http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:20
BY NQABA MATSHAZI
MORE than 8 000 people yesterday thronged
Gwanzura Stadium to mark MDC-T’s
12th year anniversary. The colourful crowd
started gathering at about midday
and by lunch time, the stadium was packed
to the rafters.
MDC-T legislators had an elaborate entrance while party
leader Morgan
Tsvangirai came in a convoy of luxury cars, before going
around the stadium
saluting party supporters.
A highlight of the
afternoon was when university lecturer, John Makumbe
announced that he
intended to contest the Buhera West seat in the next
election. “I always
thought that as an academic I should be neutral, but now
I want to contest
the Buhera West constituency,” he said.
The seat is presently held by
Eric Matinenga. When told that he could not
covet that seat, Makumbe shot
back that the constituents said they wanted a
“white man”.
Makumbe is an
Albino.
Party chairman, Lovemore Moyo’s speech was drowned by the
entrance of Hosea
Chipanga as the crowd started singing chanting his name,
rendering the last
parts of the Speaker of Parliament’s speech
inaudible.
The active Chipanga was then asked to sing and he did not
disappoint,
keeping the thousands entertained with his electric but mystic
gyrations.
MDC-T also took advantage of the occasion to honour its
luminaries.
Founding MDC leader Gibson Sibanda was also awarded
posthumously. There were
fears that the celebrations would be disrupted
after Zanu PF supporters
clashed with vendors in Highfields earlier in the
week.
But there were no reports of violence. On Friday evening the party
held a
dinner at a Harare hotel as part of the celebrations.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:03
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
As the government intensifies its moves to control platinum
miner, Zimplats,
through its indigenisation law, it has emerged that the
late retired General
Solomon Mujuru tried to muscle his way into the mining
giant, claiming he
was literally running the country.
Mujuru
is said to have tried to convince the mining firm to choose him as
its
indigenisation partner and in return he would offer them “protection”
from
the Chinese, whom President Robert Mugabe had identified as the best
suitors
for Zimplats, whistleblower website, WikiLeaks has revealed.
The late
former army general is reported to have claimed that Mugabe was
“quite
unstable” and was subject to frequent mood swings and that he
(Mujuru) was
virtually running the country on a day-to-day basis.
The then Zimplats
CEO, Greg Sebborn, reportedly informed US embassy
officials that the company
had sought audience with Mugabe, over
insinuations that the Chinese had been
offered a stake in the platinum
mining concern.
Zimplats, owned by
South African platinum-mining conglomerate, Implats, is
currently embroiled
in an ownership wrangle with government after the
Minister of Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment,
Saviour Kasukuwere
rejected its empowerment proposals.
Sebborn claims the Chinese, despite
their lack of technology to process
platinum, were interested in Zimbabwe’s
mining concerns which they would
reportedly buy cheaply and later sell at a
higher price.
The failure to meet Mugabe opened the way for Mujuru, who
claimed the
president had already identified an indigenous partner for
Zimplats, but he
(Mujuru) offered the company “protection” if they appointed
him its
indigenous partner.
“Sebborn noted that in so doing, Mujuru was
going against Mugabe’s wishes.
“Mugabe had personally picked out
Zimplats’ indigenous partner, a group that
had so far been unable to obtain
the financing needed to buy into the
company,” reads the secret
cable.
Mujuru said he could also stave off the Chinese from Zimbabwe’s
platinum
deposits and that he would offer the company
protection.
Eric Schultz, the US embassy’s Charge D’Affairs then, said
Zimplats
concluded that Mujuru’s claims that he was running the country
could have
been exaggerated to magnify his “protection” offer, but was
consistent with
other reports that revealed that Mugabe could have been
running the country
“episodically.”
“It is consistent with other
reports we have been hearing that while Mugabe
remains firmly in control, he
is exercising that control only episodically.
“The result is an
increasing and growing power vacuum,” reads the cable.
ZIMPLATS FACES
CLOSURE
Zimplats is in the eye of a storm with the government stepping up
efforts to
ensure that a major stake in the company is passed on to
indigenous
Zimbabweans.
Indigenisation minister, Saviour Kasukuwere
last week claimed he had set in
motion processes to have the company’s
mining licence revoked, as it had
failed to comply with indigenisation
laws.
However, last week the government appeared to have relented
following the
announcement that the mining company would be given up to
November to submit
fresh indigenisation plans.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:11
BY NQABA MATSHAZI
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday
revealed that President Robert
Mugabe had confided in him in the aftermath
of the WikiLeaks cables that
revealed that Zanu PF members were revealing
party secrets to US embassy
officials.
Addressing the party’s 12th
anniversary celebrations at Gwanzura Stadium,
Tsvangirai said Mugabe had
come to him stunned by the revelations made in
cables released by the
whistleblower website more than a week ago.
