PRESIDENT TSVANGIRAI'S TUESDAY MESSAGE TO THE
PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE
To the ordinary people I met in Gwanda North
and in Masvingo at the weekend, there is no visible evidence of any turn
around in their fortunes. Instead there is a significant decline in their
lifestyles, a visible rise in poverty, food shortages and
unemployment.
Families scrap for existence. Harvests were poor.
Donor support has stopped. Staple food prices soared by more than 30 percent
in a few months. Officially, the regime acknowledges that the maize
deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board are less than 30 percent of the
anticipated quantities for the year.
The situation on the
ground needs urgent attention. Anxiety has gripped the countryside. Anxiety
about food, jobs and political freedom is evident everywhere. The people
want to know whether they will be able to choose a leadership that can take
the country into a more certain future. A future with jobs, food security
and freedom.
We must address the anxieties around the
implementation of SADC principles and guidelines on democratic elections.
For herein lies the genuine opportunity to address the people's anxiety. The
people fear that Zimbabwe could miss out on its last opportunity if the
regime fails to embrace the spirit of Mauritius. The risk is too high. The
result could be catastrophic.
The crisis created by the regime
has damaged confidence, discouraged investment, promoted capital flight and
forced young people to emigrate. Rural businesses and basic service
infrastructure have collapsed. This destruction witnessed and experienced
countrywide has brought about a new frame of mind among the people in the
rural areas.
In my discussions with villagers and workers from
Nkwindze and Mayezani communal lands in Gwanda North as well as those in
Masvingo Central constituencies, it became clear that people in the rural
areas just like their kith and kin in the urban areas are agreed on the way
out of our national crisis.
I have just arrived in Harare
from Zaka East constituency where I met leaders of the MDC in their various
structures, from the village, right up to the district (constituency
committee). The picture I got in Gwanda and in Masvingo is the same as the
one in Zaka.
The Zaka meeting has its own significance.
Initially, we were supposed to have met our officials there on Friday last
week. That meeting was cancelled by the police who argued that the MDC had
failed to give them sufficient notice of our intention to have the meeting.
This was not true.
The police then changed the story, saying the
authorising policeman is not based in Zaka, but in neighbouring Bikita. So
the notice was delivered to a wrong place, hence the police denial. In the
meantime nearly 500 officials were already at the venue. They had to
disperse to avoid trouble. This was despite the fact that they came from
various points in the constituency and public transport in this
impoverished, for want of a better phrase, long-abandoned dustbowl, is
rare.
Our officials kept on pressing for the meeting. And last
night, we were informed that permission was finally granted, on condition
that the meeting starts at 9 am and ends at 1 pm. I was there on time and
everything went on well. Chiefs, village heads and headmen joined our
structures as we discussed strategies for 2005.
However,
police arrested 15 MDC activists at the venue, Padare Business Centre,
before my arrival. This action, according to the police, was designed to
protect them from potential violence from Zanu PF thugs who had assembled
nearby for a separate meeting organised by the incumbent legislator, Tinos
Rusere. Rusere's meeting was to register the names of beneficiaries for a
government seed donation programme.
Mugabe and Zanu PF must be
clear on the implementation of the SADC Mauritius protocol on elections.
They seem confused on the way forward. Either you allow people access to
their democratic space for a free and fair election or you play dangerous
games whose outcome is uncertain. Police behaviour must change. Your MPs
must play ball if you were sincere about the document you agreed to in
Mauritius. Food, seed and campaigns must be free of partisan political
contamination, with immediate effect.
People are yearning for
their freedom. They are demanding a new beginning that will create jobs and
deliver food on the table. They are demanding the immediate restoration of
confidence in the electoral system. My party is ready to play its role in
this process.
The elections issue must be resolved once and for
all so that the country is able to focus on national development. Focussing
on vote rigging as what happened with the regime in the past five years has
grave social and economic consequences for the country. The regime totally
disregarded the people in its quest to hold onto power. It is clear that for
the past five years the regime has only demonstrated its inability to raise
Zimbabwe's profile. There are a party of the past.
Our
programme looks to the future. Our focus is on a new Zimbabwe. Our argument
for a new beginning is supported by all.
