Botswana's Khama softens harsh tone on Zimbabwe

http://af.reuters.com/

Tue Oct 5, 2010 3:17pm GMT

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Botswana President Ian Khama, one of Africa's most
outspoken leaders critical of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, called for a
lifting of sanctions to help prod the country to greater openness.

The United States and European Union imposed sanctions on state firms in
Zimbabwe and travel restrictions on Mugabe and dozens of his associates
nearly 10 years ago after a violent re-election campaign and at the start of
often violent commercial farm seizures.

"We appeal to those who have placed sanctions to remove them in order to
give motivation," Khama told reporters during a visit to South Africa.

"We also have concerns but let's remove them to demonstrate good faith and
see where we go from there," Khama told journalists in Pretoria, the SAPA
news agency reported. A South African presidential spokesman verified the
comments.

Khama said last year the blame for political paralysis in neighbouring
Zimbabwe lay with Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and raised hackles in Harare by
saying new elections were the only way to break the stalemate threatening
Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement.

South Africa has called for removal of the sanctions, hoping that would help
the economy of its impoverished neighbour and slow the stream of immigrants
crossing into South Africa.

Khama's comments will likely strengthen the hand of Southern African leaders
as they appeal for an end to the economic measures that have shaken Zimbabwe
but not ended Mugabe's rule.

The United States and EU have said human rights violations continue in
Zimbabwe and the sanctions will remain in place.

Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing deal last year with opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai that has stabilized the economy after a decade of decline

Mugabe -- who this year told Western powers to go "to hell" over
sanctions -- said in an interview with Reuters last month: "They have
imposed unjustified and illegal sanctions on us. The sanctions are
comparable to the military aggression in Iraq."

Zim requires US$400m for safe water

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

by Sebastian Nyamhangambiri Tuesday 05 October 2010

HARARE - A senior government official on Monday said Zimbabwe requires more
than US$400 million to provide safe drinking water and prevent a recurrence
of cholera, as a UN agency revealed that only a fifth of the country's
population have access to clean water.

"We need US$434 million to rectify the infrastructure for water and
sanitation," Water Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo during the launch yesterday
of a ministerial committee formed to spearhead rehabilitation of the
cash-strapped country's water and sewer systems and prevent recurrence of
waterborne diseases.

Nkomo appealed to the private sector to join the fight against disease and
help the government provide water and sanitation infrastructure.

Asked by journalists if the government has the capacity to fight a possible
cholera outbreak, Nkomo said the Harare administration was prepared for any
eventuality although he expressed fears that any future outbreak of the
disease could get out of hand in some parts of the country.

Nkomo said: "We are more prepared so that we have minimal outbreaks. But we
are concerned in some areas (that the situation might get out of hand) in
places such as Glendale and Chinhoyi."

Addressing the same occasion, United Nations Children's Fund in Zimbabwe
Peter Salama said a significant chunk of the country's 12 million people do
not have toilets or safe sources of drinking water.

"One third of the population practises open defecation and only a fifth of
the population has access to universally safe water," Salama said,
statistics that further highlight the huge potential risk of an outbreak of
cholera, diarrhoea and other diseases in Zimbabwe.

Collapsed drinking water and sewer reticulation infrastructure in Harare and
other towns have made cholera -- virtually extinct in Zimbabwe a decade
ago -- more common in the country where an outbreak of the waterborne
disease two years ago infected nearly 100 000 people and claimed more than 4
000 lives.

Fears of a fresh epidemic are high as the rain season that begins around
November draws closer, amid reports that at least 19 people have died from a
fresh cholera outbreak whose epicentre is at the controversial Marange
diamond field near the country's eastern border with Mozambique.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) about two
weeks ago said that the latest outbreak has so far affected 18 of the
country's 62 districts compared to 54 districts at the same time in 2009.

The Ministry of Health is working with the International Rescue Committee
(IRC) to contain the outbreak in the area. - ZimOnline.

Bank with links to Mujuru got diamond profits

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Lance Guma
05 October 2010

Interfin Financial Holdings, a bank with reported links to retired army
general Solomon Mujuru, received an investment of over US$2 million in
diamond and gold proceeds from the state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development
Corporation (ZMDC).

This follows revelations that several top managers at the ZMDC, who have
since been suspended by the board chairman, invested millions of dollars in
the money market even as the corporation's own mines were forced to close
down due to lack of capital.

Exiled businessman Gilbert Muponda is locked in a bitter dispute with
Interfin after accusing them of 'looting' his Century Bank (CFX Bank) and
says his team have been investigating the story in preparation for a law
suit against Interfin. He says managers at Interfin bribed ZMDC managers to
invest the money and it was only their lavish lifestyle and expenditure
patterns that got them caught.

Suspended ZMDC chief, Dominic Mubayiwa sent smoke signals when he started
building a 3 storey mansion in Borrowdale, something clearly beyond his
means. Over US$40 million in diamond and gold proceeds is said to have been
siphoned off or used in shady deals. The figure is said to include US$30
million raised from diamond sales between October 2008 and April 2010.

Mubayiwa and his team poured money into Interfin, Premier Bank, Kingdom
Bank, BancABC, Fidelity Asset Management and Premier Asset Management. This
is despite the ZMDC Act making it clear its primary function is to invest in
the mining industry, on behalf of the state.

Worse still, Mubayiwa and his management failed to pay government any
meaningful dividend. A confidential ZMDC report leaked to the media says;
'The first ever dividend of US$1 million was in March 2010 and US$3 million
dividend paid on July 26, 2010 was only made after the board insisted to
management that one of ZMDC's responsibilities was to generate revenue for
the fiscus.'
SW Radio Africa understands that a prominent army general deposited close to
US$5 million in a local bank soon after the first international diamond
auction held in Harare in August. It was estimated that US$72 million was
raised from the auction but how much went to government remains a mystery.

Banking sources confirmed that the deposit made by the general set tongues
wagging in the industry. More importantly it confirmed how senior military
figures are controlling the diamond trade in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile Muponda warned money transfer giant Moneygram International over
its continued dealings with Interfin. He said there was corruption at
Interfin and 'in the United States (where Moneygram is headquartered) you
have what is called the Foreign Corruption Act which they are liable to if
they are seen to be involved in corrupt activities. They will be linked to
these things if they are not careful,' he warned.

 

War vets leader Jabulani Sibanda stopped in his tracks

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Tichaona Sibanda
5 October 2010

War vets leader Jabulani Sibanda was on Saturday taken to task by MDC-T
legislators for sowing seeds of discord in the country.

