(AFP) – 11 hours
ago
HARARE — Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe may probe top party
officials
who said that he has prostate cancer in US diplomatic cables on
the whistle
blower website WikiLeaks, state media said
Wednesday.
"The president was very clear that as a party we are looking
into the matter
to establish the origins and authenticity of the statements
regarding what
WikiLeaks revealed," said Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for
Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party.
"The president said the nation has to wait
until we examine the permutations
of the WikiLeaks revelations," he said in
the state-run Herald newspaper.
Gumbo said the party's central committee
discussed the WikiLeaks issue and
that Mugabe also said some of the cables
might have been exaggerated.
Several leaked US cables released by
WikiLeaks exposed clandestine meetings
between senior ZANU-PF and government
officials and US diplomats, which
discussed several issues including
Mugabe's health which are normally not
openly discussed.
In one of
the cables, central bank chief Gideon Gono told a US ambassador
that Mugabe
has prostate cancer and was advised by doctors in 2008 that he
had less than
five years to live.
In another cable, indigenisation minister Saviour
Kasukuwere allegedly told
former US ambassador Tom McDonald that Mugabe and
his cronies should "phase
out of their leadership role."
Last month
ZANU PF said the revelations by WikiLeaks are "disturbing and
demoralising."
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party, Mugabe's
partner in a tense unity
government, said it would not concern itself with
revelations by WikiLeaks.
But last week a provincial committee of the
party suspended deputy justice
minister Obert Gutu for describing Tsvangirai
as a "weak" leader in a
discussion exposed by Wikileaks.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com
Oct 12, 2011,
14:17 GMT
Harare - Zimbabwe's attorney general told a state-owned
newspaper Wednesday
that he plans to file suit against the European Union to
challenge a travel
ban effecting the country's president and senior
officials.
'We are finalizing drafting of the court papers and we hope to
complete that
exercise in two weeks time. We hope to file the papers during
the course of
this month,' Johannes Tomana, Zimbabwe's chief lawyer, told
the state-owned
daily The Herald.
In September, Tomana sent a letter
to Brussels asking under what grounds the
travel ban - which effects
President Robert Mugabe and senior members of his
party - had been
imposed.
Tomana's letter also contained an ultimatum directed at EU
officials:
explain why they imposed travel restrictions or face a lawsuit at
the
General Court of the European Court of Justice.
The EU replied to
the letter in a fax sent from Brussels. But the EU's
representative in
Harare would not divulge the letter's contents, saying the
matter is in
Tomana's hands.
During his visit to Zimbabwe in September, the EU's chief
diplomat for
Africa, Nicholas Westcott, told journalists in Zimbabwe that
the European
bloc was ready for a legal wrangle with Harare.
The EU
imposed travel sanctions on Mugabe and his loyalists in 2002,
following
reports of election rigging and human rights abuses by his Zanu PF
party.
There are 163 Zimbabweans on the EU sanctions list. Mugabe has
argued that
travel restrictions and sanctions harm Zimbabwe's
economy.
Mugabe and his officials also face a similar travel ban in the
United
States.
But because the US and EU travel bans contain language
allowing heads of
state to attend events held at the United Nations and in
Vatican City,
Mugabe and co. have visited the EU and the US several times
since the ban
was issued in 2002.
http://www.voanews.com
11 October
2011
Cases in the dossier presented to Mr. Mugabe included the
murder of an
Anglican parishioner who refused to comply with demands that
she line up
behind Kunonga instead of Bishop Nicholas Chad
Gandiya
Sandra Nyaira | Washington
The Archbishop of Canterbury
left Zimbabwe early Tuesday for Zambia, the
last stop on a pastoral visit to
Southern Africa, following a two-hour
meeting Monday with President Robert
Mugabe during which he appealed to the
head of state to intervene to resolve
a long-running, bitter and at times
violent struggle between Anglican
factions.
Dr. Rowan Williams presented Mr. Mugabe with a dossier
detailing the abuse
and intimidation of Anglicans in the troubled Harare
diocese by loyalists of
excommunicated former bishop of Harare, Nolbert
Kunonga, who has close ties
to the president.
Cases in the dossier
included the murder of an Anglican parishioner named
Jessica Mandeya who
refused to comply with demands that she line up behind
Kunonga instead of
Bishop Nicholas Chad Gandiya, who was appointed in 2010
to head the Harare
diocese by the Anglican Church of the Province of Central
Africa.
A
letter accompanying the dossier, signed by Williams and all of the
country's
Anglican bishops, said that contrary to charges issued by Kunonga,
no
Anglican official is aligned with any political party. “We seek peace and
reconciliation for all in our country and desire to play a role in promoting
healing and prosperity,” the bishops said.
Kunonga spokesman Bishop
Alfred Munyanyi dismissed the contents of
Williams's dossier saying the
Gandiya faction was peddling lies. Munyanyi
said he does not see Mr. Mugabe
doing anything to alter the situation of
Zimbabwe's Anglican
Church.
Bishop Gandiya, present at the meeting Monday with the president,
told VOA
that it was frank and that Mr. Mugabe seemed concerned when
confronted with
the dossier. He said he hopes Mr. Mugabe will ensure
dialogue ends the
dispute with Kunonga.
Ordinary Anglicans took to
Facebook and Twitter to express their gratitude
to President Mugabe for
meeting with their religious leaders, hoping he will
end the
dispute.
Jonah Gokova of the Ecumenical Support Services in Zimbabwe said
he hopes
President Mugabe will keep his word and promote healing among local
Anglicans.
But David Moore, a professor of development studies at the
University of
Johannesburg told VOA’s Delia Robertson that he does not
believe President
Mugabe is likely to follow through to end the standoff,
noting that he often
says one thing then does another.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 October,
2011
In a surprise development, parliamentarians from all political
parties were
united on Tuesday in calling for an independent probe into the
death of the
retired General Solomon Mujuru, who died in a suspicious fire
two months
ago.
The motion was moved by Jefferson Chitando, the MDC-T
legislator for
Masvingo Central, who told SW Radio Africa that the Zimbabwe
Republic Police
have lost credibility due to their partisan behavior and
Zimbabweans have no
faith in them. He said no MP objected to the
motion.
So far there has been speculation that Mujuru was the victim of
power
struggles and divisions within ZANU PF. The police were ordered to
conduct
an investigation but have not produced any reports or provided new
information on the incident.