Women of
Zimbabwe Arise Schedule of Arrests - NGO Bill Sponsored Walk
/ Parliament Lobbying Campaign
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) is a
registered Trust. Our objectives are: To develop the capacity of Zimbabwean
women to: Y express their views on issues relating to their upliftment; Y
develop strategies for economic survival; Y network with women
internationally; Y participate and take leadership roles in public
life;
Further objectives detailed in the Trust Deed and directly related
to the just ended 440 km Sponsored Walk from Bulawayo to Harare are: v to
administer funds received from donors on behalf of women who are to benefit
under approved development schemes; v to establish an organisation that
promotes a positive image of women in Zimbabwe. v to receive gifts and
donations for the Trust, providing that all donations accepted by the Trust
shall be irrevocable and the Trust shall not accept or be party to any
agreement or arrangements for any donation which directly or indirectly may
be revocable by the donor or any person, and to undertake activities designed
to raise funds to be utilised for the purposes of the Trust.
48. Siphiwe Maseko - Arrested bringing food but not
charged
Male NCA Volunteers 49. George Muzenda 50. Zenzo
Nyoni 51. Nkululeko Phiri 52. Ajida Tsaisa
Arrested 29 September
2004 after praying in Africa Unity Square on having completed the walk. To
appear in court 13 October on Summons: To answer and abide the judgement of
the court arising from the following charge(s) C/S 19 (I) (a) (i) of the
Public Order and Security Act Chapter 11:17 (Gathering conducing to riot
disorder or intolerance) "In that on the 29th day of September, 2004 and at
Harare, the accused persons who are members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise,
an unregistered Political Pressure group acting together with one or more
other persons present forcibly disturb the peace, security or order of the
Public or any of the public That is to say- Accused persons unlawfully
marched from Harare showgrounds to Africa Unit Square ans chanting
anti-government slogans threatening to march to Parliament of Zimbabwe on
Monday 4th day of October, 2004"
1. Caroline Lapham 2. Ellah
Hwenzira 3. Enia Mazambare and 4 month old baby 4. Filda Nyamukota 5.
Fungai Chabata 6. Janet Bitasi 7. Jennifer Williams 8. Mary
Pamire 9. Tambudzai Manangadzira
Arrested at Parliament on 5 October
after handing over Petition regarding NGO Bill. Appeared in Remand court on
8 October and due for further remand hearing on 11 November 2004. Charged
under Section 24 of the Public Order Security Act.
Army takes over operations at post offices Wed 13 October
2004
HARARE - Zimbabwe's army has taken charge of telephone and
postal services in the country as workers at two state firms that provide
the services downed tools for more pay.
Ministry of Transport
and Communications permanent secretary Karikoga Kaseke yesterday confirmed
that soldiers had taken over operations at Harare Main Post Office and at
other post offices across the country.
But the government official
told ZimOnline the arrangement was only temporary until the salaries dispute
was resolved.
He said: "It is a temporary measure meant to ensure
that work progresses whilst efforts are being made to have the striking
workers come back to work."
The state-owned ZimPost is the sole
postal services company in the country. There are several other courier
companies that provide similar services but mostly for companies and the
elite who can afford their exorbitant charges.
Another
government-owned company, TelOne, operates Zimbabwe's only fixed telephone
network. There are three other mobile phone networks but they do not cover
the entire country.
Labour Court judge Washington Sansole ordered
the two companies to award workers an 80 percent salary increment in
addition to transport, housing, lunch and telephone allowances. Management
failed to pay the salary increase forcing workers to down tools
last week.
The army was then brought in on Monday to try
and keep the vital postal and telephone services running.
But
there was disruption in the delivery of mail with several parcels and
letters being misrouted by the inexperienced soldiers, sources at ZimPost
said.
The telephone billing and accounts department which is being
manned by officers from the army's salaries and payments office was also
said to be experiencing difficulties. - ZimOnline
By Staff
Reporter Last updated: 10/13/2004 08:57:06 ZIMBABWE'S military spies and
communication experts moved into the offices of the country's main fixed
line, mailing and mobile phone companies after workers went on strike
demanding better pay.
There were heightened fears last night that the
state could seize the opportunity to snoop on private
communications.
Workers from the state-owned mobile operator Tel One and
Zimpost took the industrial action last week after management reneged on
paying increments which were promised when an arbitrator was brought in
early this year.
A source told New Zimbabwe.com last night:
"Communications experts from the army and police are manning the main
telephone exchanges and controlling traffic. They can do anything with your
phone calls and mail. People need to exercise caution with what they
say."
President Robert Mugabe has not made secret his desire to snoop on
private communications in a bid to crack down on dissent. The government
says the increased use of the internet to mobilise the masses by the
opposition has exposed Mugabe's administration to "dot com
thugs".
Zimbabwe's Supreme Court thwarted efforts by the government to
introduce new laws to monitor e-mails, calling them unconstitutional.
