Regional campaign to highlight Zim crisis

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
2 November 2010

Zimbabwe’s Civil Society organisations (CSO’s) will soon embark on a
regional advocacy campaign to try to ensure the elections due in the country
next year are free and fair.

SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that the CSO’s, under the banner of the
Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, will visit Botswana in two weeks’ time for
talks with the SADC secretariat, which is based in Gaborone.

The trip will be part of a regional tour to drum up support for SADC leaders
to put in place an election supervisory mechanism for Zimbabwe’s next poll,
to prevent the state-sponsored violence which has characterised previous
elections.

A source told us the meeting with the SADC secretariat, led by Tomaz Salomao
the executive secretary, seeks to tackle ‘the latest developments in
Zimbabwe’ including ongoing efforts to write a new constitution, which will
lead to holding of fresh elections in 2011.

With Mugabe saying he wants an election by June next year the Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition is deeply worried that the regional bloc has not yet come
up with a clear roadmap towards the poll, to ensure it is radically
different from the very violent 2008 sham election.

Due to only superficial reforms, the country’s institutions remain too weak
and compromised to prevent state-sponsored violence or to deliver a
democratic election.

The CSO’s say the only lasting solution to the continuing political crisis
in the country is a fresh election. They want the poll to be supervised by
SADC and monitored by the international community and for it to adhere to
set standards of conducting democratic elections, in order to prevent
violence and other electoral malpractices.

Two weeks ago, six leaders from the civil society groups urged the regional
leaders to ensure the country’s next elections comply with regional
benchmarks for democratic polls, requiring an independent body to run the
election and ensuring the military do not interfere with voting. SADC, under
the direction of South Africa, is guarantor of the Global Political
Agreement that led to the formation of the government of national unity in
Zimbabwe.

‘We are taking this same message to the SADC secretariat in Gaborone. After
Botswana we will visit advocacy groups in Mozambique and Zambia just to
spread the word that Zimbabwe needs a violent free election,’ the source
said.

Analyst Luke Zunga told us that if SADC were to play a leading role in the
elections next year this would hopefully lay the ground for sustained peace
and economic prosperity. However, the South African based analyst called
into question SADC’s readiness to help Zimbabwe considering, it’s lukewarm
approach to the crisis.

‘I am not privy to how SADC works but the lack of enthusiasm from the
regional body to engage all stakeholders in preparation for elections is
just amazing. The other issue with SADC is they cannot impose anything on
Zimbabwe and so how do they expect to deal with the crisis when they are so
ineffective? Zunga added.

Anglican Reverend Lameck Mutete urged SADC leaders to play a pivotal role in
the struggle to bring sanity back to Zimbabwe.

‘Zimbabweans are engaged in a new struggle. This struggle is not about
outdoing each other but encouraging people with different political
backgrounds to fight for peace with one voice,’ the Reverend said.

With Public Outreach Completed, Zimbabwe Moves Toward Drafting Constitution

http://www.voanews.com

The parliamentary committee in charge of the process will spend three weeks
compiling public comment, then form 17 thematic committees which will report
to the drafters of the new constitution

Patience Rusere & Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 01 November 2010

Zimbabwe's constitutional revision process reached a turning point this week
with the completion of outreach meetings in Harare on Sunday, opening the
next phase in which the parliamentary select committee in charge of the
process will spend the next three weeks compiling the data collected in
outreach sessions since June.

After that, 17 thematic committees will be established comprising civil
society activists and legislators who will analyze the mass of public
comment and submit reports to a constitutional drafting committee.

Parliamentary Select Committee Co-Chairman Paul Mangwana told VOA Studio 7
reporter Patience Rusere however that the the time frame for all of these
next steps will be determined by how quickly his panel can raise another
US$6.5 million in funding required to complete those operations.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association, meanwhile, commented that the
relative calm in Harare this past weekend showed that Zimbabweans are
peace-loving people. ZimRights National Director Okay Machisa said it showed
that all the major political parties need to do is to encourage supporters
to behave themselves.

