http://www.timeslive.co.za
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has been sucked
into fall-out
Oct 3, 2010 12:00 AM | By ZOLI MANGENA and SUNDAY TIMES
CORRESPONDENT
The boardroom fight between Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank
governor Gideon Gono and
his deputy, Charles Kuwaza, has intensified, amid
revelations that the
central bank chief has uncovered a plot by his bitter
rival to oust him from
his position.
Details of a government
document, titled Operation Kuwaza and seen by the
Sunday Times, show that
the Reserve Bank and state security services have
been monitoring Kuwaza for
several months and have now concluded he wants to
get rid of
Gono.
Apparently Kuwaza was being recorded and monitored by state
security agents.
It appears that all his telephone lines were
bugged.
The document details incidents which Gono and his allies believe
show that
Kuwaza, who is also the central bank's deputy board chairman and
chairs its
audit and oversight committee, was working with unnamed senior
ministers to
remove Gono.
This comes as Gono is apparently preparing
to confront Kuwaza about his
presence on the bank's board when he sits on
the boards of other state
entities.
Kuwaza is also chairman of the
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the State
Procurement board. According to the
document, and in terms of the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe Act, Kuwaza is not
supposed to be deputy board chairman of
the central bank as long as he
remains on the boards of other statutory
bodies.
The Procurement Act
states: "A person who is a member of two or more other
statutory bodies
shall not be appointed a member of the State Procurement
Board, nor shall he
be qualified to hold office as a member."
Internal memos have been flying
back and forth between Gono, Kuwaza and
Finance Minister Tendai Biti.
According to the documents seen by the Sunday
Times, Biti is supporting
Kuwaza. On Friday, efforts to verify this with
Biti failed.
The
documents say Gono is trying to use information gleaned from Operation
Kuwaza to take the matter up with Biti and President Robert
Mugabe.
Biti has in the past accused Gono of ruining the economy by
printing money,
which fuelled hyperinflation to above 500 billion percent in
December 2008.
The two had been fighting a war of attrition until a few
months ago when
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai intervened. However, their
war has resumed
as both are now sucked into the Kuwaza battle.
In a
letter dated August 27, Gono urges Biti to intervene to stop the
"destabilisation of the bank, witch-hunting, overbearing behaviour,
denigration of the country's leadership and leaking of official documents to
the media" by Kuwaza.
The Operation Kuwaza document says on July 9,
Kuwaza alleged he had evidence
to show Gono had "misappropriated seigniorage
or printed money" between 2004
and 2008.
But in a letter to the
Sunday Times dated September 20, Kuwaza denies that
he had ever accused
anybody of "looting as I have no such evidence".
The Operation Kuwaza
document says Kuwaza accused senior Reserve Bank
officials of corruption,
and claims that on July 16 he raised concerns about
Gono's efforts to use
security service chiefs to "muzzle" him.
The document also says Kuwaza
was trying to use his position as chairman of
the State Procurement Board to
investigate the acquisition and distribution
of luxury cars bought by Gono
for the Reserve Bank. "He says some of the
cars were given to Gono's
mistresses and cronies," the document reveals.
Kuwaza has said he would
not comment on memos and documents involving Gono
and himself, as they were
"confidential and protected by the Official
Secrets Act".
In his
August 27 letter to Biti, Gono accused Kuwaza of leaking information
to the
media.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Salary gap between foreign and civil service exposed
Oct
3, 2010 12:00 AM | By Hendricks Chizhanje
A Zimbabwean diplomat is suing
the government for more than $400000 in a
case which exposes the wide
discrepancies between the salaries of diplomats
and hard-pressed civil
servants.
Brighton Mugarisanwa, who was employed as a counsellor at
the Zimbabwean
embassy in Iran, was dismissed by Foreign Affairs permanent
secretary Joel
Bimha.
Now he has petitioned the High Court to compel
Bimha and the Public Service
Commission (PSC) to reinstate him to his
position and to compensate him for
his salary not being paid after he was
dismissed.
Mugarisanwa was recalled from his diplomatic posting in Tehran
in March and
had his diplomatic status revoked and his salary withheld after
he was
allegedly drugged by two Iranian women whom he had invited to his
apartment
during the night. Mugarisanwa, who claims to have been abducted by
Iranian
officials who dumped him on a plane to Zimbabwe, says he lost
property,
including keys to his office at the embassy, while was unconscious
after
being drugged.
The Labour Court interdicted Bimha from
recalling Mugarisanwa until the
conclusion of disciplinary proceedings after
the diplomat contested his
dismissal.
