Mugabe seeks protection

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

JAMA MAJOLA | 20 November, 2011 03:13

President Robert Mugabe, under pressure after recent events in Ivory Coast
and Libya, has appealed for protection from China and Russia amid
revelations that he fears his bitter rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
is lobbying the United Nations (UN) Security Council to intervene in
Zimbabwe if the next elections end in dispute like previous ones.

Mugabe's appeal to China and Russia while on an official visit to Beijing
this week shows mounting fears in Harare that if the next crucial elections
are disputed, Tsvangirai and his MDC-T party might use their international
leverage to take the issue to the UN Security Council, where the veto powers
play a critical role.

Alongside the United States, Britain and France, China and Russia are the
only five permanent members of the UN Security Council and have veto power.
There are also 10 non-permanent members who rotate biennially.

Zimbabwe was taken to the UN Security Council in 2008 after the disputed
presidential election run-off which was characterised by political violence
and killings. Tsvangirai had defeated Mugabe in the first round of polls.

China and Russia blocked the move by the US and its allies to intervene in
Zimbabwe. In 2002, after another disputed presidential election, Tsvangirai
had written to former US president George Bush to use his influence to
ensure UN intervention.

Mugabe's fears that Tsvangirai could be manoeuvring to lobby the UN Security
Council have heightened of late, particularly after the premier visited
several African countries currently sitting in the body.

Tsvangirai has recently been to Nigeria, Gabon and South Africa. All three
countries, which voted for UN intervention in Libya, are in the security
council.

On Wednesday, Tsvangirai was in Morocco, where he addressed a debating forum
organised by the Amadeus Institute, in the northern city of Tangier. He
warned that the spring uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East were a
warning to African dictators who cling on to power through violence and
coercion.

Although Morocco is not an African Union member, having pulled out in
protest in 1984 over Western Sahara and the Polisario Front, it will be a
non-permanent UN Security Council member for two years starting January 1
2012, on the Arab League ticket. It will replace Lebanon.

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba wrote in the state-controlled Herald last
Saturday that Tsvangirai was lobbying for UN Security Council intervention
in Zimbabwe in a column in which he seemed to reflect his boss' anxieties.

He said the Amadeus Institute, which the premier has visited several times
in recent years, was a "phoney organisation" used by western countries to
fund Tsvangirai and his party to oust Mugabe.

"This is the vehicle through which Morocco interacts with Morgan Tsvangirai
and his party, indeed the vehicle for meddling in Zimbabwe's electoral
politics," Charamba said.

"Morocco has funded the MDC-T both as a country and as a protégé of Europe
and (the United States of) America, doing the bidding of both."

Charamba expressed fears of "invasion", saying Tsvangirai wants the UN
Security Council to get involved in the Zimbabwean situation.

Confirming his fears of intervention following recent events in Ivory Coast
and Libya, Mugabe, a former ally of recently killed Libyan dictator Muammar
Gaddafi, during a meeting this week with acting Chinese President Xi
Jinping, appealed for protection from Beijing and Moscow, given the
"Anglo-Saxon alliance's expansionist agenda, given what Nato did in Libya
and threats posed to Syria and Iran".

"Countries like China and Russia must provide both leadership and
protection," Mugabe said through Charamba.

"Nature has disbursed its resources in its own ways to different countries
with some countries richly endowed while some are not. Even we who do not
have oil feel no less menaced as these rapacious countries are looking for
other resources. All this (Zimbabwe's wealth) is envied and we need
protection."

Mugabe further reportedly said: "We rely on good friends like you to protect
us and you have done that in the past.

"We do not lose confidence in you and please do not lose confidence in us".
Mugabe expressed the same fears at the recent UN General Assembly meeting in
New York.

MDC Formations Call For Khaya Moyo’s Arrest For Inciting Violence

http://www.radiovop.com

Harare, November 20, 2011 - Zimbabwe's two Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) formations have called for the arrest of Zanu-PF national chairman
Simon Khaya Moyo for alleged inciting of political violence on Zanu-PF
opponents.

Addressing a Zanu-PF Midlands provincial conference in Gweru this past
weekend, Khaya Moyo told Zanu-PF supporters they should not sit idle when
they are attacked by members of the opposition.

Zanu-PF opponents and some ordinary Zimbabweans have come out in full cry
over the statement from the Zanu-PF fourth in charge, which they feel is in
contrast with last week’s appeals by the three leaders of the country’s
co-governing parties against political violence.

“Khaya Moyo must be prosecuted for incitement of violence and he must be
locked up,” MDC spokesperson of the Tsvangirai led formation Douglas
Mwonzora told Radio VOP last Friday.

“Utterances by Simon Khaya Moyo are a great act of insubordination, coming
just a few hours after the principals to the Global Political Agreement
including his President Robert Mugabe denounced violence and asked the
people of Zimbabwe to follow suit. Now we see him coming out publicly
inciting the Zanu-PF youths to beat up their opponents.

“This is a typical situation where Zanu-PF indicates left and turns right.
It vindicates our position that Zanu-PF has never been genuine on issues of
non violence.”

Qhubani Moyo, national organising secretary with the Professor Welshman
Ncube led MDC, also called for Khaya Moyo’s arrest.

“These kinds of reckless statements should be met with the law. He needs to
be arrested for statements that incite violence and national disorder,” he
said.

“His incitement of violence indicates the desperation in Zanu-PF that they
have failed to use any other formula of persuasion to have the people of
Zimbabwe voting for them.”

Political analyst Jealous Mawarire said Khaya Moyo should stop setting
ordinary Zimbabweans against each other while his own biological children
are safe from any political violence.

“The first people he should incite are his own biological children to carry
out the acts of violence so that should there be any repercussions, they
visit his own family,” he said.