“Zimbabweans are keen to know the cause of
death and the police have taken
too long to release their results,” Chitando
explained, adding: “In Zimbabwe’s
history the police have produced no
results whenever a national figure dies
and they have recently been making
partisan arrests.”
The Masvingo MP referred to historically well known
liberation figures,
including the late Josiah Tongogara and Herbert Chitepo,
as examples of
police failure to provide information after their
deaths.
He also criticized the police force for not making a single
arrest after
known ZANU PF thugs attacked MPs during public hearings on the
Human Rights
Bill earlier this year. “The victims of violence get arrested
instead of the
perpetrators. We have no faith in the police,” Chitando
said.
A debate, on the cause of General Mujuru’s death and the ongoing
investigation, was postponed in parliament last month after many MPs walked
out. Chitando said because of this he was surprised by the support he was
now receiving from politicians in all the parties. He added that some ZANU
PF MPs who did not want to speak out in parliament approached him privately
and offered support.
Several questions remain unanswered regarding
the circumstances in which the
retired General died. Farm workers that were
interviewed said the General’s
firearm was missing and the windows were low
enough for him to have easily
escaped a fire.
Chitando said the
debate will continue in parliament and if there are no
objections at the
end, a special committee and independent experts will take
over the probe
into Mujuru’s death.
http://af.reuters.com
Tue Oct 11, 2011 7:36pm GMT
*
UK minister says big changes needed in Zimbabwe
* Says Commonwealth could
help Zimbabwe "when the time comes"
By Adrian Croft
LONDON, Oct 11
(Reuters) - A British government minister sharply criticised
Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday and said it would be premature
for
Commonwealth leaders to hold out an olive branch to Zimbabwe when they
meet
later this month.
Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth, a 54-nation
group consisting mainly
of Britain and its former colonies, in 2003 after
the organisation suspended
it following Mugabe's re-election in a poll some
observers said was rigged.
The Commonwealth Advisory Bureau, a thinktank,
suggested in a briefing paper
issued before the Oct. 28-30 Commonwealth
summit in Perth, Australia, that
the Commonwealth could offer help to
Zimbabwe to encourage progress towards
democracy.
But David Howell,
the Foreign Office minister responsible for Britain's
relations with the
Commonwealth, said now was not the time for the
Commonwealth to make a
gesture to Zimbabwe.
"No-one is going to encourage, certainly Britain
isn't going to encourage,
olive branches or anything else to a Mr. Mugabe
who is showing no sign of
recanting, standing down or removing some of his
ZANU thugs from the scene,"
Howell told Reuters in an
interview.
"There's got to be big changes inside Zimbabwe," he
said.
Most of the change would be led by a regional grouping, the
Southern African
Development Community (SADC), with South African President
Jacob Zuma
playing a lead role, said Howell, a member of Britain's upper
House of
Lords.
"But I think the Commonwealth certainly sees itself
-- when the time comes,
which is not yet -- also being a leading force in
helping the recovery of
Zimbabwe, the restoration of credible and properly
monitored elections and
the revival of its whole economy and its role in the
world," he said.
SLOW PROGRESS
Mugabe, 87 and in power since 1980,
was forced into a unity government with
the Movement for Democratic Change
after 2008 elections led to mass violence
and pushed the resource-rich state
into a deeper economic crisis.
The uneasy power-sharing government has
brought a measure of economic
stability to Zimbabwe which holds the world's
second-largest platinum
reserves and vast diamond reserves, but diplomats
say progress on political
reform has been slow.
Mugabe has had a
tempestuous relationship with Britain, the former colonial
ruler.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader
of 80 million
Anglicans worldwide, met Mugabe on Monday to hand him a
dossier of abuses
against the church and its priests in
Zimbabwe.
Howell said there would be "a lot of argument" at the
Commonwealth summit
over an experts' report recommending that the
Commonwealth act more
decisively to uphold human rights among its members,
but predicted that
"positive things" would come out of the
summit.
Britain and other wealthy Commonwealth nations, such as Australia
and
Canada, back a stronger focus on rights but some developing nations fear
the
change could interfere in their affairs.
Howell said there was
broad agreement on the need to update the Commonwealth
but a "healthy
debate" was needed over how the group could uphold its
democratic principles
more vigorously.
"The worry that this is some sort of new policing regime
that is going to
get on everybody's backs ... is one that has to be
dispelled, because that
is not the intention," he said.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Nuns at the St Augustine Diocese of
Manicaland were harassed by thugs
aligned to excommunicated Bishop Victor
Kunonga for allowing the Archbishop
of England Dr Rowan William to visit
their orphanage.
12.10.1107:08am
by OWN CORRESPONDENT
The
thugs, who were holding placards praising President Robert Mugabe’s
stance
against homosexuality, blocked Archbishop William from gaining access
to the
diocese premises.
The Archbishop’s convoy had to stop at the main gates
and he and his
delegation tried to use a side entrance to the cathedral
which they also
found locked. The delegation proceeded to the orphanage
where they handed
over toys and other goodies for children. They gave the
nuns every assurance
that they would assist them in their attempts to carry
out the good works of
God.
After William and his delegation left the
church under police escort, a
group of hired thugs who were bussed in from
Mutare besieged the orphanage
and harassed the nuns. The nuns were forced to
denounce Archbishop Williams
and were told that Kunonga was still in charge
and they should respect him
if they still wanted to live on the
premises.
The women were labelled homosexuals and insulted by the rowdy
youths.
“Kill us if you want. We are ready to die. You can kill our body,
but not
our minds,” said one of the nuns in tears.
The bag of
donations by Archbishop William was confiscated by the youths,
but was later
handed back after the intervention of one of the Kunonga
reverends.
“These nuns must go because they are also homosexuals. Why
did they allow
gays to visit our premises? President Mugabe denounces
homosexuality so who
are they to allow gays in our church?” shouted one of
the woman.
The nuns, identified as Betty Zimowa, Sibongile Chiromunye,
Annamore
Mashingaidze, Anna Matunga and Elizabeth Murwira were threatened
with
eviction from the orphanage if they continued to support Archbishop
William.
This drama happened in the full gaze of riot police who were
armed with
batons and canisters of teargas, but did little to reign in the
overzealous
thugs.
Addressing the congregation at Mutare Show grounds
before touring St Johns
Cathedral in the city, Archbishop William promised
to stand by the church
members in the country during these trying times.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, October
12, 2011 - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader
Morgan Tsvangirai on
Wednesday chucked out the party’s national organising
secretary Nelson
Chamisa from the party’s national executive committee
meeting underway in
Harare.
