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Inept ex-soldiers blamed for train
disasters
Zim Online
Tuesday 31 October
2006
HARARE - Incompetent and inexperienced
soldiers and police drafted
into the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)
have contributed to the high
rate of train accidents, according to a
committee appointed to probe
accidents on the national rail
network.
The committee that was headed by former senior assistant
police
commissioner Frank Msutu and included senior officials from the army,
police
and NRZ, was set up last month to probe the cause of an August
head-on
collision between a goods and passenger train near the northern town
of
Hwange.
The collision, which was the second such accident
along the same
railway line in less than three months, left eight people
dead and scores of
others seriously injured.
The committee
appointed by NRZ management said in addition to a
crumbling communication
and signals system, "lack of knowledge" by soldiers
and police officers
manning the railway system was also a major contributory
factor to
increasing accidents.
"The NRZ signals department and its signals
training wing are also now
laden with former police and army officers, who
are not fully conversant
with the system as they did short-time courses that
are very shallow," reads
part of the report, dated September 29 2006 and
which the government and
senior management at NRZ have kept under
wraps.
President Robert Mugabe has in recent years appointed
soldiers and
police to run the NRZ and other strategic state institutions in
what
analysts have described as over-reliance by the veteran President on
security forces in the face of a worsening political and economic crisis in
the southern African nation.
Many of the former security
officers put in charge of key national
infrastructure and institutions are
however barely qualified for their jobs.
The probe committee said
NRZ general manager Mike Karakadzai - and
himself a former Airforce of
Zimbabwe commodore - should re-hire civilian
experts fired over the last few
years if the rail utility's trains were to
once again become a reliable and
safe means of transport.
The report entitled: Findings of the Train
Accident Investigating
Board, reads: "Even minor faults that have been
reported have gone for long
without being repaired due to lack of knowledge
by those who are employed to
do the job.
"The parastatal should
re-hire experts that it fired within the last
few years if it is to revert
to its old ways of reliability as the present
scenario will only worsen the
situation, cause more accidents that will kill
more people and scare away
passengers and clients."
The Ministry of Transport and management
at NRZ have however attempted
to sweep the report under the carpet because
they considered it sensitive
for its criticism of the performance of former
soldiers and police employed
by the state rail company.
Insiders at the NRZ said the rail firm also feared that disclosure of
the
contents of the report could scare away travellers and could also incite
relatives of people killed in train accidents to sue the parastatal for
compensation.
NRZ public relations officer Fanuel Masikati
confirmed the accident
probe committee had blamed incompetence by workers at
the rail firm but said
he could not discuss the report in greater detail
because it was a
privileged document for internal use only.
Masikati said: "Yes it (the report) blamed us here and there but I
cannot
divulge that right now because the report remains privileged. We are
employing some of the recommendations of the board of inquiry and we hope
that will make things better."
Apart from the NRZ, other major
state institutions controlled by
former security men include the Attorney
General's department, headed by
lawyer and former military intelligence
officer Sobuza Gula-Ndebele.
Former soldier George Chiweshe is
chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC). Chiweshe, a trained
lawyer, was removed from the army and
appointed to the High Court bench
after Mugabe purged independent judges.
Chiweshe was a few years
later made chairman of the ZEC that has been
blamed by the main opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and
independent election observers of
conducting flawed elections in order to
ensure victory for Mugabe's ruling
ZANU PF party.
The chief executive officer of the state's Grain
Marketing Board
(GMB), Samuel Muvuti, is also a former soldier. Under
Muvuti, the GMB has
been accused of denying food to MDC supporters as
punishment for backing the
opposition party, a charge both he and the
government deny. - ZimOnline
War vets want 'protection' for white
farmers
Zim Online
Tuesday 31 October
2006
HARARE - War veterans in the Midlands have
asked President Robert
Mugabe to help stop senior ruling ZANU PF party
officials from evicting the
few remaining white farmers in the
province.
In an ironic twist to Zimbabwe's chaotic land reforms,
the war
veterans said the government should protect white farmers who are
willing to
co-exist with the newly resettled black farmers.
The
war veterans were at the forefront in spearheading the government's
violent
land seizure programme which began in 2000 and that also left
several white
farmers and their black workers dead or injured.
In a four-page
letter to Mugabe seen by ZimOnline, the former fighters
said the President
should stop the evictions "if government policy of
increased production,
employment creation and foreign currency generation is
to be
achieved."
"Your Excellency, we are surprised by the current wave
of evictions
against the remaining white farmers who were left because of
their
willingness to co-exist with new farmers . . . We see greed, sabotage
and
distortion of government policies.
"We have concrete
evidence of people who never worked on the pieces of
land that they were
initially allocated, but are now occupying or clamouring
to occupy
farmhouses . . . at the expense of productivity." reads part of
the
letter.
About 600 out of the slightly more than 4 000 strong white
farmers who
were there before the land reforms in 2000, are still on their
properties
after the majority were forced to emigrate to mostly neighbouring
countries.
Mugabe says the land reforms were necessary to correct a
land tenure
system that favoured whites and left millions of blacks crowded
on poor,
sandy soils.
But war veterans and black villagers have
often complained in the past
that senior ZANU PF and government officials
were hounding them out of the
farms they occupied at the height of the land
reforms.
Mugabe has also admitted that government ministers and
senior ruling
party officials had used their privileged positions to grab
several farms
for themselves ignoring government policy of one-man-one-farm.
- ZimOnline
Full rural council poll results expected by
Thursday
Zim Online
Tuesday 31 October
2006
HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC) on Monday said it
expected to publish full results of rural district
elections set to be
overwhelmingly won by President Robert Mugabe's ruling
ZANU PF either on
Wednesday or Thursday.
ZEC spokesman Utoile
Silaigwana told ZimOnline: "Our provincial staff
will be bringing the
results tomorrow to the head office to allow us to
verify and officially
publish the results ..we expect to be ready to publish
the full results of
the weekend elections probably by Wednesday or Thursday
this
week."
Elections took place in wards in 59 districts across the
country and
for the mayor's post in Kadoma city.
Incumbent
mayor Fani Phiri of ZANU PF trounced Jonas Ndenda of the
Morgan Tsvangirai
wing of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
party (MDC) by 4
614 against 2 491 votes to retain his job.
Meanwhile, as ZANU PF
seemed set for an easy victory, the two factions
of the MDC claimed they had
made inroads into the ruling party's once
impregnable rural stronghold by
wining some wards.
Gabriel Chaibva of the faction of the opposition
party that is led by
prominent academic Arthur Mutambara said: "We are
working on a comprehensive
report on the elections but indications are that
we got over fifty (50)
wards countrywide. But one clear thing is that we are
controlling Nkayi
rural district council."
Nelson Chamisa of
the Tsvangirai faction said his party had also won
an almost similar number
of wards in rural areas.
"At the last count, we had won more than
fifty. The problem is that
the information is still trickling in. We hope to
have a clearer picture by
the middle of the week," said Chamisa, adding that
the opposition party had
firm control of Binga district council in
Matabeleland North.
The two MDC factions also won a total eight
seats unopposed on
nomination day last month while one seat was won by an
independent.
But ZANU PF is guaranteed of an emphatic victory. The
party has
traditionally dominated rural areas at all political levels and
went into
the low-key Saturday elections with 463 seats in the bag already
after its
candidates were elected unopposed.
The ruling party
grabbed all wards that were contested in Zvimba,
Chegutu, Makonde, Hurungwe
and Kariba districts and was expected to maintain
the same strong showing in
most of the remaining districts.
More than 800 council seats were up
for grabs in the weekend
election. - ZimOnline
Trial of ex-soldier fails to kick off
again
Zim Online
Tuesday 31 October
2006
MUTARE - The trial of Peter Michael
Hitschmann, accused of stocking
weapons of war and to assassinate President
Robert Mugabe, failed to
kick-off again on Monday after the state produced
yet another set of new
ammunition.
Lawyer Trust Maanda, who is
representing Hitschmann, said the fresh
ammunition was added as exhibits on
Friday and at the weekend.
"The weapons were added on Friday
evening and at the weekend. We could
not prepare," said Maanda, adding that
the deference would object to the
state including new weapons that were not
part of the original arsenal that
his client was accused of
keeping.
But Maanda said he was confident that the trial would take
place
tomorrow before High Court Judge Alfas Chitakunye.
The
trial was supposed to have started last Thursday but was aborted
after the
state added a set of new weapons and ammunition which defence
lawyers said
were not known to Hitschmann.
Hitschmann, a soldier in the former
white government of Rhodesia -
Zimbabwe's name before independence in 1980 -
is being charged with
violating the Public Order and Security Act (POSA that
outlaws possession of
weapons for the purpose of committing banditry,
insurgency, sabotage or
terrorism.
He was initially arrested
last March together with MDC officials that
included Mutare North legislator
Giles Mutsekwa for working with the
hitherto unknown Zimbabwe Freedom
Movement to overthrow the government.
The group was accused of
conspiring to murder Mugabe, businessman and
ZANU PF activist Esau Mupfumi
and ZANU PF Chipinge South legislator Enock
Porusingazi during the 21st
February Movement celebrations held in Mutare to
mark Mugabe's 82nd
birthday.
The state later dropped charges against Mutsekwa, MDC
Manicaland
provincial youth chairman Knowledge Nyamhoka, party treasurer
Brian James,
activist Thando Sibanda and four ex-policemen Peter Nzungu,
Wellington
Tsuro, Jerry Maguta and Garikai Chikutya. - ZimOnline
Transport operators hike fares by 33
percent
Zim Online
Tuesday 31 October
2006
HARARE - Zimbabwean public transport
operators at the weekend hiked
fares by 33 percent as a severe seven year
old economic crisis in the
southern African country showed no signs of
easing off.
A single trip from the city centre in Harare to nearby
suburbs such as
Msasa Park , Hatfield and Epworth now costs Z$400, up the
previous $300 that
commuters used to pay last week.
Commuters
from Chitungwiza, 25 kilometers away from Harare , now pay
$500, up from
$400 they used to pay last week.
Transport operators blamed the
latest fare hike on rising prices of
fuel. A litre of petrol on the parallel
market where the commodity is mostly
found now costs between $1 500 and $2
000.
Transport operators who spoke to ZimOnline yesterday said the
state-run National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) had failed to supply
them with fuel forcing most of them to rely on the parallel
market.
"NOCZIM is dry and they haven't supplied us with any
product for the
past two weeks. They tell us that they are prioritising
farmers," said one
of the operators who refused to be named.
Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, who is supposed to sanction
the
fare increases, could not be reached for comment on the matter last
night.
But the minister has in the past threatened to crack
down on transport
operators who unilaterally hike fares without the
government's approval.
The latest fares increase will certainly
worsen the plight of millions
of Zimbabweans who are already battling a
severe economic crisis that has
manifested itself in record inflation and
massive shortages of food. -
ZimOnline
Ruling Party Seen Maintaining Control Of Most Rural
Districts
VOA
By Blessing Zulu, Carole Gombakomba & Ndimiyake
Mwakalyelye
30 October 2006
With election results
trickling in from 59 rural districts across Zimbabwe,
indications were that
the ruling ZANU-PF party had retained its dominant
position outside the
cities despite inroads by the opposition in a few
areas. ZANU-PF also
reclaimed the mayor's office in Kadoma, Mashonaland
West, the only higher
office up for grabs.
Observers said the two factions of the opposition
Movement for Democratic
Change undermined each other by fielding
head-to-head candidates in 40
wards, thereby in effect handing victories to
the ruling party. Both MDC
factions accused ZANU-PF of rigging ballots and
buying votes as well as
engaging in voter intimidation.
Spokesman
Nelson Chamisa of the MDC faction headed by Morgan Tsvangirai
told reporter
Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that his party
is pleased with
the gains it has scored in the countryside in these
elections.
Speaking for the Arthur Mutambara faction of the MDC,
deputy spokesman
Abednico Bhebhe said the elections were marred by
irregularities.
ZANU-PF political commissar Elliot Manyika rejected
charges of
ballot-rigging and other abuses, saying the opposition was simply
unable to
accept defeat.
Rural district council elections and
Kadoma's mayoral election were
characterized by very low voter turnout,
according to the Zimbabwe Election
Support Network, which said as few as 25
voters turned out to cast ballots
in some rural wards.
Despite the
extremely low turnout, the opposition made inroads by claiming
some rural
wards that the ruling party had traditionally dominated.
Though the
elections were generally peaceful, the independent
election-monitoring group
cited one incident in Kadoma where the home of the
MDC candidate for mayor,
Jonas Ndenda, was stoned by alleged supporters of
the ruling
party.
Zimbabwe Election Support Network Chairman Reginald Matchaba-Hove
told
Carole Gombakomba that irregularities observed in the run-up to the
elections, including the intimidation of voters and vote-buying, combined
with generally low voter awareness and understanding, added up to elections
that left much to be desired.
Despite scattered opposition gains,
analysts saw the elections as a
non-event given that the ruling party
appeared to have won the lion's share
of rural seats as expected. Such an
outcome was predicted by many in view of
what observers called an uneven
playing field and reported intimidation of
voters and opposition
candidates.