The MDC also feels Khaya Moyo should have urged party supporters to report
any attacks on them to the police instead of calling for an eye for an eye
among citizens.

ZCTU faction presses ahead with congress

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/

By Chengetai Zvauya, Senior Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:15

HARARE - The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) faction led by Lovemore
Matombo has elected a women’s advisory council as it presses ahead with its
path towards an elective congress.

Raymond Majongwe the secretary-general of the faction said yesterday they
held elections for their women’s wing in Harare in which the leadership
elected will be incorporated into the general council.

“We have elected a new women leadership with Shylet Gutu nominated to be
president and Joice Masiya deputy president.  The process went according to
plan without any disturbances and we are happy with the outcome of the
elections.

“These were democratic elections. We have elected five women and we are not
going to stop with our programme as we have completed the regional
conferences. Now what is remaining is the general conference which we have
set for 16-17 December in Bulawayo,’’ said Majongwe.

Majongwe said they are not bothered by the legal challenge that has been
filed by their rival faction led George Nkiwane.

“We are not afraid of their challenge; we are going to face them in court
but they must know that we are not going to stop our process. They must be
ready to face us because we are also going to fight back as well,’’ said
Majongwe.

The Nkiwane faction last week filed an urgent chamber application seeking to
bar Matombo and his group from using the ZCTU logo, letter heads and access
to bank accounts.

Standard journalists go into hiding

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

HARARE CORRESPONDENT | 11 September, 2009 14:30

Two journalists working for the Weekly Standard went on the run on Friday as
it emerged that state security agents wanted to question them. This comes as
fears emerge of renewed attacks on the independent media.

Police visited the Standard offices on Thursday, a day after editor Nevanji
Madanhire and reporter Nqaba Matshazi were granted bail on charges of
criminal defamation for publishing a story about businessman-cum farmer
Munyaradzi Kereke. Kereke is also an adviser to the governor of the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono.

The detectives who visited AMH, the publishers of the Standard, said they
wanted to speak to Madanhire in connection with a story published on October
1.

The report alleged that co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi was trying to
force new farmers off their land and allocate it to his son and nephew. The
story was authored by Matshazi.

After failing to locate Madanhire, the detectives left instructions for him
to report to Harare Central Police station.

Sources said the editor and reporter were on the run as they feared the
police would hold them in unbearable conditions over the weekend.

On Wednesday, they were each granted US$100 bail by Harare magistrate Sandra
Mupindu.

They are being charged with criminal defamation and theft of documents. The
charges arise from the publication of a story on Kereke's medical aid
company, GreenCard, which is allegedly facing collapse.

The journalists' case was postponed to December 20, when their trial is
expected to start. They were ordered to surrender their passports, refrain
from interfering with witnesses and reside at their given addresses.

Prosecutor Tapiwa Kasema argued that the two should also be interdicted from
writing any more stories related to the same subject pending the
determination of the matter.

Their lawyer, Linda Cook, argued that granting such an application would be
tantamount to muzzling the press and that the application had been made on
the wrong platform.

The magistrate dismissed the application.

Kereke has filed a multimillion-dollar suit against the Standard. However,
the onslaught on the Standard has been roundly condemned by journalist
unions and other media watch-dogs.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), which has received sponsorship from
Kereke, accused him of threatening press freedom. Dumisani Sibanda, the
president of ZUJ, said the union would not be so blinded by Kereke's
sponsorship as to fail to condemn threats to media freedom.

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe said the arrests were an assault on
the media by the police and the political elite.

NewsDay suspends editor in bribes probe

http://www.newzimbabwe.com

20/11/2011 00:00:00
    by Staff Reporter

THE NewsDay newspaper has suspended its political editor as part of an
investigation into bribery claims.

Kelvin Jakachira has been ordered to produce receipts and documents relating
to a Toyota vehicle he owns amid claims it was a “gift” from Munyaradzi
Kereke, an adviser to Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono.

Raphel Khumalo, the CEO of NewsDay’s publishing company, Alpha Media
Holdings, confirmed Jakachira’s suspension but declined to go into further
detail.

Sources say Alpha Media executives acted after Kereke caused the arrest of
two journalists from The Standard, a sister paper to NewsDay, over a story
which claimed his Green Card Medical Aid company was facing collapse.

Alpha Media bosses became concerned that Kereke had a mole in the
organisation after it emerged the rich businessman – who also owns Doves
Morgan Funeral Services and Green Card Cars – had information on the
Standard’s investigation into his troubled health insurance firm which was
only known in-house.
Suspicion immediately fell on Jakachira, whom NewsDay bosses thought had an
“unhealthy relationship” with the businessman.

Through his many companies, Kereke has been sponsoring media awards run by
the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ). But in a statement, ZUJ announced
it was severing ties with Kereke over his role in the arrest of Standard
editor Nevanji Madanhire and reporter Nqaba Matshazi.

While spreading his largesse to journalists in what is seen as an attempt to
buy “protection” from bad publicity, Kereke has also reportedly been
generous with the police.

Last year, he was accused of raping a 11-year-old girl but police dropped
their investigation under unclear circumstances, infuriating children’s
rights groups.

Kereke is officially still employed as an adviser to Reserve Bank governor
Gideon Gono, but the two men are reportedly not on talking terms after a
breakdown in their relationship.

Diamond Rush Reported in Zimbabwe's Pondongoma Region

http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/

20.11.11, 09:40

Some two months after reports that rough diamonds had been discovered in the
Zimbabwean village of Murehwa, 75 kilometers northeast of Harare caused
locals to flock to flock to the area, Zimbabwean news outlets are reporting
a new diamond rush.

