Yahoo News
by
Fanuel Jongwe Sun Aug 31, 9:47 AM ET
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's rival
parties have returned home from talks in
South Africa, officials said
Sunday, with no sign of a power-sharing deal to
resolve the country's bitter
political crisis.
Negotiating teams from President Robert Mugabe's
ruling ZANU-PF and both
factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) returned
home after holding separate talks with South African
President Thabo Mbeki
on Friday.
The South African president's
spokesman told AFP on Sunday that the talks
would continue, but silence from
the parties about the way forward pointed
to tensions.
MDC spokesman
Nelson Chamisa confirmed Sunday that their negotiators had met
with Mbeki
Friday and had since returned to Zimbabwe.
"We remain cautiously
optimistic that the dialogue is going to be
successfully concluded, " he
told AFP Sunday.
He added that a collapse of the dialogue would be
"catastrophic" for
Zimbabwe and would "catalyse suffering" in a country with
the world's
highest inflation rate and major food shortages.
"This is
why we feel as MDC we have to be committed to the success of the
dialogue,"
Chamisa said.
A Zimbabwe state daily reported on Sunday that Mbeki was
expected to give a
position on the way forward and said it was not known
when this would take
place.
"The meeting was convened because the
facilitator wanted to search for a way
forward," The Sunday Mail quoted
ZANU-PF's chief negotiator, Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa, as
saying.
Mbeki's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga told AFP that the talks
would continue
but did not comment on when.
"Of course the talks
continue ... there isn't a timeframe and we are not
going to be obliged to
impose timeframes."
"For us, the most important thing is that these talks
must continue and we
must find a solution. It's not a PR exercise. We are
not going to walk like
beauty queens on a catwalk. We have never done that.
It's not in our
nature."
Friday's meetings followed last week's
reconvening of parliament and
Mugabe's announcement that he will form a new
cabinet, which were seen as a
blow to the talks which aim at forming an
inclusive government.
In an unprecedented move, opposition lawmakers
heckled and jeered Mugabe as
he gave his opening speech in
parliament.
The MDC reacted with outrage to Mugabe's plans to
unilaterally form a new
government, calling it a "declaration of war against
the people".
The two sides have remained divided in the negotiations over
how Mugabe, 84,
and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai would share power in a
national unity
government.
Zimbabwe's state media on Saturday
reported that Mugabe's ZANU-PF had
rejected a "new but absurd suggestion"
from the MDC that the country's
cabinet be co-chaired by Mugabe and
Tsvangirai.
"ZANU-PF dismissed the suggestion, not just as insolent, but
also stunning
ignorance on how government works," state daily The Herald
quoted a source
by Mugabe's ZANU-PF as saying.
A Zimbabwean analyst
called the talks "dead".
"The talks are long dead," Lovemore Madhuku, a
constitutional law lecturer
at the University of Zimbabwe and political
analyst, told AFP.
"There is nothing coming out of those discussions.
They are just wasting
time. They should just go public and say that the
talks have collapsed."
The power sharing talks followed the signing of a
memorandum of
understanding between ZANU-PF and the two factions of the MDC
on July 21.
In power since 1980, Mugabe was re-elected in June in a
one-candidate
presidential run-off.
Tsvangirai boycotted the run-off
despite finishing ahead of Mugabe in the
March first round, citing rising
violence against his supporters.
Reuters
Sun 31
Aug 2008, 10:36 GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's
main opposition party said on Sunday the
latest talks on power-sharing with
the ruling ZANU-PF that resumed on Friday
in South Africa did not reach
agreement.
"All the negotiating teams are back. Nothing was achieved in
the latest
round of engagement in South Africa to break the deadlock. We
remain where
we were," the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman
Nelson Chamisa
told Reuters.
Negotiators from ZANU-PF, the main
MDC and a smaller breakaway MDC faction
on Friday separately met South
African President Thabo Mbeki, who is
mediating the talks.
Mbeki's
spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga told Reuters on Sunday that the
dialogue
would continue, but declined to give details.
"It is a continuous
process, not a single event," Ratshitanga said.
The power-sharing talks
have stalled over how executive power should be
shared by President Robert
Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who
refused to sign an agreement
that would have made him prime minister two
weeks ago.
Tsvangirai has
protested against the proposed deal, saying it did not give
him enough
executive powers in government.
The opposition leader beat Mugabe in a
March 29 election but fell short of
enough votes to avoid a run-off vote,
which was controversially won by
Mugabe after Tsvangirai pulled out citing
violence and intimidation against
his supporters.
WAY
FORWARD
ZANU-PF officials were not immediately available to comment on
the matter,
but state media reported on Sunday that Mbeki would soon "chart
a way
forward" in the talks.
"I can confirm that we went to South
Africa for separate bilateral
discussions with the facilitator," state media
quoted Justice Minister
Patrick Chinamasa, ZANU-PF's chief negotiator, as
saying.
"The meeting was convened because the facilitator wanted to
search for a way
forward," Chinamasa added.
The MDC has accused
Mugabe of flouting a framework agreed by the negotiating
parties not to
convene parliament or appoint a cabinet.
The veteran ruler, who was last
week jeered and heckled by opposition
lawmakers as he officially opened
parliament, has said he would soon appoint
a new government.
"Mugabe
is showing no respect for Southern African Development Community
(SADC), no
respect for the dialogue," said Chamisa, adding that the MDC
would lobby the
African Union (AU) and the United Nations not to recognise
Mugabe as
Zimbabwe's president.
"As far as we are concerned, to the extent that the
dialogue has not been
concluded, there is no legitimate government in
Zimbabwe so he should not go
to the UN and AU posing as the President of
Zimbabwe. We will be taking up
this matter with these organisations (UN and
AU)," Chamisa added.
IOL
August 31
2008 at 12:03PM
South African President Thabo Mbeki is to chart the
way forward in
stalled talks for a power-sharing government in Zimbabwe
after meeting
representatives from the main political parties, Justice
Minister Patrick
Chinamisa said in a state newspaper article published on
Sunday.
"I can confirm that we went to South Africa for separate
bilateral
discussions with the facilitator," Chinamasa, who is one of the
chief
negotiators for President Robert Mugabe, was quoted as saying by The
Sunday
Mail.
"The meeting was convened because the facilitator
wanted to search for
a way forward," he added.
It was still
unclear when Mbeki would make a pronouncement on what
will happen next,
after meeting negotiators from the Zimbabwe parties in
South Africa on
Friday.
MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa confirmed that their
negotiators had
met with Mbeki on Friday and returned to Zimbabwe
Sunday.
"We remain cautiously optimistic that the dialogue is going
to be
successfully concluded, " he said on Sunday.
He added
that a collapse of the dialogue would be "catastrophic" for
Zimbabwe and
would "catalyse suffering".
"This is why we feel as MDC we have to
be committed to the success of
the dialogue," Chamisa said.
