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Violence Reported in Harare as Mugabe Calls for
Peace
September 06, 2011
Photo: Reuters
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (C) leaves after
opening the 4th Session of the 7th Parliament in Harare September 6, 2011.
President Robert
Mugabe opened a new session of Zimbabwe’s parliament Tuesday saying there should
be no more political violence. But shortly before he spoke, members of his
ZANU-PF party were beating up members of the public, as well as a freelance
journalist and a city councilor, in a small park opposite
parliament.
President Robert
Mugabe arrived at parliament accompanied by a traditional cavalcade of mounted
soldiers and the presidential guard to open a new legislative year.
As he
was getting out of his vehicle, crowds of his ZANU-PF supporters, some dressed
in party regalia, were throwing stones and beating up some members of the public
walking through the central park, called Africa Unity Square.
A few
streets west of parliament, the Movement for Democratic Change party, which is
in a difficult 30-month-old inclusive government with ZANU-PF, decided to close
the steel entrance gates to its headquarters to protect party officials
inside.
A member of the security team protecting the party leadership,
who spoke on condition of anonymity, was in the city center monitoring the
violence.
"What I saw there it was actually terrible, people were being
harassed in the park, Africa Unity Square by ZANU-PF people,” he said.
He
said the violence continued against civilians as Mugabe and his wife Grace
arrived outside parliament.
“They were singing party songs and slogans
and if you failed to answer the slogan then they will start beating you, even
stones they were throwing, everything,” he said.
Since the unity
government came to power in 2009, several months after disputed and
violence-plagued elections, MDC officials, legislators and party supporters have
suffered from recurring attacks and arrests, usually at the hands of state
security forces.
Despite protests to Mugabe and police chiefs, the
violence continues, although at a lower level than after the 2008 elections won
by the MDC.
The MDC says the Zimbabwean police is a partisan force which
does not protect people unless they are members of ZANU-PF.
Uniformed and
plainclothes detectives were posted throughout the city center before the
opening of parliament.
"Police were there, the whole town, the police
were there but they were doing nothing," he said. "They were there. The way I
see it we will have so many people being hurt, when people are actually throwing
stones it means something very bad, that is not good, they do not have to do
that, we are in an inclusive government so I do not see the reason why should be
fighting. “
Police spokesmen were not available for comment Tuesday.
Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, a ZANU-PF member, said he did not
see people being beaten up outside parliament and asked for video proof of the
violence.
Meanwhile, Mugabe told parliament foreign investment is safe in
Zimbabwe as long as the country’s laws are obeyed. The laws demand that 51
percent of all companies be sold to black Zimbabwean shareholders.
Mugabe
also said the inclusive government is drawing up a new constitution before new
elections.
Last week, for the first time, Mugabe conceded elections would
not take place this year. At ZANU-PF’s annual conference last December, the
party resolved new polls would be held in 2011 to end the inclusive
government.
Since then the MDC and ZANU-PF have been negotiating a
roadmap towards elections.
Mugabe also repeated what he has said several
times this year, that there should be no more political violence in
Zimbabwe.
Mugabe encourages
lawmakers to preach peace
http://mg.co.za/
ANGUS SHAW HARARE, ZIMBABWE - Sep 06 2011
18:50
Zimbabwe's leader on Tuesday urged lawmakers in the
troubled coalition
government to preach messages of peace ahead of proposed
elections -- and
after years of violence that rights groups blame on
President Robert Mugabe
and his security forces.
"Let's in unison say
no to violence in all its manifestations," Mugabe said
as he opened a new
session of Parliament in Harare.
Mugabe last week called for polls in
March, after calling frequently in
recent weeks for an end to the fragile
coalition that was formed after
disputed 2008 elections.
He said
coalition partners have agreed on "timelines" to polling but did not
elaborate.
Mugabe called on the nation's leaders to preach messages
of peace,
reconciliation and national healing after a decade of bitter
rivalry between
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic
Change party and
the Zanu-PF party under his authoritarian
control.
"Rather than amplify our differences, let's find strength in our
diversity,"
he said on Tuesday.
Witnesses, however, reported minor
scuffles among some restive rival party
supporters gathered in the midday
heat outside the parliament house.
Mugabe said the new session of the
Parliament will frame legislation for a
referendum on constitutional reforms
before elections can be held.
Mugabe lost a constitutional referendum in
1999, his only outright defeat in
polling since independence in 1980. His
party was accused of widespread
violence and vote-rigging in presidential
and parliament elections the
following year.
The nation's judges, in
shoulder-length judicial wigs and scarlet robes,
filed into the Parliament
house ahead of Mugabe, who arrived in an open
vintage British-made Bentley
limousine. The annual reopening is
traditionally modeled on colonial-era
pomp and ceremony.
