http://www.afriquejet.com/
Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's top
mining official said Sunday there were
reports of new diamond discoveries in
several parts of the country. Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu said there were
reports of new diamond discoveries in
three other provinces in the country,
but did not give details, merely
saying government was moving on the sites
to secure them and prospect.
The country discovered a huge diamond field,
by some estimates the biggest
in the world, a few years ago in the eastern
province of Manicaland.
The government started mining at the field last
year in partnership with two
foreign companies, but the West wants Zimbabwe
to be banned from selling the
gems over alleged human rights
abuses.
The authorities have announced plans to set up a national mineral
exploration agency as part of the government's drive to become a key player
in the industry.
'As government, we have very little knowledge of the
country's mineral
wealth as the exploration has generally remained the
domain of large mining
companies due to large sums of money required to
explore and the high risk,'
Mpofu said.
Under new economic
empowerment laws, foreign investors are restricted to 49
percent
shareholding in mining ventures.
One of the new sites reported to hold
diamond deposits is close to the
border with Botswana, one of the world's
top producers of the precious
mineral.
Harare - Pana 10/10/2010
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Reporter
Sunday, 10 October 2010 16:15
HARARE - The President of the African Journalists,
Omar Faruk has expressed
concern at the lack of independent players in the
electronic media in
Zimbabwe.
Farouk,a Somali who is based in
Djibouti, was the guest of honour at last
Friday's National Journalistic
and Media Awards( Njama) in Harare.
He said he was disappointed to note
that " the government remains the sole
player in the broadcasting media in
Zimbabwe yet elsewhere in Africa,
community radio stations and privately
owned television stations have been
allowed to operate."
His remark
is in sync with concerns from the local media who feel that
the continued
government monopoly in the electronic media continues to
hamper Press
freedom.
In May this year, the newly appointed Zimbabwe Media Commission,
chaired by
Godfrey Majonga issued operating licences to four new daily
newspapers,
NewsDay, The Daily News, The Mail and the Daily Gazette but so
far, only one
of these, NewsDay has begun publishing.
But the same
has not yet happened in the broadcasting sector, a major set
back for the
media and the consumers.
Speaking on the same occasion, Media,
Information and Publicity Minister
Webster Shamu said the government was
committed to media plurality.
"The government remains committed to
ensuring that multiple voices are given
an opportunity to express themselves
through the registration and licensing
of more players in the industry,
including the electronic sub sector," Shamu
said.
He said the
goverment would soon put inplace measures to ensure that
information
reaches out to the marginalised rural communities.
The Minister also
expressed concern over the delay by organisations that
had been issued
with operating licences to launch their newspapers.
"They used to cry
that they are being denied licences but ity is now nearly
six months since
they were issued licences yet they have not begun
operating," Shamu
observed.
He also spoke strongly against some journalists, especially int
eh state
media whom he said engaged in cheque book journalism where corrupt
government and business executives paid money to have their stories
published.
The government would not hesitate to name and shame these
unscupulous
elements, Shamu warned.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by BRADSHAW MUZANENHAMO
Saturday, 09 October
2010 13:21
2HARARE - Children attending army-run schools across the
country have been
secretly undergoing military training in preparation for
deployment ahead of
elections expected anytime between 2011 and 2012, The
Zimbabwean on Sunday
can reveal.
Disguised as 'cadetship training'
the programme has seen all the 13 ZNA run
primary and secondary schools
offering training in 'loyalty, patriotism,
physical training and discipline'
in order to make them 'responsible
citizens'. The Border Gezi National Youth
Service which used to train Zanu
(PF) militia to intimidate voters has been
closed after the bankrupt
government failed to sustain the
operation.
Children of senior Zanu (PF) officials, including, Bona, daughter
of
President Robert Mugabe attend scohhols and universities in Asia, North
America, Western Europe, Australia and South Africa. The offspring of
ordinary people attended brainwashing sessions at Border Gezi Training Camps
in the past. The latest propaganda sessions being conducted in army schools
target children of junior and poor soldiers who are unable to send their
children abroad.
Army commander, Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda made
the announcement
last week in Kwekwe, giving the impression that the
exercise was innocent.
"The cadetship programme that has been recently been
introduced in ZNA
(Zimbabwe National Army) schools is an initiation of the
children into the
realm of loyalty, patriotism, discipline, responsible
citizenry and selfless
service to others," Lt-Gen Sibanda said.
However,
informed sources in the military revealed to The Zimbabwean on
Sunday that
'there appears to be something sinister about the whole exercise
because
some schools neighbouring the military schools were being forced to
participate in the 'project'. "The Border Gezi National Youth Service has
collapsed because of lack of funding and the children will be deployed on
'attachment to rural areas. Many things are just not adding up because
everything is so hazy," said a senior officer in the ZNA.
The children
will also study 'civil-military relations' which may be an
exercise in
intimidating the adult population in rural and urban areas, the
sources
said. In his address, Lt-Gen Sibanda said the military training
would make
the children become self reliant them courage 'to be proud to be
Zimbabweans.'
"It is a comprehensive package which weans our children
from the dependency
syndrome and gives them courage to stand on their feet
and to be proud of
who they are," Sibanda said. He said the programme was
identical to the Boy
Scouts movement and was intended to reorient children
to their roots, and
give them an appreciation of their inalienable right to
their national
heritage and self-determination.? "Through the programme,
children develop
confidence and pride in themselves and courage to speak
well of their
country."
http://www.herald.co.zw
Saturday,
October 09, 2010
Crime
Reporter
A SENIOR cop has lamented the increase in the number of force
members
involved in such criminal activities as murder and armed robberies
using
service firearms.
Deputy Commissioner-General (Operations)
Innocent Matibiri recently said as
vanguards of peace and tranquillity, law
enforcement agents were expected to
be morally upright.
Dep Comm-Gen
Matibiri was speaking at the Support Unit and Police Special
Tactics Troops
passout parade in Shamva.