“Who could have thought we
could sit with Zanu PF and Mugabe?” Tsvangirai
asked. “Now Mugabe comes to
me saying, look our people are running to the
Americans.”
The cables
revealed shocking details of the power struggle within Zanu PF
and how party
members had clandestinely met with US embassy officials.
The cables
allege that Vice- President Joice Mujuru, her late husband
Solomon and
central bank governor, Gideon Gono were the principal
high-ranking
government officials to confide in the US envoys.
“Jonathan Moyo said we
were sell outs and should be arrested, now who has
sold out the most?” the
premier asked.
However, Tsvangirai did not touch on the cables that
fingered his party’s
members who allegedly said him and his office were weak
and indecisive.
The party members are also said to have raised concern at the
people
Tsvangirai chose to surround himself with.
MDC READY FOR
ELECTIONS ANYTIME: TSVANGIRAI
On the inclusive government, Tsvangirai
said it was a cross that had to be
borne. “It was a painful compromise,
which used the wrong formula, where the
loser assumes power through the
backdoor,” he said.
The MDC-T leader said the inclusive government was
necessary, giving an
allegory of an old man who dies: “you do not just rush
to bury him, rather
the burial rites take a while”.
He said he was
ready for elections, but his party wanted polls that had the
green light of
Sadc, African Union and the United Nations. “How can I be
afraid of
elections when I won the last one, we can have an election anytime
but with
set benchmarks like constitution, a referendum and a legitimate
delimitation
exercise,” Tsvangirai told party members filled in Gwanzura
Stadium.
The premier said the country was saddled with conflict of
policy, where
Mugabe says one thing today and ministers from his party did
another, giving
an example of the indigenisation policy.
Mugabe
recently said foreign investments were safe in the country, yet
Indigenisation minister, Kasukuwere threatened to shut Zimplats for failure
to comply with indigenisation laws.
Tsvangirai said he wanted to
reassure security chiefs that even if the MDC-T
were to assume leadership,
they would not be victimised, but rather would be
integrated into the new
system.
Meanwhile, moments before the MDC-T leader spoke, party youths
were involved
in an orgy of violence where they fought among themselves
uncontrollably for
more than 10 minutes.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:27
BY NQABA
MATSHAZI
JUST over a week since the last batch of wikiLeaks cables was
released, the
major theme is that the leaders of the two biggest parties,
Zanu PF and
MDC-T, are isolated and do not have the backing of their
immediate
lieutenants.
The cables harp on the fissures in Zanu PF,
but for the first time, they
reveal the extent to which President Robert
Mugabe is isolated — that almost
everyone in the party, including his
vice-presidents, have had enough of the
veteran ruler and would love to see
his back.
But more spectacularly, the cables reveal that neither does
Morgan
Tsvangirai command the respect of top members of his party, who
revealed to
US embassy officials that their leader was out of his depth and
did not have
the capacity to lead the political movement.
MDC-T
organising secretary, Nelson Chamisa is reported to have said that the
Prime
Minister’s Office was weak, while Obert Gutu described Tsvangirai as
weak
and indecisive.
The most damning appraisal, however, was from Roy Bennet,
who claimed that
Tsvangirai was badly advised and relied on communications
mogul, Strive
Masiyiwa, for counsel and the PM’s advisor was literally the
last person who
walked out of his door.
This seems to have been
corroborated by Chamisa, who said Tsvangirai’s
reliance on advice from US
advisor, Melinda Farris, was causing tension in
the party. MDC-T secretary
general, Tendai Biti and Farris were reported to
have been at
odds.
Bennet also claimed that Tsvangirai was weak and indecisive,
something that
former US envoy to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, had also
pointed out. Dell’s
statements were easily dismissed. The party claimed that
it was his opinion
and that this was subjective.
But now that party
stalwarts have also said the same, it sheds more light
into the MDC-T
leader’s conduct. The wave of denials from all those fingered
in the leaks
was predictable, if not obvious, but this is akin to closing
the stables
after the horses have bolted out.
Chamisa reaffirmed his support for
Tsvangirai, while Gutu dismissed ever
uttering the words attributed to him.
MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora said
since last December, the party had
resolved not to comment about WikiLeaks.
But political analysts reckon
this might not be the best move, as ignoring
the leaks would weaken the way
the party would handle future interpersonal
relations. Political analyst,
Ibbo Mandaza said criticism of the PM’s Office
was predictable as this was a
parallel structure that instead should be
integrated into
government.
“Ian Makone should be deputy to Misheck Sibanda — that way,
the operations
of the MDC-T and that of the government would be
coordinated,” he said. “As
it is, they are running a separate office and
that weakens it.”
