Diamond monitor Chikane ignores the Kimberley Process

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
16 November 2010

There has been a shocked reaction to news that the monitor appointed to
Zimbabwe by the international diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process
(KP), has gone against the body’s standards by unilaterally certifying
Chiadzwa diamonds for sale.

The monitor, South Africa’s Abbey Chikane, reportedly returned to Zimbabwe
last week and has cleared a batch of Chiadzwa stones for export. This is
despite the deadlock reached over Zimbabwe’s trade future that means the KP
has not sanctioned Chikane’s mission or authorised the certification.

A recent meeting of the KP in Jerusalem failed to reach a decision on
Zimbabwe, which was last year barred from international trade over human
rights abuses at Chiadzwa. The KP had given Zimbabwe almost a year to fall
in line with the minimum international standards of diamond trade, but there
are ongoing reports of brutal military control of the diamond fields and
smuggling.

Most recently, six directors of one of the mining firms mining at Chiadzwa
with the government’s approval have taken the fall for corruption, said to
be widespread at the site. Rights groups have warned that top ZANU PF
officials involved in the mining groups are driving the plunder of the area,
with some reports suggesting that more than half of the diamonds mined are
being smuggled out of the area for ZANU PF’s gain.

Regardless of the situation, the Mines Ministry has insisted it has met the
international standards, and has been piling pressure on the KP to allow
full diamond exports to resume. Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has already
threatened to sell the stones without KP approval, which some observers have
said is an intimidatory tactic to force the KP’s hand.

Chikane’s reported unilateral decision to certify Chiadzwa diamonds, without
approval from the KP, is now a worrying development. Alan Martin from the
pressure group Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday that the development is “shocking and troubling.”

“People expected Zimbabwe to be upping the ante in trying to force the KP to
fold like an old tissue,” Martin said. “But I don’t think anybody expected
Chikane would be brought in to be aiding and abetting Zimbabwe in this way.”

Martin added: “The situation presents him (Chikane) as being Harare’s boy.”

Questions have previously been raised over Chikane’s credibility as the
monitor for Zimbabwe. He was implicated in the arrest of diamond researcher,
Farai Maguwu. Maguwu, who has played a pivotal role in exposing the rights
abuses at Chiadzwa, but was arrested shortly before a KP meeting earlier
this year. He has since said that Chikane “shopped” him to police, after a
private meeting between the two, where Maguwu tried to detail the ongoing
abuses at Chiadzwa.

Meanwhile, the situation has also thrown the KP’s crumbling credibility into
sharp relief. PAC’s Martin said on Tuesday that the KP needs to take “tough
and unified” action against Chikane, and also seize any diamond shipments
from Zimbabwe.

“This is indeed crunch time for the KP to prove that they can enforce the
certification regime they have boasted,” Martin said.

Kimberley Process Zimbabwe Monitor Said to “Go Rogue"

http://www.jckonline.com/

By Rob Bates, Senior Editor

Posted on November 16, 2010

The Kimberley Process’ monitor for Marange, Abbey Chikane, confirmed to JCK
he was in Zimbabwe, amid charges that he was certifying the region’s
diamonds without the organization’s official approval.

According to NGO Partnership Africa Canada, Chikane unilaterally approved
all production from two of the area’s mining concessions, including millions
of stockpiled diamonds. Those diamonds are still officially blocked by the
Kimberley Process, after the group’s member governments failed to come to an
agreement at a Plenary in Jerusalem last month.

Organization sources told JCK that Chikane was not on a KP-approved mission.

Chikane declined further comment on why he was in the country, saying he was
convinced the situation would clear up soon.

“I can’t comment until we complete our discussions, which I am very
optimistic will happen in the next few days,” Chikane told JCK. “We have
been talking since [the Jerusalem] Plenary and continue to talk.”

Partnership Africa Canada called on the KP to nullify the Chikane-issued
certificates and notify all diamond trading countries that any shipments
would be in violation of KP standards.

"The Kimberley Process [must] unite in the face of such blatant disregard
for the rules, or we allow ourselves to be bullied into irrelevance," said
Nadim Kara, campaign director at PAC. "Zimbabwe must operate within the
Kimberley Process, or the diamond industry will go back to the anarchy and
chaos of the 1990s."

According to PAC, the diamonds, worth an estimated $160 million, have
already been sold to four Indian buyers.

“India has some hard choices to make,” said Alan Martin, PAC’s research
director. “Does the greed of its industry trump the integrity of the
Kimberley Process?”

SADC Troika to meet in Botswana Friday to discuss Zimbabwe

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
16 November 2010

The Zimbabwe crisis is on the agenda of a meeting of the SADC Troika on
Politics, Defence and Security to be held in Gaborone, Botswana on Friday,
SW Radio Africa can reveal.

A highly placed source in Harare told us that the 15 regional leaders will
be in Botswana from Thursday until Saturday to attend the official
commissioning of the new SADC headquarters in Gaborone.

The leaders will use this opportunity to attend the Extra-Ordinary Summit,
which has been called to discuss the political situation in the region,
including Zimbabwe.

‘On the sidelines of the commissioning of the new SADC headquarters, the
SADC Troika will on Friday hold a meeting to discuss Zimbabwe,’ our source
said.

It is believed Zambian President Rupiah Banda, who chairs the Troika Organ,
will brief other leaders on the Zimbabwe crisis when he presents his first
report to the Summit on Saturday.

Last month, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met with Banda in Lusaka where
the two leaders examined the latest crisis in Harare over the unilateral
senior appointments by Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai is also seeking guarantees from SADC that they will establish a
roadmap to allow free and fair national elections in the country set for
2011. Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have said elections to choose a new
government to replace their troubled coalition must take place next year,
once an exercise to write a new constitution is completed.

In the past month, the MDC-T has been on a diplomatic offensive, writing
letters and visiting several influential leaders in the region.

It’s believed that some SADC leaders are pushing for the immediate
deployment of a SADC team to oversee the reform and electoral process.

But some observers remain concerned that other leaders in SADC are firmly on
Mugabe’s side and are not impartial enough to help run free elections in
Zimbabwe.

South African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team is currently in
Zimbabwe, apparently to gather information that Zuma can use to brief
leaders in Botswana.

Zuma has also come in with a strong message calling for the immediate
implementation of all outstanding agreed GPA reforms, before an election can
be held.

His three member team met Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately on Monday and was
due to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara on Tuesday.

‘What the team is doing here is gathering information on the recent
complaints raised by the MDC-T to the mediator,’ our source added.

The latest political crisis was triggered by Mugabe’s unilateral
appointments of governors, judges and ambassadors, after which Tsvangirai
wrote to Zuma complaining about Mugabe not consulting him on the
appointments and his refusal to implement outstanding issues in the GPA. The
acrimony between the two leaders is now so bad that Tsvangirai this weekend
finally lost his patience and labelled Mugabe a crook.

Zimbabwe October inflation slows to 3.6 pct y/y

http://af.reuters.com

Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:40am GMT

HARARE Nov 16 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's annual inflation slowed to 3.6 percent
year-on-year in October compared with 4.2 percent in September, the Zimbabwe
National Statistical Agency (Zimstats) said on Tuesday.

Zimstats figures showed that falling rentals, utility charges, medical drugs
and alcoholic beverages prices drove annual inflation lower.

On a month-on-month basis, inflation quickened slightly to 0.2 percent from
0.1 percent in September.

Another journalist arrested in Zimbabwe

NUJ condemns the arrest and harassment of the president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Dumisani Sibanda

http://www.nuj.org.uk

Tuesday, November 16 2010

The National Union of Journalists (UK) has condemned the arrest of the
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) President, Dumisani Sibanda. He has been
arrested today for writing an article about the police force.

This follows on from the recent arrest and harassment of other journalists,
Nkosana Dlamini and Andreson Manyere in Harare and Sydney Saize who was
beaten up, robbed and injured in Mutare.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ Deputy General Secretary said:

"The NUJ has worked closely with Dumisani Sibanda and we demand his
immediate release. We are seeing an increase in arrests and harassment of
journalists and we fear the situation will get worse in the run up to the
elections in 2011.

“Journalists in Zimbabwe have repeatedly been harassed, intimidated, beaten
and jailed – simply for doing their job and keeping the public properly
informed. Journalists should be able to work without fear of detention and
arrest. We will do all we can to help our brave colleagues in the Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists to stand up to this fresh wave of attacks.”

Foster Dongozi, Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) General Secretary and
President of the Southern Africa Journalists Association (SAJA) and ZUJ
executive member Jennifer Dube will be visiting the UK to take part in an
NUJ speaker tour starting this weekend, more details on the NUJ website:

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1810

Mutambara MDC Suffers More Defections

http://www.radiovop.com/

16/11/2010 09:58:00

Bulawayo, November 16, 2010 - Two popular Bulawayo councilors belonging to
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Arthur Mutambara faction have
defected to the mainstream MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Jenifer Bent and John Ferguson councilors for Ward 6 and 5 respectively
defected to the mainstream MDC at City hall during a rally addressed by
Tsvangirai at the weekend.

Bent and Ferguson were part of the six MDC Mutambara councilors in the
Bulawayo city council.

The  two councilors  told  Tsvangairai  and  his  more than 500 supporters
that  “they had  returned  home  for  good”

Speaking to journalists after the rally Bent who used to lead the MDC
Mutambara councilors in Bulawayo council said she worked with Tsvangirai
before the original MDC split in 2005 and wanted to continue working with
him.

“I started working with Tsvangirai long back and I want to continue working
with him. I was just in MDC Mutambara because when the party splitted in
2005 we followed David Coltart.I realized  later  that  I had made  a
mistake  that is  why  I have  decided  to  come  back home  today,” said
Bent.

In the past recent months the MDC Mutambara party has experienced group
resignations by disgruntled members exasperated by the leadership wrangles
between party President Mutambara and his secretary-general Welshman Ncube
who is reportedly eyeing the post of president . Most of those who are
resigning are joining the mainstream MDC.

During the rally Tsvangirai  told  his supporters   that  the only  reason
he went  into a  unity  government  was to  save them as they had suffered
too much under  Zanu (PF) regime.

Soldiers terrorise villagers from attending MDC rally

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Godfrey Mtimba
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 16:41

MASVINGO - Boisterous members of the Zimbabwe National Army(ZNA) and war
veterans on Saturday went on the rampage and blocked MDC-T supporters in
Mwenezi from attending a rally that was supposed to be addressed by party
spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa.

The  soldiers, some of who were clad in  military regalia while others were
in civilian clothing, barricaded villagers from reaching Neshuro growth
point  where Chamisa was due to explain the party’s roadmap for next year’s
elections.

Chamisa who is also the Minister of Information and Technology and the
organisers of the rally had to cancel it after only a handful  of people
attended while scores  had to return to their villagers after being
threatened with assault and death.

"Soldiers were dropped at Mwenezi District Training Centre on Tuesday
morning by an Isuzu bus and since then they had been moving around villagers
threatening people with violence if they  attended the MDC-T rally,” said
Brian Nhachi, the  party's organising secretary for Mwenezi District.

Nhachi said  that the soldiers  also threatened the villagers with
political violence  worse than that of  the 2008 elections  if they voted
for Morgan Tsvangirai and his party in next year's planned elections.

Chamisa  told the Daily News that he had no option but to cancel the rally
because the party supporters had been turned away by rogue soldiers.

“We were forced to cancel our rally shortly after arriving at Neshuro growth
point. The reason was that scores of our supporters were blocked by some
soldiers who had been deployed there. We want to warn those abusing soldiers
that intimidating and harassing our supporters as a way of disturbing our
programmes ahead of the next years’ elections will not win them support from
the struggling villagers who are aware of what Zanu PF did to our once
prosperous nation,” he said.