Labour Court Judge Betty
Chidziwa ordered Bimha to reinstate the diplomat
without loss of salary and
benefits and restore his diplomatic status, as
well as meet his children's
tuition fees, after ruling that the recall was
unprocedural. Mugarisanwa had
not been afforded the chance to be heard in a
disciplinary hearing. However,
Bimha and the PSC have not executed the
Labour Court's judgment, prompting
Mugarisanwa to file an urgent court
application seeking to have the Labour
Court's judgment enforced and at the
same time claiming $149 580 as loss of
future earnings.
The dispute has exposed the salary disparities between
diplomats and civil
servants, and also throws light on how Zimbabwean
diplomats are living in
foreign lands. At a time when thousands of civil
servants are struggling to
make a living, with monthly salaries ranging
between $150 and $250,
diplomats are pocketing more than $5 000 per
month.
Court documents seen by the Sunday Times show that a diplomat
holding the
position of counsellor at a foreign mission earns a net salary
of $5 056 per
month.
But civil servants have had to endure a static
salary since 2009 when the
government introduced multiple currencies in an
attempt to stem the economic
crisis.
Mugarisanwa is claiming $25 280
in unpaid remuneration from May, when the
government stopped paying him, to
September. Return air fares for children
of diplomats to visit during school
holidays are also paid by government.
The government was supposed to pay $4
032 for his children to travel.
Under the Foreign Posting Agreement
diplomats are entitled to payment of
100% school fees for their children
attending school in Zimbabwe.
With regard to Mugarisanwa the government
paid $1 730 and $1 780 in school
fees for two of his children enrolled at
Gateway High School in Harare. The
government was also paying $500 per
semester for his third child.
The State is obliged to provide diplomats
with furnished accommodation
during their stay in foreign
missions.
The diplomat is also suing Bimha and PSC for $55 331 in
outstanding salaries
and benefits in terms of the Labour Court's
judgment.
The diplomat says his court application is meant to send a
clear message to
Bimha and "like-minded persons that court orders are
supposed to be obeyed
and that a flagrant disregard of them has its
consequences".
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Sidney Saize
Saturday, 02 October
2010 17:58
MUTARE - MDC Manicaland chairperson Patrick Chitaka was on
Thursday
assaulted by self styled war veteran Saul Nzuma while conducting
COPAC
outreach work at Muzokomba business in Buhera South and sustained a
bruised
neck.
Chitaka, who sought refuge at Muzokomba police
station said Nzuma, who was
leading a mob of Zanu PF supporters, was not
happy over the teams' work in
the area and also about a request that had
been made by Muzokomba headmaster
for pupils to contribute ideas to the
writing of the constitution.
Nzuma has since been arrested on a charge of
assault and is yet to appear in
court.
The MDC chairman said Nzuma
arrived at the meeting centre and choked him
and then slapped Henry Timbiye
in the face who is another member of the
COPAC team 10.
"I was beaten
and then choked when Nzuma grabbed my neck. The timely
intervention of other
members saved the situation. But in the mayhem Timbiye
was slapped in the
face," said Chitaka.
"We had to run for dear life as they were just
baying for our blood and
sought refuge at the nearby police station, but the
mob with Nzuma in tow
followed but were then arrested," said
Chitaka.
Chitaka, who was leading the COPAC team at Muzokomba in Buhera
said the
meeting was then called of following the violence and other team
members
drove off in their vehicles.
Timbiye said Zanu PF members
were unhappy over a proposal by Muzokomba
Secondary officials' intention to
have school children released to give
their contributions towards the
proposed new constitution.
He said immediately after the authorities had
proposed this to the COPAC
outreach members, Nzuma and his group went
berserk charging at them.
Timbiye said Nzuma blocked the school children
from proceeding to the venue
of the COPAC meeting insisting the children had
no right to air their views
in the constitution making
process.
Another witness at Muzokomba Ephraim Matikiti said the school
authorities
then made a sudden u-turn on the proposal.
"The school
headmaster and other teachers at the school retreated to the
classrooms and
the headmaster to his office when Nzuma and his crowd went
mad," Matikiti
said.
Manicaland province police spokesperson said he had not yet
received the
report on the assault.
.
A police source at Muzokomba
said Nzuma had indeed been arrested and was in
police holding cells on a
charge of assault and public violence.
http://news.radiovop.com
02/10/2010
13:38:00
Harare, October 02, 2010 - Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change says it will not attend any
burial of heroes at the
national shrine after President Robert Mugabe said
it was exclusively for
people who fought in the liberation struggle which
brought about Zimbabwe's
independence in 1980.