According to the Bulawayo 24 news website, diamond explorers are rushing to
the country’s Pondongoma region after a geologist from the Livelihood and
Community Development Trust was seen testing gemstones in the area.

Local villagers, businessmen, and police are reportedly being inundated with
inquiries about the reported diamond discovery, and independent diamond
prospectors have been seen in the area at night, hoping to pan for diamonds
while avoiding the authorities.

One village leader told Bulawayo 24 that residents had asked police to block
off the area in question, since the influx of diamond diggers was harming
the land.

No government entity has confirmed the existence of diamonds in Pondongoma.

Chinese in diamond challenge to Harare

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

VLADIMIR MZACA | 20 November, 2011 03:14

Zimbabwe last year said it would take over all alluvial diamond activities
in the country. Savior Kasukuwere, the Minister of Youth Development,
Indigenisation and Empowerment, said alluvial diamonds were the preserve of
the state and "must benefit the people of Zimbabwe".

Cabinet resolved that the government would take over all alluvial mining in
the Marange fields, where it is involved in two joint ventures with two
South African firms. But Chinese investors are also present in the area.

Alluvial mining is the cheapest form of diamond mining, but Zimbabwe this
week secured deals worth more than $700-million with Chinese investors
interested in the industry.

Prince Mupazviriho, the permanent secretary of mines and mining development,
met the potential investors last week on a trip to China.

"We signed transactions estimated at between $700-million and $750-million
with investors eager to do mineral extraction and beneficiation," he told
journalists. The Chinese were quick to point out that they were interested
in alluvial diamond mining, as a result of the decision by the Kimberley
Process and Certification Scheme to allow Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds,
Mupazviriho said.

Their interest in alluvial diamonds will be a test for Harare to choose
between diplomatic relations and government principles.

President Mugabe had talks this week with China's deputy president, Xi
Jinping Xi, in Beijing. After the talks, Xi said: "His Excellency the
president is a famed leader of the national liberation movement in Africa,
and also an old friend whom the Chinese people know well. "

Since the start of the indigenisation drive Chinese investors have been
trying to get around it.

In March, China signed nearly $700-million in loan deals with Zimbabwe, and
urged the government to protect Chinese companies from nationalisation
plans.

Analysts say this has sent a signal to other foreign firms that if they do
not follow Zimbabwean laws they stand to lose much to Chinese investors,
whose companies have so far not been earmarked for indigenisation.

MDC-N still going strong

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Prof Welshman Ncube's MDC has denied that it faces political extinction
after the forthcoming crunch ballot.
18.11.1103:37pm
by Chief Reporter

MDC spokesman Kurauone Chihwayi said it was not the first time people had
predicted the collapse of the MDC. He said following the October 2005 MDC
split over a decision to contest Senate polls, prophets of doom predicted
the collapse of his party, but it was still standing.

"I don't know what witchdoctor is going around telling people that the end
of the GNU would signal the end of the MDC. It is not correct that there is
no future for the MDC," Chihwayi said.

Chihwayi claimed the MDC had the best candidate and challenged Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe to a live TV presidential
debate with Prof Ncube.

"We are ready to present him for a live debate," Chihwayi said.

Chihwayi said it would disastrous for Zimbabwe to go for fresh vote without
dealing with toxic issues from the last election.

"There is also need before we get to election to heal the country," he said.
"There is a lot of work to be done. The framework for national healing is
now in place. It’s now being discussed by all political parties.

Chihwayi said his party fully backed the polling station-based voters roll.

“As a political party we believe there is need for us to be sincere with
each other to commit ourselves to the creation of a free and fair election."

Turbulent times, but Mutambara stays defiant

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

VLADIMIR MZACA | 20 November, 2011 03:14

When Professor Arthur Mutambara was sworn in as one of the two deputy prime
ministers, he ended his oath by saying: "So help me, God."

It appears he needs assistance now more than ever.

Mutambara, who was recently elbowed out of the leadership seat of the then
MDC-M, refuses to admit that his political career is experiencing a slump.

And he refused to resign, defying a directive from his party to step down
and accept a ministerial position after he lost the party's leadership.

Mutambara said: "I have no intention to leave the position of deputy prime
minister in the inclusive government. I will not abdicate from my
responsibilities in order to satisfy narrow party-political aspirations."

His career has been followed with interest over the last few years.

In 2007 the state-controlled Herald newspaper carried a profile of one of
the most educated scientists in Zimbabwe.

His CV linked him to some of the biggest scientific and multilateral
institutions in the world.

Widely seen as the luckiest politician in Zimbabwe in 2009 when the three
principals to the GPA entered into a coalition government, Mutambara was
sworn in as one of the two deputy prime ministers.

Mutambara's entrance into State House on swearing-in day was dramatic.

While other delegates arrived in chauffeur-driven cars, he drove himself in
an American SUV Lincoln Navigator, while his hired cameraman filmed the
professor of robotics and mechatronics making his way into State House.

He would be remembered for his speech when he was sworn in. He drew laughter
as he took his oath with his lengthy full name, Arthur Guseni Oliver
Mutambara.

Now his surname, which was once on the leadership seat, has been replaced by
that of fellow fundi Professor Welshman Ncube, now leader of the MDC-N.

Perhaps the height of Mutambara's embarrassment came when the three
principals to the GPA held a recent indaba to end political violence.

Mutambara had been interdicted from the indaba, and some politicians who
claimed to be representing his faction were booted out of the Harare
International Conference Centre.

Confusion is set to continue after the Bulawayo High Court reserved a
judgment on a case lodged by Ncube to the effect of stopping Mutambara from
"masquerading" as MDC-N leader.

His spokesman, Maxwell Zimuto, told the Sunday Times that Mutambara still
had aspirations of becoming Zimbabwe's next president.