For insight on the significance of the elections, reporter
Ndimyake
Mwakalyele spoke with two experts on Zimbabwean politics: Crisis in
Zimbabwe
Coalition Coordinator Jacob Mafume and Post-Independence Survival
Trust
Director Felix Mafa.
Opposition makes inroads despite violence and intimidation
By
Tichaona Sibanda
30 October 2006
Both camps of the MDC
have made significant gains in the rural
district council elections despite
massive intimidation by Zanu (PF) during
last Saturday's poll. Even before
the poll Zanu (PF) had won almost half the
seats uncontested
countrywide.
Out of the 1400 rural district seats, the ruling
regime is expected to
get a majority. Reports from all the provinces say the
voting system in the
country still heavily favours Zanu (PF) who control the
election machinery.
In some areas vote counting is still going on while in
other areas
communication problems has meant a delay in getting the results.
This has
been attributed to massive logistical problems. Despite the
intimidation,
the Mutambara led MDC on Saturday took control of Nkayi
district in
Matebeleland North province when they won 15 out of 25 seats in
the rural
district council elections.
In all, the Mutambara
camp has so far got 46 seats spread around the
two Matebeleland provinces.
Before the weekend poll the MDC in Nkayi had two
seats but a massive voter
turnout ensured that they wrestled the key seats
from the ruling Zanu (PF)
regime.
Abednigo Bhebhe the MP for Nkayi said he thought the voter
turnout in
the district could have been the highest since Independence. The
opposition
lost control of Nkayi when Zapu merged with Zanu (PF) in 1987.
Before that
the district was under the control of Zapu, led by the late
Joshua Nkomo.
Although the results are still trickling in Zanu (PF)
already controls
most of the districts mainly due to its ability to
intimidate rural voters
and to rig the process. Nelson Chamisa, spokesman
for the Tsvangirai camp,
said despite Zanu (PF)'s history of violence his
party made significant
inroads into rural areas that were once regarded as
the bastion of support
for the repressive regime.
In a
statement Chamisa said they applaud and salute the hundreds of
thousands of
heroes and heroines across Zimbabwe who continue to invest in
the electoral
route to achieve a new Zimbabwe.
'This is a major victory which
shows that the people have issued an
eviction notice to the regime. This is
against the background of our
candidates being hounded out of their areas by
Zanu PF thugs. There are
thousands who voted for MDC candidates in
Muzarabani, even after those
candidates had since fled those areas after
their houses were burnt down by
identified Zanu PF hooligans and state
agents,' said Chamisa.
Chamisa said the results at hand show that
for the first time Zimbabwe
will have opposition councillors in Kariba,
Shamva and Bikita.
'For the first time, we have a national
rejection of Zanu PF and its
representatives, and all that it stands for,
namely poverty, persecution of
perceived political opponents and failed
socio-economic policies in the
rural areas. For the first time the people
shall have MDC representation in
Shurugwi and Gutu South rural district
councils,' he said.
He added that his party now has councillors
deep down in rural Gokwe,
Chimanimani, Buhera, Chipinge North and
South.
'Our candidates shall be representing people's interests in
the rural
district council chambers in Guruve, Matobo, Binga, Lupane,
Chirumanzu and
Mutasa communal lands. It is significant to note that all
these council
seats that we now control across the country were previously
held by Zanu
PF,' Chamisa said.
Their mayoral candidate in
Kadoma, Jonas Ndenda, told us there were
road blocks mounted by Zanu (PF)
youths during Saturday's poll. He said a
number of their supporters were
either turned away or beaten up by the
youths.
'We told
election officials about this but they just ignored us. It
was as if they
were blind and deaf,' he said.
A senior MDC official said the party
faced massive logistical problems
as a result of fuel shortages in the
run-up to Saturday's Kadoma mayoral and
rural district council elections.
Elias Mudzuri, the national organising
secretary told us then that the
shortage of fuel supplies at that critical
time of electioneering was
another of Zanu (PF)'s strategies to rig the
poll.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
Zimbabwe NGOs In Dispute Over Engaging With Mugabe Government
VOA
By
Patience Rusere
Washington
30 October
2006
Zimbabwean non-governmental organizations met Monday in an
attempt to
resolve a corrosive disagreement over strategy with respect to
the
government of President Robert Mugabe, which is proposing to create a
human
rights commission.
NGOs have been trading insults in the media
over the decision by some
organizations in civil society to cooperate with
Harare in setting up the
rights commission. Critics say the government has
shown scant respect for
human rights and that cooperating in the
establishment of such a commission
is merely playing into Harare's
hand.
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and
NANGO members
like the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, the
Women's Coalition
and the National Society for the Care of the Handicapped
favor engaging the
government.
The National Constitutional Assembly,
the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
among others, oppose cooperation.
NANGO spokesman Fambai Ngirande said
his organization's board intends to
consult with members the issue - but he
acknowledged NANGO is under pressure
to pull out of discussions with the
government. The board is expected to
announce its decision soon on whether
it will continue working or break off
talks with the government.
The
United Nations Development Program, the lead U.N. agency in the country,
has
also come under fire for encouraging NGOs to engage with the
government.
National Constitutional Assembly spokesman Ernest Mudzengi
said his group
refuses to consider talking with the government about a
commission on human
rights so long as there continue to be what the NCA
regards as government
rights violations.
Disaster Looms As Water Crisis Deepens in Zimbabwe
By Violet
Gonda
30 0ctober 2006
A serious health crisis is looming
in Zimbabwe as several cities have
been hit by a major water crisis. The
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the
capital city Harare has been the
hardest hit with many people spending days
without water.
In a
modern city residents in areas like Malbereign, Glen View,
Mabvuku, Budiriro
and Tafara are having to resort to using water from
shallow wells or walking
long distances to find some water.
Mike Davies the chairperson of
the Combined Harare Residents and
Ratepayers Association (CHRA) said; " This
is a symptom of the villagisation
of Harare under ZANU PF's rule, that the
service delivery has been reduced
to what you'd get in a village like
Gokwe."
The civic leader said the water crisis has become a
perennial
problem - especially at this time of the year when it's extremely
hot,
proving once again that authorities are incapable of dealing with the
issue.
He said; "The answer to this crisis lies essentially in
technical and
financial areas. We need a new water source that is not
heavily polluted,
that is easier and cheaper to clean." But Davies believes
that before this
aspect can be addressed there needs to be the political
will to seek
solutions to the crisis.
CHRA has appealed to the
three main pillars of the society, the
executive, judiciary and parliament
but failed on all three fronts to get a
positive outcome. As a result the
residents have been left with no choice
but to embark on a campaign of civil
disobedience.
Residents having been dumping raw sewage at their
council offices in
protest at the raw sewage flowing in their streets and
this time they have
warned of an increased number of sporadic, spontaneous
and small scale
demonstrations. Davies said; "And we will continue to press
for legal action
and we will continue to push for a rates boycott so that we
are not funding
our own oppression."
Meanwhile the Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition lambasted the water
authority, Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (ZINWA) and the Harare
Municipality for failing to deliver the
commodity, even though people are
paying.
The group said
although the authorities increased rates from about
Z$2,000 per month
up to Z$15,000, claiming it was for water treatment
and supplying of water
to residents, the quality of water has not improved.
"It has in
fact deteriorated to the extent that the water being
supplied to residents
in Harare gives off a terrible stench and was recently
condemned by the
municipality's own experts for failing to meet the minimum
safety
requirements set by the World Health Organisation and the Standard
Association of Zimbabwe," the Coalition said in a statement.
Mike Davies added; "As far as we are concerned, ZINWA adds no value to
the
supply chain and is really just another parasitical body that will
extract
value at the cost to the residents and ratepayers of the city."
We
were not able to get a comment from the Zimbabwe National Water
Authority.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
State sanctioned illegal mining in
Zimbabwe
From Mineweb (SA), 30 October
By Rodrick Mukumbira
Windhoek - Politics
superseded rational thinking when industrial diamonds
were discovered in
Marange, in eastern Zimbabwe along the border with
Mozambique, last May, as
politicians advocated for a free-for-all policy and
ordered villagers to
extract the precious mineral at will. In a plot
straight from the fairy
tales, diamonds had transformed very poor and
illiterate villagers into
millionaires by Zimbabwean standards over night -
forget the national pride
diamond wealth has brought to Botswana - as they
sold the precious stones
extracted from a claim owned by LSX listed Africa
Consolidated Resources to
illegal middlemen under the "watchful" eye of the
police and state security
organ, Criminal Intelligence Organisation. The
middlemen, in turn, sold the
diamonds to Minerals Marketing Corporation of
Zimbabwe (MMCZ), the official
mineral buyer for a profit. Industrial
diamonds are said to also have a
ready market in Zimbabwe's southern
neighbour, South
Africa.
Local teachers and their pupils, policemen and council
workers had joined in
the rush that revealed the sad state of Zimbabwe's
economic policy in which
politics take precedence over rational thinking.
When senior ruling ZANU-PF
politicians, intent on consolidating their hold
on the poor, gave the
villagers the go-ahead to mine, no environmental
impact assessment had been
carried out at the mine and its environs. There
are no toilets or safe
drinking water for the huge throngs gathered there
daily. Media reports
spoke of villagers from this low rainfall area,
dominated by rocky terrain
and thorny bush, being overwhelmed by their
new-found wealth competing among
themselves on spending the windfall with
beers being bought in crates
instead of rounds and prostitutes reporting a
brisk business. They do not
know what to do with the vast amounts which they
carry around, it appears.
That they are overwhelmed by their new-found
wealth is evident in the way
they appear to be in competition with each
other to spend it as quickly as
possible.
Marange also remained
poor and underdeveloped despite the diamond rush. The
local council was not
collecting any royalties or levies from the miners.
The buyers and miners
were not paying any taxes, as Zimbabwe's answer to a
five-year foreign
currency drought was being exploited to satisfy political
ends. Since the
controversial move by the government in 2000 to take over
white owned
commercial farms for distribution to landless blacks, Zimbabwe
has been
going through an economic recession that is characterised by
foreign
currency, fuel and food shortages. Since last week the cash-trapped
government has been clamping down on the illegal trade on diamonds, as it,
without confirmation, heeds calls by economic analysts that it was losing
millions in foreign currency earnings. On Friday, the government suspended
activity and ordered everyone off the claim, ironically to allow them to
prepare to vote in Saturday's rural district council elections. This week
army and police units are due to be deployed. "We have to put a stop to the
illegal activities," police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena, is quoted as
saying.
Amos Midzi, Minister of Mines and Mining Development, is
on record as
advocating the establishment of a full mining operation on the
claim, as
opposed to the free-for-all enforced by politicians. On Monday,
fears were
abounding that the villagers were being snubbed in preference for
a few
selected "connected" local companies that would be awarded contracts
to mine
the diamonds. Uncontrolled digging has left many mini-craters in the
area.
Press reports from Zimbabwe quote several villagers saying they were
forced
to sell illegally to middlemen because MMCZ was failing to cope with
the
swelling number of customers. "The MMCZ people just don't want to admit
the
truth," one villager was quoted as saying, "which is that they don't
have
enough money and staff to handle the volume of the trade. They are
always
running out of money. This week they were still paying people who
were put
on a list a week earlier. And they didn't even pay everyone on that
list."
Meanwhile, Africa Consolidated Resources was this week taking legal
action
against MMCZ, which was in June granted diamond mining rights for
Marange,
to stop the state-owned company from seizing the claim. The British
company
is arguing that MMCZ has no legal right to the claim as Zimbabwe's
Precious
Stones Trade Act prohibits any licensed dealer from engaging in
mining
activities. MMCZ is licensed to deal with all precious minerals with
the
exception of gold
Taskforce Set Up to Monitor Mining On New Diamond Belt
The Herald
(Harare)
October 30, 2006
Posted to the web October 30,
2006
Tandayi Motsi Recently in Marange,
Manicaland
Harare
GOVERNMENT has appointed a taskforce to ensure
professional and sustainable
mining of a diamond belt that was recently
discovered in the Chiadzwa area
of Marange communal lands.
The
taskforce -- comprising six Government ministries and the Reserve Bank
of
Zimbabwe -- has been mandated to thwart illegal panning of the precious
mineral.
The setting-up of the committee follows rampant unlawful
extraction and
smuggling of the diamonds by hundreds of illegal miners who
have invaded the
area.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Cde Amos
Midzi told the panners and
locals while touring the area on Thursday that
the taskforce would also find
ways to plug loopholes that had resulted in
the illegal mining of the
mineral.
Cde Midzi, Environment and Tourism
Minister Cde Francis Nhema, Minister of
State for National Security, Lands,
Land Reform and Resettlement Cde Didymus
Mutasa, Defence Minister Cde Sydney
Sekeramayi, Finance Minister Cde Herbert
Murerwa, Home Affairs Minister Cde
Kembo Mohadi and RBZ Governor Dr Gideon
Gono make up the
taskforce.
Cde Midzi said the Government was concerned that while it had
given the
green light to the Marange community to extract the diamonds and
sell them
to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, some
unscrupulous dealers
had taken advantage of the loopholes by looting the
mineral.
"Most of the people who are now involved in the extraction of
the diamonds
are not from this area but have come from places such as the
border with
Mozambique and South Africa.
