The Zimbabwean
BY ZAKEUS CHIBAYA in
Johannesburg & WILF MBANGA in London
A mass exodus of soldiers from the
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) across the
crocodile-infested Limpopo River to
neighbouring South Africa has begun as
morale sinks to an all-time low. In a
desperate bid to stop the haemorrhage,
the ZNA has confiscated the passports
of many.
The soldiers, mainly from the junior ranks, are joined by
disenchanted
members of the notorious Green Bomber youth brigades.
Interviews with a
number of deserters indicate financial hardship as the
major reason for the
exodus.
And fear now stalks Zimbabwe's streets
as armed soldiers and policemen go on
a spree of robberies as the dwindling
buying power of their shrinking
Zimdollar begins to bite. The Consumer
Council says the average five-person
family in Zimbabwe now needs Z$11
million (and rising weekly) simply to
survive, as the standard of living
retreats to levels last seen in the
1950s. Junior army and police officers
earn between Z$2-3 million monthly.
(25 litres of petrol costs Z$2
million.)
Some allege 'kangaroo' courts martial. "We are being accused by
the people
of protecting the dictator. But he is also oppressing us. I was
arrested for
supporting the Movement for Democratic Change and tortured
before I managed
to escape to South Africa," said a member of the Air Force
of Zimbabwe from
Thornhill base.
"Repression in the army is vigorous.
I was court-martialled twice for
indiscipline and tortured in army cells
before I fled for my safety. But I
will return one day to fight for
justice," said a former soldier from
Masvingo Barracks.
"There is a
witch hunt in the army and we were being persecuted on daily
basis for
supporting the opposition party. We are forced to stay in the
barracks
without food and the army is now being run as a private tuckshop.
Some
soldiers are forced to go and work at senior officers' farms using
state
resources. The corruption is rampant -everyone is trying to fill their
own
stomach," said an ex-army officer.
The President of the Zimbabwe Action
Support Group, Remember Moyo, told a
press conference in Johannesburg
recently: "There is a need to use
disgruntled soldiers to
oust
Mugabe."
Many are finding well-paid employment with security companies in
South
Africa, where they are perceived as well-trained and
disciplined.
However, this is no longer true in Zimbabwe where the
government is
beginning to reap the whirlwind of the lawlessness it
unleashed in 2000.
After years of acting with impunity on behalf of the
government, soldiers
and policemen are now resorting to crime in order to
survive. Several have
come before the courts recently, accused of armed
robbery.
Professor Gordon Chavunduka, former UZ vice-chancellor and
sociologist, told
IRIN that the lawlessness in the armed forces mirrored
what was happening in
the rest of the country. "There is a general breakdown
in the rule of law in
the country and what is happening in the army is not
an isolated incident.
The rest of the civil service is now rotten to the
core."
Members of the security agencies now posed a great threat to the
general
populace said Eldred Masunungure, a lecturer at the University of
Zimbabwe,
as police and war veterans in Masvingo and Chiredzi went on the
rampage,
looting farm equipment worth billions of dollars
A ZNA
source said the army would deploy more military intelligence officers
in
Botswana and South Africa in an attempt to monitor the movements of the
deserters.
The Zimbabwean
NYANGA - The family of
former Rhodesian Prime Minister, Winston Field, who
was kicked out by Ian
Smith for being too liberal, have been evicted from
their farm in the
Eastern Highlands.
One of Winston's sons, Jeremy, has been living on Ezulwini
Farm for many
years. He and his family were last week been evicted from the
remaining
25-hectares of their property by a Central Intelligence
Organisation
operative.
Ezulwini Farm was subdivided into 80 plots at
the height of the land
invasions in 2000, leaving its previous owners with
25 hectares. The
property has crops estimated at over $8 billion, has five
hectares under
timber valued at $3 billion, four hectares of apples with an
estimated value
of $3 billion and four hectares of potatoes worth $2
billion.
The farm exports cut flowers and blackberries worth close to £160
000
annually. Apart from the homestead, there are eight holiday cottages on
the
property.
Mike Nyakatawa, a CIO operative, allegedly moved into
the farmhouse after a
group of youths who had been camping on the farm
evicted the Field family.
The farm has not been listed for
acquisition.
Meanwhile one of the leaders of the pro-Senate MDC rebels,
Welshman Ncube,
is said to have moved 240 head of cattle on to Onverwag farm
near Gweru,
which was grabbed from a commercial farmer.
A source told
The Zimbabwean this week: "He already owns one farm,
'Rusfontein', near
Nalatale. This was paid for. However, if you ask the
staff on Onverwag who
they work for, they'll tell you, 'Welshman Ncube'. In
fact, it's no secret
in the whole Daisyfield area. Ncube has been there
since August 2005."
The Zimbabwean
HARARE -
Reacting to the systematic interference of the Zimbabwean
independent radio
station Voice of the People (VOP) since September 18,
Reporters Without
Borders has voiced outrage at a campaign to jam dissident
radio broadcasts
which the Zimbabwean authorities are clearly orchestrating
with Chinese
help.
The press freedom organisation pointed out that this "state sabotage"
of VOP
comes three years after it was the target of a still-unsolved bombing
in the
heart of Harare.
"Robert Mugabe's government has once again
shown that its policy is to
systematically gag all independent news media,"
Reporters Without Borders
said. "The use of Chinese technology in a totally
hypocritical and
non-transparent fashion reveals the government's iron
resolve to abolish
freedom of opinion in Zimbabwe."
The press freedom
organisation added: "We reiterate out belief that Zimbabwe's
progressive
submission to the dictatorship of a single view is being made
possible by
the incomprehensible failure of the great African democracies to
take a
stand against this behaviour by the Harare government."
VOP beams a radio
programme to Zimbabwe every evening from 18:00 to 19:00
GMT on the 7.120KHz
shortwave frequency using a relay station belonging to
the Dutch public
radio station Radio Netherlands on the island of
Madagascar, in the Indian
Ocean. - RSF
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Residents gathered
recently to discuss the supplementary budget
that was prepared, announced,
advertised and implemented by the City of
Harare without consulting
residents.
