Moyo
and Mahoso in the State media were their
personal views not shared by the
whole party.
“Those are academics,” said Gumbo. “The academics are
free to express their
opinions. It does not mean these are the views of the
party.” MDC-T deputy
spokesperson Tabitha Khumalo said Zanu PF does not want
a new constitution
because it was afraid of losing elections. An extension
of GNU was not the
answer to Zimbabwe’s problems but a free and fair
election.
“There could be an extension of the GNU but that is not
what Zimbabweans
want,” said Khumalo. “People must demand a democratic
dispensation. We need
a unity of purpose.”
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:02
BY OUR STAFF
THE
MDC99 on Friday claimed that it has unearthed a sting operation meant to
fabricate rape charges against party leader Job Sikhala. Sikhala confirmed
to The Standard that police officers from the Law and Order Section and
suspected state security agents “besieged” St Mary’s suburb in Chitungwiza
seeking to arrest him.
“They came looking for me so that they
could detain me the whole weekend.
Fortunately I am away. These are all
trumped up charges,” he said in a
telephone interview.
Sikhala’s personal
assistant, David Hwangwa, said Sikhala, who was last week
acquitted of a
charge for harbouring an alien, was now being accused of
raping that very
person he was being accused of having illegally brought
into the
country.
“The alien, who by now should have been deported back to
South Africa five
months ago, is now being used by the CIO in circumstances
reminiscent of the
Ari Ben Menashe sting against Morgan Tsvangirai to
achieve political ends,”
he said.
Hwangwa alleged that State
security agents had been plotting against Sikhala
for a long time. “The
MDC99 is prepared to enjoy the circus of a desperate
regime that is clinging
onto the straws of desperate conmen who are feeding
on the gullibility of
the State security agents that have gone to the dogs,”
he
said.
Hwangwa said the charges of rape being leveled against Sikhala
had no
substance considering the fact that the woman, swore in court that
even
though they shared the same room on one occasion, they did not engage
in
sex.
He said this shows that the woman was now a State
apparatus being used to
“topple and take down” Sikhala with the assistance
of a named former
executive member of MDC99.
Hwangwa questioned
why matters of rape were now being handled by the Law and
Order Section of
the police service. Harare provincial police spokesperson
Inspector James
Sabau could not be drawn to confirm whether or not the
police were looking
for him.
“We don’t carry out investigations through the media.
However, if he knows
that the police are looking for him then he simply has
to present himself
rather than going to the media,” said Sabau, adding that
Sikhala was just
seeking relevance.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:00
BY
BRIDGETTE BUGALO AND NQABA MATSHAZI
MISSING human rights activist Paul
Chizuze is feared dead and Bulawayo
police have since handed the matter to
the Criminal Investigations
Department. Chizuze has not been seen for almost
three months and the latest
development adds a new twist to the mystery of
his disappearance.
“The matter of missing activist Chizuze has been
transferred to the CID
because it was rendered a suspected murder,” police
spokesman, Mandlenkosi
Moyo said last week.
Despite alarm being raised
that he may have been abducted, the family gave
contrasting statements and
this further deepened the mystery.
When news of the disappearance
came to light, family members were reportedly
squabbling and blaming each
other for the activist’s no-show.
Investigations have revealed that when the
activist went missing, close
family members actually confided in others that
the search for Chizuze might
as well be halted as the activist would return
when he wanted to.
“The family said this is not the first time he had
gone missing and there
were indications that he may have had a domestic
dispute before he left,” a
confidanté said.
A fellow activist seemed to
corroborate this story, saying “but he has never
been away for this
long”.
The activist declined to comment further, saying it was
difficult for him,
as he had not been authorised by the family to speak on
its behalf. Chizuze
reportedly disappeared on February 8 and efforts to
locate him have so far
drawn a blank.
Speculation was that
Chizuze may have stumbled on some sensitive information
that someone did not
want exposed. In a country where authorities are loathe
of human rights
activists, many fear for the worst for Chizuze.
But according to his
sister, who spoke when the activist first went missing,
whatever had made
him disappear had nothing to do with his work as an
activist.
“His
disappearance had nothing to do with his work,” Maxim Phiri said then.
“He
wasn’t a prominent person.”
The close family friend confirmed that
family members were blaming each
other for his disappearance. “The family is
not united. They are pointing
fingers and accusing each other for causing
his disappearance. It is
difficult to really know what is going on,” he
said.
Efforts to get a comment from the family on the latest
developments proved
fruitless. When our news crew visited the house in
Bellevue, Bulawayo,
teenage children only peeped through the window and
refused to answer any
questions.
A lady, claiming to be Chizuze’s
wife, later called our offices, saying they
did not want any media
attention, as this was a private family affair. A
church service was also
held in Bulawayo six weeks ago, while prayers have
also been held at
different churches across the city.
Coltart raised
alarm
Education minister, David Coltart first raised the red flag
on the missing
Chizuze. He launched a media campaign to have the missing
activist found.
At the time he disappeared, Chizuze was employed by the
Solidarity Peace
Trust. Over the past three decades, the activist is said to
have worked with
the Legal Resources Foundation, Amani Trust Matabeleland
and the Catholic
Commission for Justice and Peace.
He has also
been involved with ZimRights, Churches in Bulawayo, CivNet and
Masakheni
Trust. A church service was also held in Bulawayo six weeks ago,
while
prayers have also been held at different churches across the city.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:58
MUTARE — Several
manufacturing companies owing Mutare City Council money
because of unpaid
rates and supplementary charges are set to appear in court
soon after the
local authority embarked on the a blitz on defaulters.
The council,
through its lawyers — Bere Brothers Legal Practitioners — last
week embarked
on a debt recovery exercise on industries, sparking widespread
panic on
industrialists, the majority of them struggling to remain afloat.
Last week,
the law firm started distributing final demand letters to various
industries
in the city, giving defaulters seven working days to settle their
debts,
failure of which they would issue court summons without further
notice.