"Local people should
conserve this precious mineral resource. This is the
reason why the
President has sent a team of Cabinet ministers to see how
best the issue can
be resolved," he said.
The minister said it was disheartening to note
that some of the diamonds
were being sold to unregistered dealers and being
subsequently smuggled to
neighbouring countries such as South Africa, adding
that this was illegal.
To curb this, the diamonds should be extracted
within the confines of the
Mines and Minerals Act and the Kimberley Process
Certification System that
details the origin of the mineral, he
said.
Hundreds of people -- including businesspersons and cross-border
traders --
were flocking to the area with food and other goods with which
to exchange
for the diamonds.
Cde Midzi said all the illegal panners
who had flooded the site should
urgently be flushed out.
"There will
be severe penalties on those found mining the diamonds
illegally. It must be
known that all areas with diamond deposits are
reserved areas and no one is
allowed to mine them illegally," Cde Midzi
said.
The Government, he
said, would carry out a feasibility study in the area to
determine the
quantity of the diamonds before mapping the way forward.
The minister
appealed to the traditional and political leadership in the
area to assist
the Government in dealing with the illegal panners.
Speaking at the same
occasion, Cde Sekeramayi said the mining of diamonds
should primarily
benefit the local community and this would only be achieved
through unity
and peace.
"In some countries, diamonds are being used to sponsor armed
conflicts and
other criminal activities hence there is need for you to work
together with
the police in uprooting criminals," he said.
Cde Mutasa
said some white people were illegally buying the diamonds in the
area before
smuggling them outside the country and measures should be put in
place to
stop them.
"We would like to look at how the diamonds should be mined
legally,
including how to factor in small-scale miners. We will report back
to
Cabinet on the way forward," he said.
Thousands of panners have
descended on Chiadzwa Mountain for the "diamond
rush", as it is now
popularly known.
However, the area is now scarred by unreclaimed huge
pits and uprooted
vegetation -- a sign of the spreading serious
environmental degradation.
It was in this vein that Cde Nhema appealed to
the panners to ensure that
the land was rehabilitated after the extraction
of the diamonds.
The meeting was also attended by Transport and
Communications Minister Cde
Christopher Mushohwe, who is the legislator for
the area, senior Zanu-PF
officials in Manicaland and MMCZ
officials.
The MMCZ has pitched up a tent at the site to buy the diamonds
while about
six police officers have been deployed on permanent patrol of
the area to
maintain law and order.
However, security is lax as the
area is not fenced off and those leaving the
site are not subjected to
searches, thereby fuelling the illegal trading and
smuggling of the
diamonds.
A health hazard is looming as there are no toilet
facilities.
The panners, some of whom live with their entire families on
the site, sleep
in the open.
One of the panners, Mr Edison Marachisi,
said he had been living at the site
with his family for the past two
weeks.
"The diamond rush is a form of employment for us. I have managed
to buy
household property from the proceeds," he said.
Mr Marachisi
said on average, he extracted gems that fetched between $60 000
and $150 000
per day depending on the quality.
Some of the panners attributed the
thriving illegal trading to the prolonged
purchasing system of the
MMCZ.
MMCZ officials said the slow pace in buying the mineral was a
result of the
required stages of inspecting, buying and processing of the
diamonds.
Africa beginning to shake off poverty - WB
IOL
October 30
2006 at 08:27PM
Many African countries, including Mozambique, might
meet the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving poverty by 2010
but
Zimbabwe is not one of them, according to a World Bank report released
on
Monday.
"Africa is today a continent on the move, making
tangible progress on
delivering better health, education, growth, trade and
poverty-reduction
outcomes," said Gobind Nankanis, the World Bank vice
president for the
Africa region in the report, released in
Washington.
The annual World Bank publication, "African Development
Indicators
(ADI) 2006," depicts a diverse continent, with several countries
making
remarkable progress, some stagnating and others lagging seriously
behind.
Many countries, including Mozambique,
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde, have lifted
significant percentages of their
citizens above the poverty line and might
well be on course to meet the MDG
target of halving poverty by
2010.
The full spectrum of achievers and laggards stretches from
Zimbabwe,
which recorded a negative growth rate of 2.4 percent - the only
country with
a negative growth rate in 2004 on the continent to Equatorial
Guinea, with a
20.9 percent growth rate.
"While economic
outcomes are increasingly diverse, Africa has made
near uniform progress in
social outcomes, notably education and health,"
said John Page, the World
Bank's chief economist for the Africa region,
adding that Africa's per
capita income is now increasing in tandem with
other developing
countries.
The ADI 2006 confirms that 16 African countries have
sustained annual
GDP growth rates in excess of 4.5 percent since the
mid-1990s; inflation on
the continent is down to historic lows; most
exchange rate distortions have
been eliminated; and fiscal deficits are
dropping.
The continent weathered higher oil prices better than
previous shocks
and its real GDP grew by 4.3 percent, compared to 5.4
percent in 2004.
Productivity in Africa's best performing firms is
on par with
competitors in Asia (India and Vietnam).
Factory-floor costs in Africa's best economies compare well with India
and
China, but Africa has overall lost market share in traditional exports
although several countries increased exports by more than 10
percent.
The good news includes primary enrolment rates rising
significantly
across the continent. HIV and Aids prevalence and child
mortality rates have
started to fall and the gender gap has started to
shrink in several
countries.
"Gross primary enrolment rates as
a share of the relevant age group -
a standard indicator of investment in
the poor - shot up to 93 percent in
2004 from 72 percent in 1990,
contributing to a rise in literacy rates from
50 percent in 1997 to 65
percent in 2002," said Page.
The ADI 2006 highlights the numerous
challenges facing Africa, the
lone region of the world where the number of
the poor continues to rise.
The continent, which received a mere
1.6 percent of global foreign
direct investments (about R75,7-billion), is
home to six of the 10 countries
judged as having the most difficult
environment for starting a business and
efforts by African firms to enter
the global marketplace remain hobbled,
among others, by inadequate roads,
inefficient ports, and power outages.
The ADI 2006 calls for the
lifting of burdensome rules of origin
through reforms in the US African
Growth and Opportunity Act and the EU's
Everything But Arms initiative, but
also for reforms within Africa to
promote intra-African trade.
The report warns that the immense disease burden posed by HIV and
Aids,
malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as by corruption, anaemic aid,
cascading
tariffs barring made-in-Africa products from entering global
markets and
dwindling foreign direct investments threaten gains in poverty
alleviation.
"Improving governance and smart management of
natural resource rents
are key requirements for improving development
outcomes in Africa, where an
estimated windfall of more than US200bn in oil
revenue alone will accrue to
African governments between 2000 and 2010,"
said Nankani, reflecting on the
fact natural resource-rich economies have
tended to make slow progress on
the continent despite their enormous wealth
endowment.
The publication includes development data from all 53
African
countries and covers 1980 to 2004. - Sapa
University of Zimbabwe to offer Chinese lessons next
year
People's Daily
The Chinese Confucius Institute at the University of
Zimbabwe is going
to start offering lessons in Chinese language in February
next year, an
official has said.
Faculty of Arts Dean Pedzisayi
Mashiri said on Saturday the
refurbishment of lecture rooms was in progress
and that equipment was on its
way to Zimbabwe from China. "We are expecting
it by the end of November," he
said.
"We hope that after the
installation we are going to start lessons in
mid February. There are going
to be two categories, one for basic Chinese
and then the degree program. We
have been getting a lot of enquiries from
interested people and we hope this
programme is going to be a success," he
added.
Zimbabwe and
China signed a memorandum of understanding in August for
the establishment
of Confucius Institute for the study of the Chinese
language at the
University of Zimbabwe. China would provide the equipment
and two lecturers.
The move was meant to strengthen diplomatic and economic
ties between the
two countries.
Zimbabwe also plans to launch short-term Chinese
language courses at
Management Training Bureau Centre in Harare. The courses
would cater for the
business community, particularly for the benefit of
Chinese tourists.
Source: Xinhua
Zimbabwean coal giant commissions huge equipment
from China
People's Daily
Zimbabwe's coal giant, Hwange Colliery Company
Limited, has put into
operation 13 huge-sized mining equipment imported from
China worth 6.2
million U.S. dollars in a bid to double its
output.
An inauguration ceremony was held at the Hwange Opencast
Mine in west
Zimbabwe province of Matebeleland North on Saturday for the
operation of
five 91-ton and five 45-ton Terex dumping trucks, two Atlas
excavators and
one TR50W water bowser, all made by Baotou No. 1 Machine
Building Group in
north China and supplied by China's Norinco.
"Norinco is very pleased to see its business expanding into more
Zimbabwe's
economic sectors with the implementation of Look East policy by
the
Zimbabwean government," said Jin Zhizhong, deputy representative of
Norinco
in Zimbabwe.
"With these equipment, we believe that Hwange Colliery
will see
expansion in its output to meet the country's needs for coal," Jin
said,
adding that in view of current economic difficulties, about 70 percent
of
the payment for the equipment will be deferred over a period of two
years.
He said Norinco will continue making its efforts to provide
high-
quality products for the industrial sector in Zimbabwe. Norinco, one
of the
leading enterprise group in China, exports mainly large- sized
mechanical
products, provides various kinds of logistic services and builds
civil
engineering projects abroad.
In recent years, the Chinese
company sets its foot in areas of energy
and mining. Zimbabwe Vice President
J. W. Msica attended the ceremony and
cut the ribbon for the inauguration of
these equipment.
He said the equipment is part of the mine's
recapitalization program
that gained momentum in the past months. It is also
the first set of
equipment the mine has managed to procure from a Chinese
company in line
with the government's dynamic Look East policy, he added.
Msica said he has
had many occasions to commission equipment procured from
China in the past
years.
"As we strive to maintain our
sovereignty as a democratically elected
government, and to economically
emancipate our nation, I am one of those who
is proud to be associated with
our friends from China and other friendly
countries from the East, who stood
by us during our protracted struggle for
independence, and are still
standing with us today and sharing in our vision
to socially and
economically emancipate ourselves," the vice president said.
Source: Xinhua
Zim union leaders try to scrap 'illegal' protest
case
Mail and Guardian
Harare, Zimbabwe
30 October 2006
02:23
Lawyers for Zimbabwean labour union leaders facing
charges of
trying to launch an illegal protest against President Robert
Mugabe's rule
sought on Monday to have the case scrapped.
Lawyer Alec Muchadehama told a magistrate's court that the law
the 30
leaders and members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
were
alleged to have breached actually violated basic constitutional
rights.
Muchadehama said he was filing an appeal in the
Supreme Court,
adding that the charges were "too vague and not reasonably
justified in a
democratic society".
"The charge sheet
does not specify who did what in the crowd,"
Muchadehama told magistrate
William Bhila.
The ZCTU leaders were forced to abandon plans
for a slew of
anti-government marches over the spiralling cost of living
when police
arrested them for breaching the Criminal Law Codification Act on
September
13.
The ZCTU had hoped to rope in thousands to
denounce fuel and
food shortages, four-digit inflation and 80% unemployment
-- which critics
blame on economic mismanagement by Mugabe's
government.
The lawyers said ZCTU secretary general
Wellington Chibebe had a
fractured arm while 29 others sustained bruises and
cuts after being
assaulted in police custody.
State
prosecutor Tawanda Zvekare had argued that the union
leaders marched through
central Harare, chanting slogans against Mugabe, the
army and the police and
damaged police trucks during skirmishes with riot
police.
The union leaders have denied the charge and argued through
their lawyers
that their detention in police custody was illegal.
Magistrate Bhila will rule on December 4 whether to refer the
matter to the
Supreme Court.
Demonstrations by the ZCTU threatened to bring
Zimbabwe to its
knees in the late 1990s.
But Mugabe's
opponents have been unable to take advantage of the
current economic crisis
as a result of internal divisions within the
opposition and fear of the
security services. -- AFP
How long, oh Lord?
Perhaps this has been the most common question that I
have been asked in
recent weeks. People look at me anxiously and hope for an
indication that
things are not as bad as they seem and that there is some
hope that this
long nightmare might end.
That is a tough question -
perhaps because there is no answer. The truth of
the matter is that we might
wake up tomorrow morning and find that
everything has changed. The reality is
however, that change is not likely to
come very soon and it is how we manage
that bit of information that matters.
Let's just review the overall
situation that confronts us right now.
It is now certain that 2007 is
going to be much worse than 2006. Inflation
is going to be higher, the
economy will almost certainly shrink - for the
9th year in a row and the
flood of economic refugees into other countries
will, if anything get worse.
Shortages will be more widespread and this will
create additional problems
for those of us who live here. I predict that the
coming agricultural season
will be much worse than in the past year. Output
across the board will be
lower - without exception.
Then there is the situation in Zanu PF. Mr.
Mugabe is no longer functioning
effectively as Head of State - he is working
very short hours and for
whatever reason is already in a state of semi
retirement. He has moved to
his new home in Harare and goes into the office
late in the morning
returning home before midday. Few people are seeing him
and it is clear that
government is confused and divided - no strong central
direction is
apparent. Everybody is doing his or her own thing.
