http://www.timeslive.co.za
Sapa-AFP | 30 September, 2011
13:08
Zimbabwe will have to raise US$ 88 million dollars (65 million
euros) to
hold a vote on a new constitution which has yet to be drafted
ahead of fresh
polls, state media reported Friday.
"The referendum
needs money as an enabling resource and we are talking of
over US$88 million
for the whole process," Joyce Kazembe, the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission
(ZEC) acting chair was quoted as saying by The Herald
newspaper.
"As
much as we welcome support from various stakeholders, the funding of an
election or referendum is the responsibility of the State. We cannot let
anyone fund any electoral process because we would be undermining our own
sovereignty."
The composition of ZEC is one of the sticking points in
the shaky coalition
government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai
set up two years ago.
Tsvangirai has complained
that the electoral body is heavily staffed by
state security operatives who
support Mugabe's ZANU PF party and wants new
officials elected.
The
referendum is a precursor to fresh elections after a bloody presidential
run-off election in June 2008 which forced the formation of the unity
government.
Dates for the referendum and general elections are yet to
be set.
The constitution committee had originally set June 30 as the date
of the
referendum on the draft constitution, before it was moved to
September but
the constitution is still yet to be drafted.
The public
consultation process was repeatedly disrupted by violent attacks,
including
one in which a Tsvangirai supporter was killed when militant
Mugabe backers
attacked members of the public attending a meeting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com
By Associated Press, Published: September
30
HARARE, Zimbabwe — The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe on Friday criticized
police
and judicial officials for failing to stop escalating political
violence, as
a human rights group said it had documented more than 20 cases
a day of
assault, intimidation and torture.
In a statement, the
embassy said that militants backing longtime President
Robert Mugabe’s
ZANU-PF party had created a climate of fear and
intimidation, particularly
in the western Harare township of Mbare. The
militants there are
“unrestrained” by police and are extorting local
traders, it
said.
“If left unchallenged, actions such as these lend credence to
public
perceptions of ZANU-PF as a party committed to violence and
intimidation
unconstrained by the laws of the land,” the U.S. Embassy
said.
The independent humans right group Zimbabwe Peace Project,
meanwhile, said
85 percent of the violence it had documented in August was
perpetrated by
Mugabe supporters. The group’s researchers detailed assaults,
intimidation
and torture, as well as politically motivated theft and
looting.
About 10 percent of 702 violations in the period under review
were blamed on
activists of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party.
Tsvangirai, a
longtime opposition leader, joined into a power-sharing
agreement with
Mugabe in 2009 that continues to fray.
Mugabe has
called for elections in March to end the coalition formed after
disputed,
violence-plagued elections in 2008.
Tensions also have been rising within
the ZANU-PF party itself following the
death of party powerbroker Gen.
Solomon Mujuru, the Zimbabwe Peace Peace
Project bulletin said. Mujuru died
in a a fire at his home almost two months
ago, renewing rivalries over who
will succeed the 87-year-old Mugabe.
Police have refused to release
details of investigations into the fire that
burnt Mujuru beyond
recognition. His burial at a national shrine outside
Harare was by far the
biggest funeral since independence in 1980, attended
by some 50,000
mourners.
Many Zimbabweans believe the fire was intentional, and it’s
feared political
unrest could erupt if it emerges the popular former
guerrilla leader was
murdered.
http://www.usatoday.com/
Updated 6h 47m ago
HARARE,
Zimbabwe (AP) – An independent human rights research group says
political
tension remains "very high" in Zimbabwe ahead of proposed
elections and it
reports more than 20 rights violations each day over a four
week
period.
In its latest bulletin, the Zimbabwe Peace Project says
supporters of
President Robert Mugabe's party are accused of leading
political violence
and intolerance toward perceived opponents, some within
their own ranks.
It says tension is heightened by WikiLeaks cables
claiming deep divisions
and internal backstabbing in the nation's
30-month-old coalition.
The U.S. embassy in Harare, in a statement, also
criticizes police and
judicial officials for bias and failing to stop
continuing violence.
MEDIA RELEASE
30 September 2011
Elephant crisis situation in Zimbabwe escalates
Urgent intervention needed as authorities threaten to shoot
them
Escalating land invasions in Zimbabwe are taking their toll on the
country’s already decimated wildlife and a herd of 70 elephants on the Chiredzi
River Conservancy (CRC) in the south eastern lowveld, close to Gona re Zhou
National Park, is under serious threat.
The
nucleus of this remarkable herd originated from Gona re Zhou, (place of the
elephant) National Park’s conservation programme initiated in 1991/2 when there
was an exceptionally severe drought in the lowveld and their elephants were
dying. The translocation was sponsored by US Fisheries and
Wildlife.
The
CRC purchased juveniles and, as they were in a very poor condition, they were
kept in bomas. Once stabilized and settled, they were released into the
conservancy where they grew up and bred under ideal conditions. Among the
current herd are numerous vulnerable youngsters.
As a
result of their strong bond with the owners of CRC, the elephants are familiar
with people and are quite placid. However, the onslaught of the invaders, who
are destroying their territory and forcing them into ever smaller areas of the
conservancy, is putting them under severe stress.
One
of the problems is the invasion of their water sources. An adult elephant
requires
more than 190 litres of drinking water on a daily basis, and even higher
quantities during the intense heat of the lowveld in mid-summer. Water is also
very important for hygiene and wallowing, a time when the adults and youngsters
play together.
The
tranquil pools below the conservancy’s dams have been polluted by the invaders
who wash their clothes in the water and drive their livestock down to drink,
causing the mud to be churned up. The pools now reek with a bad odour and the
water has become undrinkable for the elephants.
