Group wants Mugabe to pay for rights abuses

Zim Online

Tuesday 24 October 2006

      HARARE - A coalition of Zimbabwean human rights groups says it has in
its possession "materials" implicating state security agents in widespread
and systematic human rights violations, adding that President Robert Mugabe's
government should pay compensation for past and present rights abuses by its
agents.
      The Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum (ZHRF), the largest alliance of rights
groups in the country, did not specifically say whether the government
should extend compensation to victims of a 1980s army crackdown in southern
Zimbabwe that left more that killed more 20 000 innocent civilians from the
minority Ndebele tribe.

      Mugabe, who sent soldiers to the south ostensibly to stop an armed
insurrection against his government, has called the army deployment and
resultant atrocities an "act of madness" but he has never personally
accepted responsibility for the civilian murders or formally apologised.

      The 82-year old President has also not yielded to calls by human
rights activists for his government to compensate victims of the brutal army
operation.

      The ZHRF said in a statement: "The organisation is in possession of
materials implicating state officials in widespread and systematic human
rights abuses such as members of the ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police), ZNA
(Zimbabwe National Army and CIO (Central Intelligence Organisation)."

      The group expressed concern that Mugabe's government repeatedly
refused to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable but
added that it would continue lobbying for international pressure on Harare
to end human rights violations.

      Harare should also consider "consider paying monetary and non-monetary
compensation and restitution for the past and present human rights
violations," the ZHRF said.

      But acting state Information Minister Paul Mangwana denied that the
government or its agents had violated human rights and accused the group of
raising the issue of rights abuses in order to justify more money from
donors.

      Mangwana said: "These organisations are seeking relevance and fresh
donor money by bringing back stale issues. We have not committed any human
rights violations and our security agents are highly respected worldwide."

      Zimbabwe - once a relatively prosperous and stable country - has seen
increasing political violence and human rights abuses in recent years and
which critics say because of Mugabe's government adopting repressive methods
to keep public discontent in check amid a deteriorating economic meltdown,
hunger and poverty.

      The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has in the past
also condemned rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

      But Mugabe and his government, in power since Zimbabwe's 1980
independence from Britain, deny violating human rights. - ZimOnline

Chiefs' Council president threatens to evict opposition supporters

Zim Online

Tuesday 24 October 2006

            MASVINGO - The leader of Zimbabwe's traditional chiefs, Fortune
Charumbira, at the weekend threatened villagers with forcible eviction from
their homes as punishment for not backing President Robert Mugabe's ruling
ZANU PF party in next weekend's rural council elections.
            Charumbira, president of the pro-ZANU PF Chiefs' Council and a
former junior member of Mugabe's Cabinet, made the threat at a function
organised by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation in rural
Masvingo province to mark World Food Day.

            He told the villagers that those evicted from his area for
backing the opposition would have nowhere to go as other chiefs across the
country had also adopted the same policy of banning supporters of the
opposition United People's Party and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
parties from their areas.

            Charumbira, who spoke in the vernacular Shona language, said: "I
have some names of UPP (United People's Party) and MDC supporters whom I
have already earmarked for eviction. The position is that only ZANU PF
supporters will be allowed to reside in my area. I want my (village) headmen
to take note of this position.

            "If you are an opposition supporter this is the time to mend
your ways before we come for you and ask you to pack your bags. I don't know
where you will go because other chiefs will take a similar stance."

            ZANU PF chairman for Masvingo Samuel Mumbengegwi also took
advantage of the UN-organised event to urge villagers to vote for his party
in upcoming elections.

            However, provincial governor Willard Chiwewe attempted to
reassure the villagers that despite Charumbira's threats they were free to
back whichever political party of their choice without reprisal from the
government.

            "I just want to make reference to the speech by the Chief ..
this is a democratic country and we are all free to live peacefully despite
our political differences," Chiwewe told the villagers.

            It was not possible to get an immediate comment from local
representatives of the UN in Harare on Charumbira's threats to villagers.

            Traditional leaders have largely ceremonial powers but wield
immense influence over their subjects in rural areas.

            The opposition and pro-democracy groups blame chiefs and headmen
for abandoning their traditionally neutral role in the community to side
with Mugabe and his ZANU PF party. - ZimOnline

Zimbabwe requires new thinking on agriculture

CIO boss edged out over alleged bribe

The Zimbabwe Times

By Gore Machingura

SYDNEY Nyanungo, the former director for internal affairs in the Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO), has been forced out of the organization
following disclosures that he allegedly accepted a generous gift from
controversial businessman, Jayesh Shah, while interviewing him.

Shah, the chief executive of Gift Investments, a leading supplier of buses,
has strong links to President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party. The
controversial businessman has confirmed he gave money to Nyanungo but denies
the $200 million was a bribe.

Shah, an Indian businessman who spends time in Kenya, Dubai and India, has
emerged as a dedicated supporter of Mugabe's government. A major sponsor of
the ruling party, Shah is believed to have direct access to the President
and known to have become close to central bank governor Gideon Gono.

Apart from financing Zanu-PF, Shah has also provided foreign currency loans
to government through the central bank, as evidenced by his dispute with
Kingdom Bank, which is now before the High Court. Kingdom is demanding
US$900 000 from Shah, claiming they overpaid him on a loan the bank took out
on behalf of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in April 2002, as hard currency
shortages began to bite.

Shah was also involved in raising the amount of US$135 million which the
government of Zimbabwe paid to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last
year to avoid possible expulsion. The controversial businessman first hit
the headlines in the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) corruption
case when he alleged that the bus company's board chairman Charles Nherera
solicited for a bribe to facilitate an order for new buses.

Nherera was convicted on a corruption charge in August but faces more
charges. Meanwhile Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, whose ministry
superintends ZUPCO, and deputy information minister Bright Matonga, the bus
company's former chief executive, have also been implicated.

Nyanungo (52), who joined the CIO at independence, is alleged to have
solicited his own bribe while interviewing Shah further in connection with
the same high profile corruption case, involving no less than two government
ministers. He is reported to have asked for $200 million to help him finance
a private project, the construction of chalets in Mutoko.

While the official word from the CIO is that Nyanungo retired voluntarily,
intelligence sources have informed Zimbabwe Times he was forced to resign
after details of the alleged Shah bribe emerged.
"There was no question of me bribing Sidney," Shah said. "What for? I was
not a suspect. He only told me about the difficulties he was having building
his lodges in Mutoko, so I offered to help."

While Nyanungo remains tight-lipped over the circumstances leading to his
exit, State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa sought to pour cold water on
reports that one of his senior officials had been possibly corrupted.

"He said he was tired and I allowed him to go," Mutasa said.
Intelligence sources say Nyanungo was assigned to glean for fresh
information on the ZUPCO case.

Nyanungo was specifically tasked with establishing Chombo's involvement in
the corrupt tender procedures at ZUPCO, following the submission by Shah of
fresh evidence, in the form of tapes, to the police. The fresh evidence
apparently further implicates Nherera, Matonga and Chombo.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing Matonga and Nherera have raised a stink over
the alleged side-stepping of laid-down procedures by the office of the
Attorney General, Sobuza Gula-Ndebele, to 'surreptitiously' grant Shah
immunity from prosecution.

While the police are reported to be building a case against Chombo, police
spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena says the minister is being treated as a
witness for now.

"The police are viewing Local Government Minister Chombo as a witness and
not as an accused," he said. "We will record his statement but we cannot
give details since it is an on-going investigation."

It is after his meeting with Shah that Nyanungo received the $200 million
gift.
Nyanungo has been replaced by Andrew Muzonzini, brother to Elisha Muzonzini,
a retired brigadier who headed the spy agency until he was appointed
Zimbabwe's ambassador to Kenya in 2002.