"You will not see us
there anymore nomatter who would be buried there," said
party spokesperson
Nelson Chamisa. "The position is very simple. If anybody
from the MDC go
there, it would be clear that they would be going to a Zanu
(PF) function
because Mugabe has clearly said it's not a national
institution but a Zanu
(PF) shrine.
"For us to be perennial gate crashers to an event that our
colleagues in
Zanu (PF) claim to be theirs and theirs does not make
sense."
The two MDC factions in government boycotted last Thursday's
burial of
former Mashonaland Central governor and Zanu (PF) top official
Ephraim
Masawi.
Addressing mourners during the burial, Mugabe said
the national shrine was
only for those who fought in the struggle, putting
paid to any future hopes
of seeing other Zimbabweans who have excelled in
other fields being interred
at the shrine.
Zanu (PF) national
spokesperson Rugare Gumbo added by describing the MDC
politicians as former
"high school students" who were at school when the
liberation war was being
waged.
The MDC faction led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara had
its calls
for its late Vice President Gibson Sibanda to be declared as a
national hero
vehemently resisted by Zanu (PF).
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Zimbabwe Mail
Saturday, 02 October
2010 19:30
BIRMINGHAM, UK -- A Zimbabwean man who went on a rampage with
a gun
targeting motorists and a shopkeeper has been handed an indeterminate
sentence after being branded ‘very dangerous’. Birmingham Crown Court heard
how Craig Cervi, from Zimbabwe, left one victim believing she would be
killed.
Judge William Davis QC, imprisoning Cervi for public
protection in a young
offenders institution, said he was a dangerous
offender and there was a
significant risk he would commit further offences
and cause harm to members
of the public.
He said he had also taken into
account Cervi’s admission that he had been
involved in gang related violence
in Zimbabwe and that he appeared to have
no regard for the law. In ruling
that he must serve three-and-a-half years
behind bars before being
considered for parole he described what Cervi had
done as “very dangerous
behaviour”.
Jason Pegg, prosecuting, said on the evening of June 1 this year
motorist
Anita Chand was approaching the junction of Crocketts Road and
Sandwell Road
in Handsworth when she saw the defendant staggering in the
road and she
slowed down.
“The defendant produced a black-handled gun,
held it in both hands and
pointed it towards Miss Chand,” he said.
He
said the driver, who thought she was going to be killed, reversed before
accelerating past Cervi and contacting the police.
Later Harrinder Doao
was shutting up his shop when he heard a banging at the
front door. Cervi
was there wearing a balaclava and attempted to force his
way into the
premises, said Mr Pegg.
Mr Doao closed the door but Cervi turned and pointed
a gun at him, Mr Pegg
said.
Mr Pegg said a little later a couple were
driving down a road in Handsworth
when Cervi ran out in front of them and
pointed a pistol at the driver.
The couple were then told to get out of the
vehicle and Cervi got in and
drove off.
At around 6pm the following day
police pursued and then stopped Cervi on the
M40 and found an air pistol in
the car.
When quizzed Cervi said he had been living on the streets, had
bought the
pistol about three months earlier.
Cervi, 20, of no fixed
address had previously admitted robbery, attempted
robbery and three
firearms charges.
Anthony Warner, defending, said Cervi had come to this
country two years ago
and had lived with his mother.
However, he fell out
with her over his drug use, left her home and matters
rapidly deteriorated.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Vusimuzi Bhebhe
Saturday, 02
October 2010 16:29
HARARE - Hungry Zimbabwean villagers have turned to
are exchanging a goat
for a 50kg bag of maize amid warnings that nearly a
million people in rural
areas will need food aid between October and
December.
Barter trade is rife in the food-deficit Beitbridge, Gwanda and
Mangwe
districts where desperate villagers are said to be trading any
commodities
and household effects just to have a meal.
According to
the US-funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET),
hungry
villagers are exchanging cows for about eight bags of maize grain
"while a
goat is fetching 50kg of maize grain in the Gwanda, Beitbridge and
Mangwe
districts".
However, terms of trade are more favourable in Chiredzi with
a beast
exchanged for about 1 000kg of maize grain, which is within the
expected
normal terms of trade.
"As more households run out of their
cereal stocks, greater chances of
unfair terms of trade are expected with
those terms likely favouring
livestock traders," FEWSNET warned in a report
published on Friday.
According to the May 2010 Zimbabwe Assessment
Committee (ZimVAC) rural
livelihoods assessment, an estimated 1.3 million
Zimbabweans would be food
insecure at the peak of the 2010/11 hunger season
early next year.
About 904 463 rural people are estimated to require food
aid between this
month and the end of the year.