Makone heads the Prime Minister’s Office, while Sibanda
is the chief
secretary to the President and Cabinet. Mandaza said it was
nothing new that
the Prime Minister was weak, but it was damning that people
who were
supposed to take the baton from Tsvangirai thought that of
him.
The political analyst, who three years ago was part of
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn,
a third way movement, said the cables revealed that
while both Mugabe and
Tsvangirai claimed popularity, both were isolated and
their presumed support
could have been exaggerated.
But another
analyst differed, saying it was curious that the latest cables
affected the
promising young politicians. “We don’t have to read much into
the cables.
Maybe they are machinations meant to destabilise the country,”
Alexander
Rusero said.
“The latest cables are only targeting promising politicians
in the parties
like Chamisa, Gutu, Saviour Kasukuwere and others in Zanu PF.
“We cannot
take anything they say for gospel truth.”
Wellington
Gadzikwa, a media lecturer and analyst said the cables showed
that
politicians were not worth trusting as they did not subscribe to what
they
preach. “What they say in public is different from what they do during
the
night,” he said.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:25
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
FACTIONALISM in Zanu PF has always been
dismissed as a creation of the media
but the explosive United States
diplomatic cables released by the
whistleblower website WikiLeaks have
opened a can of worms.
The underlying message from the information
volunteered to the American
diplomats by senior officials is that Zanu PF is
a party at the crossroads
because of President Robert Mugabe’s reluctance to
voluntarily hand over the
baton.
Almost everyone, including his wife
Grace, wants Mugabe to retire but none
of the Zanu PF leaders had the
courage to challenge him, the cables have
revealed. Analysts believe the
disclosures will reshape the way Zanu PF does
its business going
forward.
Two factions led by Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Defence
minister
Emmerson Mnangagwa respectively, have always been known to exist.
However,
there has been talk of a military element fronted by Zimbabwe
Defence Forces
Commander Constantine Chiwenga.
The cables so far have
portrayed the Mujuru faction as very close to the
Americans and more
desperate to see Mugabe’s back. Mujuru’s late husband,
Solomon, a retired
army general is one of the most quoted Zanu PF
politicians in the
cables.
The Vice-President herself is reported to have met an American
ambassador
and volunteered information about Zanu PF. So far Mnangagwa has
been left
unscathed, save for a speculative cable that claimed he once
manhandled
Mugabe during a heated argument and another that suggested he had
engaged in
secret talks with MDC-T leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Observers speculate that Mna-ngagwa will emerge stronger from
the WikiLeaks
debacle. “Claims that Mnangagwa manhandled Mugabe will portray
him as a
fearless party strongman encouraging more support for his cause,”
said
Bekithemba Mpofu, a political analyst.
“The fact that nothing
significantly negative was revealed will strengthen
his position. “On the
other hand, the death of the VP’s husband and
WikiLeaks revelations have
dealt a real blow to the Mujuru faction.”
But Trevor Maisiri of the
Africa Reform Institute believes the cables have
not handed any faction any
advantage. “I think inasmuch as the WikiLeaks
cables are damaging to Mujuru,
I don’t think the benefit is directly
transferable to Mnangagwa either,” he
said.
“What the WikiLeaks have done is cause a major stirring of the
waters
within the Zanu PF leadership. “They have increased the levels of
suspicion
and there will be uneasiness over the personal motives of each
person within
the hierarchy of the party.”
Maisiri said even those
who have not been touched by the cables will still
be held in suspicion in
Zanu PF. “The effects on Zanu PF are not merely just
individual damage but
it is collective,” he said.
“The question many will ask is: besides the
ones who have been exposed, who
else has escaped exposure but is otherwise
contemptuous. “So Mujuru may have
been tainted in the succession battle but
it does not mean anyone gained
leverage.
“In fact, everyone is
suspiciously considered since the WikiLeaks have only
exposed possibilities
but not the entirety.” A number of analysts believed
Mujuru lived in her
husband’s shadow and will not be able to handle Zanu PF’s
sometimes
unorthodox battles for power.
However, Zanu PF politics is known to be
very fluid and Mujuru can still
turn the tables.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September
2011 15:18
BY PATIENCE NYANGOVE
ZANU PF politburo member Nathan
Shamuyarira discussed President Robert
Mugabe’s succession with former
United States ambassador Christopher Dell at
a time the octogenarian leader
had upped his war against the envoy.
Mugabe and some Zanu PF hardliners
accused Dell of working with the
opposition MDC to effect regime change in
Zimbabwe. Dell had several
confrontations with the Zimbabwe government
because of his uncompromising
stance on misgovernance and human rights
violations.
According to the secret cable made public by WikiLeaks last
week,
Shamuyarira met with Christopher Dell prior to Zanu PF’s 2006 annual
conference. He allegedly speculated that the succession debate would likely
be finalised in 2007.
