Reuters
Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:09 PM GMT
By Stella Mapenzauswa
HARARE
(Reuters) - Zimbabwe's inflation rate soared to nearly 360 percent in
September, further away from government year-end targets and signalling more
gloom for an economy mired in a deepening crisis, official figures showed on
Monday.
President Robert Mugabe's government has singled out
inflation as the
biggest scourge to an economy struggling with chronic
shortages of food,
fuel and foreign currency and unemployment of over 70
percent.
Figures from the Central Statistical Office showed annual
inflation soared
to 359.8 percent in September from 265.1 percent August,
while the
month-on-month rate leapt to 33.3 percent from the previous
month's 8.3
percent.
The International Monetary Fund warned last week
that government spending
and high rates of money growth would drive
inflation to 400 percent by the
end of the year -- way above a target of 80
percent set by the central bank.
"I don't think even the Reserve Bank
itself still subscribes to that
forecast although it has not made this
official," said Witness Chinyama,
chief economist at Kingdom Financial
Holdings, pointing to rising production
costs which he said were forcing
companies to push up prices for basic
commodities almost daily.
Fuel
prices rose by at least 120 percent last month, pushing transport costs
higher for urban commuters whose salaries have failed to keep up with
surging prices.
Electricity costs have also more than doubled, piling
pressure on private
consumers and producers alike.
"At the rate we
are going now, even the IMF figure of 400 percent is looking
increasingly
optimistic," Chinyama told Reuters.
Inflation has retreated from a record
high of 623 percent in January 2004
but remains among the highest in the
world and could soon revisit that peak
soon, analysts say.
Zimbabwe's
economy has contracted by more than 30 percent in the last six
years and the
IMF predicts another 7 percent falling gross domestic product
(GDP) this
year -- outpacing the 4 percent GDP decline in 2004 and against
Harare's own
forecasts of 2 percent growth.
Zimbabwe's economic woes have been
worsened by the withdrawal of
international donor aid over policy
differences with Mugabe's government,
especially its controversial seizure
of white-owned commercial farms for
landless black citizens.
Mugabe's
government denies charges of mismanagement and says the economy is
being
sabotaged by foreign and domestic opponents of its land reform
policies.
Mail and Guardian
Irin
News Service
10 October 2005 06:59
Poor
rural households in drought-ravaged southern Zimbabwe have
exhausted their
food stocks and are resorting to eating wild roots in a bid
to stave off
hunger. Erratic supplies by the state's Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) and the
lack of essential commodities in rural shops have combined to
undermine food
security in the semi-arid Matabeleland region.
In Tsholotsho,
in Matabeleland North province, 49-year-old widow
Sharon Mpofu said she was
foraging for wild roots, identified as fit for
consumption by an elder of
the San clan from her village, to feed her two
children. The San are
renowned for their survival skills. The family had
also begun to reap the
rewards of a small community vegetable garden. "This
has become our way of
survival. Our maize meal got finished last week; it is
not even available in
the shops. In the past few weeks, it was available,
although some of us
would struggle to get the money, but these days it is
not there," said
Mpofu.
Tsholotsho Tjitatjawa's village headman, Nkosilathi
Sibanda,
said: "Although no one has died as a direct result of hunger,
people are
starving -- they need food. Shops are empty and families are
going for days
without a decent meal."
He noted that
supplies from the GMB were sporadic, and when
maize meal was available it
was often unaffordable. "What we need at this
point is assistance from [aid]
organisations," said Sibanda.
The World Food Programme (WFP)
only last week received written
authorisation from the ministry of public
service, labour and social welfare
to begin food distributions to targeted
vulnerable groups in 49 districts
around the country.
An
official from the GMB, who wished to remain anonymous, said
that, although
the state grain procurement agency's silos in both
Matabeleland North and
South regions were fast running empty, "the ministry
of agriculture says
there are several tonnes of maize in transit from South
Africa. We are aware
of the dire situation facing many people, and we hope
food security will
improve if we are [able] to get such deliveries," the
official
said.
A recent report by the Famine Early Warning Systems
Network and
the WFP on informal cross- border food trade quoted the South
African Grain
Information Service as saying that, by the end of August, the
GMB had
imported 403 000 tonnes from South Africa at a rate of 86 000 tonnes
a
month. "A rate which is 28% below the planned monthly import of 120 000
tonnes per month. Zimbabwe requires a total of 1,2-million tonnes of maize
before the next harvest," the researchers commented.
Aid
agencies have estimated that some four million people will
require food aid
in Zimbabwe in the months ahead. The United Nations Food
and Agriculture
Organisation has also warned that prospects for the 2006
agricultural season
are being seriously threatened by the short supply and
high costs of inputs
such as seeds, fuel and fertiliser.
Business Day
Dumisani
Muleya
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harare
Correspondent
FACED with rampant smuggling and theft of its precious
minerals, the
Zimbabwean government said yesterday it would launch a
crackdown on the
mining sector.
Mining is Zimbabwe's largest
foreign currency earner since the demise of its
agricultural sector, and the
externalisation of proceeds from minerals by
mining houses - most of them
South African - is further crippling its
cash-strapped economy.
The
situation has been made worse by rampant illegal gold-panning
activities -
involving senior government and Zanu (PF) officials.
The crackdown on
mines would fuel uncertainty in the sector and scare away
potential
investors who resented government threats or intimidation,
analysts
said.