He said the MDC-T  would take the matter to the three principals to for
discussion so that  soldiers  do not harass innocent vicilians in rural
areas.

Efforts to get a comment form ZNA provincial spokesperson, Warrant Officer
Kingston Chivave were fruitless.

Villagers said  that the soldiers based at the nearby  training centre are
threatening them with war if Zanu PF president, Robert Mugabe loses to
Tsvangirai in next year's elections.

“They are moving around telling people that they would be a serious war if
Zanu PF and its president are defeated in the elections. They are also doing
military drills in full view of villagers to instill fear in them. The
situation here is no longer safe considering that we still have fresh wounds
of political violence from 2008,” said Grace Chitanga from Neshuro.

Bodies decompose at Tsholotsho mortuary as donated generator diverted

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Lance Guma
16 November 2010

Bulawayo Agenda, a civil society pressure group, reports that bodies are
decomposing at the Tsholotsho District Hospital despite having a generator
donated to it by the medical charity Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF).

Apparently a dispute has arisen between committee members of the hospital
who insist the generator should be used to provide power to staff houses,
while others are saying the generator should be used for the reason it was
donated, the mortuary.

Bulawayo Agenda Information and Communications Manager Linda Mpofu told SW
Radio Africa that because of the dispute some furious committee members took
the generator and locked it up in a room, until such time the matter is
resolved. Meanwhile because the cold rooms at the mortuary are receiving no
power, water was now seeping out.

Residents in Tsholotsho are said to be up in arms with the hospital
committee. They have argued that people in the staff quarters can use
firewood and candles to compensate for the absence of electricity and yet
such alternatives for the mortuary are not possible.

Zimbabwe is grappling with a serious power shortage stretching back to the
devastating economic crisis under ZANU PF rule. The country produces 1,100
megawatts of power, against a peak demand of 2,000 megawatts. Up to 500
megawatts is imported, mostly from Mozambique and Zambia. Unfortunately the
lack of progress in the coalition government has put paid to any attempts at
attracting investment to boost power generation.

Meanwhile Bulawayo Agenda have reported that war vets in the Bule area of
Tsholotsho are making it difficult for the local MDC-M councillor to perform
his duties. The war vets are disrupting meetings called by the councilor,
even though they hold their own meetings in the area. Ahead of a possible
election next year, many reports confirm that ZANU PF’s terror machinery is
already being rolled out.

ACP fight WHO tobacco controls

http://www.zimonline.co.za

by Clara Smith     Tuesday 16 November 2010

HARARE -- Zimbabwe’s fight against proposed World Health Organisation (WHO)
controls on tobacco -- a key cash crop that sustains about a million
people -- has received a boost from 78 other countries.

A meeting to finalise the ban started in Uruguay on Monday and will run
until Friday.

WHO, through a treaty known as the Framework on the Convention for Tobacco
Control (FCTC) is seeking to use the meeting to finalise a ban on
ingredients used to flavor certain varieties of tobacco such as burley grown
in countries such as Zimbabwe.

Proponents of the treaty say this would make the tobacco less attractive to
youths.

But Zimbabwe, one of the leading tobacco producers and dependent on the crop
for economic recovery, would be hit hard because its varieties need blending
to maintain appeal.

African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, 79 of them including
Zimbabwe, have taken a position to oppose elements of the FCTC that would
impose a ban on blending ingredients to protect their economies.

A statement by ACP countries stated that the bloc would oppose the proposed
ban “on the grounds that, among other things, these guidelines are
incomplete and therefore to finalise them at this stage will be premature;
and pointing out the inadequacy of the policy options on alternative
livelihoods to tobacco growing since they are based on assumptions which are
flawed, as well, on the basis that these mechanisms do not provide support
for diversification from tobacco.”

The ACP’s decision will add weight to Zimbabwe and other tobacco producing
countries’ fight because 74 of the bloc’s members are signatories to the
FCTC and will therefore be represented in Uruguay.

The FCTC has 171 member countries.

In Zimbabwe, tobacco sustains the livelihoods of vast numbers of rural,
small scale and commercial farmers who grow the crop that despite upheavals
in the farming sector caused by President Robert Mugabe’s land reforms has
remained a key foreign currency earner for the country.

As if to underscore the importance of tobacco to the economy, Finance
Minister Tendai Biti in September revised 2010 growth projects to 8.1
percent from an earlier estimate of 4.5 percent on the back of a rebounding
the crop known by the Zimbabwe’s farmers as the golden leaf.

Tobacco contributed 26 percent of GDP last year while one million people are
directly dependent on tobacco, according to government and unions. Zimbabwe’s
crop jumped from 56 million kgs in 2009 to 123 million kgs this year, the
first time since 2002 for the crop to break the 100 million-kilogramme mark.

But WHO says countries such as Zimbabwe should promote alternative crops and
diversify from tobacco.

“If you look at the whole economy, tobacco has shown the quickest recovery
rate of more than 100 percent. The problem is that proponents of this treaty
are sitting in ivory towers somewhere out there,” said Kevin Cooke, the
Zimbabwe Tobacco Association president.

Studies supported by the international tobacco industry and released at the
weekend state that: “Tobacco exports, along with mining and tourism, will be
the key drivers of economic recovery in Zimbabwe from 2010 onwards.
Historically, there has been a strong correlation between the country’s
tobacco production and changes in GDP, which is expected to continue over
the long-term.

The direct dependency on tobacco would range from 5% to 10% of the
population, with burley production accounting for up to 10% of total tobacco
produce. Any external shocks to the tobacco industry would further hamper
the country’s economic recovery as well as the health of the rural economy.”

Another research by the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA),
which says is out to protect its 30 million members from the harmful effects
of the FCTC says: “The role of burley tobacco in African economies and the
expected impact of a decline in the crop's production shows that more than
3.6 million people in Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are
directly dependent on tobacco production for their livelihoods.

“A further 12 million people are directly and indirectly affected by
developments in the countries' tobacco sectors.”

“Why should they talk about banning tobacco on health grounds without
talking about banning Whisky, which is produced by the Scottish? Why target
poor countries?” asked agriculture minister Joseph Made. -- ZimOnline

Call For Zim Elections Was 'Nervous Excitement'

http://www.radiovop.com

16/11/2010 16:43:00

Harare, November 16, 2010 - Member of Parliament and Co-Chairman of the
Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac), Douglas Mwonzora, said
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai call for
elections next year could have just been a case of "nervous excitement".

He said there was currently "nothing" on the table to impel his Committee or
the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee (ZEC) to hold elections next year as
regularly said by the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) and Zanu
(PF) party heavyweights.

Mugabe has called for elections next year saying he does not want to see the
life of the two year inclusive government extended while Tsvangirai has said
fresh elections will help the country move forward.

"We do not listen to what leaders say at rallies when they are talking to
their voters," Mwonzora, a lawyer, said at a workshop in Harare amid
applause from participants.

"Only when we get written request from a party or its leader do we take the
issue seriously and this has not been done to-date.

"They must also address Parliament and tell it that they want elections and
then we as a committee can listen to them and make the necessary
preparations for the event."

"Anything said at rallies is made under nervous excitement and I think the
leaders (Mugabe and Tsvangirai) were excited when they made the statements."

Mugabe has even gone as far as telling the Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti,
to prepare for the watershed occasion by raising the necessary funds.

When asked whether this too was also done because of "nervous excitement" by
President Mugabe, Mwonzora told radio VOP: "I think you just read about this
in the Press. President Mugabe did not say Tendai Biti should look for money
to fund the election."

"Anyway none of the leaders have come to Parliament to request for an
election next year and so as far as we are concerned we will simply follow
the road map as discussed when we began the Outreach Programme.

"I think if elections are held they will be held at the end of the year
because we still have some submissions from Thematic Groups to be made and
this could take some time. Maybe April, next year, could be fine for the
elections to be held."

Mownzora also said the beleagured Constitutional Parliamentary Committee
(Copac's) Outreach Programme, had gobbled US$17 million so far.

Copac had said in the beginning that the exercise would consume about US$27
million in total.

"I can tell you that we have so far spent US$17 million," Mwonzora told
Radio VOP in an exclusive interview.

"The money came from donors and the Zimbabwe Government. The United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) gave us US$12 million and so far to-date the
Government of Zimbabwe has given us US$5 million. However we need more money
otherwise the whole exercise will continue to drag on as is currently the
case."

Mwonzora said the unfortunate "debacle in Harare" which resulted in Copac
breaking up and restarting the exercise due to trouble caused by disgruntled
Zanu (PF) hooligans had cost Copac dearly and was regrettable.

"Whenever we re-do anything the donors do not pay and so we must pay for
ourselves which is very costly," he said. "The Harare fiasco had to be paid
by government and this means that our coffers are currently empty right
now."

He said more money would be needed for the Outreach Programme because Copac
had decided to re-do the exercise for various sectors.

"We are re-doing the exercise for people living with disabilities, youths,
and people who are in prison because they were left out or could have been
shunned," Mwonzora said.

"This was the case in Bulawayo where some rowdy youths disrupted a meeting
at White City Stadium and the disabled could not give their views on the
constitution. People in prison must also be allowed to say what they want
because they will not be in jail for ever."

He said donors had pledged to continue giving support to the ambitious
programme despite the fact that Zimbabwean citizens think that it is "a
waste of time'.

"However donor money comes late and not when we need it," Mwonzora said.
"Government must also give us more money because we need at least US$27
million for the whole exercise."

Chisanno Refuses To Be Drawn Into Zanu (PF) Propaganda

http://www.radiovop.com

16/11/2010 16:41:00
Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font

Gweru, November 16, 2010 - Former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano
refused to be used a cannon fodder in the Zanu PF sanctions propaganda at
the weekend.

Chissano, the first winner of the Mo Ibrahim US$ 5 million given to an
African leader who excel in promoting democracy on the continent refused to
answer leading questions on sanctions from Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
(ZBC) reporters who attended a conflict and peace lecture he gave at the
Midlands University in Gweru at the weekend.

Chissano was asked to comment on the so-called “illegal sanctions” but he
just looked at the reporters and laughed as he walked away. Even further
attempts to arm twist him by saying the call for the removal of sanctions
was endorsed by the last Southern African Development Community (SADC)
summit in Namibia did not succeed in moving him to answer.

Chissano who has since the genesis of the Zimbabwean political crisis tried
to reason out with Mugabe to embrace modern day democratic styles of
leadership, emphasised the importance of peace and amicable ways of solving
conflicts in economic development.

Many hard pressed poor students missed his lecture at the Gweru-based
University because they were asked to pay US$50 in entrance fees. The
students most of who are already failing to pay school fees could not raise
the amount needed to be admitted in the university’s multi-purpose main
hall.

Chombo Heading For A Showdown With Bulawayo City

http://www.radiovop.com

16/11/2010 10:38:00

Bulawayo, November 16, 2010 - The controversial Local Government minister
Ignatius Chombo intends to appoint special councillors for Bulawayo city, in
a move which is expected to be resisted by the city councillors.

The minister and the city council were headed for another showdown as this
was not the first time Chombo had tried to impose special councillors drawn
from his Zanu (PF) party on the city. The move by the minister was aimed a
diluting the strength of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) dominated
city council.

Last year the Bulawayo city council flatly rejected Chombo’s attempt to
smuggle in losing Zanu (PF) councillors into council under the guise of
special councillors.

The mayor of Bulawayo Councilor, Thaba Moyo told Radio VOP on Tuesday that
the minister‘s latest move to impose Zanu (PF) activists to the people of
Bulawayo would not be accepted.

