http://www.voanews.com/
Civil servants are hoping that Minister Biti will announce
higher salaries
while businesses would like to see wider access to
financing
Gibbs Dube | Washington 23 November 2010
Following
consultations with business, labor, civil society and the
Zimbabwean public,
Finance Minister Tendai Biti is to present his 2011
budget to Parliament on
Thursday.
VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube reports that civil servants
hope Biti will
announce higher salaries and businesses want expanded access
to financing.
But for most Zimbweans struggling to make ends meet, the
budget may not
bring much relief.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of
Zimbabwe Industries is urging the government
to come up with what it calls a
pro-poor 2011 budget to help create jobs and
promote economic
growth.
Independent economist Charles Mutasa told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Jonga
Kandemiiri that the CZI recomendations are in line with the call by
the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions for the protection of local industries
from cheap imports.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Tobias Manyuchi Wednesday 24 November
2010
HARARE – Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has
called for an
inter-party political agreement on free and fair elections,
repeating he
will boycott polls held in an environment of violence and human
rights
abuses.
Speaking in Harare days after a meeting of the
regional SADC body that was
expected to discuss a possible roadmap to
democratic elections in Zimbabwe
failed to take place last weekend,
Tsvangirai said the country’s political
leaders should come up with clear
benchmarks for a free and fair poll.
"The country is better off if the
political leadership (were) to come up
with a roadmap with clear benchmarks
of what the conditions of that election
will be," said Tsvangirai, speaking
at a Harare church on Monday night.
Tsvangirai, who before his Monday
speech had already declared he would not
participate in elections that are
violent, said: “We have stated that we do
not want to be part of any war
(electoral violence). We want people to elect
their government
freely.”
Both Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe have called for
elections next
year to choose a new government to replace their uneasy
coalition
administration.
But there are growing fears that political
violence – resurgent in many
parts of the country – could worsen once a new
vote is called, especially
because the unity government has done little or
nothing to achieve national
healing and reconciliation or to reform the
security forces blamed of
masterminding violence in previous
elections.
Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have sought to cast Tsvangirai’s
concerns about
political violence as fear of defeat at the polls and sign
that his MDC-T
party was not ready for elections.
But Tsvangirai said
his party was ready for elections, however it would not
take part in a vote
in which the will of the electorate will not be upheld.
"We will go to
any election, but (the question is) what kind of an election?
Is it a
credible, legitimate one or.. an election which does not respect the
will of
the people," said Tsvangirai, who in 2008 boycotted a second round
presidential ballot citing state-sponsored attacks against his
supporters.
Tsvangirai had been widely tipped to win the run-off election
after beating
Mugabe in the first round ballot. His withdrawal allowed
Mugabe to win
uncontested.
But the veteran President’s blood-soaked
victory was rejected by the
international community including some of his
African allies forcing him to
agree to form a power-sharing government with
Tsvangirai and Deputy Primer
Minister Arthur Mutambara. – ZimOnline.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona Sibanda
24
November 2010
The former ruling ZANU PF party is recruiting young people
from the
countryside to train as soldiers in order to beef up its terror
gangs, a
former Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) officer claimed on
Wednesday.
Shepherd Yuda, who trained new recruits as an instructor
during his stint
with the ZPS told us the timing of the recruitment fitted
in well with ZANU
PF’s plan of unleashing another wave of deadly attacks
against anyone
perceived as a political opponent.
‘I was in the
prison service for 12 years and I managed to cultivate close
ties with
people in the armed forces, including some in the dreaded CIO.
What I have
gathered is that most of those responsible for the atrocities
two years ago
fled the country in fear of reprisals,’ Yuda said, adding that
others have
since retired.
Yuda is best known for risking his life secretly filming
how members of the
security services were forced to vote under supervision,
during the one-man
presidential run-off. He said those that are still in the
service are either
too old to be used as hired goons or have become
uncomfortable killing
people.
‘I’ve been an instructor before and I
know how a new recruit behaves.
Because of desperation they are easily being
manipulated by ZANU PF to join
the army where they will be indoctrinated to
talk ZANU PF, eat ZANU PF,
sleep ZANU PF and kill for ZANU PF,’ Yuda
added.
Two weeks ago, the armed forces public relations department
announced that
the army would be moving around some districts of the country
recruiting
soldiers. The exercise will run until December after which the
new recruits
will begin training in January and complete in June, when
Mugabe is expected
to call for elections.
The MDC also reported that
in Gutu last week ZANU PF militia, led by Sipho
Musarurwa, forced male
students at Sotisi High School to register for
militia training upon
completion of their examinations.
Their statement said all male students
in ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels at the school
were forced to supply their names, age
and names of their headmen to
Musarurwa’s group.
Efforts by the
headmaster and teachers to stop the process failed. The
terrified students
were told to prepare for ZANU PF militia training once
they completed their
examinations in December.
In the past week we’ve also been reporting
cases of MDC activists being
forced to go into hiding in some areas of
Chipinge East after armed soldiers
went around the constituency flushing out
known opponents of ZANU PF and
beating them up.
The soldiers are
reportedly forcing villagers to chant ZANU PF slogans.
Those that fail to
chant the former ruling party slogans are deemed to be
pro-MDC and face the
wrath of the marauding soldiers.
And it’s not just soldiers involved in
the latest repression. Last week
there were reports suggesting that the
Zimbabwe Republic Police is recalling
retired police officers and war vets
to take up vacant posts in the force to
direct operations during the 2011
elections. The weekly Zimbabwe Standard
reported that the re-calling of the
ex-cops follows the scrapping of this
year's promotional examinations for
the police force, which were scheduled
to start earlier this
month.
The police have since arrested the author of that article, Nqobani
Ndlovu,
and charged him with criminal defamation. He is still languishing in
jail, a
week after he was arrested in Bulawayo.
Wiseman says civil
servants were paid bonuses but it didn’t help as the cost
of living
continues to rise and prices of basic foods are unbearably high;
and Nyorewa
says Mugabe is an old founder leader of SADC and is taking
advantage of the
new SADC leaders naivety, to bully them and force them to
do as he wishes.
The MDC & other parties should not rely on SADC to find
solutions to the
crisis in Zimbabwe.
http://www.voanews.com/
Before
Major Reforms
Both President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai have told
supporters to brace for elections next year when the
lifespan of the unity
government expires.
Ntungamili Nkomo |
Washington DC 23 November 2010
The political climate in Zimbabwe is not
yet conducive to a free and fair
general election, British Ambassador to
Zimbabwe Mark Canning said Tuesday.
The diplomat warned the polls, which
President Mugabe wants to be held some
time next year, could produce the
same result as the 2008 eelctions if held
under the prevailing
conditions.
Speaking at a press briefing Canning said Zimbabwe needs time
to work on
media and political reforms, including repealing repressive
legislation,
introducing new electoral laws, and updating the voter's
roll.
Both President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have
told
supporters to brace for elections next year when the lifespan of the
unity
government expires.
Mr Mugabe says soon after a referendum is
held next year on the draft
constitution, elections to chose a new
leadership for the country must
follow.
But ambassador Canning told
the news conference that the time was not yet
ripe for fresh polls,
especially in the absence of major reforms.
"It is not for us to say when
elections should be held. It is for the
parties in the global political
agreement to decide when the next election
should be held," he
said.
"We envisage that a poll that is held prematurely will neither be
free nor
fair," Canning added.
Political analyst Brilliant Mhlanga
told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili
Nkomo that parties in the inclusive
government must first meet certain
benchmarks that guarantee a free and fair
election before calling for a
fresh poll.
http://www.voanews.com/
Through the
billboards, the civic group is calling on government to ratify
the UN
Convention Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment
and the
abolition of torture.