Mugabe (87) spoke for about 40 minutes. He appeared
eloquent and confident,
just as new revelations on his ailing health in
leaked diplomatic cables
obtained by WikiLeaks gripped the nation.
US
diplomatic cables released over the weekend on the whistleblower site
claimed former US ambassador James McGee reported being told in 2008 Mugabe
was suffering from prostate cancer that had spread and would likely kill him
by 2013.
Mugabe's party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo on Tuesday denied
he is terminally
ill.
"This is only providing excitement to the
media. People are relishing in
it," Gumbo said at the Parliament
opening.
Mugabe has traveled to Singapore for medical treatment four
times this year.
His office confirmed one trip was for eye surgery but it
has also been
widely reported he received cancer treatment.
Another
leaked US cable reported that Mugabe was seen checking into a
Singapore
cancer facility this year.
The flurry of new cables on Zimbabwe have
caused a frenzy in both the state
and independent media. They also alleged
there were deep divisions both in
Mugabe's party and among Tsvangirai's
closest aides, including one who
called the prime minister weak and
indecisive. The cables spoke of hypocrisy
among politicians and frequent
"back-stabbing and betrayal".
The independent Daily News on Tuesday said
the leaks had sent "shockwaves"
across the country and plunged it into
further tension.
"This is a potential minefield ... What is crucial is to
find a way out of
the dangerous situation that has been created by the
leaked cables," it
said. -- Sapa-AP
Police
look on as MDC-T official & others attacked outside Parliament
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By
Alex Bell
06 September 2011
An MDC-T official has been injured, along
with at least one other person,
after ZANU PF youths started attacking
people outside Parliament on Tuesday.
Members of Zimbabwe’s notoriously
partisan police, as well as other ZANU PF
loyal members of the security
forces, looked on while the party thugs
threatened, harassed and attacked
anyone perceived to be an MDC-T supporter.
MDC-T official Vincent Chifodya
had to seek medical treatment having been
beaten over the head, while a
cameraman Henry Chimbiri was also beaten.
SW Radio Africa’s Harare
correspondent Simon Muchemwa explained that crowds
had gathered in the
capital for the annual reopening of the new
parliamentary session. He
described how truckloads of ZANU PF youths were
seen arriving in the area
before the official reopening ceremony got under
way.
“Just before
Robert Mugabe arrived to open Parliament, there were lots of
skirmishes with
ZANU PF youths attacking people, beating them and chasing
them down the
street,” Muchemwa said.
He added: “CIO officers, military intelligence
and the police had surrounded
the area, but they did nothing to stop the
attacks by ZANU PF.”
Muchemwa explained that instead of arresting the
culprits of the violence,
police and other security officials detained him
and a group of other
journalists and photographers. He said that they were
immediately set upon
when they tried to photograph what was happening, and
then held for almost
an hour.
“Ironically these skirmishes continued
even while Robert Mugabe was giving
his speech, which he ended by denouncing
violence,” Muchemwa said, adding:
“It is shameful that he is giving lip
service to denouncing violence while
his followers were beating people up
right outside Parliament.”
Mugabe called for an end to violence “in all
its manifestations,” before
saying that his partners in the coalition
government had agreed to
“timelines” towards fresh elections. He did not
detail what these timelines
are, but insisted that lawmakers should lead the
push for reconciliation and
“national healing” before the poll.
The
comments by the 87 year old Mugabe come less than a week after he said
elections will be held in March next year, which the MDC-T has dismissed.
Party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said on Monday that the decision cannot be
made until all partners in government agree. It is not yet clear if this has
now happened.
But the violence unleashed on Tuesday clearly
demonstrates that Zimbabwe is
a long way from being ready for a peaceful,
democratic election.
Another
white farmer evicted
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Pindai Dube
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
13:38
SHANGANI - A group of Zanu PF youths led by a senior Bulawayo
provincial
party member, Joseph Tayali on Friday evicted a white commercial
farmer,
Terraine Harvey, from her Esmnyangeni Farm in the Shangani area of
Matabeleland South Province.
When the Daily News visited
Esmnyangeni Farm on Monday it witnessed that
Zanu PF youths had camped at
the farmhouse and Harvey had been evicted.
Harvey said Tayali, who had no
offer letter from the Ministry of Lands, came
with a group of youths and
chased them away from the farm before breaking
into the farm
house.
“My farm has been taken over by Tayali, he has been threatening me
for the
past two months together with my workers and making life difficult
for us.
“I have since removed my cattle from the farm and he has also
insisted that
I leave my farming equipment for him.
“He is doing this
illegally and has no papers from the Ministry of Lands or
the governor to
support his claim, ” said Harvey while shedding tears.
Harvey also said
Tayali has been sending threatening messages on her mobile
phone and she
reported this to Fort Rixon Police Station several times but
nothing was
done.