Apart from paying the principal amount, the defaulters
would also be
required to pay an additional 10% collection commission.
Mutare City Council
is owed US$18,5 million by the defaulters and Bere
Brothers are set to
realise about US$1,8 million as debt collection
commission.
Mutare City Council town clerk, Obert Muzawazi, last week
confirmed the debt
recovery exercise. “This is aimed at recovering what the
council is being
owed. We are targeting commercial entities because some of
them are using
and benefiting from our facilities yet they are deliberately
not paying.”
— BY CLAYTON MASEKESA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:54
BY OUR
STAFF
SIX MDC-T members were hospitalised yesterday after they were brutally
attacked by suspected Zanu PF supporters in Harare’s Highfield high-density
suburb.
According to MDC-T, the six — Thulani Ncube, Shadrick Ngirazi,
sisters, Maud
and Tsitsi Chinyerere, their two daughters, Rosie and Nomatter
— sustained
head and body injuries.
Maud is a provincial
executive member of the Women’s Assembly in Harare.
Three houses were
damaged as a result, MDC-T said in a statement. MP for the
constituency,
Simon Hove, was scheduled to address a rally at Western
Triangle terminus,
where provincial leaders were to speak on the conditions
required for
Zimbabwe to hold a sustainable election.
Hove said the attack is
proof that Zanu PF is intolerant and violent. “This
is clear evidence that
Zanu PF is intolerant, hateful and violent,” he said.
“We applied for a
rally today at the Western Terminus and this was approved.
Zanu PF had shown
discontent and was trying to influence the police to
change the venue. When
this failed, they attacked known MDC leaders and
their families. This is
evil.”
The attack came as principals in the inclusive government
continue to warn
supporters against political violence. Harare province
police spokesperson,
James Sabau, said he had not received any report of
violence in Highfield.
However, Sabau said in most instances,
people turned small squabbles into
political violence to gain relevance.
“You will find out that they were
fighting over a girlfriend or it’s a
vendetta over beer and when they report
it they add a political twist,
whereas when they were fighting, no-one
declared their political
affiliation,” said Sabau.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:40
BY NUNURAI JENA
PRESIDENT
Robert Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, was last week held hostage
for hours
by workers at his Gwebi Junction Estate near Norton, after failing
to pay
them their wages for the past three months.
The 115 workers sang
revolutionary songs, beat drums before sealing off the
farmhouse exit,
demanding their money. Sensing danger, a frightened Zhuwao,
who is Zanu PF
MP for Zvimba East constituency, scaled the fence and
eventually escaped
using a back exit much to the chagrin of the irate
workers.
A
worker at the farm, who refused to be identified for fear of
victimisation,
said they only became confrontational after failing to engage
Zhuwao through
peaceful means.
“Zhuwao has not paid us for three months but what has really
angered us is
that he is being elusive,” said the worker.
The
workers said they were also infuriated by the fact that whenever they
raised
the issue of payment, Zhuwao would accuse them of being influenced by
Francis Mukwangariva, a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative
also eyeing Zvimba East in the upcoming polls.
Zhuwao yesterday
confirmed that he was held hostage and that the workers had
since sealed him
off the farm until he brings their wages. “I can confirm
that I have not
paid my workers for the last three months due to some
financial
constraints,” said Zhuwao.
“Remember, I am a tobacco farmer and I can
only pay them after selling my
tobacco, which can be anytime soon. But the
unfortunate part is that they
have sealed me off the farm.”
He
said he would not report to the police, as the matter was a labour issue.
The workers have since camped at the farm house, vowing to remain put until
Zhuwao gave them their dues.
In an application for a show cause
order to Chinhoyi Provincial Labour
Office, dated May 4 2012, Zhuwao
requested the labour office to provide a
ruling declaring the strike
illegal.
“The illegality of the strike and its associated
disturbances is premised on
the understanding that the workers failed to
give fourteen working days
notice of their intention to engage in such an
action,” reads the letter.
“Neither the police nor the Minister of
Labour and Social Welfare were
informed.” Zhuwao said the aggrieved
permanent employees were threatening
casual workers with violence should
they continue to work at the farm.
Although the exact amount owed to
workers was not stated, Zhuwao said he had
30 000 kg of tobacco at the farm,
which he expected to sell in order to
clear a US$121 079 debt to Tian Ze
Tobacco Company.
“This therefore means that I will have sufficient
resources (US$78 811) to
clear wages subject to my being able to continue
grading the tobacco and
delivering it to Tian Ze Tobacco Company,” said
Zhuwao.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:27
RESIDENTS of
Kuwadzana Phase 3 have expressed disappointment with the
performance of the
police, the City of Harare and the Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply Authority
(Zesa).
This emerged during a community focus group discussion held
in the area.
This meeting was organised by the Harare Residents Trust
residents’
committee for the area, in line with one of the organisation’s
objectives,
of monitoring and evaluating service delivery by service
providers.
Below are the issues that were raised by the
residents:
Water supplies
Water supplies are inadequate. Residents
queue at borehole points to fetch
water for domestic use. Mostly women and
children are seen at long, winding
queues in an effort to fetch
water.
There are currently four boreholes in the community. To address the
water
situation, residents urged the City of Harare to increase its pumping
capacity and purify the water to be safe for drinking for an area which was
not spared by typhoid and cholera outbreaks.
Refuse
collection
Refuse collection is inconsistent in the area. Refuse should be
collected on
Wednesdays but since the beginning of April, the City of Harare
only
collected refuse on April 25, yet they charge for four collections a
month.
Rentals and accommodation
The area has high rental costs for
tenants per month. One room is being
charged U$80, including electricity and
water rates.
Regardless of the erratic water and power supplies, landlords
still require
rates for these services because council and Zesa continue to
charge them
for undelivered services.
Apart from the rentals, a tenant is
required to pay additional money for
toiletries such as harpic and
tissues.