Wherever they go, the elephants
are being harassed by the invaders. When they walk along the Mungwezi River to
the two dams to the north, containing drinkable water, they are chased by a
hostile group with dogs and burning logs, and their cries of distress echo
across the reserve. They usually have to turn back as they are prevented from
going to the dams to drink and are afraid of the threatening mob.
During
this month (September), desperation for water resulted in the herd straying out of
their normal territory, along the Mungwezi River, south of where they feel safe,
into a resettled part of the conservancy, the Mugwezi Ranch area, where the
bulls destroyed teachers’ houses.
Their unusual
behaviour is attributed to the human disturbance and encroachment into their
safe areas, where their natural habitat is being destroyed by the new
invasions.
Consequently,
the Mugwezi residents have expressed concern about their personal safety.
Threats have been made to shoot the elephants or even poison them if the
situation is not controlled.
Barry Style,
vice chairman of the Chiredzi River Conservancy, has explained that it would be
a fruitless exercise to shoot an elephant unless that individual was caught in
the act of damaging property. While it is probable that bull elephants are
causing the problems he said, it would not be possible to identify the
particular culprits from a herd of more than 60 animals.
He cited a
similar incident where the Eaglemont community requested the shooting of
elephants earlier in the year, a request that was denied by Environment Minister
Francis Nhema, who acknowledges their important role in tourism and the
environment.
“I do not
believe that by shooting one or two elephants, that the problem will be solved,”
said Style. “On the contrary, this would likely cause the animals more alarm,
confusion and aggression, thus posing an even greater threat to human
life.”
Style
advised that the most practical solution would be for the authorities to try to
discourage further human disturbance in the elephants’ residential territory in
the Wasara, Oscro and Rukatya, area there they have taken refuge.
“I am
confident that, if they are given a large enough area in which to seek solitude,
food and water, the elephants will refrain from wandering into villages and
plundering homes and property.”
Style
said he had appealed to the district administrator to reconsider the proposed
resettlement of Oscro as this would have a detrimental effect on the remaining
wildlife population in the conservancy and would naturally fuel the elephants’
aggressive and destructive behaviour towards people.
There
is great concern because experience has shown that, once conservancies are taken
over by people with no experience of – or interest in the wildlife industry,
poaching increases rapidly. Furthermore, subsistence farming is not viable on
land that is unsuitable for agriculture and is located in low rainfall, drought
prone areas.
The
damage currently being caused to the Chiredzi River Conservancy, and other
conservation areas, is escalating out of control. The rapid clearing of areas
is causing immediate degradation of the environment and, with the onset of the
rains, severe sheet erosion which destroys the irreplaceable
topsoil.
During the deforestation process, trees that have taken decades to
grow, including hardwoods which may be more than a hundred years old, are
chopped down and burnt where they fall. The Mopani forests are being cut for
firewood, to be sold to the urban areas. There is no thought or planning for the
ecosystem or for the future.
Once
the areas are cleared of the scrub and big trees, they get set alight to
facilitate the clearing for cropping areas. The fires are set but not controlled
and vast areas go up in smoke causing unnecessary damage to the environment and
killing anything in their path that cannot escape fast
enough.
The
dramatic upscaling of poaching is decimating the wildlife. The invaders hunt
with half-starved dogs or trap the game with snares, causing terrible pain and
inflicting lingering deaths. Recent reports of the poisoning of animals and
water sources are of mounting concern to conservationists.
Predators within the conservancy boundaries are also poisoned or
snared. Due to the reduction of wildlife and natural prey, they often resort to
killing domestic livestock to enable them to survive.
Reports have come in today (29 September) of an increase in the
invasions and the situation is deteriorating rapidly. While the pressure on the
conservancy owners, their game guards, the wildlife and the environment
continues to mount, the authorities are doing nothing to stop the
invasions.
The
situation for the elephants looks bleak unless there is an immediate response to
their plight and to the invasions of the Chiredzi River
Conservancy.
What
are the long-term solutions?
The
issues need to be addressed urgently at ground level.
First of all, the authorities
need to move the invaders to suitable agricultural areas where they can make a
living from the land and no longer rely on food aid, poaching or cutting down
trees to sell for firewood.
Organisations
such as Foundations for Farming, a remarkable Zimbabwean success story, could
provide conservation agriculture training. The founder, Brian Oldreive, has
already provided thousands of aspiring farmers with expertise, teaching them a
revolutionary method of using the land to achieve significant crop
yields.
Free courses are
conducted across the country teach untrained or uneducated farmers to obtain a
potential turnover of at least US$11,000 per season even with the smallest piece
of land.
Secondly, the Chiredzi River
Conservancy needs funding to employ more patrol staff to monitor the area and
protect the animals from poaching.
Thirdly, government needs to pass
a law that would protect conservancies under the Tourism Act, and would not
allow land to be invaded or claimed.
Charles Taffs, president of the
Commercial Farmers’ Union, is calling for urgent action to save the Chiredzi
River Conservancy elephant herd and the future of this and other conservancies
across Zimbabwe.
Agriculture,
tourism and mining were the three pillars of the Zimbabwean economy prior to the
land invasions in 2000, but both agriculture and tourism have been decimated,”
he said.
While World
Tourism Day was celebrated internationally this week, Zimbabwe has nothing to
celebrate.
“In 1999, our
country recorded more than 1.4 million visitors,” said Taffs. Due to the
political instability, the numbers had dropped by 75 percent in 2008 to just 223
000. Today there are virtually no tourists in the conservancies because they
are aware of the violence-ridden invasions and the destruction of our once
prized game.
“The coalition
government cannot allow the lawlessness and destruction of Zimbabwe’s heritage,
our future and that of our children to continue. It is critical that they now
take a stand, resolve the escalating crisis and restore the rule of law.
“The
conservancies and Commercial Farmers’ Union will provide support and assist with
new initiatives but we cannot do this until the government has intervened,” he
concluded.”
