Parliamentary committee says NGO Bill
unconstitutional
Date: 16-Nov, 2004
THE
Parliamentary Legal Committee has produced a damning report on the
controversial Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Bill describing most
sections of the proposed legislation as unconstitutional.
According to well-placed members of the committee, the adverse report would
be read in Parliament today when Parliament sits.
However, Zanu
PF legislators, who held their caucus meeting yesterday have resolved to
vote in favour of the Bill and ignore the recommendations of the legal
committee, which is chaired by Professor Welshman Ncube, an opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Member of Parliament.
"The
adverse report has clearly pointed out the weaknesses of the proposed
legislation which seeks to monitor the operations of NGOs and churches in
Zimbabwe," the source said.
"What the committee has established
is that the Bill is mostly unconstitutional and therefore should be revised
to conform with the Bill of Rights."
The government has
proposed to enact into law the NGO Bill to counter the influence of the
western community which government believes has been channelling funds to
the opposition.
Under the NGO Bill, the government wants all
NGOs involved in issues of democracy and governance to stop carrying out
voter education, and some of their civic responsibilities.
Innocent Gonese, a member of the legal committee would not comment on the
forthcoming report saying: "Our committee has completed drafting its report.
We are going to present it in Parliament tomorrow (today)."
The
late Masvingo South MP Eddison Zvobgo previously chaired the committee,
whose major responsibility is to scrutinise all proposed Bills to check if
they comply with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The NGO Bill
threatens the viability of several NGOs in Zimbabwe which are involved in
issues of governance, among them the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA),
the Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe (CCZ), the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum,
groupings of churches, human rights NGOs and opposition political
parties.
Media reports say at least 15 000 jobs would be lost
if the Bill is passed into law.
President Robert Mugabe's
government has in the past two months proposed to enact the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission Bill, the Electoral Bill and the NGO Bill, which the
opposition MDC and civic society have condemned as
unconstitutional.
The groups claim the proposed laws are
designed to shut out the opposition and the independent media ahead of next
year's parliamentary election, scheduled for March.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF MPs yesterday gathered at Parliament Building ostensibly
to prepare them for the NGO Bill debate which government desperately wants
passed without undue delays.
Students up in arms against
militarisation of youths in Zimbabwe
Date: 16-Nov,
2004
JOHANNESBURG - As Zimbabwe plans to set up more national
youth service training camps, students and youths from the African continent
will meet in Cape Town this week to discuss the militarisation of the youth
in Zimbabwe and launch a campaign against the practice.
International Union of Students secretary for the Africa region, Tapera
Kapuya told The Daily News Online that the continued military training of
youths in Zimbabwe and other parts of the continent has "grave implications
on the future of the region."
"Testimonies coming from a few
who have managed to escape from these camps point towards a deliberate
criminal campaign by the regime, encouraging youths to act as agents of
repression," Kapuya said.
He said thousands of young girls had
been raped while boys had been sodomised before being unleashed on
defenceless people.
The Zimbabwe government has however denied
these allegations saying the youth training programme, which is not unique
to the country, is meant to instil virtues of patriotism in the
youth.
"There is need to build a sustained campaign against the
militarisation of the youths in Zimbabwe. We cannot as a region allow such
evil," said Lucian Segame from the Zimbabwe Solidarity and Liaison Office in
South Africa.
Segame said experiences from the Great Lakes
region and other parts of northern and Central Africa had taught them that
what happened there could also happen in Zimbabwe if the militarisation of
the youths is allowed to continue.
The two-day meeting
which is being organised by the Zimbabwe Solidarity Liaison Office and the
South African Institute for Peace and Justice would be attended by
organisations such as the Zimbabwe National Students Union, African National
Congress and South African Communist party youth leagues.
It comes at a time when the Zimbabwean government has announced that it
would open two more youth training camps, bringing the total number of such
camps to 10.
Youth Minister Brigadier Ambrose Mutinhiri
announced last week that the two camps would be opened in Mashonaland West
and East provinces, bastions of President Mugabe's support.
Moyo blocks electronic media from
covering Econet-sponsored soccer final
Date: 16-Nov,
2004
THE Zimbabwe government, once again blocked national
television and radio from broadcasting the Buddie Challenge Cup soccer final
between CAPS United and Shabanie Mine for political
reasons.
Controversial Minister of Information and Publicity,
Professor Jonathan Moyo allegedly ordered a blackout on the tournament for
reasons which have not been made clear by the Government.