Tatenda Gumbo | Washington 23 November
2010
Police in Bulawayo have been ordered by the courts to stop removing
billboards mounted by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum calling for an end
to abuses against rights activists and opponents of President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu PF party.
The group is now seeking compensation for its
ads that were pulled down and
destroyed by police in a recent operation
targetting Bulawayo, the country's
second largest city.
The
billboards were calling on the government to ratify the UN Convention
Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment and the abolition
of torture by the State. Police charge that the ads are offensive and could
cause disharmony.
Executive Director Abel Chikomo of the Human Rights
NGO Forum said he agreed
recently to meet with the police over the matter,
but when he got to
Bulawayo he found that most billboards had already been
destroyed.
As a result, Chikomo refused to meet with the police accusing
them of acting
in bad faith. Chikomo told VOA Studio 7 reporter Tatenda
Gumbo that he was
concerned that the police were against the NGO’s
anti-torture campaign.
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Chenai Maramba Wednesday 24
November 2010
KAROI – A man here accused of insulting President
Robert Mugabe was
yesterday remanded to next year but not before the
magistrate sternly warned
him to watch what he says in public or he will
“die for nothing”.
“As the country braces itself for elections, I am
warning you to be cautious
about what you say in public. You will die for
nothing,” Karoi magistrate
Onias Matare told Garikai Chimanga Sibanda who is
accused of insulting
Mugabe.
Sibanda, 26, who was granted bail during
an earlier court appearance more
than a week ago, was yesterday asked to
return to court on February 4, next
year.
According to the state,
Sibanda sometime earlier this month had an
altercation with another man only
identified as Zijena, who is said to work
for the President’s office as a
messenger.
During the altercation Sibanda is said to have uttered
derogatory and
obscene words -- that we cannot repeat on a family website –
against Mugabe.
It is an offence under Zimbabwe’s tough security laws to
undermine or insult
Mugabe, the only ruler Zimbabweans have ever known since
the country’s
independence from Britain 30 years ago.
However after
apparently realising that he had overstepped the mark, Sibanda
went to the
local offices of the government’s spy Central Intelligence
Organisation
where he confessed to insulting Mugabe and begged for
forgiveness.
He
was asked to write a report before he was handed over for prosecution.
A
number of Zimbabweans have been arrested over the past few years for
insulting Mugabe whom they blame for ruining what was once one of Africa’s
success stories. - ZimOnline
http://www.radiovop.com
24/11/2010 09:55:00
Harare, November
24, 2010 - Zimbabwe's cash-strapped bloated civil service
on Tuesday
scrambled for hard earned cash after they were given their
promised 13th
cheque, Radio VOP can reveal.
The Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, last
month told the nation that
despite being broke, the Zimbabwe Government
would honour its huge civil
service including retired goons.
There
were long queues reminiscent of the days of the worthless Zimbabwe
dollar as
workers began lining up for their money from as early as 5 am on
Tuesday in
Harare.
Radio VOP conducted a survey around major banking groups in the
capital and
witnessed very long queues at the Central Africa Building
Society (CABS),
First Banking Corporation Limited (FirstBank), ZB Bank
Limited, the People's
Bank (POSB) and CBZ Bank Limited (CBZ).
There
were, however, no queues at the foreign owned banks such as the
Standard
Chartered Bank of Zimbabwe Limited (Stanchart), Stanbic and
Barclays Bank of
Zimbabwe Limited (Barclays).
Zimbabwean civil servants earn an average of
about U$160 monthly and usually
withdraw all of it at one go especially
after pay day leaving no cash in
their accounts.
"I received US$1 200
today," said a civil servant in an interview with Radio
VOP shortly after
she had withdrawn her much needed cash. "I earn US$600
monthly but this
month I got a bonus. I have US$1 200 in my wallet."
Others interviewed
said they were very happy to get their monthly bonus this
year coming at a
time when they were seriously broke.
Meanwhile, clothes and food stuffs
in the capital city have skyrocketed at
an average of about US$2 an item
much to the amazement and dismay from the
locals here.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
23 November 2010
ZANU PF’s campaign of violence,
unleashed in June 2008 after the party lost
elections in March to the MDC,
has claimed yet another life. On Tuesday the
MDC reported that Evelyn
Gurajena, ward secretary for Nyazvinzi in Gutu
North, died last week from
injuries sustained when she was attacked by ZANU
PF militia back in June
2008.
Tragically her husband, Albert Gurajena, died in September from
injuries
suffered during an attack by the same youths in June 2008. He was
an MDC
activist in the area and had campaigned for MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai
when he defeated Robert Mugabe.
The MDC released a
statement that the couple have left five children behind.
Evelyn Gurajena
was buried last Saturday, before hundreds of party
supporters at Nyazvinzi
Village.
The death of this husband and wife is a reminder that although
the MDC
officially reported that over 500 of their supporters were killed in
the
violent ZANU PF campaign that followed the elections, many more died
later,
and continue to die, from injuries sustained during the attacks. Tens
of
thousands were tortured and assaulted and many more had their homes and
property burned by ZANU PF thugs.
With elections expected in Zimbabwe
in 2011, the MDC has called for all
violence to stop and for soldiers that
have been deployed in the rural areas
to return to their bases. But ZANU PF
has shown no willingness to do this.
Associated Press
Nov 24, 9:50 AM EST
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- A Zimbabwean prison official
says a man who spent
two months in prison with his intestines hanging out
has been taken to the
hospital.
Harare Remand Prison's superintendent
says suspected motorcycle thief Baos
Chimwanza was taken to the hospital
Tuesday after appearing in court. The
judge sent him to the hospital and
postponed his trial.
Chief Superintendent Billiot Chibaya says Chimwanza
was shot in the stomach
when police tried to arrest him in September. He has
suffered with a
protruding intestine since.
Chibaya said Wednesday
the prisoner uses colostomy bags to cover his
intestines and takes
painkillers.
The prison official says Chimwanza was taken to a hospital
Oct. 11, but has
not returned since. The prison doctor would not comment on
his condition.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com
Nov 24, 2010, 11:12
GMT
Harare - Planned investments by British businesses in Zimbabwe will
be
treated 'very negatively', the minister in charge of plans to enforce
black
ownership of companies operating in the country said
Wednesday.
'I personally will view any investment from the British very
negatively,'
Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere told a business
forum.
'The same would apply to companies from those countries with
negative
interests or attitudes against Zimbabwe,' he
added.
Kasukuwere said targeted sanctions imposed by Britain and other
Western
governments on President Robert Mugabe and around 200 members of his
inner
circle in 2002 had made it almost impossible to do business in
Zimbabwe.
Western governments hold a different view.
They say that
Mugabe's populist policies are to blame for the slow
strangulation of the
economy between 2000 and 2008.
Kasukuwere's remarks are seen as a sign
that the country's power- sharing
government intends pressing ahead with the
laws requiring foreign- and
white-owned firms to transfer a majority stake
in their companies to black
Zimbabweans.
The introduction of the
nationalist laws earlier this year spooked foreign
investors and put the
brakes on the fragile recovery begun when Mugabe
agreed to share power with
former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai after
violent elections in
2008.
Britain's ambassador to Harare Mark Canning said Kasukuwere's
remarks
smacked of crude populism and would further alienate
investors.
Tsvangirai told an investor conference in South Africa in
September that the
government would lower the black Zimbabwean ownership
quota for
capital-intensive businesses, such as mining.
He also
assured there would be no expropriations, answering fears that
businesses
could be taken over by force, as happened with thousands of
white-owned
farms.