One of the messages which was sent to Harvey from a NetOne number
before the
farm takeover reads: “Will let you know when we want your farm
but do not
make mistake because my youths are watching you.” Harvey said the
number
belonged to Tayali.
Harvey’s farm manager, Ricks Kangwena who
was also evicted said before the
eviction he received a bullet which was
left at the main gate of
Esmnyangeni farm in an envelope threatening him not
to block their mission
to grab the farm.
When contacted, Tayali said:
“I have my own farm in that area; I did not
take anybody’s farm. That lady
is lying and after all, that farm is not hers
and it belongs to a war
veteran whose name I can not disclose to you.”
National police
spokesperson, Oliver Mandipaka referred the Daily News to
Matabeleland South
provincial police spokesperson Tafanana Dzirutwe who said
police will
investigate the issue.
“I will get in touch with our Fort Rixion station
about the issue,” said
Dzirutwe.
The eviction of Harvey comes just a
week after another white commercial
farmer Kenneth Barthlomew was evicted
from Wakefield Farm in Chegutu to make
way for or new farmer Felix
Pambukani.
Barthlomew was evicted together with his workers.
ZANU-PF Turns to Monitoring Committee in Mujuru Death
Charge
http://www.voanews.com
05 September
2011
Biti told an MDC rally that ZANU-PF officials "have a new tactic
of roasting
people," which was widely interpreted as inferring that ZANU-PF
rivals of
retired defense chief Salomon Mujuru murdered him on August
16
Jonga Kandemiiri | Washington
Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's ZANU-PF has lodged a complaint with the
Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee set up to measure compliance
with the Global
Political Agreement for power sharing, seeking action
against Finance
Minister Tendai Biti for insinuating the party had a role in
the recent
death of a retired general.
Biti told an MDC gathering in Mutare two
weeks ago that ZANU-PF officials
"have a new tactic of roasting people,"
which was widely interpreted as
inferring that ZANU-PF rivals of retired
Defense Forces chief Salomon Mujuru
murdered him on August 16. His body was
found in the charred ruins of his
farmhouse in Beatrice, south of
Harare.
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo called Biti's comments
irresponsible, urging
a halt to speculation about Mujuru's death until a
police investigation was
completed. Since then his widow, Vice President
Joice Mujuru, has said she
suspects foul play.
Joint Monitoring and
Implementation Committee spokesman Joram Nyathi told
reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri that the ZANU-PF complaint was received last last
week and will
be considered by JOMIC's s three co-chairpersons.
Political analyst John
Makumbe said he thinks ZANU-PF made the right move to
clear itself from such
speculation - but said Biti merely articulated what
many others, including
Vice President Mujuru, have said about the death of
the ZANU-PF power
broker.
Is Mugabe a long term cancer
survivor?
By
Tichaona Sibanda 6 September 2011
WikiLeaks has
revealed the long held rumour that Robert Mugabe may have prostrate cancer. But
a medical expert said he strongly believes that early treatment could have
prevented the disease from spreading to other vital organs of the
body. | |
The expert, who
asked to remain anonymous, said Mugabe may well be categorised as a long-term
cancer survivor, who is a beneficiary of early treatment.
‘The exact nature
of which cancer he has can only be known by his personal physicians, otherwise
everything else, including the diagnosis we read in newspapers, is all
speculation,’ the medical expert said on Tuesday.
Mugabe is believed
to have been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years but appears to be
strongly soldering on, having travelled extensively to the Far East for
treatment. His ZANU PF party and spokesman George Charamba have on numerous
occasions refuted reports that he is travelling there to seek cancer
treatment.
The expert told SW
Radio Africa that what could have helped Mugabe (87) live so long is his healthy
life style that is understood to include a daily exercise regime, plus his
dislike of alcohol and smoking.
A confidential US
embassy communication released by WikiLeaks has said Mugabe was seen in the
office of a radiation oncologist at Gleneagles, a major hospital in Singapore in
December 2009. An oncologist deals with cancer. The cable then went on to say
Mugabe went to Singapore for prostrate cancer treatment in May and August 2008.
See cable
Mugabe’s former
personal banker and now Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono, revealed in another
cable that Mugabe does have prostate cancer and told by doctors in 2008 that he
had five years to live. Gono was speaking to former US Ambassador James
McGhee.
See cable
‘The reports in
the WikiLeaks might be credible because they are consistent with the signs and
symptoms that have been observed on Mugabe. Of late he has been seen to
experience mobility difficulties. At the Livingstone SADC summit, Mugabe is
alleged to have used a golf cart to move around,’ the medical expert added.
In April this year
onlookers at the Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia where Mugabe was
staying, were left in no doubt that his health is failing. He had a massive
security and medical team around him.