“Let me state categorically that at Bulawayo city council we are guided by
the Urban Council Act in whatever we do. The act clearly state that anybody
appointed as a special councillor should be a specialist in a particular
subject or field which elected councillors do not have," said the mayor.

"A special councillor could be also someone who represents the interest of a
section of disadvantaged members of the society such as the disabled and
pensioners. That person should add value to the council and it is the onus
of the minister to prove this when appointing these special councillors,” he
added.

The mayor said when Chombo appointed Zanu (PF) activists as special
councillors last year, he wrote to the minister requesting the profiles of
the appointees but he said the minister never responded.

“Now the minister has indicated that he wants to appoint another eight
people as Bulawayo special councillors .The council‘s position is still the
same. We will not allow known activists of political parties to be appointed
special councillors at the expense of genuine representatives of
disadvantaged members of our society," said the mayor.

Some of the people who lost the council elections under Zanu (PF) but were
handpicked by Chombo are former Zanu (PF) ward councilor, Tadibana Tshuma,
former Zanu (PF) councilors, Alderman David Ndlovu and Alderman Agrippa
Nyathi.

Others are Denis Ncube, Zanu (PF) former mayor, Bulawayo Zanu (PF) secretary
for Transport, Ernest Marima, and Tryphine Nhliziyo, Zanu (PF) loosing
senator for Pumula.

Growing calls for investigation into Chombo’s assets

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

by Irene Madongo
16 November 2010

Residents in Bulawayo have joined in calls for an investigation into
corruption allegations against Local Government Minister Ignatious Chombo,
after his staggering wealth was revealed in his divorce battle.

Documents show that Chombo has interests in several farms, mines, hunting
safari lodges in Chiredzi, Hwange, Magunje and Chirundu, as well as
properties in South Africa. Local properties include several residential and
commercial stands across the country and a fleet of luxury vehicles.

The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) says it is demanding
an investigation into Chombo’s activities and it welcomed reports that MPs
are going to officially probe him. This weekend the Sunday Times of South
Africa reported that a dossier, compiled by councillors and private
investigators, is being circulated among MPs regarding Chombo.

On Monday a spokesman for BPRA said: “Dr Chombo is alleged to own vast
properties inside and outside the country yet thousands of ordinary
Zimbabweans are living on the precipice of poverty. Residents have proposed
that the minister be relieved of his duties pending the inquiry’s findings.”

Other resident associations in the country are also baying for an official
investigation of the Minister’s wealth. On Monday Eddington Mugowa of the
Highfield Residents Trust said they also want Parliament to investigate
Chombo. “The legislators are decision makers. They must investigate and take
action against a corrupt Minister. How can this environment be possible? We
are expecting a transparent government,” he said.

Both the MDC-T and MDC 99 have blasted Chombo’s wealth acquisition, with the
MDC-T arguing that there is no way an honest person in high office could
have acquired such riches, other than through abuse of office. Last week
Simba Makoni, leader of the Mavambo Kusile Dawn party, also joined the
attacks on Chombo, calling for all Ministers to be investigated, from Robert
Mugabe down to the last deputy.

The Anti-Corruption Commission must investigate sources of Minister Chombo’s wealth!

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

 

 

Written by Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 06:29

We are baffled by revelations of minister Chombo’s (Pictured) empire which media sources say have neither been inherited nor financed through his salary. The Anti-Corruption Commission Act [Chapter 9:22], section 12 paragraph (f) mandates the Anti Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe “to investigate any conduct of any person whom the Commission has reason to believe is connected with activities involving corruption”. It is a disservice to the public, if this issue goes down to the drain without proper investigation. Being a public official, the people have the right know how Minister Chombo built such an empire over the years of his service in government.

Official Home Affairs website does not recognize MDC-T Minister

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Lance Guma
16 November 2010

Theresa Makone might be co-Home Affairs Minister under the coalition
government but the official website of the ministry does not seem to
recognize her presence or even that of her predecessor from the MDC-T, Giles
Mutsekwa.

An alert SW Radio Africa listener pointed out the anomaly after visiting the
website (http://www.moha.gov.zw/) and seeing no mention of Makone, despite
her appointment to the Ministry in June by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

In the inaugural edition of our Question Time programme Makone told us ‘on a
personal level and on a professional level I can work very well with Comrade
Mohadi, we have absolutely no problems with each other and with the way we
see things and the way they should go.’

Although she later explained that ‘we both come from different political
parties and we have got our own interests in this particular ministry and we
do have to reach compromises from time to time,’ the reluctance to recognize
her, even on the official website, speaks volumes about the ZANU PF
attitude.

The home page of the site has Kembo Mohadi as the Minister of Home Affairs.
He is not even referred to as co-Minister, as should be the proper
designation. Reuben Marumahoko is listed as the Deputy Minister while Melusi
Matshiya is there as the Permanent Secretary.

For the avoidance of doubt the mission statement clearly says ‘at the
Ministry's Head office are the Minister, deputy Minister and the Permanent
Secretary's Offices.’ Efforts to reach Makone for comment on Tuesday were
fruitless as her mobile went to voicemail the whole day.

Zim Children Most Affected By Political Instability - Graca

http://www.radiovop.com

16/11/2010 10:36:00

Harare, November 16, 2010 - The wife of former South African President,
Nelson Mandela, Mrs Graca Machel, said Zimbabwe's children had been most
affected by the country's political and economic instability.

"Children in Zimbabwe should not be made to pay the price for the country's
economic decline," Graca Machel who is on a three day Unicef sponsored visit
to Zimbabwe said.

During her stay in the country, she is expected to visit various children
centres.

Children continued to "suffer not only in Zimbabwe but internationally" due
to poor policies by some political stalwarts, she said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that at least 100 children
were dying daily from easily prevenatble and treatable diseases.

Graca Machel said about one third of the children suffered from chronic
malnutrition in the world.

"She is also here to see the ongoing efforts by the Government of National
Unity (GNU) to uphold the rights of Zimbabwean children in the areas of
education, health, protection and child participation in the country," said
a Unicef official.

Zim officials ’failing to meet demand for documentation’

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/

3 Hours Ago

Zimbabwe’s registrar-general said the country is unlikely to meet South
Africa’s deadline to provide documents to hundreds of thousands of
Zimbabweans outside its borders without official papers.

The International Organisation for Migration said it may have to cater for a
mass-deportation of Zimbabweans.

The year-end deadline has been looming as Home Affairs offices have been
inundated with people applying to regularise their stay in South Africa.

Zimbabwean Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said around 30,000 passports
have been sent to South Africa so far, but only 7,500 Zimbabweans have got
their hands on them. That’s a fraction of the 1.5 million believed to be
living in South Africa.

Mudede said the deadline is going to be hard to meet.

He said the 40 or so of his officials sent to South Africa to provide IDs
and passports are failing to cope with demand.

Reports in Zimbabwe say aid agencies are preparing for a mass influx of
deportees come December the 31st.

Grace-Gonogate: RBZ Deputy chairman Charles Kuwaza responds to Nyarota

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/

16 November, 2010 03:39:00    By Charles Kawaza

On 12 November 2010 The Herald published an article (from The Zimbabwe Mail)
by veteran journalist Geoffrey Nyarota on the boardroom squabbles at the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe based on the writer’s research and interviews he
had with the bank’s deputy chairman Charles Kuwaza. Kuwaza responds to the
article:

I refer to your story written by Mr Geoff Nyarota, published on the centre
page of the Herald on November 12, initially published by The Zimbabwe Mail.

First, I must say that the story you published is full of lies and
distortions.

I am surprised and angry that the Editor of The Herald went to print this
obnoxious story without seeking comment from me.

Every first-year journalism student at Harare Poly would know that. This is
the third time in recent months that journalists at three different
publications have failed this simple test of honest and ethical reporting.

This is despite the fact that I am your Chess correspondent in the bi-weekly
Sacker column. You have all my contact details — e-mail, mobile and
landlines.

If there still is an iota of integrity on your part, you should, in your
next issue, reproduce my response in full and give it the same prominence
with which you published Mr Nyarota’s.

Here is what I have mailed Mr Nyarota in response to his article.

“You phoned me stating that you had reason to believe that my life was in
danger, and you needed, completely off the record, to bring your findings to
my attention. You said the matter was urgent, and even mere possession of
the information was worrying you.

“I told you I did not ordinarily speak to journalists as some of them had
betrayed trust in the past. However, your story was credible because,
indeed, somebody had threatened to “sort me out” in the recent past.

“When I met you, you said that my life was in danger because some people
were alleging that I had some hand in the story that Swain had published in
the Sunday Times of South Africa.

“You said that you had heard that I had been arrested. I confirmed that I
had been to the police station to answer certain charges. I told you I had
answered those charges to their satisfaction and was released, on the same
day on September 29th, not 19th as alleged in your article.

“You then went on to say that certain people were suspecting Gono to be
behind the arrest. I told you I did not know, but the police could provide
leads if approached.

“You asked whether I had met Swain and I told you I did not know him from a
bar of soap. You told me he was an award-winning journalist, alongside with
yourself.

“You then asked for my opinion on that article and I told you that I had no
particular interest in the matter as it appeared like yellow journalism.

“You then asked if this was the result of infighting in Zanu-PF, and I told
you that I had no such knowledge. You asked whether I had any friends among
ministers and I told you I had worked with many ministers for 30 years, but
none had ever discussed such matters with me.

“You asked about the reputed infighting at the Reserve Bank, and I told you
there was no such fighting, that this was the pink Press attempting to
elevate ordinary discourse at board level to something newsworthy.

“You asked whether there were any people in Zimbabwe who could be governor,
and I commented that, that was a bizarre question, as there were many
professionals in the country and elsewhere. I told you that I did not know
all people or their capabilities.

“The comments that you add about who was leaking information, were really
never put to me, these are your own thoughts which you are trying to give
credence to by quoting me as a source.

The “facts, opinions, half-truths, lies, all meshed together to give
credence to the story” that you should have referred to, were in relation to
the original story of the Sunday Times of September 12, not Swain’s story.

“I asked you again why you thought my life was in danger, but you had no
firm details leading to your conclusion. You said you were going to check
with some informants, and would come back to me with more specific
information on the attempt on my life.

“When you came back, for what you allege to be a second interview, you
repeated the story and regurgitated old stories in the Sunday Times. There
was nothing new there.

“Whatever happened to journalistic ethics? One of the issues you said you
were angry about was Swain’s lack of professionalism, in that he never asked
for comments before going to print.

“I never saw your article before you sold it to the highest bidder. You fell
into Swain’s trap on the first hurdle.

“I know times are hard, but this is no way to make a living. It seems to me
anyone who can pay the piper can ram their thoughtless opinions in national
newspapers. This is a zero sum game, which some of us have no time for. Can
you imagine the time wasted responding to these scurrilous and purposeless
allegations?

“I find your whole conduct lacking integrity. I don’t know who you are
working for. The language you use is intemperate, and below the dignity of a
man of your experience and reputation (previous).

“In fact, I was concerned whether you were still the same man or something
fundamental had changed after your stint in the USA.

“You came pretending to assist me but turned out to be the proverbial wolf.
Going backwards to be cub reporter is clearly not a sign of maturity.

“Not having met you before, I noted the slow uptake of issues, repetitions
on your part, and wondered whether you were still the same man I had heard
of in my youth.

“Eventually, I concluded that you were on a fishing expedition and the “life
and death” situation that you had painted was just that, a poor painting.
Unfortunately, there was no tiger to catch, not even matemba. Ko aunza
mvongamupopoto mumba ndiani?

“Could you find issues which advance the national agenda, seeking progress
rather than commit acres of space to worthless skulduggery, something which
the youthful reporters from H-Metro could learn from the seasoned journalist
that you should be.