Zimbabweans, however, live with the constant fear that the government is
using unconventional means to monitor their private
communications.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last year said he was
shocked when President Mugabe repeated almost word for word a conversation
he had with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Last night police were
holding three trade unionists over the strike.
The Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions umbrella grouping said three members of the Communication and
Allied Services Workers Union of Zimbabwe were arrested yesterday in the
second city, Bulawayo.
"No reasons for the arrest were given," the ZCTU
said in a statement.
Zimbabwean police were holding three trade unionists over a
pay strike at the country's state- owned post and telecommunications firms,
union officials said today.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU) umbrella grouping said three members of the Communication and Allied
Services Workers Union of Zimbabwe were arrested yesterday in the second
city, Bulawayo.
"No reasons for the arrest were given," the ZCTU said in
a statement. Workers at Zimbabwe Post (Zimpost) and telephone company TelOne
went on strike last week over what they said was failure by management to
deliver a pay increase awarded in June after arbitration.
Police were
not immediately reachable for comment. Zimbabwe's main mining body said
today about 25 000 workers - half of the industry's labour force - had gone
on strike over pay. The ZCTU, from which the country's main opposition party
emerged in 1999, has spearheaded several protests in recent years to push
for higher wages, tax cuts and union rights.
It has also demanded better
management of the economy, mired in a crisis which critics blame on
president Robert Mugabe's government. Mugabe denies mismanaging the economy
and says it has been sabotaged by domestic and foreign opponents angry over
forcible redistribution of white-owned farms to blacks dispossessed when
Britain colonised the country more than a century ago. - Reuters
ZANU PF OFFICIALS DIVERT SEED MAIZE TO LUCRATIVE EXPORT
MARKET Wed 13 October 2004
HARARE - Zimbabwe's largest seed
producer, SeedCo, yesterday accused senior ruling ZANU PF party and
government officials of diverting seed maize, in short supply in the
country, to the more lucrative export market.
Chairman of the
seed-making firm, Ray Kaukonde, who himself is a senior member of ZANU PF,
handed over to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Lands and Agriculture a
list of names of senior politicians he said were either holding onto seed
maize at their farms or had exported the vital commodity.
The parliamentary committee is probing the shortage of seed maize in the
country which is threatening to cause a drop in food production even if this
year's rain season is good.
The committee did not release the list
to the Press.
Kaukonde said: "This level of irresponsibility should
not start with us the big chefs (senior politicians). Some respectable
officials are not bringing the seed they had promised when we were providing
extension services to them during the agricultural season.
"We
will be tempted to expose these big chefs if the deadline for seed delivery
lapses but at the moment we are calling on the committee to investigate
where exactly the maize seed was taken to."
Besides chairing
SeedCo, Kaukonde, is also chairman of ZANU PF in Mashonaland East province.
He is also a Member of Parliament for the ruling party in Mudzi
constituency.
Seedco and two other seed producing firms in the
country assisted senior politicians, who seized formerly white-owned
seed-growing farms, to produce seed maize.
The politicians were
in turn supposed to sell the seed to the companies for distribution to
farmers across the country. An acute shortage of seed maize has affected the
country with retailers now limiting quantities farmers can buy at a
time.
The seed shortage plus a shortage of ammonium nitrate
fertilizer, critical in maize production, could see a drop in the production
of the country's staple grain, food experts have warned.
Zimbabwe requires 100 000 tonnes of maize seed to ensure sufficient harvests
next year according to the government's figures.
But the country,
which used to export seed, will produce only about 43 000 tonnes of seed
maize, because most of the new farmers resettled on formerly white-owned
seed farms by the government do not have the knowledge or resources to grow
seed.
Foreign seed producers were willing to provide US$30 million
worth of seed to Zimbabwe to augment existing stocks but will not do so
until the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe guaranteed that they would be paid within
60 days and in hard cash, Kaukonde said.
Zimbabwe is in the
throes of a severe foreign currency crisis that has manifested itself in
shortages of medical drugs, fuel, food and electricity. - ZimOnline
Government to import another 300 000 tonnes of maize Wed 13
October 2004
HARARE - The government will import another 300 000
tonnes of maize from Zambia and Malawi between now and next month, sources
told ZimOnline.
A senior official at a Harare transport company,
who spoke anonymously for fear of victimisation, said his firm and two other
Harare transporters had in the last two months ferried close to 200 000
tonnes of maize from Zambia and Malawi into the country.
The
three companies had been asked to transport another 300 000 tonnes from the
Zambian capital Lusaka to Harare, the official said.
He said: "We
transported some maize, I think about 200 000 tonnes in the last two months.
This new contract is to immediately ferry about 300 000 tonnes from Lusaka,
together with two other transporters."