"May I express my utmost disgust at numerous
reports of police officers,
especially members of the Support Unit, who are
committing criminal
offences, among them murder and armed
robberies.
"It is exceedingly sad and ironic to note that service rifles
that are meant
to preserve peace and stability are being used by police
officers to
terrorise society," he said.
A total of 110 officers
graduated at the passout parade.
Dep Comm-Gen Matibiri said the catalogue
of courses they had undergone had
equipped them with vital craft and
literacy competencies that should
transform them into versatile
officers.
"Consequently, may I remind the graduands on parade that the
Support Unit
used to be an epitome of discipline in the organisation, such
that other
provinces could take a cue from it.
"I am, however,
disturbed by the rate at which discipline is deteriorating
in this province
considering the shocking number of cases of indiscipline
being recorded," he
said.
He warned all officers inclined to criminality that the force was
not a
breeding ground for such people.
Last month, a policeman from
the Support Unit shot and injured two
detectives before killing
himself.
Clever Ndlovu (27) shot himself in the head after he was
challenged by the
detectives who were investigating a murder and botched
armed robbery case,
which occurred at Gletwin Farm in Chishawasha on July 2
at around 2am.
Three police officers from the Support Unit and two other
civilians were
arrested in connection with the case.
Two policemen
from the Support Unit were arrested after they were implicated
in a robbery
at Kingdom Bank.
Two other cops are on the run after being fingered as
accomplices.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
10 October, 2010 07:45:00 By
Nkululeko Ndlovu
HARARE - Head of State and Government and
Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe
Defense Forces, Chancellor of University
of Zimbabwe, Zanu PF President and
First Secretary Zimbabwe Republic
President Robert Mugabe has arrived in
Sirte Libya, to attend an Arab summit
which has nothing to benefit the
embattled Zimbabwean economy.
Mugabe
was accompanied by Libyan Ambassador Mr Taher Elmagrahi and other
senior
government officials.
Top on the agenda of the one-day Arab League summit
was the
Israeli-Palestinian talks as expected and Robert Mugabe imposed
himself on
the Arabs talks for political mileage.
Mugabe was seen off
at the Harare International Airport by Vice President
Joice Mujuru, Media,
Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu,
Defence Minister Emmerson
Mnangagwa, Minister of State Security Sydney
Sekeramayi, Senator Guy
Georgias, Service Chiefs and other senior government
officials.
http://www.apanews.net/
APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabweans based in Johannesburg
have formed a
multi-disciplinary forum to assist their country's nationals
wishing to
obtain permits to stay in South Africa, APA learns here
Saturday.
The Documentation of Zimbabweans Project Stakeholders Forum,
which includes
civil society groups and political parties, seeks to
facilitate the
processing of permits for undocumented Zimbabweans who have
been given until
December 31 to regularize their stay in South Africa or
face deportation.
The areas of concern include Zimbabweans not
understanding what documents
they are required to produce, the lack of
material in Zimbabweans' home
languages, the accessibility of the necessary
forms and long queues.
More than 10,000 Zimbabwean nationals have applied
for permits to stay in
South Africa since a special documentation process
was opened on September
20.
Undocumented Zimbabweans living is South
Africa have until 31 December to
apply to the department to have their stay
in the country registered.
South Africa will in December resume deporting
undocumented Zimbabweans,
ending an 18-month moratorium on deportations of
illegal immigrants from its
struggling northern neighbour.
The
moratorium on deportations was first implemented in April 2009 in an
attempt
to regulate the stay of Zimbabweans in South Africa, thousands of
whom
continue to flock to their more prosperous neighbor in search for jobs
and
better living conditions.
There no exact figures of how many Zimbabweans
live in South Africa but
estimates put the figure at anything above two
million or above a sixth of
Zimbabwe's total population of 12 million
people.
JN/daj/APA
2010-10-09
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Fungi Kwaramba
Saturday, 09 October 2010
13:36
HARARE - Three quarters of people living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
earn less
than $50 per month and cannot afford the life-prolonging
anti-retroviral
drugs or basic commodities, according to a report by the
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR).
The report, which also said
that public health workers often demand bribes
from patients to get
medicines, said most of the people living with HIV or
AIDS were not in
formal employment, while the government has failed to keep
promises to
ensure freed ARVs for all needing them.
"75 percent of the respondents
have an average monthly income ranging 0-50
United States dollars, with the
number decreasing as one goes up the range.
As such 83 percent of the people
interviewed highlighted that they could not
afford basic necessities for
their day to day lives," the report said.
Health Minister Henry Madzorera
could not be reached for comment on the
matter.
Zimbabwe is among a
few sub-Saharan countries to bring down HIV infection
rates from more than
25 percent four years ago to 13.75 percent of the
population, according to
the latest available figures released last
December.
But the pandemic
remains a major killer in a country where the public health
sector and the
economy are still struggling to shake off the effects of a
decade of
recession and political strife.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Ray Matikinye
Sunday, 10
October 2010 16:20
BULAWAYO - Government's stubborn stance on
Bilateral Investment Protection
of Property Agreement (BIPPA) with Botswana
is holding back the release of
more than 500 million pula from its western
neighbour when Zimbabwe is in
dire need of a cash injection into the
economy, Economic Planning and
Investment promotion minister, Tapiwa
Mashakada said.
Mashakada told business representatives at a meeting
in the city last
Friday that negotiators of the financial package should
soften their stance
to unlock the deal because Botswana insisted that BIPPA
agreement should
cover old and new investment before the US$80, 5 million
deal is signed.
"The negotiations are stalled because government fears
compromising its land
reform program but we hope the sticking point will be
addressed and the deal
signed hopefully by the end of this month," Mashakada
said.
Botswana hit the ground running on earlier pledges by Southern
African
Development Community (SADC) countries to assist the government of
national
unity financially in the face of reluctance by bi-lateral financial
institutions to provide the country with much-needed credit lines in protest
over the partial implementation of the Global Political
Agreement.
Early this week, Botswana President Ian Khama called for the
removal of
sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe over its human rights abuses and
undemocratic
practices by the US and the European Union, while on an
official visit to
South Africa.