More white farmers face eviction

The Citizen

HARARE - At least 40 more white farmers face eviction in
Zimbabwe after they received orders from the government to cease operations
and vacate their land, the farmers' union said on Monday.
"So far 40 eviction notices have been given out by the
government," Emily Crookes, a spokeswoman for the Commercial Farmers Union
(CFU), told AFP.
Crookes said that the number could rise as not all affected
farmers may have notified the union.
"Some farmers have received threats from unidentified people
while others are doing their best to contain the situation," said the
spokeswoman. "Others are just waiting, assessing the situation from their
houses."
She said several timber and coffee plantation owners were among
those who have been ordered to leave, while other sugar-cane farmers in the
south-eastern Chiredzi district face a similar predicament.
Crookes said the eviction notices effectively barred the
affected farmers from working on their land.
At least 500 white farmers remain in Zimbabwe following
controversial land reforms which saw President Robert Mugabe's government
seizing at least 4 000 farms for redistribution to landless blacks.
The land reforms have been blamed for food shortages in what was
once southern Africa's breadbasket, with critics saying the majority of
those who have benefitted from the land reforms lacked the means and skills
to farm.
Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa confirmed that a new batch of
eviction notices had been distributed without giving an exact number.
The minister told AFP that the government would forge ahead with
the programme which the government characterises as a correction of
historical imbalances which favoured white colonial settlers.
"The fact that we are issuing out eviction notices shows that
there are some people who are in need of land," Mutasa said.
"When we are finished with the land reform, we will speak for
ourselves and we will let the whole world know." - Sapa-AFP.

     Last updated
     23/10/2006 16:12:45

Zim losing inflation battle

News24

23/10/2006 14:27  - (SA)

Harare - Zimbabwe's central bank admitted on Monday it was losing the battle
against spiralling inflation due to political and other factors outside its
control.

President Robert Mugabe's government has branded inflation - which slowed to
1 023% in September but remains the world's highest - its number one enemy.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono said there were several
factors that were outside the central bank's control, which made it
difficult to rein in inflation.

"Some of those factors are within the governor's control and influence while
others such as politics, sanctions, droughts, under-utilisation of farms,
disruptions at those farms, rampant corruption, indiscipline, law and order
are factors outside the governor's control," he said in an interview with
the official Herald newspaper.

Zimbabwe's inflation is seen as a major stumbling block to pulling the
country out of a recession marked by a jobless rate above % and persistent
shortages of foreign currency, fuel and food.

'We will continue in this inflation spiral

The government is battling to put a lid on prices and is this week expected
to agree with producers the price of the staple maize-meal, flour and bread,
which have been in short supply over pricing.

"As monetary authorities, we are concerned as every other Zimbabwean, at the
limited pace of disinflation," Gono said.

Analysts have warned of renewed price pressures as manufacturers hike
prices, arguing that they are sourcing scarce foreign currency for raw
materials on a thriving black market.

The local unit is trading at Z$250 to the dollar on the official market but
up to six-times that rate on the black market.

"We are seeing cross sector increases in the price of commodities and
services, even by municipalities, which will feed into inflation and the
result is that we will continue in this inflation spiral," James Jowa, an
economist with a Harare financial services firm told Reuters.

'Things could have gone terribly worse'

Shunned by Western financial donors, Mugabe's government has increasingly
relied on the local bank sector for money to plug holes in the national
budget, and to import food and farming inputs.

Analysts say this has resulted in excessive government spending, with the
central bank admitting to printing money, while domestic debt has nearly
doubled to Z$121.4bn between June and September this year.

Gono said he had secured $900m in foreign lines of credit since taking his
job in 2003, saving the country from collapse.

"This innovative intervention has gone to augment export receipts directly,
thereby mitigating against sharp loss of value of the local currency," he
said. "Things could have gone terribly worse. Let us not forget this."

Gono said Zimbabwe had to boost industrial and agricultural production,
partly knocked by the seizure of white-owned commercial farms for landless
blacks, to generate much needed foreign currency and stabilise prices.

ZESA's new metre requirement to leave thousands in the dark

      By Tererai Karimakwenda
      23 October 2006

      The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) which has long been
referred to as the Zimbabwe Electricity Sometimes Authority, appears to be
making more moves to live up to its nickname. The troubled parastatal has
announced that beginning 2007, it will charge for electricity based on usage
instead of charging the old standard fee based on estimates. All households
are therefore required to purchase meters and pay ZESA to install them.

      The cost for each household is expected to average Z$100,000. And
failure to comply will result in power being turned off. Many families in
Zimbabwe, already struggling to meet their basic daily needs, are going to
be left in the dark. It will be even worse for the thousands of child headed
households in the country with no income at all.

      Pastor Ndhlovu in Bulawayo described a very sad situation that will
get worse if ZESA cuts off the power. Xolani is only 19 years old but she is
taking care of her 6 year old sister and 3 year old brother. Their parents
and grandparents all passed away and they survive on money they make from
renting two of the four rooms they have in their house. The pastor said the
children never have more than one meal per day, and many days there is
nothing to eat. There is no way they can pay Z$100,000 to ZESA for a meter.
      Add to this the fact that Xolani also suffers from epilepsy and has
fits that leave her mentally unstable. Pastor Ndhlovu said sometimes they
can provide the drugs needed to control her seizures, but these are
expensive and have to be imported. Most of the time she has no access to
these drugs and the fits leave her confused and struggling to deal with
everyday responsibilities.

      Without electricity many families will have to rely on firewood which
is very difficult to come by if you live right in town. In Zimbabwe gas is
often unavailable and very expensive. Pastor Ndlovu said there are thousands
of families faced with this sad situation in Bulawayo alone if ZESA goes
ahead with this scheme.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

Govt to Acquire Farm for Urban Expansion

The Herald (Harare)

October 23, 2006
Posted to the web October 23, 2006

Harare

THE Government has given a preliminary notice to compulsorily acquire a farm
in Greystone Park for urban expansion.

The Minister of State for National Security, Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement in the President's Office Cde Didymus Mutasa gave notice for
the compulsory acquisition of the farm in the Government Gazette last
Friday.

"Notice is hereby given, in terms of Section 5 (1) of the Land Acquisition
Act, that the President intends to acquire compulsorily the land described
in the schedule for urban expansion," said Cde Mutasa.

The land to be acquired is stand 791 in Greystone Park measuring 21 404
hectares. It is registered in the name of Nederduitse Gereformeerde
kerk-Sinode van Midde-Afrika.

Two other farms were also acquired for different purposes. One of the farms
is registered in the name of Maygrayvan Farms (Private) Limited in Bubi
District measuring 101 584 hectares.

The other property is registered in the name of David Charles Walker in
Mutare measuring 56 626 hectares.

The Government also gazetted a new court fee structure that will see people
paying for various legal services offered by the judiciary.

According to the gazetted Customary Law and Local Courts (Amendment) Rules,
2006, a fee of $700 would be paid on commencement of a case where summons
would be issued while $500 would be paid where no summons would be issued.

According to the regulations also published in the Government gazette last
Friday, $300 would be paid to the court for execution of judgment, $200 as
messenger's fee for service of witness summons and $600 for noting an appeal
from judgment of local court.

Tariff for messenger of local court fees and charges would be $700 for
execution where a warrant is issued, $300 for attempted execution, removal
and storage of goods and $300 for attachment of movable property.

The fee paid by a plaintiff on the commencement of a case shall be $2 000 to
the person presiding over the local court, $1 000 to each assessor, $500 to
the messenger of court where he serves a summons or where he has executed a
judgment and $1 000 to the clerk of court.