Informed sources told Radio VOP that Tsvangirai chucked out, the
vibrant
former MDC youth leader after he clashed and nearly came to blows
with the
party’s former Harare Province chairperson Morgan Femai, who had
accused him
of selling out after he allegedly describing the former veteran
trade union
leader as a weak, indecisive and inconsistent leader during a
meeting with
United States diplomats.
Femai allegedly challenged
Chamisa during the meeting to come out clean over
the US cables which were
dispatched to Washington by US ambassador Charles
Ray but intercepted and
leaked by whistle blowing website, WikiLeaks.
But Chamisa, the party’s
former spokesperson responded by hitting back at
Femai and telling him off
and a heated argument ensured where the two MDC
senior officials nearly came
to blows. Party insiders who witnessed the
confrontation said Tsvangirai,
who was chairing the meeting, had to
intervene by asking the two officials
to leave the meeting.
Apart from Chamisa, MDC-T Senator and Deputy
Justice Minister, Obert Gutu
also told Ambassador Ray that although he was
“tolerant and humble”
Tsvangirai was however undone by being “indecisive and
inconsistent”.
The party’s Harare province recently suspended Gutu, its
spokesperson, over
statements he made to Ambassador Ray. However, MDC
Secretary-General Tendai
Biti said the party’s provincial executive had no
power to suspend Gutu.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona
Sibanda
12 October 2011
A highly charged meeting of the national
executive of the MDC-T on Wednesday
called on the police to fulfil their
constitutional mandate by putting an
end to Chipangano’s brutal attacks on
innocent citizens.
The party said Chipangano’s terror in Harare must come
to a stop. Party
spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told journalists after their
executive meeting in
Harare that police must act professionally and fulfil
their constitutional
mandate.
‘In most rural areas, night vigils are
being held which are characterised by
rapes, intimidation and violence. The
police are aware of these activities
but they turn a blind eye on these
criminal activities,’ Mwonzora said.
Dozens of Harare residents have been
viciously assaulted by this extremely
violent gang who have been on the
rampage since the beginning of the year.
The gang, which has intensified its
attacks in recent weeks, are the chief
suspects in a number of brutal crimes
including extortion, assault and
murder.
The terror group, which is
Mbare based has been causing ‘complete mayhem’ in
urban Harare areas for
months. The group has also seized control of market
stalls in the capital as
well as extorting money from transport operators at
various bus terminals
dotted around Harare.
Members of this group are well known ZANU PF
activists who act with
impunity, while police stand and watch during many of
the activists’
attacks, including when legislators and journalists were
beaten up in
Parliament two months ago.
Piniel Denga, the MDC-T MP
for Mbare told us Chipangano gang members
brazenly commit robberies and
assaults while the authorities fail to take
action. He said this terrible
cycle of violence and impunity needs to stop,
though he conceded this would
be a tall order considering the police and
Chipangano ‘were into this
together.’
.
‘The police do nothing because they are part of
Chipangano. The gang’s
activities are co-ordinated from the office of the
member in charge of
Matapi police station. The CIO is also involved and is
part of the
organizational structure of Chipangano. They meet regularly at
Matapi to
draw up plans of who to beat up, rob or extort money from,’ Denga
said.
The MP claimed this ‘crime syndicate’ is making huge financial
profits, as
much as $5,000 a day, from extorting money from market stall
holders and
transport operators.
‘This is now a mafia operating in
conjunction with the police. I’ve lost
faith in this force and I made my
views known to the officer-in-charge at
Matapi and his immediate boss,
threatened me with arrest,’ the MP said.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Staff Writer
Wednesday, 12 October
2011 14:00
MUTARE - A group of suspected war veterans is allegedly
going around high
density suburbs in the city terrorising people accusing
them of breaking the
law by drinking beer at undesignated
places.
Residents of Dangamvura, told the Daily News that a group of
people who
claim to be liberation war veterans interested in restoring order
are
targeting residents of the high density suburbs accusing them of
drinking in
public.
Silas Matongo said he and his friends were last
Sunday rounded-up by people
who identified themselves as war veterans before
force-marching them to
Dangamvura police station where they were made to pay
admission of guilt fi
nes.
“The war veterans approached a group of us
as we were drinking beer at Boka
Shopping Centre in Dangamvura on
Sunday
and ordered us to take our beer with us before force-marching us to
the
police station. We paid admission of guilt
fi nes at the station and
we were released,” said Matongo.
Matongo said the group of men who
effected a citizen’s arrest on them were
neither neighbourhood watch
committees as he knows the composition of the
local
committee.
Another resident and beeroutlet operator at the business
centre who refused
to be named for fear of reprisals said the war vets were
led by one Cde
Hondo.
“The war veterans rounded up everyone at the
place and took them to the
police station where they were fi ned,” said the
man.
Mutare city councillors forWard 8 which covers the affected area,
councilor
Tatenda Nhamarare confirmed the incident.
“I saw it
happening when the revellers were swooped on by the group of
people whom I
was later told were war veterans.
They were taken to the police station”
said Nhamarare.
demonstrated just how they have lost confi dence in the
abilities of the
local police to get to the bottom of
the Mujuru matter
when they unanimously demanded foreign intervention into
the
probe.
Mujuru’s charred remains were found at his farm house in Beatrice
after an
inferno razed down the house. It is not clear whether he died
before or
during the fire.
Police have so far failed to come up with
clues but hinted to the Daily News
two weeks ago that they had finished the fi
rst part of the probe.
Two months down the line, the Mujuru family,
friends and ordinary
Zimbabweans are still speculating on what might have
happened on that
fateful day.
The motion to pass condolences on the
passing on of Mujuru was introduced
last month by the Zanu PF MP for Mwenezi
East, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti.
Yesterday, MDC MP for Masvingo Central
Jefferson Chitando raised up the
tempo and suggested the setting up of a
special committee involving
foreigners to investigate the death of
Mujuru.
“The nation demands that we set up an investigating team and we
call in the
Scotland Yard Police, Russian police or Chinese police to look
into the
matter.
“Our people think that our soldiers, the police and
Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO), who are involved in the
investigations, are not doing a
proper job. We want an independent committee
to be set up,” said Chitando to
wild approval from the rest of the
house.