Kasukuwere also said there would be no 'grabs' but insisted the
new
ownership laws would be enforced.
'Whether you like it or not,
nothing will stop this process (indigenisation)
from going forward,' he
said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex
Bell
24 November 2010
South African authorities have warned that any
applications for work permits
made by Zimbabweans after a December 31
deadline, will not be accepted.
Zimbabweans living illegally in South
Africa have been given until the end
of the year to regularise their stay in
the country, by obtaining relevant
work or study permits. When the deadline
passes, South Africa has said it
will start deporting undocumented
Zimbabweans back to their country.
But the documentation process has not
gone according to plan for the tens of
thousands of Zimbabweans without
proper papers. Applying for the permits is
dependent on having Zimbabwean
documents, which has been impossible for many
because the Zimbabwean
consulate has not been issuing passports on time.
There have also been
numerous reports of corruption in the consular offices,
with some
Zimbabweans being refused passports or being asked for bribes.
Even
Zimbabwe’s Registrar General, Tobaiwa Mudede, has warned that the
estimated
1.4 million Zimbabwean nationals living illegally in South Africa
are
unlikely to have regularised their stay by the December 31 deadline.
Speaking before Parliament's committee on Defence and Home Affairs last
Monday, Mudede said his office was unable to cope with the demand for
Zimbabwe passports. He said that as of October 31 only 7,500 passports had
been issued.
Zimbabwean rights groups in South Africa have also
warned that the December
31 deadline is unrealistic and have been urging the
authorities to extend
the cut off period. But South Africa has insisted it
will not budge and on
Tuesday Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
again reiterated that
the deadline would remain in place.
“There is
no way that this can be extended. There are challenges and we are
trying to
address them,” she said, adding that the deadline “is very
firm”.
According to Dlamini-Zuma, only those Zimbabweans already in the
application
system and those awaiting passports will be assisted, but
applications made
after the deadline passes will be refused.
Braam
Hanekom from the Western Cape based refugee rights group PASSOP, said
the
announcement is a “big blow” and expressed hope that the decision will
be
reviewed closer to the deadline. He said dismissing any talk of extending
the deadline so far in advance “is really unfair.” He also added that
announcing that applications will not be accepted after the deadline passes,
is contrary to plans of having an effective documentation system for
migrants. He said that “if the South African authorities want this plan to
succeed then they need to be realistic.”
Hanekom meanwhile also
lashed out at the Zimbabwean authorities, saying they
“have truly failed
their own citizens in this process.”
“Zimbabwe has failed to meet its own
deadlines in supplying passports,
creating victims of Zimbabweans in South
Africa,” Hanekom said.
He added: “The treatment that Zimbabweans
originally fled is now extending
beyond the country’s borders.”
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
24 November
2010
The MDC-T on Wednesday moved swiftly to suspend its
Director-General,
Toendepi Shonhe, following reports that he was caught with
a married woman
in a Bulawayo hotel at the weekend. Kudakwashe Matimbiri has
now been
recalled from leave to take over Shonhe’s position at the party’s
headquarters.
According to reports Shonhe, and fellow MDC-T worker
Sandra Mutsimba who are
both married, were caught red-handed by Mutsimba’s
husband who happened to
have booked into the same hotel. Instead of showing
any remorse the bulky
Shonhe is alleged to have assaulted the husband during
a scuffle. Police in
Bulawayo confirmed Shonhe was arrested for
assault.
At a press conference Wednesday at the MDC-T Harvest House
headquarters,
spokesman Nelson Chamisa announced the decision to suspend
both Shonhe and
Mutsimba. The suspensions are meant to pave the way for an
‘investigation
into allegations of misconduct, professional deviance and
unacceptable
behaviour within the party’s rank and file,’ Chamisa
said.
Earlier in the day party executives met with MDC-T President
Tsvangirai and
it was there that the decision was made. Our correspondent
Simon Muchemwa
reports that there was also pressure from the Women’s
Assembly to act, or
face a protest. Chamisa said the investigation will take
8 days and a three
member committee, comprising two National Executive
Committee members,
Norman Mabhena, Lucia Matibenga plus Harare lawyer
Innocent Chagonda, will
carry out the investigations.
A statement
issued by the party says the investigation will look into
whether both
Shonhe and Mutsimba had violated ‘the MDC code of ethics and
values that
should guide all MDC officials, elected, appointed and deployed.’
Chamisa
said; ‘This shows the difference between us and ZANU PF, if we have
an issue
we act on it, if we have a Chombo at Harvest House we act.”
Chamisa was
referring to Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo who,
despite
revelations of his corruptly acquired massive wealth, has still not
been
brought to book by either his party, government or the police.
Meanwhile
speaking at the same press conference Chamisa said they would also
be
investigating allegations that their nominated ambassador to Australia,
Jacqueline Zwambila, had stripped in front of male staff members at the
embassy. ‘We don’t want to judge but we are going to compliment the
investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get to the bottom of
what actually happened in Canberra,” he said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai
Karimakwenda
23 November, 2010
The Bulawayo correspondent for The
Standard weekly newspaper, Nqobani
Ndlovu, continues to languish in
Bulawayo’s Khami prison where he is being
held, in defiance of a
magistrate's order calling for his release on bail.
The journalist was
arrested on November 17th and charged under the Criminal
Law Codification
and Reform Act, with defaming the police force and its
chief, General
Augustine Chihuri. The police are also reportedly hunting for
the
newspaper’s editor, Nevanji Madanhire, over the same story.
In his report
in The Standard newspaper on November 14th, Ndlovu wrote that
the annual
police promotions had been cancelled and war vets and retired
police
officers were being recruited instead, allegedly to help Robert
Mugabe
secure victory in elections next year.
Ndhlovu was granted $100 bail on
November 22nd by Magistrate Sibongile
Msipa, citing the fact that he had
turned himself into the police
voluntarily. But the police immediately used
a section of the Criminal
Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA) to extend his
detention by seven more
days, claiming Ndhlovu was a flight risk. He is now
due back in court on
November 29th.
Ndhlovu’s lawyer, Josphat Tshuma,
told SW Radio Africa that the CPEA is ‘a
right’ given to the state to
indicate to the court that they intend to
appeal. “But you will find that in
most cases this law is invoked so as to
punish the accused person in that
his liberty is delayed by a further 7
days,” said the frustrated
lawyer.
Tshuma explained that in the case of Nqobani Ndlovu there is
absolutely no
reason why the state should appeal against the bail judgment.
“In fact
section 96 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act is not an
offence,” he
added, stressing that this was decided by the High Court and
also confirmed
by the Supreme Court in another case.
Tshuma said
Ndhlovu had been visited by some colleagues who are bringing him
food every
day. They reported that the journalist is in ‘better spirits’ and
had been
moved to his own cell, away from hardened criminals.
The same report in
The Standard led to police briefly detaining and
questioning Dumisani
Sibanda, who is president of the Zimbabwe Union of
Journalists (ZUJ) and the
Bulawayo bureau chief of Alpha Media Holdings
(AMH), which owns three
independent newspapers. There are reports that
journalists in Bulawayo are
planning to take some action about Ndlovu’s
case, but it is not clear
exactly what they are considering.
The global press freedom group, Reporters
Without Borders, has condemned
Ndhlovu’s continued detention, and called for
his release and for ‘an
independent justice system free from political
pressure’.
Meanwhile in news from Chipinge, a magistrate on Tuesday
granted $100 bail
to Gift Mafuka, who had been convicted and jailed for
allegedly undermining
Robert Mugabe’s authority.