Mashakada said that there was a need
for serious government intervention to
stop de-industrialisation of the
country's erstwhile industrial hub.
He advocated for equitable sharing of
financial resources among regions each
time government negotiated lines of
credit with international financiers and
suggested Bulawayo should consider
applying for special economic zone status
in order to attract foreign direct
investment with serious partners.
"We need to have a devolutions system
that resolves round regional economic
plans. We are working on an industrial
development plan that should address
the issue of regional budgets. It is
not enough to have a national plan that
does not cascade from regional plans
and we need to plan regionally and
devolve from central planning," Mashakada
said.
Mashakada said government was working on a medium tern plan that
extends to
2016 which aims to bring the economy back to its 1997 - 1998
level when the
economy was vibrant but needed to address such issues as
indigenization
policy to attract foreign direct investment.
"The
country's economy cannot grow without foreign direct investment. We
need to
address the indigenisation requirement of 51 percent local ownership
because
investors will not come when the controlling interest in their
investment
rest with the locals," Mashakada added.
He said the greatest challenge to
economic growth and progress was that the
economy was operating on a cash
basis in an atmosphere where macro-economic
space is limited by credit
squeeze and where banks are operating on 7
percent of savings instead of the
ideal 25 percent.
"Although the short term emergency recovery plan
(STERP) has done wonders to
stabilize the economy with an inflation of 3,4
percent this year and a
buoyant projected 8 percent growth rate, we are
still a consumption
supermarket economy, constrained by infrastructural
bottlenecks such as
poor roads, erratic power and water supplies,"
Mashakada said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Staff Reporter
Saturday, 09 October
2010 18:04
HARARE - Zimbabwe is expected to hold a referendum for its
highly
controversial constitution making process by June next 2011, almost
year
behind the schedule prescribed under the Global Political Agreement
(GPA).
In a statement, the Parliamentary Select Committee (Copac)
tasked with the
drafting of the new national charter said the process of
gathering data in
all the country's provinces was finished except for
Harare.
Inter-party violence marred the process in Harare two weeks ago,
causing its
temporary abandonment while claiming its first victim, a
supporter of Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party.
Reads part of the statement: "All the data and
equipment that was used for
recording the information is being kept under
lock and key in a safe at a
local bank to ensure maximum safety. The
equipment includes laptops, voice
recorders and video cameras.
"Data
uploading begins on Monday, 18th October and should be finalised by
the end
of October. The rapporteurs and technicians will assist in
downloading."
According to Copac, data would be received from the
country's provinces as
from 14 October and the subsequent process of
uploading and collation should
go up to 31 October.
This would be
followed by thematic group discussions beginning November up
to December 22,
2010.
The teams would break for the Christmas holidays and resume on 1
January
2011 up to the 31st of January for the drafting process.
The
Second All Stakeholders' meeting would be held on March 31, 2011, after
which a report would be presented to Parliament on 30 April,
2011.
But persistent squabbling over funds by Zimbabwe's MPs coupled with
continued bungling by Copac, among other reasons, delayed the
process.
Zimbabwe is expected to call for fresh elections soon after the
adoption or
rejection of a new constitution.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Ray Matikinye
Saturday, 09
October 2010 16:42
BULAWAYO - The Minister of Industry and Commerce,
Professor Welshman Ncube
has ruled out the possibility of holding elections
next year as announced by
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai, citing the
problems in drafting a constitution to be followed by
a referendum as the
penultimate exercises before holding polls in line with
the provisions of
the Global Political Agreement.
President
Mugabe is on record as saying elections will be held next year
with or
without a new constitution although the GPA signed by the three
parties in
the coalition government stipulates that a draft constitution has
to be
crafted first, followed by a referendum before elections are
held.
Professor Ncube, who is also the secretary general of the
Mutambara -led
MDC, told a breakfast meeting hosted by captains of industry
in the city on
Friday that the constitution making process faced huge
problems in collating
the data generated by COPAC outreach
programs.
That data has to be dealt with by technical people likely to
take a year
before a draft constitution is put to a referendum.
COPAC
is currently embroiled in a wrangle over outreach meetings which were
disrupted by inter-political violence in Harare.
The violence forced
the abandonment of close to 40 meetings in the capital.
The venues have to
be re-visited.
"I can assure you that a draft constitution can only be
ready in the late
part of next year. If we are to respect the GPA and have a
constitution
first, we are very far away from an election," Ncube told
representatives of
the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries and the Zimbabwe
National Chamber
of Commerce.
He said the problems surrounding the
holding of early polls after a
constitution emanated from the fact that
Zimbabweans went about the
constitution making process "with a blank
cheque", unlike if they had
tackled the exercise by allowing COPAC to adopt
the framework of the Kariba
Draft as the basis for collecting people's
views.
Each party to the GPA therefore reverted to its pre-Kariba Draft
position.
It took 18 months to negotiate the Kariba Draft, where debate was
about
positions that the three main political parties took, Ncube
said.
"The difficulty we face is how each party is going to negotiate
which view
to take where. For instance, 350 000 people took part in the
outreach
program in Mashonaland East alone compared to 250 000 in the whole
of
Matabeleland. Who is going to participate in the negotiations because
COPAC
does not have the powers to negotiate ?" Ncube asked.
He said
these were some of the daunting tasks that cast doubts on the
possibility of
holding elections next year. Most likely, he said, polls will
be held in
2012.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
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08 October, 2010 09:18:00 Episcopal News
Service
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on October. 7
expressed his concerns
about the protection of refugees in the United
Kingdom during a visit to the
Refugee Council, the leading national charity
working with asylum seekers
and refugees, according to a press release from
Lambeth Palace.
The archbishop met asylum seekers and refugees -- many of
whom are destitute
and waiting to be able to return safely to their own
countries -- at the
charity's Day Centre and Advice Service in Brixton,
London. The people he
met were from countries where human rights abuses are
still rife, such as
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, and Sri
Lanka.