The former information minister suggested that
former Finance minister and
now leader of Mavambo/Kusile, Simba Makoni,
Vice-Presidents Nkomo and Joice
Mujuru, the late Vice-President Joseph
Msika, and Emmerson Mnangagwa were
the most likely candidates to succeed
Mugabe.
“Makoni was a serious candidate, although ‘a dark horse’ due to
his absence
from the political limelight,” Dell wrote in the cable.
Shamuyarira
dismissed suggestions that Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono
was also in
the running for the presidency.
“Shamuyarira dismissed
the ambassador’s suggestion that Reserve Bank
Governor Gideon Gono also
appeared to be in the running. Gono was a good
performer on economic matters
and made ‘good copy,’ according to the former
journalist, but he would ‘be
massacred’ if he stepped into the political
ring,” Dell wrote in the
cable.
Zanu PF accuses Americans of trying to recolonise Zimbabwe.
Shamuyarira, who
has since taken a backseat in Zanu PF politics, was not
available for
comment. Meanwhile, US Ambassador Charles Ray on Friday
attended a dinner to
celebrate MDC-T’s 12th birthday
celebrations.
Ray mingled with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and other
senior MDC-T
officials at a city hotel, despite the rancour caused by US
diplomatic
cables released by WikiLeaks.
He however, refused to be
interviewed by a journalist from The Standard,
referring all the questions
to the Public Affairs section of the US embassy.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:14
BY OUR
STAFF
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe consulted a United Nations (UN) specialist
about
some of his medical problems, a leaked United States diplomatic cable
has
revealed. The claims by former UN resident representative Victor Angelo
contained in the cable publicised by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks
might be the most credible information yet about the octogenarian’s health,
which is a closely guarded secret.
Angelo spoke to the former US
ambassador to Zimbabwe, Joseph Sullivan.“According
to Angelo, Mugabe’s
ailments include periodic convulsions and stroke-like
episodes (perhaps
ischemia) brought on by diabetes and a lipid disorder
which affects the
covering of the brain,” Sullivan said in the dispatch.
“He apparently
suffered one of these episodes several weeks ago, although he
never left the
country. “Mugabe can be revived rather quickly on such
occasions, but does
not need to be under constant observation since he can
fall or suffocate
during the episode.”
There have been reports of Mugabe collapsing in the
past. In 2000, Mugabe
fell and cut his head near the right eye during an
international conference
in Malaysia.
He needed six stitches to close the
cut, which he suffered after slipping
and bumping against a rail on arrival
on the island.
Despite wide speculation about Mugabe’s health, the
88-year-old Zanu PF
leader has always managed to appear alert and healthy
for his age in public.
But the American diplomats believe he makes a lot of
effort to look healthy
during his public appearances.
“In any event,
Mugabe’s public appearances and reports of his behaviour
suggest that he
generally remains lucid and assertive, albeit apparently
frail at times in
discharging the duties of his office,” reads Sullivan’s
cable in
part.
Sullivan said the information he had gleaned from Angelo and
friends of the
Mugabe family depicted “an ailing, egotistical family man
interested in
leaving office but gives no indication of when he would be
prepared to
leave”.
Recent US diplomatic cables have suggested that
Mugabe has advanced prostate
cancer. The cable also gives an insight into
the First family where there
are claims that Mugabe was always at
loggerheads with his wife over matters
such as raising their
children.
Other cables also show that the Americans have over the years
unsuccessfully
tried to ascertain Mugabe’s wealth.
All they could do was
to speculate that Mugabe’s fortune could be in excess
of US$1 billion.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:22
BY PATIENCE NYANGOVE
DEFENCE minister Emmerson Mnangagwa
allegedly pleaded with Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai five years ago to
include him in a future MDC government,
a leaked United States embassy cable
has revealed.
According to the secret cable dated June 2006, made public
by the
whistleblower website WikiLeaks last week, MDC-T secretary general
Tendai
Biti allegedly told a US embassy official Eric Schultz that
Tsvangirai had
been secretly discussing a power-sharing deal with Zanu PF
officials.
Biti allegedly identified the Zanu PF officials as Mnangagwa
and the late
former army commander Solomon Mujuru. Mnangagwa could not be
reached for
comment yesterday.He said while Mngangwa was willing to be
Tsvangirai’s
subordinate in the proposed government, Mujuru wanted the then
popular
opposition leader to be a junior partner.
“According to Biti,
Mnangagwa was willing to subordinate himself to
Tsvangirai in exchange for
cabinet slots and protection guarantees for
affiliated businesses,” reads
part of the cable.
“Biti said Mujuru was only offering to take Tsvangirai
in as a junior
partner, which he said reflected the Mujuru faction’s
continued primacy.”