The meeting was the third the Combined Harare Residents
Association (CHRA)
has held in its efforts to reach out to the majority of
residents who face
routine problems in terms of service delivery and other
local governance
issues.
Mike Davies, CHRA chairperson, said Harare
residents needed to first deal
with the national political and economic
crises before there is responsible
local governance.
"There cannot be
any resolution to the local crisis until we resolve the
national crisis,"
Davies said. "We need to have a political solution before
we can resolve the
economic issues. At this stage we do not need people to
retreat into coping
strategies in order to survive. Residents of Harare
should make a bold
statement regarding the illegitimate commission and take
appropriate
action.
"A clear strategy on rates boycott is our key. We should squeeze
the City of
Harare financially. We are going to engage the business
community and big
corporate organisations and unite to punish the
Municipality for acting
outside the law."
After this opening the
majority of residents called for more public meetings
in high density areas
to ensure that all residents were mobilised ahead of
the massive action to
bring Town House to a standstill. Petitions would be
presented to the
respective Municipal offices in all suburbs at a particular
day, yet to be
agreed upon.
A key ally would be the workforce of the City of Harare. It was
agreed that
CHRA will no longer pursue the quiet route but will respond
appropriately as
the situation demands.
The Zimbabwean
BY OWN
CORRESPONDENT
BULAWAYO - MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai with about
12 members of the
National Executive held a rally at White City Stadium last
Sunday. Overnight
a group of 40 young people slept at the rally site to
protect equipment and
late in the evening they were attacked by over 200
youths with sticks, knob
kerries and other simple weapons. Two of them were
injured - one seriously.
On Sunday he had to have an eye removed and is now
recovering in hospital.
Despite the overnight violence, the rally went ahead
without hitch - except
for a small group of young people who came clearly
looking for trouble. They
were dealt with by the Police.
It is
difficult to estimate the crowd but it was several thousand people.
The
press was there and expressed surprise at the size of the crowd, mainly
of
high-density suburb dwellers. They gave Tsvangirai a huge reception. All
the
speeches were well received and when rain threatened, they shouted that
they
would sit in the rain if he would continue to speak.
Tendai Biti spoke
powerfully on the economy and the struggle to live. Isaac
Matongo too was
excellent, and clearly made an impact. He and Biti also
dealt with the issue
of the constitution and what had happened in the
National Council meetings.
The Youth Chairman for Bulawayo spoke with
emotion about the need for unity
and no tribalism. All speakers said there
would be no tribalism in the
MDC.
Tsvangirai spoke for about 20 minutes. He dealt with the issue of
the way
forward, the Senate and the desire to work with civil society on a
new
constitution for the country - one that would bring freedom and human
and
political rights back. There was no doubt about the general sentiments
on
the Senate issue - all remarks about not participating were received with
a
roar of approval and a show of hands.
The Police were present - but
apart from watching and searching the odd
vehicle they left us alone and
were in fact quite pleasant for a change. I
thought they actually indicated
in small ways that they were quite happy to
be there. The group I took all
came from David Coltart's constituency, about
12 people, were all
pro-Tsvangirai and against participation.
The President's announcement
that he was going into Lupane this weekend was
greeted with a roar of
approval and I was asked if I would go and take
people! Matongo explained
what happened there last weekend and denied they
had even stopped at Lupane
after the Police had denied them permission to
hold rallies.
Where
does this all leave us? I think the pro-Senate guys must be thinking
hard
about what is happening. At Beitbridge they held a rally last Monday
with
Gibson Sibanda and Welshman Ncube. I was there on Thursday and Friday
and
could not find one person who attended. The local District leadership is
boycotting the election. In the Bulawayo townships they are getting very
small turnouts.
The Zimbabwean
BY MARTINE
STEMERICK
BULAWAYO - What President Mugabe has done to the people of Zimbabwe
is
nothing short of criminal, says Archbishop Pius Ncube. The devastation
wrought by Operation Murambatsvina is now common knowledge, but the
heartbreaking effect upon the children of an entire nation has yet to be
realised in its enormity. Most children have no place to go to school,
300,000 just sit in the dust. They have no real conception of who they are
anymore - they have lost everything, even their identity.
"The social
situation of Zimbabwe was very bad even before this, largely as
a result of
the AIDS crisis," Ncube said in a recent interview. We have more
than one
million orphans. We have homes that are headed by children. You'll
find a
little girl of 15 looking after three siblings. There are over 700
dying
each day. The hospitals cannot help; there are no drugs. So, it was
already
a difficult situation.
"Mugabe himself is an old man of 81. He had a
liberal education from the
church, and this is what he is doing to his
people. Such a criminal thing he
is doing to the people," he
said.
Ncube accused Mugabe of having a political agenda. "He wants all
development
to go through his party. And those who are not with his party
will not get
any loans or any permissions or permits to do business. He
wants to
peasantify people: to drive them into the country. In this way,
they have no
power. Then Mugabe's party can propagandize as much as possible
because out
there, you have no electricity, no e-mail, there is no other
alternative
source of information. The whole purpose is to break the
people's identity
and pride, so that he can use them as puppets for his own
personal power."
The task facing those who want to help is overwhelming.
Ncube's priorities
are: "The basics - food first, then blankets and
clothing; then we must see
how we can help them educationally." He said the
church should stand up to
affirm the people very much in a Biblical way.
"Widows, orphans and the poor
should be respected. God's judgement is going
to fall upon those who oppress
them. So, the role of the church is to stand
with the people, to condemn the
evil acts of the government." - Christmas
offerings to feed orphans and
widows can be made to "Alvaston Methodist
Church - the Zimbabwe Fund", c/o
Revd Dr Martine Stemerick, 137 Shardlow
Road, Alvaston, Derby DE24 0JR (UK)
Every penny will go the poor in
Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean
LONDON - Lizwane Ndlovu, the
Zimbabwean ex-Yarl's Wood hunger-striker, died
last week, the NDADC has
reported. Her family is making frantic arrangements
to have the body
repatriated to Zimbabwe.