"It was sobering to hear the experiences of asylum seekers and
refugees
during my visit today, and I was impressed by the work the Refugee
Council
is doing to help them," said Williams, who has long supported the
rights of
refugees and asylum seekers in the U.K., according to the release.
"It's
clear that there's an ongoing policy question about why asylum seekers
are
not allowed to work, a problem that was apparent from the people I met
here
today."
Williams said that he is "very concerned about the issue
of protection, and
that people sent back to their countries are not
monitored. Without these
checks, there's a risk that what the government
regards as being a safe
environment may not be. If we look at situations
like the one in Zimbabwe, I
think there's a real question over whether
people can be sent back safely to
these countries."
Donna Covey,
chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the organization
was delighted
that Williams was ale to visit and "hear firsthand the horrors
many of our
clients have faced in their own countries, and the difficulties
they have
experienced in the U.K."
Covey said that the Refugee Council works on a
daily basis with people who
have fled torture, conflict and persecution, and
are seeking safety in the
U.K., "yet many have been forced into destitution
here, and have nowhere
else to turn. It is essential that the government, as
part of its very
welcome project to improve the asylum system, ensures it
has the welfare of
refugees and asylum seekers at its heart."
The
Refugee Council assists more than 1,000 people a month with practical
advice
and emotional support. At its day center in Brixton, the charity
provides
around 140 people with a hot, healthy lunch each day, and clothing
and
toiletries to destitute clients. The charity also offers English classes
and
specialist counseling, as well as expert advice to newly arrived asylum
seekers on how to access financial support, accommodation, and legal
advice. -Episcopal News Service
http://www.express.co.uk/
Story Image
Robert Mugabe plans a hero's
welcome for Gamu Nhengu
Sunday October 10,2010
By Bryan Graham and
Paula Murray
ROBERT MUGABE yesterday waded into the row surrounding axed
X Factor star
Gamu Nhengu by plotting to use her looming deportation in
anti-British
propaganda.
The brutal dictator vowed to capitalise on
the furore with sources saying
senior officials in Zimbabwe were "rubbing
their hands with glee".
Gamu, 18, who was excluded from judge Cheryl
Cole's final line-up on The X
Factor last Sunday, attracted widespread
support from fans who campaigned
for her to be reinstated.
Days
later, it emerged her mother Nokutula Ngazana's visa had expired amid
allegations she had wrongly claimed benefits and the Home Office told the
family they must leave Britain voluntarily.
The Sunday Express has
learned, however, that Mugabe's regime plans to use
the decision to send
Gamu back to Zimbabwe to boost his own popularity.
The revelation from
the singer's birth country came after her X Factor dream
was destroyed by
judge Cheryl Cole, who refused to put her through for last
night's live
show.
Speaking to the Sunday Express last night, she admitted she has "no
idea"
what the future holds. She said: "We do not know when they want us to
go,
they have not told us. You do get exhausted mentally and
emotionally."
She said she was still reeling from news they may have to
leave Britain,
adding: "We found out about it on TV, we hadn't had any
contact from anyone
[in immigration] so it was a shock to us."
Gamu
confirmed her family were feeling the strain of the past week, despite
thousands of messages of goodwill from the public. She said: "To be honest
with you they are all so stressed out right now."
If the family
is forced to leave their home, a flat in the shadow of the
scenic Ochil
Hills in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, they face returning to
Gamu's
grandparents' home, a mud hut in rural Zimbabwe with no running water
or
electricity.
Mugabe, 86, plans to give the singer a hero's welcome,
turning her into a
poster girl for a hate campaign against "heartless"
Britain. Richard
Chibvongodze, a senior official in the department of
internal affairs, said
Gamu's return could be a major coup for the despised
leader, whose
dictatorship has left thousands dead and millions in
poverty.
He said: "The politburo are rubbing their hands in glee. This
will
demonstrate to Zimbabweans the British are heartless and will never do
anything to assist citizens of this country.
"Nokutula Ngazana and
her family were not asylum seekers. They left this
country perfectly
legally, so won't be in trouble when they return."
Gamu and her brothers
Milton, 12, and Marty, 10, moved to Scotland eight
years ago after Ms
Ngazana, 38, won a place to study nursing at Stirling
University and was
granted a student visa, but her application to renew the
paperwork was
turned down.
Their solicitor has lodged an appeal against the
decision.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010 19:57
THE United
States Government on Friday announced that the University of
Zimbabwe
College of Health Sciences will receive an award from its Medical
Education
Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
MEPI will support the goals of the US
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) by investing US$130
million to improve African medical
education and by training 140 000 African
health care workers over five
years.
Under this award, the University of
Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences
(UZCHS) is partnering with the
University of Colorado-Denver, Stanford
University, the University of Cape
Town, University College London and King's
College London's Institute of
Psychiatry to train new health care workers
and to improve the capacity of
Zimbabwean health care institutions to
deliver care.
The US$15 million
award to UZCHS will cover the Novel Education Clinical
Trainees and
Researchers (NECTAR) programme and two linked awards programme
areas:
Cerebrovascular, Heart Failure and Rheumatic Heart Disease
Interventions
(CHRIS), Strategy and Improving Mental Health Education and
Research
Capacity in Zimbabwe (IMHERZ), over five years.
"The UZCHS feels privileged
to be awarded this prestigious grant from the US
National Institutes of
Health/ Fogarty International Center (NIH/FIC) and
PEPFAR.
"The award has
come at a very opportune time when the UZCHS is revamping
academic and
research activities," says Professor James Hakim, Principal
Investigator for
NECTAR, CHRIS and IMHERZ.
He said the grant will enable the premier medical
training institution in
Zimbabwe to "implement programmes to improve
undergraduate, postgraduate and
faculty training in the areas of clinical
management and research capacity,
and in general to create a scholarly and
inquisitive environment at the
institution."
Eric Goosby, the US Global
Aids coordinator and the head of PEPFAR,
described the partnership as an
important step to "transition
PEPFAR-supported HIV efforts from an emergency
response to a more
sustainable effort and to develop the expertise necessary
for evidence-based
decision-making on the local level."