The cable also alleges that MDC leader Welshman Ncube
had offered Biti the
post of president in his faction before they brought in
Arthur Mutambara.
“He said Ncube had offered him the presidency of the
pro-senate faction, but
that he had no regrets about remaining with
Tsvangirai in spite of his
faults,” Schultz wrote in the cable.
Biti
is also quoted accusing Education, Sport and Culture minister David
Coltart
of being obsessed with race. Coltart had allegedly written an email
to an
official at the US embassy accusing the MDC-T faction of being behind
the
intra-party violence that led to the split of the MDC in 2005.
Biti, who
could not be reached for comment, compared Coltart, who could also
not be
reached for comment, to MDC-T treasurer Roy Bennett, who speaks Shona
fluently. “Bennett was culturally Zimbabwean; Coltart, who spoke not a word
of the local language, would always be an outsider,” Schultz wrote in the
cable.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:59
BY
OUR STAFF
ZIMBABWE remains indebted to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) despite
government’s commitment to settle its arrears, according to
new information
from the global lender.
Last month, government said
it would draw US$140 million from the pool of
the Special Drawing Rights
awarded to Zimbabwe in 2009 and pay its arrears
under the IMF’s Poverty
Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT).
According to an IMF latest report,
Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sudan remain in
protracted arrears to the fund. IMF
said Zimbabwe’s arrears to the PRGT have
decreased slightly.
Zimbabwe
now owes IMF about US$55 million. However, IMF said “cooperation on
payments
remained poor, cooperation on policies improved in 2010 before
policy
setbacks in 2011 cast significant uncertainties on economic
prospects”.
Two members — Somalia and Sudan — have accumulated
arrears dating back to
the mid-1980s, accounting for 17% and 76%
respectively of total arrears to
the Fund. Zimbabwe, which has been in
arrears to the PRGT since February
2001, accounts for the remaining
7%.
IMF said Zimbabwe’s arrears to the PRGT had also reduced the balances
available in the Reserve Account, as about US$45 million was withdrawn from
the Reserve Account to repay PRGT lenders.
In 2010, Zimbabwe made
five payments to the Fund totalling US$4,1 million
(equivalent to SDR 2,6
million). These payments exceeded Zimbabwe’s new
obligations falling due for
the period and the authorities’ commitment to
quarterly payments to the Fund
of about US$100 000.
Zimbabwe’s failure to clear the arrears means that
the country cannot access
the US$93,1 million which has been escrowed since
2009 when IMF gave members
countries bail-outs in the wake of the global
financial crisis.
In August 2009, IMF Executive Board approved a US$250
billion (SDR161, 2
billion) General SDR allocation to all the 186 member
countries in response
to the global financial crisis.
A further US$33
billion (SDR21,5 billion) special SDR allocation was made on
September 9
2009.
From the bailout, Zimbabwe was allocated US$505 million, of which
US$411,9
million was under the General SDR allocation of August 28 2009,
while the
Special allocation of US$93,1 million was escrowed pending the
clearance of
the outstanding arrears to the PRGT.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:54
BY
NDAMU SANDU
ZIMBABWE is set to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to
hold shares in
various entities acquired by the government under the
empowerment
legislation signifying its intentions to move ahead with the
programme that
has rattled foreign investors.
The move comes
after major mining companies buckled under pressure and
resolved to sell
controlling shareholding to locals in line with the
Indigenisation and
Economic Empowerment Act.
Initially, mining houses under the Chamber of
Mines umbrella had offered 26%
to locals. According to information obtained
last week, the country’s SWF,
Zimbabwe Investment Corporation (ZIC) will be
launched before the end of the
year to house resources for the future
generation.
The fund will be the baby of the Ministry of Youth
Development,
Indigenisation and Empowerment with oversight responsibility
from the
Ministry of Finance. ZIC will hold shares in various entities
acquired by
government as part of the empowerment legislation as well as
revenue from an
SWF super tax of 5% on mineral production.
It also
seeks to raise over US$5 billion in assets over the next three to
five
years. An independent body would be established to oversee the
management of
the fund.
Before the fund is lau-nched, the promoters would visit renowned
funds in
Asia and the Middle East.
In Asia, the team would visit the
Singapore Investment Corporation and China
Investment Corporation. In the
Middle East, the team would visit Abu Dhabi
Investment Authority (ADIA) and
Qatar Investment Authority.
ADIA is the world’s largest fund with assets
of over US$620 billion. There
are currently 51 funds with combined assets of
over US$4 trillion. According
to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI)
since 2005, at least 19 funds
have been created.
SWFI studies the
funds and their impact on global economics, politics,
financial markets,
trade and public policy. It said globally, the financial
and utility sectors
in direct investments were white hot for sovereign
investors.