The
negotiations reached a deadlock two weeks ago after Mugabe and
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai
failed to
strike a compromise over the sharing of executive powers.
Zimbabwe's state media on Saturday reported that Mugabe's Zanu-PF had
rejected a "new but absurd suggestion" from the MDC that the country's
cabinet be co-chaired by Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
"Zanu-PF
dismissed the suggestion, not just as insolent, but also
stunning ignorance
on how government works," state daily The Herald quoted a
source by Mugabe's
Zanu-PF as saying.
The power sharing talks followed the signing of
a memorandum of
understanding between Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the two factions
of the MDC on
July 21.
In power since 1980, Mugabe retained
office in June after a
one-candidate, presidential run-off after the
withdrawal of Tsvangirai who
cited violence and intimidation against his
supporters in the lead-up to
vote. - Sapa-AFP
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3604
by
Jameson Mombe Monday 01 September 2008
HARARE - Zimbabwe's
opposition said at the weekend that it had unearthed a
plot by the Attorney
General's office and state intelligence agents to
convict some of its MPs on
trumped-up charges in a bid to reverse its
parliamentary
majority.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party spoke amid
reports that
power-sharing talks between the opposition party and President
Robert Mugabe's
ruling ZANU PF party that resumed on Friday had hit a snag
over proposals by
the MDC that its leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mugabe
jointly chair Cabinet
in a government of national unity.
ZANU PF
rejected the proposal which the MDC reportedly made during a meeting
with
talks mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki. The talks hit
deadlock
two weeks ago over who between Mugabe and Tsvangirai should control
a unity
government that is seen as the best way to end Zimbabwe's political
and
economic crisis.
The MDC said despite agreeing to negotiate Mugabe was
clandestinely seeking
to cause the conviction of five of its Members of
Parliament in a desperate
bid to reverse the opposition party's slender
majority in the key House of
Assembly.
"Deputy Attorney General,
Johannes Tomana is leading the plot in which the
ZANU PF regime is planning
to secure convictions and lay more trumped-up
charges against MDC MPs to
reverse our majority in Parliament," the
opposition said in a
statement.
Tomana was not immediately available for comment on the
matter.
The police are holding four MDC MPs for allegedly committing
political
violence, murder and rape. The police say they want to question at
least 10
other opposition MPs on a number of charges.
The
Tsvangirai-led MDC won 100 seats in March in the important House of
Assembly
to end ZANU PF's decades old domination of Parliament. Mugabe's
party won 99
seats while a breakaway faction of the MDC took 10 seats.
None of the
three parties can push legislation through the lower chamber
without help
from at least one of its two rivals. But ZANU PF firmly
controls the Senate
which has powers to block legislation coming from the
House of Assembly. -
ZimOnline.
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=3299
August 31, 2008
Jupiter
Punungwe
It is a well-known fact that if Zanu-PF continues governing the
country the
way they have been doing for the last 10 years, their governance
is headed
for eventual collapse and, most likely, a fiery demise. Their
laden handed
attempts to manage the economy over the past four years have
visited the
scourge of permanent shortages on the hapless people of
Zimbabwe.
Zanu-PF is a party that carried the hopes of a people
previously brutalised
by a colonialist, supremacist and racist oppression.
The level and extent to
which those people have been disappointed by the
descent of Zanu-PF into an
equally, if not more brutal, cronyist, corrupt
and excessively greed-driven
pogrom of oppression, cannot be
measured.
The pain with which all of us patriotic Zimbabweans have
watched our beloved
country drop off the radar of notable countries and sink
to the murky depths
of basket case banana republics can never be imagined by
a living soul. The
pins of hurt that stab our hearts as we are forced to put
up with snickers,
innuendos and mockery about poor trillionaires, are more
fatal to the spirit
than the stab of an assegai to the body. The silent
gloats of those who have
long claimed that blacks cannot run a country are
louder to the eardrums of
the soul than the discharge of a
canon.
Many Zimbabweans I know have lost livelihoods and material wealth
in the
nosedive of fortune that Zanu-PF has visited upon our economy. Many
more
have never lost hope that things will one day get better
again.
One would think that no Zimbabwean in the world would want the
situation to
get worse than it is. One would also be very strongly tempted
to question
the mental capacity of any Zimbabweans who hope to profit from a
worsening
of the situation.
Unfortunately the chorus of predictions
that the situation would deteriorate
so much that Zanu-PF will be unable to
run the country anymore is clear
testimony that such Zimbabweans are
plentiful. No more than three months we
are being told. Never mind that such
predictions surfaced in the 90s.
The more important question is: do these
people understand what it means for
a country to collapse to a point where a
strongman can no longer run it?
What makes people think that once a soldier
has revolted against Mugabe,
somebody else can walk into State House and
order that same soldier into the
barracks overnight? The collapse of
governance is like an earthquake. The
tectonic plates move forever and
nothing can ever really bring the situation
back to where it
was.
Africa's recent history has some notable examples of countries which
collapsed to a point where a dictator could no longer maintain an iron grip.
What is also notable in each of the cases is that no one, soon after the
dictators had gone, was able to establish 'normal' control of the country in
a short period.
Perhaps the example that sticks out the most is
Somalia. Soviet-backed
Mohammed Siad Barre misruled until his country was
ungovernable. Almost two
decades after he was deposed, the country is still
ungovernable. Those who
had fought him hoping to take over have been
swallowed by the mists of
history without leaving any notable mark on the
governability of the
country.
Closer to home, we have the example of
Mobutu Sese Seko's Zaire. For a long
time Zaire seemed like a paragon of
stability ruled by a strongman heavily
supported by the West. When the house
of cards came crashing down, most of
us were taken by surprise. To this day,
long after the maggots have
forgotten the taste of Mobutu's body and that of
his successor, Laurent
Kabila, nobody has been able to re-establish complete
control over the
former Zaire.
At this point it should be clear to
all of us that waiting for Zimbabwe to
deteriorate to a point where Zanu-PF
cannot keep control, is not a
particularly clever strategy for anyone to
follow. At that point, anyone who
follows after them will have extreme
difficulty re-establishing control.
While I find it difficult to imagine a
Somalia-like situation holding sway
over the tranquil plains of my Manyene
rural home, it is sobering that I
never imagined that I would be a
quadrillionaire one day.
If the MDC are to take power from Zanu-PF, they
should cross their fingers
that it happens on a willing-giver-willing-taker
basis, as was the case in
South Africa. The 'collapse' route that they seem
so fixated with will not
be a walk in paradise for them either, especially
after the 'collapse' has
happened.
Yahoo News
By ANGUS SHAW,
Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 31, 11:59 AM ET
HARARE, Zimbabwe - The
advice of doctors to Zimbabweans is, don't get sick.
If you do, don't count
on hospitals - they're short of drugs and functioning
equipment.
As the economy collapses, the laboratory at a main
1,000-bed hospital has
virtually shut down. X-ray materials, injectable
antibiotics and
anticonvulsants have run out.