The MPs said it is now almost two months after the death of Mujuru
and no
reasonable explanation has been given except the talk of a “candle
light fl
ame,” a line which has largely been dismissed as the likely cause of
the fi
re that killed the former liberation war fi ghter. MDC MP for Kambuzuma
Willis Madzimure said: “We must as a nation investigate the death of the
General and we want foreign experts to be involved because we understand
that the people who are supposed to give evidence are now afraid and this is
causing a lot of problems in the investigations.”
Zanu PF MP for
Buhera North William Mutomba urged members of parliament to
forget their
political differences and ensure that a proper investigation
into Mujuru’s
death is conducted.
“I saw many MDC MPs at the burial of General Mujuru
and it was a good sign
of unity amongst us as members of parliament and we
wish we could do that to
conclude the investigations.
“We don’t need
to be name calling each other over unfounded statements and
we Zanu PF MPs
were saddened by his death because he was our senior party
member and we
want to know the truth about the death,” said Mutomba raising
emotions among
his fellow MPs.
Vice President Joice Mujuru has already expressed her
disappointment at the
snail pace with which the investigations into the
death of her husband are
proceeding.
She also raised questions over
how the celebrated general could have died in
a ball of fi re when he could
have easily walked out of the Beatrice Farm
house.
Speaking at a
function in Rushinga at the weekend, Mujuru said she has not
received the
police report on
the probe into her husband’s death.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Villagers in Chayemiti area in Chimanimani
are being forced to attend all
night Zanu (PF) political vigils (pungwes) by
their local headman, Paul
Njikizana.
11.10.1104:52pm
by Zwanai Sithole
Harare
Villagers who spoke to The Zimbabwean said headman Njikizana
and Zanu (PF)
youths in the area were moving around at night forcing the
villagers to
attend the vigils where the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai,
and his party
are denounced.
“Since the talk of elections by
President Robert Mugabe started two week
ago, we have never enjoyed peace
here .Our local headman, Njikizana is
forcing villagers to attend Zanu (PF)
pungwes at his homestead. Anyone who
fails to attend is branded a sell out,”
said a teacher at Chayemiti primary
school, who refused to be named for fear
of victimisation. The teacher said
the vigils were held every Monday and
Friday at an open space near the
school.
“The sessions start with
slogans, followed by singing of Zanu (PF) songs.
One of the local war
veterans, such as Morris Taruwinga and Tinos Mukute,
take turns to narrate
their experiences in Mozambique during the liberation
war and how the MDC
wants to return the country to the white people,” added
the
teacher.
Another villager, who also refused to be named, said he was
fined a chicken
last week for failing to release his children to attend the
pungwes.
“On the 29th of September this year, the headman send his
messenger, Ngoni
Matiyashe to my homestead to collect a chicken because I
refused to release
my children who are writing grade seven examinations to
the meetings. There
is no way I can let my children attend these night
meetings because you
never know what these people can do to the children,”
he said.
He said he was planning to transfer his children to Mutare
because he is
expecting a lot of political violence in the area as the
country move
towards elections.
But in a telephone interview with The
Zimbabwean, Mukute denied that people
were being forced to attend the
vigils.
“We are not forcing people to attend our meetings. What we are
doing is
simply teaching our young people the proper history of our country.
As
people who liberated this country from the whites, we will continue doing
so
and nobody will stop us from doing that,” he said.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Thousands of Zimbabweans who applied
for South African permits are still
awaiting their passports applied for in
Johannesburg.
11.10.1104:54pm
by Mxolisi Ncube
A source from
within the Zimbabwean Consulate here told The Zimbabwean this
week that more
than 5 000 passports applied for since the beginning of the
Zimbabwe
Documentation Programme last year, have not yet been delivered due
to some
“unexplained processing delays” in Harare, raising fears that the
prospective permit holders will not get them any time soon.
With
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, having
declared recently that the moratorium on Zimbabwean deportations had lapsed,
fears now abound that even those who applied for the freely-processed
business, work and study permits will meet the wrath of South African
police, who have already begun to demand passports with permits from
Zimbabwean nationals.
“The number of outstanding passports is well
above 5 000 and we do not know
when we will have them delivered because we
have not had any word from
Harare,” said the source.
“The South
African government has raised concerns with us because they want
to conclude
the programme, but we can only ask them to extend their patience
with us
because the delay is beyond our control.”
Dlamini-Zuma said last week
that her government, though working with speed
to complete the ZDP, was
facing problems with Zimbabweans who had not
completed the application
process due to lack of either finger prints or
valid
passports.
“There are some who have not given us their passports. And I
have been
receiving reports that there are some who have not responded to
our calls so
they can provide us with the required documents or information.
We have
almost pre-adjudicated everyone but we need your passports and
fingerprints
before we can issue the permits. More than half have been
issued with
permits. We cannot do much for those who have not submitted all
that is
required.”
Efforts to get comment from the Zimbabwean
Consulate here proved fruitless,
as the department, which insisted on
emailed questions, had not responded
more than two weeks after our emails to
them.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
12 October 2011
A
Zimbabwean rights group in South Africa has expressed concern that the
country’s government is “tired” of Zimbabwe’s ongoing political crisis, and
this is a possible motive behind its decision to resume deporting Zim
nationals.
Diana Zimbudzana from the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) in
South Africa told
SW Radio Africa that this fatigue has been expressed by
officials in the
Home Affairs department. Zimbudzana was part of the group
of civil society
stakeholders involved in the Home Affairs controlled
Zimbabwe Documentation
Project (ZDP), which is almost complete.
“We
are not so sure of the reason why South Africa has decided to resume
deportations at this juncture,” Zimbudzana said.
She added: “But
people here have told me that: ‘We are sick and tired of
this story, why
don’t you go home.’ Maybe these same people are telling this
to their
bosses. That is the impression I always get. Maybe the SA
government is
under pressure from its subjects in this regard.”
She said the timing of
the deportations is a serious concern, arguing that
“the conditions (in
Zimbabwe) that brought about the moratorium in 2009 have
not
changed.”
The South Africa government is facing criticism for its
decision to resume
deporting Zimbabwean nationals, with questions being
raised over the country’s
motive. It was revealed last week that South
Africa has quietly lifted its
deportation moratorium, despite previously
stating that the moratorium would
only end when the ZDP was
complete.
But according to a leaked Home Affairs directive sent out
earlier this
month, the deportations have resumed “with immediate effect.”