Funded through a
joint partnership between the US Department of Health and
Human Services and
PEPFAR, MEPI grants are awarded directly to African
institutions in a dozen
countries, working in partnership with US medical
schools and
universities.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010 19:57
THE
Borrowdale resident who evaded Zesa's crippling load shedding for over a
year after illegally connecting his house to the main grid had the last
laugh last week when his connection was regularised.
Zesa switched off
Robert Beaton's line on September 29, days after The
Standard exposed
him.
Beaton allegedly made the connection a year ago and was never affected
by
load shedding much to the anger of his neighbours who stormed Zesa
offices
seeking an explanation.
The residents had been told that the
connection was made on humanitarian
grounds because the man kept fish for
sale at his house.
"The Zesa engineers came here this morning (Wednesday) and
re-connected the
electricity for him.
"We as residents of the area really
need to know what it is that justifies
him being supplied electricity 24
hours a day while the rest of the country
goes without power."
"Our
concern is also about the safety of the connection since it runs
directly
over and across the road," said the resident.
The residents said they
suspected there was corruption involved and want the
matter investigated by
the authorities.
But Zesa spokesman, Fullard Gwasira defended the
reconnection saying the
line had since been regularised. "We are maintaining
a policy of zero
tolerance to any form of corruption," he said.
"We will
regularise it and we are operating from that premise." he said.
Gwasira
conceded that initial connection was illegal.
"We sell electricity to all
customers and he will soon be experiencing load
shedding as the power grid
has been regularised. It is like any normal power
line," he said.
Zesa
maintains a regular load shedding because it cannot generate enough
electricity to meet local demand.
BY KUDZAI CHIMHANGWA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010
18:29
GOVERNMENT is set to dole out new top-of-the-range vehicles and
increase
allowances for chiefs, in a move that critics claim is in
preparation for
elections slated for next year.
Chiefs have been
clamouring for an increase in their allowances from January
and the timing
of the award has been described as curious.
Sources revealed that the
allowances have been increased from US$200 to
US$300 on top of other perks.
The added perks are the fines that the chiefs
levy on their
subjects.
The new figures will make civil servants, who have been
told that their
salaries will not be increased any time soon because
government is broke,
green with envy.
The sources added that the
traditional leaders, currently driving the Mazda
single cabs, are set to get
twin cabs, most likely the Mazda BT50.
Chiefs say the new perks are
necessary and befitting of their status.
"The government has assented
to the demands of the chiefs," an official at
the Local Government ministry
said.
"Chiefs made the demands for twin cabs, saying it is the only
way of
restoring their status and that they cannot be seen driving single
cabs when
legislators are driving twin cabs."
A chief from
Umguza, Matabeleland North last week confirmed the development
as long
overdue.
"It was long overdue, we are more important than legislators and we
cannot
be seen to be lesser to them," said the chief who requested
anonymity.
Local Government Minister, Ignatius Chombo said chiefs
were supposed to be
treated as legislators and could buy any car of their
choice.
"If he wants a Range Rover then be it, the government sets
the limits of the
amount to be spent on cars, but they have the right like
other MPs (Members
of Parliament)," he said.
Chombo said most
chiefs had since received their cars and there were between
25 and 30
traditional leaders, who were yet to benefit from the scheme.
On the
allowances, the minister said the government had approved the new
rates, but
at the time treasury was broke.
"There is nothing new here, the
government approved these rates and now they
are being implemented," he
said.
Chombo would not be drawn to comment on criticism that this was
a ploy to
buy chiefs, loyalty ahead of elections, which President Robert
Mugabe and
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai want held next
year.
Zanu PF has long been accused of using chiefs as a conduit for
building up
their support base in rural areas.
Towards past
elections, Zanu PF has been known to regularly fete chiefs and
dole out
incentives, which critics claim is blatant vote-buying.
Civil
servants representative organisations' immediately condemned the new
incentives, describing the move as insensitive to their
plight.
Ironically, this comes a few days after Tsvangirai told the
public servants
that Treasury was broke.
Tsvangirai told civil
servants at a meeting early last week that government
was sensitive to their
plight but Treasury was broke to afford pay
increases.
Sifiso
Ndlovu, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association CEO said the new allowances
and
vehicles for chiefs were a clear build-up to next year's polls.
"This
is a clear build-up to the elections so that the chiefs' canvass for
Zanu
PF, it's a clear sign of politics taking precedence over the plight of
civil
servants," Ndlovu said.
"When it comes to civil servants, politicians
are long on speeches but short
on action and this only creates a
dysfunctional bureaucracy where civil
servants will be physically at work
but absent minded from duty in protest
over low
salaries."
Rodrick Fayayo, the spokesperson for the Bulawayo
Progressive Residents
Association (BPRA)
added: "It's a clear
indication that the government is insincere about the
plight of civil
servants.
"We are living in a country where the abnormal has been normalised,
where a
chief gets more pay than a civil servant who sweats day in day out
but does
not get rewarded."
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010 18:19
THE
government is set to come up with a raft of regulations that will see
supermarkets, shops and bottle stores only being allowed to sell alcoholic
drinks between 6am and 7pm, while the selling of beer will be banned after
midday on Sundays.
The regulations, which are contained in the
National Alcoholic Policy which
was launched on Thursday, are set to have
far-reaching effects on the sale
of beer and related drinks in the
country.
If implemented, shops will be barred from selling alcohol to
visibly
pregnant women and people who are deemed to be already
drunk.
Selling alcohol to minors will also be banned, according to
the draft
policy proposed by former Health and Child Welfare minister,
Timothy Stamps.
Stamps is now President Robert Mugabe's special
adviser on health issues.
The new regulations may also see the
importation of foreign beers being
banned, as they do not carry the message
which is envisaged by the
government.
All alcoholic beverages are
supposed to carry a warning that states that:
"The operation of machinery or
driving after the consumption of alcohol is
not
advisable."