They are supposed to pay an additional US$10 per month as part of
the
household maintenance fees — termed duty. This includes tasks such as
cleaning the toilets and sweeping the yards.
Bachelors at the meeting
expressed concern about this because they said they
cannot perform such
chores and hence were required to pay women who can do
it for them. This has
also become a source of survival for unemployed women
in the
community.
Drainage system
The drainage system is blocked due to
continuous erosion of the gravelled
roads in the community, and the
situation gets worse during the rainy
season.
Poor waste management
practices have also contributed to blockages along the
drainage system, as
uncollected garbage piles alongside roads and
subsequently blocks the
drainages.
Residents fear floods during downpours. Residents urged the
council to clear
all drainage in the area. Residents also complained about
roads that
remained with no names, and are heavily potholed.
Power
supplies
Estimated billing by Zesa has eroded the little confidence left in
the
national power utility. Residents are convinced, this estimated billing
is
being manipulated by corrupt officials at Zesa. Residents have huge
outstanding debts which resulted in massive power disconnections in during
the past weeks.
Residents said they would not settle debts based on
estimates, but would
only pay for accurate readings. To address the
situation, residents said
they preferred the prepaid meter
system.
Representation by councillor
Ward 45 Councillor, Girisoti
Mandere, said the poor state of service
delivery was largely attributed to
the political situation in council, where
some city managers and other
appointees were frustrating efforts by the
elected councillors. — BY Harare
Residents Trust (HRT)
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:52
BY OUR
STAFF
THE employment of former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC)
staffers to
lead Zimpapers’ Talk Radio team has sparked debate with media
stakeholders
who suspect the project is nothing but part of the Zanu PF
propaganda
machinery.
Media analysts last year raised concern
when Zimpapers and
journalist-cum-businessman, Supa Mandiwanzira’s AB
Communications won the
country’s first commercial private radio licence, as
part of a drive to open
the airwaves.
Part of the concerns were
that the two institutions are closely linked to
Zanu PF, which currently
enjoys broadcasting monopoly, as the country’s
national broadcaster, ZBC, is
also biased towards the former ruling party.
Mandiwanzira has
defended his project saying he is a professional, whose
broadcasting record
speaks for itself. It would seem employment of former
ZBC staffers, Admire
Taderera and Tich Mataz, to lead the Zimpapers’ Talk
Radio team has fuelled
the pessimism.
Article 19 of the Global Political Agreement (GPA)
prescribes the need for
the opening up of the airwaves and ensuring the
operation of as many media
houses as possible.
Misa-Zimbabwe
chairperson, Njabulo Ncube, said while the issue was not about
personalities, media stakeholders expected that the reforms would give room
to new talent.
“There are many community radio stations which
have been training
broadcasters, like Radio Dialogue and Zacras (Zimbabwe
Association of
Community Radio Stations) and we hope the reforms will give a
platform to
these professionals,” Ncube said.
“Some have said
that ZBC has been the sole broadcaster where professionals
were groomed, but
the truth is community radio stations have groomed a lot
of competent disc
jockeys, newscasters and other broadcasters while ZBC
taught its staffers
partisan politics.
“Recycling the same people, together with the
partisan manner in which the
licences were given, equals cosmetic media
reforms.”
Taderera says it’s too early to
criticise
Taderera, who is the Talk Radio general manager, said
it was too early for
people to criticise them. “Why don’t people wait and
see since the station
will be on air soon,” he said. “I for one am a
professional broadcaster with
more than 25 years’ experience. I applied for
the job because of my love for
broadcasting. We cannot discuss how we intend
to differentiate our content
from that of ZBC because we have competitors
out there who may use that
information to their advantage.”
He
added: “All I can say is that we are Zimbabweans, running a Zimbabwean
station with Zimbabwean issues for Zimbabweans.”
Taderera said it was
unfair for people to criticise them based on their
employment history, as
ZBC was the only institution which could employ most
of the country’s
broadcasters in the past 32 years.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:29
BY SILAS
NKALA
BINGA — A 35-year-old man from Sikalenge area, got himself into trouble
after he assaulted a fellow villager, Confidence Mudenda, following a brawl
during beer drinking. Bernard Musaka pleaded guilty to assault charges when
he appeared before Binga resident magistrate, Stephen Ndlovu, last
week.
The magistrate convicted and sentenced him to three months,
which were
wholly suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
On being
asked why he assaulted the complainant, Musaka said, “He insulted
me and my
mother and I got very angry.”
The court heard that on
March 23 this year, Mudenda of Govera compound in
Binga, was drinking beer
at a neighbour’s home. He had a quarrel with
Musaka, which later degenerated
into insults. This led Musaka to assault
Mudenda twice on the head. A report
made to the police led to Musaka’s
arrest.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 10:49
BY
JENNIFER DUBE
THE journalism fraternity should keep late veteran journalist
and former
editor of The Standard Bornwell Chakaodza’s name alive and
encourage future
journalists to emulate him.
This was the take
home message at a memorial service held yesterday at his
home in Bluffhill,
Harare. “There are some names which should not be
forgotten and Chakaodza’s
is one of them,” said Reverend Samuel Sifelani of
the Anglican
Church.
“He did his work with a lot of integrity and honesty. We
would be gathered
elsewhere today, maybe in Borrowdale Brooke, had he been
driven by amassing
wealth from his stories like some journalists do
nowadays. Keep his name
alive and follow his footsteps.”
Several
other speakers said Chakaodza was a loving and generous man who
always went
out of his way to assist others. Chakaodza succu-mbed to cancer
on February
1 2012 at the age of 60. The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
last week
launched a memorial lecture in honour of the veteran journalist.
It said the
event would be held every year on May 3, the World Press Freedom
Day.
His widow Julia Chakaodza, relatives, in-laws, neighbours,
journalists,
church members and friends attended the event.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:36
TOURISM
operators in Bulawayo recently hiked their rates by 200% to cash in
on
increased demand during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), the
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority said last week.