Many campaigners in the North West supported the
Zimbabwean hunger-strikers
and participated in the July 4 2005 picket
outside British Airways in
Manchester where they called on the Home Office
to release all Zimbabwean
immigration detainees. Ndlovu is reported to have
been not been well since
being released from detention in July. Campaigners
say she subsequently fell
into a coma, and was hospitalised in Birmingham
City Hospital. She leaves
two young children in Zimbabwe. Campaigners are
calling for an investigation
to establish if the conditions of Lizwane's
detention in Yarl's Wood, or the
effects of detention, may have contributed
to her death. - Full details:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine%2064/lizwane.htm
The Zimbabwean
LONDON - As
readers will be aware, one of the trickiest problems facing us
concerns the
use of Malawian and South African passports by Zimbabwean
asylum seekers.
Last week we met the Director of Malawi Watch, Billy Banda,
whose
organisation is concerned about the fate of Zimbabweans stranded in
Malawi
with no support structures.
Mr Banda provided us with much valuable
information about the present
situation in Malawi and the mechanisms
involving immigration there.
The question was posed as to how many times
the British Government had
informed the Malawi Home Office of 'Malawians'
they were returning? We were
surprised to learn that the Malawi Home Office
Minister had not received any
direct information from the British
authorities about the removal of
'Malawians'. It became very clear that
there has been a breakdown in
communication, which needs to be
investigated.
It was also agreed that it was important to set up a
mechanism to establish
whether passports had been properly issued before
people of disputed
Zim/Malawi nationality were removed from the UK. If
investigations took
place BEFORE deportation then it would be possible to
identify genuine
Malawians who would have access to family support
structures within Malawi.
People who were identified as being Zimbabwean
should be entitled to
continue their claims for asylum within the
UK.
The meeting ended with mutual agreement to work together to deal with
the
current Zim/Malawi nationality problems. Later that week a further
meeting
took place at the Malawi High Commission and steps are being taken
to
resolve some of the issues mentioned above.
Among the Zimbabweans
currently in detention is a person who successfully
resisted removal to
Malawi last week. With luck the increase in knowledge of
what is happening
in Malawi may help his case to be resolved more
satisfactorily.
Also
in detention are seven Zimbabwean detainees at Yarls Wood. Four of them
have
been on hunger strike since 1 November. Fortunately they all have
competent
lawyers who have been working hard to obtain their release: two
are due for
a bail hearing on 15 November and we are hopeful that they will
be granted
bail; one is likely to be released on Temporary Admission within
the near
future; the last member of the group is awaiting the date of a bail
hearing.
Two other detainees from different centres have been released
recently.
There are also a few people in detention whose cases are known as
Third
Country cases. These are people who have spent time in other EC
countries
before claiming asylum and the law states they must be returned to
whichever
European country they first entered to claim asylum there.
WARNING: We
have heard that people are being required to pay large sums of
money for
information about Immigration. This consists of forms, which are
downloadable from the Internet for free, plus a one-page list of
instructions. The people running this particular scam are only contactable
via mobile phones. Please be careful when parting with money! Make sure you
know what you will receive for your cash. Always get receipts. If asked to
pay money into bank accounts, keep a record of the transaction. Remember
that much information is available for free
The Zimbabwean
BY STANFORD
MUKASA
WASHINGTON - Zimbabwean civic society took a step towards mass action
last
week when the ZCTU, NCA and students staged spectacular demonstrations
through the country.
The demonstrations were unfortunately short lived.
Mugabe's armed police and
the army moved in quickly and suppressed
them.
Mugabe can smile from ear to ear that he has for the umpteenth time
managed
to suppress any mass action against him. But one thing stands out
about the
last demonstrations. They were spontaneous and managed to put onto
some
streets about 200 people.
The biggest challenge for the civic
society leadership is about how to build
the momentum for mass protest.
One-day protests do not have a long-term
impact on Mugabe. MDC president,
Morgan Tsvangirai, NCA chairman, Lovemore
Madhuku, and ZCTU secretary
general, Wellington Chibhebhe, have warned on
several occasions that Mugabe
is creating conditions for a mass action.
Many people have strongly urged
MDC and the civic society leadership to
engage in long-term planning for
mass action. If last week's demonstrations
had been part of a long-term
strategy more people should have poured into
the streets immediately after
their first group of colleagues had been
arrested by the police. This would
have stretched the resources of the
police.
Mugabe is aware that such
a series of spontaneous demonstrations could
seriously challenge him. He
also knows that it is becoming more difficult to
put down the demonstrations
because people are now getting more determined
and less afraid of the
police.
He has therefore earmarked over $15 billion to destabilize the
MDC. Some
unconfirmed reports say the amount is over $300 billion. What MDC
is going
through right now is undoubtedly a result of Mugabe's determination
not only
to divide the party but to remove Tsvangirai as
president.
The destabilisation effort is tied to the succession issue
within Zanu (PF).
Mugabe's hand picked successor Joyce Mujuru does not enjoy
popular support.
She iss surrounded by power hungry officials who, the
moment Mugabe steps
down, are unlikely to give her their support.
But
somehow Mugabe hopes that if Mujuru can secure victory in the
presidential
elections it could be difficult for the factions in Zanu (PF)
to challenge
her. In order to gain enough popular support to give her
victory at the next
elections Mujuru will need to defeat Tsvangirai.
Now everyone knows that
in a free and fair election Mujuru would be soundly
defeated. The elections
would have to be rigged extensively.
It is very difficult to believe that
the MDC group of six has rebelled
against Tsvangirai for the flimsy reason
of the controversial vote of the
national council.