Back in August
Mafuka was accused of questioning two young boys who were
wearing T-shirts
with images of Robert Mugabe. He then allegedly assaulted
one of the boys,
saying that Mugabe was in his last term in office and that
the MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai would be the next president.
Mafuka’s $100 bail
sentence is pending an appeal which was filed by his
lawyer Langton Mhungu
from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. He is
expected to be released
once the Chipinge court clerk serves release orders
to the Officer in Charge
of Mutare Prison, where he is being held.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Lance Guma
24 November
2010
An award winning and internationally acclaimed actor, who tried to
have a
one-man protest, was arrested by police in Harare on Wednesday.
Silvanos
Mudzvova wanted to march on Parliament building to demand that MP’s
and
other elected officials should declare their assets before taking
office.
On Tuesday evening police called Mudzvova to confirm the start
time for his
demo and on Wednesday at 10am they were right on time to arrest
him just as
he tied his placards around himself. Speaking to SW Radio Africa
Mudzvova
said the police, despite earlier sanctioning his protest, made a
u-turn and
claimed his placards and petition were ‘subversive’ and
tantamount to ‘hate
speech’.
The actor was taken to Harare central
police station where officers seized
his placards. One senior officer told
Mudzvova they could not allow his
protest because it ‘posed a security
threat as there were ZBC broadcast vans
outside Parliament preparing to film
the budget presentation on Thursday.’
Mudzvova was later released by police.
His lawyers have since filed a court
application challenging the decision to
block the protest.
Two weeks ago the country was stunned by the
revelations centred on the
spectacular personal wealth of Local Government
Minister Ignatius Chombo. In
response Mudzvova wanted to give a petition to
the Clerk of Parliament,
calling for all the MP’s to craft a law that will
make it mandatory for
office bearers to declare their assets.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
24
November 2010
The State says it is ready to prosecute a group of diamond
executives linked
to fraud at the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields,
just days after ZANU
PF was accused of a smear campaign against
them.
The officials are linked to the Canadile Mining firm, which is a
joint
venture group between the parastatal Zimbabwe Mining Development
Corporation
(ZMDC) and a South African company, Core Mining and Minerals.
Six officials
from the joint venture were originally arrested earlier this
month, accused
of misrepresenting their financial capacity to obtain the
Chiadzwa mining
claim. This included the director of Core Mining, Lovemore
Kurotwi and five
ZMDC officials, who have all denied the fraud
charges.
The group have all been released from custody, but the state
said this week
it was ready to bring charges against the five ZMDC
officials. They were set
to appear before the court on routine remand on
Wednesday.
The Zimbabwe government, through the ZMDC parastatal, has
taken full control
of Canadile, while Core Mining’s diamond claims have been
cancelled. At the
same time all 12 of Canadile’s directors have been
blacklisted from further
mining activities in the country.
The fraud
allegations are alleged to be the tip of the iceberg of the
corruption in
the country’s diamond industry, with top ZANU PF officials
said to be
involved in plundering the Chiadzwa site for their own gain. The
MDC has
said the arrested officials are ‘small fry’, amid comments from
observers
that the arrested group are the scapegoat for the senior
officials. Rights
groups have also said that ZANU PF is using the diamond
wealth to prop up
the Robert Mugabe regime ahead of elections.
An official of Core Minerals
and Mining has also accused ZANU PF of staging
a hostile takeover of
Canadile’s mining claims, which supports the various
claims of ZANU PF’s
suspicious involvement. In an open letter to Robert
Mugabe last week, the
Core Mining shareholder accused certain ZANU PF
members of leading a smear
campaign to move away from their contractual
obligations with Core Mining.
The official said an estimated US$70 million
worth of stockpiled gems could
disappear from its vault at Chiadzwa unless
the mine’s security is
reinforced.
http://www.zimonline.co.za
by Partricia Mpofu Wednesday 24
November 2010
HARARE – The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
on Tuesday accused the
country’s ruling coalition of misplaced priorities
for remaining silent in
the face of increasing rights abuses and the jailing
of a journalist.
The union -- which has long been critical of President
Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s unity government deal
as serving the
interests of political elites not ordinary citizens -- said
official silence
as law enforcement agencies continue holding a journalist
in prison has
further dented the image of the coalition
administration.
State prosecutors blocked on Monday the release on bail
of a journalist,
Nqobani Ndlovu, who has languished in jail since his arrest
last Wednesday
for writing a story claiming police authorities were hiring
pro-Mugabe war
veterans and recalling retired officers ahead of elections
next year.
In a statement demanding the immediate release of Ndlovu the
ZCTU said: “The
silence on the arrest of Ndlovu from government corridors
has been
deafening.
"This and other incidents of rights abuses and
arrests have further dented
the image of the inclusive government and sends
out a clear message that
parties to the inclusive have misplaced
priorities.”
To block a magistrate’s order for the liberation of Ndlovu,
prosecutors who
report to Attorney General Johannes Tomana – a hardliner
Mugabe ally –
invoked a law that allows the state to delay release of
dangerous suspects
on bail for up to seven days.
The ZCTU said it was
depressing that the state resorted to invoking the law
to block the release
of a reporter, who poses no threat to society.
“This provision should be
used against dangerous criminals,” the ZCTU said.”
This (Ndlovu’s continued
detention) is a terrible blow to efforts by media
groups and journalist to
lobby and advocate for media freedom.”
There was no immediate response
from the government to the ZCTU’s statement.
The Harare unity government
has implemented some reforms to open up media
space, including issuing
licenses to privately owned newspapers to publish
and compete with the
government’s vastly dominant newspaper empire.
But hardliner elements in
Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the security forces
have in recent weeks moved to
clamp down on the media and whittle down the
little democratic space that
had opened up during the nearly two years of
unity government.
Nldovu
is the third journalist to be arrested in less than two months after
the
police also arrested two freelance reporters last month while covering a
public debate on the country’s proposed new constitution.
The police
two weeks ago issued a warrant for the arrest of veteran editor
Wilf Mbanga,
who is based in Britain from where he publishes The Zimbabwean
newspaper. --
ZimOnline
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Patricia Mpofu and Tobias Manyuchi
Wednesday 24 November 2010
HARARE – Zimbabwe police have arrested two
suspects over the killing of a
prominent white farmer last month, in a rare
case when police have acted
swiftly against crime on commercial
farms.
Former Zimbabwe Tobacco Association president Kobus Joubert was
four weeks
ago shot dead at his farm near Chegutu town by armed robbers who
got away
with money and two pistols.
The mainly white Commercial
Farmers Union (CFU) said on Tuesday that it had
been told by the police that
they had arrested the suspects and also
recovered the two pistols stolen
during the robbery.
“We have been notified by Police CID that arrests
have been made of people
suspected of being involved in the tragic murder of
Chegutu farmer Mr Kobus
Joubert last month,” CFU director Hendrik Olivier
said.
“We can also confirm that two pistols, which were allegedly stolen
from Mr
Joubert during the robbery and the subsequent murder have been
recovered and
positively identified.”
The shooting of Joubert at
point-blank range once again drew attention to
the deteriorating situation
on the few remaining white owned farms where
land invasions and violence
have continued with the unity government of
President Robert Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai doing nothing
to restore order on
farms.
Less than 400 white farmers still own land in the country, down
from nearly
5,000 a decade ago when Mugabe began his chaotic and often
violent programme
to seize white-owned farmland for redistribution to
blacks.
Dozens of white farmers have been killed on the commercial farms
in the last
decade, while police have routinely refused to intervene in
cases where
white farmers have come under siege from land invaders.