Elsewhere, President Robert Mugabe's former ruling ZANU-PF party warned that
if the country votes “No” in the eventual constitutional referendum,
elections will be held under the existing constitution. Party spokesman
Rugare Gumbo said that if the draft is rejected, the widely-discredited
Lancaster House version will remain in force.

"We believe that the people of Zimbabwe are going to give the new
constitution a thumbs-up, but should it fail, we definitely will go for
elections under the old constitution," Gumbo said.

Responding to Gumbo's statements, spokeswoman Thabitha Khumalo of the
Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
said ZANU-PF was getting ahead of itself in its agenda.

Spokesman Nhlanhla Dube of the MDC formation of Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that his party insists
that all reforms be in place before elections.

Corruption impedes right to an identity

http://www.irinnews.org

 

Photo: UNICEF

Children have a right to a name and nationality

Harare, 2 November 2010 (IRIN) - Getting a passport can be vital for making a living but mounting hidden costs are making it tougher to access one, despite the government recently slashing passport fees.

Fees have been reduced from US$140 to $50, but the document can cost up to $120 or even $300, as Theresa Makone, the joint minister of home affairs, discovered on an impromptu visit to the Harare office which issues passports.

Makone, whose visit to the office had been prompted by allegations of corruption, acknowledged that police and officials at the Registrar General’s office were asking for bribes from those seeking passports, birth certificates or other ID documents.

"After what I have seen here today, it seems serious investigations have to be carried out… Passports are supposed to be a birthright, not a privilege. People should not have hassles in accessing passports," she said.

Passports are critical for the many Zimbabweans who have been forced to seek jobs outside their own country.

Tazvita Siziba, 35, from Harare, was laid off by a textile firm. She needs a passport to buy goods in Botswana for sale in Zimbabwe to support her two school-going children. Unable to bribe, she had been queuing for two weeks without success.

Excuses

IRIN spoke to civil servants who confessed to taking bribes but pleaded poverty and a genuine concern to speed up services as their excuse.

"I am an overworked and poorly paid civil servant and I do not have any problems making use of my position at work to earn the extra dollar," said Ivy Moyo*, a senior employee at the Registrar General's office in Harare. "Since the government reduced the price for a passport, demand has shot up, but the applicants are finding it difficult even to submit their applications."

If Cynthia fails to get a birth certificate this time, she might just as well forget about school and start seriously thinking about getting married

She said she could pocket up to $500 a day to speed up the process of acquiring a passport. "This is manna to me, considering that I am paid [a salary of] $210 a month."

Innocent Makwiramiti, a Harare-based economist, reckoned corruption was a reflection of the weak economy and it might not have been a good idea to lower the passport application fees. "The officials are poorly paid and they would seize the slightest opportunity to get the money that they so desperately need... Lowering the fees for passports created a huge demand that the officials are cashing in on."

Delays in processing ID and travel documents were also being caused by the use, since early 2009, of multiple currencies, according to a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the work of the Home Affairs Ministry.

After a tour of the passport office in Harare recently, Paul Madzore, the committee chairperson, said ensuring currency notes were authentic was time-consuming.

Remote areas worst off

People in remote rural areas are finding it even harder to access registration documents. Government cutbacks led to the closure of the Registrar’s mobile units, and offices in remote areas were often unable to function because of stationary or equipment shortages.

Cynthia Mapondera, 19, from Mukumbura District near Zimbabwe's eastern border with Mozambique, failed to do her school-leaving exams for the second year running because she did not have a birth certificate.

Mapondera, whose mother is serving time in prison, travelled to the nearest town, Mount Darwin, about 170km northeast of Harare, several times to try to meet

Read more

Unlicensed and outdoors or no school at all

Improving but still fragile

New travel document gets you nowhere

the demands of officials at the registrar's office.