Retired army colonel Samuel
Muvuti, who heads the state's Grain Marketing Board that is facilitating the
imports, yesterday confirmed that he was expecting maize deliveries from
Lusaka. But he insisted the maize was from orders placed with the
foreign suppliers last year when the country faced severe shortages of
maize.
He said: "As we have repeatedly said, the only imports that
we are receiving were ordered last year. That is all I can
say."
Muvuti also claimed last month that Harare was only receiving
maize ordered the previous year after ZimOnline had exposed how the
government was secretly buying maize from abroad while at the same time
claiming the country had produced enough and did not need international
help.
Both Zambia and Malawi faced serious shortages of food last
year because of poor production and were not exporting maize as claimed by
Harare.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
party and food aid experts have accused President Robert Mugabe and his
government of refusing international food assistance so that the government
could monopolise food relief for political gain ahead of next
year's general election. The government denies the charge.
Earlier
this week, Mugabe speaking during a visit to Mozambique repeated claims that
the country had produced enough maize, even as the stepped-up maize
importation programme by the government strongly suggests
otherwise.
Food aid experts say Zimbabwe will need to import
about 700 000 tonnes of maize - or just 200 000 tonnes more than the
quantity secured by the government from foreign suppliers so far - to feed
about two million people without adequate food.
In a startling
twist to the government's claims of food sufficiency, Muvuti last month told
a parliamentary committee that was investigating Zimbabwe's food
situation that his grain board had collected a paltry 298 000 tonnes of
maize from farmers since harvesting began about four months
ago.
In a good season the board, which is the only one permitted to
buy maize from farmers, should by that time have collected more than three
times that amount.
Zimbabwe requires about 1.8 million tonnes
of maize for consumption and for its strategic reserves per year. -
ZimOnline
Peter Tatchell: An ethical retreat in the face of
barbarity From a talk by the human rights activist at the Cheltenham Festival
of Literature 13 October 2004
Liberal humanitarian values are
under threat. The threat comes not from the far right but from the left's
moral equivocation and compromises. Sections of progressive opinion are
wavering in their defence of universal human rights. In this era of
post-modernism and live-and-let-live multiculturalism, moral relativism is
gaining ground.
This holds that every community is different, and there
are no eternal humanitarian values. In the name of "cultural sensitivity",
we are expected to respect other people's religious beliefs and ethnic
traditions. But sometimes this means colluding with barbarisms like female
genital mutilation. We would not tolerate this in Britain. Why should we
tolerate it in other countries? Fearful of accusations of "racism", much of
the left is reluctant to speak out against human rights violations
perpetrated by people who happen to be black. This silence is killing black
people the world over. President Mugabe has murdered more black Africans
than apartheid; massacring 20,000 in Matabeleland in the 1980s alone. Where
were the left-wing mass protests? The threat of being labelled
"Islamophobic" creates similar moral paralysis, as evidenced by the way the
liberal media ignores the role of Islamic fundamentalists in the Darfur
genocide.
I have experienced this ethical retreat first hand. OutRage! is
campaigning against the murder of gay Jamaicans, and against reggae singers
who encourage these killings. Some black and left activists accuse us of
"cultural imperialism". These armchair critics never lifted a finger to help
gay Jamaicans, but they gladly attack our solidarity campaign. How can it be
"cultural imperialism" to support black victims of homophobia and oppose
violent homophobes in the music industry? The real "racism" is not our
campaign, but the left's indifference to the persecution of gay
Jamaicans.
Business
Reporters THE National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim) has fully used the
US$20million that was availed to it by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) in
the last three months for the procurement of fuel.
The sole fuel
procurer has come under fire in the past months amid allegations that it had
not used or had misappropriated the funds.
However, an official within
the company blamed technical reasons beyond the company's control for the
delays in using the funds.
"When we received the money we were supposed
to deal with two banks which were supposed to source foreign currency for us
through lines of credit.
"Unfortunately, one of the banks assigned to
administer the funds had no line of credit to deal in oil with
Afreximbank.
"While Noczim had timeously deposited its Zimbabwean dollar
equivalent with that institution to act as cover, it took that bank longer
to get the line of credit resulting in the delays," said the
official.
Noczim has since accessed the fuel through this facility, the
last vessel under this facility arrived in Beira port, Mozambique in
September and that has been fully discharged and currently fuel being pumped
into the pipeline.
The allegations came to light during a meeting between
the Reserve Bank officials and players in the oil industry following fuel
shortages experienced last month.
During the subsequent press
conference, held after the meeting, the central bank governor, Dr Gideon
Gono said Noczim had been sitting on US$20 million allocated to it for the
procurement of fuel over the last two months.