The Buddie Challenge Cup is sponsored by leading cellular phone operator,
Econet Wireless and the company's majority shareholder, Strive Masiyiwa is
regarded as an enemy of the state.
It has emerged that Moyo,
unilaterally imposed the blackout when the Buddie Cup first round matches
kicked off two months ago.
He is said to have instructed bosses
at the station that covering the Buddie Challenge Cup matches would give
"unnecessary mileage to enemies of the state."
Last week,
several workers at the state radio and television confirmed to The Daily
News Online that they were under instructions not to portray Econet in good
light.
Despite the ban on state radio and television, the
Buddie Cup has been receiving good publicity in newspapers, including those
owned by the government.
Even in the ZANU PF newspaper, The
People's Voice, Econet has been receiving some coverage.
ACTING Finance minister Herbert Murerwa
faces the daunting task of halting the economic tailspin when he presents
his 2005 budget to Parliament on November 25.
But analysts
said the government, grappling with a deep economic crisis, will offer
little hope for economic recovery in its forthcoming annual
budget.
Zimbabwe is currently beset by severe economic
problems. Half of the 12.5 million population is at risk of starvation due
to food shortages widely blamed on President Robert Mugabe's chaotic land
reform programme.
The analysts say Murerwa, who is standing in
for the jailed Chris Kuruneri, will be hard-pressed to provide solutions to
the current crisis.
"I believe there will be a lot of
unsubstantiated claims of a recovery. They are still in denial about the
conditions they have caused and I don't believe the budget will reflect the
true Zimbabwe," one independent economic consultant, said.
Industry body the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), which has also
submitted its proposals for the much-awaited National Budget, underscored
the need for adjustments in individual tax bands.
It says
reviews should be carried out half-yearly in order to cushion workers
against high levels of inflation.
The government has also been
called to reconsider its role in the economy and allow greater
responsibility to the market in the provision of goods and
services.
The Zimbabawe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), in
a presentation of its proposals, called on government to focus on food
security, the provision of adequate health care at affordable prices,
education, housing, transport and the provision of basic utilities such as
electricity and water should be the government's
pre-occupation.
"This is not necessarily a call for the rolling
back of the State. Rather, it is a call for the development of a strategic
role for the State. The State cannot simply do everything for everyone, thus
requiring the ring-fencing of strategic activities," the ZNCC
said.
Over the last 23 years, all of Zimbabwe's national
budgets have featured economic stabilisation measures, yet nothing tangible
has happened.
The ZNCC compiled document says key variables
under the macro economic framework that urgently require attention include
inflation, the exchange rate and interest rates.
"There is
need to adequately deal with key determinants of inflation in Zimbabwe, to
restore predictability in business planning and viability."
Although annual inflation has slowed down to 251.5 percent in September from
a high of nearly 623 percent in January, month-on-month inflation has been
quickening with the figure rising to 5.9 percent last month from 5.3 percent
in August, mainly due to increases in the average price of beverages, meat,
fruit, vegetables and medical fees.
The central bank is certain
inflation will drop to below 200 percent by year-end. However, economists
say prices will rise faster again next year in line with a weakening
Zimbabwe dollar, which makes imports expensive.
"Inflation will
certainly increase early next year mainly because of exchange rate pressures
and continued increases in the prices of fuel and industrial inputs," an
economist with a commercial bank Witness Chinyama said.
Despite the drop, Zimbabwe's inflation rate remains one of the highest in
the world.
On the tax burden, which is weighing down most
salaried workers, the ZNCC proposes a widening of the tax band to ensure
that the current regressive nature of the tax system is
reversed.
"The most sustainable approach would be continuously
reviewing income tax bands in line with inflationary developments so as to
minimise erosion of incomes through bracket creep."
The top
marginal tax rate, said the ZNCC, should be reviewed downwards to 35 percent
from the current 45 percent, so as to release more high net worth spending
power.
Corporate tax, which is currently charged at 30 percent
should be pegged at a unitary rate of 20 percent, to lessen any
administrative hurdles says the ZNCC. Zimbabwe's economy shrank by 7.3
percent last year and economists expect it to contract by a further 5
percent in 2004. Unemployment is still hovering around 70 percent and
erratic fuel supply problems have resurfaced, forcing Mugabe to extend his
begging bowl to countries such as oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for supplies,
reports suggest. "I think we will remain international beggars all the way
through to 2006," another economist said.
JUDGE PRESIDENT, POLICE COMMISSIONER FAIL TO HAND OVER SEED
MAIZE Tue 16 November 2004
HARARE - High Court Judge President
Paddington Garwe, Police Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri and two senior
government ministers are among top officials who have not delivered more
than 50 000 tonnes of seed maize to a local seed company which helped them
grow the crop for the local market.