"At first, they [the officials] said I should bring my mother's national identity card, but when I did, they said there should be an adult witness who is a relative," said Mapondera. "When I brought my uncle, they said he should have the [same] surname as my mother."

On her last visit, she managed to bring along her mother's younger sister and even though they arrived in the morning after the long trip, they had not been served by late afternoon.

"If Cynthia fails to get a birth certificate this time, she might just as well forget about school and start seriously thinking about getting married. We don't have the money to keep on coming back, and buses are avoiding our roads because the bridges are damaged," Mapondera's aunt, Jane, told IRIN.

Livestock bribes

Another rural resident, Tazviona Chidziva, a village headman, said officials also ask for bribes in the form of livestock to help speed up the process.

"They never explain to us what documents we should bring along and a lot of people have given up because of the manner in which the officers do their work. Where I come from, it is common to see a person of my age without a birth certificate and life goes on," Chidziva told IRIN.

Zimbabwe has ratified the Convention of the African Child which stipulates that children have a right to a name and nationality, and makes it mandatory for governments to register children immediately after birth.

However, the government is falling short of the requirement, according to a recent Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Monitoring Survey for the year 2009 jointly conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The survey indicated that only 30 percent of children in rural areas managed to obtain birth certificates, while 55 percent were registered in urban areas.

However, the registrar general, Tobaiwa Mudede, was quoted in the state-run Herald newspaper as dismissing the report "unreservedly", pointing out that the government had not taken part in the survey.

*Not her real name

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Real Progress Needed in Marange Fields Before Diamond Exports Proceed

http://www.hrw.org/

29 October 2010

press release

Jerusalem — The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme should not allow
further exports from the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe until the
government makes clear progress in ending abuses and smuggling, Human Rights
Watch said today. Participants in the scheme, an international body that
oversees the diamond trade, are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem from November
1 to 4, 2010.

Human Rights Watch research from July through September established that
large parts of the fields remain under the control of the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces soldiers, who harass and intimidate the local community and engage in
widespread diamond smuggling.

In November 2009, the government of Zimbabwe and the Kimberley Process
agreed to a joint work plan, in which Zimbabwe committed to a phased
withdrawal of the armed forces from the diamond fields, and for a monitor to
examine and certify that all shipments of diamonds from Marange met
Kimberley Process standards.

"The government made a lot of promises, but soldiers still control most
diamond fields and are involved in illicit mining and smuggling," said Rona
Peligal, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Zimbabwe should mine its
diamonds without relying on an abusive military that preys on the local
population."

Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on Kimberley Process members to
address human rights abuses in Marange and recognize human rights issues as
a fundamental element of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme mandate.

At a special meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in July, Kimberley Process
members agreed to permit Zimbabwe to export two shipments of diamonds under
supervision of the body's monitors, on condition that the body would
investigate conditions in the Marange fields. The agreement also tied all
future exports of diamonds to clear and measurable progress in ending
smuggling and abuses, and allowed for local civil society groups to
participate in monitoring progress in the fields.

Human Rights Watch learned that the Kimberley Process team sent in to review
conditions in the fields in August was routinely obstructed by government
officials from conducting its activities and was unable to gather crucial
information about conditions in the majority of diamond fields.

In recent investigations in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch researchers found
that while violence had decreased in the fields, the army and police
continued to commit abuses, which put Zimbabwe in violation of the minimum
standards required for membership in the Kimberley Process:

The Zimbabwean army uses syndicates of local miners to extract diamonds.
Local miners told Human Rights Watch that the army coercively recruits local
people to help the army dig for diamonds. Many people are afraid to refuse,
fearing that the soldiers will beat and harass them.

In July, a scuffle between police, soldiers, and local miners ended in the
death of a miner, who was hit over the head with an iron bar by a policeman.
There has been no investigation into the miner's death.

Widespread smuggling of Marange diamonds has not ended. Scores of buyers and
middlemen openly trade in Marange diamonds in the small Mozambican town of
Vila de Manica, 20 miles from Mutare.