“In the
first half of 2011, US$7, 09 billion was invested by SWFs in the
financial
sector. “This was followed by U$3,13 billion in utilities.
Year-to-date from
2011, we have recorded US$3, 41 billion in energy sector
direct
transactions,” it said.
WHAT IS A SOVEREIGN WEALTH
FUND?
An SWF is a state-owned investment fund composed of
financial assets such as
stocks, bonds, real estate or other financial
instruments funded by foreign
exchange assets.
SWFs may be created
through commodity exports, either taxed or owned by the
government or non
commodities through transfers of assets from official
foreign exchange
reserves.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September
2011 15:45
There are dates, moments, and events that, because of their
very nature,
become defining moments in our lives. I have more than one
defining moment.
November 22 1963, when broadcast stations announced that
President John F
Kennedy had been assassinated, I was playing in a
basketball tournament that
was interrupted for the announcement, and then
cancelled; April 4 1968, when
the murder of Dr Martin Luther King Jr was
televised around the country.
I remember those dates clearly, and the
sadness and anger they evoked. But,
there’s another date that is engraved
on my mind — September 11 2001 — when
four airplanes were used as terrorist
weapons, forever changed the way I and
many fellow Americans view our
security.
Having spent 20 years in the military, I knew all too well how
dangerous a
determined foe can be, and how much damage can be inflicted by
zealots who
are willing to die to achieve their goals — something that was,
unfortunately, alien to many. Knowing what can happen, though, and doing
something to forestall it, are two vastly different things. While there
were many of us who knew that something like the 9/11 attack was a
possibility — some even went so far as to say a probability — trying to
convince the sceptics seemed just too difficult and hardly worth the
effort.
So, we made our remarks about what might happen and when we were
told that
we were being alarmist, we stopped talking. Then, on that morning,
in a
hotel room in Seattle, Washington, I woke up to slightly overcast skies
—
early, as I often do when travelling — turned on the television, and
watched
my world change before my eyes.
In the days that followed,
many of us in government who had thought about
such things for a long time,
wondered if perhaps there was something we
could have done differently to
prevent this tragedy.
This is a common reaction after battle — survivors
second guess their
actions and decisions, feeling a bit of guilt for having
survived, and
replay it in their minds. Veterans of conflict soon learn to
minimise the
second guessing and move on.
But, one thing that should
always come out of such incidents is a resolve to
correct mistakes as we
move forward. I’ve often said that we can’t go back
to the past; but, as
9/11 proved, as Pearl Harbor proved, if we fail to
learn lessons from the
mistakes of the past, we can relive it.
For this reason, we must work
together, sharing information and building
trust, to make our world safer
and stronger. Around the globe, countries
have responded collectively to
reduce the threat of terrorism in the last 10
years.
We have sharply
reduced the capabilities of terrorist groups through the
collaborative
efforts of the international community. For our part, the
United States is
fully committed to working with partners around the world
to confront and
counter violent extremists.
And it works. Worldwide, terrorists have
failed to achieve their goals. Far
from being paralysed by the violent
actions of a few, the vast majority of
people around the world have better
ambitions for themselves and their
children: achieving greater levels of
education; creating new economic
opportunities; and improving the systems
that govern them.
The attacks on 9/11 failed to achieve their strategic
goals. Our nation
overcame the attacks and came away stronger, just as we
have with other
crises.
BY AMBASSADOR CHARLES RAY
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011 15:43
Dictators
world over tend to justify their continued stay in power by
claiming that
their people don’t want them to leave. Among those who easily
come to mind
are Muammar Gaddafi, who is now running from one bolthole to
another in
Libya in fear of rebels who have taken over Tripoli.
Just a few weeks
ago, Gaddafi boasted that Libyans were 100% behind him.
The rebels, he
said, were rats, Al Qaeda elements and armed gangs without
any grain of
support. Now he is part of Libyan history.
In Ivory Coast, former
President Laurent Gbagbo lost an election but refused
to quit claiming he
was the Ivorians’ choice for president. He was driven
out of office in
embarrassing scenes.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is yet
another long-serving
dictator who thought crowds gathering in the famous
Tahrir Square were only
a few malcontents who were against his
rule.
Mubarak, who was in court last week on a stretcher, now knows he
was only
day-dreaming when he thought the Egyptian people loved him. Here at
home,
President Robert Mugabe falls in the same league as Gaddafi, Gbagbo
and
Mubarak. For the past 10 or so years, Mugabe has refused to heed calls
to
retire, arguing that Zimbabweans are fully behind him, except for “a few
MDC
malcontents who have sold out their souls to imperialists”.