“In the meantime, enjoy your 30 pieces of silver.”

Interview: Chamisa on new constitution and terror

U.S. concludes ten-week volunteer mission on U.S. Veterans Day

If you're not OUTraged, you're not paying attention: News from Kubatana - 16 November, 2010

 

Looking into the future: art and law in Zimbabwe

The Annual Lozikeyi Lecture at the Bulawayo National Art Gallery hosted Senator David Coltart speaking on the subject of art and law in Zimbabwe. He raised the issue of the banning of Owen Maseko's art depicting Gukurahundi (a sample picture above). Here's some of what he had to say:

The challenge for all of us is what we are to do with our past. Are we prepared to learn from it or are we determined to bury it and run the risk of repeating the shocking mistakes of the past. Whether we like it or not the past did happen and we need gentle means to deal with it.

It is in this context that Art has a vital role to play in reconciliation. For it can introduce us to our collective past in a relatively gentle way. It can introduce “visions of reality” and help us all as we “realise truth” and with that the mistakes we have made.

The tragedy of simply banning politically controversial art is that we then never get the opportunity to debate it and learn from it. Ironically by taking a step further and prosecuting an artist one stands the risk of further inflaming a sensitive issue and thus retarding any hope of reconciling communities.

In conclusion my belief is that art should only be banned on the grounds of public security when works of art are gratuitously inflammatory and not by any stretch of the imagination “visions of reality” but rather “visions of unreality or untruths”. Even then I believe that Artists should only be prosecuted when they are guilty of repeated and deliberate attempts to subvert truth with the intention of stirring up racial, ethnic or religious enmity or hatred.

Read the whole lecture here

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Donate your change, and change a life!

Give your SPAR credit notes to Childline and help a child this Christmas.
Childline collection boxes are available at participating SPAR stores – look out for them!

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Join Island Hospice to Celebrate World Aids Day 2010

Island Hospice Service invites you to a ‘Mini Conference’

Faces of Palliative Care in HIV and AIDS

As the first hospice in Africa and a centre of excellence in HIV related palliative care we are proud to share with you our research based practice used to provide quality palliative care to people living with HIV/AIDS. Themes of the ‘Mini Conference’ include: Lessons learned and best practices in quality palliative care, children’s palliative care, bereavement, home based care training and mentorship and breaking research

Date: Friday 3rd December 2010
Time: 0830 – 1230  (Break for Tea)
Admission: Free - Places Limited - Bookings Essential

To book contact: Island Hospice: Tel: 04 701 674-7 Email: island@africaonline.co.zw or chipo@islandhospice.co.zw

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Get out, get talking, and make a difference

"Has the Inclusive Government Lost its Way?"

The Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) and the Non-State Actors Forum (NSAF) are inviting you to a seminar on the above topic.

When: Thursday 18 November 2010
Where: The New Ambassador Hotel
Time: Starting at 1730hrs.

Speakers:

1. Hon. Obert Gutu: Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs and Senator for Chisipite, MDC-T
2. Pastor Trevor Maisiri: Executive Director, Africa Reform Institute
3. Prof. John Makumbe: Political Science Lecturer, University of Zimbabwe
4. Mr. Stephen Chidawanyika: Director of Information, ZANU-PF
5. Mr. Phillip Chapfunga: Member of the National Management Committee, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn

Chairing: Hebert Ndoma

We hope you and others in your organization will be able to attend this timely seminar.
To join the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) mailing list please write to: monicam@mpoi.org.zw

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2010 International Images Film Festival for Women

It is with great pleasure that Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe presents the 9th edition of the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF), the only professional women's festival south of the Sahara. Running under the theme Women of Decision, which investigates among other things, the societal pressures women face when making decisions for themselves, their families, and the community, IIFF will continue to stand out as a festival where people are not only entertained but are also educated and inspired.

IIFF received an overwhelming response of more than 100 films of different genres from across the globe. The selection was stiff but IIFF is proud to say more and more women are coming out of their closets to tell their stories and through their eyes. Screenings will be held at Ster Kinekor - Eastgate, Alliance Francaise and the Zimbabwe German Society in Harare where the premier television showcase, INPUT will take place. The Bulawayo leg of the festival will be celebrated at the Stanley Hall in Makokoba and finally for the first time ever, the Gwanda community will get an opportunity to watch the films at the Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library.

This year, IIFF incorporates some exceptional local films and therefore sees it fitting to open and close with local productions. The Ndichirimupenyu (While I Am Still Alive) Awards will this year take place in collaboration with UNIFEM during a special event on Gender Based Violence

In attendance will be acclaimed filmmakers from Belgium, Britain, Poland, Belgium, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia taking part in different training workshops.

As always, it is necessary for us to thank the people without whose help this festival would not be possible. In particular, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to SIDA, Culture Fund, UNIFEM and Afrykamera, the corporate world for coming on board as well as friends, partners who have always supported IIFF. WFOZ team, your support is appreciated. We would also like to thank the audiences who love and support IIFF.

To view the programme please click here or send an email to info@kubatana.net for a copy.

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Get active . . .

Start with the Police, and stop corruption in Zimbabwe!

If a traffic policeman or woman asks you to pay a bribe rather than officially paying a speeding fine or some other misdemeanour – REFUSE. Stopping corruption starts with You. Request an official receipt.

Use your mobile phone to record conversations in which members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police ask you for bribes. Please email any audio files to info@kubatana.net

Read this report from ACT-Southern Africa on corruption by traffic police officers and vehicle drivers in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Here’s an excerpt:

In Zimbabwe immediately after leaving the Francistown Border Post, the bus was stopped by police officers. After they signalled the bus to pull up, the police officers were given US$20 in full view of the passengers. No receipt was given to the driver. A few kilometres after the first roadblock, there was another one, and again a police officer was given US$10. At this point the researcher risked and demanded a receipt. The panicking police officer indicated that he had no receipt book. Realizing that he had been caught red-handed he threw the money back to the driver and asked the bus to proceed. At all road blocks the bus driver paid significant amounts to traffic police officers. The same trend was observed on the way back from Harare to Windhoek.

If you’re not OUTraged, you’re not paying attention

Rape has an average of a five-year jail sentence yet stock theft [stealing cattle] has an average sentence of 22 years. Is a cow worth more than a human being? If your anger is stirred by this disrespect for human dignity and the sanctity of life please join us in expressing our anger by writing to the editors of newspapers in Zimbabwe:

theherald@zimpapers.co.zw
newsdesk@zimind.co.zw

Padare/Enkundleni/Men’s Forum on Gender wants YOU to help them make as much noise as possible about this issue to get the government’s attention.

Join Padare today and work to stop gender violence: padareinfor@gmail.com

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KFM Consultants - Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do we ensure segregation of duties in our small organisation with four staff members in total and one finance officer?

Answer: Segregation of duties is one of the key concepts of internal control that separates roles and responsibilities to ensure that no one employee has the ability to process a transaction from initiation through to reporting without the involvement of others. It ensures that conflicting activities are appropriately segregated therefore reducing the risk of an employee committing fraud or making a mistake that would go unnoticed.

Normally small organisations are at high risk for segregation of duties violations. In this instance where there are only four staff members, these employees are forced to take on multiple functional roles in their day to day duties. Mitigating the risk of abuse of such power and ensuring that the organisation is properly segregated can be achieved in the following ways:

• An organisational structure together with job description should be in existence, with defined roles and responsibilities which makes it easy to devise a way to assign duties to individuals in a sufficiently segregated manner. A duty roster detailing this is then compiled.
• Employees in a small organisation should be cross trained to be able carry financial duties as well. This helps in that finance duties can be carried out by non-finance staff and the work of the financial officer can be reviewed by others as well.  This also helps with continuity when someone leaves or is on vacation.
• Having two people involved in certain controls (i.e. A single control is split into activities which have been assigned to different individuals, for example, preparation and review of a bank reconciliation).
• Lastly, when a small organisation recruits employees, it is important that they are capable of multi tasking so that the process of training them for additional responsibilities other than their principal roles becomes easier.

In a nutshell general categories of functions to be separated are the authorisation function, the recording function, the custody of the asset and reconciliation and audit. One should always bear in mind that in segregating duties trust is not the issue but verifying business transactions hence giving a single person unquestioned authority over finances is not a wise business practice.

KFM Consultants is involved in building the financial management capacity of NGOs and if you have comments or specific questions you would like answered please contact us at information@kfm.co.zw

KFM Fundraising Fundamentals Workshop

With the current challenges that the country is facing, the role of NGOs has become critical in Zimbabwe. The number of organisations that are actively working to meet different needs has consequently increased. In most cases those organisations that work on the ground and support work in the communities are financially constrained to the extent that some are near closure or have no assurance of long term sustainability even though the need for their services is strong. Due to a lack of relevant information or inappropriate exposure to the global trends in terms of fundraising, some organisations fail to solicit and successfully raise the required resources for their programmes.

With this background KFM Consultants and SCG Consulting will be hosting a workshop on Fundraising Fundamentals to give NGOs the knowledge and fundraising skills to enable practitioners and representatives of the organisations to be more confident and well equipped to solicit funds in this competitive environment.

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding the overall fundraising environment in the current  operating environment in Zimbabwe (looking at a global context)
• Understanding the basic principles of fundraising and the donor mapping process
• Application of the different concepts through understanding the i) Fundraising Strategy Development Process ii) Proposal Writing iii) Budgeting principles and preparation.

Expected Results
It is expected that after the workshop the participants will have gained fundraising skills that will provide some long term benefits such as:

• Evident increase in the resource base of their organisations.
• Improved programming of  organisations in their various areas of expertise
• Having strong fundraising systems that are internalised
• Increasing the confidence of potential fundraising partners due to assurance of increased accountability.  
• The ability to use professional and up to date fundraising techniques 

Who should attend?

An organisation cannot operate and implement its programmes without funds; this makes the fundraising function within the organization a key function which cannot be compromised.  It is therefore important that organisation leadership and personnel directly involved in the fundraising function of the organisation attend and these include:

• Executive Directors
• Programme Directors
• Operations Directors
• Programme Officers and Coordinators
• Finance Managers and Accountants

Workshop Content:

• What is Fundraising : Definitions, Objectives , Why Fundraise
• The Fundraising Process : Prospecting, Cultivating, Soliciting Funds, Compliance and Reporting
• Where are the funds? Sources of funds, Trends in Fundraising, Challenges in Fundraising, Funding Partnerships (including communicating with the funders)
• Strategy Development : What is a fundraising strategy, Issues to consider when developing a strategy , Whose responsibility is it to fundraise
• Proposal Writing: Is my proposal fundable ?
• Budget Preparation: What budgeting skills are required to prepare a winning budget
• Standards and Accountability: Ensuring that all fundraising practices are ethical

The workshop will be co facilitated by Shupikai Gwabuya the Managing Consultant of SCG Consulting who has in-depth experience in project management, grant making and fundraising in Southern Africa and Kudzai Midzi the Managing Consultant of KFM Consultants who has extensive experience working with NGOs in different parts of Africa on various issues around financial management.

Dates: 25 and 26 November 2010

Cost: US$300.00 per participant

Venue: Occasions at Seasons in Harare Zimbabwe

Booking: Contact Tafadzwa Dihwa on +263 773 251 853. Alternately you may send an email on information@kfm.co.zw

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What’s new on Kubatana blogs

Delta Ndou discusses why women fight over men, Amanda Atwood takes issue with Minister Theresa Makone, Mgcini Nyoni on hairdressers, armed robbery and human rights, No sex for a month is up for debate by Upenyu Makoni-Muchemwa, Catherine Makoni reflects on renewal and rebirth in preparing the ground, Bev Clark shares a report from Bulawayo Agenda in votes are as cheap as cool drinks and coke, Brenda Burrell visits Argentina to talk about Freedom Fone

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Featured articles . . .