Labour Govt Reneged On Land Deal

The East African (Nairobi)

INTERVIEW
October 23, 2006
Posted to the web October 23, 2006

Fred Oluoch
Nairobi

KELEBERT NKOMANI, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner to Kenya, who is also his
country's permanent representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat, recently sought
to give the government's perspective on the economic and political crisis
facing the country. He spoke to Special Correspondent FRED OLUOCH

Critics of the Zimbabwean government are convinced the crisis has been
exacerbated by the failure of SADC members to take President Mugabe to task
over his governance style instead of handling him with kid gloves...

Zimbabwe is a founder member of the Southern African Development Community
and enjoys the full support of its fellow members. Since the establishment
of SADC, we have had very good relations and we work together in all
programmes.

Whenever governance or economic issues arise, they are discussed fully in
the appropriate SADC forum. In some cases, if there are bilateral issues
like migrant labour, we discuss them bilaterally.

You have to understand that Zimbabwe is a landlocked country and a country
that emerged from colonialism backed by a number of African countries,
particularly our immediate neighbours who become independent before us:
Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania.

These countries played an extremely important role in the liberation of
Zimbabwe, and the struggle took a very heavy toll of their economies and
infrastructure. So we consider ourselves a product of that process and
therefore we value the solidarity and relationship that we have with those
countries, since we take it as the basis of our independence.

If that is the case, why then is SADC not coming out strongly to intercede
on behalf of Zimbabwe in its current trouble?

If you say a country is in trouble, it is better to define the nature of the
problem. If you don't, you are likely to come up with wrong solutions. I
want to say this: Zimbabwe, as a country, is very stable. But we have very
serious economic challenges at this point in time. I can say that it is the
main issue that we are facing.

SADC can neither be blamed, nor expected to solve the economic challenges
facing Zimbabwe. Yes, on a number of occasions, SADC has strongly argued our
case in international forums. For instance, when the Zimbabwe Democracy Bill
was being mooted in the US, the SADC ambassador in the US brought a lot of
pressure to bear to point out what the implications of such a legislation
would be.

In your view, what are the major causes of Zimbabwe's current economic
challenges, if not the issue of governance?

It all boils down to the issue of land redistribution, which almost derailed
the independence talks at Lancaster in 1979. Andrew Young, the then US
secretary of state, helped broker an agreement that the land would be bought
from the white farmers systematically over time with assistance and funding
from the British government, besides multilateral and bilateral assistance
from donors.

It was important that more resources be made available to complete the
process of moving land from the white community to the black majority on a
willing-seller-willing- buyer basis.

The process went on well during the Conservative rule of Margaret Thatcher
and John Major, but when the Labour government came into power, they said
they did not feel they had an obligation to fulfil this pact. That it was
not their job to adopt the policy of the conservatives.

This was a major departure, because it meant that the British government was
disowning what we thought was the agreement at Lancaster House. As a result,
Zimbabwe, through a legislative process, adopted a new policy on how to
acquire land

The owners of the land would be paid for whatever development they had made
on the land: If they had fenced the land, built a road, homestead etc, they
would be compensated. But the Zimbabwe government felt that it would not be
proper for us as a country to compensate the landlords for the land itself
because that land was in the first instance not bought from the African
original owners but taken away from them.

After we adopted this policy, the UK and US took a strong position against
Zimbabwe. The UK organised the European Union against Zimbabwe, while the US
passed what they call the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act,
which essentially made it obligatory for all their representatives in
international institutions to ensure that no financial resources would flow
to Zimbabwe, particularly from the likes of the IMF and World Bank.

If the policy was popular, why did it result in a mass exodus of White
farmers?

The idea was never that farmers should all go away. Indeed, no farmer need
have left the country. What we said was that we are going to have a one-man,
one-farm policy. And if you had more than one farm, then you give up some of
the farms for redistribution. Of course, some of the farms were grotesquely
large.

The size of the farm that remained depended on the location within the five
national regions. In those with fertile soil and good rainfall, the size had
to be smaller; if you were in a drier region, the size of the holding had to
be bigger to be economically viable.

The policy was that as long as you nominated what farmland you wanted to
keep within the given size, you could continue with your activities. But
some of the sitting farmers acted in anger and insisted they were leaving
Zimbabwe and relocating to places like Australia. We couldn't stop them.

How far has the redistribution process gone and has it achieved its
objective of settling all the landless blacks?

I would say that a large number of people have been accommodated within the
land redistribution process to date under the two schemes - A1, targeted at
the lower income group, and A2, on the commercial side.

Quite a number of people have been settled, but there are still some people
who are in need of land. An audit has been carried out to establish exactly
who has taken up the pieces of land allocated to them. Some people in the
euphoria [of the initial redistribution] did apply but didn't have an
interest in working the land, and the audit report is revealing that there
are some pieces of land that have not been taken up.

We know that there are some people who need land but have not been
allocated. So a lot of rationalisation will have to be done to ensure that
those who need land are settled.

I cannot say that every person in Zimbabwe who wants land will get it, but I
think it will go a long way towards meeting the requirements of our
population.

What would you say to the fact that some of the farms lie idle and that some
of subsidised items meant to help the new farmers, such as fuel, were sold
off at a huge profit?

I totally agree with that, that there were some lapses in terms of actual
implementation of the subsidy programme.

There were some new farmers who received fuel at a cheaper rate than the
market price. Some sold them, but that was an aberration and those who were
caught were taken to court.

I am not saying that that it was absolutely smooth.

Still, agriculture is down and tobacco farming especially has virtually
collapsed since the advent of land redistribution. Your comment?

In terms of volumes, we no longer realise what we used to produce.

But we understand why: The land is exchanging hands and new farmers are
taking over. It takes them time to settle down, to acquire the skills and
the capital necessary for those operations,

It is important to note that, unfortunately, at the height of our land
distribution programme, between 2001 and 2004, we had a very severe drought
in the Southern African region.

So, part of the fall in the level of production is attributable not so much
to the reorganisation process as to the drought.

But we still produce tobacco and output started picking up last year.
Records show that, in 2005, Zimbabwe exported tobacco worth over $200
million.

It is not much compared with what we used to produce, but we are confident
that production will increase over time, with the support of the government.

ZCTU assailants identified

      October 23, 2006

      By Savious Kwinika (CAJ)

      THE Centre for African Journalists (CAJ News Agency) has it from the
right government authorities that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Deputy
Commissioner, Senior Assistant Commissioner Godwin Matanga is the one, who
sanctioned the police brutality that was inflicted upon the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) in a few weeks ago.

      Deputy Commissioner Matanga, who was the acting police commissioner
seized the opportunity to unleash violence and the onslaught on some
peaceful protesters during the foiled ZCTU called mass action.

      Several ZCTU leaders, including secretary-general Wellington
Chibhebhe, ZCTU vice president Lucia Matibenga and several others were
brutally attacked and are battling for recovery at their homes.

      The police commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, was in hospital in South
Africa, where he had gone for treatment, leaving behind deputy commissioner
Matanga as the acting police commissioner.

      Matanga was certified as being 90% disabled and that alone should have
required him to have resigned from the post that he was holding.

      Matanga, who is widely viewed as the worst reckless senior police
officer, is said to have done a big diservice to the law enforcement agency
due to some of the uncalled for actions, in which some members of the forced
said some of the actions "were questionable."

      ZRP Spokesperson, Chief Superitendent Oliver Mandipaka, refused to
give comment on the issue insisting that CAJ News would put his hands on
fire before choosing to remain quiet over the claims levelled against his
boss Matanga.

      "My friend you want to burn my fingers, you would rather get comment
from heaven. The information you want is extremely sensitive. Thank you,"
before switching of his cellphone.