The highest
prevalence of food insecurity is projected to be in Matabeleland
North,
Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces as well as the northern
parts of
the country which experienced dry spells in the second half of the
2009/10
cropping season.
Other areas worst affected by hunger are Binga, Kariba,
Hwange, Chiredzi,
Matobo, Mwenezi, Chipinge, Guruve, Centenary and Mount
Darwin.
http://www.apanews.net
APA-Harare
(Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe's white farmers have applied to the country's
Supreme
Court for an order granting a moratorium on ongoing evictions from
farms
expropriated by the government and preventing further acquisition of
equipment and materials, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said here
Saturday.
CFU president Deon Theron said the union and several of its
members made
application before five judges of the Constitutional Court in
Harare to seek
relief against a wide range of flagrant violations of their
constitutional
rights.
He said the broad issues raised in the
application included the
constitutionality of the manner in which Lands
Minister Herbert Murerwa
allocated farming land by way of offer letters
leading to forced evictions
as well as the continued prosecution "of only
white farmers" for refusing to
vacate expropriated farms.
Theron
contended that the prosecution of the white farmers was racially
motivated
and violated their rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
"The CFU
considered the abuses complained of to be so serious and of such
national
importance that the highest court has been urged to grant a
moratorium
effectively preventing any further eviction of any white farmer
in
occupation of farm land and further preventing the acquisition of any
farm
equipment and material," Theron said.
The Attorney General's Office has
in recent months stepped up prosecution of
white farmers it claims are
refusing to vacate land acquired by the
government for purposes of
redistribution to landless blacks.
This is despite the fact that the
Southern African Development (SADC)
Tribunal ruled in 2008 that the
government's land reform programme is
discriminatory and illegal under the
SADC Treaty to which Zimbabwe is a
signatory.
Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai has ordered the arrest and prosecution of
the farm invaders but
his word is largely ignored with farmers reporting
continuing invasions of
their properties and disruption of farming
activities.
President
Robert Mugabe's supporters and members of the army and police
stepped up
farm invasions almost immediately after the formation of the
inclusive
government in February 2009.
JN/daj/APA
2010-10-02
http://www.zimeye.org/?p=22819
By Gerald Chateta
Published:
October 2, 2010
ZAKA - War veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda has
ordered chiefs in Zaka to
charge a fine of $10 to villagers and a beast to
village heads who resist to
attend his three month Zaka district anti-MDC
meetings, despite calls by the
people in the area for the police and GPA to
stop him from intimidating the
Masvingo community.
Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC-T) legislator for Zaka Festus Dumbu said
that Sibanda
on Thursday held a meeting with chiefs and village heads in
Zaka and told
them that he was on an unstoppable three month anti-MDC
campaign in the
area.
“At the meeting he told the traditional leaders headed by Chief
Nhema that
every villager who defaults the meeting should be charged $10. He
also
ordered the chiefs to charge a beast to village heads who fail to
mobilise
people throughout his campaign”, he said.
We are worried by
his continued intimidation to our people and if the police
fail to stop him
from terrorising villagers we are afraid that violence is
looming,” added
Dumbu.sibanda-tsvangirai-a-fly-threat
The Masving MDC leadership has
since appealed to the principals to the
Global Political Agreement (GPA) to
immediately stop war veterans leader
Jabulani Sibanda from terrorising
villagers in the province.
Sibanda is reportedly to have camped at the
homestead of Chief Nhema in
Zaka, a traditional leader sympathetic to Zanu
PF, and is conducting rallies
around the province where he is threatening
villagers with a devastating war
if they do not vote for President Robert
Mugabe in next year’s election.
Sibanda is telling people that the
violence if Mugabe loses next election
will be worse than that of the 2008
presidential run off election as they
will use all sorts of fighting
machines including helicopters.
Last month, the war veterans leader
sparked controversy after he told
villagers that Tsvangirai was not a threat
to Zanu PF as he could easily
kill him just like squashing a fly whenever he
wanted and vowed that even if
the MDC leader wins elections in future, he
will never rule Zimbabwe.
Sibanda could not be reached for comment
because of network problems in the
area.
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by The Zimbabwean
Friday, 01
October 2010 10:34
People Living with HIV seeking health services in
Zimbabwe are at the mercy
of health professionals, particularly nurses and
other support staff.
A research undertaken by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights on Access to
Treatment and Corruption showed that corrupt activities
were rife within
medical facilities throughout the provinces.
Bribes,
incidence, frequency and size
Seventy-three percent (73%) interviewed in the
research reported that they
had experienced encounters with health personnel
where bribes were
requested. Usually, the requests were
explicit.