What makes their
position so ridiculously illogical is they are recognizing
the first vote of
the national council but not the second - which rescinded
the earlier vote.
They have rejected the second vote on the grounds that the
national
council's meeting was unconstitutional and they had in fact urged
supporters
to boycott the meeting. Yet they sent apologies for not
attending, thus
recognizing the legitimacy of the meeting.
Next, Gibson Sibanda makes a
statement calling for an independent republic
of Matabeleland. That
statement gets widespread media coverage. It is not
until several days later
that Nyathi, not Sibanda, denies having made such a
statement! Asked why it
had taken Sibanda such a long time to respond Nyathi
could only say they do
not read state media that much. This was a naïve and
evasive response.
Nyathi has not been very articulate in answering some
questions which focus
on the rebels' motives.
What seems to be happening is that the rebels led
by Welshman Ncube have
become wittingly or unwittingly collaborators in the
program by Mugabe to
destabilize MDC. The state media in particular have
given extensive coverage
to the pro-senate lobby in the MDC. All of a sudden
Ncube, Nyathi, Sibanda,
Chimanikire and Ncube have become strange bedfellows
with Mugabe.
Their fanatical obsession with participating in the senate
elections in a
complete contradiction to their vociferous denunciation and
opposition to
the bill that established the senate in the first place has
given rise to
suspicions that they may have struck a secret deal with Zanu
(PF). - Letter
from America is a weekly analysis broadcast every Monday
evening
(www.swradioafrica.com)
and Tuesday morning 1197 Khz medium wave.
The Zimbabwean
By LITANY
BIRD
Dear Family and Friends,
Wearing a little red paper poppy on my shirt
this second week of November
has been something I've done ever since I can
remember. I was disappointed
this Friday to see just a dozen or so scrappy
paper poppies lying in the
bottom of the cardboard box two days before
Armistice Sunday. At first I
thought that this international day of
remembrance must have become the
latest casualty in Zimbabwe's determination
to cut itself off from the rest
of the world. I was wrong.
The reason
there are no poppies this year is because 20 000 little red paper
flowers
sent from the UK have been impounded by Zimbabwe's department of
customs.
Apparently even scraps of red paper used for charitable purposes
and to
remember the end of World War One, are not exempt from our government's
desperate attempts to raise money. Customs want Z$53 million to release the
poppies and so, those of us lucky enough to find them, are wearing crumpled
poppies left over from last year and I wear my tatty one with outrage but
also with pride.
It has been altogether a very shocking week in
Zimbabwe and trying to keep
track of the events has been very difficult due
to almost no coverage by
state media. ZBC TV, whose motto is "When it
happens we will be there", have
obviously been in other places this week but
even so, bit by bit, one way or
another, the real news does eventually get
out.
This week the MDC Mayor of Chitungwiza was detained by police. Six
University of Zimbabwe student leaders were arrested for trying to embark on
a demonstration about deplorable conditions on campus. Tuesday's countrywide
demonstrations by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the National
Constitutional Assembly left all their combined leaders arrested and between
120 and 200 others who had been brave enough to take to the streets with
them.
Also this week came the shocking news that airfares have been
increased by
1600% and for anyone planning on visiting their families in
South Africa
this Christmas, a return ticket will cost Z$34 million. Each
return ticket
to the UK now costs Z$140 million and this is crushing news
for hundreds of
thousands of Zimbabwean families which are split up across
continents. With
an average teacher taking home less than Z$10 million a
month, there is no
hope at all that even professionals will be able to be
united with their
families this year.
The good news is that the rains
have started and in Marondera we have had
104 mm (4 inches) in five days.
The bad news is that what little wheat there
is this year is sitting out
there in the fields getting wet. The wheat is
not being harvested because of
chronic diesel shortages that have persisted
since the March elections.
Until next week, Ndini shamwari yenyu.
The Zimbabwean
In the early hours of
Monday morning police trucks descended on Harare's
poor who were still
sleeping rough around Mbare Msika, months after the
government's much-touted
Operation Garikayi failed to materialise in the
devastating wake of
Murambatsvina.
This is despite a High Court order, secured by Lawyers for
Human rights,
barring police and municipal authorities from removing them
again.
These poor people, who have suffered untold hardships since their
homes and
livelihoods were destroyed, have now been taken to an unconfirmed
destination. Many of them have died. They have been forced to watch their
children die.
If Hopley Farm is anything to go by, they are now
totally isolated in the
middle of nowhere - held virtually as prisoners,
with no sanitation, running
water, food, shelter, health or educational
services.
Humanitarian assistance has also been denied such victims in
the past. Even
local churches, attempting to deliver food and blankets, have
been barred.
It was in a place like this that Murambatsvina's tiniest
victim, Baby
Precious, (The Zimbabwean 9-15 September) died at a few weeks
old.
Once again, the United Nations has offered to raise US$30 million
for
emergency shelters, but this has been declined by the Zimbabwean
government.
Ironically, the latest 'clean up' has been occasioned by the
forthcoming
visit of another UN special envoy to assess the
situation.
When will Kofi Annan and his people learn? They seem incapable
of realising
just what kind of monsters they are dealing with. What is it
going to take
to convince them? The extent of human suffering caused is
beyond words .
It is more than two months since Tibaijuka's report - and
the UN has been
walking on eggshells ever since. We call on Kofi Annan to
take decisive
action. Now. It is already too late for many. How many more
will have to pay
with their lives?
Surely the Zimbabwe government's
stony-hearted refusal of assistance should
not be allowed to prevent the UN
from coming to the rescue of a nation being
held to ransom by a small group
of political bully-boys and their armed
thugs?
Zims are different
EDITOR - The government
here in Britain has not always handled immigration
matters in a very
efficient or rational way. The country is almost swamped
in some parts with
an assortment of newcomers of every colour and creed.