A ZANU PF legislator and
chairman of SeedCo, the private company that assisted the officials to grow
seed maize, is understood to have also not delivered his crop to the
company.
Zimbabwe faces a severe drop in the production of maize -
its staple food - even if it receives good rains this season chiefly because
senior government and ruling party politicians siphoned seed maize they were
helped to grow by local seed companies to the more lucrative export
market.
SeedCo had assisted government officials and other new
black farmers with inputs and technical support to grow seed maize because
the white farmers who used to produce seed no longer do so after their land
was seized by the government under its controversial land
redistribution programme.
But SeedCo officials yesterday told
ZimOnline that spot checks on the farms of Garwe, Chihuri, Kaukonde, Local
Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, State Security Minister Nicholas Goche
and other government and ZANU PF officials showed the seed had been
sold but not to SeedCo.
The company had set November 18 as
the deadline for the delivery of seed maize from the politicians and other
growers so it could be distributed to farmers across the
country.
A senior manager at SeedCo, who did not want to be named
for fear of victimisation said: "We are 100 000 tonnes off the target and
these officials are some of the senior officials who have not delivered the
seed maize. We understand the seed maize was exported because our
inspectors have reported that there are no stocks at the growers'
farms."
The official said the politicians and government officials
had taken advantage of prices in the region to make extra cash at the
expense of the local market. For example, a tonne of seed maize fetches US$1
600 (about Z$9 million) per tonne in Zambia. The same tonne fetches
Z$5 million locally.
Garwe and Chihuri could not be reached for
comment while Chombo, Goche and Kaukonde were said to be busy attending
meetings and unavailable for comment yesterday.
Zimbabwe which
before the government's land reforms produced enough seed for its farmers
requires about 150 000 tonnes of seed maize per season. Only about 43 000
tonnes were distributed to the local market and the hard cash-strapped
country must now import the difference.
Ironically, it was Kaukonde
who first revealed that senior government and ZANU PF politicians had
exported seed maize they had been assisted to grow for local farmers. He
submitted a list of the politicians and officials he said had exported seed
maize to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and vowed to
have them exposed to the Press.
But he is understood to have
back-tracked on the threat to expose his colleagues. Kaukonde is also said
to have withdrawn the list of names from the parliamentary
committee.
Zimbabwe has in the last three years survived largely on
hand-outs from international food agencies chiefly because of
destabilisation in the key agricultural sector caused by the government's
chaotic land reforms. - ZimOnline
Airzim launches first flight to Beijing Tue 16 November
2004
HARARE - Zimbabwe's national carrier, Air Zimbabwe, launches
its first flight to Beijing next Sunday.
Travellers will pay
Z$5.6 million (about US$1 000) for the 19-hour flight which the airline
plans to run once per week.
The Confederation of Zimbabwe
Industries (CZI), which is the biggest representative body for business in
the country, yesterday invited captains of industry and business to take
part in the inaugural flight to Beijing on November 21.
A
circular sent out to members by the CZI read in part: "(the) CZI has
received an official invitation from the Secretary for Transport to be part
of the inaugural flight of the national airline, Air Zimbabwe to Beijing
(via Singapore).
"I am therefore extending the invitation to
members who may be interested to please get in touch as soon as is
practicable."
Harare is vigorously pursuing a "look East" policy
after falling out with Western countries over its controversial land
reforms, appalling human rights record and failure to uphold the rule of
law. - ZimOnline
England's players touring Zimbabwe are pawns in a much bigger political
game
Mike Selvey Tuesday November 16, 2004 The
Guardian
There is a sense of symmetry about Michael Vaughan and his
England team dragging themselves off to Namibia and thence Zimbabwe with all
the gloom of heretics on their way to the Tower, on the same day that
London's 2012 Olympic bid had a champagne bottle cracked over its bows and
was sent down the slipway. The two are inextricably linked: yet again
cricket is being used as a political pawn in a larger game. Two years
ago, when Nasser Hussain's England side were desperately looking for a
get-out clause from their World Cup match in Harare, they sought support
first from the International Cricket Council and then from the organisers,
South Africa.
The ICC's cold-blooded intransigence on the matter,
including a failure to recognise the singular nature of the antipathy
between Robert Mugabe's malevolent regime and Britain and therefore a
problem that was uniquely England's, perhaps ought to have been expected
from an organisation which should have seen things coming and not even
scheduled such a mischievous fixture.