"Waiting lists at the different hospitals for enrolment are very
long, and
they drive desperate patients to pay something to access a
service," noted
the report.
Bribes for enrolment at an identified
hospital in Bulawayo can be as high as
700 Rands as reported by one
respondent.
"Those who pay for enrolment will also have to contend with other
bribes in
accessing the drugs in future instances of artificial shortages
and drug
stock-outs. In these circumstances, respondents informed that
patients are
often told there are no drugs to be dispensed but nurse so and
so may be
able to assist them if they pay something.
"These drugs are
often dispensed through nurse aides or other support staff
such as security
guards. These transactions usually take place in closed
offices or in the
public toilets of hospitals. In extreme circumstances,
patients have to
source drugs from private residences of health personnel
staff.
"
Patients were paying bribes ranging between US$1 and US$ 50. It was
observed
that diagnostic services and enrolment demanded he biggest bribes,
usually
above USD10.This is because people living with HIV were usually
aware of the
inhibiting costs of the alternatives in the private
sector.
Those who declined to pay bribes may have done so as a matter of
principle
or because they did not have money on that particular day. This
means that
those who can't afford to pay are "left to die at home with no
alternative".
In most cases patients queued from 6 am for drugs but the
hospitals started
to serve at 11.00 am.
"By this time, they will be
hungry and eager to go home. For them to jump
the queue or to be served,
they will have to pay a bribe," the report noted.
Dispensing drugs to ghost
patients or defaulting patients is suspected to be
breeding black market for
drugs. These markets thrive because most people
who are HIV positive live in
fear of stigma and discrimination. As a result,
they get backdoor
prescriptions, and drugs are dispensed by unqualified
people who act on
behalf of the hospital personnel.
Drugs dispensed in these instances are fake
or have expired, and may be
unrelated to the treatment sought. This may also
lead to a situation where
adherence is compromised and people develop drug
resistance.
It is difficult to ascertain whether fees paid by patients are
actually
deposited and accounted for at the provincial and national level
because
sometimes patients are asked to pay whatever they have at that time
and
settle the balance later.
In some cases, if a patient insists that
they have no money, they are asked
to bring the money later. Receipts are
not always issued.
People living with HIV are asked to pay money for services
that are supposed
to be free - for example enrolment on a government
programme, but most
people in urgent need of treatment are forced to pay a
fee to hospital
personnel.
Causes
The survey noted that this was
among other things due to socio-economic
circumstances such as lack of
public accountability mechanisms, the
vulnerability of people requiring
urgent treatment and because the
management structures in public hospitals
provided the latitude and
opportunities for engagement in corrupt activities
with impunity.
The cases were going unreported for fear of victimisation or
being denied
access to treatment and medication.
"Corruption devalues
investment in health, is responsible for the perpetual
collapse of health
infrastructure and decreases the uptake of health
services and goods by the
poor, thereby facilitating underdevelopment."
http://news.radiovop.com
02/10/2010 15:43:00
Bulawayo:- Government is
set to demolish two schools in Lupane, Matabeleland
North province to pave
way for the construction of a dam - a situation that
will see affected
school children traveling 50 kilometers to the nearest
schools.
The
demolishing of the two schools - Madotshwa and Mpofu primary schools -
follows the release of US$2.6 million required for the construction of the
Bubi - Lupane dam to ease water shortages in the Matabeleland North
capital.
Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) Bubi-Lupane resident
engineer,
Paul Dengu confirmed in an interview that government is going to
demolish
schools in Lupane to pave way for the dam construction.
"The
two schools (Madotshwa and Mpofu primary schools) have been affected by
the
dam construction. They will be demolished. They will have to be moved to
other places," Dengu noted, saying the nearest schools are 50 kilometers
away.
But Dengu did not mention if the government had funds for the
construction
of the two schools or when the two schools will be
constructed.
"Contractors are back on the site following the release of
US$2.6 million
for the project and we are expecting that the dam will be
complete before
December," Dengu added.
Construction of the dam has
been moving at a snails pace for years due to
funding constraints. The
Matabeleland North capital is struggling to attract
industrial and
commercial investors due to water shortages.
The Bubi-Lupane dam - whose
holding capacity is 40 million cubic metres - is
being constructed by Multi
Force contractors and a sub contractor from
China.
Construction of a
number of planned projects for Matabeleland North having
been moving at a
snails pace for years or have stopped due to funding
constraints, an
argument however shot down by villagers there and activists
in the
region.
Activists in the region blame government for neglecting the
wildlife rich
province as seen by the failure to complete planned
projects.
Lupane State University (LSU) is one such project whose
construction has
stopped. The university is still a dense forest, years
after it was planned.