Then
there is the succession debate. Rumors abound about Mugabe's future
plans -
they all point to him stepping down and it would appear from our
sources that
the debate on whether to allow him to remain President until
2010 has been
quashed. It would appear to us that he is now committed to
retirement in
March 2008, if not sooner. A recurrent Zanu PF nightmare is
that he might
become incapacitated sooner than March 2008, leaving Zanu
unprepared for the
succession battles that will follow.
If we look at the four likely
candidates right now they do not look very
hopeful! Munangagwa is not well
and probably could not take the strain of a
Presidential election and the
aftermath. Vice President Mujuru is regarded
as a bit of a lame duck -
lacking the capacity to operate as President or to
win an election. Simba
Makoni is a lightweight who does not command enough
support in the rank and
file although he has the support of Mr. Mujuru for
what that is worth. Mugabe
does not trust him and probably would block his
nomination.
That
leaves Gideon Gono - the one man goon show who has been running the
Reserve
Bank for the past few years and seems no closer to understanding
anything
other than his masters wishes. That could get him the job - he is
the
effective Prime Minister for Mugabe at present and clearly has his trust
and
backing. However Gono does not have support within Zanu PF and I am not
sure
if that is a good or a bad thing. It probably makes little difference -
it is
Mugabe's mantle that matters.
And that brings us to the state of Zanu PF
itself. I sometimes wonder if it
actually exists anymore - as a political
party that is. The gravy train
certainly exists and is still puffing its way
through our remaining
resources and capacity. The people who operate and live
on the State, like
overblown leeches, would call themselves Zanu PF but the
day that Zanu loses
power and the gravy train is derailed, they will run so
far from the Zanu PF
label that it will be difficult to identify their
political origins after a
week or so. In my view if Zanu were to loose power
tomorrow, they would
disintegrate and cease to exist as an effective
political force within 24
hours.
Certainly the one thing we can all
agree to is that this government seems to
have absolutely no idea as to how
to get out of the hole they have dug for
themselves over the past 26 years.
As Mugabe said yesterday - there are
certain things that are not open to
negotiation to Zanu PF. These are the
very things that are blocking progress
and that will ultimately destroy the
Party itself.
Then there is the
opposition - still popular with the ordinary person on the
street, but unable
to set in motion an effective campaign to unseat Zanu PF
and replace it with
a new and effective government. It now seems unlikely
that mass action will
be the instrument of change that was once hoped. No
one will fund mass action
and it cannot be mounted without resources. At the
same time the State has
shown itself to be willing to crush any sign of
dissent. Since we will never
take up arms again - that rules out those
options for regime
change.
So we must now wait - either for Mr. Mugabe to become
incapacitated for one
reason or another (there are persistent reports of
health problems) or for
March 2008 when he might step down and a candidate
for Zanu PF will have to
run for President.
Any election that does not
include Mr. Mugabe will be a totally different
one to an election that did
incorporate him as a candidate. For a start the
new candidate will have none
of his stature as one of the "strong men of
Africa" and "liberation war
hero". Secondly, Zanu PF has always pretended to
be a democratic institution
and pretended to play the democratic game in
elections here. This exposes
them to the threat of an electoral loss and
even if they do maintain the
machinery that gave them victory in 2000, 2002
and 2005, there is no
guarantee that it will work again.
So we may have to just sit tight and
wait - time is on our side in this
situation, Zanu PF has nowhere to hide at
present - they created this mess
and must live in it and bear responsibility
for it in full. For the
opposition - perhaps it is time we persuaded the
Broad Alliance to put up a
single candidate and to begin now working on
controlling the vote and the
count in the forthcoming presidential election.
If we play our cards right,
we could win that election and then treat the
period up to the June 2010
election as a transition with a new constitution
and the restoration of the
rule of law in the interim as principle
objectives. Mugabe said this week
that he sees no reason to change the
constitution - well lets hoist him onto
that petard and see how he likes it
under an Alliance President with all his
present powers in April
2008.
I think we can hold out until then.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo,
28th October 2006
The voice of a nation
October 30, 2006 09:11 AM |
Printable versionPresident Mugabe of Zimbabwe has murdered more black Africans than even the
South African apartheid regime. In just one region of Zimbabwe, in just one
decade - in Matabeleland in the 1980s - he was responsible for the massacre of
20,000 civilians. This is the equivalent of a Sharpeville massacre every day for
more than nine months.
There was a global campaign against apartheid. I was part of it for more than
20 years. Why isn't there a similar global campaign against Mugabe's murderous
tyranny? Ooops, silly me. The killer is the wrong colour. He's a black murderer,
not a white one. Besides, it is racist and neo-imperialist for anyone in the
west to criticise the leader of a developing country, even a bloody butcher like
Mugabe. Well, that seems to be the perspective of some (not all) of my
colleagues on the left.
It also appears to be the view of the South African government, judging from
the pitiful performance of the South African foreign minister, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma, in London on Wednesday night.
Speaking at the London School of Economics, she failed to address the two
biggest crises facing southern Africa - the HIV pandemic and the chaos and
brutality in Zimbabwe.
I was there and heard Dr Zuma speak about the importance of international
solidarity. She rightly praised the late ANC leader Oliver Tambo, stating that
he was an "ardent internationalist" and a person who believed in "true
solidarity".
This was stomach-churning stuff coming from a foreign minister who, together
with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, does nothing while Zimbabwe
burns.
It was also too much for the Free Zim Youth (FZY) activists in the audience.
"We were sickened to hear Dr Zuma talk about international solidarity when
her government is refusing to show solidarity with the persecuted people of
Zimbabwe," said Alois Mbawara, one of the organisers of FZY.
He led the disruption of Dr Zuma's lecture, in protest at her government's
failure to do anything meaningful to pressure Mugabe to hold free and fair
elections, and to halt his regime's policies of detention without trial, rape,
torture and murder.
During the 1970s and 80s, I remember well the ANC's call for international
solidarity against apartheid. The world responded and the ANC has since said
that global support helped the victory over white minority rule.
Despite having benefited from an international solidarity campaign to win
black freedom, the ANC is now refusing to show solidarity with the freedom
struggle of the people of Zimbabwe. The ANC had a Freedom Charter for South
Africa. Don't Zimbabweans deserve a freedom charter too - and shouldn't the ANC
be helping them win it?
I hate to criticise my friends in the ANC but the truth is that President
Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy" has failed. Mugabe's abuses have increased, not
diminished, with millions at risk of starvation because they are being denied
food. Why? They don't get food because they live in regions of the country that
voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. I call it political
cleansing.
The ANC once led a heroic liberation struggle. Now it seems to be turning its
back on the ideals of liberation and internationalism. Some of its leaders have
become complacent and corrupt, suddenly accruing fabulous wealth. The government
in Pretoria spends vast sums on armaments, while claiming there is not enough
money to combat HIV, fund land reform and treat Zimbabwean refugees
humanely.
With these concerns in mind, I joined the protest; jumping up onto the stage
behind Dr Zuma and holding up a placard reading: "Mbeki's shame. ANC betrays
black Zimbabwe." It wasn't long before I was fingered by PC Plod: "Mr Tatchell,
it's time to leave," he said. Next thing I knew I was put in a restraining grip,
my wrist forced back and my fingers crushed to pinch the nerves. I was powerless
to resist. That was the end of my protest.
Soon afterwards, more black Zimbabweans erupted from the audience. After a
few minutes, we all were either ejected or left of our own free will. We had
made our point. Dr Zuma was able to complete her miserable lecture.
Although Dr Zuma was greeted by warm applause when she arrived, by the time
she finished her speech she had alienated much of the audience. They were riled
by her arrogant, heartless refusal to express even a few words of concern for
the Zimbabwean people. Particularly reprehensible was Dr Zuma's parting shot:
that Zimbabweans in Britain had no right to speak out about the situation in
their homeland. This is a bit rich coming from Dr Zuma, who spent much of the
apartheid era in exile in the UK.
While we continued our protest outside the LSE, Dr Zuma was humiliatingly
smuggled out of a side exit to a waiting unmarked car. She scuttled away like
the shamed foreign minister she is.
Polite lobbying of the South African government has got us nowhere. The ANC
ignores all cries for help from Zimbabwe. That's why we had to stage this
protest.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, MPs and civic leaders have been
brutalised while peacefully demonstrating for fair wages, against rocketing
prices and mass evictions, and for basic human rights.
We have seen
South Africa blocking calls for the UN to investigate Mugabe's abuses. It has
endorsed Zimbabwe's flawed elections, even though they were conducted in an
atmosphere of violent intimidation by Mugabe's henchmen.
"We salute Cosatu and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Unlike the ANC, they have
spoken out against human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. They stand in solidarity
with ordinary Zimbabweans. Mbeki, Zuma and the ANC see nothing, hear nothing and
do nothing," said FZY protester, Wellington Chibanguza.
"The Zimbabwean people supported South Africans in the fight against
apartheid. Now it is time for South Africa to support Zimbabweans in the fight
against Mugabe's dictatorship," he said.
Mugabe has killed tens of thousands of Zimbaweans, but he cannot kill a
nation and its yearning to be free. The old rally cry of the ANC is more
relevant than ever to Zimbabwe: "Amandla! Awethu!" - Power! To the
people!
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Harare Commission Chairwoman Finally Appears Before Parliamentary
Committee
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
30 October
2006
The controversial chairwoman of the state-appointed Harare
Commission that
runs the capital, threatened with charges of contempt of
parliament,
appeared Monday before the house transport and communications
committee,
panel sources said.
Sekesai Mwakavarara sent four
subordinates to testify last week, leading
committee members to issue a
warning she could be held in contempt. She was
to face questions on issues
ranging from traffic lights to the bus terminus
in Harare's Mbare
district.
Panel member Murisi Zwizwai, who represents Harare Central for
the Movement
for Ddemocratic Change faction of Morgan Tsvangirai, told
reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Makwavarara
didn't provide
the information the committee wanted. But he said her
appearance was a step
in the right direction.
State Seeks Chiefs' Assistance in Quest to Relocate Clan
The Herald
(Harare)
October 30, 2006
Posted to the web October 30,
2006
Masvingo
Government has resolved to enlist the assistance of
chiefs in Masvingo to
persuade the Chitsa ruling clan to agree to lead their
people out of
Gonarezhou National Park which they occupied at the height of
farm
occupations.
The Chitsa people -- at the instigation of their
leaders -- have refused to
be relocated from the park in the Lowveld arguing
the area was their
ancestral land.
Government has since last year
been making frantic efforts to relocate them
to pave way for the creation of
the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park which
will join Gonarezhou, Kruger
National Park in South Africa and Limpopo
National Park in
Mozambique.
The mega park, billed to become arguably the world's largest
wildlife
sanctuary, is expected to be one of the major tourist attraction
centres
ahead of the World Cup finals to be held in South Africa in
2010.
Masvingo provincial administrator Cde Felix Chikovo last week said
Government had decided to rope in chiefs from Masvingo to convince the
Chitsa people to leave Gonarezhou.
"We have since resolved to seek
the assistance of the Masvingo provincial
chiefs' assembly to try and
convince the Chitsa clan leadership to move out
of the park and pave way for
the creation of the Transfrontier park and the
chiefs will be meeting the
Chitsa people in due course.
"This was after we discovered that there was
some kind of reluctance by the
Chitsa people's leadership to move out of the
park which they claim belongs
to their ancestors.
"We hope by seeking
assistance from chiefs Government can finally convince
them to leave the
park and be relocated," said Cde Chikovo.
He said Government would ensure
the identity, values and norms of the Chitsa
people would not be affected by
the proposed relocation.
"We remain positive that the Chitsa people will
be relocated before the
onset of the rains as per our initial plans and we
have since identified
five alternative areas to resettle them and some of
them have since started
the process of filling forms choosing the areas they
want to be settled," he
said.
Government had initially planned to
resettle the Chitsa people in the
Chizvirizvi area but ended up looking for
alternative farms elsewhere after
discovering that the designated land had
already been occupied by other
villagers.
About 700 families of the
Chitsa clan have been staying in the Gonarezhou
National Park since 2000
when landless Zimbabweans occupied farms to force
Government to speed land
redistribution.
The Chitsa people claim that they were hoodwinked into
leaving the park by
the colonial regime under the pretext that they wanted
to clear the area of
tsetse fly before people could return. They further
claim that after
clearing tsetse fly in the park, the colonial regime made
their land part of
Gonarezhou National Park and were never allowed to
return.
Fears are abound that the human settlements in Gonarezhou at the
moment may
distort and impair the naturalness of Gonarezhou.
Mugabe tries to score World Cup own goal
Business In Africa
Xolani
Xundu
Posted Mon, 30 Oct 2006
Zimbabwe - Robert Mugabe was not going
anywhere. At least not until 2010, if
plans he has set in motion were
anything to go by.
Mugabe has begun a major project to refurbish his
country's stadiums,
national parks and hotels ahead of the 2010 Fifa World
Cup to be held in
neigbouring South Africa.
Zimbabwe's ambassador to
South Africa, Simon Moyo, said the national stadium
in Harare would cost
$5mn to refurbish.
"Zimbabwe will welcome any teams that wish to train
and acclimatise in the
country in preparation for 2010," Moyo
said.
He added that "people expect everything to be falling apart" in
Zimbabwe.
"There is that kind of obsession with Zimbabwe. Why? I don't
understand.