Midway through a fiery speech at Chief Nhema's area in Zaka, the militant
Sibanda had to abandon his address when eight MDC-T MPs from Masvingo told
him he was 'out of order' and a danger to society.

The eight MP's were part of a group of officials from the MDC-T party who
included members of the provincial executive who were at the meeting. Chief
Nhema, under instructions from Sibanda, called for the meeting, threatening
villagers he would fine them $10 each if they failed to attend. Almost 2000
villagers attended out of fear.

But unknown to the war vets leader was the presence of the MDC-T MPs and
party officials mingling with the crowds.

'As soon as he took to the podium, we (MPs) went to the top table introduced
ourselves and sat down to listen to his speech. This was a feedback meeting
which had nothing to do with politics. The chief did not mention ZANU PF or
MDC when he forced people to attend the meeting,' MDC-T MP for Zaka North
Ernest Mudavanhu said.

Matters came to a head when Sibanda started denouncing Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai and the MDC. This did not go down well with the villagers who
started walking away.

'Upon seeing this Sibanda stood on top of the table and started sloganeering
and singing whilst at the same time summoning people to come back. Our
fellow MP Festus Dungu followed suit and stood with Sibanda on the same
table and started chanting MDC slogans,' Mudavanhu said.

Sibanda was forced to leave the stage and took refuge in his vehicle after
which his motorcade drove off. At his next venue he found other MDC-T
officials waiting for him and he called off the meeting.

'Instead of using such an occasion to build bridges, we find ourselves
fighting a small number of people like Sibanda, instigating division among
Zimbabweans,' the MP added.
Last week the MDC-T demanded that the police take action against Sibanda for
inciting violence and intimidating villagers in the Masvingo province.

He is reportedly criss-crossing the length and breadth of the province
intimidating people into supporting ZANU PF, ahead of an impending
referendum to either accept or reject a draft constitution.

At other meetings in Zaka, Sibanda reportedly told villagers that he had
been 'sent to warn all sell-outs in the area that ZANU PF is ready to kill
them' if they fail to join his party before campaigns for next elections
have begun.

'At one of the meetings he told villagers ZANU PF will kill more people than
they did in 2008. When we stopped him in his tracks at Chief Nhema he had
started threatening and intimidating villagers of the consequences of
supporting the MDC. We have all what he said on record,' Mudavanhu said.
Meanwhile villagers from Gutu central were beaten up over the weekend for
attending the burial of the late MDC-T district organising secretary, Ruka
Chiseva, who succumbed to injuries he sustained in the violent June
presidential elections run-off in 2008.
The MDC-MP for the area, Oliver Chirume, said some of the villagers
sustained serious injuries and were admitted to Gutu mission hospital where
they are getting treatment.

'People who attended the funeral of our late official are being tormented by
ZANU PF youths and war veterans. They pounced on about ten members at their
homestead and asked them why they were at the funeral while they had been
warned not to attend,' Chirume told Newsday.

Zimbabweans have long wait to get legal

http://www.businessday.co.za

Home affairs inundated but minister resists call to extend deadline, writes
Nastasya Tay
NASTASYA TAY
Published: 2010/10/05 06:17:36 AM

THE sun beat down on the thousands of hats, umbrellas, blankets and bare
heads in a queue of Zimbabwean migrants in Harrison Street in the
Johannesburg city centre yesterday.

Many have been waiting here since the night before, sleeping on the street
in an attempt to be close to the front of the line when the office doors
open so they can submit their applications for special work, study and
business permits that will enable them to work and live legally in SA.

In the shadow of the Department of Home Affairs building, Lindi Ncube
mutters that the doors have not even been opened yet today. It is 1pm. "They
are treating us like we are uncivilised here .. It's embarrassing having to
line up on the road like this."

Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told a United Nations
conference yesterday that the government has been "inspired" by undocumented
Zimbabwean migrants' and refugees ' positive response to its recent special
permit drive. Speaking in Geneva, at the executive session of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, Ms Dlamini-Zuma said "large volumes" of
Zimbabwean nationals have turned up at home affairs offices to take
advantage of the offer to "regularise their stay, (allow them to) live in
dignity in SA and to end the misery of living under the cloud of uncertainty
and vulnerability".

For many Zimbabweans , however, it is the "large volumes" that are the
problem.

The department said last week that it had received 6000 applications since
the start of the process on September 20, and 1100 permits had been
evaluated and awarded, with only eight rejections. But the department also
acknowledged that studies estimate there are 1,5-million Zimbabweans living
in SA.

Poor communication between home affairs headquarters and its regional
offices has created confusion for many, says Gabriel Shumba, director of the
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum.

Jacob van Garderen, director of Lawyers for Human Rights , says home affairs
officials are not consistently applying permit application requirements.
"The department needs to make this information clearly available, not only
to the public, but more specifically to their officials - so we work off the
same sheet."

Evermore Hungwe, a 34- year-old electrician, says he just wants to be able
to work without being harassed. "We contribute to the South African
 economy," he says, "and we contribute to our own economy by sending money
home."

Mr Hungwe has been waiting here for two days to submit his application . "I
will wait for as long as it takes," he insists.

At nearly 2pm the doors open . A stampede ensues.

Mr van Garderen says the period allocated to process the permits "won't be
able to even make a dent" in the number of people needing documentation.
"Come the end of December, the majority of Zimbabweans will still be
undocumented, and with the end of the special dispensation will be at risk
of being arrested and deported.

"A deadline is usually used as an incentive," he says, "but it's not really
necessary in this case. The majority will grab at this change to get
regularised."

Civil society groups have urged the state to extend the deadline but Ms
Dlamini-Zuma says this will not happen. "This offer will end on December
 31," she said in Geneva.

 

MDC threatens to take Home Affairs to court 

http://www.sabcnews.com/

October 05 2010 , 2:13:00

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is threatening to take the
Department of Home Affairs to court if they do not extend the deadline for
Zimbabwean Nationals in South Africa.

Zimbabwean Nationals have been given until December 31 to get their
documentation in order or face possible deportation. Home Affairs offices
across the country are inundated everyday with Zimbabweans trying to make
sure that they meet the deadline.

The MDC says with the volume of Zimbabweans applying for permits everyday,
not everyone will meet the deadline. They say if the Department of Home
Affairs refuses to extend the deadline, then they will meet in court.

"We are saying that we need more time. We have engaged with the minister
about this. Failure for the minister to extend the deadline we will take
them to court. It is our constitutional right," says MDC regional
chairperson, Rodrick Chimombe.

The MDC says most Zimbabweans see South Africa as their only escape route,
away from their own political and economic squabbles at home.

The Department of Home Affairs however says the deadline will not be
changed.