The increase in the
rates came despite poor service delivery and
deteriorating standards in
lodges and hotels in the city. Karikoga Kaseke,
ZTA chief executive officer,
said last week that the recently held ZITF
brought to the fore several
revelations that the authority was concerned
with, if the country was to
become a successful conference and exhibition
destination.
“A
snap survey revealed that hotels and lodges had increased their rates by
between 30% and 200% above their published rack rates,” said Kaseke. “The
authority has received several complaints about the standards and level of
service delivery in the Bulawayo hospitality industry.”
A rack
rate is the inflated price that a person pays at a hotel if he or she
deals
directly with the hotel when booking a room other than doing so
through a
travel agent.
Kaseke admitted that standards had fallen and said the
authority had told
hotels and lodges to improve on certain areas if they
were to retain their
ratings.
Kaseke said Holiday Inn recently
met the grade for franchise purposes and
exhibited its sample rooms at the
trade fair though issues to do with
service delivery remained the
authority’s concern.
— BY LESLEY WURAYAYI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:34
BY
KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
ZIMBABWE’S tobacco industry is experiencing an
unprecedented increase in
sales volumes and consistency in favourable prices
on offer, following the
general shortage of the golden leaf on the
market.
Brazil, which is one of the world’s leading tobacco producing
nations, with
an annual average production rate of 867 million kg, was
earlier this year
affected by floods, thereby putting a slump in world
market supply.
Statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing
Board (Timb) show that by
Wednesday last week, a total of 77 285 861kg worth
US$292 million had been
auctioned at an average price of
US$3,78.
This represents a 16% increase in sales volumes from last
year’s 66 215 954
kg sold during the same period. The figures show that by
day 52 of the
season, Tobacco Sales Floor offered a higher average price of
US$3,71 per kg
as compared to the other three leading auction
floors.
The statistics also indicate a 29% decrease in rejected bales
in terms of
seasonal performance from 7,23% recorded last year. Timb chief
executive
officer, Andrew Matibiri, told Standardbusiness the quality of
tobacco being
delivered at all the floors was high and more of the golden
leaf would
continue to be delivered as farmers complete the curing
process.
“The favourable prices obtaining at the moment are the
result of a shortage
of tobacco on the market and the fact that tobacco that
originates from
Zimbabwe is reputed for its good quality,” said
Matibiri.
He said the Chinese market was buying 40% of the crop, West
European market
35%, while the rest of the world was buying the remainder.
“This year, we
set 150 million kg as an estimate, not a target as is
generally perceived.
We use this estimate for planning purposes,” he said,
adding that whether or
not the figure was achieved, would be
immaterial.
A total of 57 000 growers registered to sell their crop
during the current
marketing season from a preliminary 15 000 when the
season began this year.
A total of 131 million kg of tobacco went under the
hammer last year,
generating US$360 million.
Zimbabwe exports
tobacco to a number of African countries including
Mozambique, Kenya,
Angola, Tanzania and Lesotho, among others.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:31
BY OUR
STAFF
ECONOMIC recovery in Zimbabwe remains fragile and conditional on
improvements in political governance, tied mainly to the conduct of open and
fair elections, a senior official of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has
said.
In an article, Democratic Elections in Africa —
Opportunities and Risks,
published on his blog, Zimbabwean born Mthuli
Ncube, AfDB’s chief economist
said it was crucial for the country to avoid a
recurrence of the 2008
elections that were characterised by political
violence.
“Avoiding a repeat of political violence that characterised
the previous
elections in 2008 will be especially crucial for the country’s
re-engagement
with the international community,” said Ncube, who also
doubles as AfDB
vice-president.
President Robert Mugabe and his
long-time archrival, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, settled for a
coalition administration following a widely
discredited June 2008
Presidential election run-off that was marred by
political
violence.
Tsvangirai had won the first round of elections although he
did not garner
enough votes to form a new government that would end Mugabe’s
rule. He
boycotted the run-off saying the environment had become
unfavourable for the
holding of free and fair polls.
The
fragility of the inclusive government has resulted in Mugabe pushing for
an
early poll this year, a condition analysts and his political rivals say
is
unattainable. Regional bloc, Sadc, the guarantor of Zimbabwe’s
power-sharing
pact, is also demanding far-reaching democratic reforms ahead
of the
elections.
Ncube said free and transparent political elections, which
permit citizens
to effectively express their will and participate in the
governance of their
country, form an important part of sound democratic
institutions.
He said democratic governance in turn, is critical in
fostering economic
growth and has been used as a barometer to assess ability
of a country to
effectively manage public resources and protect private
property rights.
“Increasingly therefore, international investors use
a country’s state of
democratic governance in assessing the impact of
political risk on their
investment,” he said. Ncube said the continent had
improved its democratic
governance with respect to holding of regular
elections although there was
variations across countries.
He said
the latest Economist Intelligence Unit report showed that only
Mauritius was
ranked in the category of “Full Democracy” regimes while 10
African
countries were classified under “Flawed Democracy”.
The remaining
countries were classified as either “Hybrid Regimes” or
“Authoritarian
Regimes”, both of whi-ch are regarded as non-democratic.
“Although these
classifications are based on opinions and may potentially
ignore some
achievements in a number of countries, they are nonetheless
suggestive of
the need to expand the democratic space on the continent,” he
said.
Ncube said although the conduct of free and transparent
elections is a
necessary step towards democratisation, it is not by itself
sufficient to
consolidate democratic governance.
“Indeed, the
empirical evidence is mixed on the relationship between
elections and
democracy. The irregularity of empirical findings may be
explained in part
by the fact that some elections have produced
authoritarian regimes, mainly
due to constitutional manipulations designed
to perpetuate their hold on
power.
“Thus, relying on elections to decipher democratic governance
under such
conditions may be a flawed approach,” he
said.