Emergency resuscitation
equipment is out of action. Patients needing casts
for broken bones need to
bring their own plaster. In a country with one of
the world's worst AIDS
epidemics, medical staff lack protective gloves.
Health authorities blame
the drying up of foreign aid under Western
sanctions imposed to end
political and human rights abuses under President
Robert Mugabe. A
power-sharing agreement aimed at bringing the opposition
into the government
could open the gates to foreign aid. But negotiations
have stalled over how
much power rests with Mugabe.
Meanwhile, the economic meltdown is evident
in empty store shelves, long
lines at gas stations - and hospitals where
elevators don't work and
patients are carried to upper wards in makeshift
hammocks of torn sheets and
blankets.
Jacob Kwaramba, an insurance
clerk, brought his brother to Harare's
Parirenyatwa hospital, once the pride
of health services in southern Africa.
Emergency room doctors sent Kwaramba
to a private pharmacy to buy drugs for
his brother's lung infection. He
returned two hours later to find his
brother dead, he told the AP in the
emergency room.
"I couldn't believe it. It wasn't a fatal illness," he
said.
Another family said a relative dying of cancer was sent home, and
no
painkillers could be found in Harare pharmacies. Relatives abroad were
able
to pay for morphine, but by the time import clearance was obtained from
the
state Medicines Control Authority, the man had died in agony, the family
said, requesting anonymity for fear of government retribution.
A
report by six independent Zimbabwean doctors indicates the scale of the
collapse.
"Elective surgery has been abandoned in the central
hospitals and even
emergency surgery is often dependent on the ability of
patients' relatives
to purchase suture materials from private suppliers," it
said.
"Pharmacies stand empty and ambulances immobilized for want of
spare parts
... this is an unmitigated tragedy, scarcely conceivable just a
year ago."
The doctors who compiled the six-page report for circulation
among aid and
development groups withheld their names because comments seen
as critical of
Mugabe are a punishable offense.
In an interview this
year, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said lack of
foreign currency due
to sanctions was hindering efforts to maintain
equipment. But political
violence has added to the burden. The human rights
group Amnesty
International said hospitals ran out of crutches for victims
of attacks
blamed on Mugabe's forces.
The independent Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum,
an alliance of human rights
campaigners, said doctors and medical staff were
chased from rural clinics
to keep them from helping opposition supporters,
while many city hospitals
couldn't cope with the number of patients injuries
sustained in beatings and
torture blamed mostly on militants of Mugabe's
party and police and
soldiers.
The opposition Movement for Democratic
Change says at least 200 of its
supporters died in the violence, with
thousands more beaten and made
homeless.
No data is available on how
many lives have been lost because of the medical
crisis, but the report said
hospital admissions declined sharply because of
the cost of treatment and
transportation over long distances to clinics and
hospitals.
In
recent years, 70 percent of births took place in health facilities; now
it's
under 50 percent, the report said.
It said that a decade ago Zimbabwe had
the best health system in sub-Saharan
Africa. But with the economic crisis
worsening, 10,000 Zimbabwean nurses are
employed in Britain alone, and 80
percent of Zimbabwean medical graduates
working abroad.
The main
Harare medical school, once renowned for the quality of its
graduates, has
lost 60 percent of its complement of lecturers, and an
unprecedented 30
percent of its students failed this year's final
examinations.
The
report said despite the troubles, health professionals still manage to
run
clean and well ordered facilities.
"The pharmacy may be empty and most
equipment out of order, but they will be
striving to provide some sort of
service," it said.
Health Minister Parirenyatwa estimated the public
sector had only half the
doctors it needed. The main Harare hospital is
named after his father, one
of the first blacks to qualify as a doctor
before Zimbabwe won independence
from Britain in 1980.
The elite go
for care abroad, mostly to South Africa, but also to Asia.
Mugabe regularly
has checkups in Malaysia.
But the doctors said that if there was a plane
crash or similar disaster,
victims who might otherwise be saved by prompt
and well-equipped care would
likely end up as "dead
meat."
___
Associated Press Writer Clare Nullis contributed to
this report.
http://www.zimbabwetoday.co.uk
Zanu-PF gear up for another
fearsome campaign
Units of Mugabe's shock troops are moving into the
Matobo constituency in
Zimbabwe's Matabeleland South this week, threatening
a new wave of
intimidation, beating and death. The reason - the by-election
caused by the
election of the sitting MDC member as Speaker in
parliament.
Last week when parliament was recalled, the Movement for
Democratic Change
MP Lovemore Moyo was surprisingly elected to the Speaker's
chair. This meant
his legislative seat became vacant, and while no date has
yet been set for a
new poll, and no new candidates named, Zanu-PF are
wasting no time.
Party youth groups and so-called "war veterans" began
moving into the area
only 24 hours after the parliament vote, and by
yesterday, Sunday, the area,
which is some 50km from our second city of
Bulawayo, was virtually sealed
off.
Sources within Zanu-PF confirmed
that two army commanders from Mbalabala
Barracks have been despatched to
oversee the new terror campaign, and some
residents have reported that the
harassment of MDC members has already
begun.
Moyo's election has left
Zanu-PF and the main MDC faction delicately poised
in parliament, each with
99 seats. So the result of the by-election will be
crucial.
An MDC
spokeswoman in Matabeleland South said: "The situation here is
suddenly very
tense. War veterans and youth groups have set up camps, just
as they did
during the elections earlier this year. It is obvious that
Zanu-PF intends
to unleash its dogs of war again."
Moyo himself commented that the MDC
would not give up the seat easily. "We
will defend it at all costs," he
said.
The constituency is where the grave of Cecil Rhodes, the man who
engineered
the colonisation of what became Rhodesia, is to be found. The MDC
are
determined it will not also become the grave of its hopes for the
future.
Posted on Sunday, 31 August 2008 at 16:32
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Thursday,
28 August 2008 13:34
. Residents harassed, homes raided .
Zanu thugs declare no-go area for
MDC
BY PINDAI DUBE
BULAWAYO
In a desperate bid to reverse Zanu (PF)' s defeat at the March
29
election and its further defeat in parliament this week, the military
junta
has sealed off Matobo constituency in Matabeleland South which fell
vacant
following the election of MDC national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, as
the
Speaker of Parliament.
Moyo, the popularly elected legislator
for Matobo, was elected the new
speaker of parliament on August 25, making
him the first non-Zanu (PF)
speaker since independence in 1980. This makes
him the fourth most senior
person in government, after the president and the
two vice-presidents.
The election of Moyo left his seat in Matobo
vacant and by August 26,
just 24 hours after the seat became vacant, Zanu
(PF) youths from Bulawayo
and government secret intelligence services had
been deployed in the
constituency, just 50km from Bulawayo, to campaign for
the party
by-election. No candidates have been selected for the election and
the date
is not yet known. Militias had already started harassing and
raiding homes
belonging to MDC supporters and they declared the area no-go
for MDC. Some
MDC supporters speaking to The Zimbabwean from Maphisa growth
point in
Matobo said war veterans had set up bases by the evening of August
25 when
news that Moyo had been elected the Speaker of Parliament. They said
Zanu
(PF) youths spent the night singing liberation songs at the growth
point.