"It is wrong to assume that Mutambara is finished politically. We are
readying ourselves for the elections."

University of Zimbabwe political science professor John Makumbe said
Mutambara's actions defied logic.

"Mutambara should save himself and resign, as it is clear that he has lost
control of the MDC-N."

Soldiers blamed for violence

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

Junior soldiers based at 32 Infantry Battalion here have been accused of
leading a campaign of violence and intimidation in the small high density
suburb of Tsanzaguru.
18.11.1104:01pm
by Tony Saxon

Speaking to The Zimbabwean last week, concerned residents perceived to be
MDC-T supporters, said the youthful and overzealous soldiers, who were
always drunk, were using threats and physical violence to terrorise them.

The uniformed and armed soldiers, led by well known war veterans, are
reportedly intimidating known MDC supporters in an effort to suppress the
people's vote in the envisaged elections.

“People are being told to forget about the government of national unity.
They are telling us that the MDC is no longer part of the inclusive
government and that it will not participate in the forthcoming elections,”
said a villager.

Affected MDC-T supporters said they were reporting the cases of violence to
the police at Tsanzaguru Police station, but nothing was being done.

ZRP - the kings of corruption

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

The Zimbabwe Republic Police are the most corrupt public institution in the
country, according to a survey released this week by Transparency
International Zimbabwe.
18.11.1105:15pm
by Fungai Kwaramba Harare

Fifty-five percent of Zimbabweans believe that corruption is rampant in the
country and is on the increase. The ZRP are closely followed by political
parties, civil servants, the legislature and the judiciary.

The police, however, scoffed at the survey, saying it was just the view of
an organisation.

“That is there view which has nothing to do with us,” said police
Spokesperson Chief Superintendent, Oliver Mandipaka.

TIZ interviewed 1,014 people between April 26 and May 5 through Gallup
International, and the data was weighed by age, gender and region to
represent a population of 5,900 000 Zimbabweans. The corruption barometer by
TIZ is designed to gauge how corruption affects ordinary Zimbabweans in
their daily lives.

“Transparency International encourages the public to play an active role in
stopping corruption and improving governance,” read a statement from the
organisation.

About 55 percent of those surveyed said corruption was on the increase,
noting that Zimbabweans were being forced to pay bribes to obtain services
that they should be receiving for free.

Programme Officer for the organisation, Nyasha Frank Mpahlo, said the survey
findings showed that the current national unity government had not been
effective in combating corruption during its 33 months in power.

TIZ executive director, Mary-Jane Samkele Ncube, said that the police were
at the top on corruption because of their visibility and constant contact
with the public.

“The police are the most targeted because they are the most prominently seen
and interact within the public sphere. The public deal with the police as
vendors, traders and as motorists and they are constantly asked to pay
bribes,” said Ncube.

In order to root corruption from the society, TIZ said there was need to
incorporate education curriculum issues and values that were specific on the
ills of corruption.

In September President Robert Mugabe swore-in a nine member Anti-corruption
Commission. So far the commission has remained dormant

“The institutions that are set up must be well-resourced financially and
manned by people with the expertise to deal with it. They must be given the
independence to act without fear or favour, and there must be an end to
politicizing corruption. There must be an earnest approach to deal with
corruption as a problem,” said Ncube.

Zanu PF supports gays

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Nkululeko Sibanda, Senior Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:04

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe could have been duped into signing into law
the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa)
which recognises gay and lesbian rights, the Daily News on Sunday can
exclusively reveal.

Mugabe, will be shell-shocked to discover that Aippa, crafted and engineered
by political flip-flopper Jonathan Moyo when he was information minister in
2003, actually recognises the privacy of gays and lesbians.

Mugabe would have never signed the bill into law had he known that it
contained aspects of recognising and protecting gay and lesbian sexual
orientation as he has in the past described them as worse than pigs and
dogs.

The Zimbabwean President was probably hoodwinked into believing that Aippa
was meant to regulate and silence journalists and private newspapers like
the Daily News, but as it turns out, the controversial law also protects gay
and lesbian privacy.

There are allegations that there are a number of top Zanu PF officials who
have made millions of dollars due to their gay inclinations but who denounce
gays and lesbians to blind Mugabe.

It is not clear if the proponents of Aippa and those who backed it in
Parliament were aiming at protecting their interests or they did it
ignorantly.

Former ZBC chief executive officer Alum Mpofu was caught engaging in gay
acts at a popular night club in Harare and was subsequently fired having
been brought to the corporation when Moyo was information minister.

Popular disc jockey Kelvin Ncube, who was employed at the then ZBC Radio
Three, now Power FM, fled the country after questions emerged over his
sexual orientation.

“She” effectively proclaimed “the correct orientation” after securing asylum
in the United Kingdom.

Reads section 33 of Aippa: “Protection of personal information: The head of
a public body shall protect personal information that is under his custody
or control by taking reasonable steps to ensure that there is adequate
security and there is no unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure or
disposal of such personal information.”

Section 25 of the Act reads: “Protection of information relating to personal
privacy: (1) The head of a public body shall not disclose personal
information to an applicant if the disclosure will result in the
unreasonable invasion of a third party’s personal privacy.”

According to the same Act, “personal information” is defined and includes a
person’s age, sex and sexual orientation, marital and family status.

A group of Zanu PF officials also smuggled gay rights into the 2000 draft
constitution which was rejected by the people but was supported by Mugabe’s
party.

According to information at hand, some Zanu PF officials in the
Constitutional Commission, some of whom helped craft Aippa, had smuggled gay
rights under a section on natural differences in the 2000 draft.

This, according to those who were part of the Constitutional Commission, was
meant to attract donor funds.

Top Harare lawyer Selby Hwacha said Aippa clearly recognised gay rights.