SA has been negotiating an investor protection deal with Harare to
safeguard
its vast investments in mining, manufacturing and
agriculture.
Analysts say the latest campaign could fuel uncertainty in
the mining sector
unless properly implemented. They say that the solution to
plugging the sale
of minerals on the black market is to offer better prices,
not a clampdown.
"The parallel market for minerals and smuggling are a
reflection of the
flaws of the formal pricing system," independent economist
John Robertson
said.
"Authorities must increase the official prices
of minerals to remove
incentives for illegal dealings and combat
smuggling."
Mines Minister Amos Midzi said: "They (a team of experts)
have already
started working on that and are on the scene but they haven't
reported back
to me yet."
His deputy, Tinos Rusere, said the
government was aware of "rampant
underhand deals". Not all mines were
declaring all they were producing. The
law requires mines to declare all
proceeds sold locally and externally.
"We are aware that our precious
minerals, in particular gold, are being
externalised by both big and small
mines," said Rusere. "We will soon
descend on those mines that have been
engaging in those illegal activities."
New Zimbabwe
By Staff
Reporter
Last updated: 10/10/2005 09:45:18
DR OSWALD Ndanga, the former
Zimbabwean ambassador to the Soviet Union
(Russia) and defeated
parliamentary candidate for the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) faces
jail in Britain after admitting he ripped off
asylum seekers.
Ndanga,
the MDC's district chairman for Luton district was told by a judge
at the
Luton Crown Court last week that he faced a jail term after admitting
to
eight counts of deception by posing as an immigration advisor.
The
63-year-old former Zimsec director masqueraded as a professional
immigration
consultant and took money in exchange for legal help when he was
not
qualified to do so.
On Wednesday last week, Luton Crown Court heard
Ndanga plead guilty to eight
charges of deception, one of providing
immigration services when not
qualified and one charge of fraudulent
trading.
He ran ON Legal Consultants Ltd from his home in Wodecroft Road,
Luton, with
the charges covering a period between July 2003 and November
2004.
Ndanga, who has previous convictions, had been due to stand trial
later this
month, but pleaded guilty to some of the charges he faced after
discussions.
Stuart Alford, prosecuting, said the pleas were acceptable and
trial would
not be necessary.
The charges involved receiving money
from various people by claiming he was
a professional immigration consultant
who would progress their asylum
applications in a timely and professional
manner.
Ndanga, who was sentenced for similar offences at Luton
Magistrates' court
in 2003, was remanded on bail to be sentenced at the end
of the month, when
the full facts will be revealed.
He must report
twice daily to police and must not apply for travel
documents.
Judge John
Bevan told Ndanga, who has a surety of £ 10 000: "There is very
likelihood
of a prison sentence for these offences."
ON Legal Consultants Ltd's
website states that the firm has "over 5 years
experience of helping
immigration and asylum difficulties (sic) and general
legal
advice."
The website goes on to disclose Dr. Ndanga is a former
Ambassador
extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Zimbabwe to the then Soviet
Union, and
a Professor of Political Science, Sociology and
History.
"He is a distinguished Scholar and a career diplomat. He holds 5
University
degrees; B.A, M.A, Ph.D from The American University in
Washington D.C. USA,
and LLB (Cert HE) Honours, PGD-Law, London," it
said.
Ndanga stood against Zanu PF's Bernard Makokove in a parliamentary
by-election in Chikomba following the death of war veterans' leader
Chenjerai Hunzvi in 2000. Ndanga polled 5 207 to Makokove's 15 570
votes.
SABC
October 10, 2005,
07:15
Grain imports to Zimbabwe are now being speeded up with more routes
being
used and more companies contracted to ship grain, the country's Herald
Online reported today. Following bottlenecks and temporary shortages of
maize in some areas, supply routes were now more functional, read the
report.
"We have resuscitated road supply routes from South Africa
and this will be
focusing on areas like Masvingo and Midlands provinces and
we already have
the Beitbridge, Gwanda and Bulawayo routes functioning. We
are using road
and rail in order to ensure that the country is fed," said
Samuel Muvuti,
acting Grain Marketing Board (GMB) chief executive
officer.
The web site of the country's major newspaper reported there had
been
technical hitches in the distribution of grain, including fuel
shortages and
impassable state of roads in some areas. Muvuti reportedly
urged Government
agencies and others to play their part to ensure the smooth
flow of grain.
"Besides the hiccups, there was also panic buying by
people as a result of
some reckless statements made by some sections of
society who made false
claims that there was inadequate food in the country
in order to score
political points. My experience is that once those
reckless statements are
made, there would be panic buying thus creating
artificial shortages," he
said in reference to claims by the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change
that grain stocks were not
adequate.
Muvuti dismissed claims from some millers that the GMB was
denying them
grain since the parastatal had also moved into
milling.
"We distribute grain proportionately with millers depending on
the amount of
grain at a particular time. As GMB, we cannot feed the nation
on our own, so
we really need millers to the extent that we have even
distributed grain to
small millers," he said. - Sapa
The Scotsman
STEVE MCKENZIE
AN ENGLISH guesthouse owner and a young
Zimbabwean mother have beaten the
Scots at their own game - making the best
bowl of porridge.
Guesthouse owner Lynn Benge, 58, won the Golden Spurtle
for best traditional
porridge at the World Porridge-Making Championship
finals yesterday, while
Zimbabwean mother Lara Smith took the top award for
finest speciality.
The runner-up places in both contests were
carried off by a Dutchman and a
Spaniard.