"The situation in Matobo has suddenly turned tense after news
that our
local MP has been elected was
received and war veterans
had already set up bases like what happened
towards the June 27
elections," a top MDC official in Matebeleland South said.The official
also
said that on Monday
night all the residents of Maphisa growth point in
the constituency
were summoned to a meeting by war
veterans.Moyo' s
election has left the MDC and Zanu (PF) each with 99
seats in Parliament,
making this by-election absolutely crucial to the
delicate balance."There is
so much at stake here, it is obvious that Zanu
(PF) is determined to unleash
its dogs of war to ensure a Zanu victory in
the ensuing
byelection,"
said a political observer.
Once again we had loads of South
Africans passing by. They happily signed
our petitions until they read
them. Then they were outraged at our call to
move the 2010 World Cup from
South Africa so crossed their names out. We
explained our position that
South Africa is responsible for allowing the
situation in Zimbabwe to
deteriorate to the extent that it will endanger the
people attending the
World Cup. They (with one late exception) didn't seem
to care.
One
passer-by spent several minutes signing our petition and we noticed he
took
up five lines. He had come from the Disability Festival, Liberty, held
in
nearby Trafalgar Square. We were grateful to have his support.
At the end
of a generally wet and overcast August, the sun came out and even
Zimbabweans wilted in the humidity. As always, there were newcomers and
they were particularly welcome as some of our regulars went to help out at
Zimfest, an annual music and sports day in South London.
We were glad
to have with us Louise Cameron, an artist and journalist, who
was working on
an installation for the Slade School of Art. She interviewed
us as refugees
and asked us to write a word on Zimbabwean flags to sum up
our feelings.
Peace, Harmony, Democracy, Disgraceful, Suffering, Hardship,
Justice were
among the words used. We will keep you posted when this
artwork is on view.
(Louise unfortunately got a parking ticket and perhaps
this will be part of
the installation!)
Founder Vigil member Ephraim Tapa took a Saturday off
to go the Scotland to
support the Glasgow Vigil. We will update you on this
visit in the next
diary.
The Vigil has been asked to publicise the
following. If anyone can help,
please contact this organisation directly
(Nick Donovan, Head of Campaigns,
Policy and Research, Aegis Trust, www.aegistrust.org, mobile + 44 7990 555
756, office + 44 207 613 5258).
"The Aegis Trust runs the Kigali
Memorial Centre in Rwanda and the Holocaust
Centre in the UK and conducts
some campaigns about genocide and crimes
against humanity - including for
Darfur, Sudan. At the moment we're leading
a push to tighten UK laws on
genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity. We're uncovering a fair
number of possible Rwandan, Sudanese and
West African suspects present in
the UK. I wondered whether you were aware
of any suspected Zimbabwean
perpetrators rumored to be living in the UK or
elsewhere in Europe? Or
perhaps suspects who have simply visited the UK
recently - whether for
surgery, for a holiday etc? They should be suspected
of any of the following
crimes against humanity and war crimes - systematic
attacks against
civilians including: murder, enslavement, deportation or
forcible transfer,
false imprisonment, rape or other sexual crimes,
persecution of a national,
ethnic, religious, cultural, gender or political
group, apartheid, enforced
disappearance, acts which cause great suffering
to mental or physical
health, the intentional denial of access to food and
medicine, hostage
taking, excessive destruction of property, pillaging a
town, killing or
wounding prisoners of war, intentionally attacking
humanitarians or
peacekeepers, attacking hospitals, schools, churches,
mosques, temples etc
and historic monuments. Please feel free to contact me
in confidence if
you're aware of any such individuals."
For latest Vigil pictures check:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
.
FOR THE RECORD: 116 signed the register.
FOR YOUR
DIARY:
· Next Glasgow Vigil. Saturday 13th September 2008, 2 - 6 pm.
Venue:
Argyle Street Precinct. For more information contact: Patrick Dzimba,
07990
724 137.
· Zimbabwe Association's Women's Weekly Drop-in
Centre. Fridays 10.30
am - 4 pm. Venue: The Fire Station Community and ICT
Centre, 84 Mayton
Street, London N7 6QT, Tel: 020 7607 9764. Nearest
underground: Finsbury
Park. For more information contact the Zimbabwe
Association 020 7549 0355
(open Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London,
takes place
every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross
violations of
human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil
which started in
October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored,
free and fair
elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.
http://www.hararetribune.com/nation
Saturday, 30 August 2008
21:20 Phil Matibe
Maize is a strategic crop that is necessary for the
maintenance of social
tranquility. Without the staple food Sadza-
chibataura, Zimbabwe will
descent into chaos. Hunger will cause men to take
desperate measures in
order to feed their families.
"Land is a national
asset that cannot be allowed to be in the hands of any
member of the
opposition," a ZANU (PF) declaration as it embarked on
dispossessing land
and other assets from its perceived enemies. Today only
persons who support
ZANU (PF) and its divisive prehistoric policies are
still farming in
Zimbabwe.
Modern agriculture is a science and an art acquired through
agricultural
education and apprenticeship. The incessant regurgitation of
nauseating
political bovine excrement by politicians who harvest bumper
yields through
rhetoric at political rallies and yet reap "sora" beans on
these highly
productive farms will cause a massive man-made famine this
year.
Tobacco - The Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) of Zimbabwe
has
released its latest national tobacco sales figures, 36 332 098 kilograms
(kgs) of tobacco sold thus far fetching US$116 183 389. We are at the
halfway point of the tobacco selling season and if agricultural reform had
been done properly 120 000 000 kgs would have been sold by now fetching
US$382 800 000.00. However, this figure would have been higher for the
quality of the leaf would be better. By the end of 2000 Zimbabwe had become
the world's third largest producer of flue-cured tobacco, producing 267
million kgs and over 700 000 families were supported by this industry. If
these levels of production had been maintained and the current world price
applied Zimbabwe would have earned at least US$1 billion dollars.
A
fully functional Zimbabwean economy consumes 900 million litres of diesel
per annum and the proceeds from tobacco alone would have been enough,
leaving extra change for the purchase of other essential
commodities.
Maize - This season 2008, Zimbabwe is only harvesting
575,000 metric tonnes
(MT) of maize - 28% lower than last year's yield a
shortfall of 1.2 million
MT. This shortfall has to be imported at a cost of
US$260 per MT excluding
transport and handling charges. Thus Zimbabwe has to
fork out US$312 000
000.00 in order to feed the starving
masses.