On arrival at the
hotel Mugabe, who was struggling to walk, was helped onto a golf cart which
transported him to his room. His bodyguards and other aides followed behind. The
same routine was repeated when the ZANU PF leader was leaving the hotel for
lunch and the golf cart took him to his car.
‘People who
undergo cancer treatment of the nature Mugabe is alleged to, usually need
support for long-term physical and emotional problems, which include blood
clots, nerve damage and lymphoedema (swelling of joints), the medical expert
said.
Pro-democracy
activist Dewa Mavhinga, who witnessed Mugabe being moved around in a golf cart
in Livingstone, said it is high time the ZANU PF leader dealt with the
succession issue in his party.
‘If anything is to happen to him whilst in
office, the scenario of what will happen in Zimbabwe is too ghastly to
contemplate. With the military vultures circling around, Zimbabwe will be
plunged into chaos if there is no legal succession plan,’ Mavhinga
said. |
Mugabe's
party says WikiLeaks claim that president has cancer is false
http://edition.cnn.com
By the CNN Wire
Staff
September 6, 2011 -- Updated 0758 GMT (1558 HKT)
(CNN) --
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party dismissed Monday a
"confidential"
cable released by WikiLeaks that claims the Zimbabwean leader
has
cancer.
WikiLeaks claimed Friday that Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor
Gideon Gono
had told the former U.S. ambassador Christopher Dell during a
private
meeting in 2006 that Mugabe had prostate cancer that had spread to
other
organs.
"If he was that ill (in 2006), how come he is still
going strong? I have
seen him for a long time and even last week, he has no
health problems.
There is a lot of things that are not true in that," said
Rugare Gumbo, Zanu
PF spokesperson, referring to the WikiLeaks
cable.
The cables claimed that Grace, Mugabe's wife, had told Gono that
the
87-year-old was "out of it about 75% of the time."
"The governor
(Gono) confided that Mugabe appeared to be deteriorating
mentally and losing
his capacity to balance factional interests," Dell wrote
in his report after
meeting Gono who has repeatedly denied claims of having
an affair with
Grace. "She (Grace) wanted him (Mugabe) to step down."
Gono did not
answer several calls made to him by CNN.
Zim's
National Healing Organ Has Failed - Zimrights
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, September 06,
2011 - Most Zimbabwean victims of political violence
that has characterised
the country since independence in 1980 doubt that an
organ set up by the
coalition government to bridge divisions among citizens
have the capacity
nor willingness to effectively do so.
A report released by the Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum states that many
Zimbabweans who have suffered from
political violence are not convinced that
the National Healing,
Reconciliation and Integration organ can deal with the
many tensions that
still characterise the country.
The report dated July 2011, states that
about 74 percent of the victims who
participated in the study don’t know the
existence of the organ and the work
it does while the remainder is not
confident that it can address their
emotive issues.
According to the
report 74 percent of the respondents had never heard of the
organ while
others who had an idea about its existence gave it a very
negative
rating.
The National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration organ was
established
in 2009 under the Global Political Agreement (GPA) between Zanu
(PF) and the
two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) political
parties.
Its mandate is to advise government on the best possible ways to
achieve
national healing and reconciliation in the country.
However,
one 71 year-old man summed up the anonymity of the organ when he
was asked
whether he knows anything about the body. He said, “I may lie to
you about
the organ. I was not yet born when it was formed,” illustrating
just how
useless the body has become.
The report identifies security agents,
political activists, traditional
leaders and militant youth groups as the
main perpetrators of violence,
especially in 2008 when about 500 MDC
supporters were murdered, according to
the party's own
estimates.
“Political activists topped the list of perpetrators of
violations committed
countrywide. A higher percentage of violations was
committed by the militant
youth groups in the Matebeleland regions,” the
report stated.
“The reason that political activists top the list of
violators in all
provinces may reasonably be attributed to the fact that
violence in Zimbabwe
is regularly linked to major events when political
power is fiercely
contested.”
Many of the people who were interviewed
as part of the study said they are
still struggling to shrug off the
experiences of the past. They said they
are still bitter about what they
went through and want to be compensated
before they can put the matter to
rest.
Most of them said there is no likelihood that the perpetrators of
violence
will ever repent or admit to the violent acts they had committed
while the
victims will never heal.
According to the report of the
victims are ready to forgive the perpetrators
of violence but want that to
be done in an atmosphere where the truth about
what happened is told. Some
also want the offenders to be prosecuted while
very few expressed feelings
of revenge. Others also want to be compensated.
In one of the areas worst
affected by political violence, a woman was asked
what she would need to be
healed, she said, “My husband.” Her husband was
murdered during the 2008
political violence.
Air
Zimbabwe Big Let Down: Mugabe
http://www.radiovop.com/
Harare, September 06, 2011 - President
Robert Mugabe on Tuesday bemoaned the
troubles at Air Zimbabwe saying it "is
a big let down to the nation" as most
of the airline's aeroplanes are
grounded.