Now
disclosures by whistleblowing website, WikiLeaks, show Mugabe that no
one,
even those belonging to his inner circle, want him to remain in power.
Cables dispatched to Washington by successive envoys show that Mugabe is
isolated even in Zanu PF. Politburo members, who should form the bedrock of
his support base, have been working day and night to find ways to remove him
from office. They see him as an albatross around Zanu PF’s neck and the
sooner he goes, the better. The question that Mugabe must answer is: if
those in Zanu PF don’t want him, who wants him to remain in
office?
In the wake of the leaked cables, Mugabe should begin the process
of leaving
gracefully in the shortest possible time.
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:37
The season of entertainment or full-scale disgust is upon us,
depending on
how you view the revelations coming out of the latest batch of
leaked
American diplomatic cables.
It is funny to listen or
read some of the responses of those who said things
they now regret having
said. Much as I do not like some of the American
diplomats, I find it hard
to accept that they would deliberately create such
revealing conversations.
I find it thoroughly entertaining that some of the
people who pontificate
about loyalty and sovereignty are the same people
itching to sup with the
so-called “evil West”.
But I also find it disgusting that while some of
our politicians beat their
chests about nationalism, they sneak around
pretending to American diplomats
that this country’s future lies in their
“moderate hands”. Only opportunists
would say one thing by the day and
something else under the cover of
darkness.
As a voter I am appalled
that our politicians never tell us some of the
things they confide to the
Americans. We vote for these people and yet they
are convinced that they are
answerable to foreign powers. How many of you
have tried, in vain, to meet
with your councillor or Member of Parliament?
The truth is that voters
are just pawns used by politicians when it is
politically expedient. They
care more about how they are viewed by America
and Europe. They are all too
busy trying to convince the West that, they and
only they are the most
suitable to run the affairs of this Godforsaken
country!
While you
and I are worrying about where we will get our next bucket of
clean water or
when electricity will be switched back on, these “honourable”
people’s
representatives are preoccupied with what juicy nugget of
destructive
information they should feed diplomatic contacts.
I am pleased we have
WikiLeaks to thank for revealing the lengths to which
some of our
politicians will go to show themselves as “kingmakers” or as the
only
salvation to Zimbabwe’s oppressed masses. We might have in some cases
suspected what WikiLeaks has revealed but now we know for sure that in both
the MDC-T and Zanu PF, there are people who despise their leaders but do not
have the guts to say it openly.
Even more interesting is the fact
that even those who want to be seen as
custodians of our revolution and urge
us to look East, are not taking their
own advice. I wonder if WikiLeaks can
check just how much information is
given to the Chinese.
It is
important that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai knows how he is viewed by
some
of his compatriots. It is also vital that Robert Mugabe deal with the
fact
that not all in Zanu PF want him to rule forever.
No matter how loudly
those named in the cables protest, the truth is that
every Zimbabwean with
internet access is right now reading the cables and
forming their own
opinions. People working in diplomatic missions and
ordinary Zimbabweans
know whom to believe and at the end of the day, that is
what will carry the
day.
After the very first cables that were released on Zimbabwe, one
would have
thought our leaders would have stayed as far away from American
diplomats as
possible. But hell no!
Politicians and those in
leadership positions are best advised that if they
cannot keep their own
secrets, no one else is under obligation to keep them
on their behalf. If
you have information you are not supposed to share, do
not share it and ask
someone to keep it secret. Diplomats can swear they
will keep your name out
of any report but no report is worth anything if it
is not backed by names.
Foreign governments want to know the source of the
information and depending
on how high the person is perched on the political
ladder, the information
can then be deemed important or serious.
Voters should demand that their
political representatives be as frank with
them as they are with diplomats.
Politicians should give the media honest
interviews and stop accusing the
media of rubble-rousing. Claiming that the
cables are false is not going to
wash. One just needs to see the raging
discussion on
Facebook.
Zimbabweans are tired of being lied to. We are tired of politicians
who suck
up to their leaders but bash them when they think their secrets are
safe.
BY GRACE MUTANDWA
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/
Sunday, 11 September 2011
15:35
It is easy to blame the politicians who spoke ill of their leaders,
behind
their backs, to successive United States ambassadors in the past
decade. We
will blame them for their hypocrisy and their apparent cowardice.
Why for
example, did they not stand up to their leaders and tell them in the
face
that they were doing wrong?
But when we closely analyse the
“gossip” these politicians shared with the
American envoys we are given
anecdotal evidence of major flaws in the
leadership styles of the subjects
of the gossip. The leaders are
authoritarian so don’t brook any criticism
from their subordinates. They are
coercive, adversarial, antagonistic and
controlling; frustrated, the
subordinates resort to gossip to release their
pent-up energy.