However before importing all this maize that could have easily
been
efficiently grown and harvested by 3000 commercial farmers, the nation
needs
to import seed , fertilizer, diesel and other farm inputs for next
year's
crop and harvest. Zimbabwe's fertiliser requirements are between
500,000 MT
and 600,000 MT. Farmers have 60 days left in which to stock up
with their
seasonal inputs.
With the shortage of electricity
necessary to power the country's sole
Ammonium Nitrate (AN) manufacturer,
Zimbabwe now needs to import AN
fertiliser and all compound fertiliser at a
cost of US190 per MT which shall
drain US$95 000 000.00 from the
fiscus.
Zimbabwe requires 50 000 MT of maize seed in order to plant 1.2
million
hectares and produce 2 million MT of grain in a normal agricultural
season
that starts on November 15.. According to the Minister of
Agriculture,
Rugare Gumbo, seed houses reported that they jointly hold
stocks of a paltry
11 300 MT of open pollinated variety (OPV) and hybrid of
maize seed from the
2007/08 agricultural season, leaving a national maize
seed deficit of 38 700
MT.
Once again the treasury has to unearth
US$178 020 000 for the importation of
maize seed from neighbouring countries
at a cost of US$4 600 per MT.
Zimbabwe's seed companies have in recent years
been failing to produce
enough maize seed after most of their seed-producing
farms were seized.
The 1988/89 season, Zimbabwe produced a bumper crop of
2.15 million MT, of
which more than 800,000 MT came from the commercial
sector. Commercial
farmers normally produced about 30 to 40 percent of
Zimbabwe's corn crop,
but they accounted for up to 70 percent of output
during drought years. They
also produced the bulk of the corn that was
exported when surpluses are
available.
Wheat - Zimbabwe has failed to
plant the 70 000 hectares government had
earmarked for the winter wheat crop
this season, managing only 8 963
hectares by May 23 2008. Zimbabwe had the
irrigation capacity to irrigate 95
000 hectares of winter wheat, yielding an
average of 5MT per hectare. The
450 000 MT of wheat per year required for
Zimbabwe's cereal needs is now
unattainable.
A measly 40 000 MT of
winter wheat is expected from the hectarage planted,
assuming that there is
adequate electricity and that the quelea and
armyworms which have been left
unchecked since the commencement of "Hondo ye
Minda" fiasco, do not have a
field day with this winter crop. On a
comparative basis, the 8 963 hectares
were 10 000 hectares less that the 18
989 hectares wheat farmers planted
during the same period last year.Zimbabwe
needs to find forex to import 400
000 MTof wheat at US$325 per MT a total
cost of US$128 000
000.00.
According to the Reserve Bank the Zimbabwean economy is expected
to earn
about US$754 000 000.00 from all its manufacturing, industrial and
agricutural sectors and yet it needs more than US$867 000 000.00 in
agricutural inputs alone for its food crops this current season excluding
fuel, chemicals, labour cost, electricity and other variable costs. Before
the season has started Zimbabwe has a fiscal deficit of US$113 000
000.00.
So persons, who were "empowered 100%" by ZANU (PF) through its
land
embezzlement programme, now fail to produce 10% of what was being
produced
by their fellow Zimbabweans whose land and home they illegally
occupied and
whose business they brutally dispossessed. The uneducated
masses that had no
modicum of understanding of rudimentary economics of an
agrarian-based
economy, destroyed the country's wealth at the behest of a
few elitist
politicians who now own vast tracks of land that lies
idle.
The euphoria of "owning" a farm for weekend getaways has worn off,
for most
land invaders reality has set in. The majority of the beneficiaries
now
realize that agriculture is indeed a science and not a skill that you
acquire by merely occupying a patch of land.
If ZANU (PF) manages to
produce a quarter of the previous yields from the
same land, financial and
climatic conditions by which we had to farm then, I
shall eat my veldskoens,
for all I've learnt about agriculture over the
years would have been turned
on its head.
http://www.hararetribune.com/
Sunday, 31 August 2008 17:52 Phil
Matibe Columnists - Phil Matibe
The MDC needs to sever the umbilical cord
that provides the lifeblood and
political nutrition to an illegal regime and
its illegitimate head of state.
The mandate from the brave people of
Zimbabwe to the MDC on March 20 2008
was lucid. The challenge now is for the
MDC to transfer the electoral
authority given to it by the populace into
real political power.
The MDC needs to sever the umbilical cord that provides
the lifeblood and
political nutrition to an illegal regime and its
illegitimate head of state.
ZANU (PF)'s military wing, the Zimbabwe
National Liberation Army (ZANLA)
became the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) by
merely removing "African" and
"Liberation" from its wartime name. The core
elements of ZNA's command and
control have remained intact and loyal to
their liberation war "high
command." They now constitute the present day
JOC, the real power in
Zimbabwe.
In 1980 when ZANU (PF) won 57 seats
out of a possible 120 and formed the
government that has ruled Zimbabwe to
this day, the real power lay in the
hands of General Peter Walls and his
counter insurgency (COIN) military
apparatus.
In order to assume full
control of the true levers of power Mugabe embarked
on a systematic purge
which commenced with the removal of ex-members of the
Rhodesian Security
Forces.
In February 1982 while in Marondera, the Prime Minister and
Minister of
Defence, Robert Mugabe, accused the late Joshua Nkomo of buying
more than 25
farms and 30 businessenterprises throughout the country as
havens for
concealing weapons to start another war against his leadership.
"Nkomo is
trying to overthrow the government," Mugabe said. "ZAPU and its
leader, Dr
Joshua Nkomo, are like a cobra in a house. The only way to deal
effectively
with a snake is to strike and destroy its head."
Later
the CIO engineered "dissident" insurgency in 1983, which culminated in
all
ex-ZAPU/ZIPRA officers serving in the armed forces being demoted,
dishonorably discharged, arrested and killed as part of a ZANU (PF) power
consolidation exercise. This was the precursor for the 1987 Unity accord,
which saw ZANU (PF) swallow up ZAPU and render all opposition
ineffective.
Mugabe visited Kim IL Sung (the Dear Leader of North Korea)
in October 1981,
and came back with war materiel and a military training
team led by
Brigadier Sim Hyon Dok. The establishment of the 5th Brigade
mainly from
members of ZANU (PF)'s private army, the Zimbabwe People's
Militia (ZPM),
commenced shortly afterwards led by Sidney
Sekeramayi.
Perence Shiri, the JOC powerbase, after commanding the 5th
Brigade in the
Gukurahundi massacres that killed close to 20 000 people, was
sent to the
Royal College of Defence Studies in London for further
training.
With the assistance of the British Military Advisory Training
Team (BMATT),
Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, North Korea, Yugoslavia, China
and the USA,
Mugabe created a military that remained loyal to ZANU (PF) and
to himself.
Professional army officers who did not tow the ZANU (PF) one
party state
policy were victimised and discharged.