He indicated that the
parastatal had not given a convincing explanation for not utilising the
funds.
Dr Gono had also revealed that oil procurement companies that had
accessed foreign currency for fuel procurement purposes should indicate how
they used the forex.
This was after he had produced a report on
companies that had accessed the money through the auction system.
The
parastatal had been in the limelight albeit for the wrong reasons, it has
been fraught corruption that has seen the sacking of some of its
managers.
OPINION October 11, 2004 Posted to the web October 12,
2004
Charles Onyango-Obbo Nairobi
There's a Mbeki who's been
making headlines in South Africa in recent weeks. And it's not President
Thabo Mbeki, but his brother Moeletsi. The younger Mbeki, deputy president
of South Africa's Institute of International Affairs, made world headlines
when he said Africans were better off under colonialism. "The average
African is poorer [today] than during the age of colonialism," he said,
accusing Africa's post-colonial rulers of wasting their nations'
resources.
Moeletsi criticises his brother for canoodling with Zimbabwe's
cruel ruler Robert Mugabe, and is unimpressed with his black economic
empowerment programme, which he says is creating a destructive "culture of
entitlement" among blacks.
Asked to explain his criticism of big
brother, Moeletsi says he's actually proud of Thabo's achievements, but
adds: "I don't get my opinions from him and he doesn't get his from me. And
the South Africa government is not a family business."
Moeletsi isn't
the only person to have made these comments, but he's certainly the first
close relative of an African president to do so in recent times. That made
the comments more newsworthy, because the tradition in Africa is that the
brothers, sisters, wives and other relatives of the Big Man don't disagree
with him. They usually sit at the head of the gravy train, and in the first
row of the choir singing his praises.
Of all the things Moeletsi said,
however, the most disturbing were his remarks about Nigeria. Moeletsi
pointed out that, in the past 20 years, China has pulled 400 million of its
citizens out of poverty. Over the same period, Nigeria has pushed nine
million into poverty! Depressing, considering that Nigeria is the world's
seventh largest exporter of oil. Moreover, because of the high premium on
its sweet crude in world markets, by the end of the year Nigeria's oil
revenues will be the third highest in the world, at $27 billion, behind
Saudi Arabia at $91.7 billion and Iran at $27.5 billion.
Nigeria,
like many other mineral-rich African countries, particularly DR Congo, has
suffered a very acute case of the "Dutch disease." The phenomenon was first
observed in the Netherlands in the 1960s, when large reserves of natural gas
were first exploited, and the country seemed to deindustrialise. Usually, a
country's currency rises (making its other export goods less competitive),
imports increase, and productivity falls. Other economists use the term to
refer to when a country that makes a rich mineral find soon ceases to be
creative, stops working, and waits to feed on the easy
pickings.
Moeletsi seems to be vindicated by the fact that Nigeria's
most influential export to the rest of Africa today is not oil, but
something the government doesn't have anything to do with and that doesn't
occur naturally in the country's soil Ð cinema.
Nigeria's soaps are
the new rage on most African TVs. Nollywood, as it's called, has become the
third largest in the world, after India's Bollywood and the USA's Hollywood,
with a turnover of over 2,000 low-budget films per year.
According to
an insightful account on the BBC, the Nollywood "stories tend to be quite
simple but very dramatic and heavy on the emotions: the women wail and are
avaricious money lovers; the men are just as emotional and very vengeful.
Throw in a gibbering bone-rattling juju man and Bible-waving preacher and
what you have is a brew of conflict, revenge, trials and tribulations - the
likes of which are keeping most Zambians, especially in the capital city,
Lusaka, glued to TV screens for hours on end."
The movies are mainly
financed by merchants and traders. But it will be a long time before
Nollywood becomes a multibillion dollar industry. Just like the corruption
that has ruined African economies, Nollywood's fortunes are being siphoned
off by video pirates. In other words, this vast industry is being robbed
because of the state's failure to enforce copyright laws.
Wipe out
Nigeria, and write in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and the story is the
same. Makes you wish every African president had a Moeletsi for a younger
brother.
Charles Onyango-Obbo is managing editor in charge of convergence
at the Nation Media Group.
Africa's cemeteries are
"filled beyond capacity" because of the HIV/Aids pandemic, Ethiopian
President Girma Wolde-Giorgis told experts meeting in the capital, Addis
Ababa, on Tuesday to discuss combating the spread of the
virus.