I'll not be beaten and suspended into silence

At one point Learnmore Jongwe is said to have asserted that the "University of Zimbabwe has become a golgotha where dreams are crucified." Fortunately, Jongwe also believed that from where we have fallen and have been nailed, there is no other path worthy than that of resurrection: UZ can, and must, only get better.

We will brave three days in the tomb, exposing and engaging the administrative lunacy until good triumphs over evil; until justice is delivered; until the insensitivity of closing, over 4000 student carrying capacity halls of residence for four years now, in spite of a court order and Halloween accommodation and transport nightmares for students; until the theft of semesterising identity cards to give business to their private company called Real Entertainment (without issuing a tender), for which they should be arrested; until the indignity of most of us failing to pay fees, the embarrassment of being chased out of a lecture for being poor; until the dictatorship of banning the student union for four years now; until this is reversed.

Until then, when we are free from what Nehanda condemned, what Chitepo fought, what Nkomo decried, what Mugabe in his young righteous days attacked, what Learnmore Jongwe did not condone, and what many died for at Chimoio, Nyadzonya and many a battlefield ... Until that freedom, I will not tolerate injustice, I'll not be educated to accept inequality, I'll not be beaten and suspended into silence. Until I no longer fear my own government but I get protection from it, call me not born free. This system stinks: it is therefore a SHITSTYM.

- University of Zimbabwe student

Pirate radio station goes legit

DJ Geeneus was 16 when he broadcast his first pirate radio show from a tower block in Tower Hamlets, east London. With decks and mixer balancing on top of a homemade transmitter jammed between the sink and the cooker of his friend’s 18th floor flat, Geeneus leant out of the window, pointed his aerial towards Hackney and turned the music up loud.

Sixteen years, countless rooftop broadcasts and dozens of brushes with the law later, Rinse FM often called the most influential pirate station on air and credited with bringing artists such as Dizzee Rascal and grime star Wiley to the public consciousness, is finally going legit, to the slightly bemused delight of its 32-year-old founder. “Getting the licence gave me the strangest feelings. Nothing don’t faze me … but that did,” he said.

Will he miss anything about being a pirate? “Getting on the roof,” he says. “Now I know I’m never going to do it again, I’m going to miss it”.

As well as running club nights in London, the station also has a label that has just seen artist Katy B make it into the top five of the UK charts. Her track On A Mission has been viewed more than 2.7 million times on YouTube.

Geeneus, whose real name remains a mystery even to many friends, set up Rinse with a group of friends including Wiley and grime DJ Slimzee, because other pirate stations said they were too young to be on air.

Geeneus reckons that he has transmitted from every tower block in east London. “I’ve been arrested about 15-20 times,” he said. “Never been charged though, I always managed to talk my way out of it”.

In the early years the station operated on a shoestring, with Geeneus scrounging for £1 subs from DJs, asking for transmitters for Christmas and stealing the cables from his mum’s iron and vacuum cleaner to stay on air.

Things changed when Geeneus met Sarah Lockhart, who was working for a distributor handing out test pressings to pirate DJs to create a buzz about the tracks. Five years ago she quit her job and the battle to get a licence began.

Lockhart, like Geeneus, left school without any qualifications, but the 100-page application document submitted to Ofcom was largely her work. “That was like my degree,” she said. 

After dozens of meetings, setbacks and disappointments, Rinse was granted a community licence. They cannot sell it on for profit and must continually prove its worth to the community it serves. Geeneus and Lockhart have already set up the Rinse Academy, giving training and opportunities for budding MCs and DJs.

“Pirate radio has been like a pressure valve for kids ever since Radio Caroline and we are carrying on with that,” Lockhart said.

Geeneus said radio kept him on the straight and narrow. “Everyone I knew at school is in prison,” he says. “I do feel a responsibility to show young people that there is an alternative”. 

Source: Alexandra Topping, The Guardian Weekly

Inside the Zimbabwe Documentation Program in South Africa

If I ever wanted a reason to stay outside of my home country of Zimbabwe, all I need do is be part of the Zimbabwe Documentation Program in South Africa. It is great that both governments have agreed that such action was necessary to regularize the vast majority of Zimbabweans living on the wrong side of the Limpopo, however, the bureaucracy of the Zimbabwe officials in order to process new passports is unfathomable.

In order to request a passport, Day 1 involved a trip to downtown Johannesburg, where chaos reigned supreme. One would like to believe that such official documentation would be done at the nation's official consulate or embassy, but no. Let me be generous and say that in probable anticipation of the volumes they selected an offsite location. That this was a random flat, and the back of a bakkie on Try-to-find-it Street in downtown Jozi doesn't matter. Make your way there and there are 4 or 5 lines, criss-crossing and no person in line quite confident of the purpose of the line.

The queue management is actually the least of your problems because on your first day you must make sure to bring your original birth certificate, and original ID. Seems like a sensible thing to have but let us remember that the majority of people who are requesting to process this documentation are people who either have not been "home" in many years, people who no longer have valid passports to travel home, people who came here illegally and probably didn't come with such documentation or a combination of these. So somehow you must conjure the relevant paperwork and you are now in line ... Get to the front and they will give you a plain Standard Bank deposit slip ... That's all you get for your troubles for the day, a bank slip! You follow instructions and now must go to Standard Bank and deposit R750 and a bank stamp as proof of payment.

Let me say at this point, that this is one of the moments us citizens do not help each other and ourselves. If we were proactive we would simply give each other the bank details where said deposit must be made. The deposit we are given by the officials simply has the bank account number and a stamp stating Zimbabwe Embassy. I would question, nay I would dare to become rowdy with the official that wouldn't accept the deposit slip showing proof of payment, simply because it did not have his stamp. But that's forgetting this is bureaucracy.

Your next stop, after the bank business is done, is to return to the outpost of the consulate to be advised when you can come and collect your application forms. Yes, as absurd as it sounds that's exactly what is done. Rather than give you the necessary application forms, you stand in line and are advised when you should come and collect them, and said date is a week in advance. You begrudgingly return and expect to wait again in line for your name to be called.

This of course now represents the third day of your sojourn, and if you are not yet having fun you arrive at the outpost to be told by an enthusiastic taxi driver that you need to get into his vehicle because the said outpost has now moved. Trusting the herd mentality, you ride happily laughing along the way about the nonsense, I mean what else can one expect . . . when we are, to paraphrase Ian Smith, "the happiest Africans around". What is most galling about the experience is that the most efficient process is the independent taxi driver who promptly drops us off at our destination with money duly pocketed.

I have lost myself; let me get back to the bureaucracy.

We arrive now in Edenvale the new and improved outpost, it is better because it provides more space, has shelter and chairs once you get inside. I wonder why it is here in the middle of a light industrial area, obscure to ordinary Zimbabweans, unless the thinking is that it is not obscure because many of us probably work here. Hmmm. The inconvenience is that people now have to take two taxis to get here, two taxis to get back home, on three separate occasions. Thank you officialdom because now I have to make 12 journeys for my passport. Let's say each trip costs R5 in addition to the 750 rand, over R800 to get a new passport to be paid by the most vulnerable and group of people least capable of paying this.

As I write this I have received my paperwork, and am waiting in a queue to be fingerprinted. After which I will wait to have my picture glued to my application (yes this is actually an official step in the process), then I will wait for someone to sign the application then finally I will wait to submit my application.

The situation here is ludicrous and the painful thing is that once again, hardworking, helpless people are being subjected to this. Once again where do we turn? Can we complain to our government, where Morgan and Robert are more concerned with gaining one over the other than helping their people (unless you come second in Big Brother). Do you complain to the SA government? But we are not their citizens, so do they have much obligation to assist? Truly where do you turn? It is so sad because this is exactly how we as a people have been reduced and why our country is in its current state.

We sit quietly waiting to be served, never demanding better consideration from those who represent us.

- ZM (Please note that after my experience in the ZDP I felt it was necessary to relay the experience to Zimbabwe Home Affairs, the MDC, South African and Zimbabwean media, human rights organizations, friends and family. I hope my story brings some improvement in the situation for those still going through the machinations of the system.)

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The Kubatana web site is updated regularly. Here are some new articles and reports.
There are over 17 600 articles and reports available to browse.


What does democracy mean to you? - Interview with Sydney Chisi, founder Director of the Youth Initiative for Democracy Trust (YIDEZ)
Democracy means having a space in which people can participate on an equal footing. It means they can decide what they want for themselves. It is a space in which people and communities have the opportunity to continuously renew ideas through leadership renewal. It’s also the about renewing leaders so that ideas are not personalized and cult centred. Ideas should come form the people and then be implemented. For me democracy is like a bottom up approach rather than things being imposed on the people. More from Kubatana.net - Read and listen

Initial thoughts on the Matabeleland constitutional outreach
I have on my desk, a silver, two-shilling, 1947, Southern Rhodesia King George VI coin, and two big copper pennies with holes in the middle, one from 1949 (Southern Rhodesia) and one from 1956 (Rhodesia and Nyasaland). These are prized souvenirs of my time in a COPAC outreach team, physical memorabilia for one of many fascinating memories that my trips into the farthest corners of rural Matabeleland have left me enriched by. I came by these coins in a remote rural village (that shall be kept nameless to protect its inhabitants) where we had a very outspoken and ebullient meeting with around 150 people, unbelievably squashed into one school classroom. It was one of those windy days that one gets in late winter, ahead of the rains – gusting dust across a dry and barren landscape. People in this area harvested very little last year, there is no grazing left now, and every living creature is hungry and waiting for the rains – desperately waiting for them. As was our usual experience, scores of people were patiently sitting in the sparse shade of the thorn trees, looking out for our convoy of four 4x4s to arrive from Bulawayo to give them their turn to speak out, to tell us what they wanted a new Zimbabwean constitution to say. We also, predictably, had the usual clutch of plain-clothes police and secret police, who had arrived in a vehicle ahead of us. This was a typical COPAC gathering for Matabeleland – out of well over one hundred participants, only sixteen people were visibly aged under twenty five, with the majority aged over fifty, and a good smattering of octogenarians. There is simply a missing generation out there – nearly all the young adults have gone to Johannesburg or elsewhere in search of work. Many people were skeletally thin. Most were dressed in their best, in recognition of the importance of the occasion – old suits held together with careful, obvious stitches on the corners of pockets and along the frayed ends of jacket sleeves; beautiful but often thread-bare dresses, along with coats and scarves. This particular grouping was anxious to speak out immediately – they were unstoppable in their opinions on everything. From the minute the national anthem was over, they began to express their views on how they were being governed. They were angry, but in a polite and orderly fashion. One after another, they stood up and blamed the government for their poverty, for their lack of development, for the fact that their children had all had to leave the area in order to survive, and had had precious little schooling in the last few years. There were no skills training opportunities locally, there were no jobs, there was no food, there had been no government sponsored development projects of any kind since 1968. Read more from Solidarity Peace Trust

- The Law Society's model Constitution - Constitution Watch 23/2010 - Veritas - Read more
- Statement on the Broadcasting Regulatory Authority - ZACRAS - Read more