       Deputy commissioner Matanga, who destroyed several police vehicles
through some reckless driving came worse when he once again he instructed
some police force officers to severely assault the peacefully demonstrating
ZCTU leadership in Harare.

      According to one assistant police commissioner,who was sore for being
transferred to a a faraway rural outpost and who asked to remain anonymous
claimed that Deputy Commissioner Matanga was a reckless man who had managed
to wreck beyond repair more than ten police vehicles with nothing done to
him.

      "Deputy Commissioner Matanga's history of deliquency dates back to the
years he was at Support Unit. The man is an alcoholic. He had survived more
than ten serious accidents mysteriously, including the recent one when he
overturned the newly acquired state-of-the-art 4X4 Toyota.

      "The man had done the same to a Benz, Defender, Cressida, Mazda
626-406 Sedan, 504 Sedan, Colt and another Mercedes Benz. The Commissioner
is powerless to act over his deputy who is likely to take over from him.The
man is also an ex-combatant who joined the war in 1977 at Mount Selinda in
Chipinge. He had nothing to offer as he is considered to have lived his life
for fourteen years as a Deputy Commissioner," said one senior police
officer.

      Contacted for comment on the allegations levelled against Deputy
Commissioner matanga,Police Spokesperson Chief Superitendent Oliver
Mandipaka said such issues were not for him to comment,and only Commissioner
Chihuri was empowered to comment on that issue-CAJ News.

Zimbabwe's national carrier hikes fares by nearly 500 per cent

Raw Story

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 23, 2006

Harare- Air Zimbabwe has upped its fares by around five times in a shock
hike the national carrier said was caused by skyrocketing operational costs,
the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Monday in Harare. The
troubled carrier is now charging 2.5 million Zimbabwe dollars (10,000 US)
for a return ticket to China, up from 545,000 Zimbabwe dollars (2,180 US),
said the newspaper.

A return trip to London in the mid-range economy class popular with those
visiting relatives working in the former colonial power will now cost 1.8
million Zimbabwe dollars (7,200 US), up from 358,310 dollars (1,433 US).

Competing carriers offer return fares on similar seats to England in the
region of 1,100 US.

Converted at the official exchange rate, the new Air Zimbabwe fares appear
astronomically expensive. But Zimbabwe's currency has taken a nosedive in
recent weeks on the parallel market, where the greenback is selling at 1,500
Zimbabwe dollars, or six times the official rate of 240 Zimbabwe dollars to
one US dollar.

The Air Zimbabwe spokesman quoted in Monday's report did not mention the
Zimbabwe dollar's collapse. Instead, David Mwenga pointed to the ever-rising
costs of products and services in the country where the annual inflation
rate is well over 1,000 per cent.

"We had no choice but to review our fares," Mwenga said.

Air Zimbabwe has been struggling to remain aloft over the past four to five
years. The carrier acquired three MA60 planes from China to help on domestic
and regional routes but the craft have been plagued with problems,
reportedly displeasing President Robert Mugabe.

Meanwhile, one of the company's two ageing Boeings was out of service for
months earlier this year pending repairs in Germany.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency

10 southern African countries sign up to finance and investment pact

International Herald Tribune

      The Associated Press

      Published: October 23, 2006

      JOHANNESBURG, South Africa Ten southern African nations have signed a
finance and investment agreement meant to help boost economic integration
and foreign investment in the region, officials said Monday.

      Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland signed the Protocol on Finance and
Investment at a special summit of heads of government of the 16-nation
Southern African Development Community, following the signature of the pact
by seven other governments at a meeting in August.

      The agreement aims to promote the region as a single investment area
rather than a collection of individual countries by setting up standard
investment policies.

      It also complements the move towards a Free Trade Area which would be
the first step toward monetary union, similar to the European Union, in
Southern Africa.

      "It would appear that the region is on course for the establishment of
a Free Trade Area by 2008," said Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili,
who currently chairs the community.

      The free trade area would be followed by the establishment a Customs
Union by 2010, a Common Market by 2015 and Economic and Monetary Union by
2018.

      "Summit noted that SADC trade patterns consist mainly of commodities
and that there is need to diversify the economies and increase
intra-regional trade and growth," the summit's final communique noted.

      "The talks today were focused on ensuring that we are all winners and
that there would be no losers in integration, that the small economies will
be also catered for and will benefit fully," said Mosisili.

      Government officials gave no explanation of how Zimbabwe - which has
the world's highest inflation rate at more than 1,200 percent and is in a
state of economic collapse - will manage to comply with the agreement.

Zimbabwe's independence was a glass of poisoned milk and honey

Letter from America:

      By Professor Stanford Mukasa
      October 23, 2006

      In today's letter from America Dr. Stan Mukasa argues that the
revelation by the military that the people of Zimbabwe could topple Mugabe
if the opposition movement was unified is the best advice the opposition
leadership will ever get.

      It is now widely known that Robert Mugabe relies on his intelligence
and security chiefs not only for both advice and protection but in the
running of the country. Just like in apartheid South Africa where P.W. Botha
set up the Bureau of State Security or BOSS a militocracy that effectively
ran the country, Mugabe now has a similar military style inner cabinet where
major decisions are taken. It is reported that even the so-called Politburo
no longer wields effective power in the day- to- day running of Mugabe's
regime.
      It is also a well-known fact that Zimbabwe is, to all intents and
purposes, under the military rule. Key civilian positions in government have
been given to the army personnel. Mugabe has openly admitted on a number of
occasions that his continued position is 100 percent dependent on the
goodwill and support of the army and his network of secret police.

      If Mugabe was not fully aware about what Zimbabweans think of him,
Mugabe has now heard it from his top confidantes, the military, who have now
openly told him that Mugabe is the most hated person in Zimbabwe and that,
with a well organized leadership in the opposition politics Zimbabweans are
now ready, able and willing to topple him by force.

      Mugabe's top military advisers were blunt when they added that, in the
event of such mass protest, Mugabe could not rely on the army to protect him
because a large chunk of the army hates him as well. The obvious outcome of
this would be a situation where the disgruntled soldiers would join the
masses in protesting against Mugabe.
      Had this been said by Morgan Tsvangirai at an MDC rally Mugabe would
have laughed it off. Now that this ominous warning is coming from his most
trusted advisers Mugabe is most likely losing sleep and forever watching
over his shoulder.

      If he had not known it before, or if he had developed the habit of
ignoring of laughing off such advice Mugabe must now be fully aware that he
has met the moment of truth in as far as what Zimbabweans feel about him.
      Mugabe will probably lose sleep over this matter because each time he
closes his eyes he is forced to imagine and have very vivid memories of what
Zimbabweans would be doing on the news of his long -awaited death. There
would be all-night festivities and uncontrolled jubilation throughout the
country. The nation would heave a sigh of relief that would resonate
throughout the country. That is a scary thought enough to make Mugarbage, as
he is now sometimes called, cringe!

      It does not require a great deal of imagination how Mugabe and ZANU PF
have won most elections from voters who hate him intensely!

      What the military chiefs told Mugabe means that Zimbabweans are
circling like vultures above him waiting frantically for him to fall before
they tear him to pieces.

      But what must have worried Mugabe more than the hatred from the people
of Zimbabwe was the fact that he was told that if a real mass revolt emerged
Mugabe could not count on the complete loyalty of the army.
      Mugabe has divided the army, police and the CIO by rewarding only the
top officers while the rank and file suffer as much as other ordinary
citizens. And the poor and malnourished soldiers are caught in a web of lies
and contradictions when they consider that, on one hand, they are part of
the brutal machinery protecting Mugabe whose ruthless policies have, on the
other hand, created and nurtured conditions of misery for soldiers and their
families.