It's all about the land reform. Before that Zimbabwe was always
a wonderful
place and President Robert Mugabe was a wonderful
person."
Only time would tell whether Mugabe would score and own goal in
this
venture. Sunday Times
Don't worry, be happy, the World Cup is coming to Africa!
by Brian
Gratwicke
Clearly, someone in the upper echelons of Zanu (PF) is
hawking the
idea that the 2010 World Cup will be the panacea for Zimbabwean
tourism.
Seriously, the "Environment and Tourism Minister Mr Francis Nhema
told the
House of Assembly on Wednesday that several committees had been
established
to strategize on how the country could derive maximum benefit
from the
soccer showcase."
A slew of articles have been
written, mostly in the state-owned media,
lamenting that we won't have
enough beds to house the tourists during this
upcoming tourism boom and
complaining that we only have one 5-star hotel
left in the country after
about 6 years of being an international pariah
state. Zimbabwe is currently
visited primarily by aid agencies and the
3-million odd Zimbabwean diaspora
that take trips home from time to time
home to visit their
families.
Zimbabwe once received 6% of its GDP from tourism, now
this figure is
2% and dropping (not correcting for the shrinking economy).
The reasons for
the decline in international tourist arrivals are: concerns
about safety (as
a result of the unstable political environment); a risk of
being accused of
being an illegally operating, undercover journalist;
chronic fuel shortages;
and reports of government-sanctioned hunting in
National Parks.
Wildlife tourism certainly has the potential to
help Zimbabwe recover
economically from the last 6 years of devastating
corruption and abuse. The
World Tourism Council indicates that Zimbabwe has
the potential 12% of its
GDP from tourism. However, no matter how many
hotels are built or how many
free soccer tickets Zanu PF officials can
wangle for themselves, no-one is
addressing any of the underlying concerns
of international tourists.
Clearly, if all goes according to plan, these
causative factors will remain
unresolved, or worsened by the year 2010, and
we'll have wasted a whole
bunch more taxpayer money on hair-brained schemes
by inept politicians -
it's a good thing then that we can just print more
money every time we run
out or lop a few zeros off when it becomes too
difficult to count.
Perhaps before we see any more of peoples
precious time wasted on this
issue consider these 4 things:
1) The World Cup is taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe is
not
South Africa.
2) The World Cup is 4 years away and may spike
Zimbabwean
tourism by a total of 1 month either side of the event, but we
have no
short-term plans to rescue our flailing hotel owners. If things
continue to
decline at this rate there won't be any hotels left in Zimbabwe
by 2010!
3) In the last 6 years, tourism revenues have
declined and
hundreds of hotels have either closed or moved onto a
skeleton-staff
hibernation plan because they are simply no longer viable
businesses.
Building hotels in a shrinking tourism economy is building white
elephants
that we already have a glut of.
4) Tourists
don't read the Herald, they read The Minneapolis
Star Tribune, The Houston
Chronicle, the International Herald Tribune, ABC
News, The Cape Argus, Yahoo
News, The Washington Post, The Mail and
Guardian, Pretoria News. All of
these news sources carried a story on 18
October 2006, about how tourists
witnessed National Parks officers illegally
hunting animals in National
Parks.
Now that's what I call a publicity campaign!
SW Radio
Africa Zimbabwe news
Zim battles to
extradite hired-gun suspect
From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 27 October
Godwin Gandu
The Zimbabwean
government appears determined to extradite suspected
mercenary Simon Mann to
Equatorial Guinea, however, it is being hamstrung by
the country's
inefficient legal system. Mann's fate is still hanging in the
balance and
lawyers in the Attorney General's office this week confirmed
that "they were
putting their papers together, to ensure [the] Mann case is
hurriedly dealt
with before his freedom day in six months' time". Mann, who
is serving a
four-year jail term at Harare's Chikurubi Maximum Security
prison after
being convicted of illegally buying weapons is due for release
on May 11
next year. A former British military commander of the special
forces unit,
Mann is accused of buying the weapons to overthrow the
government of
Equatorial Guinea. He has denied the accusations, saying that
he and 64 men
arrested in Zimbabwe were on their way to guard a diamond mine
in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. In a ruling on August 31 a magistrate
said the
Attorney General's office must produce key documents before the
court could
consider the extradition request. These included trial records
for Mann's
associate Nick du Toit, who is serving a 34-year jail term in
Equatorial
Guinea; a summary of Mann's case from his investigating officer;
a certified
copy of his indictment from the Attorney General's office, and
the
extradition treaty signed between the Zimbabwe government and Equatorial
Guinea. The magistrate also wants the Attorney General to furnish the court
with information about the possibility of Mann having a free and fair trial
in Equatorial Guinea should he be extradited there. "None of these records
were available when the [extradition] case was heard," said Jonathan
Samkange, Mann's lawyer. "[The magistrate] found that their papers were in
shambles, despite having had close to two years to prepare the case."
Samkange said conditions for Mann to have a free and fair trial "are
non-existent" in Equatorial Guinea. "There is no record of others convicted
and sentenced for participating in the alleged coup attempt having undergone
a trial, except for Du Toit. They were not represented by lawyers of their
choice, neither was the International Bar Association or Amnesty
International allowed in to witness the trial."
Wrong model, right continent
Oct 26th 2006
From The Economist print
edition
China knows what it wants from Africa and will probably get it.
The converse
isn't true
THE characters for "Africa" in the
Mandarin language mean "wrong continent".
But the Chinese have often ignored
this etymological hint. In the 15th
century the emperor's emissaries sailed
as far as Mozambique, carrying silk
and returning with a giraffe. In the
cold war Maoists dotted Africa with
hospitals, football stadiums and
disastrous ideas.
Next week China will host more than 30 African leaders
from the wrong
continent in Beijing, offering them a pinch of debt relief, a
splash of aid,
plus further generous helpings of trade and investment. China
already buys a
tenth of sub-Saharan Africa's exports and owns almost $1.2
billion of direct
investments in the region (see article). A Chinese
diaspora in Africa now
numbers perhaps 80,000, including labourers and
businessmen, who bring
entrepreneurial wit and wisdom to places usually
visited only by Land
Cruisers from international aid
agencies.
What is in it for China? It no longer wants Africa's
hearts, minds or
giraffes. Mostly, it just wants its oil, ores and
timber-plus its backing at
the United Nations. Thus, even as the Chinese win
mining rights, repair
railways and lay pipelines on the continent, Africa's
governments are
shuttering their embassies in Taiwan in deference to
Beijing's one-China
policy.
This suits Africa's governments. The
scramble for resources invariably
passes the ministerial doorstep, where
concessions are sold and royalties
collected. China helps African
governments ignore Western nagging about
human rights: its support has
allowed Sudan to avoid UN sanctions over
Darfur. And some Africans look on
China as a development model, replacing
the tough Washington Consensus with
a "Beijing Consensus": China's economic
progress is cited by statists,
protectionists and thugs alike to "prove"
that keeping the state's grip on
companies, trade and political freedoms
need not stop a country growing by
8%-plus a year.
Think again, Africa
The Chinese part of this puzzle is
easier to deal with: even if it is not
the first resource-hungry power to
behave poorly in Africa, China should be
condemned wherever it bribes,
cajoles or (in the case of Sudan) permits
genocide. But what about the
African hope that China provides an economic
model?
Sadly, China's
success is an obstacle, as well as an inspiration. Its rise
has bid up the
price of Africa's traditional raw commodities, and depressed
the price of
manufactured goods. Thus Africa's factories and assembly lines,
such as they
are, are losing out to its mines, quarries and oilfields in the
competition
for investment. Even if Africa's labour is cheap enough to
compete with
China's, its roads, ports and customs are far from good enough.
If they are
to provide jobs for their workers, not just rents for their
governments,
Africa's economies must find less-exposed niches in the world
economy, such
as tourism or cut flowers. And they should look not to China,
but to Chile
or Botswana for examples of how to turn natural bounty into
shared
prosperity.
China is doing its bit to improve infrastructure, building
roads and
railways. But it could do more to open up its own markets. China
is quite
open to yarn, but not jerseys; diamonds, but not jewellery. If it
has as
much "solidarity" with Africa as it claims, it could offer to lower
tariffs
on processed goods. Chinese firms have also ignored international
initiatives to make project finance greener (the "Equator Principles") and
to make mining industries cleaner (the "Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative"). Even with China's backing, these outside efforts might not
succeed: honesty and greenery come from within. Without it, they will
certainly fail.
For their part, Africa's leaders could also play
their hands rather better.
They should talk to each other as well as their
hosts in Beijing. If they
negotiated as a block, they could drive a harder
bargain. Just as China
insists that foreigners enter into joint ventures
with its companies, so
Africans should make sure they get China's know-how,
not just its money.
Most Harare cemeteries almost full
The Herald
Herald
Reporter
A CRITICAL shortage of burial space is looming in Harare, as
most cemeteries
are almost full owing to high mortality, largely attributed
to the HIV and
Aids pandemic.
According to an annual
report by the Department of Housing and Community
Services, the dearth of
burial space was a cause for concern and the city
council was exploring
other means of saving burial space.
"Given the shortages of land for
burials, the Department of Housing and
Community Services was considering
the issue of cremation as an alternative
and a national debate would be
initiated on the issue," the report read.
The report compiled by the
department outlined the challenges faced, such as
illegal burials,
deforestation and shortage of burial space. According to
the report, the
city's graveyards are between 60 and 70 percent full.
"There is a
critical shortage of burial space and the city is currently
taking long-term
measures to address the problem and alternative land has
been opened up such
as at the Warren Hills Cemetery," the report said.
Council opened a new
gravesite at the Warren Hills Cemetery, which is
expected to significantly
alleviate space shortages. Another burial site has
also been identified in
Mt Hampden, about 15km west of Harare, while plans
are also underway to
expand Granville Cemetery, also known as kumbudzi.
Last week the acting
director of housing and community services, Mr James
Chiyangwa, told a
workshop on the implementation of the city's turnaround
strategy that
council had entered into strategic partnerships with certain
players who
would help in the development of modern cemeteries.
Council operates six
cemeteries in Harare - Warren Hills, Pioneer, Mabvuku,
Greendale, Granville
A and B - that are filling up fast, hence the need to
identify more
space.
A recent report from the Town Planning Department noted that the
current
active cemeteries, Mabvuku, which is 75 percent full, Warren Hills
and
Granville A and B were filling up at a very fast rate.
At the
rate at which people are dying, the four cemeteries may last for only
about
a year before they fill up.
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Comment No. 274319
October 30 9:55
GBRPeter Tatchell is a brave man, who lives by his principles instead of just standing on a soap box. (He was beaten up by some of Mugabe's thugs a few years ago, who obviously took 'gay bashing' literally.)
Zimbabwe is a murderous disgrace, but little gets done about it for the following reasons:
1. His neighbours include some tyrants who are almost as bad. Mugabe distracts world attention from them.
2. His favourite excuse is that any and all problems are those of 'colonisation', never mind that Rhodesia was a far better place for 99% of the population that Zimbabwe is, even under international sanctions in the 1970s. And never mind that those whose homes were bulldozed recently weren't, at last look, British imperialists.
3. It suits his neighbours also to blame colonisation for any and all problems Africa faces.
4. There is no oil there, and no other compelling strategic reason for the west to intervene militarily.
5. Even if there was, one doubts America and others would have much appetite for further foreign adventures given the last ones.
6. Economic sanctions are inappropriate - the economy has been destroyed enough already, and Mugabe's personal wealth has remained largely untouched.
http://cricketandcivilisation.blogspot.com
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274329
October 30 10:04
INDAgree with PoliticalUmpire that sanctions do not work. They harm the wrong people and the leaders can just carry on (examples Cuba and Iraq). Armed intervention is also not possible and would backfire. So how does one put pressure on that nasty piece of work?
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274358
October 30 10:35
Apartheid was about poor blacks being suppressed by rich whites, while a few blacks got rich on the side. Modern Sourth Africa is about poor blacks being suppressed by rich blacks, while a few whites get rich on the side. What's the difference?
Part of the problem, of course, is the idolatry of Nelson Mandella. His hand-picked successor is an AIDS-denier (like a holocaust denier, but with more corpses) and his ex-wife is closer to becoming a convicted murderer than most people could get while still getting elected. But hey: he's OK! He's a national hero! And from his poor taste in men and women flows the corrupt nature of the South African government. White lefties then patronise them by saying things like``yes, he's a sexual predator who believes that a shower prevents AIDS, but at least he's a BLACK sexual predator...'' --- presumably, young vulnerable women prefer to be raped by black than by whites --- and we are assured bad governance forever.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274378
October 30 10:48
GBRTatchell -
**in Matabeleland in the 1980s - he was responsible for the massacre of 20,000 civilians.**
Given the scepticism in some quarters about the recent study of mortality in Iraq, I have to ask does Tatchell have any peer reviewed studies that support his statement, or is he just blowing smoke again?
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274379
October 30 10:50
GBRMr Tatchell
## Why isn't there a similar global campaign against Mugabe's murderous tyranny? Ooops, silly me. The killer is the wrong colour. He's a black murderer##
Whilst you are maybe right I knew this language would enable e.g. XYZZY to come out of the closet with unwarranted racist typifications.
.