Condom use in marital relationships and other stable relationships
Women’s Action Group is a women’s rights organisation whose grounding is feminist and therefore, its work on women’s rights endeavours to improve the conditions of women particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health rights. Through its experience of working with women for over 25 years, WAG continues to identify and challenge societal norms and values that hinder women from practicing and fully enjoying their sexual rights. The right to safe sex being a fundamental one, in the context of HIV and AIDS. The year 2010 has seen a number of researches taking place in the HIV and AIDS arena, as the need to understand local epidemics and map out local responses has become a key programming concern. As a women’s rights activist organisation, WAG is concerned with some of these research findings that have identified married women as a high risk group in terms of HIV transmission, however, condom use in marital relationships and other stable relationships is as low as 4%. This evidence, when juxtaposed against the reality of concurrent sexual partnerships, intimate partner violence targeting women and the low levels of economic security, presents a serious challenge for programmers and other practitioners to come up with interventions that ensure that married women can be better protected and empowered to prevent HIV infection. Read more from Women's Action Group (WAG)

Machisi angers men
Padare/Enkundleni/Men’s Forum on Gender and its 65 men’s network’ countrywide is greatly angered and disturbed by the raping of the four year old girl in a collapsed grave (Herald, 3 November 2010). This has come amongst other rape cases reported since the beginning of the year which have not been brought to book. Rape should not be tolerated, this has been used as an instrument of abuse to women and girls and apparently the rapists not repented. Zimbabwean culture should not be silent on these cases, as this border on it being sexist and against women. Violence should never be used as a way for anyone to gets what they want. We are identifying our self with men who don’t believe in raping women and girls. We feel that our silence is an endorsement of the act and is collaborating with the perpetrators. As men we are standing up and saying enough is enough, no to rape against women and girls in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. We will continue to examine how we as men have become complicit in rape – prone society and how we can contribute actively to a rape free society. By taking up action on men raping women, we do not mean to discount the experiences of men who have been raped by women. But because men raping women is by far the most frequent occurrence we are dedicated to taking action on this form of rape. Read more from Padare

- Arrest of Canadile diamond mining directors - Center for Research and Development - Read more
- Conflict diamond scheme must resolve Zimbabwe impasse - Global Witness - Read more

Promoting gender equality in politics: Review of Inter-Parliamentary Unions’ gender programme
Earlier this year a field review of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Gender Programmes was carried out under the auspices of Stockholm-based InDevelop-IPM. The Gender Review Team found the IPU to be much appreciated and trusted by Parliamentarians worldwide as an organisation with a shared wealth of knowledge and experience of the realities of the role of Parliamentarians. In much of the world, women entering Parliament face a kaleidoscope of challenges in a political environment often inhospitable and male-dominated. The obstacles preventing women from attaining equality inside and outside Parliament broadly break down into three categories: legislative obstacles, institutional obstacles, and obstacles caused by cultural stereotypes and attitudes. The IPU Gender Programme makes relevant interventions to address these three categories in relation to Parliaments and women in politics. It is worth keeping in mind fashions come and go. At present ‘Mainstreaming Gender’ has become very fashionable and if fully implemented to the point Gender-matters permeate to the core of all programmes, it has considerable merit. Nevertheless, a word of warning is in order. Mainstreaming Gender is too often interpreted (incorrectly) as the creation of a focal point where some not-very-senior staff member is made to add ‘Gender’ to his/her existing duties, usually with no extra salary or status. Read more from Lesley Abdela, InDevelop-IPM

Lesbian lives unlimited: Psycho-social sexual experiences of lesbian women in Tshwane
The aim of the research was to understand the lived lives of lesbian identified woman in Tshwane (Pretoria). The idea was to investigate their psychosocial and sexual histories through in depth qualitative interviews. Most funded research projects exclude lesbian, bisexual and transgendered women, since the focus is mainly on MSM. This translates into a lack of appropriate service provision to lesbian identified woman. The health, specifically sexual health issues of lesbian women, is often completely ignored, especially when it comes to HIV issues. This research affords OUT learning opportunities to address lesbian health and wellbeing issues. It gives a "voice" to lesbian women, to share their lives and its impact with others, the LGBT sector, the research communities and service providers. This report will provide the opportunity to present this valuable research to the international and South African research community and have an impact on specific programmatic interventions for lesbian women. Through using the results of the study in sensitization trainings (advocacy and mainstreaming efforts), health care and other service providers would be supported to be sensitive to the health needs of lesbian women. They would be able utilize the scientific evidence to develop and provide health services specifically designed for lesbian women. It will add to the growing LGBT research activities and body of knowledge, locally and internationally. Read more from OUT

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Opportunities . . .

Journalist Study Tour To India 2011: Fahamu Emerging Powers In Africa Programme
Deadline: 1 December 2010

The Fahamu Emerging Powers in Africa Programme is pleased to announce a call for applications for its Journalist Study Tour to India. Four successful applicants will be chosen to participate in a 6 day study tour. African media professionals in print, broadcast, radio and online fora throughout Africa are encouraged to apply for this study tour. African lecturers from journalism schools and media programmes on the continent may also apply. Find out more

Women in Business Challenge 2010-2011
Deadline: 15 December 2010

The Women in Business Challenge, a business plan competition to support women entrepreneurs in the development of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, is organized by BiD Network and made possible by its partners ING, ICCO, Plan Nederland and UnitedSuccess.

The first release, which was very successful, ran from October 2009 till January 2010, when five finalists were chosen from among over 200 business proposals.

Participants’ profile: Women, anywhere in the world, who want to start or grow an existing small and medium sized enterprise (SME) in a developing country. They seek finance in the range of US$ 10,000 and US$ 1 million. They either already have a full business plan or need help in developing their business plan. They have the ambition to grow the business in sales and numbers of employees. Plans will be accepted in English and Spanish.

For more information about the criteria and how to submit a plan click here

Prizes: This Challenge brings two prizes. For the five finalists a business trip to The Netherlands for trainings, b2b and investor meetings. For the absolute winner, tailor made advisory services worth €5,000 from UnitedSucces, the worldwide network for business women owners All participants will receive feedback to improve their plan and may require for a coach to assist them in the writing of their business plan. Whether or not a participant becomes a finalist, all high quality business plans are eligible for the BiD Network Investor Matchmaking Services.

Award Ceremony: The award ceremony will be hosted by Plan Nederland in the framework of the “Because I am a Girl” campaign, in the summer of 2011.

Time line:

December 15, 2010: Deadline for submission of plan application
March 15, 2011: Deadline for submission of completed business plans
Finalists will be announced in June 2011.

Find out more


Atelier for Young Festival Managers – Open Call for Application launched!
Deadline: 17 December 2010

Do you belong to the next-generation of artistic festival directors?

Do you feel the need to widen your horizons, broaden your programming skills and get inspired by colleagues and experienced forerunners?

Open Call for Application for two editions of the Atelier for Young Festival Managers in 2011:

• Singapore 2011: the first Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Asia, from 14-21 May 2011, Singapore
• Izmir 2011: the third Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Europe from 24-31 October 2011, Izmir/Turkey

The Atelier – initiated by the European Festivals Association – is guided by the motto “Car le vrai rôle d'un festival est d'aider les artistes à oser, à entreprendre des projets,” borrowed from Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, longstanding Director of the Avignon Festival. It is an intense and rigorous one week training platform addressed at emerging artistic festival directors or those who have ambitions to become involved in programming or in programming-related departments within a festival. It is all about formulating experiences and passing on knowledge to a next (new) generation of festival makers: knowledge about the arts, artists and festival formulas, thematically focusing on the very essence of arts festivals: the art and the artist.

Each Atelier brings together 45 festival managers from all over the world. Distinguished festival directors including Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, Rose Fenton, Goh Ching Lee, Hugo De Greef and Nele Hertling, together with well selected, renowned, festival pioneers coming in for at least 2 days guide the work throughout the week. In lectures, one-to-one talks, group discussions as well as intense workshops about case studies, participants discuss issues touching upon artistic vision, political and social responsibility, internationalisation, networking, renewal and sustainability.

Find out more
 

Funding . . .

UN Democracy Fund Invites Civil Society Organizations to Apply for Funding
Deadline: 31 December 2010

The United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) invites civil society organizations to apply for funding for projects to advance and support democracy.

UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations — both in the transition and consolidation phases of democratization. In this way, UNDEF plays a novel and distinct role in complementing the UN's more traditional work — the work with governments — to strengthen democratic governance around the world.

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) assists women’s groups in the planning and implementation of approximately 10 percent of UNDEF projects. While grants across the board contribute to realizing broad gender equality goals, UNIFEM puts deliberate emphasis on ensuring that women have an equal voice in governance and public decision-making.

This is the Fifth Round of Funding to be launched by UNDEF, which provides grants of up to US$500,000 per project. In four rounds of funding so far, UNDEF has supported more than 330 projects in 115 countries at a total amount of US$93 million.

Applications are subject to a highly rigorous and competitive selection process, with about 3 percent of all applications approved for funding. Projects are two years long and fall under one or more of six main areas:

• Community development
• Rule of law and human rights
• Tools for democratization
• Women
• Youth
• Media

Find out more

Competitions . . .

Youth Writing Contest: Renewing Agriculture for Better Food and Better Health
Deadline: 13 December 2010

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) invites entries from young people between the ages of 14 and 18 who have thoughts and ideas on how to change agriculture to produce better food, leading to better health. Entrants are asked to use their writing skills to produce an essay, short story, poem, open letter to a national leader, short play, or other text on the following question: "How can we use agriculture to produce more food, generate food of better quality, and improve people’s nutrition and health?"

A booklet containing the winning contributions will be posted on IFPRI’s website and featured at an international conference on the theme to take place in New Delhi, India, February 10-12 2011.

• First Prize: US$500, plus 25 copies of a booklet in which the winning essays will be published along with other high-quality contributions
• Runner-up Prizes: US$250, plus 10 copies of the booklet with the winning essays

Application Information

• Entries will be accepted in English only.
• Writing may be presented as an essay, short story, poem, or other form but should not exceed 2,000 words.
• Entries must be submitted online.
• Entries will be judged by an international panel. The winner and runners-up will be contacted directly.

Find out more

Call For Applications: The Beauty of Africa - A Project of the European Union in Collaboration with AU
Deadline: 15 December 2010

The Delegation of the European Union with the African Union, in partnership with the African Union is organizing a contest for professional photographers residing in Africa.

Theme: "The beauty of Africa in all its forms" is intended to promote a positive image of the continent and especially encourage creative photographic productions, original and personal of a modern Africa.

Five winners will be selected (one for each African region: North Africa, South, West, East, and Central) by an internationally renowned jury.

1 winner (first prize): 3,000 euros photographic equipment

4 Second Prizes: 1,000 euros photographic equipment.

Images submitted by the 5 winners will be exhibited at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in late January 2011. The five selected photographers will be invited to attend the event as well as a training workshop specifically on the sidelines of the exhibition. This event will also benefit from extensive media coverage.

Eligible applicants: This contest is open to professional photographers of African or European descent residing in Africa.

Date: The contest entries must be sent from November 12 and before December 15, 2010.

How to participate?

Applications must be sent to: africanbeauty@collateralcreations.com

Submissions:

• Maximum 3 pictures and captions. Images must have been taken after May 2007. Images must be submitted as digital files saved in jpg format at 72 dpi (20cm maximum on the longest side), but should be available in high resolution (300 dpi, minimum size of 40cm) for printing in case of selection to be exposed.
• A short biographical presentation of the photographer.
• Contact of the photographer (name, address, country of residence, phone, email).

Find out more

Resources . . .

'StoryTime' annual anthology 'African Roar 2011'

It gives us great pleasure to announce the selections for the next annual 'StoryTime' anthology 'African Roar 2011' to be published next year. The annual African Roar fiction anthology is initially drawn from the very best stories published over a year from August-August, in the StoryTime weekly literary ezine dedicated to publishing new fiction by African writers.