Inverness mother-and-son
entrants Violet and Kenny Maciver were knocked out
in the semi-finals in
Carrbridge, leaving Ian Bishop from the Highland
village the lone Scotsman
in the final.
Mrs Smith, who fled Zimbabwe with her husband Clint, 28,
was delighted with
her victory in the speciality entry. Mrs Smith, 30, who
helps run the
family-owned Buccleuch Arms Hotel, in Moffat, Dumfriesshire,
impressed
judges with her "Bucc N Dugle" which is made with chocolate and
caramel.
She said: "There must be three different continents represented
here today -
it really is a world competition. This is the first time I have
entered, but
I definitely will try again next year."
Ms Benge, of The
Pines Country House, Duthil, Carrbridge, who is originally
from Yorkshire,
lifted the Golden Spurtle after 13 attempts at trying.
She said: "I'm
overwhelmed. It was nice to see so much competition from all
over the
world."
http://www.africancrisis.org/NewsView.asp?Rec=6188&EID=1352
Zimbabwe:
[A Military Revolt in Zimbabwe
would indeed be the cherry on the top
for me. However, I believe Mugabe will
do everything in his power to prevent
a military revolt. I believe, Mugabe
would sooner give his army and police
forces increases, food, etc - before
he would give it to members of his own
political party. Mugabe is no fool.
He knows that the *ONLY* thing keeping
him in power are his military and
security services.
Mugabe will give them anything he can steal from
another.
Also, I believe he would divert the funds he is getting
from S.Africa
for that purpose. Mugabe will do everything in his power to
keep his
security forces happy.
The day Mugabe is unable to
keep his security forces happy - that day
you must know that Mugabe's
resources are COMPLETELY SHOT. However, I think
that Mbeki will give Mugabe
whatever he needs to keep his army happy.
I would love to see a
military rebellion and a coup in Zimbabwe. But I
would be most surprised if
one actually took place. Jan]
THE Zimbabwean army and air force
have been hit by protests over the
government's failure to increase their
salaries as well as chronic food
shortages at their barracks.
Military sources said this week soldiers were increasingly unsettled
by
government's refusal to increase their salaries and provide adequate food
supplies to the 40000-strong army.
Disgruntled armed forces
pose a serious threat to President Robert
Mugabe's regime, which depends on
the state security apparatus -- the army,
the air force and the intelligence
service -- for its survival.
Mugabe last week urged the armed
forces to remain vigilant to deal
with what he termed a "vicious imperialist
onslaught".
The situation has been worsened by public servants'
worsening
bureaucratic inefficiency.
Sluggish performance by
poorly paid and demoralised public servants
has aggravated the economic
crisis.
Sources said army commanders have in the past two weeks
been battling
to assure soldiers the situation would be attended to as soon
as possible.
It is said some troops have been detained at 2 Brigade
barracks in
Harare in connection with "indiscipline" related to agitation
for salary
increases. Sources said the soldiers were expected to be
court-marshalled.
Senior army commanders have been telling soldiers
to channel their
grievances through proper structures instead of engaging in
"unruly
campaigning" which could easily be interpreted as
"mutiny".
Sources said a senior army commander told troops on
September 13 at
Cranborne barracks in Harare there would be no pay rise
until January.
A few days later a senior military intelligence
officer told troops at
the Presidential Guard HQ in Dzivarasekwa in Harare
the issue would be
addressed, but no improvements were
forthcoming.
Sources said "dozens" of soldiers had been prevented
from leaving the
army in protest over the current problems. Instead, they
said, troops were
being sent on forced leave in a bid, prompted by food
shortages, to reduce
numbers at the barracks.
Army spokesman Lt
Col Aggrey Wushe has denied soldiers were going on
leave due to food
shortages, saying they had accrued leave days during the
Democratic Republic
of Congo war between 1998 and 2002.
The army also denied there was
unrest within its ranks.
"We have food to feed them until the next
financial year. We can keep
them in the barracks but the days they accrued
will be forfeited," Wushe
said.
"We are saying, 'take them now
or they will get forfeited'."
Army commanders are traditionally
loyal to Mugabe and generals occupy
the upper echelons of parastatals and
government posts.
Mugabe has militarised government bureaucracy by
deploying former
soldiers to perform civilian duties.
A few
years ago, a leaked memo by former British High Commissioner to
Zimbabwe,
Peter Longworth, addressed to the Prime Minister Tony Blair's
office, said
Downing Street thought there was no real threat of a military
coup against
Mugabe's regime despite the prevailing political and economic
crisis.
The social and economic conditions have, however,
dramatically
worsened since then.
In the run-up to the disputed
2002 presidential election, army
generals announced they would not accept an
elected president without
liberation struggle credentials -- a reference to
opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.
The army was heavily
involved in the controversial election, which was
won by
Mugabe.
A leaked memo written by army commanders, urging their
structures to
be ready for the 2002 election, was widely taken as evidence
of military
influence on the poll.
Some civilian programmes,
such as the land reform programme and the
rebuilding exercise that followed
the demolition of shanties and informal
markets, were also carried out by
the army.
Zimbabwe needs to import more grain to feed at least
2,2-million
people who cannot fend for themselves until the new harvest next
April, the
state-owned Herald newspaper reported yesterday.
Source: AllAfrica.Com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200510060054.html
Mail and Guardian
Harare, Zimbabwe
10 October 2005 03:41
A
court in Zimbabwe on Monday provisionally barred the eviction
of about 400
squatters from a suburb in the capital, Harare, a human rights
lawyer
said.