Villagers in Chiadzwa resist eviction

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Lance Guma
05 October 2010

Villagers in the diamond rich area of Chiadzwa are reported to have resisted
government attempts to evict them again. It's the second time government has
sought to evict them, following a similar aborted attempt last month. A
report in the Newsday newspaper says the villagers have defied an order from
the District Administrator to relocate to Arda Transau Farm in Odzi.

At least 44 families affected by the relocation plans have insisted on
getting compensation upfront before they move away from their villages and
make way for Canadile Miners and Mbada Diamonds, who were controversially
granted mining rights in the area.

The DA is reported to have visited individual families trying to 'persuade'
them to leave the area but the villagers have insisted that he address them
as a group rather than try to 'divide and rule' them through private visits.
The area has seen years of human rights abuses perpetrated by the army who
control operations, with villagers often forced to work in the diamond
fields by soldiers in the area.

Local MP Shuah Mudiwa from the MDC-T told Newsday that he was concerned
'that the government might resort to forcing out the families as their
demands are not being met.' The government has promised to immediately pay
the families US$1500 in disturbance allowances each, with full compensation
being paid once permanent structures have been put in place.

Mbada Diamond Mines is said to have pledged to construct permanent houses
for the families but is yet to finish the job and those already settled at
Arda Transau Farm are complaining of inadequate housing for their families,
Newsday reported. Human rights activist Farai Maguwu backed the stance of
the villagers, saying government had to compensate them first before
relocating them.

With the Kimberly Process international diamond certification scheme keeping
an eye on developments in Chiadzwa, particularly human rights abuses,
government will be reluctant to use forced evictions and the villagers
appear aware of the protection the situation has afforded them and are
holding out for a fair deal.
With diamond proceeds being estimated to reach billions over the years it
seems very unfair that the mining companies or the government itself are
taking a hesitant approach to offering the villagers immediate and full
compensation for moving them.
 

Zim MP Uses Fund For Healing Programme

http://news.radiovop.com/

05/10/2010 09:17:00

Mrewa, October 05, 2010 - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC -T) Murewa
west legislator Ward Nezi is using the US$50 000 Constituency Development
funding (CDF) to unite both perpetrators and victims of 2008 political
violence to work together on development projects in his constituency.

CDF is a funding availed to every legislator to develop his constituency.

Speaking at the official launch of the programme on Monday, Nezi said the
projects will be monitored by the villagers from both Zanu (PF) and MDC.

Villagers want to revive boreholes whose parts were vandalised so that they
can embark on market gardening projects.

Mrewa, was one of the areas, most affected by political violence in 2008.
The government established the organ on National Healing and Reconciliation
in February 2009 but critics say it has failed to fulfil its mandate.
 

Gukurahundi artist Maseko receives award for bravery

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

By Irene Madongo
05 October 2010

The artist who is being harassed for his exhibition about the Gukurahundi
atrocities committed under the Mugabe regime, has received a Human Rights
award for his bravery.

Owen Maseko's exhibition was displayed at the Bulawayo Art Gallery in March
but was soon closed down and he was arrested. Maseko was placed on remand on
charges of insulting the President. In August the government passed a law
banning his work and in September he was dragged to court to face charges of
'publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State'. He could be thrown into
prison for 20 years.

On Thursday the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition decided to give Maseko the
Democracy and Governance Individual Award in recognition of his bravery 'in
giving a face and voice to the Gukurahundi massacres through visual arts'.

Speaking about the award, Maseko told SW Radio Africa: "I have had such a
hard time since March. It was a really great thing for me, it was a good
thing for Crisis to recognise me."

His exhibition has come at a great personal cost to the artist. "I am
terribly under a lot of pressure. I am kind of living in an isolated
environment. Even my fellow artists don't want to associate with me anymore
and many other people around. Maybe because they are scared of sensitivity
of my matter or they wouldn't want to associate with me in case they get
harassed by the police. Human rights work is quite a lonely thing to do," he
said

He added that his family has also been under pressure, with his wife having
to make frequent prison and court visits.

The Gukurahundi era marks a dark time in Zimbabwe's history. Between 1982
and 1987 the Zimbabwean government headed by Robert Mugabe unleashed the
Korean trained Fifth Brigade on innocent civilians in the Matebeland and
Midlands provinces, killing more than 20,000 people.

"There is always a tribal reasoning when it comes to Gukurahundi. They
commonly say it is a Matabeleland problem. Maybe at some point the
government will come out there and say violation of human rights is
violation of human rights whether they are black, white or that tribe or
that religion," Maseko said.

 

Zimbabwe Receives Five Bids for Government’s 70% Stake in Zisco

http://www.businessweek.com

October 05, 2010, 6:52 AM EDT

By Brian Latham

Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe’s government received five bids for its 70
percent stake in Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Co., said Industry Minister
Welshman Ncube.

The offers are being reviewed by President Robert Mugabe, Ncube said in a
phone interview today from Harare, the capital. He declined to identify the
companies bidding for the stake.

“We will only name the companies after the president has reviewed the bids,”
Ncube said.

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. of India and ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. in
May had offers rejected by Mugabe, who said the companies were too big and
Zimbabwe needed a “medium-sized investor.”

The first round of bids, which closed on May 5, included Jindal,
ArcelorMittal, Murray and Roberts Ltd. and Reclamation Ltd. of South Africa,
Steelmakers Zimbabwe Ltd. and a group known as the Gateway Consortium.

Zisco, based in Redcliff in Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province, has debts of $228
million and is “not functional” because its blast furnace requires repairs,
the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported in May, without saying where
it got the information from.

At its peak, the company produced as much as 1 million metric tons of steel
annually and employed 4,000 people, making it sub-Saharan Africa’s largest
steelmaker outside South Africa.

HIV patients forced to pay up or go without

Photo: UNAIDS

Corruption has contributed to drug stock-outs as drugs are diverted to the black market

Harare, 5 October 2010 (PlusNews) - Rampant corruption in the provision of life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and other HIV services is threatening Zimbabwe's national AIDS response according to a recently released report by a local human rights group.

Commissioned by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in March 2010, the report - Corruption Burns Universal Access to Treatment - found that 73 percent of HIV-positive respondents had been asked to pay bribes by health workers. Most of those unwilling or unable to pay were turned away or given inadequate services.

Nurses at government hospitals and clinics were identified as the chief culprits, but support staff, including nurse aides and administrative personnel, were also implicated; doctors were rarely involved.

The findings were based on interviews with 1,024 people living with HIV in the provinces of Masvingo, Harare, Bulawayo and Manicaland. Most of the respondents lived in urban areas and 89 percent had a family income of less than US$100 a month.