"The transport sector continues to be hamstrung by
structural and
operational challenges, with the national airline, Air
Zimbabwe, being worst
affected. The grounding of some Air Zimbabwe planes is
a big let-down to the
nation, indeed a sad development," Mugabe said while
addressing
parliamentarians at the official opening of the fourth session of
the
parliament of Zimbabwe.
"Government is currently working on
short-term measures to guarantee the
immediate resumption of flights by the
airline. As a medium to long term
solution, however, Government is in the
process of courting strategic
partners for the airline."
Air Zimbabwe
which is battling to operate due to the industrial action by
pilots has
pledged to refund customers who paid for flights but did not
travel due to
the strike by pilots, it has emerged.
Air Zimbabwe pilots went on strike
weeks ago to press for the payment of
their outstanding allowances and
salaries back dated for months. Dozens of
travellers who paid for air
tickets before the strike by the pilots are
crying foul as the airline is
taking time to refund them.
Innocent Mavhunga, the acting Air Zimbabwe
chief executive officers in a
statement on Monday said flights by the
national carrier remain suspended
due to the industrial action by pilots but
pledged to find ways to pay-back
to clients who had booked with the
airline.
"Air Zimbabwe wishes to advise its valued customers that its
flights remain
suspended due to the industrial action by its pilots. Efforts
are underway
to find a lasting solution to this challenge. Despite the
challenges the
airline continues to secure bookings on alternative flights
however, due to
the increased demand it has not been possible to accommodate
everyone in
time,"Mavhunga said.
"The airline is committed to
continue rerouting and refunding all affected
passengers with the assistance
of partner travel agents to minimize the
inconvenience."
Air Zimbabwe
has a debt overhang of over US$ 100 million after being run
down by
corruption and charging of sub-economic tariffs.
The airline has an
ageing fleet with old Boeing 737-200s, Boeing 767-200s
and three MA 60s from
china which are grounded. The Boeing 737-200s and
767-200s were bought in
the 80s and there have been reports that they are
past their life
span.
Last week media was awash with reports that Zambian Zambezi
airlines were
luring some of the experienced pilots to join the regional
airline after
advertising for posts of pilots at the airline.
Zim
government spreading HIV: Mugabe
http://www.timeslive.co.za/
Sapa | 06 September, 2011
13:14
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has accused male government
officials of
"running from one woman to another" and spreading HIV, state
media reports.
"Our men are not satisfied with one woman even if they
know that they are
HIV-positive," the 87-year-old president told a national
HIV/AIDS conference
in Harare, according to the Herald newspaper.
"I
know of cases of men who even though they are taking ARVs
(anti-retroviral
drugs) are running from one woman to the other," said
Mugabe, as he called
for "discipline."
At least one in seven Zimbabweans is believed to be
infected with HIV, the
virus that causes AIDS.
Last week, Deputy
Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe announced plans to have all
male cabinet
ministers circumcised in a bid to encourage men in the country
to undergo
the minor operation.
Research has shown circumcision - not commonly
practised in many parts of
southern Africa -- may cut HIV-infection rates by
up to 60 per cent
Political
violence victims demand action
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Tonderai Kwenda, Deputy News
Editor
Tuesday, 06 September 2011 12:41
HARARE - Most Zimbabwean
victims of political violence that has
characterised the country since
independence in 1980 doubt that an organ set
up by the coalition government
to bridge divisions among citizens has the
capacity nor willingness to
effectively do so.
A report released last week by the Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum says many
Zimbabweans who have suffered from political
violence are not convinced that
the National Healing, Reconciliation and
Integration organ can deal with the
many tensions that still characterise
the country.
The report dated July 2011, states that about 74 percent of
the victims who
participated in the study don’t know the existence of the
organ and the work
it does while the remainder is not confident that it can
address their
emotive issues.
According to the report, 74 percent of
the respondents had never heard of
the organ while others who had an idea
about its existence gave it a very
negative rating.
The National
Healing, Reconciliation and Integration organ was established
in 2009 under
the Global Political Agreement (GPA) between Zanu PF and the
two MDC
parties.
Its mandate is to advise government on the best possible ways to
achieve
national healing and reconciliation in the country.
However,
one 71-year-old man summed up the anonymity of the organ when he
was asked
whether he knows anything about the body.
He said: “I may lie to you
about the organ. I was not yet born when it was
formed,” illustrating just
how useless the body has become.
The report identifies security agents,
political activists, traditional
leaders and militant youth groups as the
main perpetrators of violence,
especially in 2008 when about 500 MDC
supporters were murdered, according to
the party’s own
estimates.
“Political activists topped the list of perpetrators of
violations committed
countrywide. A higher percentage of violations was
committed by the militant
youth groups in the Matabeleland regions,” the
report stated.