FUNDRAISING
PROJECT
Readers can help
the Chiredzi River Conservancy elephants by going to the website http://sunsuperdreams.com.au which is
running a competition where the project with the highest number of public votes
will win a grant. This would help the conservancy to protect its elephant herd
from being poached or poisoned until an urgent solution is
found.
ENDS
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ELEPHANTS – LINKS
Elephants and herd interaction
at the Chiredzi River Conservancy:
Elephants at the waterhole as
well as poached elephants at the Chiredzi River Conservancy:
For further information:
President
Commercial
Farmers’ Union (Zimbabwe)
Tel: +263 4
309 800
Cell: +263 772
284 847
E-mail: ctaffs@cfuzim.org or pres@cfuzim.org
MEDIA
RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
30
September 2011
Elephants and wildlife under severe threat by invaders at the
Chiredzi River Conservancy in Zimbabwe
The
Chiredzi River Conservancy, part of the Trans Frontier Conservation Area, is an
internationally renowned wildlife conservancy in the south eastern lowveld of
Zimbabwe. It is once again being over run by destructive invaders and its
elephant and wildlife population is under threat and in severe danger of being
wiped out.
The Chiredzi River Conservancy was initiated in 1987 to give wildlife
a value and place in Zimbabwean culture and to protect the drought-prone prime
woodland areas, notably along the Chiredzi River.
Most
conservancies in the country have taken a major battering since the Zanu PF-
initiated land invasions began in 2000. These invasions totally disregard the
long-term impact of attempting to turn low rainfall woodland areas into
subsistence plots for cropping, and grazing areas for their herds of cattle and
goats.
The
conservancy is situated in an area classified as Region 5, which means it is
arid and unsuitable for agriculture. The invaders have destroyed vast areas by
burning trees, some species – notably hardwoods – are well over a hundred years
old, and are over-grazing the fragile woodlands. Hundreds of cattle are being
brought in illegally and there is no management or guidance from the
authorities.
After
11 years of settlement and attempted farming, these invaders are still relying
on food aid because the area is too hot and the rainfall too low to enable crops
to grow successfully. Although there is funding available to help them move to
areas more suitable for farming, their numbers continue to grow and the
authorities turn a blind eye.
While
game scouts are employed to patrol the conservancy, their jobs are extremely
dangerous and they live under constant threat from poachers, politicians and the
invaders. Despite their relatively small numbers, they are the most abused and
assaulted of all farm workers in these areas.
The
invaders have no respect for their authority to protect the wildlife. Eleven
years of no accountability for their illegal activities and the vast damage they
have caused, has made them complacent. Zimbabwe has become a country where the
rule of law is no longer supreme.
Today
there are only a handful of wildlife ranches remaining, compared to the
staggering 640 ranches that existed 10 years ago.
According
to Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force statistics, it
is estimated that more than 90% of the game on private game ranches has been
lost to poachers and illegal hunters during the last 11 years. The loss on
conservancies is estimated to be 60% and almost 40% in national parks. Despite
these shocking statistics, the slaughter of wildlife continues
unabated.
The seventy elephants that reside on the Chiredzi River Conservancy
are currently being harassed, chased and snared by the invaders. Some calves
have gone missing, while at least two young adults have been killed, decapitated
and their ivory removed - one of them a lactating cow.
In another separate incident, an elephant which had a snare embedded
in its flesh, causing great pain, has since died.
In an effort to protect the elephants in the area, Mr Francis Nhema,
Minister of Environment and Tourism, was approached for assistance, but when
asked if the elephants could be relocated to a safer area, he was adamant that
they must stay in the Chiredzi River Conservancy. According to local residents,
while he acknowledged that the invaders were there illegally, no attempt is
being made to relocate them or address the issues on the
ground.
The wanton destruction of the region includes massive deforestation,
notably of prime riverine forest and the near eradication of all species of
wildlife. Other problems emerging are the commercial exploitation of timbers,
the burning and sale of hardwoods for firewood, constant poaching and loss of
game, the poisoning of predators and raptors, and the introduction of diseased
settler cattle which results in the spreading anthrax of foot-and-mouth
disease.
In January this year, it was discovered that war veterans settled
near Humani Estates in the Chiredzi district were using poisoned cabbages at
animal drinking points to trap rhinos so that they could cut off the animals’
horns easily once they had died.
This also resulted in the death of cattle and goats, since the
animals drank from the same sources or from small dams nearby which had been
similarly poisoned. Scavengers and raptors, which play an important role in the
ecosystem, fed on the poisoned carcasses and died.
On September 18, 2011 the media reported that poachers had also begun
poisoning waterholes in some of the country’s biggest game parks, including
Gonarezhou, located close to the Chiredzi River Conservancy, and Mana Pools,
Zambezi, Charara and Matusadona national parks in the north. This is an
extremely concerning
development.
The Chiredzi River Conservancy needs more funding to employ patrol
guards and put security measures in place to counter act poaching. Since the
onset of the land reform programme, destruction of wildlife has been
uncontrollable. Invaders have not been able to grow crops due the extremities of
the climate and, as a result, exploit the wildlife and the
environment.
Once they’ve decimated one area, the invaders move into another and
the cycle of destruction continues. The main concern at present is that, if
there is no help from the government or relevant authorities to stop the
destruction and move the invaders to suitable farm land, there will be
irreversible damage; wildlife species will become extinct and abject poverty and
hunger will deepen countrywide.
“It is increasingly critical for the coalition government to pass a
law that protects conservancies under the Tourism Act so that conservancy
principles are adhered to for the protection of wildlife and the environment,”
said the president of the Commercial Farmers’ Union, Charles Taffs.