Zvikomborero Chadambuka, of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human
Rights, said the High Court in Harare ordered that his clients should
not be
evicted from Mbare suburb, where they have been living in makeshift
shelters
for the past five months or so.
"We got the
provisional order we were looking for, to the effect
that they shouldn't be
evicted from the area," said Chadambuka.
Most of the 338
squatters and their children have been living
rough in Mbare since the
demolition in May of houses they were staying in
under a controversial
police operation dubbed Operation Restore Order.
The blitz
was mounted to rid Zimbabwe's cities of what the
government considered
illegal structures.
Chadambuka said Monday's court order was
obtained with the
consent of state lawyers.
"It was by
consent. The city of Harare said they never
threatened eviction," Chadambuka
said.
Last week, the squatters said they had been ordered by
police
and municipal authorities to leave the area by
Friday.
Chadambuka said his clients will now be seeking a
final order
from the court barring their eviction until the authorities find
them an
alternative place to stay.
The United Nations
estimates that at least 700 000 people were
made homeless and jobless by
Operation Restore Order, which was launched
countrywide in
May.
Police backed by bulldozers levelled houses, cottages
and
shacks, as well as workshops and flea-market stalls.
President Robert Mugabe's government has defended the
operation.
It has promised to build hundreds of thousands of
new houses
over the next few years, something that critics say the
cash-strapped
government will find difficult to do. -- Sapa-DPA
Cricinfo staff
October 10,
2005
The problems in Mashonaland continue unabated. Cricinfo has learned
that, at
the weekend, a match between Harare Sports Club and Old Hararians
had to be
moved from Harare Sports Club to another ground after two senior
Mashonaland
Cricket Association (MCA) officials disrupted the
game.
Cyprian Mandenge, the MCA chairman, and Bruce Makovah, the
province's head
selector, arrived at Harare Sports Club with two policemen
and, according to
witnesses, made threats to the players' safety if they did
not stop the
match immediately. They are also accused of racially abusing
certain
players, and of telling others that they would never play for the
province
again.
Their intervention followed a meeting of the MCA on
Friday at which both
clubs, along with Alexandra, Old Georgians, Takashinga,
and Universals, were
expelled from the association after the board accused
them of insubordinance
and trying to remove board officials when the clubs
did not fulfill their
Mashonaland Vigne Cup fixtures last
weekend.
Harare Sports Club is a private ground which is leased to
Zimbabwe Cricket
for matches organized by the board, and neither those
concerned, nor anybody
else not authorised by the club, have any legal right
whatsoever to
interfere with matches being played there. So at that point,
the players
decided to up sticks and continue the match at nearby St
George's College.
Universals and Takashinga also played each other at the
weekend in what
could ultimately lead to a splitter league containing the
six affected
clubs. The six contain nearly all of the province's
international players.
Stakeholders in Zimbabwe cricket are supposed to
meet this week to try to
resolve the standoff in Mashonaland, but the
incident at Harare Sports Club
has left serious question marks over
Makovah`s fairness and integrity as a
national selector.
Mandenge
took over the Mashonaland board chairmanship last week, but clubs
have
refused to recognised the new leadership. Four of the board members
have
been put under pressure by the clubs to resign.
It was subsequently
reported that the incident had been reported to the
police, but given the
fact that Mandenge and Makovah were accompanied by the
police, it is unclear
what further action is likely.
© Cricinfo
By Tererai Karimakwenda
10 October
2005
The permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) has handed
down its
first ever indictment of individuals accused of breaking
international human
rights and humanitarian law. Not surprisingly, the
indictment has been
praised by many international organizations and it is
hoped that it sends a
strong signal to perpetrators that the world is
serious.
The UN's Democratic Republic of Congo Special
Representative William
Swing announced on October 6, that the ICC had issued
arrest warrants for
the elusive Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony
and four other LRA
commanders. These rebels have long been wanted for having
committed
atrocious crimes against civilians - torture, rape, murder,
kidnapping and
maiming children.
Phil ya Nangolo, executive
director of Namibia's National Society of
Human Rights, issued a strong
warning to perpetrators of such abuses on
Monday. He said he is sure people
like Robert Mugabe will take notice that
the world means business. "Such
indictments", he said "should send a stern
signal to war criminals,
dictators and other abusers of power anywhere under
the sky, that sooner or
later their judgment day is coming."
The ICC's mandate is to ensure
that those guilty of genocide, crimes
against humanity, ethnic cleansing and
war crimes are punished. The court
has automatic jurisdiction in all of the
countries that have ratified the
Statute which was established in 1998.
Although Zimbabwe is not a signatory
Ya Nangoloh said Mugabe could be
arrested if he travels to countries that
are, despite the fact that he is a
head of state.
Ya Nangoloh said the court can be triggered in 3
ways. A state which
is party to the crime can initiate a case and so can
another country which
is signatory. The third way is for the United Nations
security council to do
so, or the ICC prosecutor can also bring a
motion.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe
news
By Violet
Gonda
10 October 2005
The debt ridden Zimbabwe Electricity
Supply Authority (ZESA) has paid
its arrears with counterparts in South
Africa and Mozambique. The power
utility is using the money taken from
private companies by the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe to pay up its debt.
Experts say although the payments may reduce
the power cuts in Zimbabwe the
way the money is being sourced is going to
sink the economy into deeper
crisis.