Some are here legally,
others are not. Many are English-speaking from
countries in the
Commonwealth, others from out of the way places in Europe
and elsewhere and
able to communicate only in their mother tongues
Westminster and Whitehall
should understand that Zimbabweans are in a rather
different class from many
other emigrants. First of all, their ties with the
United Kingdom are
strong. Their country at one time, thanks to firm
leadership and hard work,
was the "bread basket" of the part of Southern
Africa it occupied. Thanks to
a strict selective immigration policy in
colonial times, and an educational
system both before and after 1980 most
inhabitants are well educated and
disciplined.
Nobody wants to remain in Britain true democracy is restored
back home and a
capable caring government holding the reins of power in
Harare. Britain has
been good to most seeking asylum from Zanu (PF)
atrocities and even to
others bordering on the "economic migrant" category.
Believe me there will
be long queues at Gatwick and Heathrow as soon as RGM
and his cronies are
gone, and there may well be not a few of Caucasian
countenance in the
booking-in line as well
So once again, Blair give
our blokes a break especially as you do not seem
to possess the spirit or
guts to deal with and dethrone someone fitting in a
historical sense
alongside tyrants of the past like Caligula and Pol Pot!
NEILL DE SPERANDUM,
London
--------
Promises worth nothing
EDITOR - The Zanu (PF) regime
makes no attempt to disguise its blatant
anti-democratic nature and its
complete contempt for the rule of law. The
clique who have monopolized the
party in its pursuit of personal wealth and
power have betrayed the
principles of the liberation struggle and debase
those ideals everyday with
their pathetic mouthings of such slogans as
"Zimbabwe will never be a colony
again" when they are frantically selling
off the country to anyone foolish
enough to trust them. Fortunately their
belief that the Chinese government
would be stupid enough to believe their
lies has proven to be a delusion.
The Chinese are realistic enough to see
that any promise made by Mugabe or
his sycophantic ministers is worth less
than nothing.
In their desperate
search for recognition and legitimacy, they ship off that
despicable
sell-out Makwavarara to Moscow to beg for a few refuse removal
trucks and a
pat on the head. We all know that Moscow is ruled by the
Russian mafia so it
comes as no surprise that they would support our own
criminals at home.
Perhaps Chombo should send his pet to Rangoon, Pyongyang,
Minsk and other
strongholds of gangster governance to suck up and get
'recognition'.
Chombo has now removed any pretence of
constitutionality in his destruction
of local authorities held by the
opposition. His pathetic bullying tactics
are entirely consistent with the
Zanu (PF) mentality which is "if you oppose
us, you are our enemy and we
will destroy you, irrespective of any law".
These criminals see the law a
just another tool to be used or ignored
according to their wishes. Just as
Smith before them, the ruling Mafioso
care nothing for democracy, human
rights or freedom and only for power and
money. The idea that a
democratically-elected Mayor can be placed under the
supervision of a mere
District Administrator is not only demeaning but
illegal. There is no
provision for such an arrangement in the Urban Councils
Act.
As with
the debacle over the Senate elections, there will be those MDC
officials in
elected office who will try reach some modus vivendi with the
dictatorship,
to try accommodate and implement the directives from the
regime thereby
preserving their illusionary power while enjoying the
practical benefits of
salaries, cars etc. Such people in the MDC who think
that by participating
in Mugabe's games, they can somehow ameliorate the
effects of such antics,
are seriously deluded and are merely serving to
legitimate the illegitimate.
We cannot resolve our national crisis by
refusing to confront the core
issue, namely the theft of the State by a
criminal element that has
subverted the constitution, stolen elections and
engaged in extra-legal
murders and violence. The State must be liberated
before any meaningful
change can take place.
MANDEBVU, Harare
-----------------
Senate
boycott won't help
EDITOR - Political parties exist primarily to
contest elections and to give
people a choice of who should govern the
country. In its short existence the
MDC has already participated in two
parliamentary elections and one
presidential plebiscite. As expected Zanu
(PF) has used violence and
intimidation to win the elections but the MDC has
always emerged stronger
and more purposeful.
Morgan Tsvangirai has, on at
least two of these elections, called for
non-participation on the grounds
that they breed illegitimate and
predetermined outcomes. In my opinion
Tsvangirai's aversion to elections
emanates from the simple fact that he is
a perennial loser of elections.
He lost the 2000 parliamentary elections,
which were supposed to be the
easiest to win on an MDC ticket and in his
home constituency, and the
presidential elections of 2002.
His fellow
executives in the MDC have won elections and are therefore more
suitable to
lead the party. Tsvangirai has been given enough opportunities
to
demonstrate his inadequacies as a leader and this could be the right time
for change within the party.
The one ideology that Tsvangirai stands
for is civil disobedience and from
his days in the ZCTU this seemed to work
for him but unfortunately this
strategy cannot work for him now as a
political leader. He has moved from
urging people to stay away from work to
instructing the masses to stay away
from the polls. Robert Mugabe will not
be removed from power by stayaways.
The truth right now is that whether
or not the MDC participates in the
elections, there will be a senate in
Zimbabwe and from what I know Robert
Mugabe would prefer a senate or a
parliament without any member of the
opposition in it, so why give him the
pleasure by not taking part? If being
in the senate comes with financial
benefits so be it.
I am not in any way suggesting that Welshman Ncube is
a saint, far from it.
He has massive shortcomings as a politician but on
this particular issue I
think his stance is right. Remember he is the one
who wrote the letter being
used by the British Home Office to dismiss asylum
claims by Zimbabweans in
which he stated that people who did not possess
letters of confirmation
signed by him were not genuine members of the
MDC.
The Home Office has used this letter to deny thousands of genuine
Zimbabwean
refugees sanctuary leading to their deportation. He wrote the
letter at a
time when
Zimbabwe was going through the worst imaginable
politically-motivated
violence against white commercial farmers and black
people perceived to be
members of the opposition. A man who makes such a
serious error of judgement
cannot be trusted to run an effective opposition
political party.
Participation in elections should not be a matter for
discussion or debate.