"The Kimberley Process should not allow the export of further shipments of
diamonds from Marange until there is meaningful progress to end smuggling
and abuses by the army," Peligal said. "Without these kinds of reforms,
international consumers risk purchasing 'blood diamonds.'"

Certain portions of the fields are being mined by private firms with clear
connections to members of the former ruling party, the Zimbabwe African
National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the military, which continues
to engage in smuggling in the fields.

With elections proposed for 2011, reports of ZANU-PF and military
involvement in diamond mining raise serious concerns that revenue from the
diamonds will be used to fund political violence ahead of the elections,
Human Rights Watch said.

"Revenue from Marange should benefit the people of Zimbabwe, not finance
political violence," Peligal said.

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme consists of governments and
observers from the diamond industry, and nongovernmental organizations, who
meet once a year to discuss the implementation of the scheme.

Mines Minister insists full diamonds sales will resume

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
02 November 2010

Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has indicated that the country will resume full
diamonds exports immediately, with or without certification from the
international trade monitor, the Kimberley Process.

The Kimberley Process is meeting in Jerusalem this week where Zimbabwe’s
trade future is once again under discussion. The group has resisted pressure
to completely suspend Zimbabwe over human rights abuses at the Chiadzwa
diamond fields, after sales from the country were banned last year. Instead
the group and the Mines Ministry reached an agreement allowing two diamond
sales earlier this year, under monitoring conditions.

Mpofu and the rest of the government want the trade ban completely lifted,
insisting that it has met the minimum trade standards listed by the
Kimberley Process as conditions for full sales to resume. Last year, the
Kimberley Process approved a Joint Working Plan, which included the presence
of monitoring teams in Zimbabwe and the de-militarisation of the Chiadzwa
alluvial fields. But the military has continued its brutal control of
Chiadzwa and there have been continued reports of abuses at the military’s
hands. This has included reports of intimidation of local villagers, forced
labour and rampant smuggling.

In an open threat to the monitoring body the Mines Minister has now said
that full exports will resume, with or without a green light from the
Kimberley Process. He was speaking at the Jerusalem meeting on Monday and
said Zimbabwe would not tolerate further restrictions on its diamond
exports.

“Our compliance must entitle Zimbabwe to immediately and unconditionally
export (diamonds),” he is quoted as saying. “It is now clear that the Joint
Working Plan is no longer serving the best interest of Zimbabwe. It is now
evidently clear that it is being used as a tool to regulate improperly the
flow of exports out of Zimbabwe.”

Mpfou has previously made these kinds of threats, accusing Western members
of the Kimberley Process of opposing Zimbabwean diamond exports merely to
stifle the economy. Robert Mugabe has also made similar threats and
observers have commented that this is a blatant attempt to push the
Kimberley Process into a corner. The monitoring body has already faced
criticism for not taking tougher action against Zimbabwe, despite the
evidence they have of rights atrocities and murder at the diamonds fields.

Dewa Mavhinga from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition told SW Radio Africa on
Tuesday that the Kimberley Process needs to resist the pressure from
government officials, and insist that conditions are not yet right for full
sales to resume. He said that the group must also demand that the military
has no role in Zimbabwe’s diamond industry.

“They need to insist that all the conditions for international trade are
met, and until such time that the conditions are met, then Zimbabwe must not
be allowed free rein to start selling,” Mavhinga said.

Mugabe does not listen: US ambassador

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

02/11/2010 00:00:00
    by Lebo Nkatazo

Public lecture ... Ambassador Ray

ZIMBABWE’S government “sometimes finds it difficult” to listen to the
people, the United States Ambassador Charles Ray said on Tuesday as he
denied that US sanctions imposed on the country were hurting the economy.
Ambassador Ray said Zimbabwe government claims that the sanctions had
destroyed the economy were an “official fairy tale”.