“Every day streams of people already occupying land illegally in the
Chiredzi River Conservancy are heading to new areas with choppers and snares,
causing havoc, and this has to stop,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force has also stressed the gravity of
the situation on their website: “The invaders are waging war with the
environment by chopping down the trees, destroying the riverine forests and
decimating the game. Concerned only for their own material gain, they may
believe at this point that they are winning, but the loss for the country, and
for future generations, will soon be irreversible.”
FUNDRAISING
PROJECT
Readers can help
the Chiredzi River Conservancy elephants by going to the website http://sunsuperdreams.com.au which is
running a competition where the project with the highest number of public votes
will win a grant. This would help the conservancy to protect its elephant herd
from being poached or poisoned until an urgent solution is
found.
ENDS
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ELEPHANTS – LINKS
Elephants and herd interaction at the Chiredzi River
Conservancy:
Elephants at the waterhole as
well as poached elephants at the Chiredzi River
Conservancy:
For further information:
Commercial
Farmers’ Union (Zimbabwe)
Tel: +263 4
309 800 Cell: +263 772 284 847
E-mail: ctaffs@cfuzim.org or pres@cfuzim.org
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Alex Bell
30 September
2011
Land invasions at the Chiredzi River Conservancy are escalating out
of
control, with warnings that the area faces catastrophe if nothing is done
to
stop the destruction.
The Conservancy forms part of the Trans
Frontier Conservation Area which is
the world’s largest inter-regional
conservation park, encompassing land from
Botswana, South Africa and
Zimbabwe. But in Zimbabwe lawlessness and the
illegal seizure of land means
areas like the Chiredzi River Conservancy are
being
destroyed.
Hundreds of land invaders have moved into the Conservancy and
have caused
serious damage to the delicate ecosystem there. The invaders
have been
tearing down trees, destroying the foliage and poaching the
animals in the
conservancy, in a surge of destruction that could be
irreparable.
Charles Taffs, the President of the Commercial Farmers Union
(CFU), told SW
Radio Africa on Friday that they are “hugely concerned,”
especially
regarding the “tragedy facing the elephant herd there.” He
explained that a
herd of 70 elephants are being harassed, threatened and
hunted by the land
invaders, with no intervention from the
government.
“The animals’ territory is being completely taken over.
Wherever they go
they get chased by people with burning sticks and dogs.
They can’t even get
a drink of water because their watering holes have been
polluted by people
using the water to wash,” Taffs explained.
Some of
the elephants have already been slaughtered, and Taffs warned that
they face
being wiped out if no one intervenes. He explained that local
councils have
now threatened to kill the animals, because they are leaving
their territory
in search of safety, putting them on the path of local
villages.
“This is totally out of control and everything is being
totally destroyed.
It destroys the area, it destroys tourism, and it
destroys whatever
reputation Zimbabwe might have. It is like the land reform
programme all
over again in that no one has won, everyone has lost,” Taffs
said.
SW Radio Africa has also been told that the rapid clearing of the
conservation areas is causing serious environmental degradation, including
severe erosion, massive deforestation, destructive fires, along with the
rampant poaching. The land invaders are said to be using poison, snares and
dogs to hunt for game, causing extreme suffering to the
wildlife.
“The coalition government cannot allow the lawlessness and
destruction of
Zimbabwe’s heritage, our future and that of our children to
continue. It is
critical that they now take a stand, resolve the escalating
crisis and
restore the rule of law,” Taffs said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tichaona Sibanda
30
September 2011
The recent political changes in the regional SADC bloc
have delayed plans to
send a regional team to Zimbabwe, according to the
spokesperson for the
South African facilitation team.
Lindiwe Zulu,
President Jacob Zuma’s international relations advisor and a
member of the
facilitation team to Zimbabwe, said despite the changes, they
were hopeful
to do their best to keep things moving.
Originally the team was composed
of technocrats appointed by the Presidents
of Mozambique, Zambia and South
Africa, which comprised the Troika.
But the composition of the Troika
changed during the Angola summit in
August, when Tanzania replaced
Mozambique as a member.
Mozambique had already appointed a member for the
Zim team but this person
will now be replaced by someone from
Tanzania.
Zambia had also appointed an official to join the team, but the
change of
government there in the last week has put this appointment in
jeopardy.
‘We had a team that was ready to go to Zimbabwe but were
delayed by issues
to do with their terms of reference. In the meanwhile,
during this period,
Tanzania replaced Mozambique on the Troika and just last
week, there was a
change in government in Zambia,’ Zulu said.
She
said Zambia were still to confirm if they were going to stick with the
same
individual, who was chosen by the former President Rupiah Banda.
‘To be
honest, we don’t know what they are going to do. We are just waiting
to hear
from them because we want to do the best we can for Zimbabwe. For
now work
is still ongoing in JOMIC and we are still continuing with our work
on
Zimbabwe,’ Zulu added.
A SADC summit held in Pretoria, South Africa in
June recommended that a
three member team be deployed in Zimbabwe to help
JOMIC effectively monitor
the implementation of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA).
This followed concerns that JOMIC was failing to deal
with violations of the
GPA, mainly by ZANU PF activists who continue to
engage in politically
motivated violence.
http://www.voanews.com
29 September
2011
Broadcasting Authority officials in July told Parliament's
committee on
media that the agency lacked the capacity or funding to monitor
new
commercial stations as the law requires, raising doubts about new
licenses
Tatenda Gumbo | Washington
Zimbabweans hoping to see
the launch of independent radio stations are
becoming impatient at how long
it is taking the Broadcasting Authority of
Zimbabwe to follow through on its
pledge four months ago to issue two
commercial radio licenses.
Media
reform advocates now say they now believe that promise was simply
intended
to fend off pressure for progress liberalizing the country’s
electronic
media. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. continues to exercise a
domestic
broadcast monopoly. Skeptics say they don't expect new licenses to
be issued
before elections coming up in 2012.