However, the labelling on imported beer is different and
that may see its
importation being regarded as illegal.
All
alcoholic beverages are to be packaged in containers which are clearly
distinct from soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages and water, and
shall in no way confuse the consumer.
This regulation is likely
to affect local companies that distribute cane
spirits, as their containers
are similar to water and soft drinks packaging.
The new regulations
also bar the mentioning of alcoholic drinks in
advertisement for family
events, sporting fixtures and educational material.
According to the
policy regulations, alcoholic drinks and the industry
contribute
significantly to the economy of the country, but there was need
to check
consumption as abuse had far-reaching consequences.
"The government
recognises that it has a responsibility to balance the
rights of adult
members of the community who wish to purchase and consume
alcohol in a
moderate and responsible way, with its duty of care to protect
the entire
community, particularly those under the age of 18 and other
vulnerable
people, against the effects of alcohol misuse," Stamps said.
At the
launch, Stamps said the policy was beneficial to all citizens since
it
protected them from abuse of alcohol.
"It is the right pathway to
maintaining good health," he said. "It is
beneficial to all citizens of
Zimbabwe and protects against abuse of
alcohol."
The alcohol
industry is important to the country and at one time it was
reported that
taxes on beer and cigarettes were holding up the economy.
The policy was made
in consultation with players in the alcoholic industry.
BY
SIMBARASHE MANHANGO
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010
19:15
OVER 270 buyers have confirmed participation at this year's travel
and
tourism show Sanganai/Hlanganani which starts at the Exhibition Park on
Thursday.
The show ends on Saturday.
The buyers include those who are
hosted by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
(ZTA) and other who come on their
own.
Industry players such as Inyati Travel and Africa Sun have also brought
some
buyers they will host, said Tesa Chikaponya, ZTA executive director
Destinations Marketing.
Last year, the fair pulled in 234 international
buyers.
The buyers are mainly drawn from UK, Baltic Islands, Russia, Germany,
Italy
and the Middle East, among others.
The total number of exhibitors
is 470 against 497 who participated at last
year's fair.
At least 25
regional and international exhibitors have confirmed
participation, with the
remainder being local.
Chikaponya said the quality of buyers was good and the
industry was heavily
involved.
"Africa Sun Limited is bringing in 30
buyers and Nyati Travel will bring 25
buyers under their umbrella,"
Chikaponya said.
Sanganai/Hlanganani runs under the theme Green Tourism,
Anchoring Economic
Growth in line with the United Nations' theme, Tourism
& Biodiversity.
Sanganai/Hlanganani is listed on the United Nations World
Tourism
Organisation calendar.
The coming in of some of the buyers to
this year's fair is a culmination of
efforts that started at the ITB Berlin
2010 travel fair in March this year,
Chikaponya said.
German tour
operators-Live to Travel and Travel Team Africa-are some of the
buyers that
will be at this year's fair.
Live to Travel deals with Southern Africa and
does packages for South
Africa, Namibia and Zambia.
Travel Team Africa
boast of more than a decade in the trade and had removed
Zimbabwe from its
catalogue.
BY OUR STAFF
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010
20:05
Events which characterised the constitutional outreach meetings in
Harare on
September 19 are a direct result of those within the inclusive
government
who are contented with the status quo which they are desperately
trying to
defend.
The former ruling party, Zanu PF sees the idea
of a new constitution as a
direct challenge to its hold on power, which it
has enjoyed since 1980 when
Zimbabwe won her independence. Evidence on the
ground proves that Zanu PF is
comfortable with the Lancaster House imposed
constitution which was not
written by Zimbabweans for themselves.
Under
Article 6 of the Global Political Agreement, the three principals
agreed to
the fact that Zimbabweans should be afforded an opportunity to
write their
own constitution. This was viewed by peace-loving Zimbabweans as
a victory
for democracy and good governance because for all we know, it is
the current
imposed constitution used by Zanu PF since 1980 that has led to
a deficiency
in good governance.
If there are those who are determined to maintain the
status quo, these are
the members of our society who are the direct
beneficiaries of the chaos
which has characterised our beloved state since
2000. It is suggested in
some quarters that, because the idea of the
constitution is one of the MDC’s
main policy on its aim to deliver real
change to the people of Zimbabwe,
Zanu PF only found themselves with no
option but to be in it. Accordingly,
frightening though it may be, this is
the reason why some people within the
inclusive government are doing
everything possible to scuttle the
constitution meetings. These disturbances
occurred mainly because of those
who just found themselves in this
process.
Those who have been at the helm of our politics, those who are
afraid of the
voices of dissent, those who thrive on racial discrimination
and those who
are refusing to normalise our situation as a modern society
are the ones who
are resisting the real change for Zimbabwe.
To start
with, no civic education was given to the general public to educate
them
about the importance of the new people-driven constitution.
Additionally, no
publicity was done by our media houses, both print and
electronic to urge
people to participate positively towards the making of
the new constitution.
As if that was not bad enough, in Harare for example,
no notice was given by
the Copac teams as to when and at what time the
meetings were to be held in
various wards. Venues were advertised three days
before the date, but there
was no specification in terms of the date and
time per venue. The notice was
only saying “Copac in Harare on 18 and 19” as
if it was going to be done for
two days per ward. A lot of people,
especially in Mt Pleasant, made their
way to the venue on Saturday, only to
discover that there was no
activity.
Let us face the facts; this was calculated to deny the people their
democratic right to participate in this noble cause.
I managed to visit
two wards, Avondale and Mt Pleasant, and it was evident
from the
contributors that most of them were indoctrinated by their
political
party.
More disturbing was the fact that some among the participants were not
being
objective about the whole exercise of constitution-making.
They
were not looking beyond the two protagonists, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe. The disaster with this school of
thought, where we write the supreme law of this country with individuals in
mind, is that, these individuals will one day leave the political stage and
nobody knows who will be in those powerful positions.