Opening a session of the Commission on HIV/Aids and Governance
in Africa (CHGA), a UN-inspired body set up last year to track the long-term
impact of the pandemic in Africa, Wolde-Giorgis said HIV/Aids was fuelling
"social decay" and "community breakdown" that threatened the very fabric of
African society.
The "CHGA Interactive" meeting brought together
leading HIV/Aids experts and African NGOs to discuss the impact of HIV/Aids
on Africa's rural populations.
According to UNAids, an estimated
20-million Africans have died since the start of the HIV/Aids epidemic, some
29,4-million are living with the virus and 25-million children have been
orphaned.
The CHGA session heard how HIV/Aids was crippling rural
communities in Africa and exacerbating food shortages, with the heaviest
burden falling on women.
"HIV/Aids affects food availability by
affecting the labour supply," said Daphne Topouzis, an expert in HIV/Aids
and its impact on food security. "It can affect access to food by eroding
household disposable income due to increased expenditure on
health."
Joseph Tumushabe, from Uganda's Makerere University, warned that
over the next 15 years Africa's agricultural labour force could be decimated
by HIV/Aids. He said studies showed that in Namibia up to 26% of the
agricultural workforce could die from the virus by 2020. In South Africa a
fifth of the workforce could succumb.
Gladys Mutangadura, from the
UN's Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), added that women needed support
to help cope with the impact, including an increased domestic workload, they
often had to care for orphans, and girls were taken out of school to help at
home.
She noted that women also often lacked the same property rights as
men, losing their land if their husbands died from the virus and facing
further exclusion. She said women needed greater access to credit, girls
needed support to stay in schools and men had to share the growing burden if
the impact of HIV/Aids was to be mitigated.
The CHGA meeting
coincided with the ECA's weeklong African Development Forum in Addis Ababa,
which will discuss on Thursday the impact of HIV/Aids on Africa's capacity
to govern, and the challenge of scaling up treatment.
UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan first announced the CHGA initiative in February
2003. It is chaired by Kingsley Amoako, head of the ECA, and includes among
its 20 commissioners Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund
to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, Peter Piot, executive director
of UNAids, Dr Mamphele Ramphele, managing director of the World Bank, and
former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda.
The discussions at the
interactive meeting will feed into a final report on the long-term impact of
the pandemic in Africa, due for submission to Annan in June
2005.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's request for funding from the Global Fund to
Fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has again been
rejected.
Last week Zimbabwe appealed the Fund's earlier rejection of its
HIV/Aids and TB grant proposals. Fund spokesman Tim Clark said on Tuesday
that "sadly, neither of the Zimbabwe appeals was successful".
In July
the Fund turned down proposals from Zimbabwe for HIV/Aids, TB and malaria,
"for technical reasons". David Parirenyatwa, Zimbabwe's Minister of Health
and Child Welfare, accused the Fund of political bias, something the Global
Fund has strongly denied.
Had its proposals been approved, Zimbabwe would
have benefited from a $218-million five-year commitment by the Fund. Clark
pointed out that Zimbabwe was not the only country to have proposals
rejected in July: 36 proposals had been unsuccessful.
There were 13
appeals to the Fund to reconsider country proposals, and "of these Zimbabwe
launched two appeals -- it only appealed for two of the disease components
(HIV/Aids and TB), and neither of those were successful at appeal," Clark
noted.
As was the case in July, "technical reasons were given for the
failure of the appeals, which were judged by an independent panel, and those
reasons will be communicated back to Zimbabwe. So, if they intend to
re-lodge the applications in the next round [of proposals], they will have a
good idea of what work needs to be done to knock them into shape," Clark
said.
However, Mary Sandasi, the director of a local HIV/Aids group,
Women and Aids Support Network, said she believed the Global Fund was
"mixing issues" and had "a hiddgen agenda".
"The Global Fund is
supposed to be looking at HIV/Aids, TB and malaria, but they are taking up
other issues; issues that are to do with the people of Zimbabwe, and that
can only be dealt with by Zimbabweans without outside interference," Sandasi
said.
"I think this is the fourth round [of proposals], and we have not
received any funding from them. We feel there is a hidden agenda," she
added.
Clark denied any political bias in the Fund's decision. "Anybody
looking at our portfolio of grants throughout the world will see we have
given grants to North Korea, Sudan, Myanmar ... to a number of difficult
environments throughout the world. I don't think that, logically, anybody
could accuse us of political motivations in our funding decisions," he
said.
He explained that the funding applications "are all screened by an
independent panel; the board of the Global Fund then approves funding on the
basis of the recommendations of the independent technical review panel,
which is an international review panel that reviews [proposals] for
technical efficacy".