Today the
situation is no different, the JOC and its subordinate units are a
culpable
threat to civil authority and democracy. The MDC has to seize the
initiative, outflank Mugabe, and negotiate directly with the JOC for a
permanent power transfer deal and not a power sharing agreement with
Mugabe.
If the MDC addresses the personal security concerns and
guarantees of the
JOC members, these generals will switch their allegiance
and without the
support of the JOC, Robert Mugabe will
capitulate.
The precedence for soliciting the assistance of foreign
military personnel
in strengthening Zimbabwe's defence capabilities was set
by Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe requested for Air Marshal Mohammed Azim Daudpota
of Pakistan to
serve as Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe from July
1983 to January
1986 as a replacement for Air Marshal Norman Walsh and other
Rhodesian
officers Mugabe no longer trusted.
The MDC needs to follow
suit, identify distinguished military officers and
request for their
attestation to a new Zimbabwe Defence Force. Together with
their support
staff, these generals would lead a 3-year military transition
period that
will instill professionalism in our armed forces. The
depoliticisation of
our military, which is essential for a functioning
democracy, becomes the
cornerstone of such an endevour.
The JOC must be disbanded and the name
of our army has to be changed through
Comment from The Times (SA), 26 August
No news is good news for Zimbabwe's rulers, writes Moses
Mudzwiti
When there is an electricity blackout, everything stops. No
lights, no
water, no telephone, no petrol and no news. This is the situation
in
Zimbabwe. Stuck in this jumbled existence, it is hard to make any sense
of
anything at all. No one here seems too bothered about the make-or-break
power-sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and the two factions of
the Movement for Democratic Change. Ordinary people are too busy hustling
for their next meal to expend any energy on finding out any latest
developments. Besides, newspapers are too expensive while radio and
television are, by any standards, hardly credible sources of information.
Television might as well have died long ago. The state owns the broadcasting
rights over Zimbabwe's single television channel. Without any competition,
the sole provider can subject its long-suffering viewers to endless history
lessons on how the country was colonised by the British more than a century
ago. In between the lessons, there are repeats of Korean soap operas,
complete with subtitles. This, as well as a combination of factors including
incompetent media practitioners, overpriced news products and unreliable
electricity supplies, has conspired to keep Zimbabweans ill-informed about
their country and the world around them.
If by some fluke electricity
is available and you turn on the radio, more
often than not, a less than
impressive radio jock will mumble something
about "crossing over to the
news". The enduring local news jingle of beating
drums comes alive, followed
by the voice of Mugabe declaring: "We stand by
our people. Their votes on
June 27 can never be rejected." He then goes on
to thank Zimbabweans for the
"faith they have reposed" in him. Then the
radio goes dead quiet. A few
minutes later, the DJ proudly announces "That
was the news." No one seems to
take notice of such glitches. And conspiracy
theorists could be forgiven for
suspecting that the frequent blackouts are
simply a government ploy to hide
information from the public. But
incompetence is largely to blame for the
sub-standard broadcasting. The
state broadcaster rises to the occasion only
when Mugabe makes a live
address. Perhaps it is fear of arrest that ensures
that it performs for the
octogenarian. Journalists employed by the state
media have learnt how to
survive. If they want to stay employed they know
they have to sing the
government's praises all day long. Some citizens have
adopted the government's
hostility towards the West, which they frequently
accuse of imposing
crippling sanctions.
A local singer who was
taking part in an all-night Heroes' Day bash earlier
this month took the
anti-West rhetoric a step further. The singer changed
the word "British" to
".." in a song ridiculing the former prime minister
Tony Blair. "The only
Blair I knew was a toilet," sang the young man, much
to the obvious
amusement of his audience. It is hard to find anyone
genuinely interested in
radio and television news bulletins. Nevertheless,
the Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation (ZBC) dutifully continues to churn out
its pro-government
bulletins. Little wonder fed up consumers have renamed
the propaganda
machine "The Dead BC". All other state media make it their
business to fight
against what they call the "regime-change agenda". They
devote a lot of time
and space to criticising the opposition, especially the
MDC, led by Morgan
Tsvangirai. "I don't watch ZBC television," Tsvangirai
revealed last month
on the night he signed the memorandum of understanding
that paved the way
for the power-sharing talks. Since siding with Mugabe,
MDC splinter-group
leader Arthur Mutambara has enjoyed positive publicity on
radio, television
and in the state-owned newspapers, the Zimbabwe Herald and
the Sunday Mail.
Privately owned newspapers like the Financial Gazette, the
Zimbabwean and
the Standard are more sympathetic towards the opposition. But
they are
priced well beyond the reach of those who need the information the
most.
Though DStv beams into Zimbabwe, ordinary people are left with no
choice but
to rely on rumours.
Joining a queue for scarce items usually turns
out to be a good way of
keeping abreast with the goings-on. The recent
power-sharing talks were a
good example of street news editing. On Monday
morning, a few nervous
glances up and down a long queue at Standard Bank in
Harare was the cue for
someone to break the latest news. A nervous character
told people around him
that talks had stalled in Johannesburg. "Chematama
[the one with chubby
cheeks] still refuses to sign," announced the self-
styled news reporter.
Everyone within earshot immediately knew that
Tsvangirai had opted out. The
banking hall was stunned into silence. Some
people starred at their news
"source" in disbelief. He instinctively raised
his hand to make sure his
doubters could see his cellphone. "I got an SMS
from South Africa," he said.
It was enough to convince his listeners. If the
noose around the media is
tightened any further, word-of-mouth reporters
could lose their front teeth
and have their mouths padlocked. Perhaps the
lack of information accounts
for the surprising lack of angst among
Zimbabweans living on a political
knife edge.
Press Statement
On Launch Of Zimbabwean Media Website
This website is an
offshoot of ZimJournalists Arise which hit the internet on August 26 2006 to
Feburary 2007at www.zimjournalist1.blogspot.com
This was the brainchild
of a senior Zimbabwean journalist to have a website for Zimbabwean journalists
and those who write about Zimbabwe, in realization that despite being abused by
the Robert Mugabe regime, journalists still play an important role to deal with
problems in the country and to prepare for the future of a New
Zimbabwe.
Hundreds of Zimbabwean
journalists have been forced into the streets or into exile for political and
economic reasons, save for a very few.
Despite the obstacle of
facing rentless harassment, torture, arrests, victimization of all sorts,
including poor working conditions, we believe that change, as sure as tomorrow
will come is Coming.
It is with that hope,
that we would like to be the central point for Zimbabwean journalists. Our main
functions is to link journalists with newsmakers, so that the former can
actively cover events and for newsmakers to publicize their
events.
We aim to facilitate
this, by circulating information that journalists may find handy in their work,
provide a platform for networking, no matter which part of the world we are in,
to share ideas.
Our main focus is to
promote well- informed and well-trained journalists, by keeping journalists up
to date with of training opportunities, fellowships, awards and anything that
can help a journalist in their
work.