More than a
million Zimbabweans are believed to be in South Africa
currently, and only
an estimated 275 000 people applied for permits under
the ZDP. This now
leaves hundreds of thousands of people at risk of
deportations.
“We are very concerned. The issues that saw people leave
their homes to come
here have not been addressed. The timing of this is very
serious,”
Zimbudzana said.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
President Robert Mugabe, under mounting internal and external
pressure over
his rule, is tightening security, surveillance and
communications at State
House.
12.10.1107:50am
by Staff
Reporter
The Zimbabwean can report that trenches are being dug into
the property to
connect fibre optic cables and surveillance
equipment.
Authoritative sources said there were multimillion dollar
plans to construct
underground reinforced concrete bunkers at State House
and at another secret
location, authoritative sources said this
week.
Since the advent of the unity government the use of computer
technology has
been rapidly expanded upon. Engineers arrived at State House
to find
10-year-old Windows PCs and a mess of disconnected land-line
phones.
"There is re-trunking of the whole system to make the property a
WiFi zone,"
said a source.
Mugabe has reportedly made valiant efforts
to keep up with technology and
has an iPhone 4.
But he is also said
to be making elaborate security preparations for any
eventuality, including
the possibility of a civil war should he lose the
next election and should
his Zanu (PF) party refuse to give up power.
North Africa developments,
particularly the Ivory Coast and Libyan
scenarios, have made Mugabe aware of
the possibility of an attack if he
refuses to leave office after losing
elections, and his administration is
bringing new urgency to the matter.
Sources said the CIO has requested funds
for building "fallout
shelter."
The plan to construct the bunkers was in fact a long-delayed
idea first
mooted by Mugabe’s top security advisers at the height of
tensions between
Zimbabwe and the then apartheid government ruling in South
Africa in the
mid-1980s.
Bunkers are credited with having saved
dictator Laurent Gbagbo after
Allassane Outtara's supporters overran State
House. They also saved Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein during the 1991 Gulf
War when the Allied Forces
destroyed his surface bases.
http://www.swradioafrica.com
12 October
2011
By Alex Bell
The ZANU PF loyal state media has strongly
criticised the European Union’s
attempt to re-engage with Zimbabwe, accusing
the bloc of trying to “further
its regime change agenda.”
A
delegation from the EU was reportedly in Zimbabwe last week to explore
economic ‘cooperation’. According to the ZBC, the EU team held ‘clandestine’
meetings with officials in the Ministries of Economic Planning and
Investment Promotion, as well as Finance.
The ZBC said: “Some
stakeholders have already questioned whether the team is
in the country for
real economic issues or it intends to further its illegal
regime change
agenda.”
The report also accused the EU of “suffocating” Zimbabwe’s
economy, and also
quoted an economist who said no re-engagement with the EU
should be allowed
“until the illegal sanctions imposed by the bloc on
Zimbabwe are removed.”
ZANU PF has been fiercely campaigning for the
restrictive measures to be
removed and has blamed the ‘shopping’ sanctions
for the country’s economic
destruction. This is despite the measures being
specifically targeted
against key members of the Robert Mugabe regime
because of human rights
abuses and other issues.
The party has now
threatened to sue the EU because of the ‘sanctions’ and
Attorney General
Johannes Tomana has this week said that court papers have
been drafted. Last
month he sent a letter to Greece, which holds the EU
presidency, threatening
the legal action if the measures were not lifted in
two weeks.
The
head of the EU in Zimbabwe, Aldo Dell’Ariccia, responded by insisting
that
democratic reforms “would be considered as a very positive step by the
EU
and would have influence on the EU position on the restrictive
measures.”
The two week deadline has now lapsed and ZANU PF looks set on
filing its
lawsuit.
“We are finalising drafting of the court papers
and we hope to complete that
exercise in two weeks time. We hope to file the
papers during the course of
this month,” Tomana told the state-run Herald
newspaper on Tuesday.
But the EU is facing critics for appearing to be
hypocritical in its
dealings with Zimbabwe when, on one hand, they are
maintaining sanctions and
on the other they are seeking economic
re-engagement with the country.
Political analyst Professor John Makumbe
told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday
that the EU’s position is rooted in future
hopes that Zimbabwe will one day
be truly democratic.
“They are
laying the groundwork for a time when hopefully a new party takes
over and
the country is truly democratic. The EU wants to have a good
footing for
that day. But they are not satisfied with things now, which is
why the
sanctions are still in place,” Makumbe explained.
He added: “It does seem
like they are giving with the left hand and taking
with the right. But it is
part and parcel of their foreign policy.”
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Favourable judgement for
CPCA in Manicaland Harare, THE High Court of
Zimbabwe has granted a
provisional order against Elson Jakazi, the
ex-communicated ex-bishop of the
Anglican Diocese of Manicaland which states
that if he defies it, he will be
imprisoned at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
12.10.1103:21pm
by The Zimbabwean
Harare
In a judgement, Case Number HC9664/11, Justice Tendai Uchena
said Elson
Madoda Jakazi, Reverend Bernard Maupa, Reverend Vusimuzi Ndlovu
and Reverend
Katanga as first, third, fourth and fifth respondents shall be
“forthwith
incarcerated in Chikurubi Maximum Prison for 90 continuous days”
if they
defy this provisional order.
They have also been ordered to
pay all legal costs. The provisional order
was issued at the High Court
following an application by the CPCA in
Manicaland where they sought an
order “to restore possession and control and
use of the All Saints Zimunya
Church.”
The CPCA was represented by the Bishop, Julius Makoni, the Board
of Trustees
of Manicaland Diocese and Musiwa Mwashita, a church member at
All Saints
Zimunya as applicants.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
War veterans here have declared that Zanu (PF) will not win
next year’s
elections in Manicaland province because the party has failed to
fulfil its
promises and has neglected them.
12.10.1107:06am
by OWN
CORRESPONDENT
Irate war veterans have vowed not to take part in party
meetings organised
by senior officials to canvass for support.
“The
party has used us for a long time and we cannot tolerate this abuse
anymore.
We are genuine war veterans who were on the war front, but we are
living in
abject poverty. We have nothing to show for liberating Zimbabwe,”
said a war
veteran who identified himself as Leftback Matengambiri.
The former
freedom fighters said the party had neglected its founding
principles.
“There is a lot of corruption and greediness in the party
and nothing is
being done to stop this rot. They want to use us in the
rallies and to vote
for them. We can’t attend their meetings while our
children are out of
school with nothing to eat. Do we eat propaganda?” asked
another war veteran
who declined to be named.