Dear Family and Friends,
When a Zimbabwean
living in the Diaspora asked for a photograph of
Bushman paintings recently,
the request provided the perfect excuse
for an outing into our beautiful bush
and kopjes. The brief excursion
also allowed me to see what a tourist might
see. What an eye opener it
was.
On a clear summer morning a friend and
I travelled 30 kilometres to a
cave painting Id not seen before. I imagined
myself as a tourist in a
bus, looking out of the window and the first thing I
saw on the
journey was all the litter. Everywhere I looked there was litter:
on
the streets, along the pavements, piled up in heaps outside flats
and
shopping centres and dumped in ugly, festering piles on the
outskirts
of towns. Litter removal: such a small thing; the responsibility
of
local municipal councils, paid for by ratepayers, but not being
done.
Heading onto the open road the first thing you see is that none
of
the main highways have lane or shoulder markings and there are
no
warning signs, chevrons or cats eyes. Almost every bridge you
cross
has broken railings and none of the rivers have names anymore,
the
signs ripped out of the concrete or removed from posts. Isnt
road
maintenance being paid for by all the money collected at tollgates,
I
wondered.
As we got out into the country the only view was of black.
Mile after
mile of burnt landscape, black ground in every direction; hills
and
valleys carpeted in ash, trees scorched, bushes burnt. On both
sides
of the road farm land lies mostly deserted and derelict and there
is
no sign of ploughed lands or preparation for the coming rainy
season.
Boundary fences along the roads have almost all gone and cattle
and
goats graze right alongside the highway providing a deadly hazard
to
traffic. These boundary fences were always the responsibility
of
farmers whose land adjoins highways but now farms have been taken
over
and regulations about fences are ignored.
Arriving at our destination
situated just a few metres off the road
and behind the railway station of a
small town, we walked towards the
small outcrop of rock. Negotiating our way
over burnt ground and
around a maze of scorched brambles, I could hardly
believe that an
ancient national treasure could possibly be situated here.
Plastic
bags were snagged on bushes and empty beer tins lay on the ground.
I
had to take a deep breath and try not to look at the piles of
human
faeces that sat in numerous fly covered heaps around the base of
the
kopje. I stepped over them and knew without a doubt that if I was
a
tourist by now I would have turned back in disgust and not continued
on
this quest to see an ancient painting.
A little further around the kopje,
up a few boulders and suddenly
there it was, under an overhang of sheared
rock. The colours of the
ancient paintings beckoned immediately: orange,
brown, ochre, yellow,
purple. Large, dark brown oval designs in the centre
with crowds of
animals painted above. A magnificent sable, its long horns
sweeping
backwards in perfect curves. An unmistakable image, as
recognisable
to me now as it must have been to the artist thousands of years
ago.
Leaving the Bushman paintings behind and taking a short drive back
to
the main road, we passed a plinth and memorial to fallen soldiers
of
World War Two - the plaque and inscription vandalized and removed
in
the last decade by men calling themselves Zimbabwes war
veterans.
Tourism accounted for almost 17% of Zimbabwes GDP in 2000 but
now
contributes less than 5% to our economy. The endless seminars
and
workshops being held say that billions will be needed to revive
the
tourist industry. We can all see, however, that a political
solution
and a few dustbin bags will do very well thank you. Until next
time,
thanks for reading, love cathy.
Friday October 1st 2010.
They are food
importers where once they exported food all over Africa, now
they have only
imported food in their shops. They have appalling roads a
transport system
where conductors and drivers require bribes. There are
endless power cuts,
widespread poverty and a widening gap between the haves
and have-nots. All
this, combined with massive corruption at every level of
society makes it
sound very familiar to Zimbabweans but this is a
description not of Zimbabwe
but of Nigeria. In size and population makeup
the two countries could not be
more different but the one thing they have in
common - like most of Africa -
is huge natural resources and one in
particular. For Nigeria it is petroleum
and for Zimbabwe it is diamonds. The
discovery of vast oil reserves in the
60's should have made Nigeria the
economic giant of Africa but the 'black
gold' has seen little benefit to the
mass of the population. Instead, it
has led only to massive corruption and
nepotism amongst the political
elite. Out of the fifty years of
independence, Nigeria has experienced only
ten years of civilian rule with
military coups and a bloody civil war
marring the early years of its freedom
from colonial rule. Like Zimbabwe,
Nigeria has huge agricultural potential
but ironically it is thirteen
Zimbabwean farmers expelled by Robert Mugabe
who have begun to realise that
potential in Kwara province where they have
grown vast acres of cassava,
providing food and employment opportunities for
indigenous Nigerians and
improving living standards in the area. With a
population estimated to be in
the region of 200 millions, Nigeria has many
hungry mouths to feed but the
oil wealth appears to have done little either
to feed or educate the
millions.