“The reason that political activists top the list of
violators in all
provinces may reasonably be attributed to the fact that
violence in Zimbabwe
is regularly linked to major events when political
power is fiercely
contested.”
Many of the people who were interviewed
as part of the study said they are
still struggling to shrug off the
experiences of the past.
They said they are still bitter about what they
went through and want to be
compensated before they can put the matter to
rest.
Most of them said there is no likelihood that the perpetrators of
violence
will ever repent or admit to the violent acts they had committed
while the
victims will never heal.
According to the report, victims
are ready to forgive the perpetrators of
violence but want that to be done
in an atmosphere where the truth about
what happened is told.
Some
also want the offenders to be prosecuted while very few expressed
feelings
of revenge. Others also want to be compensated.
In one of the areas worst
affected by political violence, a woman was asked
what she would need to be
healed and said: “My husband.”
Her husband was murdered during the 2008
political violence.
CZI
fights Zesa power hike
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Taurai Mangudhla, Business Writer
Tuesday, 06
September 2011 13:57
HARARE - Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry
(CZI) says its lawyers are
consulting stakeholders to formulate a “strong”
legal argument against a
unilateral 31 percent power hike by Zesa Holdings
(Zesa).
Joseph Kanyekanye, CZI president told businessdaily that
CZI’s lawyers were
also validating Zesa’s claims that it consulted relevant
stakeholders,
through its distribution company — the Zimbabwe Electricity
Transmission and
Distribution Company (ZETDC), prior to the tariff
increase.
“There is a whole lot of confusion but our lawyers are
clarifying whether or
not stakeholders were consulted. The Zimbabwe
Electricity Regulatory
Commission (Zerc) should also furnish us with details
of all proceedings
including minutes of their meetings to prove how they
arrived at the
decision to raise tariffs, otherwise they will have to
immediately reverse
the decision,” he said.
Zesa chief executive,
Josh Chifamba, has however come out in support of new
tariffs saying the new
prices will help fund rehabilitation of critical
equipment which, in future,
will improve power generation.
Zerc is reported have now appointed a new
board after industry challenged
the legality of the new tariff regime on the
basis that the regulatory body
was not properly constituted.
CZI
treasurer Canada Malunga was appointed chairman of the new Zerc
board.
“One of our CZI board members Canada Malunga was appointed
chairman of the
new board last week and he had to resign from CZI to avoid a
conflict of
interests,” said the CZI boss.
Kanyekanye said the new
rates were in reality going up by 50 percent, and
likely to see businesses
increase prices of their finished products by the
same margin.
“We
are going to fight the new tariff regime and I am certain we will win
the
fight. If we fail, we are likely to see prices going up by at least 5 to
10
percent, depending on the company’s cost structure if companies review
their
expenditure ethically,” he said, adding that some businesses could
cease the
opportunity to hike prices further than the cost reflective
margins.
“We are also going to see rentals going up and people will
demand more wages
to meet the high bills because if Zesa can increase
charges by 50 percent,
other providers of social utilities can do the same,”
Kanyekanye added.
Zimbabwe requires 2 000MW of power a day but the
country currently produces
only 1 300MW and gets 300MW from imports, leaving
a deficit of 400MW.
Mugabe
expects foreign firms to abide by stakes plan
http://www.reuters.com
Tue Sep 6, 2011 12:52pm
GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday he
expected the full cooperation of
foreign firms in a plan for local blacks to
take controlling stakes in their
business operations in the country.
He also said in the speech to
parliament that foreign investment was safe in
the southern African country,
which has been shunned by investors due to the
plan to force foreign
companies to turn over shares, as well as suspected
human rights
violations.
"I wish to assure investors that their investments in the
country remain
safe and to urge them to maintain compliance with the
country's laws,"
Mugabe said when opening the session of
parliament.
Mugabe also highlighted what he said were successes scored by
the coalition
he formed in 2009 with his rival, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai,
including the setting up independent commissions and electoral
reforms, and
called for an end to violence.
However, as Mugabe was
speaking, supporters from his ZANU-PF attacked
activists from Tsvangirai's
MDC party outside the parliament building,
according to a Reuters
witness.
Mugabe signed the economic empowerment law in 2008 that forces
foreign
firms -- including mines and banks -- to surrender at least 51
percent
shares in their operations to local blacks. It has yet to be
implemented.
Analysts see the threat as a way to squeeze more funds out
of the companies
tying to build operations in the country with the world's
second biggest
platinum reserves after South Africa.
There is not
enough capital in destitute Zimbabwe to buy controlling stakes
in the
foreign firms and not enough expertise to run them.
In March, Youth
Empowerment and Indigenisation Minister Savior Kasukuwere
called the foreign
firms to submit plans on how they intended to dispose of
majority stakes by
the end of that month.