Edited by Emmanuel Sigauke & Ivor W. Hartmann, 'African Roar 2011' it will feature: Mbonisi P. Ncube, Dango Mkandawire, Emmanuel Iduma, Thamsanqa Ncube, Ivor W. Hartmann, Abigail George, Isaac Neequaye, Hajira Amla, Emmanuel Sigauke, Delta Law Milayo Ndou, Chimdindu Mazi-Njoku, Anengiyefa Alagoa, Joy Isi Bewaji, Damilola Ajayi, Zukiswa Wanner, Stanely Ruzvidzo Mupfudza, Masimba Musodza, Ayodele Morocco-Clarke, Uche Peter Umez, Murenga Joseph Chikowero, Kenechukwu Obi, and Sarudzai Mubvakure.

Considered a critical success, the début 'African Roar' anthology was edited by Emmanuel Sigauke & Ivor W. Hartmann, published by StoryTime Publishing in June 2010. It featured: Ayesha Harruna Attah, Ayodele Morocco-Clarke, Beaven Tapureta, Chuma Nwokolo Jr., Christopher Mlalazi, Emmanuel Sigauke, Ivor W. Hartmann, Kola Tubosun, Masimba Musodza, Nana A. Damoah and Novuyo Rosa Tshuma.

For more info and any queries please see the official site: http://storytime-african-roar.blogspot.com/ or email: african1roar@gmail.com

Training . . .

International Tuberculosis Course in Zimbabwe: International Union Against Tuberculosis And Lung Disease
Deadline: 29 November 2010

Harare Course Dates: 7 - 25 March 2011

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is an international non-governmental organisation headquartered in Paris, France. The Union has been a leader in the field of tuberculosis since its establishment in 1920. Its scientists developed the DOTS strategy, which was adopted by WHO in 1993 for global control of tuberculosis. The Union engages in research, provides technical support and offers training and other capacity-building activities leading to health solutions for countries with limited resources.

In March 2011, The Union in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Program in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare will offer a three week International Tuberculosis Course in Zimbabwe for Zimbabwean health professionals.

The course is a programmatic training opportunity and the curriculum consists of the following modules:
1. Bacteriological basis for tuberculosis (TB) control and laboratory network
2. Clinical presentation and diagnosis
3. Epidemiological basis of TB control
4. Interventions for TB control and elimination
5. Principles of TB control

The faculty is lead by Dr Hans Rieder and he will be supported by Zimbabwean experts.

Applications are now invited for attendance at the course. All the successful applicants will be fully funded by The Union. Preference will be given to those applicants who have a role in the actual conduct of TB services in Zimbabwe at the moment.

If you wish to attend the course, please request an application form from your Provincial Medical Director (PMD) or Director of Health Services (DOHS) if you are employed by a local authority. Your filled in application form, curriculum vitae that should follow the recommended format and a recommendation letter from your Provincial Medical Director of Health Services, to be submitted through the office of the PMD or DOHS as relevant, should reach The Union Zimbabwe Office by November 29, 2010.

Executive Masters Degree In Business Administration: Faculty of Management and Administration, Africa University

Applications are invited for admission into the  (EMBA) at Africa University for the November 2010 intake (Harare)

Minimum Entry Requirements:
- A good first degree or
- Equivalent professional qualifications (e.g. CIS, CIMA, ACCA, IMM, Executive Development Programme (UZ) etc)
- Professionals such as lawyers, doctors, NGO employees and those in the civil service
- At least 2 years in a managerial position or senior position
- O' level mathematics or equivalent

Application Procedures:
1. Obtain application form (by downloading from the Africa University website or form can be obtained from Jameson Hotel Reception) and complete it.
2. Deposit your application fee of $30.00 into the Africa University account Bank: Stanbic Bank, Account number: 0222014499101, Mutare Branch
3. Attach the deposit slip on the application form together with your certified copies of educational certificates, professional certificates and transcripts.
4. Completed application forms can be left at Jameson Hotel reception or send to The Assistant Registrar, (Academic Affairs), Africa University, P. O. Box 1320, Mutare

For more information contact:

Nelly - phone 020 60075/26 or 61611 ext 218 or 0773 212348 email embasec@africau.ac.zw
Tarambawamwe - phone 020 60075 ext 226 or 0772 726390 email tarambawamwep@africau.ac.zw
Thomas - phone 020 60075 ext 219 or 0772 754 561 email maseset@africau.ac.zw

N.B. Lectures for this programme are conducted at Prince Edward in Harare


HIV Capacity Building Partners Summit
Deadline for registration: 28 January 2011

Dates: 16 - 18 March 2011
Location: Nairobi, Kenya

We would like to announce the first HIV Capacity Building Partners Summit, which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya between 16 and 18 March 2011. The Summit comes at a time when Sub Saharan Africa still remains the epicentre of the global HIV and AIDS epidemic leading to intensified efforts to expand access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. However, with only five years remaining towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there is a clear need for scaling-up quality and effective HIV interventions if MDGs number 4, 5 and 6 are to be met. These efforts call for renewed commitment to developing the requisite capacity to develop and implement effective HIV interventions in the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

However, while there has been some focus on capacity building, there is lack of common understanding of best practices and cost effective approaches as well as lack of consensus on how to define and measure results of capacity building initiatives in the region. It is against this background that the HIV Capacity Building Partners Summit is being organised to take stock of progress, achievements and lessons in HIV capacity building, share best practices, innovations and lessons in critical areas affecting capacity building for effective HIV response in the region. It will further build consensus on a joint plan of action to secure a medium to long-term policy and programme action that will strengthen and streamline investments.

Key Conference Dates:
28th January 2011 - Deadline for registration
21st January 2011 - Preliminary Forum Programs published
21st January 2011 - Notification of authors of accepted abstracts
15th January 2011 - Review of abstracts
15th December 2010 - Deadline for receiving abstracts
15th October 2010 - Call for abstracts

Organising Partners

The Summit is jointly organized by partners currently implementing HIV capacity building initiatives in Eastern and Southern Africa region. These include African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet), The Eastern Africa National Networks of AIDS Service Organisations (EANNASO), Great Lakes Initiative on AIDS (GLIA), Health Economic and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD), Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Network of African People Living with HIV and AIDS for Southern Africa Region (NAPSAR+), Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN), The Southern African Development Community (SADC), Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) and The Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT).

Find out more


Consultancy . . .

Call For Expression Of Interest For 'Support Group Manual Development': Zimbabwe National Network of PLHIV (ZNNP+)
Deadline: 22 November 2010

Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (ZNNP+) is the national umbrella body that represents and coordinates the interests and activities of people living with HIV and AIDS throughout  Zimbabwe. ZNNP+ needs external assistance to further develop its draft Support Group training manuals which were first developed in 2007.The organisation is cognisant that the response to HIV and AIDS has been evolving and recognise the need to revise and improve the existing manuals. ZNNP+ is, therefore, inviting interested and competent organisations or individuals to submit their ''expressions of interest'' to undertake this task.

The Support Group training manual is a support group-strengthening tool, which covers issues of formation of Support Groups, governance, programming, constitution and Institutional capacity of Support Groups. Interested parties are expected to engage in participatory process with members of ZNNP+ and other critical stakeholders to improve on the current version. The duration of this activity will be for twenty (20) days.

The selected organisations/ individuals must be able to:
- Produce a proposed framework of the tool.
- Submit a draft tool, which will be circulated to stakeholders for pre-testing.
- Produce a comprehensive final document in the three languages, that is, Shona, Ndebele and English.
- Should provide own transport and any other logistics for the task.

Interested organisations or individuals should have:
- Vast experience in developing simple and user-friendly training manuals.
- The lead person must have at least an advanced degree in Social Sciences or Humanities or any other related field.
- Experience of working with Support groups of PLWHIV is critical.

To apply, submit an expression of interest of not more than 3 pages highlighting your experience, qualifications, work plan, an estimated budget, three contactable referees and date of availability. Applications must be clearly marked ''Support Group Manual Development'' and should be sent either to info.znnp@gmail.com or deliver to: The Executive Director Zimbabwe National Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS, 28 Divine Road Milton Park Harare

Call for papers . . .

IST-Africa 2011
Deadline: 30 November 2010

Hosted by the Government of Botswana through the Department of Research, Science and Technology, Supported by the European Commission and African Union Commission and Technical Co-Sponsored by IEEE, IST-Africa 2011 will take place in Gaborone, 4-6 May 2011.

Part of the IST-Africa Initiative, which is supported by the European Commission under the ICT Theme of Framework Programme 7 (FP7), IST-Africa 2011 is the sixth in an Annual Conference Series which brings together senior representatives from leading commercial, government & research organisations across Africa and from Europe, to bridge the Digital Divide by sharing knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and good practice and discussing policy related issues.

For more information please click here

IST-Africa 2011 is focused on applied ICT and the core thematic areas include:

- eHealth
- eInfrastructures
- Technology Enhanced Learning and ICT Skills
- Digital Libraries and Intelligent Content
- Living Labs
- Open Source Software
- ICT for eInclusion and eAccessibility
- ICT for Environmental Sustainability
- RFID and Networked Enterprise
- Cloud Computing
- eGovernment & eDemocracy
- Networked Media
- Transformation of Research Results into Local Innovation
- IPv6

Interested presenters are encouraged to prepare an 8 page paper (4,000 - 5,000) words following the IST-Africa 2011 paper guidelines and paper template for submission online. For more information, please click here

All submissions will be double blind reviewed by the International Programme Committee and authors will receive feedback in January. Accepted authors will then be invited to submit a final paper taking account of feedback provided for inclusion in the conference proceedings by 18 February. If individual authors require a short extension to finalise their papers, please contact secretariat@IST-Africa.org to organise this.

We look forward to receiving your submission.

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Vacancies . . .

Organisation Design Specialist - Southern Africa Region: World Vision
Deadline: 17 November 2010
Location: South Africa or Zambia

World Vision International (WVI) is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. We employ more than 40 000 staff and our work serves 100 million people in nearly 100 countries. We are dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

Reporting through matrix management to the Regional P&C Director, Strategy Director: Organisation Development and Change, and to the Senior Executive Manager, this role will lead the implementation of global initiatives as appropriate within the region and develop those programs and support systems as required to meet the unique needs of the region. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with the Regional Director of Strategy Management and the Senior Director of Operations to ensure alignment with strategic priorities in the region and will be responsible for providing expertise and advice in the area of organisation design, development and change management that will enable the region to realign structures, processes, skills and staff in order to fulfil its strategy, mission and goals. Supporting, measuring and reporting on implementation will be central to this role.

Specific responsibilities:

Responsible for regional consultancy and advisement in the area of organisational design and development:

• Provides organisational design consulting to the regional and national organisational units as required
• Ensures infrastructure is in place to support and maintain required organisational structures
• Assists with re-organisational design and structural modifications when necessary
• Ensures organisational structures as appropriate to support the achievement of strategies and goals.  Implement a change management approach that ensures the Region will move from current state to future desired state in an efficient and effective manner:
• Develop and implement a change management philosophy and program that is consistent with WV culture and aligned with global strategies and regional context
• Design a deployment framework for the deployment of that program which is contextualised for regional and national societal, regulatory, economic and talent requirements
• Review and as appropriate develop initiatives for change management support to field initiatives both regionally and nationality as needed
• Develop methodologies that provide for a regional framework with local contextualisation
• Provide best in class intellectual capital in relation to change management thinking and approaches.