Broadcasting Authority officials in
July told Parliament's committee on
media that the agency lacked the
capacity or funding to monitor new
commercial stations as the law requires,
raising questions as to the
eventual licensing of new players.
BAZ
Chairman Tafataona Mahoso and Chief Executive Officer Obert Maganyura at
the
time said they will face challenges once new players launch radio
stations.
They said it would take US$3 million to properly monitor
independent
broadcasters.
A report by the committee said the Broadcasting Authority
has refused five
applications for independent radio licenses in the past
decade. The report
said licensing criteria in the Broadcasting Services Act
have been strongly
criticized by media activists, and concluded that the
application process
was intended to maintain the status
quo.
Broadcasting Authority officials could not be reached immediately
for
comment.
For perspective on the long delay in issuing licenses,
VOA's Tatenda Gumbo
spoke with lawmakers Pishai Muchauraya of the Tsvangirai
formation of the
Movement for Democratic Change, and Noel Mandebvu of the
ZANU-PF party of
President Robert Mugabe, both members of the parliamentary
committee on
media.
Mandebvu blamed the delays in issuing licenses on
funding issues - but
Muchauraya charged that the political to liberalize the
broadcast sector is
lacking.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
A
renegade bishop backed by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has dismissed
next week's visit by Archbishop Rowan Williams to the country as an
opportunity to "lobby for homosexuality and neo-colonialism".
By
Peta Thornycroft in Johannesburg
4:33PM BST 30 Sep
2011
Nolbert Kunonga, the former Bishop of Harare, this week
derided Dr Williams
as "a British civil servant appointed by the Queen and
the prime minister, a
civil servant on a mission".
"He is coming to
represent neo-colonialism," he said. "He is coming to lobby
for
homosexuality and for him it is a timely move as we are making our
Constitution."
Reverend Admire Chisango, the secretary for Mr
Kunonga's "diocese", told The
Daily Telegraph: "We have not received an
invitation to attend the
Archbishop's service.
"You know Lambeth is
just a club, the Lambeth Conference is a fellowship and
the Archbishop of
Canterbury marries women marrying women and men marrying
men.
"He is
on the wrong side of the scriptures and commits blasphemy."
He said Mr
Kunonga is the rightful leader of the only Anglican church in
Zimbabwe.
"The courts have said this, and the constitution backs us
and so this visit
by the Archbishop is just political," Mr Chisango
said.
Mr Kunonga, who accepted a previously white-owned farm from Mr
Mugabe and
describes the ageing statesman as a "prophet of God," split from
the
Anglican province of Central Africa in 2007 on the pretence of the
ordination of homosexuals to the priesthood.
He was excommunicated
the following year but has since declared himself an
archbishop and seized
control of millions of pounds' worth of Anglican
property accumulated over a
century including Harare's cathedral, mission
schools and a rural orphanage
which he plans to turn into a fee-paying
school.
Anglicans who tried
to return to their churches were in some cases chased
out by Mr Mugabe's
security forces, and are now forced to worship in fields,
tents, private
dwellings and sports clubs.
Dr Williams is due to arrive in Zimbabwe next
Sunday and will lead a service
in a Harare sports centre before travelling
to the east of the country,
where the discovery of diamonds has brought
accusations of human rights
abuses.
He has also requested a meeting
with Mr Mugabe in the hope he can heal the
rift in the church.
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's office declined to comment on Mr Kunonga's
statements.
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
30/09/2011 11:14:00
By
Gweru,-The president of the Affirmative Action Group, Supa
Mandiwanzira has
castigated Zanu-PF politicians who are fighting for
Zimplats shares, a huge
profit making platinum mine.
Speaking at
public lecture at the Midlands State University titled
"Demystifying
Indeginisation" Mandiwanzira said as AAG they are against
those that are
stepping on each others toes in a bid to get acontrolling
stake.
"We
ask these people that we have been reading about to back off. Zimplats
is a
big company that can not be taken by an individual. We are saying every
Zimbabwean should benefit from such big profit making companies therefore
every one should get the shares instead of one person."
Mandiwanzira
also said it was untrue that the Indeginisation Act was scaring
away
investors.
"Those that claim the act is scaring investors away are lying.
How can they
be scared aware by a law ? They want platinum, gold and other
things that we
have so they will still come to invest because we have what
they want. Bill
Gates who is said to be the richest person only owns 12% of
Microsoft yet
our law offers the foreigners 49%," he explained.
He
added that Zimbabwe can not be compared to other countries on the Act as
other countries do not need it because they do not have the natural
resources that foreigners badly need to exploit.
Mandiwanzira also
said, "If you go to the Ministry of mines you will find
long queues of
foreigners who want to invest in mining so it means investors
are
coming."
On the issue of whether the act will empower everyone,
Mandiwanzira said it
is not possible for everyone to benefit on the 51%
issue.
"There is no democracy in business , to be able to get into
business, you
need to be clever and wise, possess the ability to work very
hard, to be
strong such that you are able to rise again if you fall. There
is no
democracy in business because it’s highly competitive thereby it’s
individualistic in nature.
“We shall not lie to people that everyone
will benefit from the 51% policy
because there is indeginisation, it is only
the clever ones that are near
the opportunities and have the knowledge of
the companies that will
benefit."
Mandiwanzira claimed that except
for the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai,
all other coalition partners
acknowledge that the Indeginisation Act is a
good policy.
He warned,
"The PM is in the minority and this can cost him votes because
his
supporters are eager to benefit from the Act."
http://mg.co.za/
JASON MOYO Sep 30 2011 11:56
As Zimbabwe
begins investigating 700 foreign-owned companies that missed
this week's
deadline to submit plans on the sale of majority shares to
locals, investors
are looking to a deal struck by Old Mutual for clues on
compliance.
Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere wants the
companies to submit
"acceptable" proposals but the guidelines on what
exactly is required remain
vague.