“When leaders named on the U.S. sanctions list tell you that these limited
and largely symbolic measures destroyed Zimbabwe's economy, what they are
really doing is pretending they are not responsible for a disastrous decade.
They are saying, ‘I am not the one. I am not responsible!’,” he said during
a public lecture at Chinhoyi University of Technology.

“The truth, of course, is that the United States blocks business
transactions and visas for a little over 100 Zimbabwean leaders who have
supported or participated in political violence against their fellow
citizens.”

America’s defence of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in 2001, and renewed
every year after that, is struggling to gain currency in Zimbabwe and the
region.

Although divided on the real impact of the sanctions, both President Robert
Mugabe and his ruling coalition partners Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara want to see them lifted.

The US has defended the sanctions as a measure to punish Mugabe and his
associates for human rights abuses, but the veteran leader appears to have
convinced African leaders that the sanctions were a diplomatic tool for
“regime change” in Zimbabwe and have suffocated the country’s economy.

Ambassador Ray’s speech focused on United States mid-term elections held on
Tuesday. But he noted that in Harare, “it seems everyone is talking about
[Zimbabwean] elections”.
He added: “I cannot say when Zimbabwe will have its next election—some say
next year, some say the year after.

“Whenever it is held, I hope there will be institutions and an environment
that will make the election credible and truly reflective of the will of the
people.”
He equated American democracy to the staple sadza/isitshwala, saying it was
best enjoyed at home, not far away.

He added: “Even though I don’t think American democracy is likely to work
outside America, I do think democracy can work in any country. That includes
Zimbabwe, and I think almost all Zimbabweans would agree.”

Delving into domestic politics, which has previously invited attacks on him
by Mugabe’s supporters, Ambassador Ray said “countless Zimbabweans take
risks everyday to restore democracy in the country”.

He added: “I would even say that those who have undermined Zimbabwe's
democratic institutions understand as well as anyone the power of democracy
and the irresistible force of popular will.

“Why else would they devote so much effort to suppressing criticism,
controlling the airwaves, and threatening their political opponents?

“ … Zimbabwe's government seems to have lost the habit of listening to
Zimbabwe's people—all of Zimbabwe's people. One year in your country does
not make me an expert. But … I have seen enough to know that the government
sometimes finds it difficult to listen to the people.”

IFJ Condemns Arrests And Harassment of Journalists in Zimbabwe

http://www.ifj.org

2 November 2010

press release

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the
arrests and harassment of Nkosana Dlamini and Andreson Manyere, both
freelance journalists, who were covering the constitutional outreach process
on Saturday, 30 October 2010. On the same day, another freelance journalist,
Sydney Saize, was beaten up, robbed and injured in Mutare.

"We are worried to see in one day, as many as three journalists harassed and
prevented from executing their duties" said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ
Africa Office. "It is necessary that all political actors take concrete
measures in order to sustain press freedom and freedom of expression".

According to Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), IFJ affiliate, on
Saturday, 30 October, while they were covering the constitutional outreach
process, Nkosana Dlamini and Andreson Manyere who were accredited by the
Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) were arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic
Police (ZRP) and detained overnight in police custody. They were released on
Sunday after being charged for "criminal nuisance"under the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act after they were transferred to Harare Central
Police Station.

At the same time, a freelance journalist, Sydney Saize, was severely beaten
up and injured while attending a ZANU PF fundraising function in Mutare. He
lost his money, his press card, a mobile phone and his reporting equipment
during the process and is currently receiving medical treatment.

In a statement published today, ZUJ and the Southern Africa Journalists
Association (SAJA) condemned the increasing threats against journalists in
Zimbabwe. "As we approach emotive events such as the anticipated referendum
and elections, we call on all political parties and organised groups to
allow journalists to do their work professionally without hindrance" said
Foster Dongozi, ZUJ General Secretary and SAJA President.

Regarding the next electoral deadlines, IFJ calls on all political parties
to pay attention to the safety of journalists and to respect press freedom
for the consolidation of the democratic process in Zimbabwe. "We would also
urge authorities at police headquarters to conduct awareness campaigns
within the force on the operations of the media" added Dongozi.