He noted that "there are two grants that have
already been approved to Zimbabwe during the first round in April 2002 --
some $14-million for HIV/Aids programmes and a malaria grant for nearly
$9-million -- and it's unfortunate the subsequent applications have not been
successful".
The appeal process concluded on 7 October. Three proposals
succeeded, one each from Niger, Russia and Uzbekistan. -- Irin
Treason trial a litmus test for MDC leader October 13
2004 at 08:27AM
Harare - The outcome of the treason trial of
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday will be a litmus
test of the leadership of a man who has been a constant thorn in the side of
long-serving President Robert Mugabe.
Tsvangirai, the leader of
the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), faces the death penalty if found
guilty of plotting to assassinate Mugabe ahead of the 2002 presidential
polls, which the opposition leader lost.
The polls were slammed by
international rights groups as unfair and Tsvangirai is challenging the
outcome in court.
The charges against Tsvangirai resulted from a
secretly filmed meeting between him and Canadian-based political consultant
Ari Ben Menashe in 2001 in which he allegedly asks for help to organise
Mugabe's "elimination" and a military coup.
'His party
wanted to hire Menashe's firm to legitimately drum up support'
Tsvangirai said his party wanted to hire Menashe's firm to legitimately drum
up support and funds for the party in the United States and the defence team
claimed that Menashe was hired by the government to organise a "sting"
operation for which he was paid $200 000 (R1,3-million) on delivery of the
tape of the meeting.
Party spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi says the
MDC, which maintains that Tsvangirai is being victimised, will stand behind
its leader whatever the outcome of the court ruling.
"We
continue as a party to operate on the basis that our leader is innocent and
that the courts of law will vindicate him," said Nyathi, adding that the
party will appeal if he is convicted.
The long-awaited ruling by
High Court Judge Paddington Garwe comes eight months after the close of the
year-long trial in February.
Nyathi said the party were solidly
behind Tsvangirai.
"The party is resolved, committed and is one in
giving the president of the MDC its undivided loyalty," he said, adding that
even in the case of a conviction Tsvangirai "will remain the legitimate
leader of the party."
The former trade unionist shot to prominence
in 1999 at the helm of the fledgling, labour-backed party that took almost
half of the contested seats in general elections the next year.
From its strong beginnings, the opposition party appears to have lost ground
in recent years - giving up six seats to the ruling Zimbabwe African
National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) since 2000.
Mugabe,
who accuses the MDC of being backed by former colonial power Britain, has
said the opposition is "ripe for burial" come the March general elections,
which the opposition has vowed to boycott.
There have been
suggestions that a conviction would strengthen Tsvangirai's popularity. But
leading constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku says that this would not
follow automatically.
"Becoming a Nelson Mandela is not
guaranteed," said Madhuku, referring to the South African anti-apartheid
icon who spent more than 25 years in jail before becoming the country's
first democratically-elected president.
"It will depend on how
strong he is," says Madhuku. "We have not seen what he's capable of doing in
the face of real adversity."
Brian Raftopoulos, professor of
development studies at the University of Zimbabwe, says Friday's verdict
will be "critical" for both the opposition party and the
country.
He said Tsvangirai played a "key unifying role" within the
MDC and provided many Zimbabweans with "a sense of hope" for an alternative
political leadership.
"A conviction would just add to the
current sense of demoralisation in the country," he noted. "If he's
acquitted it'll be a very good thing for Zimbabwean politics."
Our apologies for the delay in posting these messages - there was
a change in address list format that was not picked up that stopped
the mail going out on Monday. As it is now peak traffic time we will
send out the remaining messages over the next couple of hours.
JAG
Mailing List Administrator Wednesday, 13 Oct 2004
----
JUSTICE
FOR AGRICULTURE URGENT LEGAL COMMUNIQUÉ - 11th October 2004
Please
find listed below the Section 5 listings from the Herald on Friday 8th
October, 2004.
LAND ACQUISITION ACT (CHAPTER 20:10)
Preliminary
Notice to Compulsorily Acquire Land
NOTICE is hereby given, in terms of
subsection (1) of section 5 of the Land Acquisition Act (Chapter 20:10), that
the President intends to acquire compulsorily the land described in the
Schedule for resettlement purposes.
A plan of the land is available for
inspection at the following offices of the Ministry of Special Affairs in the
Office of the President and Cabinet in Charge of Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday other than on a
public holiday on or before 8th November 2004.