Kasukuwere, who set and lifted several other
deadlines, last month gave
mining firms, including platinum producer
Implats' local unit Zimplats,
Aquarius' Mimosa mine and Rio Tinto's Murowa
diamond mine a 14 day ultimatum
to submit fresh plans.
Analysts say
the government is trying to force each company to negotiate on
a
case-by-case basis and build up funds to fight
elections planned for next
year.
Mugabe also said the government wanted to set up a state mineral
exploration
firm to determine the extent of Zimbabwe's mineral
wealth.
In a separate sector, he said the government was looking for a
partner for
its loss-making Air Zimbabwe, which could be the second
state-owned firm to
be sold to foreign investors after steelmaker ZISCO was
bought by a unit of
India's Essar Group.
"The grounding of some Air
Zimbabwe planes is a big let-down to the nation,
indeed, a sad development,"
Mugabe said referring to the planes which were
declared unfit to fly by
Zimbabwe's civil aviation authority.
Zimbabwe to
prosecute Zimplats over share plans
http://www.reuters.com/
HARARE, Sept 6 | Tue Sep 6, 2011
12:21pm EDT
(Reuters) - Zimbabwe will prosecute the local unit of Impala
Platinum
(Zimplats) for failing to agree to turn over 51 percent of its
shares to
local blacks, empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere said on
Tuesday.
He also said Harare had reached an agreement with Rio Tinto's
Murowa mine to
achieve 51 percent local ownership, while a deal was
"imminent" for
Aquarius' Mimosa mine.
"Zimplats continues to defy the
laws of this land, continues to abuse the
process," Kasukuwere told
reporters.
Zimbabwe
threatens to sue EU over sanctions
http://www.theafricareport.com
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
16:19
Zimbabwe has given the European Union (EU) a two week ultimatum
to explain
its motive behind imposing sanctions on President Robert Mugabe
and his
inner circle or face litigation, state media said on
Tuesday.
EU slapped Mugabe and his cronies with targeted sanctions
that included
travel bans close to a decade ago citing alleged human rights
violations.
The sanctions were also targeted at state owned companies
that were
allegedly used by the ageing leader to suppress human
rights.
The southern African country’s attorney general Johannes
Tomana wrote to the
president of the council of the EU, Greece on September
1, threatening the
legal action.
Tomana said Zimbabwe will lodge
its lawsuit at the General Court of European
Court of Justice if it does not
get a satisfactory answer from Greece.
“Unless I hear from you in the
next 14 days, I shall be taking steps as may
be necessary and appropriate to
protect the rights and interest of the
government of Zimbabwe and all the
natural and legal persons and entities,
subjects to the restrictive measures
in terms of your aforesaid decisions,”
reads part of the
letter.
Zimbabwe is accusing the EU of basing its decision to
impose sanctions on
media reports and those of non governmental
organisations that cannot
withstand judicial scrutiny.
The EU in
2002 joined the United States in imposing sanctions on the
Zimbabwean
leadership following the disputed presidential poll where Mugabe
controversially beat then opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Early this year, the United States and the European
bloc extended the
sanctions by another year despite the formation of a unity
government in
Zimbabwe.
Mugabe insists Britain influenced other
EU countries to support sanctions
because it was angry that he had taken
away land from white commercial
farmers which he re-distributed to
blacks.
The 87-year old says the sanctions were meant to force
Zimbabweans to turn
against him.
In retaliation, he has
threatened to seize companies linked to countries
that are behind the
embargo.
Zanu-PF says it has gathered two million signatures for a
petition against
the sanctions.
WikiLeaks
exposes Jonathan Moyo’s fickle ZANU PF loyalty
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
06
September 2011
Confidential documents released by whistle-blowing group
WikiLeaks have
exposed the fickle nature of Jonathan Moyo’s loyalty to ZANU
PF, with
details emerging that he once advised the US on removing Robert
Mugabe from
power.
This information was contained in a previously
unreleased diplomatic cable
from the office of former US Ambassador
Christopher Dell in 2007. The cable
shows that Moyo was discussing secret
ZANU PF information with the
Americans, including ZANU PF’s anger that
Mugabe was hanging onto power,
despite his failing health and loss of public
support.
Read Cable
Jonathan Moyo
The cable also details
that Moyo gave the former US Ambassador some advice
on how the Americans
could oust Mugabe from power, saying that “a ZANU PF
party led by Mugabe was
likely to lose any election.”
“Moyo urged the US to send positive signals
about post-Mugabe future as this
could help convince many party stalwarts to
abandon Mugabe,” reads part of
the cable.
According to the cable,
Moyo also advised the Americans that an exit
package, which included
immunity from prosecution and other international
guarantees for his safety,
“could help persuade Mugabe to go.”