Successful political elections
integral
NCUBE said successful political elections could be an
opportunity to rewrite
a country’s new chapter. “In particular, following
the departure of
dominant political elites in Egypt and Libya, the elections
in these
countries offer incentives to break with past legacies and chart a
new
political and economic dispensation,” Ncube said.
“In Sierra
Leone, the success of the third consecutive multiparty elections
in 2012
since the end of civil war a decade ago will further cement the
country’s
democratic credentials and sustain the current momentum of foreign
investment in extractive resources.”
Ncube said an election
process must be accompanied by a broad spectrum of
other democratic and
governance reforms, including reforming the
constitution to entrench a
culture of tolerance for diverse views and
protection of human rights.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:21
President Robert
Mugabe on Friday complained about vote buying and the
imposition of
candidates in Zanu PF. A visibly angry Mugabe sought to blame
some unnamed
elements for destabilising the party. His rant confirmed that
Zanu PF is now
out of sync with its founding ideals that inspired the masses
to fight
against colonial dictatorship in the 1970s.
Its ranks are now
infested with materialistic individuals who are concerned
about creating
wealth for themselves at the expense of the majority. These
people also
“steal elections” to safeguard their interests, Mugabe said.
While
the President had a valid point, he seemed not to appreciate that the
real
crisis in Zanu PF is not the odd politburo member scheming to outdo
rivals
or the stone-throwing delinquent youths. The real problem concerns
failure
of leadership within the party.
Mugabe, who is the party’s First
Secretary, is to blame for creating a
culture that has bred the ills now
threatening to sink Zanu PF. Faced with
stiff opposition to his rule, it was
Mugabe himself who set the standards
for vote buying. Ahead of the 2008
elections, Mugabe doled out scotch carts,
tractors, and combine harvesters
and free inputs to the electorate. He also
imposed
candidates.
Years ago, he stopped the late Air Marshall Josiah
Tungamirai from
challenging the late Vice-President Simon Muzenda in Gutu
South. Muzenda
safeguarded Mugabe’s interests in the region and so he had to
be protected.
More recently he blocked Phillip Chiyangwa from
becoming the Zanu PF
Mashonaland West provincial vice-chairman. Mugabe, a
shrewd political
schemer himself, has, in the past, also embraced violence
and election
rigging to stop political rivals, including Prime Minister
Morgan
Tsvangirai, from beating him at the polls.
That way he
made it acceptable that elections in Zimbabwe could be
“legitimately” won by
hook and by crook, something that is now being
emulated by his
comrades.
By keeping in government and protecting colleagues accused of
corruptly
acquiring wealth, Mugabe has encouraged looting, which is now a
pervasive
fact of life in Zimbabwe resulting in the individualism and
materialism he
now criticises as having brought instability to his
party.
Quote of the week
"It is a case of old wine in new
bottles; those old voices in Zanu PF
finding more media with which to
complement the ZBC and Zimpapers. There is
no plurality.” PM Morgan
Tsvangirai on the licensing of Zanu PF aligned
broadcasters.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:20
Mining can
never be detached from politics but Zimbabwe’s politicians try
to justify
and magnify their party ideologies, thus, the existence of
abundant natural
resources generates a series of economic and political
distortions.
Politicians have taken advantage of the “diamond”
momentum to air out their
views, which in more ways than one, are crucial
and reflective of their
campaign strategies. Each party wants to paint a
clean picture of its
mining “aspirations” in the eyes of the
electorate.
There has been a lot of hullabaloo on where the revenue
from diamonds is
landing, and fingers have been pointed resulting in the
issue being
contentious and, maybe, influencing a certain fragment of
society to label
the existence of diamonds “a resource curse” for
Zimbabwe.
Flamboyant and controversial Australian mining magnate
Clive Palmer
announced his bid to challenge federal treasurer Wayne Swan for
his local
Queensland state seat in the national elections next
year.
The Australian self-made mining billionaire is reportedly
beefing up his
candidature to stand for the National Liberal Party. Another
billionaire
miner Andrew Forrest is currently involved in a war of words
with the same
country’s treasurer, Swan, over the recently imposed
government mining tax;
accusing him of capitulating to the mining power
houses for political
reasons.
However, sincere these two mining
gurus are in defending their causes, it is
common knowledge that these
sentiments are based on the premise of
protecting their interests and
desired outcomes.
Back home, controversy surrounds Kwekwe
Consolidated Gold Mine, with
widespread speculation that a retired air
marshal is protecting Australian
national Lee Waverly John, who is alleged
to have taken over the mine
illegally.
Why would prominent
politicians influence and fuel the existing ownership
wrangle? Definitely,
there is a chunk for them in return. Concentrating on
mining brings with it
certain vulnerabilities associated with export
dependence; vulnerability
arising from mineral price volatility and
dependence reinforced by the
upstream economic actors.
Mining has also been relatively associated
with unsustainable patterns of
development and growth. Potosi in Bolivia was
at one time matched with
London when it was at its peak of extractive
activity; with silver ore being
shipped to Spain, but now, the city reflects
a very poor capital of a
chronically impoverished
department.
This scenario is reflective of the post-mining era, which
at one time
Zimbabwe should be prepared to experience after the minerals are
gone if the
cards are not played right. Whether we are going to look back
and attribute
that to the Western forces of imperialism remains to be seen;
or maybe the
tables would have turned whereby the “Look East” policy would
be a subject
of ridicule and labelled a political
blunder.
Mineral levels lead to certain levels of consumption and
investment during
boom periods; but these cannot be sustained in the advent
of subsequent
downswings. This brings to the fore the issue of good
governance and mineral
wealth. However, we try to sweep the issue under the
carpet; transparency
and accountability become indispensable requirements
for any meaningful
economic gains.
After the diamonds are gone?