A leading economist, John Robertson, has warned that there is
going to
be a build-up of scarcity of commodities and a huge surge of
inflation as a
result of bad economic policies being implemented by the
government.
Robertson said Zimbabwe does have a fairly steady
source of export
revenue from the mining, tobacco, tea and coffee industries
but exporters of
these use half of their proceeds for their own requirements
and are forced
to surrender the other half to the Reserve Bank.
It is part of this money that ZESA used to clear outstanding debts of
US$25m
to Eskom of SA and US30m to Hydroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) of
Mozambique, after receiving funding from the central bank.
ZESA
spokesman Obert Nyatanga is quoted as saying the power utility is
now able
to pay for its imports in advance. Nyatanga said Zimbabwe was
importing 650
megawatts of electricity each week from Eskom, HCB and the
Democratic
Republic of Congo's Snel at between R22m and R25m.
Robertson
warned, "Although it is important to pay for electricity,
the government is
merely diverting money from where it might have gone to
pay for a wide range
of things, only to now pay for just a few things."
He said, "Releasing
money to the central bank means that the money is
not being used to buy
scarce commodities. The effects of this are that this
is going to force
bidders to move deeper into the black market and increase
inflation."
The problems at ZESA have in the past resulted in
frequent power cuts
which have not only affected households but crippled
industry. The economist
said although the payments by ZESA may reduce power
cuts, simply importing
power is not enough. He said this is because the
country is failing to
maintain its own power generating capacity and the
ability of power stations
to keep pace with the demands on them is not being
maintained. "We will
still see power cuts affecting us because of our own
inefficiency."
At present Zimbabwe imports 35% of its electricity from
SA,
Mozambique, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Herald (Harare)
October
9, 2005
Posted to the web October 10, 2005
Harare
FUEL supplies
in the country are expected to significantly improve this week
as the
National Oil Company of Zimbabwe was late yesterday afternoon
expected to
take delivery of a large consignment of petroleum fuels
following the
release of a foreign currency allocation from the Reserve
Bank.
Senior Noczim officials told The Sunday Mail yesterday that the
central bank
had made available US$5 million and approved the setting up of
a foreign
currency account for the parastatal as moves to resolve the fuel
shortages
Zimbabwe is facing intensify.
The officials said the
central bank had last week released the funds for the
purchase of seven
million litres of diesel and 1,7 million litres of jet A1.
The officials
said deliveries, which were being transmitted through the
Beira Port and
southern border, were expected in the country between late
yesterday
afternoon and today.
The officials pointed out that although the supplies
would first be directed
to industry and the public transport sector, it was
hoped that further
allocations would be made in the interim to import the
product for retail
purposes.
"The fuel supplies in the country are
beginning to improve, but this is
happening gradually. The improvement will,
however, first be felt in the
public transport sector and industry, which
have since been identified as
critical service providers.
"We
received allocations from the Reserve Bank in the past week and supplies
will be coming into the country either today (yesterday) or tomorrow
(today). We first want to ensure that the critical service areas of the
country are fully serviced," said an official.
Zimbabwe has for the
past few months been facing serious fuel shortages
owing to foreign currency
constraints.
The situation has seen motorists spending nights in long
queues at service
stations in different parts of the country in anticipation
of deliveries of
the much-needed commodity while others have been forced to
ground their
vehicles.
The shortages have also seen intermittent
transport unavailability, a
situation that Government has sought to address
by designating some filling
stations for public transport.
Although
the transport situation has eased, the overall availability of the
product
has remained low, inconveniencing motorists and several
businesses.
Significant supplies have, however, begun trickling in
following
reassurances from President Mugabe that the fuel situation in the
country
would soon improve.
According to the Noczim official, moves
are afoot for the parastatal to
import fuel on behalf of willing private
companies that also have access to
foreign currency in a bid to increase
local supplies.
The official confirmed that the Reserve Bank had approved
the setting up of
a foreign currency account for this purpose to allow for
accountability
under the enunciated arrangement.
It is understood
that relevant authorities would this week meet to finalise
details of the
arrangement after which different companies are expected to
take up the
initiative.
"We are trying to help those with foreign currency to import
fuel since
Noczim already has the necessary facilities required for such
purchases.
Last week, the Reserve Bank approved a foreign currency account
through
which the funds for the initiative would be channelled," said the
official.
Under the proposed deal, private oil companies would deposit
foreign
currency into the account after which the parastatal would import
the
product.
The fuel would then be distributed to the firms
according to the order they
would each have made.
This arrangement is
similar to that under which the Special Purpose Vehicle
(SPV)
operates.
It is, however, expected that Noczim's involvement would
improve different
firms' capacity to import fuel given that the parastatal
has always been
getting priority in foreign currency allocation ahead of the
SPV.
IOL
October 10 2005 at
02:26AM
Harare - Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence rate has dropped by 4,5
percent in
the past two years because of changed sexual behaviour, a
state-run daily
reported on Monday, quoting from a recent
survey.
"The percentage of Zimbabweans between the ages of 15 and
49 infected
with HIV has dropped from 24,6 percent to a still very high 20,1
percent in
the last two years," The Herald newspaper said.
"This makes Zimbabwe the second country in sub-Saharan Africa, after
Uganda,
to see its HIV infection rate start dropping."
Health and Child
Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa said the survey
by Zimbabwe's health
ministry, the UNAids agency and the US Centre for
Disease Control also
showed a decline in sexually transmitted
infections.