      The soldiers must wonder why, after spending the whole day terrorizing
people to defend Mugabe, their lives are one chapter after the other of
endless suffering and misery. For when they go home the same soldiers have
to struggle to support their families. A soldier failed to pay for a bus
ticket recently and ended up being assaulted by people. Soldiers of the
elite presidential guard were reportedly scavenging for food by killing
squirrels in the botanical gardens.

      Soldiers must be wondering why they are defending Mugabe who has
brought Zimbabwe to the edge of the cliff. The economy is in shambles and is
the worst in the entire region. People are now eking a living out of a
country that has become a huge Mugarbage dumpsite.

      Mugabe must have had a rude awakening to the fact that he is now a
social dinosaur, a political relic of the 1960s and a complete anachronism
to today's Zimbabwe. This explains why Mugabe has regressed Zimbabwe back to
the 60s era of his nationalistic agitation - an era he is so familiar with.
Mugabe may understand the sixties but he has a foggy notion of the political
culture and demands of the contemporary Zimbabwe. His rabid obsession with
violence and gangster politics and constantly waging a war on everyone who
opposes him is symptomatic of a clueless Mugabe whose only dream and
ambition is to cling to power at all costs.

      There are three interlinked strategies Mugabe and ZANU PF have drawn
up to ensure their survival. One is to win political power at general
elections. The other is to rig the elections if it appears ZANU PF is headed
for a loss. The third is simply to use the military to seize and maintain
power.
      Like a boy who cried wolf Mugabe is engaging in the self-delusion that
the country's problems have been brought about by sanctions from Britain and
the United States. Yet he does not and cannot explain why trade between
Zimbabwe and the industrialized west continues; or why the US and Britain
are the largest humanitarian donors-having poured into the country millions
of dollars in food aid and to combat HIV/AIDS.
      Mugabe has also repeatedly failed to explain why Ian Smith's Rhodesia
fared a lot better under sanctions than Zimbabwe under Mugabe's rule.

      The white opposition parties in Rhodesia enjoyed unprecedented
freedoms -something the opposition parties in Zimbabwe can only dream of as
they moan and groan under Mugabe's dictatorship.
      It is no wonder that Zimbabweans feel the independence they supposedly
gained in 1980 was a glass of poisoned milk and honey. And they are
suffering heavily for it as they sit by the rivers of Babylon and try to
remember the real independence and real freedom which have eluded them for
the past 26 years.
      According to theories of revolutions a new coalition in opposition
politics, and which could potentially turn out to be more deadly for Mugabe
than ever before, may well be in its formative stages.
      First, the impoverishment of the masses has progressively led to the
destruction of the middle class who have now joined the ranks of the dirt
poor.

      There are also disgruntled ZANUPF members who are clandestinely
supporting the opposition movement because they cannot come out in the open
for fear of victimizations by Mugabe's thugs. Then there is a growing
resentment in the military. If the opposition leadership can harness and
mobilize this emerging coalition a new and effective struggle to topple
Mugabe can be launched.
      Mugabe himself has become a paper tiger. With the military support
especially among the lower ranks showing some signs of eroding Mugabe could
face a formidable challenge from mass protests.
      Mugabe's economic infrastructure, in form of state and national
resources, is on shaky ground as the economy continues to slide. He cannot
maintain the expensive habit of rewarding his supporters, especially the
military, on whom he relies for survival.

      Strange as it may seem, the revelation by Mugabe's top military
officers that if the opposition is sufficiently united and well coordinated
mass protests in Zimbabwe are very real and could topple Mugabe especially
now that the people stand ready to do so is the best advice the opposition
leadership in Zimbabwe can ever get.

      SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

'Zim Needs to Import 10 000 Tons of Maize Seed'

The Herald (Harare)

October 23, 2006
Posted to the web October 23, 2006

Harare

ZIMBABWE needs to import about 10 000 tonnes of maize seed to meet demand
for the current farming season, according to Seed Co Limited.

In a statement accompanying its financials for the half year ended August
31, 2006, Seed Co attributed the shortfall to a sharp rise in demand.

"While the Zimbabwean production has tremendously improved with volumes
going up by 30 percent, we estimate that Zimbabwe as a country still needs
approximately 10 000 tonnes in imports and Seed Co is well placed to meet
this demand with strategic stocks produced elsewhere in the region," the
company said.

Seed Co recorded a $946 million loss as a result of the macroeconomic
challenges that include hyperinflation, unstable exchange rates and price
controls.

Turnover surged 2 009 percent to $1,5 billion reflecting a strong demand for
seed during the period under review.

Gross profit margins of 31 percent were 8 percent lower than prior year
margins of 39 percent due to increased production-related activities and
disposal of old stock at commodity prices

"While the group has always recorded an operating loss in the first half of
the year, it is pleasing that included in this figure is a profit of $148
million recorded by Quton in the period under review," said the group.

Acquisition of Quton, the only cotton seed company in Zimbabwe is expected
to help change this situation as cotton seed sales generally start this
year.

The group is looking forward to helping restore seed self sufficiency in
this country, especially following an allocation of two farms formerly run
by Arda.

Seed production in Malawi and Zambia is now fully in place and poised to
take advantage of any increase in demand across Africa.

Meanwhile, maize seed growers have been challenged to produce quality seed
and bolster the land reform programme as well as considering the fact that
seed production is highly technical thus the need to treat it carefully to
produce seed of national value.

Zimbabwe Minister Denies Government Obstructing Opposition Rallies

VOA

By Patience Rusere
      Washington
      23 October 2006

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi denied having told a news organization
that the government is blocking rallies by the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change in the runup to rural district council elections later
this month to keep it from mobilizing Zimbabweans for mass protests against
President Robert Mugabe's rule.

The South African-based Web news agency ZimOnline quoted Mohadi as saying he
is "in touch" with Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri to keep the MDC
faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai from holding meetings if it urges people to
go into the streets.

Mohadi told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the
government has never blocked or interfered with opposition rallies.

But secretary general Tendai Biti of the MDC faction led by Morgan
Tsvangirai said two out of every 10 applications for rallies his grouping
files are turned down.

Canada must stand up to Mugabe

Globe and Mail, Canada

INNOCENT MADAWO

Special to Globe and Mail Update

Last week, The Globe and Mail carried a story about Zimbabwean human-rights
lawyer Gabriel Shumba, who was tortured and forced to drink his own blood
and urine by President Robert Mugabe's notoriously brutal security agents.

Mr. Shumba, executive director of the Pretoria-based Zimbabwe Exiles Forum,
is in Canada, for the second time, lobbying Ottawa to indict the Zimbabwean
dictator under federal crimes-against-humanity legislation. His first
attempt, in 2004, received what I can only describe as a snub of the highest
order. Mr. Shumba was told by a then-Liberal government spokesperson that
there must be a Canadian victim or a Canadian connection for a case to
proceed under the existing legislation.

This is disheartening to me and to the thousands of other Zimbabweans exiled
in Canada who look to the leaders of this country to spearhead a worldwide
campaign to force Mr. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to allow democratic
reform and respect for human rights in Zimbabwe.

And yet, despite all the killing, the jailing, the torturing and the exiling
of millions of Zimbabweans since 2000, there has been no action by Canada.

Granted, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay issued a statement last month
when 15 labour unionists were beaten and tortured by the police and secret
agents for demonstrating against shortages of food and medicine and a lack
of employment. But it was a brief and, in my view, very lame statement: "I
am deeply troubled that the Government of Zimbabwe has once again denied its
people their rights to freedom of expression and association as well as the
right to peaceful assembly. Canada condemns the arrest of these peaceful
demonstrators and calls for their immediate release."
Mr. MacKay added that Canada "urges" Zimbabwe to refrain from using
intimidation, violence and repression, and to respect the human rights and
fundamental freedoms of its citizens.