What next for Zimbabwe? Recent reports indicate
that diamond polishing has
created thousands of jobs in India; yet millions
of Zimbabwean youths roam
the streets ravaged by high unemployment levels.
If institutional
conditions are not right, it is my view that minerals are
better off under
ground; unexplored. It works against development to explore
for the benefit
of a minority few; especially when mining licenses are
dubiously granted to
our “Eastern comrades”, the Chinese.
BY SOFIA MAPURANGA
CHARI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012
11:18
Zimbabwe last Thursday commemorated World Press Freedom day with
the rest of
the world. This came at a momentous time when the echoes of our
32nd
independence celebrations, have not yet completely
died.
They also come when we have just celebrated the 3rd anniversary
of the GNU
which essentially was supposed to be a vehicle towards the
realisation of
our freedoms — including the freedom of the
media.
Given the background of where we are coming from, it wouldn’t
be amiss if
one was to ask whether Zimbabweans can say they are now
enjoying the
freedom of expression and access to information as a
fundamental human
right.
Last month, the Broadcasting Authority
of Zimbabwe (BAZ) closed the door for
applicants who wish to be considered
for licences under the category for
local private radio stations. The
applicants were coming from designated
cities and mischievously chosen
centres around the country. The current call
for applications is phase two
of the purported freeing of the airwaves by
BAZ, which has faced criticism
since day one of its existence as an
appendage of the Zanu PF
commissariat.
Phase one started with the call for two slots in the
national free-to-air
radio stations category that were controversially
awarded to Zimpapers Talk
Radio and Supa Mandiwanzira’s ZI FM. Controversial
because the two were too
close to the protagonists at BAZ for
comfort.
The third and last phase in the radio category, presumably,
will involve the
calling for applicants and licensing of community radio
stations.
After the third phase Zimbabwe will, technically be in conformity
with the
African Charter on Broadcasting, which calls for a three-tier
broadcasting
system (public, private and community) as well as Article 19 of
the GPA.
But the question remains: Are Zimbabweans happy about this
progress? Are the
media reform proponents happy with the current moves? And
most importantly,
does this make our media environment in Zimbabwe
better?
My answer to the above three fundamental questions, whose
satisfaction
should be the driving philosophy behind the work of BAZ, is a
big NO. And
the reason for that is simple. It is found by situating all
that is
happening withand at BAZ, in the context of the Capital Radio
Supreme Court
challenge against the monopoly of ZBC more than a decade ago,
and the
subsequent campaign for media freedom resulting from
there.
Diversity and plurality have been the key concepts that have
underlined the
call for media reforms in Zimbabwe since 2000. The
Broadcasting Services Act
was enacted purportedly to give effect to the two
named concepts above and
we have waited 12 years to get to where we are
today.
The waiting has not been without incident with various
court challenges
being thrown at BAZ asking them to do what they were being
paid to do. For,
how could we have a BAZ that has been sitting in office for
more than 10
years but has failed to make an attempt towards their key
result area of
calling, just inviting applications, even before talking of
licensing?
And so for 12 years we have waited for diversity and
plurality. And 12 years
is such a long time to wait for one’s
rights.
The way BAZ handled applications for the free-to-air national
radio stations
already tells us that there will be nothing diverse or plural
with our radio
stations under the current regime. If you hope to get
diversity from Talk
Radio, then either you are myopic or totally
brainwashed, or both. Talk
radio will in essence be Radio 5, a sister to ZBC
channels.
And local private stations whose applications closed at
5pm last Wednesday,
and the pseudo-community radio stations a former ZBC
employee-now-turned-legislator, has been setting up in the Midlands -— will
only operate as satellite stations for Radio 5. The only diverse element
about the whole arrangement will be in geographical location. Believing in
there will be diversity and plurality under this scheme is like believing
that currently there is diversity because we have Radio Zimbabwe and
National FM!
It’s a waste of time to talk of Mandiwanzira’s ZI FM
because they have
already confessed publicly that they will work closely
with ZBC. You can
only imagine what they will learn. Already, it is
difficult to be impressed
with what Mandiwanzira himself learnt while at
ZBC.
The end result for Zimbabwe is neither a diverse nor plural
media
environment. And the most frightening possibility is that this will
not take
the nation back to square one, the era of the ZBC monopoly, but
will leave
us deeply entrenched in a skewed media environment in which,
while
previously we used to fight with only a partisan ZBC with six outlets
(four
radio and two TV stations), we are most likely to end up with the same
old
ZBC with more than 50 nauseating outlets spitting the same
venom.
BY GIFT MAMBIPIRI
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 06 May 2012 11:16
It
seems there are three schools of thought in Zanu PF regarding the writing
of
a new constitution; one is decidedly against the process, the second is
for
the writing of the new governance charter, while the third wouldn’t care
one
way or the other.
Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho North, Jonathan
Moyo seems to be
fronting the first faction as betrayed by his spirited
attack on the process
and the parliamentary committee spearheading it. The
Zanu PF position on
the new constitution has been mudded by Moyo’s
utterances, spawning panic
and despondency among the common
people.
But people have drawn solace from President Robert Mugabe’s
speeches at the
Independence Day celebrations and only two days ago at the
National Heroes’
Acre as he addressed mourners at the burial of Edson
Ncube.
Mugabe said: “We are looking forward to an election on the
basis of a new
constitution.” That is the Zanu PF position and any
utterances to the
contrary are just self-serving
nonsense.
Mugabe’s position is also the position of the other two
principals in the
government of national unity (GNU) born out of the Global
Political
Agreement (GPA) signed by the three parties on September 15 2008.
Article VI
of the GPA testifies to this.
In Article II
(Declaration of Commitment) the three leaders of the signatory
parties
declared their commitment to the GPA and vowed, “The Parties hereby
declare
and agree to work together to create a genuine, viable, permanent,
sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the Zimbabwe situation and
in particular to implement the following agreement (GPA) with the aims of
resolving once and for all the current political and economic situations and
charting a new political direction for the country.”