Required knowledge, skill and abilities:

• University degree in HR, Business or related field
• A relevant Master’s degree, coupled with OD experience, will be desirable
• Innovative with problem solving skills and capacity to deliver under pressure; pragmatism; persistence
• Five to ten years’ functional and related experience in relevant fields
• Able to translate strategic imperatives into tangible and relevant partnership and local outcomes
• Strategic planning, integration and execution skills
• Track record in organisation design and development
• Experienced in developing or reviewing complex, cross regional organisations and methodologies
• Experienced in working within an international function and all associated requirements: cultural, legal, organisational, etc
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Outstanding people and client relationship skills
• High service/customer orientation and ministry mindset
• Demonstrable credibility with key stakeholders either within WV or externally
• Strong cross-cultural communication facilitation
• Coaching and development skills across major cultural areas
• Strong business acumen and demonstrated capacity to work with a diverse group
• Experienced in developing compelling business cases – including financial investment quantitative and qualitative metrics and ROI
• Bias for action and capacity to deliver efficiently and effectively
• Capability in project managing multiple strategies across a complex organisation and across multiple geographies
• Strong team management capabilities with experience in indirect leadership of teams and virtual team to achieve strategic agenda
• Strong demonstrable reserves of motivation and energy to embrace new challenges and craft impactful and sustained interventions in innovative ways
• Relevant field experience and understanding of the wider context within which World Vision operates
• Personal commitment to World Vision’s mission statement and the core values
• Willingness and flexibility to travel internationally to address key client needs.

Language: 

• Basic conversational English
• Basic communication English
• French and/or Portuguese fluency will be an added advantage.

The recruitment is an open process and we encourage all those interested in this position to please visit the WVI employment website for job description and online application.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.


Medical Project Officer (Based in Harare): The International Committee of the Red Cross Regional Delegation, Harare (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zamibia and Zimbabwe)
Deadline: 19 November 2010 (close of business)

Key Responsibilities:

Support to Harare City Primary Health Care Services:

The Medical Project Officer is in charge of the ICRC Primary Health Care (PHC) project in the City of Harare, which is targeting 12 polyclinics located in the Harare high-density suburbs

• Ensures the implementation, monitoring and follow-up of the PHC programme according to the overall programme design and plan of action
• Ensures the planning and oversees the distribution of defined assistance (drug, medical material, cleaning products, stationery, furniture) and ensures a proper follow up in collaboration with the City Health authorities
• Ensures that drugs are properly managed in line with the national treatment protocols
• Identifies together with the City Health authorities, the priority needs of training for the polyclinics’ health staffs and facilitate the organisation of the training session by the training team
• Promotes a collaborative working approach with the City Health authorities, keep track of the evolution of the health situation and propose adapted solutions to changes
• Provides support to Harare district health structures and ensure a collaborative/participative approach in strengthening the District Health Executive and Teams, in line with City Health Strategic Plan
• Performs monthly visits to the polyclinics and ensures continuous dialogue with the health staffs
• Contributes to the writing of the MoUs with the City Health authorities
• Participates to the health department meetings, and other delegation internal meetings as required
• Ensures monthly collection and analysis of health statistical data with the Health Field Officers
• Contributes towards the institutional bi-Weekly Operational Report, the quarterly Health Services Technical Report, the Bi-annual Field Report
• Contributes towards the drafting and review of the Yearly Planning for Results document and Budget elaboration
• Guides and supervises a team of two Health Field Officers
• Conducts the yearly appraisal of the Health Field Officers

Qualifications and skills

• University degree in Medicine or nurse with Public Health Qualification
• 4 years work experience in Public Health and in MOHCW system
• Experience working with an international organisation is an added advantage
• Experience or training in project management
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Shona
• Very good knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point
• Good Analytical, Communication and Presentation skills
• Good Team Leadership skills
• Autonomous

Complete applications (CV, letter of motivation, copies of diplomas and certificates, references etc) can be submitted to: The Administrator, 9 Downie Avenue Belgravia Harare, or sent to admco.har@icrc.org - clearly marked “Medical Project Officer”

Mobile Application Laboratory Manager (Kenya)
Deadline: 19 November 2010

infoDev seeks a short term consultant (STC) to oversee the establishment and implementation of a regional mobile application laboratory in Kenya. Find out more


Administrator: Young Africa
Deadline: 25 November 2010

Young Africa, a Zimbabwean NGO, aims at the empowerment of underprivileged young people. At Young Africa Skills Centre (YASC) in Chitungwiza and the satellite centre in Epworth, we offer skills training in various trades, coaching for school drop-outs, organise festivals and have a number of community services. Our activities attract over 2000 youngsters per day.

For this position we are looking for an experienced supervisor with a strong background in finances, who will be tasked with managing the finances of the organisation. This person must also have management experience because they will must be able to execute duties of GM in his absence

Personal characteristics

• Inspiring, charismatic leader
• Honest, fair and responsible manager
• Dedicated to the integral development of underprivileged young people
• Committed and hard-working with a mind set on possibilities
• Creative and innovative
• Being able, by example, to inspire and motivate people
• Compliance with the vision of Young Africa on development of young people

Job description

• Keeping books of accounts and preparing monthly management reports
• Managing petty cash
• Managing the Centres bank Accounts
• Preparing and managing the organisations budget and the different donor budget lines
• Maintaining organisations asset register and conducting routine inspection of assets
• Approving expenditures together with the GM
• Responsible for the procurement of materials for the organisation
• Ensuring timely collection of the organisations receivables
• Supervision of all support staff (front office, grounds, security, janitor)
• Implementing the Administration Policy of the organisation
• Develop and recommend internal audit procedures to the GM
• Payroll administration and particularly ensuring compliance with all statutory requirements
• Stock control of consumables
• Monitoring use of company vehicles 

Minimum qualifications and requirements

• At least Higher National Diploma in Accounting
• First degree in an Accounting/ Finance field is an added advantage
• At least 5 years relevant working experience (NGO  related)
• advanced computer literacy (MS Office, Pastel, Belina)

Please send your applications to mukurazita@youngafrica.co.zw

Grants Manager (Harare based): a local HIV and AIDS networking organization
Deadline: 26 November 2010

Roles & Responsibilities Reporting to the National Director, the Grants Manager is responsible for the following:

1. Coordinating the grants application process.
2. Monitoring the administration of post-award grants, coordinating inputs from the compliance, finance and programme teams and ensuring that budgeting, administrative policies and procedures are being adhered to.
3. Communicating information to member organisations regarding upcoming grant rounds.
4. Coordinating the planning and preparation of grant proposals.
5. Liaising with funding partners, including Global Fund (GF) regarding availability and allocation of resources.
6. Providing administrative support to the Grants Technical Review Committee.
7. Liaising with National Monitoring & Evaluation mechanisms to ensure appropriate reporting.
8. Developing and maintaining specialised databases and systems for appropriate grants management.
9. Overseeing all activities carried out by members of the department.
10. Any other duties related to the above, as assigned by the National Director.

Personnel Specification
- A Degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies or related field.
- A Finance/Accounting qualification would be an added advantage.
- At least 5 years experience in HIV and AIDS work.
- Proven experience in grants management and reporting.
- Experience in programme design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
- Exceptional report writing skills and relevant computer skills.
- Strong analytical skills and an ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
- Ability to network with funding agencies and other stakeholders.
- Ability to respond rapidly to emerging situations and meet regular deadlines.
- Have leadership qualities and overall responsibility for the department.

In return, the organization offers a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested candidates who meet the stated specifications should submit applications, together with detailed CVs to: The Human Resources & Administration Dept, PO Box CY3006, Causeway, Harare or hand deliver at No 154 Samora Machel Avenue West, Belvedere, Harare or e-mail to: recruitment@zan.co.zw

NB: People living with HIV are encouraged to apply.


Provincial Level Co-ordinator (Mashonaland Central)
Deadline: 26 November 2010

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Field Operations & Capacity Building Manager, the Provincial Level Coordinator is responsible for:

- Planning and coordinating activities at provincial level together with the Provincial Executive Committee
- Coordinating workshops, seminars and training courses for member organisations
- Networking with Government departments, NAC and other stakeholders in the province
- Organising provincial workshops in liaison with the relevant programme officers and local leadership.
- Assisting communities in forming groups to respond to HIV and AIDS
- Preparing reports on activities undertaken in the province
- Management of financial resources provided to the province
- Management of all assets at the provincial office

Personnel Specification

- Degree in Social Sciences or Development Studies.
- A diploma in Project Management would be an added advantage.
- Ability to work as a member of a highly competent and pressurised team.
- Ability to meet deadlines while working with minimum supervision.
- At least three years experience in an NGO environment.
- Demonstrated financial and administrative skills.
- A clean class four driver's license and at least 2 years driving experience are pre-requisites.

In return, the organization offers a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested candidates who meet the stated specifications should submit applications, together with detailed CVs to: The Human Resources & Administration Dept, PO Box CY3006, Causeway, Harare or hand deliver at No 154 Samora Machel Avenue West, Belvedere, Harare or e-mail to: recruitment@zan.co.zw

NB: People living with HIV are encouraged to apply.

3 positions: International Business Development NGO
Deadline: 26 November 2010

1. Poultry Business Analyst / Maize and Soy Business Analyst (2 positions)

• At least 3-5 years experience in poultry / maize and soy sector, preferably in private business
• 3-5 years business experience or equivalent: deep understanding of private sector
• Entrepreneurial; strong interpersonal skills; excellent oral & written presentation skills

2. Office Coordinator

• At least 3-5 years experience working in office administration, preferably for an international NGO
• Experience managing office financial system and comfort with Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Understanding of Zimbabwean labour law and HR experience
• Excellent organisation skills and attention to detail; excellent written English

Start:  January 2011

Based:  Harare with travel in Zimbabwe

Apply: CV and cover letter by email to mrose@tns.org

Project Leader, Southern Africa Desk: Transitional Justice in Africa Programme, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
Deadline: 10 January 2011

We are seeking a qualified candidate with:

• A Master’s degree in Political Science, African Studies, International Relations or related disciplines;
• Experience and knowledge of the SADC region, specifically Zimbabwe and Mozambique;
• Experience in transitional justice research and community interventions;
• A minimum of 5 years working experience in working in the NGO sector in collaboration with other institutions;
• Project planning, strategic thinking, planning, and management skills;
• Excellent research, writing and communication skills;
• Fundraising and budget control and organisational skills;
• Experience in working with the media;
• Fluent in English

Duties include:

• Research and analysis of the political situation in Zimbabwe and Mozambique:
• Keeping abreast of developments in transitional justice, in Zimbabwe and the region as a whole:
• Designing and implementing in-country community interventions;
• Updating of the IJR Southern Africa monitor:
• Writing chapter, papers, reports and op ed articles related to the Southern Africa desk
• Developing funding project proposals and reports related to the Desk’s work;
• Organising and co-ordinating meetings and conferences;
• Networking, developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the transitional justice sector:
• Southern Africa desk administration.

Salary: Commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.

Period of appointment: An initial one-year contract.

Commencement date: 10 January 2011

Applications/enquiries to be forwarded to Ms. Anthea Flink, Administrator Transitional Justice in Africa Programme, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, PO BOX 18094 Wynberg, 7824 Cape Town, Fax: +27 (21) 763 7138; Phone +27 (21) 763 7128, Email: aflink@ijr.org.za

Should you not hear from us within 3 weeks of the closing date, you can assume that your application has been unsuccessful. The selection committee reserves the right not to make an appointment or to appoint at a lower rank.  Preference will be given to historically disadvantaged individuals. 

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The Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe and
The NGO Network Alliance Project
PO Box GD 376
Greendale
Harare
Zimbabwe

Tel: +263-4-776008/746448
Fax: +263-4-746418
Email: mailto:admin@kubatana.org.zw
Website: www.kubatana.net

Visit www.kubatana.net Zimbabwe's civic and human rights web site incorporating an on line directory for the non-profit sector

A Message from Zimbabwe – Sometimes Speech is Not Free