Of the 747 respondents who had been asked for bribes, 57 percent were trying to access drugs, mainly ARVs; 24 percent needed diagnostic services; and 19 percent were asked for money to be enrolled in HIV programmes. The authors noted that the long waiting lists for enrolment at many hospitals drove desperate patients to pay bribes as high as $100.

HIV patients were often asked to pay for services that were supposed to be free; sometimes they were told that certain drugs were unavailable or that diagnostic equipment was broken until they paid a bribe, after which the equipment was declared functional and the service was given.

About a third of the respondents who were asked for bribes refused to pay them, mainly because of poverty; as a consequence, 63 percent were denied the service and had to pay for drugs or diagnostic tests in the private sector, or on the black market, or go without.

"The research findings reinforced the view that corruption in healthcare discourages treatment, testing, and other health-seeking behaviour," the researchers concluded.

"In these circumstances, the general attitude has been observed to shift towards resentment and resignation by [people living with HIV], who then give up on accessing essential medicines and diagnostic services."

Call for action

Martha Tholanah, an HIV/AIDS activist and member of the Zimbabwe Network of Positive Women, said the report shed light on a problem that HIV-positive Zimbabweans had been experiencing for "quite some time".

She told IRIN/PlusNews that there was a need for a system that would electronically record when patients collected their ARV medication. "This will weed out corrupt elements among health workers, and among people living with HIV."

If treatment is made conditional on corrupt practices, it could well be that the lives of those who cannot afford to pay bribes will be endangered

The programme manager of the HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Law Project at ZLHR, Tinashe Mundawarara, said: "The danger of these practices is that they create disincentives to invest in public health." He added that health workers were engaging in corrupt activities partly to subsidise their low salaries, but this should not be an excuse for government not to take action.

The report called for the government, civil society and Zimbabwe's Anti-Corruption Commission to take urgent measures to curb corruption in the health sector.

"If treatment is made conditional on corrupt practices, it could well be that the lives of those who cannot afford to pay bribes will be endangered," the authors noted, adding that the issue was even more pressing in Zimbabwe which has an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 14 percent.

Health minister Dr Henry Madzorera told IRIN/PlusNews he could not comment until his ministry's own investigations had confirmed any reports of corruption. "As a matter of policy our ministry will look into this matter thoroughly, and we urge members of the public to assist us by reporting to the police any corruption."

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Unite to oust Mugabe — Tekere

http://www.thezimbabwemail.com

04 October, 2010 11:40:00    BRIAN MANGWENDE

Hospitalised veteran nationalist and Zanu PF founder Edgar Tekere, whose
memoirs triggered heated public debate, has urged the two MDC formations
which split in 2005 over irreconcilable differences stemming from
participation in the then new Senate, to reunite and vigorously fight
President Robert Mugabe.

Speaking from a bed at St Anne’s Hospital where he is being treated for
cancer, Tekere — a former Cabinet minister and ex-Zanu PF influential
secretary-general — said the vanguard party should “not disgust future
generations” by its warped policies he blames for the country’s economic
meltdown.

Tekere said the MDC split was unfortunate but the two formations — one led
by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the other under the stewardship of
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara — should bury the hatchet and take
President Mugabe head-on.

The luminary of Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence told NewsDay that the
one-party state mentality was “highly addictive” and needed detoxifying.

He went on to castigate Tsvangirai for handing over power to President
Mugabe on a silver platter despite elbowing him out in the 2008 presidential
election.

Said Tekere: “I urge Tsvangirai and Mutambara to work together for the good
of the nation. The two parties need to reunite and fight (President) Mugabe.
They will never defeat him if they are not united. I know that man
(President Mugabe).

I can assure them that if they join hands and fight strongly, they will win.
Tsvangirai and Mutambara need to think again.

They need to do things in a smart way. Their goals need to be the same.”

The MDC was formed in September 1999 by people from various backgrounds who
did not necessarily share the same ideology or philosophy, but had one
common foe: President Mugabe. Undoubtedly, it became Zimbabwe’s strongest
opposition since independence in 1980.

Tsvangirai was in sixes and sevens to meet the expectations of individuals
from different socio-economic and political backgrounds, including
international donors and the business community, that resulted in the
infamous split Tekere wants patched.

The late Gibson Sibanda and the then secretary-general Welshman Ncube formed
a breakaway party now led by Mutambara while Tsvangirai stood his ground
supported by Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa and a string of other founding
members.

Meanwhile, Tekere snubbed the burial of his erstwhile colleague, the late
Mashonaland Central governor Ephraim Masawi, last week despite earlier
assurances to attend.

Masawi died of leukaemia and was controversially declared a national hero
prompting President Mugabe to demystify the myth of who should be buried at
the National Heroes’ Acre.

Tekere was approached by Information minister Webster Shamu and Youth
Development and Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere while in hospital
in a bid to pursuade him to attend Masawi’s burial at the Heroes’ Acre.

The late Masawi fell out of favour in some Zanu PF circles for attending the
launch of Tekere’s autobiography A Lifetime of Struggle.

“Masawi was hated by Zanu PF because he attended the launch of my book. What
nonsense is this?” Tekere asked.

His book was the second detailed personal account by a high-profile Zanu PF
politician after the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo’s The Story of My
Life.

Tekere reportedly told the two ministers he did not have the proper attire
to attend the burial and Kasukuwere chipped in saying that would not be a
problem as clothes would be provided.

Tekere claims he was bought a suit, tie, shoes and shirt to wear at the
funeral but he later changed his mind saying he would steal the thunder from
President Mugabe because, firstly, he would have to be transported by a
private ambulance “which costs $125 for the first hour and $50 thereafter”,
and secondly, he would become the centre of attraction because he would be
wheelchair-bound.

“I changed my mind,” Tekere said. “It would have been in bad taste. I did
not want to be the centre of attraction. Besides (President) Mugabe talks
for too long and my money would have gone down the drain.

“Kasukuwere even offered $1 000 to pay for the ambulance fees but I felt it
was not right to take his money and become the centre of attraction at
Heroes’ Acre.” - News Day

Zimbabwe Prime Minister's Party Accuses ZANU-PF of Stepping Up Intimidation

http://www.voanews.com

Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa charged that the Zimbabwe Republic
Police have done nothing about the alleged campaign of intimidation and must
prevent the harassment of innocent villagers in rural areas

Jonga Kandemiiri and Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 04 October 2010

The Movement for Democratic Change formation of Zimbabwean Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai has formally accused President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF of
stepping up its apparatus for intimidation by re-establishing youth militia
camps around the country ahead of a constitutional referendum and possible
elections next year.