Remember when Mugabe was ( briefly) the hero?
My brother wrote # Vickory to Zimbawe # (My brother still can't spell) signs all over Leith as a kid.
Then a billboard was cleared and painted white..
At night we took rollers and lengths of chimney pipes and he wrote:
## SUPORT MUGBY ## in 3 ft high letters..ah well.
Congratulations on your work.
B
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274399
October 30 11:01
GBRThe figure of 20,000 murdered comes from the Catholic Church and human rights groups in Zimbabwe. They independently conducted extensive investigations into the killings and came to the same conclusion re the death toll.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274404
October 30 11:05
GBRI'd like to see UN-sanctioned political assassinations introduced to get rid of these tyrants. Far less destructive than the other alternatives of either interventionist wars or leaving these maniacs to get on with things.
A bit of poison in Mugabe's ReadyBrek would do wonders for Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274421
October 30 11:15
GBRPoliticalUmpire:
Peter Tatchell was bashed by Mugabe's bodyguards because he tried to carry out a citizen's arrest on Mugabe, It had nothing to do with him being gay. Would you similarly support, for instance, a foreign citizen who attempted to do the same to Tony Blair or George Bush on the basis that they felt that the two of them had committed war crimes? If they did, I reckon they'd end up in Guantanamo bay so Peter, maybe, is Lucky that he only got a beating.
None of Mugabe's neighbours are half as bad, or do you reckon that all Africans the same? Most aren't very democratic but that's not a specifically African problem. The problem is you expect people to discard the governance systems they developed over thousands of years to suit their societies and adopt a political system that was imposed by force and not particularly for their benefit and you expect them to to this successfully in less than 50 years? get real!
So you think Africans fared better under colonisation. One thing you empire apologists have never answered is; why did Africans resort to armed struggle to overthrow colonialism if it was such a good thing for them? Would you care to enlighten us! The fact that the economic indicators in "Rhodesia" might have been better than they are now doesn't mean that life was better for Zimbabweans, it just means that those who owned the country's productive assets were doing very well. Most black Zimbabweans were living in poverty and were not guaranteed any rights by the regime of the time. It's interesting also that you metion sanctions, why take those in the 70's into consideration but then ignore the sanctions placed on Zimbabwe now? Also, do you really think that economic growth would justify the kinds of policies practiced by Smith's regime? a question for you, If Germany had conquered England and through German innovation had contributed immensely to the British economy, would that have justified Nazism? if not, why not?
I haven't heard any African countries blame all of their problems on colonisation, would you care to provide links or are you just talking out your arse. Most of them seem to recognise that most of their problems emanate from the kleptocratic political classes they have who have the advantage of presiding over a very exploitative political system and whether you like it or not, this is a legacy of colonialism!
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Having said that, Something should be done about Mugabe although i'm not too sure asking for a foreign intervention would be the right thing(foreign could also mean other African), they'd probably fight back and a foreign occupation would probably end up with the populace rallying around Mugabe just out of pride. We tend to disregard dignity and pride as a motivating factor behind resistance at great peril. Wole Soyinka said it best in his "Quest for Dignity" Lecture.
Comment No. 274433
October 30 11:22
GBRBlimey! another article by Peter Tatchell that is totally spot on - Berchmans, call a trowel a trowel - if Mugabe was a leader whose skin colour was white, there would have been international outcry and action since day one - white isn't the only colour capable of racism you know!! If anything, this very example typifies this fact.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274434
October 30 11:23
GBRThe only economic sanctions on Zimbabwe are imposed by Mugabe. He refuses food aid, last year saying words to the effect - "do you want us to choke on too much food?"
He blocks the efforts of NGOs to bring in, and more importantly, distribute food fairly.
The only sanctions are personal ones to prevent Mugabe and his cronies going on shopping trips in Europe and the US. He now has to go to Malaysia, Cuba and South Africa, although there's not much available in Cuba.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274437
October 30 11:26
GBRI'm white, english and only 40 years old and therefore have an apology to make: I'm sorry but I cannot apologize for anything my country has done in Africa, because I wasn't born, or consulted, at the time.
Can we please put the colonial past (look up past) to bed and focus on the problems facing Africa today. In the South, this means Aids, and the internal conflict within Zimbabwe.
On Aids, no easy answers, but the absence of leadership in SA is probably a godsend considering what their leaders actually do say when they open their mouths. Affordable generic drugs and education the only ways forward that I can see.
On the conflict, I would love, absolutely love, to see Africans sorting this out for themselves, but the truth is that outside of historical tribal loyalties, there appears to be very little to 'bind' Africans together: hence no moral imperative is felt by people to do something about the problem neighbour next door.
I do think that 'our bit' in the UK and EU should be to keep Mugabe et al out of this country, totally, and restore the asylum right to those fleeing the regime. Beyond that, no matter what any white european actually does, it will only be seen as an oppressive act.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274443
October 30 11:29
GBRZim Crisis A Collective Responsibility
By Wellington Chibanguza
THE resolution to the Zimbabwean issue has always been reliant on a collective effort between Black Zimbabweans and the region ?SADC?.
Given the recent political and economic upheaval fuelled by ZANU (PF) cocktail of African culture and Politics. Comprising a deadly mixture of ingredients elitism, brutality, individualism, superiority complexes and corruption.
One is to question the regions reluctance in pushing for a resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis. But forced to highlight a catalogue of missed opportunities to address the issue head on.
At the recent SADC Summit held in Maseru, Lesotho, the chairman, Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, said, "The situation in that country is of concern. We have been engaged with the leadership of Zimbabwe on how best we can recover the economic viability of that country. (But) there has been progress," Please note the key word here being progress.
Signalling that the regions attitude is still one being played on the colonial card by Mugabe. Intern the supposed illegal travel sanctions by the international community are crippling the economy right? Hence the regions heads of states position on Zimbabwean crisis is stagnant, with astonishing support for Mugabe?s, outstanding record of the struggle against colonialism and minority settler rule.
It?s somehow the norm amongst the African leaders not to acknowledge the Zim crisis as one of bad governance by one true liberation hero. Due to Looming fears of being labelled puppets of the west, resulting in them forming a legion of support for Mugabe.
Referring back to the questions of reluctance, one is quick to point out SADC?s flaunting of the regions economic, social and political growth. Undoubtedly some of the SADC?s member states have be lavishing in economic growth at the expense of Zimbabwe?s migrant skilled and labour workforce not mentioning the vital investment organs that flooded the region from Zimbabwe.
Is SADC?s solidarity with the regime out of fear of Mugabe or is it systematic exploitation of Zimbabwe?s economic and political meltdown. ?African to African slavery? With Zimbabwe?s highly educated and skilled population at grabs, the regions reluctance can be justified as ?progress? in the words of Mr Pakalitha Mosisili.
As for SADC?s prosperity of democracy within the region, it?s high time the Political tide turns on the Mugabe regime. There is a need of transparency and immediate shift from the ?quite diplomacy? with Zimbabwe, despite of September the 13th brutal attacks by police and Youth militia on leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions after their attempt to petition government on the plight of workers, the region maintained a code of silence.
The Mugabe regime is in clear breach of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights by intimidating and assaulting and not respecting the basic fundamental freedoms of its citizens. This should call on the African Union and SADC to condone such Gross Human rights violations and adopt an attitude that recognizes the suffering being incurred by millions of Zimbabweans and the negative impact this has on the region.
The big question being how can we as Africans move forward economically, socially, political and most important as a people, if we cant uproot the evil unjust being done to our own people. But it?s important that SADC uses its influence on the ever-isolated Mugabe regime to push forward a long overdue political resolution that has the plight of Zimbabweans at heart.
Zimbabwean crisis is collective responsibility between Zimbabweans and the region. Like how the region played a pivotal role in the liberation struggle ?Chimurenga?, South Africa?s Apartheid and the civil war in Mozambique.
We all now know the Zimbabwean crisis is now a humanitarian crisis and that sees no boundaries so sovereignty is secondary. So all member states signed to SADC and AU should adhere and be bound to the basic principals and protocols of those organisations, so what we demanding from South Africa is not alien nor unconstitutional to the charter of this bodies.
Drawing to the general consensuses shared amongst most young Black Zimbabweans, that 'Our independence is meaningless unless we can be totally liberally and exercise our civil rights?. And the denial of good governance is a shamefully mockery to all those who died in the struggle for a Free and Democratic Africa i.e the late Oliver Tambo should be turning in his grave.Shame on Mbeki and Zuma.
Wellington Chibanguza is a founding member of Free-Zim Youth, UK
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274452
October 30 11:35
GBRriziki
Steady on old man, I didn't say colonisation was good. Rather, I was trying to make the point that Mugabe is managing the not inconsiderable feat of being WORSE. In the same way that I would argue that for all of Saddam Hussein's atrocities, the situation in Iraq is worse. Not the same thing a bit as praising colonisation.
Mugabe's neighbours may not be AS bad as him, but they're hardly shining lights for good governance are they, eg the aids-denial that has condemmned thousands - perhaps millions - to death in South Africa (one of the otherwise better regimes than Mugabe).
I have no idea about how your rantings about Bush and Blair relate to the issue of Mugabe's homophobia and poor governance. The point I was making about Tatchell's beating was that he is a man who is prepared to make a human rights protest at the risk of his own health - a far cry from most of us who just whine away on blogs. Legally speaking he was not entitled to make a citizen's arrest because Mugabe hasn't committed a crime against the laws of the country where the beating took place (though he is a scoundrel of the first order). But morally speaking Tatchell was right to make a protest - or are you with Mugabe that all gays are wrong and deserve to be shunned?
Funnily enough we both agree that something ought to be done about Mugabe. Any ideas? As
http://cricketandcivilisation.blogspot.com
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274459
October 30 11:38
My Big question is why should the World let Mbeki,South Africa proper while Zimbabweans are suffering.It high time the corner South Africa to condemn what is going in Zimbabwe.Thabo Mbeki is seen as a sellout by Zimbabweans and by Africans so he should not be given the respect he is being given.It is high time South Africa should be condemned for protecting Mugabe,Mbeki does not say anything about what is going on in Zimbabwe so sanction Him.
No to World cup for South Africa till they say something about Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274461
October 30 11:39
IRLMuggers killed 20,000 eh? Now compared to the carnage your New Labor friends are CURRENTLY up to their bloody necks in, in Iraq, that is small beer.
And do you have a Lancet Study, or even a Zimbabwean Body Count to back that up?
And WHY are you focussing on little massacres when your liberal interventionist pals are engaged in the BIG ONE?
So, what about the Euston Manifesto? How come we never hear about it any more? Just another victim of the slaughter in Iraq, eh?
You LIs killed over 100 Afghan nomads in tents on Friday and fifty more in a village. That's 150ish, Pete. How many folk did Muggers kill on Friday?
Given that by YOUR count his total to date is barely a months worth of dead innocents in Iraq/Afghanistan, thanks to Eustonite New Labor's Born Again Imperialists.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274462
October 30 11:39
My Big question is why should the World let Mbeki,South Africa proper while Zimbabweans are suffering.It high time the corner South Africa to condemn what is going in Zimbabwe.Thabo Mbeki is seen as a sellout by Zimbabweans and by Africans so he should not be given the respect he is being given.It is high time South Africa should be condemned for protecting Mugabe,Mbeki does not say anything about what is going on in Zimbabwe so sanction Him.
No to World cup for South Africa till they say something about Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274488
October 30 12:07
GBRPoliticalUmpire
Well, it seemed to me that you were saying that Zimbabweans would fare better under colonialism, I do apologise if I misunderstood you but the point still stands that however bad Mugabe was, It doesn't excuse the actions of his predecessors. Just for the record, Mugabe, although repugnant, is nowhere near as bad as the colonial system, if you really think that, you don't know much about what went on during those days. The "native pacifications" and punitive expeditions massacred millions directly and indirectly and Mugabe's account, by this article's counting is nowhere near that!
I wasn't defending his neighbours, just saying that you were a tad bit unfair by characterising them like that and trying to provide what, I think, is a factor in the way the political structures of these countries have evolved. In think that maybe I should point out that although Mbeki is a kook, his pronouncements hardly amount to public policy...at least there is no evidence of that and South Africa does still provide ARV's for their AIDS patients.
I wasn't ranting about Bush and Blair, just giving an example of an analogous situation. Peter Tatchell has every right to protest but that does not include arresting foreign heads of state. I most certainly am not with Mugabe but as much as Peter has his rights, Mugabe also has the right to hold his views, repugnant though they may be!
Do you think military intervention is an acceptable option, or that it would improve ordinary Zimbabweans lives? I don't
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274497
October 30 12:19
GBRPeter: Thanks for the article. Thanks for taking part in the protest.
Donuts: Africans would sort this out for themselves if they were allowed democratic elections. In the only fair election carried out in Zimbabwe - the 2000 referendum - Mugabe lost. That was the signal for farm invasions (as an electoral ploy) and election rigging in the parliamentary election a few months later. Even that rigging produced a close result, so the rigging in the Presidential election in 2002 had to be better. He still only scraped in. Hence even more rigging in 2005.
riziki: Ordinary Africans have learned the democratic lesson well from their colonisers. They would just like the chance to put it into practise.