For more information, contact +221 33 867 95 87

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide

Rights group condemns police behaviour in Bindura

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Alex Bell
02 November 2010

The Zimbabwean wing of rights group Transparency International has condemned
the unwarranted arrest if its members during a public meeting in Bindura
last week.

Last Friday the group hosted the meeting to discuss massive corruption in
the Bindura local government. But the gathering was soon interrupted by
police officers, apparently angry over the open nature of the discussions.
The Transparency International team was detained for several hours at
Bindura central police station under allegations of ‘diverting from the
original agenda of the meeting to discussing national issues’.

“The credibility of some state institutions dealing with the justice
delivery system has hit rock bottom. Nevertheless, it appears some have
started digging,” Transparency International Zimbabwe said.

The group explained that during the public discussion it soon “became
apparent from the participants point of view that challenges in Bindura are
partly a symptom of the weakness of the current constitution that gives
sweeping powers to the Minister of Local Government and the Executive in
general.”

“Tellingly, the Minister has appointed an ‘Investigations Commission’ which
hasn’t lived up to public expectations thus exasperating the participants of
the day and many other residents of Bindura.”

The group added that local challenges in most towns are influenced by
national events and processes “hence the need for a broader analysis of the
background of the so-called ‘local issues’.” In reaction to the subsequent
arrest of the Transparency International team leading the meeting, the group
said it “condemns this assault on civil liberties.”

The group said in a statement that the situation shows that the repressive
Public Order and Security Act must be repealed “as it unreasonably restricts
freedom of expression and assembly.” They added that there is also a strong
need for “preserving freedom to express one’s ideas and to associate with
people of choice without fear of victimisation.”

“National healing requires honest and open discussion of experiences in this
transitionary period,” the group said.

South Korean investors defies Robert Mugabe

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

02 November, 2010 07:10:00    Staff Reporter

HARARE– In a move likely to annoy Robert Mugabe, a strong South Korean
representatives from Global industrial giants Samsung, Daewoo and Hyundai
arrived in Zimbabwe to explore investment opportunities, and met Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai a statement issued in Harare on Tuesday said.

Tsvangirai said in a statement that the representatives of the South Korean
companies met the Zimbabwean Premier on Monday "to express their interest in
investing in Zimbabwe".

Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF is an ally of the poor Communist-run North Korea
which has no economic advantage compared to its neighbour.

"We have been discussing potential areas of interest in business. Some of
the key Korean companies such as Hyundai, Samsung, Daewoo are part of this
delegation. We had very productive exchanges," he said. .

Premier Tsvangirai told the investors that Zimbabwe was ripe for investment
and that the southern African country was in the process of establishing a
one-stop-shop investment centre for ease.

The business delegation said the purpose of their visit was to get
information on Zimbabwe’s investment climate and other relevant material for
them to make informed decisions.

The South Koreans expressed interest in the mining, construction and
technological fields.

Tsvangirai said some of the businesspersons would sign Memoranda of
Understanding with Zimbabwean companies before they leave for South Korea.

The visit by the South Koreans follows Tsvangirai’s investment hunting trip
to that Asian country in May this year where he signed a Bilateral
Protection and Promotion Agreement.

Pressured by his North Korean counterparts President Robert Mugabe reversed
a bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) signed by
his former rival.

Mr Tsvangirai who joined President Mugabe in a unity government ending a
long and bitter political struggle signed the BIPPA during a visit to Seoul
in May this year and he was also given an honorary degree by a Korean
university, much to the annoyance of Robert Mugabe.

The Koreans had expressed a strong desire to participate in Zimbabwe's
reconstruction and the agreement would have ensured the Asian country's
investments were protected.