An MDC report issued on the weekend said ZANU-PF militants led by Zimbabwe
National Liberation War Veterans Association Chairman Jabulani Sibanda has
been terrorizing villagers in the eastern provinces of Masvingo, Manicaland
and Mashonaland East in particular. It said Sibanda disrupted classes at
Nhema Primary School in Masvingo ordering teachers and school children to
attend his rallies. The MDC demanded that the police arrest Sibanda.

Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told VOA Studio 7 reporter reporter
Jonga Kandemiiri that the police have done nothing about the campaign of
intimidation and must prevent the harassment of innocent villagers.

ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said the MDC report has not been received by
his party, but he insisted that ZANU-PF does not condone violence.

Political analyst Ghubani Moyo told reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the
alleged disturbances by war veterans on behalf of ZANU-PF indicate the unity
government has failed to come to grips with political violence.

Kimberly Process Members Said Divided Over Zimbabwe Compliance Ahead of Key Meeting

http://www.voanews.com

Diamond polishers and African delegates have dismissed civil society reports
charging continued abuses and smuggling in Marange as well as obstruction by
security forces, and want Zimbabwe to be given free reign sell diamonds

Sandra Nyaira | Washington 04 October 2010

Members of a Kimberly Process review mission to Zimbabwe are said to be
divided on the question of compliance by Harare ahead of a November meeting
in Israel of the monitoring group. Sources say members ranging from diamond
polishers to civil society groups to government delegates disagree on what
should be in the report.

Polishers and African delegates have dismissed civil society reports
charging continued abuses and smuggling in the Marange alluvial diamond
field of eastern Zimbabwe, and want the Harare government to be given free
rein to sell its diamonds into the international market. At present Marange
diamond auctions are held under close supervision.

Some Kimberly Process review team members are said to have complained they
were prevented from obtaining a clear picture of the situation in Marange
due to close surveillance and interference by state security agents. The
team, led by Liberian Kpandel Fayia, is said to have many instances of
failed compliance with Kimberly standards.

The team also expressed concern at what it described as a large Chinese
venture in Marange in addition to Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Mining, which
the mission says were found to be in compliance. The Chinese operation by a
company called Unki is said to be much bigger than both Canadile Diamonds
and Mbada Mining.

Most members of the Kimberly review team are said to desire a show of good
faith by the Zimbabwean government in negotiations with the watchdog group
if it is to allow Harare to continue auctioning diamonds.

Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire confirmed that Chinese company Unki
is working in Marange, but dismissed reports that the operation is not in
compliance with Kimberly standards. Chimanikire said human abuses are a
thing of the past where the diamond-mining operations in Marange district,
Manicaland province, are concerned.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Regional Coordinator Dewa Mavhinga said civic
groups are worried the Kimberly Process may end up allowing Harare to
continue to diamonds despite its failure to fully comply with standards.

Meanwhile, the government says it it will bring charges against
London-listed African Consolidated Resources following a recent High Court
ruling saying the company fraudulently acquired rights to mine diamonds in
Marange. Attorney General Johannes Tomana confirmed that the state is moving
to prosecute ACR.

But ACR Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cranswick said his firm did nothing
wrong and adds that the Supreme Court ruling has been stayed by his firm's
appeal. The High Court judge in the case abruptly reversed an earlier
decision in favor of the London-traded company which held mining concessions
in Marange prior to 2006.

Elsewhere, the International Bar Association and a group of eminent retired
judges are reviewing Justice Charles Hungwe's ruling in which he rescinded
his earlier decision on ACR's Chiadzwa claims. The ruling last month
rescinded a September 2009 High Court judgment that had confirmed the ACR's
title to its diamond claims at Marange.

Sources said the judge was uncomfortable when he read his ruling recently,
making mistakes and was reading from a piece of paper after arriving late at
the courts late, which those familiar with his habits said was unusual.

Sources added that the report of court proceedings from the stenographer is
different from the ruling Hungwe sent to ACR, the state and other parties,
raising questions as to whether he was forced to read the ruling.

After Hungwe's about-face, the Mines Ministry and other parties quickly
withdrew their appeal of his September 2009 judgment. Cranswick said Monday
that the ministry's withdrawal coupled with ACR's rescission appeal has the
effect that the original judgment upholding ACR's rights in the field is now
back in force.

In its own appeal, ACR is challenging Hungwe's reversal of his own ruling.
He cited alleged new evidence showing that ACR had fraudulently acquired
mining rights because its operating subsidiaries were unregistered at the
time.

Failures to Complete Treatment Worsen TB Scourge

http://www.herald.co.zw/

5 October 2010

Harare - Government is concerned by the increasing cases of tuberculosis
patients who are defaulting on treatment saying this will result in deadly
multiple drug resistant tuberculosis.

The increasing number of patients failing to complete treatment courses is
militating against the national strategy to combat the ailment.

The national TB strategy seeks to reduce mortality, morbidity and
transmission of tuberculosis in Zimbabwe.

Of all cases detected last year, 9 percent of the patients failed to
complete the treatment course, increasing chances of multiple drug resistant
versions.

Speaking at a workshop on HIV and TB organised by the Southern African HIV
and Aids Information Dissemination Service last week, the Deputy Director
HIV and TB Unit, Dr Charles Sandy, said the normal defaulter rate should be
below 5 percent.

"Statistics from the country's provinces show that 9 percent of the total
patients detected of TB are not completing their course of drugs.

"This high level of defaulters is not good for the country that is battling
to tame the disease that has worsened with the spread of HIV and Aids in
Zimbabwe.

"The situation has been worsened by shortage of environmental health
technicians to trace defaulters," he said.

Statistics show Midlands province had the highest number of defaulters at
22, followed by Manicaland with 12 and Matabeleland North with 11 patients.

Dr Sandy said less than 30 percent of environmental health technician
vacancies were filled and the Government had not been able to retain the
technicians.

"Government will soon be embarking on an 18-month programme for EHTs to
bridge the gap between demand and availability of these technicians.
Shortage of health technicians has been worsened by increased HIV and Aids
cases," he said.

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare was forced to stop TB contact
tracing in early 2000 after increased demand of the service prompted by the
advent of the disease.

Dr Sandy said increased defaulting by patients was likely to lead to
heightened fears of multiple drug resistant version of the disease.

He said the ministry was finding it difficult to deal with defaulters who
when they started feeling better would rush to South Africa to look for work
before completing treatment.

TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and released into the air during
coughing by an infected person.

Government has targeted to detect 70 percent of all TB cases and
successfully treat 85 percent of them to minimise the economic burden caused
by disease on families and communities.

It also seeks to eliminate TB as a public health problem in Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe, diagnosis and treatment of TB is free. This was done to make
sure the disease is contained and does not remain a national problem.