But now that the cat is finally out of the bag — there is
a general
consensus in Zanu PF that Mugabe must go — the gossips in the
party must
shed their cowardice and stand up to the old man. When a cat —
forgive the
pun — is cornered, it fights.
Zanu PF spokesman and
politburo member Rugare Gumbo last week said Zanu PF
would this week convene
to discuss the leaked cables that exposed the extent
of the fission in the
party. The party’s secretary for administration
Didymus Mutasa weighed in
saying about the cables, “This is a serious matter
and we need to talk about
it so that we come up with a collective decision.
We will talk about it at
our next politburo meeting.”
Indications are that there will be
retribution rather than introspection.
Yet the truth of the matter is that
Zanu PF has for far too long been run by
leadership that believes in the
authoritarian style of leadership which has
ultimately resulted in the
fissures that have torn the party asunder.
According to Ray Laferla, PhD,
an internationally acclaimed author, speaker,
trainer and consultant who
specialises in the optimal utilisation of human
resources, who I have had
the fortune to interact with twice in the past two
years, an authoritarian
style leadership comprises four thinking patterns.
It is coercive; a
leader with this attribute demands compliance and will, if
necessary, use
force to achieve it. This person expects subordinates to
recognise his or
her authority and to acknowledge it in the form of
obedience;
It is
adversarial; this thinking pattern has to do with competitiveness. The
adversarial leader has a need to win in order to feel worthy and competent,
he has a strong need to impress others.
He is antagonistic; he seeks
attention and recognition by belittling and
opposing others. Antagonistic
leaders are critical people, they constantly
look for flaws. Their first
inclination is to find what’s wrong with
something or someone.
They
are controlling; they have a great need for personal power. They want
to be
in charge and they seek to personally direct others by restricting
their
actions and limiting the amount of authority given.
This kind of
leadership, according to Laferla, might be necessary at first.
He says, “The
authoritarian style of management does, however, have a place.
Under certain
conditions, eg in a crisis, and during the early stages of a
company’s (read
country’s) development, authoritarian style managers do get
results.
And there is no doubt that they make things happen. But in
the longer term
the authoritarian style of managing others is usually found
to be
inappropriate and counter-productive.
In their efforts to
dominate and control, authoritarian style managers cause
people to become
dependent and to conform. Consequently, authoritarian style
managers are
likely to end up with subordinates who lack initiative and
self-esteem.
Workers (read subordinates) will inevitably look to
their manager for
confirmation of worth, for approval. This, in turn, leads
to resentment, and
authoritarian style managers usually discover that
instead of creating a
productive workforce, they have staff whom are likely
to demonstrate passive
or passive-aggressive behaviour. People who are
passive-aggressive will not
openly reveal their unhappiness or
disapproval.
Instead they will, either explicitly or implicitly, give the
impression of
consent and agreement though they disagree and are unhappy.
The tendency
thereafter is for them to ventilate their resentment and anger
by either
doing things to ‘get back’ at the manager or by performing in a
very
perfunctory manner.”
This is the context within which we should
see the gossip-mongering that has
hit Zanu PF. The Zanu PF leadership’s
thinking patterns have enabled the
leaders to control events by dominating
others in a self-seeking manner.
The leadership has not seen colleagues
as team members with whom to
co-operate but as competitors to be beaten.
Laferla concludes, “Subordinates
are not regarded as people to develop and
empower; they are seen as workers
to be controlled and directed.”
The
politburo meeting on Wednesday will seek to “control and direct”, to
browbeat the dissenters and arrange them back in line like little
ducks.
Authoritarian leaders, according to Laferla, like to make all major
decisions themselves. “They seek to influence events directly and usually
expect unquestioned obedience and compliance from others. They are also
inclined to regard people as a means of production rather than individuals
who have thoughts and feelings.”
Authoritarian leaders “speak to
people rather than communicate with them. In
other words, most of their
communications take the form of directives rather
than
dialogues.”
They never ask for people to express their feelings. They
won’t seek to
involve subordinates in decisions or matters that are of
consequence to
them.
Senior members of Zanu PF have deferred to this kind
of leadership like
stooges.
As the politburo meeting approaches, all
those guilty of gossip are already
wetting their pants like little babies
waiting for someone to determine
their fate. They have been compliant in
their response to bad leadership,
they are insecure and approval-seeking;
they are cursing themselves for
having taken the risk to speak out. Right
now they are back-biting one
another in an attempt to achieve personal
security and retain the status
quo.
It’s high time someone stood up
and said “NO”. It is high time they demanded
a leadership that is
people-centred, empowering and self-actualising. It’s
high time someone
stood up and demanded leadership renewal in the monolithic
party. The
consensus for this is already there as seen in the singular
message they
conveyed to US envoys in the past decade.
BY NEVANJI MADANHIRE