Similarly, in Zimbabwe we see little evidence that the population
at large
will benefit from the diamond wealth. Since 2006 when the Chiadzwa
diamonds
were discovered, the Zimbabwe government has defied the
internationally
agreed Kimberley Process on human rights for
diamond-producing countries
while its military and police have violently
abused the local population. It
is hardly surprising that with the example
of government greed and
lawlessness petty corruption is steadily increasing;
in hospitals nurses
steal drugs intended for Aids patients and sell them in
backyard pharmacies
while police at road blocks demand bribes.
No doubt,
low salaries account for this rash of petty corruption but higher
up the
food chain, one can only imagine the huge sums that must change hands
in
exchange for cops 'looking the other way' while illicit diamond deals
take
place. And corruption is not limited to precious stones. The
destruction of
another of Zimbabwe's precious natural resources, its wild
life, is clear
evidence that the police and game wardens are less than
scrupulous in their
monitoring of law breakers. 7 kms of 16 strand game
fence wire was stolen in
one month, 500 eland were killed and the zebra
population fell from 840 to
160. Evidence clearly indicates that the police
and soldiers together with
Zanu PF loyalists were involved in the slaughter
of 200 zebra in Beit
Bridge. The moral decay that has followed in the wake
of Zimbabwe's diamond
find - or Nigeria's oil bonanza - demonstrates that
without sound governance
at the top and a police force prepared to impose
law and order in an
even-handed way, a country becomes totally corrupted,
socially and
politically. The truth is that what seems like a massive
national bonanza,
be it oil or diamonds, can be hopelessly misused without
wise leadership at
the very top with the genuine desire to benefit all of
the people. Greed,
political ambition and violence flourish in such a
climate as corruption in
its many forms eats into the body politic. Zimbabwe's
diamond wealth appears
to have done just that. Cry the beloved country.
Yours in the (continuing)
struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson.
.
Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango JAG OPEN LETTER FORUM - No..zw with "For
Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.
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=================================================
1.
Letter from Ade Williams
2. Cathy Buckle - Red Warning Lights
3.
J.L Robinson - Zimbabwe Circus
4. J.L. Robinson -
Chihuri
=================================================
1. Ade
Williams
Dear JAG,
I look forward always to reading the Open
Letter Forum and especially the
contributions of Cathy Buckle. Her
descriptions of the flora and fauna
are always so encouraging they must give
a lot of people great hope for
the future. Sometimes of course her letter is
a little more sombre and
with good reason.
Sadly, I was glad to read
too that the Gukurahundi was genocide. It is
clear why sadly, but glad in
that a genocide decision means there may be
the opportunity that J.L.
Robinson mentioned of Robert Mugabe getting
around the travel ban to visit
the The Hague and that justice can be seen
to be done. Personally I hope
that Mugabe lives a long time yet. It
would be a pity to have a cell
prepared for him then not get good long
use out of it.
Sally Davies
has a good idea there with a box of simple, cheap, loud
whistles. If that
sounds viable why not ask for donated contributions of
funds to get them from
Durban or wherever. If someone organises the
account details I'l start the
fund off..
Ade Williams.
UK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.
Cathy Buckle - Red Warning Lights
Dear Jag
As the programme to
consult people about what they want included in our
new constitution draws to
a close, we have begun bracing ourselves for
what comes next. The drawing up
of a new draft constitution leading to a
referendum and then an election is
now in sight. It is exactly this
three-step process where the mayhem began
for us all, 10 years ago, in
February 2000.
We are bracing ourselves
now because in the last few weeks we have seen
the re-emergence of the same
crude harassment, intimidatory tactics and
oppressive practices which tell us
that, without a shadow of a doubt,
nothing has changed.
The first red
warning light went on when the constitutional consultative
meetings got to
the capital city. The process immediately descended into
chaos. 45 meetings
were violently disrupted as truck loads of people,
apparently bussed in from
rural areas, made sure that no one was free to
voice their opinions. At one
venue Zanu PF youths and war veterans barred
some people from participating
because of their skin colour; at another
venue a Zanu PF supporter reportedly
drew a gun in order to stop a
resident from delivering an opening prayer
before the commencement of the
meeting.
When the police did not
intervene and arrest perpetrators, the MDCs co
Home Affairs Minister, Theresa
Makone, finally found her voice.
Minister Makone said Zanu PF were
virtually holding the Zimbabwe Republic
Police to ransom. She said the police
were too afraid to do their jobs
because they received instructions from Zanu
PF.