“I have searched and gone through the statutes in Zimbabwe. The only statute
that protects the rights of gays in Zimbabwe is Aippa. There is no other.
Anyone who believes to the contrary should come forward with that statute
which speaks otherwise,” he said.

“The other time I heard of gay rights was in the rejected 2000 draft
constitution which was supported by Zanu PF,” Hwacha said.

Jeremiah Bamu of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said: “I only know
Aippa as the only law that guarantees privacy of persons in Zimbabwe. It is
the only law that the government of Zimbabwe has passed to safeguard
Zimbabweans’ privacy. There has been no other law,” he said.

Former deputy minister of information Jameson Timba, now the Minister of
State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said he had warned his colleagues in
the ministry of information that Aippa actually recognised gay rights.

“When I was deputy minister of media, I told my colleagues that in broader
terms, Aippa needed to be repealed. I also told them that their president
(Mugabe) would not be happy that they were keeping an Act of Parliament
which protects gay rights and which their president considers worse than
pigs and dogs.

“They said it didn’t matter as they wanted to keep Aippa to maintain a grip
on journalism in the country,” said Timba.

Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo doubted whether Mugabe was hoodwinked into
signing a law which recognised gays.
Said Gumbo: “We cannot say the president was duped into signing a law that
he does not fully understand in terms of political and legal provisions.

“When President Mugabe signed Aippa, the law had been taken through a
rigorous screening process by both the government lawyers and his advisors.

“So when he signed it, he was fully briefed and clear on what kind of law he
was signing.”

Zanu PF officials have been lashing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai over
gay rights yet it appears their officials want the rights protected.

During an interview with the BBC, recently, Tsvangirai said he supported the
protection of minority rights.

Zanu PF is now accusing Tsvangirai of promoting gay activities in the
country.

During the time when the Aippa Bill was being debated in Parliament, MDC
legislators walked out of proceedings on several occasions in protest
against some sections of the Bill.

They argued the Bill would create an environment which would allow Zanu PF
to muzzle the media, while Zanu PF hit back, arguing there was need for the
bill to be enacted into law to enable government to manage the media which
it saw as a proponent of regime change.

The law was used to shut down newspapers including the country’s most
popular newspaper, the Daily News and its sister paper, the Daily News on
Sunday.

The papers have since been re-launched, courtesy of re-licensing by the
coalition government at the behest of Sadc.

Monitor MDGs, MPs urged

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Helen Kadirire, Staff Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:13

HARARE - Parliamentarians in the Sadc region have been urged to create
committees that assist in the monitoring and implementation of Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).

MDC legislator and Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo made the remarks on
Thursday during the official opening of the 30th Plenary Assembly of the
Sadc Parliamentary Forum held in Victoria Falls.

Moyo told delegates that since parliamentarians work with communities, they
should work towards achieving the realisation of the MDGs in their
respective countries.

“Although numerous efforts have been made to achieve the attainment of the
MDGs that particularly affect our region, we are still a long way off in the
eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality and
empowering women, and combating HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases,” Moyo
said.

He urged governments in the region to establish programmes meant to educate
ordinary citizens on what the MDGs are and their intentions as they are the
intended beneficiaries.

Moyo emphasised the need for parliamentarians to double their efforts in the
attainment of the goals as the 2015 deadline is fast approaching.

The MDGs are a product of a meeting of world leaders in New York in
September 2000.

At the New York meeting, eight MDGs were identified which all 193 United
Nations member-states, including Zimbabwe, agreed to work towards achieving
by 2015.

The MDGs include the eradication of poverty and hunger, achievement of
universal primary education, promotion of gender equality, improvement of
child mortality rates, maternal health, combating HIV/Aids, malaria and
other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and develop a global
partnership for development.

However, most countries, including Zimbabwe are still miles away from
achieving the MDGs as 2015 edges nearer.

According to a Zimbabwe Human Development Index (HDI) report for 2011, 17,9
percent of parliamentary seats are held by women, with 48,8 percent of women
having reached secondary or a higher form of education as compared to the 62
percent for men.

For every 100 000 live births in the country, 790 women die from pregnancy
related complications, with the adolescent fertility rate at 64,6 births per
1 000 live births.

Sixty percent of women participate in the labour market as compared to 74,3
percent for men.

The population of Zimbabweans that is languishing in poverty is 14,8
percent, while those vulnerable to poverty are 24 percent.

Health care remains depressed - Tsvangirai

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Gugulethu Nyazema, Senior Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:11

HARARE - Zimbabwe’s health sector still bears scars of neglect and has
remained depressed with major referral hospitals still lacking medicines.

The current state of affairs has been blamed on corruption and politics as
the major contributors to the neglect.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the current state of the health sector
reminds him of the time his mother carried him on the back to walk distances
to seek medical help.

“I remember 50 years ago when my mother would carry me on her back on a
journey to see the doctor and to think that today 50 years later the
situation is still the same,” he said.

Dr Peter Salama, Unicef chief of health said Zimbabwe was only spending an
average of $9 per patient on health care.

“This is compared to the $34 per person in a well-functioning hospital,”
said Salama.

Sebastian Chinhaire, committee chairman of Zimbabwe National Network of
People Living with HIV urged government to complement funding that has
already been channelled by donors to the health sector.

“People  who struggle to afford a decent meal a day are being handed over to
debt collectors for failing to pay hospital fees accrued after being
hospitalised,” said Chinhaire.

In a bid to improve conditions within the health sector, the European Union
and its partners recently donated $436 million through the Health
Transitional Fund to help revamp the nation’s health sector.

The funding was meant to help scrap out user fees and offer free maternal
care for expecting women.

“Government must honour their promise and dedicate at least 15 percent of
the annual budget to the health sector to ensure that all resources needed
are made available.