According to statistics by the HIV, Aids and TB Unit, TB treatment rate was
still way below the 85 percent target set by Government, hence the need to
scale up the treatment literacy in the country.

Welshman Mabhena dies

http://www.swradioafrica.com/

by Staff Reporter
05 October 2010

Former PF ZAPU stalwart Welshman Mabhena died on Tuesday from an undisclosed
illness.

The 86 year-old was a veteran of Zimbabwe's independence war and was one of
the longest serving detainees at Gonakudzingwa prison in Gweru. He was
appointed as Matabeleland North governor but was dismissed in 2000,
reportedly for being too critical of government policies. Soon after the
dismissal Mabhena reported that his farm in Nkayi was invaded by villagers
loyal to local leaders.

On Tuesday a spokesman for ZIPRA Veterans Trust said: "We were aware he has
not been well for quite some time, but we never suspected it could be what
it has come out to be. We were looking forward to seeing and interacting
with him on the pressing issues affecting our country."

"Welshman Mabhena has always been frank in his deliberations and stood for
justice in all spheres of his life," said Marshall Mpofu, a member of ZIPRA
Veterans Trust.

Mabhena was a popular figure in Matabeleland, and condemned what he said was
the ZANU PF government's policy of depriving the region of development
projects.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be established.

Zimbabwe Cricket sign major sponsorship deal with Reebok

http://www.sportspromedia.com/

05 October 2010 | By Rahul Bhatt

Zimbabwe Cricket has signed a lucrative kit sponsorship deal with sports
manufacturer Reebok.

The sponsorship will see Reebok provide kits for all national teams and all
franchises where they are expected to benefit from the sale of replica
shirts. Zimbabwe is expected to start using the new kit as soon as possible,
and several franchises have already made the switch to the new suppliers.

The deal with the sports giants will see the end of Zimbabwean cricket's
relationship with local manufacturers Faith Wear, who have developed the
national team's uniforms over the past few years.

Zimbabwe Cricket managing director, Ozias Bvute confirmed the deal with
Reebok, saying: "I can confirm that an agreement has been reached with
Reebok but we will make a public announcement in the next few weeks. We are
currently finalising the details."

Reebok, a subsidiary of German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas, has
progressed steadily into the cricket market, already signing kit sponsorship
deals with Sri Lanka and the South African national cricket team, the
Proteas. Cricket is the second most popular sport in Zimbabwe after football
and commands a sizeable following. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) is the Zimbabwean
cricket governing body. Zimbabwe Cricket is a full member of the
International Cricket Council (ICC), and organises Test tours and One Day
Internationals. ZC also organises domestic cricket such as Metropolitan Bank
Twenty20 in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Cricket remains one of the most controversial boards in
international cricket. The governing board gained notoriety during the early
millennium when the majority of the team quit because of the country's
political situation. This resulted in a much more inexperienced side being
used and Zimbabwe being stripped of their Test status.
 

Something fishy at Harare Town House

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

5th Oct 2010 14:37 GMT

By Takura Zhangazha

Something is not right with the Harare City Council (HCC). There is a road
that has had a number of senior government and council officials cut ribbons
over.

It is called the Joshua Nkomo Freeway. It comes from Harare International
Airport, is interrupted by the Hatfield residential area, resumes next to
Cranborne Barracks and ends rather abruptly close to a stone quarry.

The road is not open to traffic, since it is neither tarred nor continuous.

In fact, that road goes nowhere.

The government, both central and local, initially told us that this road was
meant to ease traffic jam from the airport during the Fifa World Cup that
was held in South Africa this past June.

Well, that global event came and went with the road still unfinished. I know
that the HCC attempted to institute investigations into the matter, but got
somewhat shocked into abandoning the so-called investigation after Deputy
Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe officiated at the road's ground-breaking
ceremony together with Local Government and Urban Development minister
Ignatius Chombo.

And there are a number of other issues that the HCC seems to be in a
quandary over.

This includes the matter concerning the vast tracts of city land that have
somehow found their way into the hands of the controversial Phillip
Chiyangwa.

Indeed, the council undertook a land audit and almost the whole of the
council, and four journalists, were arrested and charged with criminal
defamation.

Since then, news reports have been indicating that the council no longer has
a clearly common position on the matter of the acquisition of a lot of city
land by one man.

Stories about deals concerning dropping of criminal charges in exchange for
a stay on the land audit have made the occasional and somewhat unnoticed
appearance in state media newspapers.

The HCC has remained muted on these stories, ostensibly because it's a
matter before the courts.

This may be true but it remains inadequate.

A question that must be addressed is whether or not all of the alleged land
deals undertaken by the previous commission have been suspended pending the
finalisation of the land audit issue as well as a verification of facts.

Further, the city council must also make very public all of its policies on
land that is not currently being utilised for anything, or alternatively
land that the council would intend to utilise for various reasons.

This is because keeping the issues of land usage under the wraps will only
serve to increase the endemic lack of transparency and accountability in
council corridors.

It will also serve to protect those that have been attempting to enrich
themselves through dubious land deals with unelected local government
officials in the past.

Certain members of the HCC may argue that it's problematic dealing with the
Ministry of Local Government because of its continued interference in
council affairs.

The point, however, is to not skirt away from the challenge seemingly
because Chombo appears invincible or even well- connected in the corridors
of power and business.

The issue is to initially depersonalise all of these enquiries and acquire
full public support.

This would include the HCC adopting what it can call its performance
charter, based on democratic local government principles.

This would also involve a complete review of all local government by-laws
and other policies in order to arrive at a new plan for the city that takes
into account the strengths and flaws of the manner in which the City of
Harare has been run since independence in 1980.

It is public knowledge that most of the systems that are still being used to
administer the city were adopted from the colonial or Salisbury era.

These systems have never been subjected to a holistic review by any sitting
council.

There have been numerous stories of corruption by local and national
government officials, which have rarely come to light due to the ineptitude
of our council system to deal effectively with these issues.

It is not because our councillors are uneducated. It is because the system
no longer works adequately and is, therefore, exploited by shady
businesspeople as well as persons in government authority.

I hope that the HCC gets to the bottom of the airport road scandal and that
the land audit is published for full public appreciation.

But the bigger issue is literally reforming our archaic and somewhat ancient
administrative system for Harare.

It must be made more democratic, and the council must begin to listen more
attentively to the voices of the residents.

If it does not, it may suffer the same fate of previous councils that were
arbitrarily replaced by partisanly-appointed commissioners.

And once again, everything will be in the dark.