George Charamba, the Robert Mugabe’s spokesman revealed that the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs had written to the South Koreans to tell them the agreement
was "null and void."Their embassy has been informed of the constitutional
position and indications are that they have since communicated to Seoul,"
the state controlled Herald newspaper quoted a Foreign Affairs official as
saying.

"We don't anticipate any problems with Korea on the matter because we have
always had cordial ties. "They were just not aware that the PM did not have
authority to do what he did.

"We are good friends with Korea but we simply do not have a BIPPA with them,
we do not even have a Joint Commission and that is the starting point."

Mr Charamba said only President Mugabe after consulting cabinet could bind
Zimbabwe to another country through a BIPPA. "It is absurd, to say the
least. Anyway, as far as I know and I have checked, the President never made
any such delegation so in effect no BIPPA was signed in Korea," he told the
Herald.

"Maybe it was the mock signing ceremony of a BIPPA that might be signed in
the future by those constitutionally delegated to do so."

Is this racist, or acceptable as a Grade 7 exam question?

Ambassador says EU will not interfere with Mugabe’s postings

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
02 November 2010

The recently appointed European Union (EU) ambassador to Zimbabwe has
insisted that the EU will not interfere with Robert Mugabe’s unilateral
appointments of ambassadors.

Ambassador Aldo Dell’Ariccia told state media on Monday that the posting of
diplomats should be left to individual sovereign states.

“This is a reflection of internal matters, which must be dealt with
internally,” Dell’Ariccia is quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last month told the EU and the United
Nations that ambassadors appointed solely by Mugabe don’t speak on behalf of
the whole government. Tsvangirai wrote to EU president Jose Manuel Baroso
stating his position that the appointment of Zimbabwean Ambassador to
Brussels, Margaret Muchada, and those of Zimbabwe’s ambassadors to the
United Nations and four countries, was “null and void” because Mugabe named
them without consultation.

The United Nations has already said that it cannot expel the Zimbabwean
diplomat appointed by Mugabe, saying the ambassador has been ‘properly
accredited’ in July.

UN deputy spokesperson Farham Haq said; “The appointment of an ambassador is
an internal matter for a member state which is to be decided upon in
accordance with the provisions of its own domestic law.”

“Ambassador Chipaziwa was properly accredited as permanent representative of
the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United Nations headquarters in New York on
28 June 2010. We will be bound by the letter of his accreditation until
advised otherwise by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

It is not yet clear if the position stated by Ambassador Dell’Ariccia is
fully supported by the EU, who are under pressure not accept Margaret
Muchada’s credentials. Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, who spearheads the European
Parliament's campaign for freedom and democratic change in Zimbabwe, has
urged EU leaders to heed Tsvangirai's plea and refuse to accept Muchada's
credentials on the grounds that her appointment is “unconstitutional.” SW
Radio Africa is hoping to get more clarity on the issue from Van Orden this
week.

COPAC condemned as mere political ploy

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Irene Madongo
02 November 2010

Despite large sums of money and resources being poured into the
Constitutional Parliamentary Select committee (COPAC) programme, critics
still say the process is deeply flawed and will not produce a democratic
constitution.

The outreach meetings finally came to end last weekend, having been marred
by numerous incidents of violent attacks by ZANU PF militants and war vets.
They were also heavily criticized as being biased in favour of Robert Mugabe’s
party due to many militants bussed in to give submissions and disrupt
proceedings.

Last month, following more violent disruptions at COPAC meetings in both
rural and urban areas, the MDC-T indicated it wanted a negotiated
constitution. To complicate matters President Mugabe has stated that the
country might hold fresh elections without the adoption of a new
constitution.

On Monday Lovemore Madhuku, the chairperson of the National Constitutional
Assembly, said that COPAC became a circus for political parties who wanted
to use it as a tool to enhance their power. He said before COPAC, ZANU PF
was unsure of the outcome and wanted the Kariba Draft, while the MDC wanted
COPAC because they thought they could dominate it.