In
August 2008, Joubert, his wife and some of their farm workers spent weeks
camped on a highway roadside after they were evicted from their farm by a
senior ZANU-PF official but returned to their property after the late Vice
President Joseph Msika intervened. -- ZimOnline
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
24 November, 2010 09:51:00 Staff Reporter
HARARE
–The British government has rebuffed President Robert Mugabe's appeal
for
high level secret talks with the new British Prime Minister David
Cameron,
insisting that they would not undercut their EU partners on respect
for
human rights and rule of law, The Zimbabwe Mail can reveal.
We can also
reveal that Robert Mugabe has been banging on a "Fresh Start"
with the
British government since the formation of the Tories-Lib Dems
coalition
government, but he has been rebuffed and told that the British
government
respects the EU policy on Zimbabwe.
Mugabe has also been told to respect
his coalition partners and in the face
of this rejection, this week, his
State propaganda machine has raised the
anti-British headlines since the
formation of the British coalition.
This week, the State media under
special instructions from former
Information and Publicity Minister and
political science Professor Jonathan
Moyo, who is now playing a leading
consultancy role of special advisor to
Robert Mugabe’s favoured successor
Emmerson Mnangagwa, concocted a story
that the American government is
structuring a financial plan to back MDC-T’s
election campaign next year and
party leader Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai — who it
said is also getting "expert
advice" from a British intelligence operative.
A source in the Zimbabwe
State intelligence has told our reporter this
morning that, under special
instructions, the State propaganda was
conducting a paranoid reaction to a
rejection by the British government to a
Robert Mugabe’s high level approach
for the normalisation of relations.
The propaganda goes on to say: "Apart
from that, Mr. Tsvangirai is
understood to have engaged the services of
British intelligence operative Mr
Charles Heatly (or variously called
Charles Beatle), who is said to be
presently based in Harare and is helping
with speech writing among other
activities.
This is supposed to be a
British Intelligence operative writing "Shona and
Ndebele" speeches for
Tsvangirai to use at rallies in the country side –
this is laughing matter
isn’t it!
"While MDC-T has claimed that Mr. Tsvangirai’s visit was for
State business,
it has emerged that Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to France, Mr.
David Hamadziripi,
was barred from the meeting." the propaganda is carried
through.
So, if Mr. Hamadziripi and every member of staff were barred
from the
meeting, which other source informed the Zanu PF source
then?
We are also told in the propaganda: "Present in the meeting was Mr.
Tsvangirai, party spokesperson Mr. Nelson Chamisa and Mr. Jameson Timba, who
is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office."
"Ambassador
Hamadziripi and embassy staff were not allowed into the
meeting." So, who
has become the source?
"He (Tsvangirai) used the trip to France to hold
meetings with individuals
who promised him backing."
"The Americans
could not understand why Tsvangirai was scared of an election
because the
party and its backers have fed them the myth that Zanu-PF is
finished.
"Thomas Edmonds introduced Tsvangirai to Brad O’Leary, a
prominent pollster
in the US. O’Leary promised to mobilise funding to
finance MDC-T’s election
campaign next year."
Then the author of this
childish propaganda quotes himself saying -
"Political analyst and
Tsholotsho North legislator Professor Jonathan Moyo
said: "Tsvangirai has
been a recipient of a chain of dubious awards from
Western
organisations.
"What seems to be common about the so-called democracy
awards is that they
are all coming from regime change outfits.
"They
allege that he is a champion of democracy yet facts on the ground show
that
he cannot be anywhere close to what they say about him.
"The whole issue
here is about regime change and the US props up figures who
posture as
recognised international statesmen. They reward these people with
dubious
awards while claiming that they are championing democracy."
For years,
since the opposition gave him a rude awakening, Mugabe banked on
the Tories
regaining power in Britain, hoping that would help him normalise
relations
between his terrorist Zanu PF movement and the British government
and the
rest of the Western World.
He has tried to blame the British Labour party
for his woes leading to
the fall-out with the British government and in his
mind, he as this old
school Tories party run by ruthless conservative
British businessmen who
would seek mining rights, no matter the political
situation, in exchange of
political lobbying, but unfortunate for him the
Tories party has transformed
over the years and there is the new fresh faces
not linked to the likes of
the late Tiny Rowland.
Last week Robert
Mugabe sent a delegation to the United Kingdom led by his
Tourism Minister
Walter Mzembi under the guise of "charm offensive", a word
repeatedly used
at newzimbabwe.com.
Mzembi attended a panel of discussion at an
international affairs think-tank
alongside the UK’s Foreign Minister for
Africa, Henry Bellingham, and the UK’s
Zimbabwe Ambassador Mark
Canning.
The Zanu PF youthful Minister, who has escaped travel bans
imposed by the
West on Robert Mugabe's mob, even went to town inferring that
there was now
a new thinking in Britain’s Zimbabwe policy following the fall
of New Labour
in this year’s UK elections which ushered in the
Conservatives-Liberal
Democrats coalition government.
"It is not just
me who noticed a difference; even the Chinese government
noticed a
difference in Prime Minister David Cameron’s approach, which is
more
constructive, very refreshing and contemporary. I have no doubt in my
mind
that they find a generational connection with some of us and we must
leverage that to advance our own interests," Mzembi added.
In
reaction to Mzembi's over the top praise singing, Senior British
officials
who attended the event called on Robert Mugabe to comply with the
rule of
law and human right. He also said Mugabe must comply with global
diamond
trade rules, and also told poor old Mzembi; point blank that
Zimbabwe
government must stop the smuggling of controversial diamonds from
Marange
fields.
"I would urge the Zimbabwe government to do all it possibly can
to become
compliant with Kimberley Process and that will mean that we will
get much
more money coming into the Zimbabwe Exchequer," said Britain's
Africa
Minister Henry Bellingham, in comments cited by Reuters.
He
said the Marange diamond were funding "hardliners" when they should be
benefitting the people of Zimbabwe.
The Britain's Ambassador to
Zimbabwe, Mark Canning also weighed in and said
most high-quality diamonds
from Marange were "going out of the back door,"
or being smuggled out of the
country.
"The composition of Marange diamonds is very distinct ... If you
tip a pot
of them on the table ... you don't see many of the top 14 percent
on the
table," he said.
By the time Mzembi tried to deliver his dear
leader’s message in privacy for
a possible resumption of relations with the
British government, it was
already a toll order and the attempt did not
yield any ground as each time
he was referred to human rights and rule of
law and corruption.
The British officials also insisted that any
discussions should be on the
basis of the Zimbabwe-UK coalition governments
and not on party-to-party
grounds.
Overall, the highly publicised
Mzembi’s UK trip which was hyped by
Newzimbabwe.com as "Charm offensive" in
an article written by hired UK based
former editor of Ibbo Mandaza’s Daily
Mirror, was a dump squib, only
generating childish reactions from the State
media, throwing all toys out of
the pram with propaganda accusations of the
MDC-T link to the supposed
British intelligence agency writing shona
speeches for Tsvangirai.
Robert Mugabe cannot - "never ever ever ever"
(to borrow from his Godly
declarations) - hold an election without attacking
the British and the
United States, and so the change of government in the
United Kingdom was
going to be a lot tricky for him in the next general
elections and so to
pre-empt that tried and tested strategy, Mugabe-attack
on the Brits and the
US – normal relations have resumed –
Brrrrrrrritain.