Takura Zhangazha can be contacted on kuurayiwa@gmail.com and this article
was first published by Newsday.
 

Zimbabwean journalist's film picked for prestigious award

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

5th Oct 2010 15:57 GMT

By a Correspondent

AWARD-winning Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Rugoho Chin'ono has been
nominated for a prestigious Rory Peck award honouring freelance camerawork
in a news or current affairs feature.

Chin'ono's film, "A Violent Response" was picked to be among three other
finalists who will travel to London in November for the awards ceremony. The
film about Zimbabwe's violent land reform programme was broadcast on
K24-Kenya.

Chin'ono, named CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the year in 2008 and
recently was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, is the founder and film
director for Television International, Zimbabwe, whose first major break was
his story 'Pain in My Heart' which showcased the HIV/Aids problem in his
country.

Rory Peck's director Tina Carr says in a statement: " This Award is part of
the prestigious Rory Peck Awards. It honours freelance camerawork in a news
or current affairs feature: an in-depth piece which looks beyond the
immediacy of a news story. This Award was judged in London on 29 September
2010 by a panel of news professionals, both executive and freelance."

Carr says the November event is the only one in the world that celebrates
freelancers' work, so all the finalists will attend and participate in the
ceremony, so the organization can raise their profile and showcase their
work.

Chin'ono said he was honoured to be picked as a finalist for the prestigious
award. He salutes his colleagues in the Zimbabwean media and others
scattered far and wide for helping him produce the short film.

"I am forever grateful for your support in the pre and post production
periods of this documentary film," he said.

The Rory Peck Trust supports freelance newsgatherers and their families
worldwide in times of need and promotes their welfare and safety.
 

An Update on Vanavevhu

---

October 5, 2010, 11:16 am

By THE EDITORS

Around the same time Nick first wrote about Abel and his orphaned family in Zimbabwe, "On the Ground" highlighted two organizations at work in the area: World Bicycle Relief (which ultimately started a bicycle distribution and training program in Abel's community), and Vanavevhu, an organization that takes care of and trains child head of households to build self-sustaining businesses. Below is an update from John Rex-Waller, a board member of Vanavevhu:

Abel's story appears to have been a success, and any success in Zimbabwe must be celebrated. But efforts to help Zimbabwe's children face obstacles beyond the practical and logistical-even for those working from within the society. Recent events about 100 miles south of Abel's rural home provide a sobering counterpoint.

Vanavevhu Vanavevhu assists orphans whose parents died of AIDS, while also training them on how to create self-sustaining businesses.

Since January of this year, Vanavevhu has been working in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city, to alleviate the problems faced by child-heads of households, orphaned by AIDS and left to look after their younger siblings. Vanavevhu's initial goal was to provide resources to help stabilize the lives of these neglected young people-food, school fees for younger brothers and sisters, and utilities (with Bulawayo's constant power outages, keeping the lights on presents a continuing challenge for all the city's residents).

Thirteen young heads of households now meet regularly during the week in a shared community hall to learn how to budget, pay bills, save, and cope with their enormous responsibilities, developing hope for a future they didn't know they might aspire to. Nine months into the program, they have become a group of confident teenagers-laughing, arguing, dreaming-a magnificent change from where they were when a future beyond day-to-day survival was unimaginable.

The kids have now embarked on the second phase of Vanavevhu's development plan-a small commercial beekeeping operation. They have placed beehives in the bush and on local farms to attract colonies during the upcoming swarming season for African bees. (It's a good sign when a hive temporarily left outside a back door is colonized overnight!) Bee farming provides two resources desperately needed in the community: wax for candles and honey as a sweetener. Beekeeping can therefore integrate the children into the community in ways that other income-generating projects-like making beaded bracelets and dolls to sell overseas-cannot. Vanavevhu's candles can help light the way when power fails and Vanavevhu honey will provide a local sweetener in place of imported sugar. Instead of dependant orphans, the community will see young entrepreneurs vital to Zimbabwe's future.

The town council, indeed, has been very welcoming, offering these deserving young people not only the use of the local community hall for their meetings and programs, but a small piece of land perfect for Vanavevhu's beekeeping enterprise. The unused land, previously designated by the city for use by orphans, even has a borehole-and water is a critical resource in the semi-arid area around Bulawayo. The kids began planning a market garden and flowers to feed their bees.

But last week, as the kids and Vanavevhu staff were re-erecting fences and working the hard ground of their new garden, a horde of middle-aged women and men descended upon them, pushing and shoving, chasing them away in a shower of invective. Among the claims, "We fought for this piece of land-it is ours!" In other words, ours to use or not use, ours to give or not give. Some of the mob followed one of the kids home, questioning her on Vanavevhu's motives and aims. They turned up again the next day at the community hall and prevented the kids from entering for their regular session. Ironically, the topics the kids were scheduled to discuss at the community hall that day included anger management techniques-and a very practical lesson for frightened and furious teenagers took place later at the home of the executive director.

Vanavevhu The disputed land in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Clearly the issue goes beyond the small patch of dirt being tilled by the children. Certainly, desperation and enduring poverty have created resentments that cause some to begrudge others the opportunity to do better for themselves. Equally certain, there are those who exploit those resentments in the exercise of power and patronage. The question is, what to do next?

Vanavevhu will continue its work, but the kids will not be put at risk of further violence. Their meeting place has been changed, the group is now meeting at a church hall. Another piece of land will be found. The beehives will be installed. Wax and honey will be produced. These kids will be part of Zimbabwe's future, giving back to their community. They will proceed carefully, no longer wearing, as they proudly have, their Vanavevhu tee-shirts. Intimidation has worked, for a time. But it cannot be sustained forever. Vanavevhu will continue its work to produce the next generation of thoughtful, wiser Zimbabweans, who will look back and know what not to do as they lead their country out of its abyss.

Funds to complete a modest honey production facility (including tables, wax melters, candle molds, buckets, and bottles) are desperately needed. For more information, visit Vanavevhu.

World Divided Over New Scramble for African Land

http://allafrica.com/stories/201010040147.html

Paul Redfern

4 October 2010

Nairobi - A World Bank report has confirmed that 45 million hectares of land
in developing countries were bought in 2009, a tenfold jump from the
previous decade.

Moreover, two-thirds of these controversial "land grabs" have been in Africa
where critics say public and governmental institutions offer weak defences
against western multinationals and Far Eastern state companies seeking farm
land for food and biofuels.

While many development agencies and African campaigners are aghast at the
latest news some believe that good land development projects are exactly
what the world needs to solve the food crisis as they bring investment,
knowhow, and transport links, as well as creating jobs.

But the morality of the global land rush is finely balanced and even the
World Bank appears deeply torn.