If Zanu PF
supporters want more powers to be given to the president in the
constitution
because Mugabe is currently occupying that post, will they not
cry foul when
someone
BY MAMUSE MAUNGANIDZE
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 10 October 2010
20:11
I find little anecdotal titbits about Zanu PF heroes and non-heroes
interesting.
We are told that before the burial of Ephraim Masawi some
members of the
Zanu PF politburo, namely Saviour Kasukuwere and Webster
Shamu, approached
ailing liberation war luminary Edgar Tekere at St Anne's
Hospital to try to
persuade him to attend Masawi's burial at the Heroes
Acre.
Kasukuwere even offer-ed "Twoboy" US$1 000 with which to buy the
necessary
apparel he would dress in on the occasion.
We know that Tekere,
in spite of his illustrious liberation war history, is
unlikely to be
interred at the Heroes Acre when nature eventually takes its
course. Many
years ago Tekere was quoted as saying that when he died he did
not wish to
be buried at the shrine because he did not wish to have people
"speechifying" over his dead body. It was clear who he was referring to; and
it is no secret that Tekere has fallen out irreversibly with his former
comrade-in-arms President Robert Mugabe.
Even on his sick bed he was
giving advice to Mugabe's nemesis Morgan
Tsvangirai on how he could depose
the ageing president.
Not only had Tekere, so many years ago, seen the
hypocrisy that goes with
the conferment of national hero status, but he had
also seen the defilement
of the national shrine that ensued when non-heroes
began to be buried there
for political purpose.
When Tekere hit the hard
times after leaving Zanu PF and failing in his
challenge for presidency in
1990, he was sustained by donations from senior
members of Zanu PF. He lists
them in his book, A Lifetime of Struggle. They
include no-less-a-person than
Didymus Mutasa, the powerful party's secretary
for administration and others
such as Zanu PF beneficiary Jonathan Kadzura
and other senior members of the
party. The amounts donated to Tekere when he
was in the wilderness
constitute a small fortune.
What this all points to is that Tekere is still
hugely admired in his former
party. Many who were with him in the struggle
know his exploits and the role
he played in making the liberation war a
success; and that cannot be taken
away from him.
The same can be said of
Welshman Mabhena who died neglected by his erstwhile
comrades because he had
fallen out with just one man. The frantic efforts
made by some very senior
members of Zanu PF including Vice-President John
Nkomo, Zanu PF national
chairman Simon Khaya Moyo, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and
Joshua Malinga to have
Mabhena declared national hero show that many members
of the party recognise
and revere the role he played in the liberation
struggle.
He was a
cornerstone of Zapu and Zanu PF after the unity accord of 1987. He
only fell
out at the beginning of the millennium when Mugabe re-appointed
him
provincial governor for Matabeleland North but when he came to Harare to
be
sworn in, he found his name had been deleted from the roll. Some say it
was
the humiliation of that occasion that irreversibly affected his
health.
Cognisant also of the hypocrisy and the crocodile tears that
accompany the
interment of people at the national shrine, the Mabhena family
has refused
that he be buried in Harare preferring instead Lady Stanley
Cemetery in
Bulawayo.
What the Mabhena family has done is a first and now
the nation knows that
one can be a national hero without necessarily being
buried at the national
shrine. The nation also knows that it is the person's
deeds that "declare'
him a hero and not the blinkered deliberations of a
motley crew of
witchcraft-believing politburo members.
This must bring
great relief to millions of people who have seen their
heroes being denied
hero status and being buried in all sorts of places.
They will know that
wherever their heroes are buried, they still remain
heroes without having
hypocrites "speechifying" over their dead bodies.
In the very-near future it
might not be very surprising to see more and more
people refusing to have
their dead relatives buried at the shrine. So
defiled has it become that it
is no longer really an honour to be interred
there. It has been trivialised
by irrational decisions that have seen former
pickpockets being buried on
the piece of land that must have been holy.
President Mugabe himself recently
defined it as a Zanu PF shrine. Many
people are overly aware of the
traumatic excesses that the party has used to
rule the country in the past
30 years. If the shrine is for those who took
part in Gukurahundi, in
Operation Murambatsvina, in the mayhem that preceded
the June 2008
presidential election runoff, then so be it. Which sane hero
would like to
associate himself/herself with such a place?
General Josiah Tongogara's
widow, Angeline (65), recently approached Prime
Minister Tsvangirai for alms
because she has been neglected by the party she
belongs to and of which her
husband was a pillar during the liberation
struggle. How many more heroes,
heroines and heroes' widows are in the same
plight?
Last week Pamela
Tungamirai passed on; forget about her being declared even
a provincial war
heroine, but what must exercise the nation's mind is the
loneliness in which
these heroes and heroines die. Remember Ruth Chinamano;
remember also that
the late VP Joseph Msika's widow had to get a wheelchair
donation from a
foreign organisation only a few months after her husband's
death.
This
whole charade about heroism and non-heroism has trivialised our
history, so
much that the country will have to sit down and rethink what
really defines
our nationhood. A situation where this definition lies in the
whims of one
man is untenable.
NEVANJI MADANHIRE
Robert
Mugabe drinking coffee out of an MDC mug and pouring in spoonfuls of salt was
the centrepiece of our 8th anniversary Vigil – until he fell asleep.
‘Is salt sweet enough?’ read our posters. The tableau seemed to say something
about our upside down country. Featuring our well-used Mugabe mask, it was
prompted by a report that Mugabe hadn’t been able to taste the difference
between sugar and salt at a recent reception for diplomats in Harare – and a
picture of him fast asleep at the UN (along with some of his 79 companions!).
(http://zimdiaspora.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4135:mugabe-losing-his-mind-restrained-after-childish-gaffe&catid=38:travel-tips&Itemid=18).