(a) Block 2, Makombe
Complex Cnr Harare Street and Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare; (b) Ministry of
Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, CF 119, Government Composite Block,
Robert Mugabe Way, Mutare; (c) Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement, 4thFloor, Block H Office, 146, Mhlahlandlela Government
Complex, Bulawayo; (d) Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, M
& W Building, Corner Park/Link Street, Chinoyi; (e) Ministry of Lands,
Land Reform and Resettlement, 1st Floor, Founders House, The Green,
Marondera; (f) Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, 19 Hellet
Street, Masvingo; (g) Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement,
Exchange Building, Main Street, Gweru; (h) Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement, Mtshabezi Building, First Floor, Office No. F20, Gwanda; (i)
Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, Ndodahondo Building,
Bindura.
Any owner or occupier or any other person who has an interest
and right in the said land, and who wishes to object to the proposed
compulsory acquisition, may lodge the same, in writing, with the Minister of
Special Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet In Charge of
Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, Private Bag 7779, Causeway, Harare on or
before 8th November 2004.
J L NKOMO, Minister of Special Affairs in
the President's Office in Charge of Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement. __________________________________________ LOT 155 SECTION 5
8TH OCTOBER 2004 Gatooma 1. 3994/76. Beatties Investments Gatooma: The
Remaining Extent of Cherry Block: 100,2680 ha
Goromonzi 2.
7025/91. Harlequin Genetics (Private) Limited: Goromonzi: Dagbreek of the
Twentydales Estate: 376,9483 ha 3. 7023/91. Willmead Enterprises (Private)
Limited: Goromonzi: Mariandi of Nil Desperandum of Twentydales Estate:
60,7000 ha 4. 2902/91. D R Reitz & Son Farming (Private) Limited:
Goromonzi: Good Hope of Twentydales Estate: 40,4677 ha
Hartley 5.
7202/99. Marula Farming (Private) Limited: Hartley: Remainder of Violets Vale
of Railway Farm 18: 736,5941 ha 6. 9573/02. Conjugal Enterprises (Private)
Limited: Hartley: Lot 1A Bedford: 336,4083 ha 7. 9573/02. Conjugal
Enterprises (Private) Limited: Hartley: Lot 2A Bedford: 328,2954 ha 8.
2139/87. Martin Eugene Winwood Tracey: Hartley: Strathspey Estate: 1026,0084
ha 9. 5686/94. Philip Arthur Peter Manchip, Joanna Christine Ferris,
Susan Jane Rushforth, Nicholas Charles Manchip, and Sally Ann Rugg:
Hartley: The Remainder of Estancia-Corea: 303,4632 ha 10. 5792/81.
Taunton Holdings (Private) Limited: Hartley: The Remainder of Idaho:
1219,4753 ha 11. 4319/74. J M Beattie: Hartley: Varkpan: 760,1775
ha 12. 3127/91. Falcon Gold: Hartley: Chadshunt: 1316,1442 ha 13.
3138/88. Canpac (1991) (Private) Limited: Hartley: Remaining Extent of
Oldham: 712,9170 ha 14. 5902/99. Mike Campbell (Private) Limited: Hartley:
Mt. Carmell of Railway 19: 1200,6500 ha 15. 1871/86. G A Hewlett
(Private) Limited: Hartley: Handley Cross Estate: 879,6318 ha 16.
10148/89. W Vosloo and Company (Private) Limited: Hartley: The Remainder of
Martin: 180,8409 ha. 17. 987/78. Fred Wolstenholme: Hartley: Remaining
Extent of Lourie Estate: 541,4137 ha 18. 6766/88. Katambora Estates
(Private) Limited: Hartley: Mandalay of Silverstone: 473,6719
ha
Lomagundi 19. 2150/90. Konrad Gerhadus Van Der Merwe: Lomagundi:
Remainder of Renfield: 836,3088 ha 20. 3860/86. Kestell Bezuidenhout and
Company (Private) Limited: Lomagundi: Maryland: 1302,9868 ha 21. 56/50.
Western Park Estates (Private) Limited: Lomagundi: Remaining Extent of Weston
Park: 605,487 morgen 22. 10334/97. Marie Hester Susan Erland, Beatrix
Elizabeth Marx and Susan Elizabeth De Plessis: Lomagundi: Urume: 1037,7316
ha
Marandellas 23. 3619/47. Glenisla Tobacco Estates (Private)
Limited: Marandellas: Magar: 787,40 morgen 24. 5227/98. Luminagua
(Private) Limited: Marandellas: Lot 6 of Cotter: 41,0509 ha 25. 4538/80.
Robert Charles Knott: Marandellas: The Remainder of Musi: 858,5922
ha
Urungwe 26. 3534/78. Cosmo Farms (Private) Limited: Urungwe:
Remainder of Chumburukwe: 1022,8593
ha
______________________________________________
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