Frankly, Canada does not need to urge anything. It needs to demand that
Robert Mugabe and his government stop victimizing people.

Of course, given that the Mugabe government has banned most foreign media
organizations from operating in Zimbabwe, one could argue that Mr. MacKay
might not have received a full picture of the extent to which the labour
unionists were tortured. Well, there is now indisputable evidence in the
form of a 15-minute video that has been circulating on the Internet in the
past week. It features a gang of uniformed Zimbabwe Republic Police officers
beating up the union leaders, including an elderly woman, on a Harare
street.

Under normal circumstances, the video would be seen as the work of an
amateur cameraman: unfocused, unevenly cut and a not-so-flowing script. But
one needs to understand the circumstances under which this video was shot:
Using a hidden camera, gutsy journalists risked being discovered and thrown
in jail (if they were lucky).

In the video, the union leaders are also shown in their hospital beds and at
home recovering from injuries they said were not only inflicted in public on
the street but in the police cells, where they were kicked, punched and
stomped on.

This video is but the tip of the iceberg when you consider the violence to
which Zimbabweans are subjected on a daily basis by a dictatorship that will
stop at nothing to stay in power.

Since 2000, when bands of self-styled war veterans led a
government-sponsored invasion of white-owned land, killing some farmers and
looting their property, the once- robust agri-based economy of Zimbabwe has
deteriorated to a level below subsistence farming. When people who lost
their jobs protested, by voting for the opposition, 700,000 of them had
their homes and small industries destroyed in an operation sarcastically
called Operation Murambatsvina (Operation Clear Filth).

It would be a shame if the Conservative government turns away Mr. Shumba,
and all of us supporting his mission, with an excuse similar to that given
by the Liberals.

The entire Zimbabwean population might be decimated before a Canadian victim
or connection materializes. Can this country live with that?

Innocent Madawo is a Zimbabwean journalist living in Toronto.

Zimbabweans Are Still Marginalized

OhMyNews.com

Political activist John Nyamande sees parallels between
Mugabe's regime and white rule

Ambrose Musiyiwa (amusiyiwa)

Published 2006-10-23 14:35 (KST)

John Nyamande is a veteran in Zimbabwe's struggle for
independence.

He has been a political activist since the 1960s when he joined
ZAPU as a youth member.

Nyamande has worked as a teacher in inner London schools in the
U.K.; in rural and urban Zimbabwean schools during and after the war of
liberation; and as a deputy head teacher in Zimbabwe of a school that had an
enrollment of over 1200 pupils and 42 members of staff.

Currently, Nyamande chairs the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) Gray's Branch, in Essex in the United Kingdom.

In an email interview with Ambrose Musiyiwa, which took place
between Sept. 5 and Oct. 18, John Nyamande spoke about the things that
compelled him to become a political activist.

How would you describe the current situation in Zimbabwe?

It is really pathetic and sad that Zimbabwe, which was once a
breadbasket of Southern Africa, is now a basket case of Southern Africa. Any
reasonable person cannot deny that. I remember very well that after
independence in 1980, a Zimbabwe dollar was equivalent to a British pound
and was stronger than the South African Rand. Was Rhodesia Front managing
the economy better than ZANU (PF)? What was happening? Good management is
not about color. Look at developing countries like South Africa. They
co-exist.

Why do you think things are as they stand in the country?

Obviously it's management of the economy by ZANU (PF). It's
scandal after scandal swept under the carpet. We had the Willowvale scandal,
War Victims Compensation Fund, Government Tender Board, the housing scheme,
foreign exchange, multiple farm owners and many other scandals.

In my view, [President] Robert Mugabe has encouraged this to
happen. He should have nipped this in the bud, shamed and fired a lot from
the government for non-performance. Zimbabwe has an abundance of qualified
and capable managers who are now in the Diaspora serving other governments.
Surely how can someone serve effectively for 25 years as a minister?

I strongly believe that it's Mugabe who doesn't let some of
these guys leave the government for reasons best known to himself.

Will things improve?

All Zimbabweans should learn to forgive and come together and
discuss the roadmap to normalcy. The issue is political as well as
economical. You cannot separate the two. Things have run down. Look at
public transport, health, education, and parastatals. Most parastatals are
being run by retired army personnel. Why is Zimbabwe militarizing? There is
something wrong that needs correcting.

The recent AIT ruling on A.A. allows the British government to
resume forced deportations to Zimbabwe. What are your views on this?

Deportations to Zimbabwe at the moment should not be encouraged.
There is more than 75 percent unemployment in Zimbabwe at the moment. People
need to survive. Two reasons why Zimbabweans are here at present: economical
and political.

Those who can work and are law-abiding migrants should be
allowed to work. Zimbabweans are hard workers and are known even here for
that. They have a significant contribution to make to the economy of this
country.

Those who are here on political reasons should definitely not be
forced back to Zimbabwe. MDC (U.K.) branches have got databases of their
membership and there is no reason why they should be forced back. The (U.K.)
representative can always provide proof of this if required by Home office.

What made you to join ZAPU in the 1960s?

I was compelled to join ZAPU in the 1960s because of racial
segregation. There were different laws for blacks and whites in education,
health, labor, housing etc. Can you believe that my father used to put his
bottle of brandy under the bed because only white people were allowed to
enjoy this drink? Black people were not allowed to have businesses in the
central business district. My uncle who was working in South Africa then,
married a Xhosa woman who looked white. When he came home to Rusape with
her, he was arrested because the laws did not allow blacks to marry whites.
My family in Makoni District had been moved from the rich red soils near
Nyazura to the sandy soils further down to make way for white farmers. All
this social injustice puzzled me and forced me join Zapu, which was being
led by people like Joshua Nkomo, James Chikerema, Josiah Chinamano, Robert
Mugabe and others.

What was the environment like then?

The environment was bad. The [system was designed in such a way
that] black people were to serve the whites who were the masters. The
majority of people were meant to learn the 3Rs. That is, Reading Writing and
Arithmetic. Urban schools were run by the government and rural schools were
set up by the missionaries who did a commendable job indeed. The urban
schools were meant to produce teachers, nurses and clerks. Those who chose
law like the late Herbert Chitepo and Dr. Tichafa Parirenyatwa had to
struggle and do it outside Zimbabwe. This class of people was to support the
masters who had set up their industries in the towns. The rural folk, where
the majority of the blacks lived, were supposed to work on the white farms.
They were not supposed to have gone above lower primary, which was standard
three. The majority of poor people were marginalized. However, most people
working in towns were able to buy basic foodstuffs.

Are there any similarities between conditions in the 1960s, when
you first became politically active, and now?

Oh, yes, there are. The majority of people in Zimbabwe are still
marginalized. There is no respect for basic human rights. There is no
freedom of speech, association, and movement etc. [The Public Order and
Security Act] POSA, [the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Amendment Act] AIPPA and other restrictive laws in place now. In the 60s it
was all about "Freedom Kwacha" and "the soil."

But today land has been distributed to members of the ruling
party only.

In the 60s there were black informers, drawn from the Police
Reserve. Chiefs were politicized and used to denounce the political
leadership. Jeremiah Sikireta Chirau and Kayisa Ndiweni are examples of some
the Chiefs who were used by the Government to denounce and crush the voice
of the people. They were also members of the Rhodesia Senate.

Today we have the Green Bombers who are known because of their
notoriety. The ZANU P.F. government has plenty of informers in the villages
who report to the [Central Intelligence Organisation] CIO.

Lastly, Nationalist leaders like Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo,
Maurice Nyagumbo, Enos Nkala, James Chikerema Eddison Sithole and many
others were detained at Wha Wha by the Smith Regime. The ZANU government is
doing the same and has done the same to people like Muzorewa, Ndabaningi
Sithole, Dumiso Dabengwa, Lookout Masuku and many others.