Although the prevailing media environment is hostile, governed by
oppressive pieces of legislation such as AIPPA, we need to be able to be
prepared for the future and also be to be able to overcome the present hurdles.
Zimbabwean journalists
are talented and have a lot of potential as shown by the growing number of
publications, radio stations and news websites, that have sprouted outside the
Motherland.
Therefore given a
chance, the Zimbabwean media can spring back to life one day and we want to
prepare journa's for that day, through
its growth of a media operating in a
crisis environment, a post-conflict era
and into a young democracy.
As a lesson from the
last 28 years of repressive rule, we endeavor to have journalists who are
sensitive to human rights and democracy, JOURNALISTS that are past partisan
journalism. Journalists who will report fairly and objectively, without fear nor
favor.
We endeavor to promote a
journalists that will not discriminate on the basis of tribe, race, gender,
religion, sexual orientation or any other basis. This also involves reporting on
opposition and democratic forces, whom we believe are also accountable to the
people of Zimbabwe.
This website is for all
Zimbabwean journalists whether they work for the state media, private or
international media.
This is because we
realise that those who are being used by
the regime to churn propoganda, most of
them are not doing so willingly but are doing it to
survive.
Media In Zimbabwe hopes
to reach out to thems, expose them to news, training programes and organisations
that can help them become better journalists in a New Zimbabwe. MIZ hopes that
they too will be enlightened, to the ethics and professional standards of
professional journalism beyond the eyes of the ruling
party.
Another area of special
interest to are freelance journalists. Although there are no statistics,
freelance journalists, consist quite a number of journalist, most of whom have
been made jobless because of the closure and turmoil in the Zimbabwean media.
Most of these freelancers, donot have access to press statements, reports etc.
This is where we would like to come in to help them with some of the information they need.
We are NOT
a news website, but a TOOL
for journalists, potential investors or anyone who would like to get
information on the Zimbabwean media.
The website has sections
on the devlopments in the Zimbabwean media, Africa and International media. The
website also has a list of media
orgnisations, training insitutions, contacts for media in distress and a small
section on only very important media developments. The website will be
constantly updating and working to improve its site, to give its readers a better product and thus
sugestions, coments etc o what readers and journalists think are
encouraged.
We look foward to
working with each and everyone of you. Those of you who have news that you want
to share with fellow media workers, promotions,
career moves, thoughts on a particular subject etc are more than welcome
to e-mail us. At mediainzimbabwe@gmail.com or
editor@mediainzimbabwe.com
Newsmakers are also encourged to communicate through us, to our mailing list of the hundreds of
journalists in Zimbabwe, and all over the world.
Yours
In
Striving For A Better
Zimbabwean Journalist
The MediaInZimbabwe
Team
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3605
by Simplicious
Chirinda Monday 01 September 2008
HARARE - The Southern
African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal will
rule on an application by
a group of Zimbabwean white farmers against the
seizure of their land by
President Robert Mugabe's government on September
11, a senior official with
the court said.
"As you already know the court was adjourned in July but
it is now going to
sit to deliver judgment on 11 September," said Dennis
Shivangulula, an
official with the Windhoek based regional court.
The
regional court had temporarily barred the Harare government from
confiscating land belonging to 77 white farmers pending the outcome of an
application by the farmers challenging the legality of Mugabe's programme to
seize white-owned land for redistribution to landless blacks.
The
white farmers want the Tribunal to declare Mugabe's controversial land
reform programme racist and illegal under the SADC Treaty.
Article 6
of the regional treaty bars member states from discriminating
against any
person on the grounds of gender, religion, race, ethnic origin
and
culture.
A ruling declaring land reform illegal would have far reaching
consequences
for Mugabe's government, opening the floodgates to thousands of
claims of
damages by dispossessed white farmers.
Such a ruling could
also set the Harare government on a collision course
with its SADC allies
particularly if it - as it has always done with court
rulings against its
land reforms - refuses to abide by an unfavourable
Tribunal
judgment.
Farm seizures are blamed for plunging Zimbabwe into severe food
shortages
after the government displaced established white commercial
farmers and
replaced them with either incompetent or inadequately funded
black farmers.
ZimOnline.
http://www.politicsweb.co.za
Eddie Cross
31 August 2008
Eddie Cross
writes that last week's victory for the MDC in parliament could
prove to be
crucial
Have you ever noticed how small the steering wheel is in a
Formula One car?
It's tiny by comparison to the conventional car, even
though the power under
the bonnet is much greater and the speeds and
handling are that much faster
and dangerous. Sometimes history is like that
- a seemingly small incident
or event can turn the tide and signal a new
development that is enormous by
world standards.
The assassination of
a minor Duke in the Balkans in 1914 was one such event.
It led to World War
1. A speech by an unknown teacher of Philosophy in
German in a small
University at the end of the 19th Century would have gone
unnoticed except
that it led to the creation of two monsters of the 20th
Century - Social
Nationalism in Germany under Hitler and the advent of
Communism under Stalin
and Lenin.
The vote on Monday last week that gave MDC control of
Parliament was perhaps
just such an event. Certainly it changed the way the
region looked at the
crisis in Zimbabwe and gave the MDC greater leverage in
dealing with Zanu PF
at the SADC sponsored talks in South Africa. The first
sign of this was the
warning from the SADC to Zanu PF not to form a new
government and the call
by South Africa for the talks to resume in
Pretoria.
Another sign of the new importance of this process was the
composition of
the Zanu delegation to the talks - did you notice, that for
the first time
Emmerson Mnangagwa was there! This signals that they are at
last taking the
process seriously, they know that if the region decides that
power should
now pass to the MDC in the form of the Prime Minister that this
would be the
beginning of the end for Zanu PF.
There are no signals
coming out of the process - another indication that
this time the game is
deadly serious. Zanu finds itself trapped by a process
they had thought
would lead MDC into a cul du sac. They have allowed
negotiations to develop
an elaborate agreement over the past 18 months which
provides for a complete
overhaul of the State including a new constitution,
an agreement that if
implemented and managed properly would deprive Zanu of
the very means that
they have used for the past 28 years to maintain their
hold on
power.
All that is left is literally one clause in this massive agreement
- just a
few short lines on a piece of paper that would transfer effective
control to
Morgan Tsvangirai. Zanu would continue to have influence - half
of all
Ministers would be from Zanu and the Head of State would still be
Mugabe,
but the steering wheel, would be in MDC hands.
So now we
wait, the Herald printed a silly story yesterday about Tsvangirai
and Mugabe
sharing the role of Chairman of the Cabinet - but that is
twaddle. We have
no choice but to wait for the outcome of talks now under
way in South
Africa. Only one person can control the steering wheel - if its
is MDC it
means we are going in a new direction, if its Zanu it means we are
going
nowhere.
I am convinced that Thabo Mbeki has no alternative but to get a
deal.
Whatever his personal feelings are, he has to now accept that there is
no
realistic alternative to giving the steering wheel to Tsvangirai. I
watched
the President of Tanzania meet with George Bush this morning in
Washington.