The Old Mutual deal involves the
parcelling out of cash and shares to
several groups and putting up cash for
farmers and the construction of
low-cost homes.
The pressure was
turned up on foreign companies this week after the deadline
for foreign
companies to submit proposals passed.
Wilson Gwatiringa, head of a board
tasked with monitoring compliance with
the empowerment law, said firms yet
to submit proposals would face "serious
consequences", which would include
"cancellation or suspension of operating
licences as well as payment of
hefty fines".
A team of officials from Kasukuwere's ministry and the
police had been set
up to investigate non-compliant firms, he
said.
Under the law, foreign investors must sell 51% of their equity to
local
black people by 2015.
Threats over missed deadlines are not new
and it remains to be seen whether
government will carry out its threats.
Industry Minister Welshman Ncube said
the law required the minister to
demand revised proposals only when no
acceptable offer had been made. "This
thing about cancellation of licences
is not in the law," he
said.
There is growing suspicion within the government that the constant
threatening of foreign firms could be a ploy by some leaders to profit by
offering "protection" to foreign investors. Also differences have appeared
among Zanu-PF ministers over how the law should be applied.
CONTINUES
BELOW
Kasukuwere issued threats but Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said
only he had
the power to cancel licences. "The discussions that have been
taking place
have not been exhausted," Mpofu said.
Structuring the
proposal
Many companies have been watching to see how Old Mutual would
structure its
empowerment proposal. The company, the largest of its kind on
the Zimbabwe
stock exchange, has significant commercial property holdings
and is the
largest provider of insurance in the country.
As a first
step towards the required 51%, Old Mutual agreed to set aside 25%
for staff,
pensioners, policyholders, a youth fund and black investors.
According to
Kasukuwere, Old Mutual policyholders will get a 10% stake and
workers 9%,
with the rest being placed in a "youth development fund". Old
Mutual will
give a $10-million grant to the youth fund, and also set up an
additional
$1-million from the Old Mutual Fund.
The company will spend $15-million
building 1 500 houses in Budiriro, a
township in Harare and contribute to
the $40-million national housing fund.
A 3.5% shareholding will be sold to
private investment partners.
It is unclear whether Old Mutual has already
identified those partners, or
whether the government will hand pick
investors, which, under some
interpretations of the law, Kasukuwere is
entitled to do.
Old Mutual will hold discussions with the government in
November on the sale
of the remaining 26%.
The deal was a surprise,
as the government rejected a proposal by Zimplats,
a subsidiary of South
Africa's Implats, that would take social investment
into account. Zimplats
was told to submit a revised proposal by November 15.
Other companies are
also selling shares to staff in a bid to meet the
requirements. Meikles,
which owns hotels, department stores and jointly owns
a supermarket chain
with Pick n Pay, plans to sell 10% of its shares to
staff.
The
international heads of companies operating in Zimbabwe have been queuing
up
to see Kasukuwere. Last week, he met Standard Chartered's chief executive
for Africa, Diana Layfield, who reportedly insisted on the holding company
retaining a majority share of Standard Charted Bank Zimbabwe. The bank
offered 10% to locals, but Kasukuwere said the government would not accept
any plan that left control in the hands of foreigners.
"The law is
clear. It's 51% shareholding to indigenous people, not the 10%
they are
talking about. Their plan is unacceptable," he said.
http://www.swradioafrica.com/
By Tererai Karimakwenda
30
September, 2011
Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere,
told journalists on
Thursday that most of the large mining companies had
complied with the
country’s indigenisation laws, requiring foreign firms to
give up 51 percent
of their shares to black locals.
The controversial
minister then raised eyebrows by announcing that the
mining companies were
now expected to start transferring shares next month,
although the law
allows them up to five years to complete the process.
Kasukuwere said
those who fail to comply will lose their licenses or face
some other legal
sanction. Mining officials have said it is not clear how
they will be
compensated for the shares they are to lose and they do not
know who the
beneficiaries will be.
Voice of America’s Studio 7 news quoted mining
executives who said
Kasukuwere has ordered them to “set up community trusts
whose beneficiaries
are not clearly indicated.”
The report said in the
case of platinum producer Zimplats, “the principals
of the trust would
receive a ten percent stake in the South
African-controlled firm”, and those
principals include Kasukuwere himself
and other
ministers.
Businessman Luke Zunga from the Global Zim Forum, said it is
not possible
for the mining firms to start transfers next month because the
process takes
much more time than Kasukuwere has allowed.
“These
trusts would have to be set up and registered, and then raise the
funds to
buy shares from the mining companies. This takes much longer than a
month,”
Zunga explained.
He added that mining firms will most likely take the
maximum amount of time
allowed by law, five years, to set up the trusts and
implement all the items
contained in their indigenisation
proposals.
Zunga said he agrees with those who say Kasukuwere and his
so-called
indigenisation plans are just a scam to loot white owned
businesses under
the guise of “empowerment”. The programme also discourages
much needed
foreign investments.
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare,
September 30 , 2011 -Firebrand Journalist and former Editor-in-Chief
of The
Daily News newspaper, Geoffrey Nyarota, says two of the three daily
newspapers currently operating in Zimbabwe are "lying about its readership
figures".
Addressing senior journalists gathered for the half-day
MISA Zimbabwe indaba
on "Zimbabwe Media Ethics", Nyarota said: "There is now
a general disregard
for ethics of journalism in Zimbabwe today. How can
three daily newspapers
currently operating in Zimbabwe, The Herald, The
Daily News and News Day all
claim to be the best in Zimbabwe.
"Only
one newspaper can be the people's choice and which people enjoy. Only
one
newspaper can thus claim to have the widest circulation and so two of
the
three daily newspapers are lying to the people, and deliberately so."