It should be mandatory because African governments are
not bothered by
boycotts and stayaways, as these serve to perpetuate their
infinite and
obnoxious hold on power.
BINGLEY SIBINDI,
UK
-------------
Student leaders targeted
EDITOR - It is very
disheartening to read each and every day that students'
representatives have
been suspended. What is the way forward for these poor
people? First, it was
at the Harare Polytech, then UZ and now Bindura.
What is going to happen to
student politics? Does that mean that students
have no right to be
represented? These students unions are our voice and
guardian against the
perpetrators of our rights. Students have a right to be
heard and the
constitution of the UZ rights says that there should be a
student body, but
surprisingly it exists on paper and not in practice.
We have given
diplomacy enough time and it has failed to deliver the
required results. We
are going to rise as the students of this nation who
are eager to defend
their right to be heard. The living conditions at the UZ
are appalling. How
can we go for a week without sadza? This is a clear sign
of incompetence by
the administration. The toilets need some serious
attention but not from the
students' meagre funds.
CONCERNED STUDENT, Harare
-----------
Last
Chimurenga
EDITOR - I think that Zanu (PF) really wants the Third Chimurenga
to be the
last Chimurenga of all. The Fourth Chimurenga - the essential one
to rid the
country of Zanu is the last thing they want and yet it will
surely come as
day follows night.
Has Zanu perhaps managed to postpone
the start of this Fourth Chimurenga by
the dangling of a sweet juicy carrot
in the form of a few possible seats in
a Zanu Senate? A section of the
opposition appears to have found this
irresistible and has given it a new
description - a constitutional crisis
(in MDC).
It would appear that
these intellectual Wannabee Senators might well be
exposing themselves to
becoming members of the Zanu Debating Society - where
there is little sense
of urgency.
Heaven forbid that 40 years hence Zimbabwe's history books read -
Professors
Coltart, Ncube and Sibanda then became Honourary Members of the
Zanu
Debating Society there by delaying the start of the Fourth Chimurenga
while
millions faced starvation.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that
the leader of the Matabeland Farmers'
Association has also been 'encouraged'
by Zanu to raise $3 billion for the
Zanu Congress in Umzingwane. It might be
difficult to seek international
support/sympathy for commercial agriculture
if the farmers do 'agree' to
raise $3 billion for Zanu. The logical argument
from the international
community could well be that commercial farmers are
happy with Zanu to raise
such cash for famished Zanu fat cats - when
millions face starvation. On
what grounds can such actions be
defended?
JL ROBINSON, Australia
--------------
Funeral parlour
rip-off
EDITOR - Please allow me to share with you and the rest of the
country the
latest scam involving Funeral Parlours based on personal
experiece.
A female close relative of mine died in the early hours of
Saturday 5th
November at her Hatcliffe home and her unemployed husband
reported the death
at the local Police Station. He was informed that he
would have to make
private arrangements for the movement of the body to a
morgue, as the Police
no longer provided such a service. He was then asked
by a Police Officer on
duty whether he would be willing to contract Vineyard
Funeral Services who
were already on their way to pick up another body of
similar circumstance.
He paid $1m in cash (which seemed reasonable
considering the prevailing fuel
situation) for the transportation of the
body to a mortuary. Since the
driver could not furnish him with a quotation
for further services if so
required, he suggested that the husband visit
Vineyard Parlour for a
quotation. Meanwhile it was assumed that the body
would be taken to a
government hospital for Post Mortem.
On the next
morning, the husband obtained a Doctor's Report from
Parirenyatwa and
informed that the deceased's national ID was retained by
Vineyard. On
collection of the ID form a reluctant representative of
Vineyard (assume
they wanted to process on behalf), he then proceeded to
Market Square for a
Death Certificate and Burial Order. All went well as he
managed to get all
the requisite documentation for burial.
On arrival at Parirenyatwa
Hospital Mortuary later in the afternoon to
collect the body for burial, we
were taken aback to find it missing. After a
records search we were then
advised to contact the Funeral Parlour and upon
arrival, we were perplexed
to be presented with a quotation of charges due
amounting to $4.5m over and
above the $1m already paid. Even though there
was no direct contact and
consultation between the Parlour and the aggrieved
husband or any family
representative, we were presented with a $600,000
charge referred to as
Consultation Fee, a further $800,000 charge as
shortfall on transport (for
allegedly not opting for full service), a
projected charge of $1,600,000 for
Mortuary Storage (assume overnight and
day of collection, $800,000/day) and
other ancillary charges.
This was despite the fact that there was no
agreement or instruction or
contract signed for these charges and on
querying the charges above, we were
boldly, bluntly and rudely told by the
Services Manager, a Mr Pakete, that
the charges stand and hence the body
could strictly and only be collected on
cash payment on charges as per the
Quotation presented (not invoice) and
that we are liable for the
Consultation Fee charge of $600,000, by virtue of
talking to him.
The
next morning saw us meeting the Owner and MD of Vineyard, a Mr Chikanda,
a
very arrogant insensitive, rigid and uncompromising man by all standards
and
we were similarly told, albeit rudely that the Consultation and Total
Charges stand and that we were by virtue of talking to him riding on other
charges. Despite repeated pleadings (never felt so denigrated and this low)
and highlighting the apparent communication breakdown, the man stood his
ground. The only consolation we had was the dropping of the extra charge on
transport after the driver testified before all present that he had not
fore-advised the husband on this and other charges, the conditionality and
company policy. At the end of the day, we paid under protest.
I
wonder how many others have been caught in this way?
CHEATED BY DEATH,
Harare
--------------
No unity of purpose
EDITOR - As events keep
unfolding in the opposition party, it has become
clear that neither faction
is going to budge. The issue is not about who is
right or who is wrong, the
issue is that Mr Morgan is a dictator in the
making more or less like Mr
Robert himself. If he is refusing to accept the
results of the election they
held to determine whether to take part or not
then he should stop preaching
about democracy because he himself does not
know its meaning.