It's election time Robert Mugabe invests a lot in
propaganda, trumped up
assassination attempts on his life and we're now
being told he is suddenly
Ndebele and some weird and suspicious reports from
Western Capitals giving
raving views on a failed land reform.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The
Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 24 November 2010 17:44
MUDZI - Jatropha, a
fast-growing, drought-resistant tree native to Latin
America, was introduced
to Zimbabwe in the 1940’s. It is found in many
parts of the country, with
concentrations in the North Eastern districts of
Mutoko, Wedza, Chiweshe,
Mudzi, Nynaga North, Guruve and Binga. Research
has shown that the oil the
seeds produce can be used for a number of
purposes. The plant is also used
for hedging and as livestock fence.
Environment Africa worked with the
farming communities in Mudzi and through
an educational and facilitation
process, they are now successfully
processing the oil from the Jatropha seed
and using the oil and its by
products in an economically viable manner.
This self sustaining community
upliftment project was initiated and
implemented by EA through its ‘Support
for Innovative Approaches to
Livelihood Improvement through Energy Provision
and Income Generating
Projects’.
When the project was first introduced to the people of Mudzi,
many put their
names down during the beneficiary identification and
registration phase,
thinking that a ‘truck load of maize and cooking oil’
would be given out
later. However, the project training showed them how
to propagate the
plant, harvest and store the seed and extract the jatropha
oil. When they
were shown the multitude of by products that could be made
from the oil,
such as soaps, jatropha cake composting and household
illumination, using
jatropha oil in lamps instead of paraffin, the
community realized the real
economic benefit this had for them and how it
could uplift their lives.
The farmers also received training on
governance issues where the
Environmental Action Group (EAG) management
committees were trained in
leadership and action planning. On the business
side, they were trained in
project management and financial governance and
product development, quality
control and marketing.
Jatropha
Products
The community is now manufacturing various products from
jatropha that they
sell locally and in Harare. A major product is jatropha
soap. It is
natural, gentle on the skin, has a large amount of natural
glycerin and the
quality easily surpasses commercially produced soaps.
Jatropha soap is
cheaper compared when compared to other competing soaps.
The farmers say
that the soap normally outlasts commercial products and has
a 'creaminess'
that just can't be duplicated by any of the soaps you find in
stores. It is
used to clean just about everything from greases to
saddling.
Before Environment Africa’s initiative, the farmers used to
burn the peeled
dry Jatropha seed beaded on a thin wire that had been left
in the sun during
the day to assist in liquefying the oil contained in the
seed making it
easier to burn. The Jatropha candle as they called it burns
from the top
downwards one seed lighting the other. The introduction of the
manual oil
pressing machines brought relief to the farmers as they are now
able to
extract the oil from jatropha seeds and use it in simple wick lamps
which
burn safely and with less smoke. They also say that the smoke from
the
lamps acts as mosquito repellent. The use of the oil for lighting has
brought other benefits like allowing children to study at night, while the
woman are able to do other projects like crocheting and
weaving.
Jatropha cake is a by-product from oil pressing and is being be
used as an
organic manure. Tests show that the cake is better than cattle
and chicken
manure in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and organic
matter.
Economic Viability
Studies carried out by Environment
Africa together with WWF Zimbabwe showed
that it is highly economic to
process the Jatropha seed at local level.
When compared to selling the seed
to outside buyers, local level processing
brings better overall economic
benefits to the community.
Having seen the benefits, since the project
started in May 2009, the farmers
have to date planted 70,000 Jatropha trees
as hedges and mini plantations
from cuttings, truncheons or
seedlings.
On the business front, the farmers have formed a marketing
association at
local level that will assist in the marketing of their
products especially
the soaps. By pooling their produce and resources, they
can accommodate
larger orders and can also carry out extensive market
research, hire lawyers
where needed and can purchase more project materials.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
23 November
2010
Information Alert
MAGISTRATE FREES CHIPINGE MAN CONVICTED OF
INSULTIMG MUGABE
Chipinge Magistrate Samuel Zuze on Tuesday 23 November 2010
granted bail to
Gift Mafuka, the man whom he convicted and jailed for
allegedly insulting or
undermining the authority of President Robert
Mugabe.
Magistrate Zuze convicted Mafuka for contravening Section 33 of
the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act and sentenced him on 26
August 2010 to
serve 12 months in prison. Three months were suspended for
five years on
conditions of good behaviour.
Prosecutors accused
Mafuka of insulting Mugabe when he allegedly questioned
two young boys for
wearing campaign T-shirts with images of President Mugabe
showing wrinkles
on his face.
The State alleged that Mafuka whipped one of the young boys
after telling
the two boys that President Mugabe was serving his last term
in office and
that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader and Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai would take over from the ageing
leader.
But Mafuka was on Tuesday 23 November 2010 granted bail in the
sum of $100
pending an appeal against both conviction and sentence, which
was filed by
his lawyer Langton Mhungu of Matutu, Kwirira and Associates,
who is a member
of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
Mafuka,
who was initially detained at Chipinge Prison upon his conviction
and
sentence, was transferred to Mutare Prison. He is expected to be
released
from prison once the clerk of court from Chipinge Magistrates
serves the
Warrant of Liberation to the Officer in Charge of Mutare Prison.
Mhungu
argued in his application for bail pending appeal against both
conviction
and sentence that a conviction and a prison term was not the
proper verdict
that Magistrate Zuze ought to have reached.
The lawyer also argued that the
evidence of the State witnesses was not
sufficient to warrant a conviction
and that the sentence imposed against
Mafuka was too excessive and would
induce a sense of shock.
ENDS
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
24/11/2010 00:00:00
by Lunga
Sibanda
BULAWAYO residents have been warned of a dry Christmas with three
of the
city’s five water supply dams decommissioned.
The operational
dams, Insiza and Lower Ncema, hold just 37.7 percent of
their capacity and
council bosses are putting together a plan for radical
water rationing to
save the country’s second biggest city from a health
disaster.
Upper
Ncema Dam was the first to dry-up on September 5, and council
engineers will
in the next two weeks turn off the taps at Umzingwane and
Inyankuni Dams,
the city’s director of engineering services Simela Dube
said.
“Water
shedding remains the best option to avert disaster,” Dube told
reporters on
Wednesday.
The latest crisis will fuel demands by council bosses on
central government
to prioritise the construction of a pipeline from the
idle Mtshabezi Dam to
link to Umzingwane Dam -- seen as a short term measure
to lessen the city's
water woes.
Jittery council bosses will study
Thursday’s 2011 national budget to see if
an allocation has been made for
the pipe link, estimated to cost US$32
million.
In the short term,
the Bulawayo City Council is working on a rationing
schedule after public
appeals for responsible use of water failed.
Dube said: “It is
disheartening to note that residents are not responding to
the water
rationing limits and continue to flout rationing regulations.
“The city’s
daily water consumption shot up to about 142,000 cubic metres
this month,
from about 138,000 cubic metres last month. The ideal usage rate
should be
less than 120,000 cubic metres per day.”
In a bid to boost its water
reserves, the council has rehabilitated 62 of
the 77 boreholes at the
Nyamandlovu aquifer. At least 37 of the boreholes
are now operational. If
all 77 become operational, the boreholes can meet 13
percent of the city’s
daily water requirements.
Council bosses are also looking to augment the
Insiza pipeline to increase
pump capacity, Dube said.
He added:
“While we wait on central government to release funds for the
Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline, and the rains, our immediate call is for
residents to conserve water.
“The city has embarked on water
awareness campaigns to preserve this scarce
resource. We are facing a
disaster and people should be awake to this
crisis.”
Bulawayo has
long held dreams of a pipeline linking to the Zambezi River
which would
solve its water woes once and for all. But successive
governments since 1912
have failed to get the project off the ground.