Less certain was the response
of the tournament hosts. This was an opportunity to show they could handle a
global event, and as such a dummy run for their football World Cup bid. They
could not afford disruption and an easy option would have been to agree to a
shift in venue at least.
But the relationship that existed between the
African National Congress and Mugabe during apartheid is not readily
forgotten. Upset Zimbabwe and an African World Cup vote disappears. Others
might have followed. So England were hung out to dry, their only escape
route a spurious threatening letter from the Sons and Daughters of
Zimbabwe.
In 2003 in Cape Town, the team to a degree felt let down by
this government, wanting clear leadership where none came. This time,
wanting the same, they feel utterly abandoned. Yesterday David Morgan, the
chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, did his best to explain
that the government, though able to offer condemnation, was compelled to
stop short of forbidding the trip. "We have no anger at government," he
said. "None. It is very clear that the government does not have the legal
powers to prevent England or anyone from touring Zimbabwe. We accept that.
And if we stopped to think about it, we would not want the government to
have such powers because effectively they could be controlling sport in the
UK."
But as has been demonstrated amply in the middle east, public
opinion has little to do with government action. If Tony Blair, Jack Straw
and Tessa Jowell had a mind to they would have found a convenient, legally
watertight way of stopping the tour and if necessary compensated the ECB,
probably at no more cost than an hour's munitions in Iraq. But there was a
wider agenda in the form of the Olympic bid. Upset the Zimbabwean applecart
and you stand a chance of losing a substantial portion of the black African
vote. The stakes in financial and prestige terms are higher than a handful
of morals.
So the tour goes ahead, with a reluctant captain and henchmen
dragged along in support. Michael Vaughan is an honourable fellow and would
have wrestled long and hard with his conscience before deciding (or being
persuaded?) that if he did not take the team it would merely be passing the
buck.
There has been a bit of bluster from within the side but the only
action has come from Steve Harmison and Andy Flintoff, who does not want his
own reluctance to visit Zimbabwe camouflaged by the pre-emptive decision to
rest him in any case.
Morgan takes offence at the notion that he and
his board have browbeaten players into going. "I challenge that," he said
yesterday. "We made it absolutely clear that any person who chose not to go
to Zimbabwe for reasons of personal conscience would not be penalised. Does
that constitute leaning on people?"
That is disingenuous, though: it
is not too difficult to add a codicil outlining the extremely unlikely
financial repercussions if they did not tour. The fact is that there has
been bullying all down the line, with ICC kicking the ECB and the board
passing it on to the players.
With the exception of Harmison and
Flintoff, no one comes out with any credit. Each player had the opportunity
to listen to his conscience and challenge the stance of the board. They have
chosen not to and an opportunity to make a difference has gone.
The
ECB commitment to Zimbabwe was to send the best available side, and if it
was necessary to go a long way down the chain to find players who would do
the job, then so be it. Embarrassing it might have been but no more so than
the situation in which the board already finds itself.
Critics Say Mugabe Election Reforms Change Little By Peta
Thornycroft Harare 15 November 2004
President
Robert Mugabe said he would reform election laws before parliamentary
elections in March, but critics say new laws due in parliament this week do
not improve the outlook for free and fair elections. Sections of the new
election laws are seen as harsher than existing ones.
The Zimbabwe
Election Support Network, a non-governmental organization, has
comprehensively criticized new laws that the ruling Zanu PF party says are
substantial reforms of existing legislation.
The Zimbabwe Election
Support Network was established in 1998 to be a neutral expert in election
laws. It commissioned a study of the two new laws that Zanu PF says are in
line with electoral principles agreed to by Zimbabwe at a regional summit in
August.
The Network report finds little comfort in the two new laws, one
to establish an electoral commission to run elections and the other to
provide a legal framework for elections. The electoral commissioners will be
appointed by President Robert Mugabe, who is also president of Zanu PF,
which will run candidates in the elections in March.
In addition the
commission is empowered to recruit members of the military to assist with
the elections.
Commissioners can be dismissed by the minister of justice,
who is a leading member of Zanu PF and may be a candidate in the next
election.
This new legal framework, which will replace the existing
Electoral Act, outlaws voter education from neutral election experts like
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network because it is foreign
funded.
It disallows votes by mail, except for members of the military
and diplomats away from home. Several-million Zimbabweans who have moved to
neighboring South Africa during the past four years of economic decline
would be disenfranchised.
Earlier this year, President Mugabe pledged
he would cut voting days from two to one, but this has not emerged in the
new laws.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network's analysis of both new
laws welcomes certain minor changes to a few administrative procedures. But
it concludes that there is no fundamental reform, and that the new laws fall
far short of regional standards.