"Everyone now seems to know the
importance of preventing HIV and to an
extent are trying their best to avoid
getting infected, which should mean
they are practising safe sex,"
Parirenyatwa told the newspaper.
"Girls are now delaying when it
comes to starting sexual activity and
almost everyone in the country has an
understanding of what HIV is all
about."
Zimbabwe is one of the
countries hardest hit by the HIV and Aids
pandemic with at least 3 000
people dying weekly from Aids-related illness -
or about one person every
three minutes - according to the National Aids
Council.
Zimbabwe's battle with the pandemic has been compromised by a
collapsing
public health sector and dwindling donor funding due to strained
relations
between Harare and its former Western benefactors.
The government
collects a monthly levy from workers to fund HIV and
Aids projects.
World Peace Herald
By UNITED
PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published October 10, 2005
HARARE, Zimbabwe --
MISNA news agency reported that African governments are
attempting to
address the issue of food security.
After four days of talks in
Harare the first Regional Conference on Food
Security in Africa adopted a
nine-point "Continental Plan of Action"
document, which called for "clear
and coherent policies for food security"
to be adopted by African
governments "as parts of a wider national strategy,
based on the division of
responsibility among institutions, industry and
consumers, keeping the
entire food chain into account, from the producer to
the table."
The Continental Plan of Action offers a series of guidelines to ensure
long-term solutions to "reduce risks deriving from food and improve the
security of food aid."
The Rconference summit's objective is to
initiate local efforts to
enhance security over imported and locally
produced foods. Nearly 150
experts from 50 countries attended the
conference, promoted and underwritten
by the United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World
Health Organization.
The plan also includes recommendations on more coordinated management of
inspections on food imports and the creation of an alert system for imports
that fail to achieve adequate safety standards.
By
Tichaona Sibanda
10 October 2005
A South African
government minister has promised to investigate cases
of rampant abuse of
Zimbabwean refugees by authorities in that country.
Home Affairs
minister Novisiwe Mapisa-Nqakula last week met a group of
Zimbabwe activists
in Johannesburg and gave them assurances that all
refugees from Zimbabwe
will be treated fairly.
Last month activists in South Africa took
to the streets to
demonstrate against the way Zimbabwe refugees were being
treated. The
activists, led by Remember Moyo of the Zimbabwe Action Support
Group, handed
over a petition to the minister pointing out a number of their
concerns.
They gave the minister 30 days to respond to their
grievances. Some of
the issues raised by the activists in their petition
included the spate of
fatal shootings against Zimbabwe refugees in
Johannesburg.
At least three Zimbabwe refugees have been shot dead
by the South
African police during stop and search raids against illegal
immigrants. Two
others were seriously wounded by gunfire and are still
recuperating in
hospital.
Mapisa-Nqakula also visited Lindela,
the notorious holding camp for
refugees, and held a meeting with refugees
from all other countries.
According to Remember Moyo the minister promised
that her officials will
work out a plan to improve conditions at Lindela, as
well as the way
refugees are
treated.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe
news
The Herald
(Harare)
October 9, 2005
Posted to the web October 10,
2005
Harare
WHEN Mr Reason Kamesa reached the twilight of his
working days, it was not
only a pleasurable experience for him but also a
gateway to a seemingly
peaceful retirement.
After working for
different companies for several years, he expected his
pension would be
comfortable, offering the escape from years of toil and
hard
work.
His age seemed ripe for retirement and the monthly contributions he
had made
to the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) pension fund since
its
inception in 1994 and to his company were all he thought could help him
get
by after relinquishing ties with his employers.
However, two
years on, Mr Kamesa has come to realise that perhaps his
working days were
probably better.
Almost everything he had anticipated after retirement
has not come to be.
The payout he receives can hardly last half a
month.
With several grandchildren to fend for, the prospect of victory in
the
battle for survival in his Gokwe home area continues to wane for
him.
On the one hand, the cost of basic commodities continues to
escalate, while
school fees have risen beyond his reach, on the
other.
Unlike his working days, when he could at least stretch his meagre
resources
to make ends meet, the coming of retirement has seen him making
desperate
attempts for survival.
"Life has become almost unbearable
these days given that the cost of living
continues to increase and the
payouts that we receive are little. I have
tried to initiate self-help
projects in my area, but this is insufficient as
there is also need to get
additional funds to augment those generated from
the projects.
"If
only they could review the payouts that we are currently receiving, then
we
could probably be able to make ends meet. But as it stands, things are
entirely difficult for some of us who also have grandchildren to feed and
pay school fees for," said Mr Kamesa.
Mr Kamesa is among many
pensioners in Zimbabwe who harbour feelings of
dissent over the supposed
benefits that pension schemes should offer them.
While the operations of
company pension funds are of concern to members, the
National Social
Security Authority has emerged at the centre of many
contributors'
discontent.
Although NSSA is paying out pension benefits to its members,
concern
continues to be raised that the amounts are not commensurate with
the cost
of living and the contributions that members would have made during
their
working years.
On average, workers contribute 3 percent to the
fund while employers
subscribe the same margin to cater for retirement and
incidental claims. The
margins are, however, much lower than those offered
by company pension
schemes, which offer higher payouts.
Though NSSA
offers pensioners a minimum payout of $160 000 per month,
concern is that
the amount is too little.