Why these similarities?

People in government have overstayed and have gone past their
expiry date. They have forgotten the founding principles and values of the
political parties and liberation movements of the country, ZANU and ZAPU.
People have died for this beautiful country and they need to be honored.

What are some of the differences?

Although we were oppressed, families could afford a meal. Public
transport was by far better. Trains ran between Harare and Mutare and
between Harare and Bulawayo beautifully. At one time Rhodesia Railways ran a
railcar between Harare and Mutare in less than four hours. It was a
fantastic mode of transport. Municipalities had enviable social service
amenities in the townships. At the Stodart Hall in Mbare, who doesn't know
Mr. Roberts? He was inspirational in setting up the George Hartley Swimming
Pools, and the C.S. Davies swimming pool in Highfields. After school clubs
were plenty. All that is no more with our own black government. It's sad.
Everyone is now selling for survival. To make it even worse, these vendors
have been driven out in the name of "cleaning" up the mess.

In the 1970s, you left ZAPU and joined the UANC. What did you
find appealing about the UANC?

I joined UANC in 1973, when I was training as a teacher. The war
was at its height and the two main political parties had been banned and
were operating externally. UANC was formed to mobilize, educate and support
the war that was being fought. UANC had its base in the churches especially
the United Methodist Church, where Bishop Muzorewa belonged. The party was
able to unite Zimbabweans across the political divide. People had one
vision, of liberating Zimbabwe. UANC helped so many young boys and girls to
cross into Mozambique, Botswana or Zambia for guerilla training. The party
supported the guerillas with food and clothing and so many of their members
were arrested for collaborating with the "boys." UANC played a big and
supportive role during the struggle. What happened during Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
was something different.

How was it different from ZAPU?

ZAPU and ZANU did not see eye to eye and used the tribal card
although some people deny this. UANC was less tribalistic than the other
two. It was a church driven organization. Members feared God.

In 1994, you joined ZANU PF. What led to this?

I had just completed my studies in England, and I said: "Why
can't I go back to Zimbabwe and be part of the agents of change in
developing the country?" At that time the focus was development and there
was no need for opposition.

And why did you leave ZANU P.F. to join the MDC in 1999?

The economy of the country was fast shrinking and the party did
not want to listen to constructive criticism at all. I became unpopular
within ZANU P.F. for asking the reason why certain things were being done. I
finally quit when MDC was born in September 1999.

When you were teaching in the rural and urban schools during the
war of liberation in Zimbabwe, did you experience any form of harassment or
persecution by any group that was involved in the conflict?

I left Bindura, where I was teaching, in a huff because the
security forces were after my life, for supporting the guerillas with food
and clothing. Teachers were conduits of information between the rural and
urban structures of UANC and the People's Movement led by Dr. Tsvarayi. This
was an internal structure of ZANU, which was beginning to distance itself
from UANC because there were signs that the war was coming to a conclusion.
ZANU P.F. was positioning itself for government.

How were teachers viewed in the communities they worked in?

Before independence, Teachers were viewed as leaders, advisers
and earned a lot of respect and dignity from the communities they served.
The salaries they received were decent and most could afford to buy a car
and send children to boarding school.

Today it's totally the opposite. Teachers have been turned to
paupers and are a miserable sight. Most teachers have resorted to engaging
in second activities to supplement their meager salaries. They travel to
neighboring countries to buy goods for resale. Others sell sweets, bananas,
and cool drinks at school during break time.

At present, teachers in Zimbabwe are being routinely subjected
to what can only be described as persecution and harassment. Some have
endured beatings and others have lost their lives at the hands of agents of
the state and/or ZANU P.F. Why is this so?

Teachers advise the communities they serve especially in the
rural areas. They are being intimidated to stop them from advising the
communities they serve. They are seen as knowledgeable in the daily affairs
of the country.

London conference to support Zim's labour unions

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By a Correspondent

      LONDON - Trade unions in the United Kingdom will on the 4th of
November team up with Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and Amicus to host
a major conference in central London on solidarity with Zimbabwe's trade
unions that continue to be a target for the government, especially following
their September protest that was thwarted by the police.

      ACTSA director, Euan Wilmhurst, who has been instrumental in leading
campaigns to tell the world about the crisis in Zimbabwe and in particular,
his organisation has been instrumental in the Dignity Period campaign for
sanitary pads for women in the country, said the conference would be held at
Congress House in Great Russell Street.

      The conference is meant to discuss ways through which labour unions
around the world can help their colleagues in Zimbabwe.
      Wilmhurst said the conference, at which Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions (ZCTU) president, Lovemore Matombo, will speak, is meant to support
labour unions whose leaders were badly beaten up by the police on September
13 while protesting against low wages, lack of access to HIV/Aids drugs and
related issues.

      He said the conference is free and open for anyone who wants to
attend.
      The TUC last month organised a demonstration outside the Zimbabwe
embassy in London to protest against the brutality of the police against
ZCTU and other pro-democracy leaders during the protest. The unionists were
arrested and severely beaten up during the arrests and while in detention.

      The trade unionists revealed after they were freed their horrific
experiences at the hands of the merciless officers. Some told of how they
were assaulted two at a time on the soles of their feet and on their
buttocks.

      Speaking in the House of Lords Thursday, Lord Blacker, while debating
the crisis in Zimbabwe, applauded the TUC, Amicus and ACTSA for organising
the conference that will give Matombo the platform to talk about the
problems facing the trade unions in Zimbabwe and how best labour unions
across the world can assist them in organising and mobilising support for
their activities.

      Urging Britain to take a lead in dealing with the crisis in Zimbabwe,
Lord Blaker said: "We are Zimbabwe's biggest provider of aid. There are more
Zimbabwean exiles in this country than in any other country, and we have
more knowledge of Zimbabwe than any other country does. The president of the
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions will be at the TUC meeting on 4 November,
and he has already said that the United Kingdom should take the lead in
these matters. His advice is worth listening to, so if Mugabe accuses us of
neo-colonial ideas, as he has for the past six years, we should not now be
concerned."

      Thabitha Khumalo, the ZCTU's second vice president who was named one
of the winners for this year's Women of the Year Award, recently addressed
the TUC on the plight of Zimbabwean workers under the Zanu PF government.

      Speakers to the conference will also include Vauxhall and chair of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, Kate Hoey MP and Wilmshurst.

Mwale Still A Free Man Two Weeks On

Zimbabwejournalists.com

      By a Correspondent

      MUTARE - Joseph Mwale, the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation
(CIO) officer accused of murdering two opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) activists, is still out of custody two weeks after the Attorney
General's (AG) office ordered his immediate arrest.

      Mwale, accused of orchestrating the murders of MDC activists Talent
Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya near Murambinda Growth Point during the run-up
to the 2000 parliamentary poll has eluded the law since.

      But the AG's office has of late appeared determined to have him
arrested so he could answer to the murder charges with Levison Chikafu, a
senior officer in the AG's office in Manicaland, ordering the police to
bring Mwale's docket on or before 6 October 2006 to the courts.

      But it seems, according the sources, the dreaded CIO is blocking Mwale's
arrest saying he is innocent and was not involved in the murders.
Zimbabwejournalists.com broke the story of the AG's office ordering the
arrest 10 days ago but nothing has happened to Mwale who remains at his
Chipinge office of the CIO going about his usual routines.

      In a letter addressed to the officer commanding police in Manicaland,
Ronald Muderedzwa, Chikafu, the Manicaland Area Prosecutor said: "The
accused is facing a charge of murder which was committed in the year 2000.
The docket was referred to your office with instructions that you arrest
Joseph Mwale and bring him for initial remand."