Mugabe, and other African leaders blame colonisation all the time. There are too many instances to quote. The people don't. They know what the score is. My understanding is that African Chiefs were paid tribute before colonisation. That has been translated into kleptocracy.
In Zimbabwe SADC stands for Southern African Despots Club.
Goodfairy: You seem to be saying that we should only be concerned with body count. The body count in Zimbabwe is still rising.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274540
October 30 12:48
CHEIt would probably take strong pressure from the West to get the South African regime to face up to their regional responsibilities in Zimbabwe. Before September 11, Bush (whatever his motives and whatever his failings) started to apply this pressure. Blair has been largely silenced by Mugabe and it brings back memories of Ian Smith's successes with Labour governments until the Conservatives and Thatcher (whatever her motives and whatever her failings) and Carrington helped engineer the Lancaster House talks.
The Apartheid government ultimately jettisoned Smith in favour of the inevitable change that was looming on the horizon - something the ANC government either does not have the guts or else the foresight to do with Mugabe. I recall proudly as a teenager helping close down, through student demonstrations, a (Barclays) bank branch on our campus in the Midlands in the UK in the 70s, for doing business in South Africa. I remember the dirty tactics from Pretoria in the 80s when Zimbabwe stood up for the people of South Africa - car bombings in Harare, military aircraft destroyed on the ground, oil and rail delivery slow downs...etc.
Mbeki's betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe is frustrating for many of us in Zimbabwe. For Mugabe is not Zimbabwe - whatever the little voice in his head seems to tell him. Zimbabweans were there before ZANU-PF and they will be there long after, when that now corrupted party most likely crumbles or divides into factions after his departure. There was traditionally bad blood between the ANC and ZANU, as opposed to ZAPU... which makes some of us look at Mbeki's embrace of Mugabe (the so called "Quiet support, not quiet diplomacy") with very jaundiced eyes. For example, I may be wrong but it appears that even the Mozambicans (once Mugabe's closest regional allies) under their new government have now opted to distance themselves from Mugabe. So what ais Mbeki's motivation, really?
We recognize that it is ultimately up to us in Zimbabwe to shake Mugabe and his failed, repressive de facto regime off our backs - but this article and demonstrations such as the one against Zuma as reported in this article give us a little light in the midst of our dark, dark night.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274548
October 30 12:55
I think the best way to make Mbeki speak is to do campaign to denounce South Africa.You see African leaders are hyopcrites they only listen when they are shouted at.So i strongly believe No World Cup to South Africa.Because we black Zimbabweans are suffering in the hands of Mugabe and South Africa is not saying anyhting.
ordinary Zimbabwean
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274551
October 30 12:58
GBRFirstly anyone who says that the atrocities in Zimbabwe don't matter, because there are worse atrocities in Iraq or elsewhere, is a heartless buffoon.
Secondly, I applaud you Peter for your stance on Mugabe on this occasion and in the past, but...
What do you suggest? You appear to be saying South Africa and other countries should take the lead - but what do you want them to do, beyond issuing condemnations? An invasion and occupation is doomed to disaster (they always are). Stringent economic boycotts are unlikely to do anything other than push yet more into starvation and destitution.
Seems to me that we in the West have only one option (and sadly it is not one with fast resuts). That is to get our own houses in order. The West cannot condemn collective punishments in Zimbabwe with the ghosts of Falluja and Lebanon haunting us. The West cannot condemn brutal dictatorships when we support and arm the House of Saud,
Niyazoz in Turkmenistan etc etc, and turn a blind eye to the likes of our new best friend Gaddafi. We cannot demand the arrest and trial of Mugabe when our own war criminals have been re-elected in '04 & '05. We cannot demand that he is dragged before an international criminal court when the US Government refuses to allow such a body to exist.
Seems to me we have one option, and one option only: To set a good example. Motes and beams Peter, motes and beams.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274577
October 30 13:13
GBRAllyf: The threat of economic sanctions by Mbeki - eg cutting off electricity supplies - would bring about Mugabe's downfall very quickly. It would signal that Mugabe has run out of credible support. Mbeki is a respected politician and would get the support of other influential African leaders such as Obasanjo. They would insist on free and fair elections and that would produce the desired result. There are many decent honest people in Zimbabwe who, given their track record in government, could run the country well.
Alternatively, I'm in favour of a UN sanctioned assassination attempt.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274607
October 30 13:33
I don't always agree with Peter Tatchell's political outpourings,but he has my respect because he does have the strength of his convictions. Tatchell showed more bottle than all the european governments put together when he confronted Mugabe and his bodyguard thugs and was knocked unconscious for his trouble. He doesn't just write about the injustice in Zimbabwe he actively opposes it.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]In an ideal world the tragedies of Zimbabwe, Afghanistan,Iraq,and let's not forget Darfur,would not exist, but they do, and people like Goodfairy who criticise and blame the west for all the world's problems seem to do only that, criticise and blame. Well Goodfairy, why don't you wave your magic wand (I assume all good fairies have one) and let us know what you would do to bring a lasting solution to these problems. I await with interest.
Comment No. 274614
October 30 13:36
GBRI oppose foreign intervention against Mugabe (as I oppose foreign intervention in Iraq (by the US, UK, Iran etc). Foreign intervention is morally wrong (it is neo-imperialism) and it won't work. It would allow Mugabe to play the nationalist and anti-imperialist card, and rally support to his cause. He would be able to portray himself as the defender of the nation against the new colonists (in the same way that western intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan has boosted al-Qaida).
The best response is to support the internal democratic, trade union, church, student and left-wing opponents of Mugabe's tyranny. Help them by funding Zimbabwean opposition-controlled satellite TV and radio to beam into Zimbabwe to break Mugabe's censorship of the media, so ordinary Zimbabweans can know the facts about what is happening in their country and be mobilised to rise up against Mugabe in a "people power" non-violent revolution.
There also needs to be international sanctions targeted against all Mugabe's cronies in government, the judiciary, police etc. - including travel bans, asset freezes.
When Mugabe and his henchmen travel abroad, they should be arrested and put on trial before the International Criminal Court, like Slobodan Milosevic was arraigned in The Hague.
South Africa's open, public condemnation of Mugabe could help move the African Union to act. It would change African consciousness re Mugabe and rewrite the whole terms of debate about Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274633
October 30 13:50
Yes i strongly believe what Tatchell is saying is right regime change is not right,this will give Mugabe an excuse,the only way is to influence South Africa and SADC member states to act.And Zimbabweans need to be seen doing something about their problem,I think that was a good treat for Zuma she now knows black Zimbabweans are angry and now demand action from South Africa.
Its time for us Zimbabweans to take the leading role of out liberty.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274643
October 30 14:01
CHNWhile I sympathise with this article to some extent, I also wonder why an Englishman is demonstrating against the South African Foreign Minister because he doesn't like the President of Zimbabwe. Really, it's South Africa's business what policy it adopts. If SA were invading other countries and murdering vast quantities of people, then I would applaud this demonstration, as I would applaud South Africans or anyone else interrupting a speech by Margaret Beckett. As it is, Britons in particular should really be looking to the beam in their own eye. I'm afraid we don't have much credibility left.
As for taking Mugabe to the Hague, first do that to some US puppet criminal, or at least someone whose acquittal could be countenanced by the 'international community' (cough, splutter), don't always be doing it to people the i.c. seeks to demonise who, like Milosevic, have to be denied medical treatment so they die before the court has to embarrass itself. Although the ICC is a separate establishment, the grotesque behaviour of the ICTY has made the concept of dragging people to the Hague quite distasteful.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274681
October 30 14:21
USAOf course, Tatchell is very peeved because Mugabe called the subset of humans he openly belongs to "as worse than pigs".
Proof: If Tatchell were genuinely concerned about "HUMAN rights"--meaning ALL humans--he would have first directed his peevish vitriol against all the members of the U.N. Security Council who have actively slaughtered millions and millions of innocents.
In the case of Africa, if Tatchell were a logicl thinker he would have first turned his splenetic attention to HOS like Mubarak, Zenawi, Bongo, et al. But he hasn't, so it's just a verbal tit for tat against Mugabe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274684
October 30 14:23
GBRthoughtprovoker - er, bonkers. Should rename yourself noughtprovoker. Let us hope you find yourself in Africa, needing a blood transfusion or interfacing horizontally with the local population, sometime soon.
Peter, I'm not sure that funding people 'we like' inside Zimbabwe is much different to overt foreign intervention - splitting heirs if you ask me, but I'm in favour of anything that will improve these people's chances of sorting things out themselves... by that I meant more of a pan-african sorting out; perhaps peace-keepers from SA and elsewhere. I think we all totally agree we should be keeping Mugabe out of Europe, possibly freezing his bank assets whilst we are at it.
Failing that, I'm with Dr Jazz. Let's take this guy out...
It was my preferred option for Iraq as well, irrespective of the UN, and frankly I'll volunteer to pull the trigger myself.
It might save us a lot of time, a lot of lives, and once the hand-wringing stopped, people would move on. A lot cheaper too.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274694
October 30 14:34
GBRThe ANC won the struggle against Apartheid through the drive of Solidarity, through the sympathy of the international community with ordinary Black South Africans,
So they have regional responsibility to ensure a democratic growth in Sub-Sahara.
So the move by Young Zimbabweans to demonstrate against Dr Zuma and denounce the South African gvt on its quite diplomacy towards Mugabe is right.
The Zim crisis is now of tsunami proportions, fastest shrinking economy in the world, a catalogue of human rights abuses look at operation murambatsvina estimated 700 000 people displaced for political gain, if this does not orient for the South African gvt to use its regional influence and drive for a resolution (a political platform where the civil society of Zimbabwe draws a new constitution) I personal do not know what will.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274745
October 30 15:05
Thoughtprovoker, you write "Homosexuality is associated with verificable physical changes to the body that are commonly judged as being negative. One of these changes is crippling or loss of full mobility of all of the limbs"
Strewth, you aren't terribly well today, are you? Seldom has anyone posted such unsubstantiated twaddle on CiF, and that's saying something.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]There may be graver injustices elsewhere, and yes many aspects of the colonial empires were utterly detestable, but that should not blind anyone to the completely reprehensible and evil wrongs perpetrated by Mugabe.So what if he's not the most evil man on the planet-he still imposes bad and wholly wrong repressive policies, and anyone with even a scintilla of a conscience should voice their opposition.
Hats off to Peter tatchell, who may at times have a blinkered single-issue outlook on things, but is at least prepared to be a man of courage and conviction, speaking out where others are too timid, too intimidated or too politically and economically compromised to do so.
Comment No. 274766
October 30 15:20
GBRFor the record, my human rights campaigns against Mugabe are not promarily motivated by his homophobia. I was active in the campaigns against Mugabe's tyranny long before I ever knew his was anti-gay.
NB: I was also active in the 1970s campaign to support the Zimababwe liberation struggle against Ian Smith's white minority rule. Mugabe thanked me personally for my (small) contribution.
The "crimes" of the UN or anyone else do not justify inaction against Mugabe and other dictators. All oppression everywhere is wrong and must be resisted - whether by the US and UK in Iraq, by Israel in Palestine, by Indonesia in West Papua, by Sudan in Darfur or by Morocco in the Western Sahara. The west has committed many terrible crimes - but so too have non-westerners.
The idea that I never attack Blair and Bush is a complete joke. Who ambushed Blair's motorcade in early March 2003 in protest against the impending invasion of Iraq? I don't wan't praise, but nor do I want to be misrepresented and falsely abused.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274785
October 30 15:34
We dont think the UN could take a tough stance if Africans are not critisizing Mugabe.You Mugabe was very clever he dramatrised the whole Zimbabwean crisis as a racial issue,he used the land reform as a political gimmick to divert his mis-rule and to get support from the Continent.So any interferance from the West,this will give Mugabe more support from the region.So Zimbabweans needs to work with their African counterparts for them to see whats going in Zimbabwe.And South Africa has been on the record of blocking Zimbabwe to be chaired on the UN.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274794
October 30 15:44
For good or bad, Zimbabwe is within South Africa's spehere of influence. SA's refusal to do little in regards to Mugabe's atrocities is one of the greatest roadblocks to real political development for Africa.
When major African states, such as Nigeria and South Africa, fail to demand better from fellow neighbours such as Zimbabwe, the continent falters a little more. Mbeki has proved himself to be a far greater failure than many commentators ever predicted, domestically, continentally and internationally.
Bodies such as the Organisation of African Unity prove to be moribund if they are incapable of providing real practical solutions to the obvious crimes committed by leaders such as Mugabe. The crime of playing deaf, dumb and blind to Mugabe's actions is surely not only Mbeki's, but shared by a whole continent that should pay far greater respect to pan-Africanism than the navel-gazing isolationism that each country is currently afflicted by...
Zimbabwe is not a strict example of the result of colonialism, but a problem that a modern Africa must begin to tackle in order to make progress for the future
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274804
October 30 15:47
GBRI think its clear here that Peter was sympathising and in solidarity with the young Black Zimbabweans, who have been in the forefront of revitalising the struggle in the Diaspora.
We need to be clear on that the EU and American sanctions imposed on Mugabe and elite few have extremely affected the ordinary Black Zimbabweans, as a result we are now talking about 80% unemployment, hyper inflation, collapse of infrastructure (Health and Education) mortality reduced to 34 for women and 37 for man highest in the world by the way.