This worker's surviving spouse is entitled to
$70 400 per month if they have
children, but gets a disbursement lower than
this if the couple did not have
any offspring. His or her eldest child, if
there is no surviving spouse,
would receive $70 400 each month while one who
becomes invalid while on duty
is entitled to receive a similar monthly
disbursement.
The figures are not only of concern to fund members, but
are generally
agreed to be far below the country's high cost of living.
Recent information
from the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe reveals that the
budget for an average
family of six has ballooned to a whopping $9,6
million, a margin that
pensioners can obviously not meet.
While it is
also generally acknowledged that pensioners or other
beneficiaries cannot
earn funds equivalent to their salaries during their
time of employment, the
compelling sentiment among concerned parties has
been the need to improve
payouts.
Labour union leaders are of the opinion that workers are not
benefiting from
pension schemes, advocating alternative investments that
would ultimately
work in the employees' favour.
ZFTU president Mr
Alfred Makwarimba argued that workers' contributions were
being pumped into
investments which "enriched" pension funds such as NSSA at
the expense of
the "real beneficiaries" - the workers.
He pointed out that instead of
giving workers "peanuts", pension houses
should invest in housing projects
to ensure that one owns some assets after
they retire.
"Workers are
getting peanuts when they retire and yet such big funds like
NSSA are
pouring billions of dollars into the acquisition of buildings. It
is better
to provide housing to the worker so that they have some form of
asset upon
retirement," said Mr Makwarimba.
While the monthly payouts are said to be
low, another school of thought to
emerge on the labour front has been the
need for pension funds to pay out a
lump sum to each
pensioner.
However, an alternative argument suggests that pension funds
should direct
funds to high-return investments. NSSA has in recent years
been investing in
buildings, which it later lets out to
corporations.
Although substantial amounts of money are reportedly being
recovered from
this investment strategy, still, concern has been that
workers should reap
benefits in line with the profits that accrue to the
fund.
Authorities at the fund have, however, defended the position saying
that
returns on investments were used to beef up reserves that would service
future pension claims, among other initiatives.
NSSA acting general
manager Mr Amod Takawira said the authority would soon
introduce new pension
benefit levels which would take effect at the
beginning of next
year.
He said though pension claims could not catch up with the cost of
living,
the reviews were meant to help pensioners and beneficiaries get
by.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) deputy secretary-general Mr
Collin
Gwiyo said Zimbabwe's pension review mechanisms were based on old
formulae,
which did not tally with the prevailing economic trends in the
country.
He also said employees were gaining little from pension schemes
due to the
prevailing economic challenges the country is facing, which had
seen
earnings being eroded before they were even awarded to prospective
beneficiaries.
"Furthermore, the pension reviews are based on very
old formulae, whose
patterns may not be consistent with the current trends,"
said Mr Gwiyo.
According to the trade unionist, NSSA should invest
directly in housing as
part of moves to mitigate the prospect of yielding
low returns.
The authority's investments in parastatal projects only
attract low returns,
a situation that would ultimately result in equally
diminutive benefits
trickling down to pensioners.
There was also need
to overhaul the Pensions and Providence Act, which
derives some of its
powers from old statutes.
"Private (pension) schemes are, however, to
blame because their interests
are poorly focused. A large chunk of the
members' contributions often goes
to administrative issues and this also
sees low returns in terms of what
members are supposed to receive," said Mr
Gwiyo.
He added that it was in this light that the ZCTU was working to
come up with
a blueprint that it would present for adoption by the relevant
stakeholders.
The blueprint, said Mr Gwiyo, would comprise formulae to
work out the levels
of pension different professionals would earn in their
retirement.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Public Accounts Mrs
Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the payouts that
pensioners were
currently receiving did not "make sense". She said one of
the problems
besetting the insurance industry was the unfavourable
investment climate in
the country.
Mrs Misihairabwi argued that the
situation was in turn hitting hard on
pensions, adding that the amounts
should at least be reviewed in line with
the prevailing poverty datum
line.
"The principle of a pension payment is that it should be able to
get one
through their life after work. But as it stands, the payments have
worsened
in light of the country's high inflation rate and it is a fact that
no one
is really benefiting from these payouts.
"The prices of
essential goods and services have gone up and one cannot be
expected to
survive on the current pension payment levels.
"The big problem is that
the economy is not favourable for investment and
this ultimately has a
strong bearing on pensions.
"It doesn't make sense for payouts to remain
static for a long time because
the economic situation is also
changing.
"The underlying sentiment is that the amount should at least
remain above
the poverty datum line to enable beneficiaries to make ends
meet," said Mrs
Misihairabwi.
The committee chairperson highlighted
that the amount of payments disbursed
to members should always tally with
the type of investment that a particular
pension fund selects and should
also be commensurate with their earnings.
Last year, the committee
gathered evidence on NSSA's operations and
established that the authority's
investment policy had loopholes which made
it difficult for the authority to
reap benefits that would find their way
into members' purses.
The
committee was concerned with NSSA's failure to "properly" invest in
housing
given that it had bought land and the financial resources required
to embark
on such projects.
From: "Trudy Stevenson"
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 2:56 AM
Subject:
Ambassador
Hotel
MISA-Zimbabwe - TIZ
On the occasion of the Southern
Africa Social Forum invites you to a
Public Seminar
on
THE ROLE OF
THE MEDIA IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
DATE:
Thursday, 13 October 2005
VENUE: New Ambassador
Hotel
TIME: 1730 - 2000 Hours
Speakers will be drawn
from the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission,
Transparency International
Zimbabwe and MISA-Zimbabwe
For more information please contact the
Secretariat on 793246/7, 793277,
746838, 776165
POLICE CLEARANCE
GRANTED!