Another war veteran
said the party has been hijacked by thieves and crooks
who were bent on
lining their pockets. Most war veterans expressed their
displeasure over the
lack of sincerity by President Robert Mugabe whom they
accused of empowering
his few close allies while neglecting them.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
12
October, 2011
The National Executive Committee of the MDC-T met in Harare
on Wednesday to
discuss “various pertinent issues” affecting the party and
Zimbabweans in
general. MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora briefed the
press after the
meeting and dismissed suggestions that the meeting had been
heated, despite
evidence to the contrary that eventually emerged.
SW
Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa, who was at the briefing, said
Mwonzora told journalists the executive members discussed two important
bills that are before parliament, the Human Rights and the Electoral
Amendment Bill, and said that neither helps to advance
democracy.
Mwonzora also answered questions regarding ZANU PF’s
Chipangano terror
group, recent Wikileaks revelations and elections that are
expected in the
country next year.
According to Muchemwa, the MDC-T
spokesman would not go into details, but he
said the executive will not
allow recent, controversial revelations by the
Wikileaks website to divide
the party. He also dismissed press reports that
the Harare district
spokesperson Obert Gutu had been suspended.
Mwonzora addressed the issue
of elections, reaffirming the party position
that the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission was not properly constituted and a
new board needs to be
appointed, with input from all political parties in
the unity
government.
In a statement, the party condemned ZANU PF’s continued use
of violence
around the country, particularly “the funding and use of
violence” by the
Chipangano gang in Mbare, which the MDC-T said must
stop.
The party also addressed the victimization of Anglican church
clergy and
parishioners by ex-communicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga. The
statement said
the church community has been “traumatized” as the police and
ZANU PF side
with the renegade Bishop, in his efforts to “destabilise
parishes and
ordinary people.”
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Staff Writer
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
13:44
HARARE - Harare City Coun-cil has rubbished a directive by
Local Government,
Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo to
call off a probe
into a land scam that rocked the city last
year.
Chombo and other senior Zanu PF offi cials, who include
self-styled property
mogul, Phillip Chiyangwa, helped themselves to large
chunks of council
stands without council approval.
The land scam saw
Chombo and his accomplices getting vast tracks of land
which were meant for
the poor. They are also alleged to have grabbed large
tracts of prime land
in Harare’s affl uent suburbs of Borrowdale and Glen
Lorne among
others.
Harare mayor, Muchadeyi Masunda said yesterday Chombo did not
have the locus
standi to give instructions to council on how it should run
its affairs,
especially concerning the land issue.
“In the
circumstances, Chombo would not ordinarily have any locus standi to
issue
the sort of directive contained in his letter of 6 October 2011 simply
because he is an interested party.
“He clearly has more than a
passing interest in the outcome of the
investigation into the land
transactions
complained of during theperiod concerned,” Masunda told the
Daily News.
He added that council was merely doing its work and had no
“personal” axe to
grind with Chombo.
“It (the probe) is in the
interest of not only the city council and Chombo
but also stakeholders of
greater Harare and indeed, the whole of Zimbabwe.
“The probe is carried
out for the land transactions complained about to be
put to rest once and
for all so that we may move on with our respective
obligations of getting
our capital city and country back on the right path,”
said
Masunda.
Councillors last month appointed a three member tribunal to
investigate the
shady land deals and bring the fi ndings to council for
further action on the
recommendations.
The tribunal is chaired by
retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Ahmed
Ibrahim.
However, Chombo,
known for poking his fingers in almost all local
authorities, wrote to
council last week directing them to call off the
probe.
This was a
huge departure from his well-documented penchant to appoint
commissions of
enquiry each time issues are raised in as far as
administrations of councils
are concerned.
Chombo, recently, asked the council to pay close to $200
000 to three probe
teams that investigated some councillors. Six of the
accused councillors
have since been dismissed as a result of the probe
teams’ findings.
In his letter to Masunda, Chombo wrote: “Council has no
powers to remunerate
the members of the tribunal set up in terms of the
invalid resolution
although it has agreed to pay the members from the funds
of council.
“The resolution to appoint the tribunal and remunerate its
members is
therefore not in the interest of residents
and rate-payers as
it priorities that payment of the special tribunal is
unlawfully appointed
at the expense
of service delivery.”
Masunda has however maintained
council’s position on the probe and said an
urgent special council will be
convened to discuss Chombo’s letter.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Godfrey Mtimba
Wednesday, 12
October 2011 12:45
MASVINGO - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last
week gave villagers in
Masvingo province hope when he assured them that not
a single person will
die of hunger in the country while his MDC party was in
government.
Panic has gripped villagers in the arid region of Masvingo
province who are
starving due to poor rains last season.
Addressing
party supporters at a rally to mark a memorial service for the
late Gutu
south legislator and Public Service Minister Mukonoweshuro,
Tsvangirai who
is also MDC president said government will ensure that they
will get
food.
“No one will die of hunger. We will ensure as a government that
grain will
be made available to you here in the rural areas. Government has
since
rolled up several plans to mitigate this drought and there will be
enough
food for everyone,” said Tsvangirai.
He said his party and
government were well aware of the situation in the
rural areas particularly
drought prone regions like Masvingo and pledged
full commitment to help the
villagers out of the misery.
“We also realise the nagging effects of
hunger and starvation in such
drought prone regions and we have since
sourced a lot of maize for you and
it will be coming. We are also set to
bring programmes like food for work so
that you will get assistance for your
survival,” he said.
Masvingo province is one of the hardest hit provinces
by drought.
Some villagers in various districts and areas have since
resorted to
surviving on wild fruits and roots, while others in remote and
marginalised
areas like Chikombedzi are marrying off their juvenile
daughters for maize
to upkeep their families.
Tsvangirai, however,
said government needs to subsidise subsistence farmers
to acquire inputs
before the agricultural season commences, as a long-term
solution to food
shortages.
He said the effects of poor rainfall distribution were being
worsened by the
fact that peasant farmers lacked sufficient inputs and
government will bring
them to their door steps this year.
“The
long-term solution to drought effects is to equip our farmers with
sufficient inputs like seeds, fertilisers and so on. We need to subsidise
the farmers so that they will afford the inputs and this year I promise you
will have enough seeds and fertilisers at affordable prices as we are aware
that parents in the rural areas do not have enough money."