The next red light went on when 83 members of WOZA were arrested
whilst
taking part in a peaceful march to Parliament on International Peace
Day.
76 women and 7 men were held for 2 nights in prison cells, amongst
them
was a 9 month old baby. WOZA press releases talked of prisoners
being
held in passageways as the cells themselves were uninhabitable.
There
were no toilets, no water was available and one man was severely
beaten
with baton sticks.
The last red warning light came at local
level in the form of a strike at
the Marondera municipality. It was a strike
that hadn't attracted
any sympathy whatsoever from ratepayers or residents of
the town who are
totally disenchanted with street lights that haven't worked
for
over 4 years, roads that haven't been maintained for 3 years, piles
of
uncollected garbage dumped on roadsides and under trees and less than
2 hours
of dirty water a day if we are lucky.
Then there are all the ghost
workers still on the municipal payroll and
the large amounts of fuel we see
being drawn by municipal vehicles every
Friday afternoon and Monday morning.
Add to this the talk of top council
officials each drawing salaries in the
multiple thousands every month and
you'll understand why there was no support
at all for a strike. All
that aside, the warning light came on when the
drumming started; clenched
fists waving in the air told us this had been
hijacked (or perhaps
masterminded) by Zanu PF. The signs written on the green
cardboard
placards were proof. A part of one banner being held up by a
dreadlocked
man who was probably still in nappies at Independence thirty one
years
ago, read: Rhodesians must go.
The warning signs are now clearly
visible and we can see the true nature
of the beast which has been hiding
behind a cloak called Unity Government
all along.
Until next time,
thanks for reading, love
Cathy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.
J.L Robinson - Zimbabwe Circus
Dear Jag
It has become apparent
that having fun is no longer that funny in
Zimbabwe.
What a
shame.
A lady magician with immense imagination and talent took three
clowns,
dressed them up as cabinet ministers and took them into the Makuti
Hills
and showed them how to get diesel out of a rock.
A fifty car
cavalcade complete with helicopters were used as special
effects - just like
they do in the movies. Pretty impressive really.
Just as everybody
starting enjoying themselves the clowns decided to
become serious and want
the show to carry on indefinitely - once
they had found enough "chigubus" to
satisfy their diesel
needs.
It seems that serious clowns can
precipitate a dangerous situations.
Seriously greedy clowns are simply
more seriously dangerous, apparently.
Now it seems that the magician will
be entertaining the detained
intellectual and democratic movements restrained
in prisons by the ZSPCC
- the Zanu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Clowns.
Possibly a more worthy cause than entertaining
clowns?
J.L.
Robinson
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.
J.L. Robinson - Chihuri
Dear Jag
Police Commissioner Chihuri's
anger over the murder of a Police
Officer in Bulawayo is correct and
understandable.
He has now openly come out with a "shoot to kill"
warning.
However, there is more to the issue than just that one
murder.
In 1982 the Zanu National Army went into Matabeleland with a
shoot to
kill policy and shot 25 000 civilians that were referred to
as
"cobras in the house."
The commander was rewarded with the post of
commander of the Zanu Air
Force.
More recently Mr. Chihuri's own Zanu
Republic Police have
conveniently overlooked many similar
incidents.
Just to name two - the Officer in Charge Nyamadhlovu
actually
prevented an ambulance from attending a farm attack.
The
victim died.
Up in Murewa area the ZRP allowed a victim to be abducted
from a Police
Station.
The victim was subsequently murdered by his
abductors.
Persons have been "allowed to get away with murder" -
real
- and it has been endorsed and legitimised by Government under
the auspices
of "land reform" with full co-operation of the
Police.
Now a new era
of indigenisation or "affirmative shopping"
appears to be dawning in the
country in the form of armed robbery with
murder.
How will a Police
force now tell its avaricious citizens where it will
"draw the line" between
"criminal armed robbery and
murder" on the one hand, and the legalised "third
chimurenga
armed robbery and murder?"
Similarly, how will that same
Police Force instil into the criminal
elements that they are never to attack
tourists or visiting cricketers?
The Minister of Sport has publicly
stated that Zimbabwe is a safe place
for the world to go and play
cricket.
The comment suggests a very broad interpretation of the
word
"safe."
A "shoot to kill" policy from a Zanu Police
Commissioner
sounds ominous as Zanu gets into election mode.
Past
behaviour is usually the best indication for future behaviour.
Be it
alcoholism, drug addiction, or political violence - it
usually
habitual.
J.L.
Robinson
=================================================
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions
of the
submitters,
and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice for
Agriculture.
=================================================