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The
Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Oct-11
HARARE will swallow the
smaller towns of Norton, Marondera, Mazowe and
Beatrice as new boundaries
are drawn to satisfy a high demand for land in
the city.
The Minister of
Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development,
Ignatius Chombo, said
on Sunday that plans were underway to increase the
city's area so that more
land could be set aside for housing.
According to the Greater Harare Master
Plan, prepared several years ago, all
most of urban areas immediately
outside the city will eventually be
incorporated into Harare as the city
expands.
Chombo said Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland
Central
provinces would have to give up some land to Harare Metropolitan
Province.
"Harare needs to expand. We need new boundaries," said Chombo,
while
addressing mayors, provincial administrators and other senior local
authority officials in Harare.
"We want to fix this so that we will not
have problems with space for the
next 50 years," he added.
The minister
said local authorities in the provinces were set to agree on
the new
boundaries before Friday.
A policy that will set a minimum area a house can
cover, he said, would be
operational by next week.
"We want to encourage
houses to be built going upwards to save space,"
Chombo said.
The local
authorities also gave updates on the national mass reconstruction
exercise -
Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle, at the same meeting. The
programme has been
incorporated into the four-year National Housing Policy
and National Housing
Delivery Programme that will run until 2008.
Chombo urged the council
officials to revise building by-laws, in tandem
with new building standards
set by the government, as a way of embracing the
housing delivery
agenda.
"The attainment of the Millennium Development Goals demands that we
nurture
From Page 1
a synergistic chemistry among the various players in
the housing sector," he
said.
The government has set a target to
construct 250 000 housing units annually
until 2008.
President Robert
Mugabe will soon tour all provinces to check progress on
the reconstruction
programme.
Meanwhile, all local authorities were required to submit their
2006 budgets
by October 31 to the ministry for approval. Chombo said
councils should have
put in place the administrative and legal processes
relevant to budget
preparation by the same date.
He also urged them to
consult ratepayers during budget preparations.
"In packaging the budget, it
is imperative that councils strike a balance
between affordability by the
ratepayer and the cost of delivering service.
The need to consult the
ratepayer is underscored," said Chombo.
He said the ministry would assist in
the presentation of a certificate as a
condition for approval of
tariffs.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The Daily
Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Oct-11
A SENIOR police officer is
being charged for alleged misconduct and
dereliction of duty during the
March 31 general elections.
The alleged offences took place in Gokwe South
where the officer,
Superintendent Hosiah Mulobaleng, was posted as the
constituency election
commander.
Impeccable police sources said
Mulobaleng, a provincial training officer
with the Police Protection Unit
(PPU) stationed in Harare, was being charged
under the Police Act "for
unbecoming behaviour, indiscipline and disorderly
conduct likely to put the
name of the force into disrepute."
But the police officer's alleged
misconduct did not affect the outcome of
the poll won by Zanu PF's Jason
Kokerayi Machaya. Mulobaleng stands accused
of delaying transmission of
election results and not wearing his police
uniform on duty as required by
law, the sources said.
They said a hearing had since been held at the Old
Police Camp in Gweru and
judgment was reserved.
Contacted for comment,
Mulobaleng's lawyer, Hillary Garikayi of Gweru legal
firm Garikayi and
Company, confirmed that his client was being charged for
misconduct. But he
argued that Mulobaleng had been a victim of
circumstances.
"The radio
equipment was down, so it was difficult to release the
information on time.
Due to the wet weather, his uniform was wet after
overseeing 90 polling
stations. He's a victim of circumstances and had no
intention of
discrediting the name of the police," the lawyer said.
He noted that his
client had two uniforms while on duty in Gokwe but had
worn his personal
clothes after the uniforms had been drenched in the rain.
This was because
it was raining most of the time while at the same time
Mulobaleng also
attended to breakdowns or vehicles stuck in the mud.
Police spokesperson
Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday said
the force does not
normally comment on internal disciplinary measures, but
promised to look
into the matter.
Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe
The
Daily Mirror Reporter
issue date :2005-Oct-11
THE high fees charged by
the Harare City Council for week-end flea market
rentals have driven away
traders who say they cannot remain viable after
paying $800 000 for eight
trading days per month.
The commission charges $200 000 for two trading days
payable each Friday,
which translates to $800 000 per month, compared to the
$600 000 paid by
vendors per 30 trading days.
Council spokesperson Lesley
Gwindi yesterday said the construction of
factory and vending sites was
going on well but refused to comment on the
development surrounding flea
markets.
Council last month reopened weekend flea markets in Marlborough,
Mount
Pleasant, Borrowdale, Greendale, Highlands, Waterfalls, Hatfield,
Mbare,
Dzivaresekwa, Hatcliffe, Mufakose, Mabvuku, Kuwadzana, Sunningdale,
Glen
Norah, Glen View, Budiriro, Highfield, Tafara, Warren Park, Kambuzuma
and
Rugare.
Traders are issued with badges, which they display at all
times, as proof of
payment. The badges are then surrendered to municipality
at the close of
business on Sunday.
Flea markets are open between 6 am
and 6 pm. All city flea markets were
closed during the two-month Operation
Murambatsvina/Restore Order that was
aimed at ridding cities of dirt and
crime.