“But ZANU PF saw its people were turning up and just parroting its views,
and the MDC did not find scope, either they were intimidated or didn’t find
space. Then the tables turned. Each politician seeks to dominate the
process,” Madhuku said.

Political commentator Professor John Makumbe agrees that the COPAC process
has been flawed. “A new constitution is desirable, the best way is to
consult the citizens. Unfortunately there were so many problems now under
COPAC.”

One of the criticisms raised against COPAC is that the process asks ordinary
people to help draft a constitution, when most of them do not understand the
legal framework required.

A document circulated by the Solidarity Peace Trust highlights the deep
flaws in the COPAC constitutional meetings in Matabeleland. The document
states: “Most people at the meetings had no idea of what the difference was
between an ‘Independent’ and an ‘Executive’ Commission, which commissions
currently existed, or how their members should be appointed. They had no
clue as to how judges are currently appointed and therefore could only guess
on the spur of the moment how they should be appointed in the future. Is it
on the basis of such guesses and wondrous exclamations that our constitution
should be written?”

It explains that villagers at meetings wanted to discuss issues that have a
direct affect on their lives, such as lack of food and poor governance,
rather than the structuring of a new constitution. It also observes that the
meetings had very few young people as most have fled the country. For
example, in one village only 16 out of the 150 people present were under 25
years old. The remainder were above 50 years of age. In effect an entire
generation is missing.

Madhuku said; “There is no doubt COPAC was a waste of money. A lot of money
was spent on it. We will not get a new constitution that is democratic. The
product, if we ever get any document out of it, will not be a democratic
constitution.”

Phillip Chiyangwa chickens out

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

By Staff Reporter
Tuesday, 02 November 2010 16:08

HARARE - Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda and eight Harare City councillors
were Tuesday cleared of the criminal defamation charges they were facing
after the complainant, controversial Harare businessman, Phillip Chiyangwa
withdrew the charges.

Chiyangwa told Harare magistrate Memory Chigwaza on Tuesday that he was
withdrawing the case due to changed circumstances from the time he reported
the matter to the police and now.

The former Rhodesian policeman-turned-businessman and politician did not
explain the changed circumstances although in the past he has announced in
the media that he struck a deal with the councillors and the mayor.

Masunda and the eight councillors were arrested after a special council
committee investigating the theft of vast tracts of prime land in Harare
implicated Chiyangwa and the Minister of Local Government Ignatius Chombo.

In the report, council resolved that it would take back all the land
acquired by the duo as prescribed in the Urban Councils Act and also
resolved to report the matter to the police.

However, police never took action and instead, it is the councillors who
were arrested. The journalists who exposed the scandal were also
interrogated by police from the notorious Law and Order Section but due to
lack of evidence, they were later roped in as state witnesses.

Councillors who spoke to the Daily News soon after the court case said they
were not aware why Chiyangwa suddenly decided to withdraw the case saying
they wondered why they were dragged to court in the first place.

“Maybe he is now aware that his case is so weak he cannot stand the heat. We
were ready to go all the way with him in court. Our resolution remains the
same – council has to repossess all its land which was taken away improperly
by these well connected people. Also we resolved that those who stole
council land must be arrested.

“As councillors, we are empowered by the Urban Councils Act to set up
special committees to investigate such anomalies like the theft of land from
council. The Act also protects us from being held liable for the outcome of
our investigations.

“Chiyangwa was supposed to have been advised by his lawyers of this but
somehow they did not. It’s now up to him to take it up with his lawyers.
From here, we are going to hold an emergency meeting to come out with
strategies to recover council land improperly acquired by different
individuals in society,” said the councillor who refused to be identified.

The councillors refuted reports that they had reached a mutual agreement
with Chiyangwa resulting in him withdrawing charges. They said they would
proceed to implement the recommendations of the special council report.

Chiyangwa’s woes worsened four months ago when government acquired one of
the farms he had subdivided into residential stands. He had reportedly sold
some of the residential stands to companies and individuals.

ZCTF Report - Nov 2010