Mugabe
may have lost his sense of taste but he hasn’t lost his determination to stay in
power, as Morgan Tsvangirai has belatedly admitted. Tsvangirai says he has now
had enough and that the MDC will not recognise Mugabe’s unilateral
appointments. The Vigil welcomes his
stand and trusts it means a more robust approach to Zanu PF’s arrogance. We
believe Tsvangirai could usefully have a chat with MDC ministers such as Gift
Chimanikire, Deputy Mines Minister, who says in true Zanu PF style
‘
We
gathered under simple posters
proclaiming ‘
Supporters
gathered after the Vigil at the nearby
17199904?story_id=17199904)
that targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his gang should be suspended if they
agree to allow international monitors to supervise the promised elections. A
reasonable idea, except that no one believed that Mugabe would stick to any
promises he gave. However there was a suggestion that something along these
lines could be offered to the three goons (Presidents Jacob Zuma of South
Africa, Rupiah Banda of Zambia and Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia) when they
come to the US and the EU to argue for the lifting of sanctions – even though
the suggestion will, of course, be rejected by Mugabe. Also discussed was the
idea that the MDC’s policy of non-violence had crippled efforts to achieve
liberation. This was not supported.
Several
supporters expressed their grateful thanks to the Vigil for helping them during
difficult times.
Other points
· We were pleased to receive an encouraging card for our 8th
Anniversary from long-term supporter Andy Hope-Hall. It featured one of our
supporters in the Mugabe mask.
· Thanks to Patrick Nyamwanza for once again taking on the role of
Mugabe.
· Thanks also to Iline Manhunzi, Spiwe Gladys Dube, Elizabeth Ndewere
and Sekai Nyaradzo of ROHR Hayes branch for bringing bottled water and cool
drinks for Vigil supporters.
· And also to Pearl Shambare for stepping in to help at the Vigil front
table in the absence of some
· We were pleased to receive a £10 postal order from an anonymous donor
postmarked Tonbridge in
For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
For the latest ZimVigil TV programme check the link at the top of the home page
of our website.
FOR THE RECORD: 216 signed the register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
·
The Restoration of Human Rights in
Zimbabwe (ROHR) is
the Vigil’s partner organisation based in
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
ROHR
·
Vigil Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts.
·
Vigil Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
·
‘Through the Darkness’, Judith
Todd’s acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe.
To
receive a copy by post in the UK please email confirmation of your order and
postal address to ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk
and
send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners
Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust
which provides
bursaries to needy A Level students in
·
Workshops aiming to engage African
men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the Terrence Higgins
Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact
the co-ordinator
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil,
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429
Dear Family and Friends,
When South
Africas Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu turned 79 this
week and announced
he was retiring from public life, I felt very sad
for Zimbabwe. Desmond Tutu
has been an earnest, dedicated and
unflagging supporter of the ordinary
people of Zimbabwe. Throughout
the last decade he has been consistently
outspoken about the abuses
inflicted on Zimbabweans by their own leaders.
Time and time again
when all other African leaders were struck dumb, Desmond
Tutu raised
his voice for ordinary people.
In 2002 when legislation
curtailing freedom of speech, movement and
association was introduced,
Desmond Tutu was interviewed on the BBC.
He strongly criticised Mr Mugabe and
said Zimbabwe was: On the
slippery slope of perdition. Most of us had to
look the word up in
our dictionaries to find that it was a religious term
referring to
eternal death and damnation.
When South African election
observers came to Zimbabwe and their cars
were stoned by militant Zanu PF
youths, they witnessed at first hand
an atmosphere laden with violence,
intimidation and extreme
harassment. The head of the South African observer
mission was jeered
and laughed at by journalists when he went on to say that
Zimbabwes
elections had been: legitimate. Again Archbishop Tutu
stepped
forward: I am deeply, deeply, deeply distressed that our
country
could be among those who say the election was legitimate or free
and
fair when we are claiming to be adherents to democracy.
Five
years later, in 2007, African leaders were still dumb struck and
tip-toeing
around the bloodshed, hunger and chaos tearing Zimbabwe
apart but Desmond
Tutu was not afraid of upsetting the old boys club.
He and Madeline Albright,
the previous US Secretary of State,
published a joint article in the
Washington Post. They appealed, not
to the world, but to Africa,
saying:
Given Mugabe's consistent unwillingness to respect the
legitimate
complaints of his people, this is not the time for silent
diplomacy.
This is the time to speak out. It is especially important
that
members of the African Union and Southern African
Development
Community (SADC) raise their voices, for they have the most
influence
and can hardly be accused of interventionism.
Later that
same year Archbishop Tutu used the International Day of
Peace to again cry
out for Zimbabwe. He spoke about the harassment of
political opponents,
detentions without trial and torture and said :
It must stop now.
He
closed his speech saying: We are one family, the human family,
God's family.
Zimbabwe's plight is all of our plight. To ignore its
suffering is to condone
it.
Honest and forthright, Tutus unique combination of empathy,
humility
and humour will be sorely missed in Zimbabwe. We wish him well as
he
turns his time to reading, writing, praying and thinking; and
to
drinking lots of tea and watching cricket on television.
As one of
the loudest voices for ordinary Zimbabweans falls quiet,
there is hope that
at last, another has returned. MDC Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai has
finally made a statement about yet more
breaches of the power sharing
agreement. Mr Tsvangirai said that all
along he had been: prepared for the
sake of our country to sit
alongside my yesteryears enemies and tormentors
to rebuild a stable
and democratic country. But now he said, the
re-appointment by Mr
Mugabe, on a Sunday, of Zanu PF governors was one breach
too many. He
said that with immediate effect the MDC will refuse to
recognize
unilateral appointments that have been made by Mr Mugabe
including
the Attorney General, The Reserve Bank Governor, 10
Provincial
Governors, 5 Judges, 6 Ambassadors and the Police Commission. The
PM
said the continued refusal to swear in Roy Bennett as
Deputy
Agriculture Minister was a personal vendetta and part of a
racist
agenda.
The Prime Minister will do well to pick up where
Desmond Tutu has
left off and raise his voice for us, the ordinary people.
Until next
time, thanks for reading, love cathy. 9 October 2010. Copyright
�
Cathy Buckle. www.cathybuckle.com