“This was stated in Article 26 of the Abuja Agreement of 2011,” said
Chinhaire.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZHLR) director Irene Petras said access
to health care continued to be a mammoth task for the Zimbabwe’s poor.

“Morbidity and mortality trends in Zimbabwe show that the population
continues to be affected by common preventable and treatable diseases
including nutritional deficiencies, communicable diseases, as well as
preventable conditions and implications relating to pregnancy and
childbirth,” said Petras.

She said over the years Zimbabweans have lost their dignity and resolve as
their medical needs were being neglected.

“The burden of diseases on the majority cannot be understated. Health is a
priority goal in its own right, a central input into economic development
and poverty reduction.

“It is prudent for the elite to show increased and tangible commitment to
poor people’s health in Zimbabwe,” said Petras.

She said addressing the burden of disease and uplifting ordinary communities
should start with adequate financing of the health sector.

Petras said the ZHLR encourages the government to reject the strategy of
balancing the budget with people’s lives but rather prioritise
sustainability and preservation of human life.

The state of the country’s hospitals is well-articulated by President Robert
Mugabe and senior government officials who shun them in preference of
foreign hospitals.

Mugabe has been frequenting Singapore where he has been receiving treatment
for an undisclosed ailment.

His office said the visits were for medical reviews on his eye cataract.

‘Zim prisons not reformative’

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Tendai Kamhungira, Court Writer
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:27

HARARE - While the local courts deal with different cases everyday, most of
them similar in nature, the question that has been raised is whether there
was a benchmark for determining the verdicts.

When one commits an offence and is brought to the courts, it would appear as
though his or her world suddenly comes to an unhappy end.

Punishment comes in different forms depending on the nature of the offence
that one would have committed, with the most severe being a death penalty.

Several aspects come into play when the magnitude of a punishment is put
under perspective; the first question obviously being, Who benefits from the
punishment?

A wide array of variables are used to build evidence on circumstances
surrounding the commission of a crime; including the nature and
circumstances under which the offence was committed as well as the offender’s
willingness to reform.

Harare lawyer Anesu Vusani Bangidza said punishment for an offence is
justified since it helps to deter would-be-offenders from committing similar
offences, fearing the same fate would befall them.

“Punishment is justified in order to maintain the fabric of society, that
deterrent factor needs to exist. It will deter a number of people and stop
them from committing offences,” said Bangidza.

He also said the difference in sentencing on similar cases varies with
situations and the reason why a person would have committed an offence.

He lamented the country prisons’ conditions which he said are not
rehabilitative but punitive in nature, which do not create room for
behavioural change but rather harden them.

Alec Muchadehama, a prominent Harare human rights lawyer who has won several
human rights awards, concurred with Bangidza and said Zimbabwean prisons did
not provide reformative platforms.

He said forms of punishment depend on the nature of the offence, personal
circumstances and the interest of society which he said needs to be
balanced.

“Sentences depend on the offence and offender. If someone commits an offence
repeatedly, obviously there is need for that person to be removed from the
society,” said Muchadehama, commenting on incarceration punishment.

According to Muchadehama, magistrates can use their own discretion on
mandatory sentences, depending on the circumstances.

While the courts have always imposed sentences to deter criminals and
would-be-criminals from committing further offences, the same people have,
however, reappeared in the same courts.

Muchadehama said courts should use progressive and compensatory sentences
that would assist in rehabilitating criminals.

Courts are compelled to pass sentences that are balanced with the severity
of the crime.

However, a critic could still ask what it means to be “balanced”, and what
an “equivalent” penalty is.

No form of punishment will meet the justice of any case, for example in a
murder case; no sentence would bring back a dead person.

Several circumstances often hover above human judgment that is based upon
one’s discretion.

Zimbabwe has only 8 registered pathologists

http://bulawayo24.com

by Staff reporter
2011 November 20 20:11:51

Legal experts have expressed concern over the small number of pathologists
in the country, saying their scarcity negatively affects the country's
justice delivery system. Information at hand shows that the country has
eight registered pathologists and only one foreign national is engaged to
deal with the issue of body remains.

The skeletal remains that were found at the Harare Agricultural Showgrounds
have exposed deficiencies, as it has emerged that it took more than four
days for the police department to make logistical arrangements for the
remains of the suspected Matapure child to go under the microscope.

A number of legal practitioners, who spoke to reporters, said the issue of
pathologists is worrying as justice is delayed while people are looking for
an expert.

Legal expert, Mr Fortune Chasi said the shortage of pathologists is likely
to make investigations difficult, as the longer it takes for tests to be
done the more likely that the results will be faulty.

The state broadcaster said it is reliably informed that the country has just
eight registered pathologists and only one foreign national is engaged by
the government to deal with the issue of body remains such as bones.

Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to
clarity on the issue were fruitless as the acting Permanent Secretary in the
ministry was said to be in a series of meetings and could not assist this
news crew.

Zimbabwe's king of bling

http://www.news24.com/

2011-11-20 18:15

Nhlalo Ndaba, City Press

Johannesburg - Zimbabwean property mogul Philip Chiyangwa does not have
power or respect, but his money may very well be able to buy it.

Branded the “Kenny Kunene of Zimbabwe”, Chiyangwa is known for his bling
parties and ostentatious living.

Chiyangwa says he is a brand that can keep Zanu-PF in power and that his
money is part of that equation. “My personality can win votes for the party.
I’ll defend Zanu- PF with all that I can use, so help me God,” he says.

He was disgraced by his alleged involvement in espionage – selling state
secrets to foreign governments in exchange for cars and money.

He was acquitted, purportedly because he is President Robert Mugabe’s
nephew, but his political career went down the drain.