The
three daily newspapers, The Herald, published by the State-controlled
Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited Group, The Daily News published by the
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (Private) Limited and News Day published
by Alpha Media Holdings (Private) Limited, all told readers on their front
pages that they had "scooped' the top readership trophy and had the "most
readers and widest coverage in Zimbabwe".
They quoted the Zimbabwe
All Media Promotion Survey (Zamps).
The Herald in its headline said: "The
Herald Tops", The Daily News said:
"Most Widely Read", while Newsday said:
"Newsday Rules The Roost".
Nyarota said: "I call upon the Media Institute
of Southern Africa (MISA) and
the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
to take this issue seriously
because it amounts to a scandal for the
readership. This is a good story for
all of us as journalists to follow and
really find out which of the two
newspapers is actually lying about their
readership and circulation figures.
A thorough investigation is needed
otherwise we are all shortchanging our
readers."
The MISA Zimbabwe
Chapter was represented at the indaba by its Executive
Director, Nhlanhla
Ngwenya while the VMCZ had Takura Zhangaza, a Director
present.
The
two gentlemen simply nodded after Nyarota's remarks.
"Last year we all
celebrated after the Zimbabwe Media Council (ZMC) had
given publishing
licences to The Daily News, News Day, The Mail and several
other newspapers
for publication in Zimbabwe," Nyarota said.
"We all thought that we were
going to access more and better information but
unfortunately, this is not
the case because falsehoods are slowly creeping
into our
newsrooms.
"We have misleading headlines such as 'Top Cop Arrested',
'Mugabe Paralysed'
etc which are misleading and only meant to help the
newspaper's circulation
figures which is wrong," a visibly worried Nyarota
said.
Nyarota has been Editor of the Bulawayo-based Chronicle daily
newspaper, The
Financial Gazette weekly newspaper, and The Daily News, which
he founded
together with another veteran journalist, London-based
Editor-in-Chief of
The Zimbabwean and The Zimbabwean on Sunday, Wilf Mbanga.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Nothando Thuthani, the deputy head of a division of
Zimbabwe’s spy
organisation, the Central Intelligence Organisation, CIO, who
died Wednesday
morning, has been declared a liberation war heroine. She was
the highest
ranking female CIO officer.
30.09.1110:57am
by Staff
Reporter
Thuthani, 57, died at the private West End hospital in
Harare. The spy
agency boss, Happyton Bonyongwe said in a statement she died
"after a short
illness."
The CIO deputy director- External Branch,
was one of the intelligence chiefs
who loomeed largely in the shadows,
unknown to the public. But she was a
member of the powerful Joint Operations
Command - a
thinktank of top security officials - for 11 years. The
thinktank has been
the brains behind the regime of President Robert Mugabe
and his political
grouping, Zanu (PF).
It is among the country’s most
serious perpetrators of widespread human
rights abuses Thuthani, who hailed
from Marondera, has been declared a
liberation war heroine by the Zanu PF
Politburo.
After studying for BA (Honours) degree in Public
Administration at Sheffield
City Polytechnic in the UK in the 70s, she
worked closely with the Zanu
branch in the UK and was also involved in the
Lancaster House talks that
ushered in Zimbabwe's independence in
1980.
She worked in the Zanu PF commisariat after Independence and later
joined
government service. She was attested into the spy agency in 1983 as a
desk
officer, rising through the ranks.
In 2000 she was deployed to
head the Zimbabwe Consular in Ethiopia before
she returned home where she
was promoted to assistant director before she
rose to become deputy
director.
Bonyongwe said in a rare press statement Thuthani's death was a
great loss
to Zimbabwe.
"While the organisation is at loss, the
service is determined to honour a
great woman. Allow me to pay tribute to
this great woman who was a mother,
an intelligence officer, a diplomat, a
leader of rare qualities, a
politician, a social activist, a human rights
defender and a cadre on the
front line. She was also a champion of the
advancement of gender equality
and social justice," Bonyongwe
said.
She is survived by two children.
http://www.poptel.org.uk/mozambique-news/
29 September
2011
Maputo — The Mozambican police have dismantled a network of
traffickers
dealing in diamonds from Marange in neighbouring Zimbabwe,
reports the daily
newspaper "Diario de Mocambique".
Diamonds mined in
Marange have systematically been smuggled into Mozambique
and sold in the
city of Manica, in Manica province.
According to district police
commander Pedro Manuel Jemusse, it was agreed
at a recent meeting between
the Mozambican police and their Zimbabwean
counterparts that local action in
Zimbabwe should be intensified to combat
diamond smuggling.
Jemusse
told "Diario de Mocambique" that the diamond smuggling network based
in
Manica, which was mainly composed of Pakistani citizens, has been
dismantled.
The police commander stated that the police will continue
to work to combat
the smuggling of diamonds over the border with Zimbabwe at
Machipanda.
The police chief also reported that a gang of cattle rustlers
in Manica
district has just recently been dismantled.
http://www.starafrica.com/
Zimbabwe: On 5 October Amnesty
International will launch a report looking at
the devastating impact of the
2005 mass forced eviction program on the
education of children and young
people in Harare.
LONDON, United-Kingdom, September 30, 2011/African
Press Organization
(APO)/ -- The report will launch at a press conference in
Harare. All media
are welcome to attend.
Details:
Who: Amnesty
International
What: Launch of Left Behind: The impact of Zimbabwe's mass
forced evictions
on the right to education which examines the impact of
Zimbabwe's mass
forced eviction on the right to education
When:
10.00am Local time (08.00 GMT), Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Where: Harare
Gardens, Ben Shelf Pavilion opposite former Sherrol's in the
Park
restaurant
Amnesty International's southern Africa researcher, and report
author,
Simeon Mawanza will be at the press conference and is available for
interviews. Also available for interviews is Amnesty International Zimbabwe
director Cousin Zilala.
http://eurasia.foreignpolicy.com/
Posted By Ian Bremmer Friday, September 30, 2011
- 2:03 PM
By Anne Fruehauf
Despite a historic 2008 power-sharing
agreement, Zimbabwe is not out of the
political woods. President Robert
Mugabe's failing health is fueling both an
unseemly scramble among
Zimbabwe's elites for a share of the country's
wealth, and also disputes
over the succession. While an all-out asset grab
is unlikely (in part
because of elite squabbling), Zimbabwe is set to
experience another round of
volatility and uncertainty that will last at
least until after the next
elections, which are not likely to occur until
2013.