Zimbabweans
themselves also do not have unity of purpose because we talk of
removing the
present government yet we ourselves are torn by tribalism.
Apparently it has
become clear that Zanu (PF) has lost hope of winning the
hearts of the
Ndebele people and thus would do anything to make sure there
is friction
between the two main ethnic groups. This ensure that they will
remain in
power because the two groups will be divided as to who should rule
the
country after Bob.
If people in Matabeleland and all other regions would
unite and speak with
one voice and implement one decision, honestly Mugabe
would have been
history by now. My heart really bleeds when I see that
events in the MDC
have taken a tribal route because this will see Zanu (PF)
coming out
stronger and eventually kill the opposition. Meanwhile Prof Ncube
is right
in saying they should take part. He and others should also by the
same token
map a way forward in trying to bring peace ?in the
party.
Meanwhile I urge all MDC supporters to vote against Zanu (PF),
especially in
Matabeleland where it is contesting in all
constituencies.
DR DU TOIT, Bulawayo
-------------
Tribalism will never
work
EDITOR - First, I thank The Zimbabwean for not being biased. I think
this
whole split in MDC is due to greed, bitterness and hatred on the part
of the
pro-senate group. It really proves that Gibson Sibanda and crew never
joined
MDC to liberate Zimbabweans as a whole but to earn political strength
as
member of a particular ethnic group.
It leaves me with the conclusion
that they merely wanted to use Mr
Tsvangirai as he is from the majority
tribe. The recent revelations of his
outbursts in public clearly indicated
that he is just like one of those Zapu
2000 fellows who tried and failed to
get into government based on tribal
ethos.
The man is treading on
dangerous grounds, tribalism will never work for
Zimbabweans and if he is
intending to form or join a party with such belief,
it will just fade like
grass. We do not need division in Zimbabwe, there is
nothing wrong with
having a patriotic Ndebele, Manyika, Karanga or Zezuru
president in
Zimbabwe.
I wish to give advice to his followers, especially the well
respected
intellectual Prof Ncube. He must use his intelligence to calculate
the
possible disasters of the venture he has embarked on. He may end up
going
from hero to zero, like his very friend Prof Moyo.
And to
journalists whose publications are supporting these divisions and
increasingly publishing accusations against Mr Tsvangirai, I beg you to stop
using the power of media to destroy Zimbabwe's for your own personal
benefits. We need leaders that have been tried and tested, not intellectuals
who put other people in front to work the field and hurry to reap when the
fruits are ripe, only to go and feed themselves and a
minority.
Everyone needs to be equal in Zimbabwe and be able to benefit
from all its
riches. Pasi ne division. Varume ava varikungoda zvigaro chete,
kwete kuti
vanhu vasununguke. Please Zimbabweans don't follow them, they
will use you
CKN, Zimbabwe
-------------
Mliswa terrorised
us
EDITOR - I read with interest of Themba Mliswa's confrontation with the
cricketers.
We from Karoi are well acquainted with him and his antics,
which are
renowned. He has terrorised the people of the district regularly,
both
verbally and physically over the past few years, in fact he continues
to do
so, causing
mayhem, destruction and deceit, all in the name of
Didymus Mutasa, whom he
claims is his uncle.
He also claims to be an
ex-Peterhouse student which leaves the reputation of
that institution
questionable, particularly with the psychopathic tendencies
he
shows.
GRANNY JONES, Karoi
-----------
Walking for pizza?
EDITOR -
Oh, happy, happy day! We can now walk for a pizza take-away which
is a
blessing as it is good for our clogged arteries. Pizza? (The
Zimbabwean,
October 21 - 27)
Almost the entire population is walking, the lame, the halt
and the blind,
because we HAVE to, and it is not for take-aways, but the
most basic of
necessities. In pity's name, how can this be a blessing for
those too
feeble, sick, or impoverished to do so? Or those who cannot
purchase the US
Dollars at$ 90,000 upwards with which to buy fuel to try to
get to their
doctor. ( It has been illegal to have these dollars or any
Forex for years!)
Walking to the Pizzeria for a take-away, whilst
possibly good for one in a
country having clean air, should not be forced on
its citizens by a
government bloated in both size, ineptitude and
corruption. Those still able
to afford a Pizza might like to cast their eyes
on ordinary folk, so very
many of whom would consider it a blessing beyond
measure to have a square
meal let alone a take-away, while vast numbers have
done nothing but walk
all their lives.
Look at the elderly, the sick,
the dispossessed after the "clean up", the
unemployed due to business
closures the pensioners who, try as they might,
see not a single solitary
blessing in finding themselves caught in the
hellish trap that their once
beloved home and country has become, with no
hope of relief any time soon,
if ever. As for Kariba sunsets, a glass of
wine, hair conditioner etc.
Enough said!
Judith Todd's letter showed empathy for those not "blessed",
and has eyes
that really see. I give you my latest Invoice from Honey Dew
Farm, two days
ago: (prices in Zimdollars) Carrots loose, small,10,730.00,
Flora Margarine
400,000.00, sandwich loaf 49,000 .00 (This was 35,000 five
days ago), Two
(2) small onions 5,141.00, green beans, loose, 6,762.00 (a
mere handful),
One gem squash 3,534.00, one tin Grapefruit 35,000.00, VAT @
17.5% $ 5,213,
TOTAL $510,167 No meat whatsoever. This will not last two of
us a week, and
I am luckier than many, but not for much
longer.
The Zimbabwean
BY A CORRESPONDENT
HARARE - Zimbabwe's state-run media excelled
themselves with abusive and
distorted coverage of UN concerns over the
humanitarian crisis triggered by
Operation Murambatsvina, and of the US
ambassador's forthright speech
blaming gross economic mismanagement and
corrupt rule for the nation's
plight.
The media watchdog, Media
Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ), in its weekly
report covering Oct. 31 -
Nov. 6, said that, in addition, the state media
showed its complicity in the
regime's persecution of councils run by the
Movement for Democratic Change
by skewed coverage of Chitungwiza.