After being readmitted into the party at the lowest ranks, he declared his
interest in returning to Parliament after a hiatus of six years in the
political wilderness.

Power and respect is what Chiyangwa dreams of, and he knows his money can
buy it. In the past year he made public appearances where he would throw
money at crowds à la Gaddafi. He also appears in movies and records music.

Chiyangwa believes he can bring back the youth vote into Zanu-PF. “I’m a
role model to most young people who want to make it in life, and I appeal to
most of them. Zanu-PF needs them and we need them to make the dream come
true,” he says.

Big Brother

Last year he started a trust fund to the tune of $300 000 to pay Munyaradzi
Chidzonga, Zimbabwe’s 2010 Big Brother runner-up.

Funding Chidzonga was part of the Chiyangwa campaign trail. Since then
Chidzonga has been roped in as a youth ambassador by Zanu-PF.

He has gone the extra mile in working with Chidzonga in producing movies. He
also built a private school with Zanu-PF’s blessing.

His most spectacular stunt to date was when he drove through the centre of
Harare in his customised Rolls-Royce Phantom – one of the only two in
Zimbabwe – and started giving money to anyone who recognised him.

He even threw some money into the crowd for good measure. This earned him
the name Mudara, meaning “cool old timer”, from the youth.

Analysts say his return to politics is part of a small faction within
Zanu-PF called the Third Way campaign, which wants to establish a base in
the succession race. The Third Way is led by minister of indigenisation,
Savior Kasukuwere.

Says Mike Chidengwe, a political analyst: “He’s working with Kasukuwere –
although Kasukuwere is younger than Chiyangwa. The latter identifies himself
with young blood and that’s where the future of Zanu-PF is.”

University of Zimbabwe political scientist Professor John Makumbe says
Chiyangwa will not add value to the already sinking ship that is Zanu-PF,
but his money will.

“It’s a known fact that Zanu-PF is broke financially as a party, but
individuals like Philip Chiyangwa have the financial muscle to fund the
party’s programmes, such as its national congress expected for December, and
campaign for next year’s polls,” he says.

“But as an individual he doesn’t have political clout. In fact, he’s one of
the people who will fast-track Zanu-PF into oblivion.”

‘No solution will come from outside Zim’

http://www.dailynews.co.zw

By Alfred Tembo, Own Correspondent
Sunday, 20 November 2011 13:08

HARARE - Zimbabwe’s three principals to the GPA are the only ones who have
the power to negotiate a way out of the current political maze the country
finds itself as opposed to outside intervention, says a visiting South
African analyst.

Leon Hartwell, a South African-based analyst told a gathering in Gweru last
week that a smooth resolution can only be achieved through dialogue among
the three and that no outside intervention could help speed the process.

“There is need for dialogue that would involve the parties that signed the
GPA. Mediators will not solve anything and the three principals should set
their own agenda,” said Hartwell.

He said the outlined agreements were being hampered by the politicians who
enjoyed uttering retrogressive statements that collided with what was agreed
in the preliminary arrangements.

Speaking at Gweru Memorial Library’s under the “Food for Thought” session,
Hartwell said: “There are people in the security forces that have publicly
announced that they will not salute MDC president, should he be voted in
office.

“The three principals should amicably chart on the most formal and possible
way forward that will resolve the differences rather than involving external
voices,” he said.

Hartwell said although the GPA seemed a perfect set up, it needs to be
revisited since they are some areas where important issues were overlooked
in the process of drafting.

“The Healing Organ is regarded by the majority as ineffective following its
failure to address matters that deal with compensation, justice, immunity,
amnesty, among other important issues” he said.

Hartwell, who was in the country to conduct public lectures on transitional
justice, said regardless of political maturity within the country, the
biggest challenge was the pride with Zimbabwe political leaders who always
wanted to have their presence felt.

“President (Robert) Mugabe should accept these short comings and sit down
with his counterparts in the inclusive government in order to solve the
issues and challenges Zimbabwe is currently facing. This can only be done as
a team than as an individual,” he said.

“The last election was Zimbabwe’s first stint to turn a new leaf in the
politically-polarised environment that should encourage a peaceful
engagement from the violent past,” he said.

'Dictators be warned' - Tsvangirai

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

ZOLI MANGENA 17 hours 14 minutes ago

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says the "Arab Spring" uprisings across
North Africa and the Middle East have given momentum to the new struggle for
democracy in Africa, including in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai, who has been battling to dislodge President Robert Mugabe and
his Zanu-PF for the past decade, told the official opening of the MEDays, a
debating forum organised by the Amadeus Institute, in Tangier in the north
of Morocco this week, that the recent and ongoing revolutions were a warning
to African dictators who cling to power through violence and coercion.

He said African leaders had betrayed the struggle against colonialism by
inheriting the "same traits and culture of impunity, corruption, repression,
misgovernance and personal aggrandisement".

"I have been invited here to speak about the democratisation movement in
Africa, the spring revolutions in this part of our continent - and to give a
perspective on these developments which have had a far deeper meaning to the
universal struggle for democracy," Tsvangirai said. African leaders and
others must learn from the spring revolutions, he said.

"There are many lessons for all of us arising from these spring revolutions.
The first is that political leaders can only take the people for granted at
their own risk.

"The second is that we must listen more to the people - because God gave us
one mouth and two ears so that we could listen more than we talk down to the
citizens that we govern in our continent," he added.

"The third lesson is that you must retire in your prime, because overstaying
in office certainly leads to a time of diminishing returns, when our age and
competence cannot cope with the dictates of a new era.

"The fourth, and most important lesson, is that we must always respect the
will of the people. Any government that claims to be in charge should have
the clear mandate of its people.