Yes it has increased isolation for the Regime but, they have counted that by adopting a ?look far east policy? with such sympathises as China and Russia who are looking to spread their influence in Africa so they are more than happy to accommodate a rouge regime like the Mugabe?s, Whilst he is mortgaging Zimbabwe to the highest bidder to prolong his Political and Economy life line. It is living a trail of Economic constrains that are going to affect our descendents
That?s why it is important for South Africa and the Region to take a firm stance towards the Regime now i.e. to cut of Power to Zimbabwe will bring it to a stand still even Mugabe cant wiggle out of that one it worked on Ian Smith.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274815
October 30 16:00
Tony blair has been very selfish towards Mugabe.A direct involvement of UK into Zimbabwe is wrong.The struggle is black Zimbabweans,its just like Saddam their was a regime change in Iraq but is it free now,people are still dying.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274825
October 30 16:09
Afrotrash the problem is South Africa is benefiting alot with the crisis in Zimbabwe.All the tourist are all flocking to SA,2010 they are hosting World cup so them to feel change is to openly expose it.The region is enjoying alot with the suffering in Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274836
October 30 16:16
GBRRepressed: There are NO economic sanctions on Zimbabwe. NONE. The sanctions on Mugabe's cronies have no effect on ordinary Zimbaweans.
The main reason for the current situation is Mugabe's fear of losing power, which is why some minor corruption in 1996 led to the current crisis. The corruption was the looting of the secret War Victims Compensation Fund by Mugabe's cronies (the principal beneficiary being Mugabe's brother-in-law).
Genuine War Veterans staged demonstrations and demanded pensions worth the whole of the annual tax take. Mugabe gave them 10% of what they wanted, which led to a slide in the currency and the kind of difficulties a country experiences when it can't afford imports. Fuel shortages and queues first appeared in 1999. At around this time their wasn't enough diesel to power up the coal fired power station at Hwange.
Mugabe lost the referendum on the constitution in February 2000 and then realised that power was slipping away. Hence the policy of taking land from white farmers.
By 2001, because of the general lawlessness sanctioned by Mugabe, the tourist industry - a major source of foreign currency - had collapsed. Farming was also bringing in less foreign currency because the cronies of Mugabe who got the land instead of the peasants - were not interested in farming. Nor did they have any farming skills, because the blacks who farmed the land for the whites had been driven away.
To make matters worse, the shortage of foreign currency (and hence the rise in price) meant that the mining industry could not afford inputs, so that industry also declined. I could go on.
The economic collapse of Zimbabwe is a classic example of the multipier effect in reverse.
The Look East policy, like all Mugabe's other similar 'policies' (Lybia, Malaysia) is a complete failure as China has shown no evidence at all of assisting him. Zimbabwe has nothing to sell to other countries and therefore has no money to buy.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274845
October 30 16:25
GBRAnother good article Peter. However a little honesty about the fall of the old South Africa. This was less to do with western sanctions and protest, though of course these made you feel better I?m sure. It had everything to do with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Look at the timing. South Africa is now living a temporary respite before it follows the rest of Africa...
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Zimbabwe is a terrible tragedy, what is worse is that African leaders will not condemn Mugabe and indeed defend him from international criticism. After all who among them will cast the first stone. And we talk of awarding prizes. Without a sizable 'white' population would anyone care?
Another Darfur perhaps?
Comment No. 274849
October 30 16:25
CHNJust realised I wrote 'Englishman' earlier - not sure if Peter is English or Australian or both, but my comments can apply to either.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274879
October 30 16:52
ZAFWell done Peter Tatchell, that thug Mugabe needs all the attention possible, as well as his cronies in South Africa.
http://www.southafrica.to
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274892
October 30 17:00
ZAFMake no mistake about it, Peter Tatchell is a man of deep principle and conviction. He has, on many occasions, put his own safety at risk for the benefit of others less fortunate than himself. He did so for the people of South Africa. The fact that he made his presence felt at the speech given by the South African Foreign Minister speaks volumes for this man.
It is a well know fact that the ANC government has given active assistance to Mugabe to enable him oppress the people of Zimbabwe. The South African government are hypocrits and they have even gone so far as to lie by telling the world that "things" are improving in Zimbabwe. The truth is that there are now 4 million Zimbabweans living as refugees in South Africa. south Africa is capitalising on Zimbabwe's misfortune. They are stealing their teachers, doctors and other skilled Zimbabweans. The brain drain is a result of Thabo Mbeki's smoke screen to protect Mugabe.
Oliver Tambo will be turning in his grave at the disgraceful way the ANC government treats Zimbabwe's refugees and the way they support Mugabe oppress the people of Zimbabwe.
The people of Zimbabwe need your help.
To people like Peter Tatchell, I salute you for your courage to stand up and be counted in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274893
October 30 17:00
GBRDrJazz) Due to the west imposing those ?Travel sanctions? allow me to dig deeper this has diminished investor confidence, we all know who had high investment risk in Zimbabwe Britain.
When there is loose of confidence in investment the prosperity of any nation is minimal, in the short term this would have work on Zimbabwe if the African community had condoned and had been on the forefront in driving for change, unfortunately this was not the case living the window to Mugabe to cry foul and play the imperialist card and gain extreme support from the Region.
All this mounting up on the ordinary Zimbabwean, Zimbabwean women stripped of their dignity (Sanitary), funds for HIV reduced power cuts every day, I am sure the list could go on.
But what?s important is for us to try and push Sub-Sahara specifically SA on Zimbabwe mainly as black Africans
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274915
October 30 17:15
What Sanction when Mugabe is allowed to go to US and other Western Countries through back door.These Free Zimba crew should make sure Mugabe won't travel.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274956
October 30 17:44
USA"In just one region of Zimbabwe, in just one decade - in Matabeleland in the 1980s - he was responsible for the massacre of 20,000 civilians."
I'm no fan of Robert Mugabe's and I'm not as informed about Zimbabwe as many here, so excuse me for playing devil's advocate for a moment.
It seems to me that reaching back more than 20 years to the massacres in Matabeleland as a call to action, as it were, against Robert Mugabe, is equally as suspicious as our governments' use of Sadaam Hussein's 1988 poison gas attack against Iraqi Kurds as evidence of his evil and inhumanity. Don't misunderstand me; both of these atrocities against civilians were evil and both leaders deserve the infamy they've received. However, wasn't Mugabe, subsequent to that massacre, as the leader of the "frontline states" opposing South African apartheid, a towering figure in the region and generally considered a noble if somewhat eccentric and doctrinaire leader?
The late Zimbabwean novelist Yvonne Vera's last work, "The Stone Virgins," tells a story about pre-independence Rhodesia and post-independence Zimbabwe from the perspective of two sisters. I'm surel I'm not the only one here who's read her. She's a very lyrical and soulful writer who sadly, passed away last year at a far too young age. The sisters are both victims of the massacre in Matabeleland, however, I wouldn't describe it as a "political" novel in the tradition of protest novels. The "prime minister" although unnamed, is intended to be Robert Mugabe, however, the novel is not about him, but rather, it's about the selective forgetting of history.
"Mugabe lost the referendum on the constitution in February 2000 and then realised that power was slipping away. Hence the policy of taking land from white farmers."
Didn't he use the threat of expropriating white-owned farms as a means of pacifying his restive citizens as far back as 1997, in order to divert attention from the country's economic problems, probably the result of his involvement in the second Congo war?
Just to play devil's advocate again, isn't Mugabe's action against white farmers the human rights violation which is really driving public opinion against him the the West? (I don't mean Peter and others here on the board). For example, just last month, the Guardian polled about 100 writers and asked them which novel they considered the best of the past 25 years, and the winner was "Disgrace" by J.M. Coetzee, which is a chilling novel, in part about the expropriation of one white-owned farm. It also describes a brutal interracial rape, but so do recent novels by Indian and black SA authors: Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor (Booker shortlisted) and The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda (shortlisted for the Wright-Hurston Legacy Award), but very few people read those books -- or even Chris Abani's "GraceLand," about a fictional government bulldozing of an entire community.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 274963
October 30 17:47
IRLAllyF, Dr Jazz etc; nope. I am not saying that 20,000 Zimbabweans killed is unimportant; just putting it in context AND asking for some verification.
And with all of the ME and Africa to choose from I find a certain pattern to the countries Tatchell is moved to write about. For example, I have often read that the complex wars in the Congo are the worst in Africa; with casualties a HUNDRED times worse than Zimbabwe.
And the West clearly CAN do something in Afghanistan and Iraq. It can do very little in Sudan/Zimbabwe (not least BECAUSE of it's record in Iraq).
My solution? as someone suggested; clean up your international act; stop supporting Zionism and thus alienating the whole Muslim world; get out of ALL Islamic countries NOW; stop selling arms to Israel and third world dictators (as New Labor said it would) and wait some years for your credibility to recover.
Until then, there is NOTHING you can or should do. Tough that. But one of the very many chickens that will be coming home to roost after Iraq.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 275018
October 30 18:23
South Africa could make Mugabe history very much easy.The quiet diplomacy that Mbeki is being accussed of is(1)South africa doesn't want to accept their is a crisis in Zimbabwe(2)Nkosazana Zuma the foreign affairs minister earlier this year told the World that she doesn't see any evil in Harare(3)The Vice President of SA Ngcuka was the head of the SADC election observer team which endorsed the 2005 election as free and fair in which the ordinary zimbabwean sited violates and terror.(4)South Africa is on the record of blocking Zimbabwe to be chaired on the UN human rights abuses.(5)Their was no word of condemnition from the South African Govt on the recent brutal attack on civic leaders(6)Mbeki and Annan said the Zim crisis was going to be looked at their AU summit in Gambia but nothing comeout from the meetings.(7)Mbeki has not been an honest broker in the Zim crisis(just the same critisizm he is getting in West Africa)he is not openly telling Mugabe to promote dialogue or face isolation.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 275036
October 30 18:33
Yes but how can South Africa end Mugabe's tyranny?
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 275042
October 30 18:35
GBRBix2bop raises a valid query: why am I am reaching back over 20 years to the Matabeleland masscacres to make a case against Mugabe?
Well, firstly because that figure of massacred civilians has been well established and accepted by a range of respected bodies, including the Catholic Commission in Zimbabwe (I would not trust the Vatican's agents on issues like HIV, condoms, gay rights or women's rights, but on war, poverty, debt and other human rights abuses many Catholics have played a laudable, progressive role).
My point was that the 20,000 people massacred in Matabeleland makes even the vile apartheid regime look moderate. I was trying to highlight the double standards in the left's response to the two oppressions - Mugabe and apartheid.
Secondly, I wanted to demonstrate that Mugabe's murderous policies are not recent aberrations, but stretch way way back.
Thirdly, the more recent death toll has been lower scale - a few killings here and there - but no large scale massacres. Neverthless, the cumulative total of murders runs into hundreds over the last six years. The big problem is that there is (as far as I know) no exhaustive, authoritative tally.
As well as murders, we must not forget the many thousnds of political opponents who have been subjected to beatings, torture, mass rape (of men as well as women) and detention without trial.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 275055
October 30 18:44
GBRPeter Tatchell writes:-
"Power! To the people!"
I think the whole of humanity feels sorry for the people of Zimbabwe, but I'm not sure how a few platitudes is going to ease their lot.
What the country needs is for someone to depose Mugabe, but that isn't going to happen. Given that he is already 82, then we can only hope that his time will come shortly, but that doesn't seem to be a satisfactory way of dealing evil dictators.
It would be much better if the UN could step in, take over failing states and nurse them back to recovery.
[Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]Comment No. 275097
October 30 19:22
GBRbix2bop: You are probably right about white-owned farms being what drives British public opinion. I always have to point out to anyone who raises that issue, that the blacks suffer far worse than the whites and the majority of black Zimbabweans oppose Mugabe. Even the rural peasants, who are supposed to benefit from 'land reform' only vote under the threat of death. Literally.
Mugabe has always used the land issue to win votes, but never had to implement it because until 1999 there was no credible opposition. He still hasn't. The few peasants who have received land have given it up and returned 'home' because there are no schools or other infrastructure for them.
Repressed: There has never been much foreign investment in Zimbabwe - or Africa for that matter. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe has been determined to exclude foreign investment, at the same time producing educated people who need the jobs such investment would provide.
For example, all the farming investment has come from money borrowed from banks. Farm labour is cheap. Many white farmers have now moved to other African countries.
Tourism requires little capital investment. Safari lodges can be built very cheaply and safari vehicles leased from financiers - funded by pension funds.
Mining requires more investment, but not much.
The 'British' firms in Zimbabwe, which Mugabe often refers to, are invariably owned by Zimbabweans. BP petrol stations for example are owned and run by Zimbabweans. BP is just the brand name. The same goes for Barclays Bank and others.
Mazda has a vehicle assembly plant in Zimbabwe. It can hardly be described as Japanese investment because all they do is ship the parts.
As for Africa, Calestous Juma on another thread, highlights the high transport costs which make investment in Africa uneconomic. That's the main reason why there isn't much foreign investment in Africa. Not because they're black, not because there's no oil. It's the economy stupid.
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