      "To date we have not received any information pertaining to the
progress made by your office. I need to go through the docket with a view of
taking up the matter with my superiors."

      Added Chikafu: "Submit the docket on or before 6 October 2006."

      The MDC is sceptical of the order to arrest Mwale.

      Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the MDC faction led by founding
president Morgan Tsvangirai said: "We have always said that the political
violence that we have had in Zimbabwe since the 1980s was not inter-party or
intra-party, it is state sponsored. Some of the people who have committed
some of the most diabolical acts of brutality have found sanctuary in, and
are being protected by, Zanu PF. While we may appreciate that some sections
of society are doing the best they can to ensure that justice is done, we
believe justice will not be done."

      He continued: "To expect justice to be delivered in this case is
missing the mark. This is a charade designed to hoodwink the international
community into believing that the rule of law is back in Zimbabwe, which is
totally untrue."

      Commenting on this development from her Reading home in the United
Kingdom, Adella Chiminya, who for years has been trying to have Mwale
brought before the courts of law, said justice was all she wanted so
Tichaona could rest in peace. She is convinced his killers will pay one day
for their actions despite all the protection they could be getting from the
government.

Zimbabwe Rights Groups Plan To Press AU's Konare At Upcoming Summit

VOA

By Jonga Kandemiiri
      Washington
      23 October 2006

Human rights activists in Zimbabwe who were unable to secure a meeting with
African Union Chairman Omar Konare during his visit to Harare 10 days ago
plan to push their agenda with him at an AU summit coming up in December of
January in Ghana.

Konare met with President Robert Mugabe on October 13 and responded to
requests for a meeting that his visit concerned African conflicts in Sudan
and elsewhere.

Rights advocates said they wanted to speak with Konare, a former president
of Mali, about what they described as Harare's failure to implement rulings
by the AU's African Commission on Human and People's Rights concerning the
rule of law, evictions and living conditions for those displaced by Harare's
2005 home demolition campaign.

National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations Advocacy Manager
Fambai Ngirande said Zimbabwean civic activists were disappointed by
Konare's unwillingness to engage civil society during his visit. He argued
that the situation in Zimbabwe is just as critical and urgent as those in
Sudan and other areas of armed-conflict.

The AU human rights commission presented Konare last year with findings of
human rights violations in Zimbabwe, but he has yet to respond, NGO sources
said.

Attorney Otto Saki of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he still hopes to see
AU action.

EU Diplomats Urge Southern African Leaders To Penalize Zimbabwe

VOA

By Blessing Zulu
      Washington
      23 October 2006

Heads of state of the Southern African Development Community met Monday in
South Africa for a one-day summit focused on integration of their economies,
amid pressure from the European Union, SADC's main sponsor, for collective
action on Zimbabwe.

European diplomats have urged the SADC majority to bar Zimbabwe from a free
trade zone planned for 2008 and a customs union envisioned for 2010 that
would allow free movement in the region just as South Africa hosts the World
Cup of soccer.

The leaders of all the states directly bordering Zimbabwe were present, but
the heads of state of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and
Tanzania did not show at the Gallagher Estate convention venue in Midrand,
near Johannesburg.

The agenda included discussion of the free trade zone and customs union, but
did not mention Europe's behind-the-scenes lobbying for a firmer stand on
Zimbabwe.

Diplomatic sources said the EU does not want to see Zimbabwe benefit
financially or in public relations terms from World Cup activity in South
Africa in 2010. The EU has already communicated this to Pretoria and to
FIFA, soccer's world governing body.

But there has been little indication regional leaders are taking EU concerns
to heart.

Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili told his peers in opening remarks
that he is confident the region can meet its integration deadlines, and
Zimbabwe along with Botswana and Swaziland signed a financial protocol,
bringing to 10 the number of SADC countries subscribing to the document,
paving the way for ratification.

For perspective on the regional impact of Harare's policies, reporter
Blessing Zulu turned to independent economist John Robertson, who said
Zimbabwe's imploding economy has become a major detriment to regional
economic advancement.

ZDF relations with Chinese army hailed

The Herald

Herald Reporter

A SENIOR army official has hailed the ever-growing co-operation between
Zimbabwe Defence Forces and the Chinese People's Liberation Army

Speaking last Friday at a farewell reception for the PLA instructors team
(PLAIT) that was in the country, army chief of staff (administration and
quartermaster) Major General Engelbert Rugeje commended the Chinese
delegation for concerted efforts and hard work in their duties at the
Zimbabwe Staff College.

The instructors had been in the country for 12 months.

"The secondment of the PLAIT officers to the Zimbabwe Staff College is yet
another milestone of recent close co-operation between the Zimbabwe Defence
Forces and the PLAIT. Their secondment has given the college international
status which is, indeed, very much appreciated," said Maj Gen Rugeje. The
Ministry of Defence expressed gratitude for the equipment that was donated
to the Zimbabwe Staff College as it had bolstered its computer laboratory
and was also being earmarked for the battle simulation centre at the
college.

"Our cordial relationship with the people in China and the People's
Liberation Army in particular dates back to the time of Zimbabwe's
liberation struggle. China supported our liberation struggle morally,
politically and materially. Such was the commitment by China to our
liberation struggle that our quest for freedom and sovereignty could not
have been realised," said Maj Gen Rugeje.

On behalf of the Chinese delegation, Senior Colonel Tian Jinjuan thanked the
Government's hospitality during their stay and also acknowledged that they
did not only come to teach but to learn too.

"We thank the Zimbabwean Government for taking care of us. We learnt more
from Zimbabwean soldiers and the Sadc area and we are going to impart that
knowledge to our fellow Chinese. We take pride in our stay here. We are
going to take Zimbabwe as our second home," said Col Tian.

Child mortality shoots up

The Herald

Herald Reporter

CHILD mortality has shot up considerably due to, among other factors,
prohibitive service fees charged by some hospitals, Health and Child Welfare
Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has said.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe Association of
Church-Related Hospitals' HIV and Aids conference last week, Dr Parirenyatwa
said his ministry was concerned about the conduct of some health centres
that insisted on payment from pregnant women who could not afford fees for
maternal health and for treatment of children below the ages of five.

He said because some health institutions were going against Government
policy, an increasing number of pregnant women were opting to give birth at
home while some from urban areas were flocking to rural health centres where
officials did not insist on fees.

"Mission hospitals too should adhere to this Government policy not to charge
pregnant women and, in particular, those who are HIV positive. The children
too should not be made to pay, not even card fees or whichever fees some
public hospitals are insisting on," Dr Parirenyatwa said.

He said mission hospitals also needed to revise their budgets and
accommodate groups of people and could claim a percentage of the money from
the Government.

Dr Parirenyatwa said according to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey,
maternal mortality between 1984 and 1994 was 283 per 100 000 live births.

It rose to 695 per 100 000 live births in 1995 to 1999.

"Child mortality in the 1990s shot from 40 to 65 per 1 000 live births and
under five mortality increased from 59 to around 102 per 1 000 live births
between 1985 to 1999," Dr Parirenyatwa said.

According to the ZDH survey, this implies that one in every 15 children will
die before their first birthday and that one in 10 will die before attaining
the age of five years.

The survey also showed that in 1999 infant mortality rate for the 10-year
period preceding the survey was 47 deaths per 1 000 live births in urban
areas compared to 65 deaths in rural areas.

"The target is to significantly reduce under-five mortality from around 102
to at least 34 per 1 000 by 2015 and make quality health services readily
available," Dr Parirenyatwa said.

He added that the extent of maternal deaths could also be reduced if mothers
have access to good ante-natal, delivery and post-natal care.