The Network is likely to be banned
before elections, as legislation to outlaw all non-governmental
organizations involved in human rights is also expected to be pushed through
parliament this week.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says
it will not take part in the March general election unless Zimbabwe's
electoral laws fall in line with standards adopted by Mr. Mugabe and the
region.
HARARE
- Zimbabwe's ruling party opens a crucial congress next month that could
provide the best clues yet as to who could succeed President Robert Mugabe,
according to party sources and analysts. Mugabe is expected to be re-elected
as president of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front
(Zanu-PF) party when it convenes for the congress, held every five years,
from December 1 to 5.
But all eyes will be on the expected 10,000
delegates when they elect a first vice president to replace Simon Muzenda
who died from illness in September 2003.
"The person who takes over
the vice president's post will automatically be running the country for all
intents and purposes, from next year," said a senior Zanu-PF member who
asked not to be named.
"That person will be the Zanu-PF candidate in the
2008 presidential election," he said.
Mugabe, 80, in power since
Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, has been president of Zanu-PF since the
1970s when the movement fought a war against white minority rule in then
Rhodesia.
The Zimbabwe leader has hinted that he would like to step down
after his presidential term expires in 2008 but no clear favourite has
emerged as his likely successor.
Mugabe in May told Britain's Sky
News and Kenya Television Network (KTN) that the search for a successor was
causing tensions among party ranks.
"I don't think I can do another
(term). I also want to rest and do a bit of writing. I am not that young,"
he told KTN.
"If I can do the (current) six years, well and good. I want
to retire, but in the meantime we must look for some successor and it is
causing lots of problems in the party (Zanu-PF)," said
Mugabe.
Zanu-PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira said delegates to the
congress are to elect, by show of hands, members of the central committee,
the president and vice presidents.
"It's quite clear that Mugabe will
not be replaced at the congress," said university lecturer and pro-democracy
activist Lovemore Madhuku, "but the person who fills Muzenda's place is
going to take over from Mugabe."
University of Zimbabwe lecturer Joseph
Kurebga said that allowing one of the vice presidents to succeed Mugabe
would be "the neater way to progress given the fact that there would be
continuity".
Mugabe recently said in an interview to the party newspaper
"The Voice" that he wanted a successor who was moulded in the liberation
struggle.
"We want a successor who will cherish... our gains,
revolutionary gains and ensure these are national preserve and should not be
tempered with in any way or by any of our renegade fellows," he
said.
Speculation in the media and political circles has focussed on a
dozen possible contenders for the post of vice president. Some have publicly
indicated they are interested in the job.
Among the potential
candidates are the speaker of parliament Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zanu-PF
national chairman John Nkomo, retired army chief Vitalis Zvinavashe and
cabinet ministers Joyce Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa and Ignatius
Chombo.
Zanu-PF sources have said Mnangagwa and Mujuru appear to be
the top contenders. The party's provinces have until the end of this week to
submit their nominations for a candidate for vice
president.
Harare: Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party is set to hold a
crucial congress next month to renew the party's leadership, a spokesman
said yesterday, amid signs that President Robert Mugabe will stay on as its
leader.
The party will elect new leaders and discuss issues
arising from various reports to be presented at the congress from December 1
to 5, party spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira said.
"There will be
the election of central committee members, then the election of the
presidency - the president and the vice-presidents," Shamuyarira
said.
He declined to comment on possible changes in the party
leadership, saying simply that "some may stand down, some may not stand
down".
In an interview with his party's mouthpiece, The Voice, two
months ago, Mugabe said that at the congress "new leaders will have to be
elected. We (will) all stand down and ... people will re-elect or reject
us".
Mugabe, 80, in power since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980,
has been the president of Zanu-PF since the 1970s when the movement fought a
war against white minority rule in Rhodesia.
The Zimbabwean
leader has hinted that he would like to step down from the presidency after
his term expires in 2008.
At his party's annual conference last
year, Mugabe told his supporters that he was not yet ready to
resign.
"If I feel I cannot do it (govern) anymore, I'll come to
you in an honourable way and say, 'Ah no. I think I've now come to a stage
where I need a rest.' I'll tell you that. I haven't told you that, have I?"
he said.
The expected 10 000 delegates to the congress, held every
five years, vote for their leaders by a show of hands from the
floor.
Parliamentary elections due to be held in March next year
are expected to dominate the congress, which is to be held in Harare. -
Sapa-AFP