Mugabe's
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) is
trapped in an
awkward unity government with its bitter rival, the Movement
for Democratic
Change (MDC) headed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Both
parties are
maneuvering ahead of upcoming elections, but even the date is
disputed.
Mugabe is pushing for polls in 2012, while the MDC and the
Southern African
Development Community are pressing for 2013 in order to
allow time for
overdue political reforms. The MDC should be able to win
minimally free and
fair elections, but another coalition government
(involving all or part of
ZANU-PF) seems a more plausible outcome at
present.
Mugabe, now 87,
has long been rumored to be suffering from prostate cancer,
raising doubts
about his ability to carry on in office. Succession concerns
and the party's
uncertain future are reinforcing efforts to push through a
controversial
indigenization law of 2007. The law requires foreign
businesses to cede 51
percent of their equity to indigenous Zimbabweans
within five years. In
part, the goal is to secure large amounts of cash for
ZANU-PF ahead of the
upcoming elections, but elites are also taking
advantage of the program to
syphon off money for private and party gain.
ZANU-PF has haphazardly
implemented the legislation and the law is weak,
riddled with loopholes, and
probably unconstitutional, according to legal
experts. It foresees no
specific timeframe for indigenization, but
regulations issued in 2010 and
2011 give effect to the law, implying a
cut-off point of 2015. The MDC does
not support the scheme, which it views
as a self-enrichment scheme for
ZANU-PF bigwigs, which could cost it an
election and the country much-needed
investment. But it is unable to exert
moderating pressure on ZANU-PF on this
issue despite its control of the
finance ministry and improvements to
macroeconomic policy. This means the
law's revocation or overhaul is
inconceivable, at least until the 2013
elections and probably
beyond.
Disagreements within ZANU-PF will make for a chaotic process,
however.
Minister of Youth Empowerment and Indigenization Saviour Kasukuwere
is
already running into opposition from Minister of Mines Obert Mpofu, whose
department controls licensing. Although Mpofu is a Mugabe ally and supports
indigenization, he has rejected attempts by Kasukuwere, his junior, to
dictate policy. This rivalry among ZANU-PF players renders government
relations increasingly unpredictable. Uncertainty over indigenization will
likely stall investment and give an advantage to emerging market investors
unencumbered by targeted Western sanctions, which include the state miner
ZMDC.
Threats to revoke licenses or demands for irregular payments
are likely as
political players try to maneuver themselves or their front
men into
shareholder positions. Impala Platinum, which produces around 25
percent of
global platinum output from mines in South Africa and Zimbabwe,
for example
received a letter from Kasukuwere on September 6 threatening to
revoke its
mining license unless it submitted acceptable indigenization
proposals.
In the meantime, elites within ZANU-PF are jockeying for
position given
Mugabe's illness. Vice President Joyce Mujuru will be
Mugabe's likely
interim successor, if he becomes incapacitated while in
office, but ZANU-PF
factionalism raises the specter of a contested political
transition. The
constitution, which is yet to be reformed, stipulates that
fresh elections
be held within 90 days of the president's incapacitation.
But the 2008
power-sharing agreement requires vacancies to be filled by the
same party;
this means Mujuru is next in line until fresh elections are
held. However,
the mysterious death of her powerful husband Gen. Solomon
Mujuru in August
may embolden rival factions, such as that led by Minister
of Defense
Emmerson Mnangagwa, to challenge her succession bid.
Anne
Fruehauf is an analyst with Eurasia Group's Africa practice
http://uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org
The
University of Iowa International Programs, a USCCD member organization,
will
host the WorldCanvass Studio: "Roy Bennett and the Hard Road to
Democracy"
on October 3 from 2-3 pm at the University Capitol Centre, Room
2780.
Bennett will also appear at Drake University on Wednesday,
October 5 at
Sheslow Auditorium from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both events are
free and open to
the public.
Roy Bennett is the deputy minister of
agriculture – designate (Zimbabwe),
and treasurer of Zimbabwe's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).
According to the University of Iowa
International Programs' website:
"The MDC won the very tight 2008
election, and was recognized
internationally as the winner; however, Robert
Mugabe and his party, the
Zimbabwe African National Union, refused to give
up control. After the MDC
agreed to share power with Mugabe's party, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
designated Bennett deputy minister of
agriculture."
Since then, Bennett has been imprisoned several times and
continues his
human rights fight in Zimbabwe, as well as the fight for
democracy.
At the University of Iowa event, Bennett will not be the only
participant in
the WorldCanvass Studio. Lymobe Eko, UI professor of
journalism and mass
communication and co- director of the African Studies
Program and Farai
Marazi, a IU doctoral student in anthropology from
Zimbabwe will also
participate in the event.
This is a great
opportunity to learn more about the fight for democracy and
human rights in
Zimbabwe. Don't miss out – attend one of these events on
October 3 or
October 5!
Here are the cables:
7-Who travels with the President?
6-US embassy wanted to reward Josiah Hungwe for providing useful information- Wikileaks
5-Mobile phone bosses arrested for externalisation.
4-Gono laughs off Made’s crop forecasts
3-First Lady goes “shopping” for a dairy farm
2-First Lady eyes farm with 27-room mansion!
1-Editor arrested for publishing “false story” on First Lady