The
Parliamentary Select Committee, generally referred to as Copac, is a
child
of the GPA. Article 6.1 says: “The parties hereby agree that they
shall set
up a Select Committee of Parliament composed of representatives of
the
parties” and spells out their terms of reference.
Moyo’s desperate
attempt to discredit the process does not make any sense
and the reasons he
cites in doing so are patently fallacious. For example,
in one of his
abusive writings in the public press he avers that 80% of the
people do not
want a new constitution.
He wrote recently in The Herald: “While the
question of whether Zimbabwe
needs a new constitution has not been factually
established by Copac after
its fatal failure to publish the national report
with the views of the
people, independent assessments of those views have
indicated beyond
disputation that at least 80% of them support the current
constitution.”
I am sure if any of his political science students had
written this in an
essay Professor Jonathan Moyo would have taken him or her
to task for
writing such an earth-shattering statement without a shred of
evidence.
How does he come by the figure 80%? Who did the
“independent assessments”?
This is a good example of poor scholarship. We
all know that one of the
pillars of the GPA is a people-driven constitution
and his own political
party, in which he sits in the highest decision-making
body outside
congress, the Soviet-style politburo, undertook to work with
the other
parties to write a new constitution. We also know that the same
political
party bussed people to outreach meetings where their views
superseded those
of the other political parties. Some Zanu PF members even
boasted they had,
like in a soccer match, outplayed their opponents from the
two MDCs.
Moyo now calls the people seconded by his own party and the
other parties to
spearhead the constitution-writing process the “Copac
Mafia” and labels the
draft they have produced a “regime-change” pamphlet.
He accuses Copac’s
draft of being targeted at Mugabe and other individuals
in Zanu PF. He says
the new constitution, if adopted, will take considerable
power from the
President to various committees which would be easy to
manipulate.
In saying this Moyo is purporting to be fighting in
Mugabe’s corner when we
all know that the new constitution is for posterity
and not for the next
election in which Mugabe will be a candidate. It would
be too short-sighted
of anyone to write an anti-Mugabe constitution when we
know for sure that
even if he wins the coming election the ensuing term
would definitely be his
last because of his advanced age.
Moyo
argues that the Copac draft is not people-driven but is a document
driven by
the UNDP through its plant “Hassen Ebrahim whose purpose has been
to drive
out and sabotage the people’s views from the making of their own
constitution.”
Interestingly the same Hassen Ebrahim was part of
the Constitution
Commission in 1999 and worked with Moyo to write the
constitution that was
rejected in the February 2000 referendum. Then he was
not a problem because
he was his colleague!
Moyo makes another
wild allegation which is not backed by substance at all.
He writes: “While
the real and full story of the UNDP’s dirty involvement in
the Copac
constitution-making process is yet to be told, the Copac mafia and
their
donors through the UNDP have become so desperate in their
constitution-making fraud that they are now offering US$200 per article to
anyone who is prepared to write articles supporting the Copac fraud while
discrediting critics of the Copac process.” (Sunday Mail April 29
2012).
He doesn’t name a single beneficiary of this UNDP desperation.
He expects
Sunday Mail readers to accept this without question! A
fundamental point in
the writing of the new constitution is that the process
is, in equal
measure, a Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC project. The three parties
agreed to come
up with a constitution they would put to the people through a
referendum.
What this means is that when the referendum comes it will be
these three
parties against the people; the people may or may not accept the
constitution, in which case the three parties would go back to the drawing
board.
If Moyo sees flaws in the current draft, fair and fine
because the draft
still has to go to a second all-stakeholders’ conference
after which it will
be debated in parliament and the draft emerging from
parliament will be
gazetted before being put to a referendum. So concerning
the writing of the
new charter, as they say, it’s morning yet on creation
day!
Moyo fears elections under a new constitution because they would
spell the
political endgame for him and all the other unelectable but
power-hungry
individuals in his party.
BY NEVANJI MADANHIRE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Many
foreigners visiting the country for the first time are surprised to
find
that Zimbabwe is a normal country with normal people. A few years ago a
young lady journalist visited from South Africa. The first thing she
requested on entering my office was that she wanted see a war vet! I could
see the fear in her eyes as she made the request.
I picked up my
phone and dialled an extension and soon, in came a gentleman
dressed in a
beautiful green suit and immaculately polished black shoes; he
had Ray Ban
sunglasses on.
I told the young lady she was right then
standing next to a war vet. The war
vet gave her a firm handshake and all
the niceties that go with the warm
Zimbabwean greeting. She looked him up
and down and fell into a chair. “But
he is human!” she said giggling. We all
had a good laugh.
In the week that she was in the country she learnt
that Zimbabweans, true to
what all tourists guide say, are a friendly
people, who love hard work and
want the best for their children. They spend
their weekends with their
children going out to the park and to the movies;
if they can’t afford that
they don’t feel pity for themselves but instead
spend their afternoons at
home eating traditional foods such as boiled
maize, listening to music.
On Sundays most of them file to church and
afterwards they either do sport
or go to the stadiums to watch football. The
menfolk usually spend their
Sunday afternoons in bars guzzling their
favourite lagers. Women have their
own pastimes too, when they are not with
family. They visit each other and
have afternoon teas; a huge number also
indulge in drink.
She also saw that despite the disharmony of the
past few years when white
farmers were driven off their farms during the
land reform programme,
Zimbabwe is in fact a non-racial country. Although
different racial groups
have different interests, they always share a
profound Zimbabweanness. Sport
is integrated; more blacks are playing
cricket and golf than ever before.
Contrary to popular opinion,
Zimbabweans are not always discussing politics.
One sees a country in which
the majority are fed up with political talk.
Politics has failed to change
their lives for the better; politics has
become associated with violence and
death. The people just want to mind
their own business in peace because they
know the next election will not
improve their lives. They wouldn’t give a
damn if there is no election at
all.