“There is
going to be a programme in place to bring the inputs to the people
unlike
before,” said Tsvangirai amid applauses and cheers from starving
villagers.
http://www.voanews.com/
11 October
2011
Chinamasa told a United Nations symposium on human rights Monday in
Geneva
that POSA and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
were
“justified pieces of legislation”
Ntungamili Nkomo, Jonga
Kandemiiri & Tatenda Gumbo | Washington
Justice Chinamasa told a
United Nations working group symposium on human
rights yesterday in Geneva,
Switzerland, that POSA and the Access to
Information and Protection of
Privacy Act, were “justified pieces of
legislation.”
Zimbabwean
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa says there will be no reform
of the
Public Order and Security Act, or POSA, which critics say police have
often
used to harass rights defenders and opponents of President Robert
Mugabe's
ZANU-PF.
Chinamasa told a United Nations symposium on human rights Monday
in Geneva
that POSA and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Act were
“justified pieces of legislation” and therefore cannot be
changed.
He dismissed reports of human rights abuses by ZANU-PF saying
that it is was
“crystal clear that the yardstick is neither about human
rights nor legal
but political.”
The former opposition Movement for
Democratic Change has pushed for the
amendment of POSA in Parliament, but
the ZANU-PF dominated Senate has
rejected changes.
Parliamentary Whip
Innocent Gonese of the MDC formation headed by Prime
Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai said his party is not giving up the fight on POSA
yet.
Edward Mkhosi, whip for the smaller MDC formation led by
Industry Minister
Welshman Ncube, told VOA reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that
POSA and AIPPA
should be reformed to level the playing field for all of the
country's
political parties.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Regional
Coordinator Dewa Mavhinga said civic
groups in Geneva made a presentation to
the UN rejecting Chinamasa’s
declaration.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission, meanwhile, accuses Chinamasa of
pushing legislation that would
undermine it. Critics say a Human Rights
Commission Bill now in parliament
gives the the justice minister excessive
power over investigations of human
rights violations. Advocates say the
commission must operate
independently.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Director McDonald Lewanika
said that
legislation and the report which Chinamasa tabled at the Geneva
symposium
showed that the ZANU-PF side of the government is out of touch
with reality
on human rights.
From
the Zimbabwe Vigil
We have been asked to
circulate the following press release by Zimbabwe We Can.
Zimbabwe
Vigil Co-ordinators
The
Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every
Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights
in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe.
http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
ZIMBABWE WE CAN Press
Release – 12th October 2011
MEET THE PEOPLE
CAMPAIGN
If you are not part
of the solution then you are part of the problem!
Forthcoming Public
Meetings – CALLING ON ALL ZIMBABWEANS TO ATTEND:
·
Woking –
29th October 2011 from 11 am to 6 pm. Venue: Owen House, Heathside
Crescent, Woking, GU22 7AG
·
Wolverhampton – 5th November 2011 (time and venue to be
advised)
·
You can
also talk to Zimbabwe We Can officials at the Zimbabwe Vigil which runs from 2 –
6m every Saturday outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand London WC2.
Here are some facts
to think about:
Zimbabwe today is
characterised by hate speech, arbitrary arrests, wanton intimidation, systematic
violence, endemic fear and a general lack of freedom and democracy. Zimbabwe is
a broken nation – politically, tribally, by location and even the Inclusive
Government is broken and malfunctioning. The political environment is polarised
and the inclusive government has failed to stop the suffering and to create a
favourable environment for a free and fair election. Zanu PF remains firmly in
control of all coercive instruments and the affairs of the State. With their
unbridled power, they continue to wreak havoc on defenceless citizens and
terrorise populations. All the MDC can do is to continue to hope for salvation
from SADC and South African President Jacob Zuma. But ZANU PF remains a law unto
itself. No wonder the Zimbabwe crisis has continued for more than a decade
without any solution in sight. Remember how PF ZAPU was hoodwinked into joining
ZANU PF and used and annihilated. ZANU PF leadership only thinks of itself and
not the rest of us. This is a dire situation which calls for urgent and drastic
measures. We can stop the rot, the nonsense and reclaim our
destiny!
Violence and
repression have worked well for these self-imposed leaders in the past 30 years
but not anymore. During a tour of Chinhoyi University of Technology’s Hunyani
Farm, defence minister Emmerson Munangagwa recently dismissed as wishful
thinking any possible revolt against Robert Mugabe and any suggestions that
Zimbabweans could stage an uprising similar to those in Egypt, Libya and
Tunisia. In his remarks he vowed to crush any uprising. Simply put, Zanu PF is
not ready to listen to the voice of the Zimbabwe people. Munangagwa’s talk and
that of his colleagues is the talk of dictators and can only be accepted by
people with a slave mentality. The time for futile grumblings and self-pity is
over; it’s time to say we can deliver a free Zimbabwe for all.
Examples abound of
fallen brutal dictatorships around the world. Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Augusto
Pinochet of Chile, Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, Sani Abacha of Nigeria, Idi
Amin of Uganda, P W Botha of South Africa, the ousted General Noriega of Panama,
Ian Smith of Rhodesia remind us of yester-year dictatorships. In recent times
the Arab spring has delivered even more casualties in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and
in Yemen, Syria and other countries, the people’s armour of faith and weapons of
hope and passion continue to rage towards more and greater victories. In Smith’s
Rhodesia, we remember him remarking about black rule: ‘not in a thousand years’.
We salute these great nations for rising up to the challenge and we believe
Zimbabweans are equally capable and patriotic about their country. We watch in
admiration as the people of Libya finalise the collapsing of the last vestiges
of tyranny to claim total and real change. Gaddafi continues to run
scared.
Forget the excuses of
cowards – the same is possible with Zimbabwe today. The people of Zimbabwe have
spoken again and again, at each and every election since the referendum of 2000.
In 2008, Mugabe needed more than a month to fix the presidential result only by
imposing his will on the people. He rubbished the people’s verdict on his
illegitimate and corrupt rule and the victorious MDC were persuaded to join him.
Today, both parties have professed to the malfunctioning of the inclusive
government but because of convenience and privilege, they are not willing to let
go. Daily, the nation watches the unabated plunder of natural resources and
pursuit of suicidal economic policies by their rulers. But how does one explain
the levels of poverty, unemployment, poor access to healthcare, the suffering in
a land of such plenty. It’s the filthy rich political elite who are prepared to
maim and kill to maintain their lavish lifestyles. Failure of leadership means
we still find ourselves in the trenches 10 years after the second struggle
started. Like PF ZAPU before it, the MDC is now on the gravy train. Zimbabwe
risks the scourge of being labelled a failed state if we do not take collective
action now.