"What we have seen in Kenya and Zimbabwe demonstrates a serious breach and
betrayal of the will of the people - because those who lost the election
were brought back into government through the formation of dubious coalition
governments.

"The good news is that at least the will of the people was eventually
allowed to prevail in the Ivory Coast."

Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe was going through a delicate transition towards
free and fair elections to resolve the decade-long political stalemate
caused by disputed election results.

"As we prepare for the next election, I urge all of you to support and call
for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe in which the people's will is
respected and protected."

The premier said the struggle for democracy in Africa had been gradual and
painful.

"Let me say from the outset that the struggle for democracy in Africa has
been piecemeal, pedantic and painful. From Casablanca to Table Bay, from the
coast of Gabon to Mozambique, Africa's story has been a painful story.

"It has been a story of subjugation and foreign domination by colonial
powers that sought to suppress people, to subjugate them, to pilfer their
resources and to curtail their rights.

"The struggle for independence in the various African countries marked the
first phase of a people that deserved universal standards of equality,
democracy and good governance," Tsvangirai said.

The premier said the new struggle for democracy was aimed at dislodging
stubborn despots who had helped confirm "the negative stereotype of a
continent of political violence, conflict, disease, hunger and many wars.
While we have raised our own sovereign flags after independence, the new
leadership in Africa betrayed the continent's collective struggle and
inherited the same traits and culture of impunity, corruption, repression,
misgovernance and personal aggrandisement."

Tsvangirai said the problem now was that post-colonial leaders in Africa
resisted democracy and good governance, while embracing bad governance and
corruption.

"They have pilfered national resources, pick-pocketed the collective
people's struggle and shut their ears to the loud national demand for
democracy and good governance. They have personalised national institutions,
perfected the art of political patronage and bastardised their own legacy,"
he said.

"It is the same culture that brought about the spring revolutions, when
nations and their people became impatient with repressive leaders." -
timeslive

A call for mass action – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 19th November 2011

A call for mass action in Zimbabwe was made at the Vigil by the leader of the Zimbabwe We Can Movement, Ephraim Tapa. He said the future looked bleak for Zimbabwe: the political parties had failed and this was why the Zimbabwe We Can movement had been launched.

Mr Tapa, a former Chair of the MDC UK, came to the Vigil with a group of the Movement’s leaders who had been at a meeting in London to discuss the way forward in galvanizing support. Ephraim said disturbing developments continued to unfold in Zimbabwe. For instance it had recently taken delivery of more than 20,000 automatic rifles and other military equipment from China and the army was recruiting thousands of jobless young men under Zanu PF instructions.

Ephraim said that, with the Kimberley approval of Marange diamond sales, Zanu PF was ‘not behaving like a party on its way out’ and the entire inclusive government was – as he put it – ‘under the armpit of Mugabe’.

‘‘The GNU is reduced to a mechanism of self-enrichment and protection for the few. We are therefore left with the simple verdict that the future for the generality of Zimbabweans is bleak and this makes the case for mass action and the Zimbabwe We Can Movement’. 

Ephraim added that he wanted to see the UN station an observer mission in Zimbabwe until there were free and fair elections.

Other Points

·          The ZimVigil band’s song ‘Mwari torai vanoti shungurudza’ (God take those who trouble us) has been featured on SW Radio Africa’s new programme ‘Beyond Protest’ (check: http://www.2bctnd.net/swra_wp/?p=12503).

·          A good friend of the Vigil passed by today and gave us £60. We are very grateful.

·          We are pleased to hear that ROHR activist Lovemore Muzadzi who resisted deportation is now out of detention. Lovemore wishes to convey his gratitude to all those who supported him and campaigned for his release.

·          The Zimbabwe Association recently marked its 10^th Anniversary. Check their Annual Report 2011 which recounts some of their achievements: http://zimassoc.wordpress.com/events/agm-2011/.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil website.

FOR THE RECORD: 94 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

·         The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents the views and opinions of ROHR.

·         ZBN News. The Vigil management team wishes to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN News.

·         The theme song of the Zim Vigil band (Farai Marema and Dumi Tutani) can be downloaded from www.imusicafrica.com. The song is ‘Vigil Yedu (our Vigil)’. To watch the video check: http://ourvigil.notlong.com. To watch other Zim Vigil band protest songs, check: http://Shungurudza.notlong.com and http://blooddiamonds.notlong.com.

·         ROHR Manchester Vigil. Saturday 26^th November from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Cathedral Gardens, Manchester City Centre (subject to change to Piccadilly Gardens). Contact: Tafadzwa Mutyambizi 07833787019, Chamunorwa Chihota 07799446404, Panyika Karimanzira 07538534375, Artwell Pfende 07886839353, Lorraine Mudjgiwa 07826141885. Future demonstration: 31^st December. Same time and venue.

·         Human Rights Day at the Zimbabwe Vigil. Saturday 10^th December from 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, London.  We will be joined by the Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN) who will be bringing human rights speakers and activists from a variety of civil society organizations in Zimbabwe. 

·         ROHR Manchester Meetings. Saturday 10^th December (committee meeting from 11 am – 1 pm, general meeting from 2 – 5 pm). Venue: The Salvation Army Citadel, 71 Grosvenor Road, Manchester M13 9UB. Contact; Tafadzwa Mutyambizi 07833787019, Chamunorwa Chihota 07799446404, Panyika Karimanzira 07538534375, Artwell Pfende 07886839353, Lorraine Mudjgiwa 07826141885

·         Vigil Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.

·         Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.

·         ‘Through the Darkness’, Judith Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.  To receive a copy by post in the UK please email confirmation of your order and postal address to ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level students in Zimbabwe.

Vigil co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.

Bill Watch - Parliamentary Committees Series - 19th November 2011 [Meetings Open to Public 21st-24th November]