Chitungwiza became yet another victim
of the Mugabe regime's tactic of
taking over councils where the MDC has been
voted into control by blaming
the opposition for poor services without
putting the problems into the true
perspective "as indicative of the general
collapse of basic amenities in all
the country's major towns and cities,
including Harare," the MMPZ noted.
"While the government media myopically
presented Chitungwiza as incompetent,
they showed little concern over the
mismanagement of Harare's own crumbling
amenities, including crippling water
shortages, garbage mountains,
intermittent street lighting and decaying
roads, among other issues," the
monitors added.
"As a result, all 17
stories they carried (ZBH 13 and the government press
four) on the water
crisis in Harare merely highlighted the human suffering
caused by the water
shortages and avoided taking the government-appointment
commission running
the city to task."
The state mouthpieces never actually reported what UN
Secretary-General Kofi
Annan said about Zimbabwe - that there is a
humanitarian crisis as a result
of the state razing of homes and livelihoods
and his concern at Robert
Mugabe's refusal to allow UN aid to the victims.
Instead, The Herald
diverted attention by depicting the statement as being
part of a British
conspiracy to demonise the country.
The Herald
converted comments by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that
he had
"discussed" the statement with Annan to mean he had "admitted"
pressuring
the UN chief into issuing it. A BBC documentary on Zimbabwe
became in The
Herald's agenda of distortion evidence that Britain had a
"hidden hand in
the Secretary-General's statement."
However, the MMPZ credited SW Radio
Africa, Studio 7 and The Financial
Gazette as giving a fairer presentation
of the Annan statement, clearly
reporting what he had said.
The full
import of US Ambassador Christopher Dell's forthright and
well-researched
speech - laying to rest the regime's weary mantra of blaming
the
ever-worsening economic crisis on so-called Western sanctions and
drought -
also did not make it into the state media.
Instead, the state media
carried a barrage of personal attacks against Dell.
The MMPZ cited The
Herald as reaching "offensive extremes" when its abusive
columnist Nathaniel
Manheru suggested that Dell was on a sexual escapade
when detained recently
by members of the Presidential Guard while walking in
the Harare Botanical
Gardens.
However, the monitors said that in a "rare display of unison"
both the
private and state media agreed on the country's poor preparations
for the
2005/6 farming season and its potential to make even worse the
current dire
food situation. The Herald even carried startling revelations
by Deputy
Agriculture Minister Sylvester Nguni that the decline in
agricultural
production was due to the regime's skewed land reform
policies.
But The Herald, true to form, then carried a contradictory
statement by
Agriculture Minister Joseph Made, reverting to the old
scapegoats of drought
and sanctions, without making any attempt to reconcile
the two.
ZBH simply ignored these issues. The broadcaster carried stories
about the
chaos in the agricultural sector and tried to downplay the reality
by
depicting the authorities as working tirelessly to boost production.
The Zimbabwean
BY ROY
BENNETT
Beaten down, beaten up, many victims of Murambatsvina have been
forcibly
relocated three or four times. Some have died, millions are without
food,
shelter, water or hope. And yet the world continues to ask: "Why don't
the
people of Zimbabwe stand up?" Roy Bennett speaks to Revd Dr MARTINE
STEMERICK.
Roy: People often say "Why don't the people of Zimbabwe stand
up?" Explain
to me how you get a person who has been completely dehumanized
and
brutalized and has had his dignity taken away to stand up. At any time
he is
called, he is told: 'Sit down!" He lifts his feet up. He is beaten on
the
bottom of his feet. He's got no one to complain to. He can't go to the
police to get any protection. He's got no legal representation. There's no
Red Cross. There are no human rights organizations that can help
him.
And outside in the rural areas, if people stand up for opposition
politics,
they are beaten. Their homes are destroyed. The food is
politicised. Those
people daren't stand up against the regime, because if
they do, it's certain
death for them with absolutely no assistance from
anybody else.
So how do they rise up? How do they stand up? How do you
organize people in
those circumstances? It is very difficult and very sad.
But as long as the
grip that Robert Mugabe has through his armed forces on
the people and the
repression that is given to them, as long as that is
maintained and Mugabe
is propped up by other governments who supply the
money so he can keep
feeding the military who keep carrying these human
rights abuses on the
people, he will remain.
Martine: The kind of
thing I saw in one little village is that the wife of
the local MP
controlled the grain marketing board depot and she was
unwilling to give
food, maize meal, to anyone who did not hold a Zanu (PF)
party card. The
people literally said, "We're starving. The children can't
go to school.
They are too weak."
Roy: That's correct. And it's not even a case of
people who do not hold a
Zanu (PF) card. Let's go right back to 1980. As
soon as Robert Mugabe and
his Zanu (PF) government were challenged in any
way by any form of
opposition, he resorted to oppression and violence. We
saw it in
Matabeleland with the massacres. Zanu (PF) has been able to retain
power in
Zimbabwe for over 20 years by totalling suppressing any form of
opposition
that dared stand up against it.
The MDC was formed in
1999, and when Mugabe was defeated in the referendum,
he realized he no
longer had the mandate from the people of Zimbabwe. He
declared war on his
own people. In every election, the people have been
warned: 'if you don't
vote for us, there will be consequences.' So, this
last election was the
final straw. People in the cities were warned: 'If you
do not vote for us,
you will see what we will do.' The Commissioner of
Police is on record as
having said, 'We will deal with these maggots.'
Didymus Mutasa, the
Minister of State Security, is on record saying: 'If
seven million people
starve and die, we will be left with seven million of
the right people who
support the right political party.'
Mugabe knew full well what the
election results were. They know they were
severely beaten in many
constituencies. So what are they doing now? They are
following up on their
threats.
Unless the food is brought in through the churches and through
organizations
that represent the people and has absolutely no control by the
government,
it is never going to benefit the people. It's going to be used
to entrench
this government.