It is time that
Zimbabweans, at home and abroad, stand shoulder to shoulder and declare that
WE CAN set ourselves free. With one purpose and a single voice WE CAN
be an unstoppable force. WE CAN tear down the walls of tyranny,
corruption and oppression. WE CAN fashion a Zimbabwe that is
governed on a path of prosperity and success in a peaceful and democratic way,
where civil liberties, self-development and local empowerment, unity in love and
respect for our own values are paramount, where the dignity and security of
person is at the heart of our democracy and peace. We the People have the power;
let’s unleash it to claim our rightful place in the history of our great nation.
Democracy is in the hands of the people. Freedom is the hands of the people. The
Vision is with the people. The dream lies with the people. Change is with the
people. The longer we wait and the longer we conform, the longer we are
enslaved.
We are encouraged by
the overwhelming response that the Zimbabwe We Can
Movement has been receiving from many Zimbabweans and well-wishers around
the globe. One of them is a fifteen year old girl has called from Zimbabwe after
reading our press release of 22nd September 2011 voicing her support
and wanting to be involved. It was touching indeed!
Below are a few
extracts from the many positive comments received:
·
Viva Zim
we can MDC T, ZANU PF has divided us on tribal
grounds.
·
Ihameni
iyoyo. Amen 2 that.
·
Every
single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear the love
of life and ones' country, Zimbabweans lets stand up and be counted remember we
cannot make a revolution with silk gloves.
·
The
solution to the country’s problems only needs a positive human participation to
save the troubled Zimbabwe. Many are suffering, poor living conditions, and
slave wages, unemployment only to name a few. All these can be manageable if we,
Zimbabweans we want.
·
A movement
that looks beyond race, tribe, gender, disability, wealth. A movement that
affirms that Zimbabwe is for every Zimbabwean, with or without war credentials.
Let’s all reclaim our country for sons and daughters' future. Yes we
can!
·
Treated
like little kids or zvimumu. (The
regime’s negative and disrespectful attitude towards the people of
Zimbabwe).
·
Give the
public, what the public wants not what you want! (The
regime must desist from being self-serving and put the interest of the people
first)
·
Hello. I
visited the website. you have a very good idea but that much of the
administration is overseas who then is to fuel the information to the need
communities and how do you intend it must be done
·
I’m ready
for the task.
·
Where are
we with democracy? Guys (Encouraging Zimbabwe We Can to continue with the programme and to
ensure that there is democracy in Zimbabwe).
·
Zimbabwe
we can has given Zimbabweans a platform to talk about issues that are being
ignored by our leaders.do not underestimate this initiative you have
taken
·
We
can
·
Yes"
Zimbabwe we can" but where are you? In UK? I don’t think it works when you
remote control your ideas why don’t you come to Zim and sell your ideas.
Zimbabwe is here in Africa not UK so better you come and launch it here. Good
idea!
ZIMBABWE WE CAN –
ILIZWE NGABANTU – NYIKA VANHU
Be part of the change
that Zimbabwe deserves
Be remembered for the
good that you did in your life time
For more details
please contact:
·
Isaiah
Bizabani: Publicity and Information Secretary
(07427496737)
·
Everisto
Kamera: Secretary General: (07833338942)
·
Ephraim
Tapa: President: (07940793090)
·
Email: publicityandinformation@zimbabwewecan.org
You can visit our
site for updates or join us on Facebook and Twitter:
·
Site: www.zimbabwewecan.org
·
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Zimbabwe-We-Can/100002859048835
·
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/ZimbabweWeCan
Isaiah Bizabani:
Publicity and Information Secretary Zimbabwe We Can
BILL WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE SERIES
[12th October 2011]
Public Hearings on Electoral Amendment Bill: 17th to 24th
October:
Marondera, Headlands, Mutasa, Mutare, Nyika, Masvingo, Plumtree,
Lupane, Bulawayo, Gokwe, Kadoma and Harare
The House of Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal
Affairs, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs will be holding public
hearings on the Electoral Amendment Bill [electronic version of Bill available from veritas@mango.zw]. The programme is as
follows:
Monday 17th October
1. Marondera – Ambuya
Nehanda Hall: 10.00 am
2. Headlands –
Headlands Hall: 2 pm
Tuesday 18th October:
1. Mutasa – Mutasa
Rural District Council, DC Centre: 10 am
2. Mutare – Sakubva Beit Hall: 4 pm
Wednesday 19th October:
1. Nyika – Nyika Growth Point:
12 noon
2. Masvingo – Mucheke Hall: 4 pm
Thursday 20th October:
Plumtree – Town
Council Hall: 12.30 pm
Friday 21st October:
1. Lupane – Lupane
Community Hall: 12 noon
2. Bulawayo – Small
City Hall, 5 pm
Saturday 22nd October
Gokwe – Cheziya Community Hall: 2 pm
Sunday 23rd October
Kadoma – Rimuka Hall: 10 am
Monday 24th October
Harare – Senate Chamber, Parliament Building – 10 am
The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee is Hon Douglas Mwonzora
MP. The committee clerk is Mr Shepherd
Manhivi.
The portfolio committee seeks public input on the Bill at these
hearings. Interested
groups and organisations and all members of public are invited to attend the
hearings, at which they will be given the opportunity to give evidence and make
representations. Contributions made will
be considered by the portfolio committee in compiling a report to be tabled in
the House of Assembly when the Bill undergoes its Second Reading.
If you
want to make oral representations at a hearing you should signify this to the
Committee Clerk so that he can notify the chairperson to call on you. An oral submission is more effective if it is
followed up in writing. If you are
making a written submission, it is advisable to take as many copies as possible
for circulation at the hearing.
If
you are unable to attend a hearing, written submissions and correspondence may
be addressed to: The Clerk of Parliament, Attention: Portfolio Committee on
Justice, Legal Affairs, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, P.O. Box
CY298, Causeway, Harare. If delivering,
please use the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance to Parliament, between Second and
Third Streets.
For further information please contact the committee clerk, Mr
Shepherd Manhivi. Telephone 04-700181,
252936. Cellphone: 0772 247864.
Email manhivis@parlzim.gov.zw
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