The US$500 million
Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, as it is known, is
still bogged down in
its first stage – the construction of a halfway
Gwayi-Shangani Dam which
will act as a reservoir. Dam construction began in
2004 but has been
hampered by lack of funding.
The second phase would be the construction
of a pipeline from the dam to
Bulawayo, with the third and final phase being
the construction of a
pipeline from the dam to the Zambezi River.
By the
end, a 450km pipeline will supply water to Bulawayo and create a
green belt
on its path.
In December last year, Water Resources Minister said the
government was
taking full control of the project from a trust established
to seek private
sector funding.
“The project has assumed the
much-needed political will that was lacking all
along,” Nkomo declared. “We
are hopeful that this will remove the many
bottlenecks the project
encountered over the years.”
The 2011 budget is announced by Finance
Minister Tendai Biti on Thursday,
and expectations would be high in
Matabeleland for increased resource
allocations to solve the water crisis.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by LOVEMORE MUKARAKATE, ZBN News
Tuesday, 23
November 2010 08:36
LONDON - The remarks of Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa, the
Zimbabwean Defence
Minister and Politburo member, to hundreds of people in
Kwekwe on Saturday,
are utterly shocking and illegal. Speaking at a lavish
party hosted by one
of his trusted lieutenants, Owen Mudha Ncube, who was
celebrating his
elevation to the Zanu PF Midlands provincial executive
structures, Mnangagwa
accused his audience of having voted for the wrong
party in the last
elections.
“In the last elections, you voted for the
wrong party but today I am happy
to see all of you here and I assume that
you are here because you support
the revolutionary party and what Mudha
stands for.“If you disagree with what
is being said here, then there is
nothing I can do about it and if you don’t
vote for us in the next election,
this country is huge, we will rule even if
you don’t want,” Mnangagwa said.
“You will get blessings coming from the
party if you continue in the path of
working for this country,” said
Mnangagwa.
Mnagwagwa is such a senior and
powerful member of ZANU-PF that his comments
can only reflect the position
of the entire party. And what a worrying
position indeed!! According to me
it is utterly reckless for a country’s
Defense Minister to divulge such
controversial comments. But l have a
message to this aging ZANU-PF thug. The
Zimbabwean people have changed. We
are no longer afraid of hooligans like
yourself and if you think you can
rule over us without our consent, then you
are in dreamland. Your comments
make everyone suspicious that maybe you are
now in your early stages of
Senile Dementia. Seeing your doctor should now
be your top priority. It goes
without saying that you are not fit to govern
let alone a critical ministry
of Defense. You and your ZANU-PF colleagues
need to understand that Zimbabwe
does not belong to you. You are just an
ordinary citizen and for you to
think that you can rule Zimbabwe without the
consent of its citizens is in
the least very much disgusting. Thank you for
going to the liberation war,
but you have to understand that you can’t hold
every Zimbabwean to ransom
because of those credentials. Then you were a
proper soldier but now you
simply have just lost your focus and l think
power is getting to your head.
Therefore you have two choices to make. Either
you apologise to the
Zimbabwean people for your stupid utterances or you
resign immediately. We
have no place for dictators like you in our political
system. The days are
gone when Zimbabweans just kept quiet and leave you to
do what you please.
Step down now, because you are clearly not fit for
office. You should
clearly be ashamed of yourself and you should in-fact be
prosecuted for
those comments. Your comments were both criminal and
reckless.
EMMERSON MNANGAGWA MUST GO NOW!!
To get in touch with Lovemore
Mukarakate email: lovemorem32@yahoo.co.uk
“There are some 6000 old
aged pensioners in Zimbabwe. Their position is desperate and grows worse daily.
Some are in receipt of devalued pensions from the Zimbabwe government; but the
rate of inflation is out of control and the elderly have no way of keeping pace.
ZANE is providing personalised means-tested care for desperate Zimbabwe
pensioners”. More about ZANE on their website here:
http://www.zane-zimbabweanationalemergency.com/
The Zimbabwe government
appears to have the mistaken belief that sovereignty gives them full protection
against international crimes. Many of these crimes arise from the violation of
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments
that set out the human rights that include civil and political rights, as well
as economic, social and cultural rights and form part of international law. By
simply producing laws and constitutional amendments that legalise locally
international crimes I believe merely provides protection within the country’s
boundaries…. In today’s Global Village it is very difficult for society
to exist in isolation.
"indigenous
Zimbabwean" [any person who before 18th April 1980 was disadvantaged by unfair
discrimination on the grounds of his or her race, any descendant of such a
person, and any company, association, syndicate or partnership in which such
persons hold the controlling interest or are the majority of the members]. This
is clearly a distinction as to race and clearly implies (as read with the rest
of the Act and regulations) that any person who before 18th April 1980 was
advantaged by unfair discrimination on the grounds of his or her race, and any
descendant of such a person will be disadvantaged by unfair
discrimination by this legislation on the grounds of his or her race. Now in
terms of the constitution discrimination black against white or women against
men is regarded as “fair discrimination”. It is therefore unlikely for any
recourse within the sovereign bounds….
However
Non-discrimination
is one of the most accepted principles of international human rights. The
government should treat society without discrimination on grounds of race,
colour, creed, age, gender or political persuasion, and to cultivate a positive
approach to diversity as a factor for change. Everyone is entitled to enjoy
human rights irrespective of their colour, race, gender, religion, ethnic,
social or national origin, political or other opinion, property, poverty,
disability, birth, lack of citizenship, sexual preference, or other status, for
example, severe illness such as HIV / AIDS. Decisions on the conditions for
promotion, the availability of products or the allocation of supplier contracts
should be taken without discrimination or regard to arbitrary preferences. The
state should respect everyone’s right to own property, alone or in association
with others and should fairly compensate property owners for their intellectual
and physical property. Recruitment, training and promotion should be based on
qualifications, skills and experience and not on any of the following criteria:
race, colour, gender, religion, political affiliation, nationality or social
origin.
Human
rights are acknowledged as being universal, that is they apply everywhere, and
inalienable, which means that they cannot be taken away from the person even
with his or her agreement.
An
organization may be regarded as complicit if it in some way authorizes,
tolerates or knowingly ignores abuses committed by a connected organization or
Zimbabwe state agents that do not respect human rights.
While
case law is developing that is clarifying the legal liability of private
organizations or businesses for complicity in international crimes most of what
society, business and human rights advocates understand as complicity goes
beyond its present legal definition and application.
Example
Let us say A Another owns a
business in Zimbabwe and because he/she is regarded as non-indigenous because of
colour, race, ethnic, social or national origin, has to part with the majority
shareholding to comply with racist laws. Because rights are inalienable A
Another may consent to part with the majority shareholding without losing rights
under international law. Realistically recourse will have to be outside the
sovereign bounds and this should be made possible because human rights are
acknowledged as being universal, that is they apply
everywhere.
Let us say the transaction
requires the services of a bank. For a bank to be complicit the key word
appears to be “knowingly”. It should therefore be merely incumbent upon A
Another to ensure potential for legal liability of the bank for complicity in
international crimes arising from these services is recognized and
understood.
Extracted from an e-mail
from Standard Chartered Bank Zimbabwe. “Standard Chartered Bank ("SCB") is
incorporated in England with limited liability by Royal Charter 1853, under
reference ZC18. The Principal Office of SCB is situated in England at 1
Aldermanbury Square, London EC2V 7SB. In the United Kingdom, SCB is authorised
and regulated by the Financial Services Authority under FSA register number
114276.”
Extracted from The Economist
“Governments are taking an ever keener interest: in Britain, for example, the
2006 Companies Act introduced a requirement for public companies to report on
social and environmental matters.”