They talked about Zimbabwe. Kikwete is firmly on the side of the
MDC and so
are the major western powers. SADC has little alternative but to
give MDC
what it is demanding in the talks now that we have firm control of
Parliament. That was the reason for convening Parliament after all, to
decide who held the balance of power in the House.
But on another
subject - do you recall that young Senator in 2004 walking up
to the podium
at the Democratic convention and then making a speech? I do,
so do a lot of
Americans because it was the start of the Obama campaign for
the Presidency
of the United States. A few nights ago he was back at the
Democratic
convention - this time as the candidate giving his acceptance
speech. Wow,
what a speech. It was deeply moving and powerful and in 10
weeks time,
Americans are going to have to decide between McCain and Obama.
It will be
close - but I think Obama is the man of the moment.
It all started with
that minor speech in 2004. My belief in Obama is not
just based on his
oratory it's also based on his record as a Senator, a
husband and a father.
Of course I support him because he has African roots
but also because he
embodies everything that the American dream stands for.
That a poor, mixed
race kid with a single mom can rise out of obscurity and
claim the
leadership of the most powerful country on earth. He also offers a
new way
for America and this is a challenge that we all must grasp.
MDC has its
roots in the poor of this country, not in the cloistered
corridors of power
and privilege but in the back allies of our towns and
cities, the villages
in the rural areas and on our factory floors. MDC was
not started in the
boardrooms of this country but in the kitchens.
Tsvangirai does not have
even a high school diploma; he had to leave home to
work when in his young
teens to help his parents with the cost of raising
his siblings. He started
out working on a machine in a textile factory and
then in a mine.
His
parents live in a mud hut near the Save River and he goes home regularly
to
catch up with his family. When there he sleeps on the floor like millions
of
others who must struggle every day to make a living out of the ground.
Somehow this man has captured the trust and faith of millions who now depend
on us to bring them back to sanity in a world gone insane in the pursuit of
power and privilege.
We have a common heritage with Obama - we
represent the dreams and
aspirations of our people, we represent the hope of
a better, more just and
equitable future. It is an opportunity and a
responsibility and one that we
dare not fail in. Obama may get his hands on
the steering wheel in November.
Tsvangirai may get his hands on this
steering wheel next week. The challenge
then will be to win the race that
follows and deliver a better life to the
people who depend on
us.
Eddie Cross is MP for Bulawayo South and the MDC Policy
Co-ordinator
http://www.zimbabwemetro.com
Local
News
August 31, 2008 | By Philip Mangena
The plot has thickened in the
aftermath of the victory of MDC National
Chairman, Lovemore Moyo for the
speaker position amid revelations by
Tsholotsho North independent
MP,Jonathan Moyo that Lupane MP, Njabuliso
Mguni who nominated ZANU PF
backed Paul Themba Nyathi was the first to
celebrate Moyo's
victory.
Disgruntled Jonathan Moyo who seconded Nyathi told state media
that he
seconded Nyathi's nomination after he spoke to Nkayi South MP
Abedinico
Bhebhe on the night before the swearing-in ceremony who told him
that the
party had nominated Nyathi for the post of Speaker.
"Bhebhe
further informed me that their caucus had decided that Njabuliso
Mguni would
nominate Paul Themba Nyathi in Parliament and that they had
asked Welshman
Ncube to request me to second the nomination.', said Moyo
"I went with
this understanding to Parliament for the swearing-in ceremony
the next day.
While there and before the election of the Speaker, a rather
nervous
Njabuliso Mguni confirmed to me that he was going to nominate Nyathi
and
that he was expecting me to second his nomination as per the request of
his
party.
"I assured Mguni that I would second his nomination because I
believed it
was a good thing to do not just for the sake of democracy but
also for the
sake of stabilising our country and fostering an all inclusive
process of
national unity which are necessary for the much-needed economic
turnaround.
"I started smelling a rat when Mguni gave a rambling and
incoherent
nomination of Nyathi which, because it clearly did not come from
his heart
or mind, was hopeless and pathetic," said Moyo.
Moyo said
after the counting of the votes in the Senate Chamber, Mguni who
was
supposed to be Nyathi's agent sprung up to celebrate along with
Kuwadzana
Central MP Nelson Chamisa.
"As it became obvious that Lovemore Moyo's
pile of votes was larger than
that of Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC-T agents,
started singing and dancing
together and they locked their arms together,
with Nelson Chamisa locking
arms with Mguni in a musical celebration inside
the Senate Chamber before
the announcement of the official result.
"I
was very shocked by the fact that the very same person who had moved
Nyathi's nomination, Mguni was quick to abandon his own party's candidate
even before the counting was over. Chamisa and Mguni became an item in the
counting room and their spectacle was nauseating," said Moyo.
"Moyo
also decried that some Mps showed the completed ballot papers to
Innocent
Gonese and Thokozani Khupe before depositing the ballot papers in
the ballot
box,"said Moyo.
Mguni has since dismissed allegations that he celebrated
Moyo's victory
together with Chamisa, "Chamisa is a colleague and I have
every right to
congratulate him. I don't see anything wrong with hugging
Chamisa. I am not
ashamed because everything was very much in order."
http://www.hararetribune.com
Sunday, 31 August 2008 18:51 Tribune Staff
More
than 100 patients at Gutu Rural Hospital face starvation after their
Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) allocation of mealie meal was diverted to the
black
market by a senior government employee.
Roy Chiruvi (34), the District
Nutritionist employed by the Ministry of
Health and Child Welfare, was
arrested on Tuesday after he sold 150 bags of
mealie meal he had solicited
from the GMB on behalf of the hospital.
Chiruvi was still in police custody
on Friday.
He allegedly sold each bag of mealie meal for SAR200,
police said.
District police head, Chief Inspector Abson Sibanda,
said the suspect is
assisting police with further investigations as they try
to establish
whether he stole the mealie meal on his own or as part of a
syndicate.
"The suspect is detained at Gutu Police station and is
assisting us with
investigations to see if he was acting in isolation or
formed part of a
syndicate fueling the sale of the scarce commodity on the
black market, more
so an allocation meant for patients," said Chief
Inspector Sibanda.
While the Minister of Health and Child
Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa denied
the incident, sources at the health
institution confirmed that Chiruvi had
been arrested.
"He (Roy)
has not been coming to work for two days after he was detained at
the police
station over the mealie meal scandal," said a senior nurse who
spoke to
RadioVOP on condition of anonymity.
The nurse said the hospital had
not been aware that Chiruvi had already
collected their mealie meal
allocation for the month.
"It was news to us that he had already
collected the patients' mealie meal
on behalf of the hospital. We wonder how
we are going to feed the 120
patients admitted here," said the
nurse.
Mealie meal is in short supply in the drought stricken district
and anyone
who gets hold of the scarce commodity makes an instant fortune by
charging
in foreign currency.-- RVOP