While the report endorses the Bank's open-door globalisation agenda, the
report acknowledges "large land acquisitions come at a high cost. The veil
of secrecy that often surrounds these deals must be lifted," it said.

It warns of a "resource curse" that may enrich a small elite, leaving
wreckage behind. Proposals are not properly screened. Peasants are forcibly
displaced.

Communal grazing lands are closed off. Some investors manipulate opinion
with a media blitz of false promises. Nothing has been produced so far on
almost 80 per cent of the land purchased.

Euan Denholm/IRIN

... two-thirds being in Africa where ...

Benefits are often minimal, "even non-existent." In Africa, the land rush is
diverting effort from the core task of helping small farmers raise yields.

The Bank implicitly questions whether it is wise to divert half of the
world's increased output of maize and wheat over the next decade into
biofuels to meet government "mandates."

Theoretical reservoir

However, the world needs more food and there is a theoretical reservoir of
445 million hectares of unforested cropland in the world, on top of the 1.5
billion hectares in production.

"Productive agricultural land with water on site, will be very valuable in
the future. And I've put a good amount of money into that," Michael Burry, a
Western entrepreneur told the Daily Telegraph.The issue has set off a fierce
backlash in particular in Madasgascar, where a deal with Korea's Daiwoo
Logistics to plant corn on territory half the size of Belgium led to the
downfall of the government in 2008. The lease was subsequently revoked when
the new president said "Madagascar's land is neither for sale nor for rent."

The allure of African land is obvious. The World Bank says industrial and
"transition" countries are losing 2.9 million hectares of cultivated
farmland each year.

China is paving over its fertile belt on the eastern seaboard, and depleting
the water basin of the North China Plain for crop irrigation.

The World Bank says global food production needs to rise 70 per cent by 2050
to meet a triad of converging demands: Extra mouths; rising use of animal
feed from grains as Asia moves towards a more meat-based diet; and the
biofuel drive.

This, the Telegraph report notes "will not be easy. The great leap forward
in crop yields is fading."

The World Bank said rises in wheat and soya yields have declined from two
per cent a year to zero since the 1970s in the West. Yield growth for rice
and soya in emerging economies has fallen from three per cent to one per
cent.

"With few breakthrough technologies on the horizon, the scope for yield
gains seems lower than in the past. Irrigation has contributed to past
growth in crop yields, but water scarcity in many regions is now a major
constraint," it said. The Green Revolution is "exhausted."

Wheat prices have doubled since June. The World Bank said the number of
people who go to bed hungry each night has risen from 830 million to more
than one billion over the past three years.

Governance Improves in Liberia, Angola, Togo But Declines in Eritrea,
Madasgascar

http://allafrica.com/stories/201010040519.html

John Allen

4 October 2010

Cape Town - Governance standards have improved significantly in Angola,
Liberia and Togo over the past four years, but have declined in Eritrea and
Madagascar, according to a leading survey assessing the quality of
governance across Africa.

This year's edition of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, released in
Johannesburg on Monday, shows that Mauritius remains Africa's best-governed
country, with a score of 82 out of a possible 100 on the index. Somalia is
still the worst-governed nation, with a score of 8.

Liberia's score showed the biggest increase, from 32 in 2004/05 to 44 in
2008/09, the latest years for which data are available. Angola's score also
rose steadily over the four years, from 31 to 39, while Togo's improved from
36 to 43.

All three countries nevertheless remained in the bottom half of the
continent's rankings. Of 53 nations surveyed, Liberia was in 36th place,
just ahead of Niger and Mauritania and immediately behind Cameroon and
Ethiopia. Togo was in 39th and Angola in 43rd place.

Eritrea's score on the index dropped from 40 to 33 over the four years, and
it was ranked in 49th place, only four places above bottom-ranked Somalia,
where the federal government does not even control the whole of the capital,
Mogadishu.

MiaFarrow

Participation by citizens and human rights and...

Madagascar, where there was an unconstitutional seizure of power 18 months
ago, saw its score on the index drop from 56 to 48, but it remained higher
on the rankings, as the 29th best-governed country in Africa.

Africa's best-governed countries after Mauritius are the Seychelles,
Botswana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Tunisia, Lesotho and
Egypt.

Somalia is followed as the worst-governed country in Africa by Chad, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Sudan, the Central African
Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire.

The survey indicates that the continent's best-governed region is Southern
Africa, with an average score on the index of 57, followed by North Africa
(54), West Africa (50), East Africa (45) and Central Africa (38).

The Ibrahim index is produced by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which was
founded by the Sudanese cellphone entrepreneur of the same name. The
foundation describes the index as "a tool to hold governments to account and
frame the debate about how we are governed."

Citing what it saw as the most interesting trends seen in this year's
survey, the foundation said more than 40 countries had seen "some form of
improvement" in the categories of sustainable economic opportunity and human
development.

"Generally, African citizens are healthier and have more access to economic
opportunities than was the case five years ago .

"However, the category that gender sits within, participation and human
rights, makes for less encouraging reading. Thirty of Africa's 53 states
have declined in participation and human rights performance over the past
five years - notwithstanding some improvements around gender issues.

"Overall . the impressive sustained economic progress and human development
on the continent stand in contrast to deterioration in national performance
in security, rule of law, participation and rights."

The index measures the delivery of public goods and services by government
and non-state entities, using four main categories - including 88 criteria -
by which to judge the performance of nations: safety and the rule of law,
participation by citizens and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity
and human development.

It has laid emphasis in recent years on boosting the role of African
scholars in producing the index, and this year cites the involvement of
institutions from Benin, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.

Introducing this year's index, Mo Ibrahim said the index had strengthened
the assessment of governments' commitment to gender equality by adding
indicators assessing women's political and economic rights and examining
legislation combating violence against women. It had also introduced
indicators assessing the provision of anti-retroviral treatment.

But the survey acknowledged important shortcomings in the compilation of the
index: "Many crucial indicators of governance, such as poverty and health
statistics, could not be included as the data are not sufficiently
comprehensive," it said. "The future provision of robust data, including
health and poverty statistics, from African sources is a core priority."

Scores achieved in selected countries:
Botswana - 74
South Africa - 70
Namibia - 67
Ghana - 64
Lesotho - 60
Egypt - 59
Senegal - 57
Tanzania - 54
Malawi and Mozambique - 52
Uganda and Libya - 51
Kenya - 50
Rwanda and Madagascar - 48
Ethiopia and Liberia - 44
Nigeria - 43
Cote d'Ivoire - 38
Guinea and Equatorial Guinea - 36
Eritrea and Sudan - 33
Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo - 32

CHRA Alert