Recently published
International Standard ISO 26000 – Social Responsibility standard. This is a
guidance standard and of special interest is the “responsible for the wider
sphere of influence”. What this essentially means as it effects Zimbabwe and
the indig regs (as I understand it) is - to comply with this standard
organizations may be risk averse as violation of human rights is not in their
business interest. I queried the “compliance with law” with the ISO executive.
In the event, like we may have in Zimbabwe, local laws are in violation of
international laws, especially those on human rights, which law prevails – they
replied International Law prevails.
Kind
Regards
Tony
Lampard
BILL WATCH
48/2010
[23rd November 2010]
The House of Assembly will resume on Thursday 25th November for the
2011 Budget Statement
The Senate remains adjourned until 8th
February
2011
Budget Statement Set for Thursday 25th November
Minister
of Finance Tendai Biti will present his Budget Statement to the House of
Assembly this Thursday 25th November. Admission to the Public Gallery to hear
the Budget Statement is by invitation or for ticket-holders. Seating is
limited, so anyone wishing to attend should contact Parliament’s Public
Relations office to see if there are any tickets still available. Tel:
252936/55 or 700181/2/3 and ask for Mr Moyo, extension 2309. There is a
separate Press Gallery for journalists; it is also advisable for them to check
the availability of seats with Mr Moyo.
After the
Budget Statement the Minister will table the Estimates of Expenditure for 2011
and a draft Finance Bill to give effect to any proposed tax changes. Then the
House will adjourn until Tuesday 7th December to allow members and portfolio
committees time to study the Budget in preparation for the Budget debate;
portfolio committee chairpersons will present their committees’ reports to the
House during the debate.
President Zuma to visit Harare following Cancellation of SADC Troika
Meeting in Gaborone
The expected meeting of the Troika of the SADC Organ for Politics,
Defence and Security Co-operation in Gaborone on Friday 19th November did not
take place – only South African President Zuma arrived for it – the chairperson
President Banda of Zambia and member President Guebuza of Mozambique did not
turn up. This was in spite of the SADC Secretariat having invited Prime
Minister Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara to attend the meeting,
to be held on the sidelines of the official opening of the new SADC headquarters
building on Saturday. President Zuma took the opportunity to have a short
meeting with all three GPA principals. The upshot is that President Zuma
intends to visit Harare soon and wishes to see a Troika meeting take place
before the end of the year.
In Parliament Last Week
The House of Assembly sat on Tuesday and Wednesday. It then adjourned until Thursday 25th
November.
Bills
·
Small Enterprises Development Corporation Amendment
Bill – was tabled and then referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee
[PLC].
·
Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Power, Communication and Water
Infrastructure) Bill –went through its Second Reading and Committee Stages. Minor Committee Stage amendments were referred to the
PLC.
·
Attorney-General’s Office Bill –went through both its Second Reading and Committee
Stage. Amendments were made at the request of the Minister of Justice and
referred to the PLC. The amendments, suggested by the PLC when it first saw the Bill, are
designed to ensure that any delegation of functions by the Attorney General’s
Office’s Board will be to a Board committee rather than to the Office’s Director
of Administration, as envisaged in the gazetted version of the
Bill.
·
Energy Regulatory Authority Bill – went through its Second Reading on Wednesday. Committee Stage will be on 7th December, when the Minister of Energy
and Power Development will propose amendments, including proposals for a
Petroleum Importers Levy.
·
Public Order and Security Amendment Bill [H.B. 11, 2009] – still awaits its Committee Stage.
Motion: The condolence motion for the late former Provincial Governor Ephraim
Masawi saw heated exchanges when MDC-T members criticised the existing
procedures and criteria for declaration of national heroes under which the late
governor had been accorded national hero status.
Wednesday Question Time: The following questions were among those dealt with:
Suspension of pegging of mining claims: The Deputy Minister of Mines confirmed that pegging of claims has
been temporarily suspended over almost two-thirds of the country, because
existing maps are in such poor condition that over-pegging disputes have
resulted. Maps are being computerised to enable pegging to be resumed, perhaps
by the end of the year.
2009 O and A Level Pass Rates: The Deputy Minister of Education revealed that the O Level
pass rate for the country was 19.66%, with rural schools at 19.85% and urban
schools at 16.95%. The male pass rate [21.85%], both rural and urban, was better than
the female pass rate [17.83%]. The A Level pass rate was 80.92%, with rural schools at 82.16%
and urban schools at 79.35% - and males [78.3%] being outshone by females
[83.54%].
Comparison between ZIMSEC and Cambridge pass rates: The Deputy Minister of Education said he could not provide
comparative figures because schools offering Cambridge and other examination
boards did not have to submit statistics to the Ministry.
School enrolment: The Deputy Minister of Education gave details of school
enrolment: In 4895 primary schools the total enrolment was 2 662 384
[boys 1 335 597, girls 1 326 787] and in 1748 secondary schools the total
enrolment was 863 526 [boys 436 241, girls 427 285].
Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC]: The PLC did not meet to consider the Committee
Stage amendments to the two Bills referred to it during the week.
On the
Parliamentary Programme for this Week
The
Senate – is
adjourned until February, but members of the Senate are traditionally invited to
listen to the Budget speech from the Public Gallery. This is not the same as a
joint sitting, so even if the persons the MDC-T are saying are not legitimate
Senators attend, it should not lead to any objections.
The House
of Assembly will not
sit on Tuesday or Wednesday. The main item of business on Thursday will be the
Budget Statement [see above].
Other items on the Order Paper are unlikely to be dealt
with.
Parliamentary Legal Committee: The PLC is
expected to meet to consider the Committee Stage Amendments to the:
· Criminal
Laws Amendment (Protection of Power, Communication and Water Infrastructure)
Bill
· Attorney-General’s Office Bill.
Non-adverse reports by the PLC will clear the way for these Bills, as
amended, to be passed by the House of Assembly and transmitted to the
Senate.
Other
Committees: Notice of
portfolio and thematic committee meetings open to the public were sent
out in Bill Watch Special of 20th November.
Business
Already Awaiting Attention by the Senate
The list of items from the House
awaiting Senate attention remains the same as in Bill Watch 47/2010 of 13th
November:
·
Zimbabwe National Security Council
Amendment Bill [transmitted from the House of Assembly on 9th November]
·
Approval of International Agreements
already approved by the House of Assembly [see
Bill Watch 45/2010 of 8th November for a list of the 11 agreements
concerned].
Bills Awaiting Introduction in
Parliament
The following Bills have been printed and gazetted:
·
Deposit Protection Corporation Bill [gazetted 22nd
October]
·
General Laws Amendment Bill [gazetted 22nd
October]
· National Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill [gazetted
5th November]
Statutory Instruments Gazetted 19th November
SI 175/2010 establishes a new district [Guruve] in Mashonaland
Central province; this is backdated to 1st May, which is contrary to legal
principle.
SI 176/2010 fixes at $2 000 the penalty an aircraft company must pay
for bringing in a passenger without valid travel
documentation.
SI 154/2010 – Road Traffic Regulations – Deferment Announced
but not yet Gazetted
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport has confirmed
that the Ministry will defer to the 1st June 2011 the commencement of SI
154/2010. This statutory instrument contains the new Road Traffic
(Construction, Equipment and Use) regulations; among many other matters it
restricts the importation of second-hand motor vehicles, limits the use of
left-hand drive vehicles, and requires all vehicles to have fire extinguishers
and reflective warning triangles. It was due to come into force next week, on
1st December. The deferment has not been gazetted, so it is not yet legally
effective.
Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot
take legal responsibility for information supplied