When everything has been
said and done, what emerges is a story of courage
in the face of adversity.
Zimbabweans know they have to work in order to
beat the economic crisis. One
only has to visit the poor suburbs to see how
inventive the people are; how
patiently they confront head on their
difficulties; how ingenious they are
in the face of almost impossible odds.
A lot fail and become beggars on the
street; others degenerate into
criminality but that happens in any part of
the world.
But the visitor will, at the end of it all, come up with
the inevitable
conclusion that Zimbabweans are a people who have been failed
by their
leaders!
How can anyone who lives in a decent urban
settlement in a modern country
understand that people living in Zimbabwean
cities — including the capital
Harare —can go for days, even weeks with no
running water in their homes?
How can any visitor understand that
Zimbabweans, every day, go for long
hours without electricity? How can
anyone understand that urban dwellers
have to track to neighbouring farming
areas to hew wood so they can cook
food for their families?
What
will shock the visitor are the bills when they come! Although there has
been
no water for weeks and no electricity for long hours, residents are
asked to
pay hundreds of dollars for non-existent services. If they don’t
their power
is disconnected and taps laughably locked up.
Where are our leaders when all
this is happening?
The truth of the matter is that, even though we
have elected
parliamentarians, senators and something called the Executive,
we have no
leaders. What we have are heads that have become a burden on the
people.
They are not responsive to the people’s woes because they thrive on
their
own people’s suffering. They are the first to default in the payment
of
their bills so it’s difficult for them to confront errant services
providers. How can a leader who has not paid his electricity bill amounting
to almost half a million dollars ask power utility Zesa why it is not
generating enough power to go round and then going on to disconnect only the
poor?
It is criminal when an elected leadership neglects its
people and lives only
for itself. This criminality has made life a nightmare
for the majority.
Last week we talked about how supermarkets are, with
impunity, milking
consumers by not giving them their change; it is estimated
that the big
stores make millions of dollars annually by withholding
people’s change or
giving them items whose value is much less than the
change.
Zesa bases its bills mostly on estimates, hence households
that have got
only a week’s supply of energy in a whole month are asked to
pay hundreds of
dollars and Zesa gets away with it. The municipalities do
the same; they
estimate the amount of water a household would use in normal
circumstances
even if the households have gone for weeks without
water.
They get away with it because our leaders don’t care. All they
care about is
their own political survival; hence they are always harping
about elections
when even the least literate Zimbabwean knows for sure that
elections don’t
improve their lot. The politicians only want elections so
they can keep
their positions, from which they will continue to plunder the
country’s
resources for their own benefit.
We all know for sure
that the new constitution will be rejected in the
referendum, but we will go
for it anyway. We all know for certain the
results of the next presidential
election will doctored to suit a certain
individual, but we will be herded
into the election anyway.
The unnecessary elections, including the
referendum, will cost us US$220
million, when we need perhaps half that
amount to pay for power imports and
the other half to refurbish and upgrade
our power generating stations.
By Nevanji Madanhire
How does one
explain such a blatant failure of leadership?
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
By Thandeka
Mujati
President Robert Mugabe was reported as “fighting for his life”
earlier this
month. The rumour intensified when the President postponed a
cabinet
meeting. The murmurs died down when he arrived back in Harare
looking
refreshed from what he called an “Easter holiday in Singapore”.
The
reports of his failing health left me wondering, what is next for a
country
that has almost been defined by his rule. Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe
since
1980. The ululations for liberation have turned into anguished cries
of
despair over the years. Zimbabweans have lived through the disintegration
of
the “Bread Basket of Africa” while making idle chit-chat in one of the
many
queues for basic necessities.
There are many theories about
who will take over the country when Mugabe
passes away and many possible
scenarios have been offered. Without the
staunch, calculating and
intelligent ruler that Mugabe is, a power vacuum is
likely to follow.
Powerful groups inside and out outside of the country will
have reignited
interest in the future of Zimbabwe.
One of these primary interests is
the vast natural wealth Zimbabwe
possesses; which could turn out to be a
curse for Zimbabweans more than an
intended blessing. Mugabe’s “Look East”
policy has led to extensive Chinese
investment in the country. The Chinese
and other powerful groups would not
want their economic interests to be
threatened.
There are two main potential successors in the event of
President Mugabe’s
demise. Legally, the constitution says the Vice-President
will take over for
90 days. This would be Joyce Mujuru, who is
democratically minded. However,
if Zimbabwe’s history has taught us anything
it’s that the law does not
necessarily apply to those in Zanu
PF.
There are reports of infighting within the Zanu PF party with
Emmerson
Mnangagwa, the current Minister of Defence. He is rumoured to be
next in
line for presidency, he is nick-named “the crocodile” for his
ruthless
reputation and ability to inflict horrific injuries on percieved
enemies,
which is not what most would hope for in a possible
president.
It leads me to wonder that maybe the worst is yet to come.
The political
turmoil Zimbabweans have experienced so far, may pale in
comparison to the
political turbulence that will occur after President
Mugabe. There is no
clear ray of hope to lead the country
forward.
The youth have a pivotal role in life after President
Mugabe. We complain
about the situation yet most of us have no intention of
playing an active
role to ease the nation’s transition. Chaos will soon
ensue when Mugabe is
no longer in power.
A leadership change will
not automatically erase all of Zimbabwe’s problems.
Many fear a succession
crisis, unrest, chaos and possibly violence. The
military has the potential
to rebel and reinforce their interests which will
merely inflame any
chaos.
Economically, the situation may improve if the transition is
free and fair;
The EU and US may relieve their extensive sanctions on
Zimbabwe. However,
immense debt hangs over the country. Political and
economic uncertainty will
still linger in the post Mugabe
era.
Change is long overdue. I am scared for Zimbabwe’s next chapter
post Mugabe.
But I do believe that it is always darkest before the break of
dawn.
— VarsityNews