“He (Moyo) added that the example of
Charles Taylor’s expulsion from Nigeria
and subsequent delivery to The Hague
Special Court was particularly worrying
for Mugabe, who had told (Emmerson)
Mnangagwa that he feared being hung,”
Dell wrote after the March 2007
meeting with Moyo.
WikiLeaks has meanwhile also released an older cable
from 2001, when Moyo
was Mugabe’s Information Minister, which shows another
side to Moyo’s
changing political mask. The cable, dated March 2001, details
a meeting at
the US Embassy with the recently fired editor of the state’s
mouthpiece
Herald newspaper. Former editor Ray Mungoshi, who was fired by
Moyo,
explained to the Americans that the then Information Minister “planted
false
stories” in the newspaper, using it for propaganda.
Read
Cable
Moyo, often described as a “political prostitute”, has swung from
being a
top ZANU PF official, to a harsh Mugabe critic, and back to a vocal
party
cheerleader over the last decade. The WikiLeaks details have now come
as
little surprise to many observers, who have said that the information
underlines the extent of Moyo’s serial ‘flip-flopping’.
Political
commentator Phillip Pasirayi told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that
Moyo’s
hypocrisy has been clearly exposed, but he said this would not change
how
ZANU PF “uses him.”
“Jonathan Moyo is an opportunist, but ZANU PF will
continue to use him
because of this. They will use him for propaganda, and
for the hate language
he uses against the MDC,” Pasirayi said.
Wikileaks:
Mujuru backed Makoni for president
http://www.swradioafrica.com
by Irene Madongo
06 September
2011
A WikiLeaks cable has revealed that the late ZANU PF stalwart and
former
military chief, Solomon Mujuru, actively supported Simba Makoni’s
presidential bid.
The cable shows that by 2008 Mujuru, like other
party figures including
Dumiso Dabengwa, was highly frustrated by Robert
Mugabe’s leadership and
wanted him out, to make way for Makoni. It is
revealed that Mujuru was
actively supporting Makoni, going around the
party’s structures to get their
backing for him.
Simba
Makoni
US Ambassador James McGee says a key Mujuru aid informed him that:
“Mujuru,
who was an active supporter and advisor of Makoni, had been
traveling
extensively throughout the country to gauge Makoni’s
support.”
In March 2008 Mujuru allegedly met with Mugabe and urged him to
step down,
but Mugabe refused. A politburo meeting was arranged, where it
was planned
that key members would put additional pressure for Mugabe to
step down,
McGee’s cable shows. The idea was that if Mugabe did not step
down, there
would be public ZANU PF defections to Makoni.
‘There
could be “fireworks” at the meeting, If Mugabe did not step down,
there
could be additional and public ZANU-PF defections to Makoni by the end
of
the week,” McGee wrote.
But it turns out that Mugabe subsequently went
public to declare that Mujuru
was actually backing him and not Makoni.
“Mugabe subsequently told the press
Mujuru was supporting him and not
Makoni, but this was clearly not the
case,” the leaked cable went on to
say.
According to the cable the reason Mujuru chickened out was because
he feared
that if he turned against Mugabe, the system would use his often
corrupt
business deals to get him thrown into jail. Ambassador McGhee added
that
Mujuru had not gone public earlier because he feared jeopardizing his
wife
Vice President Joice Mujuru’s position.
See cable
On
Tuesday, political analyst Dr John Makumbe backed the cable’s
allegations,
saying Mujuru was indeed personally threatened by Mugabe.
“Some of us
have known about this for a long time. He chickened out after he
was
threatened with exposure by the president himself,” Makumbe explains,
“his
own catalogue of sins was read to him and he was told if he goes ahead
with
the Makoni project he would also answer charges against himself
pertaining
to his business deals and other arrangements he had made,
particularly in
the pursuing of certain companies in Zimbabwe.”
Makumbe said these
revelations show that ZANU PF is a divided party and key
figures have no
loyalty to Mugabe. “They are not always towing the party
line, they are not
always listening or obeying what Mugabe dictates to
them,” he said. “It’s
not all rosy within ZANU PF, there’s a lot of
divisions in there and a lot
of rebellion.”
Also revealed, is that one of Mugabe’s aides, Nicholas
Goche (then the
Minister of Public Service) told the Ambassador that even if
Makoni did win
votes in his presidential bid, it would be at the expense of
the MDC-T’s
leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which would be very good for ZANU
PF.
See cable
On Tuesday ZANU PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said his
party had no comment to
make on the matter. Makoni meanwhile denied the
allegations. His party
spokesman said that in February 2008 Makoni stated
that many people in both
ZANU-PF and the MDC supported his candidature for
presidency and those who
supported him came out
publicly.
Wikileaks:
Bots prepared for war with Zim
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By ZimOnline
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
11:10
HARARE - Botswana three years ago sought weapons from the
United States (US)
in readiness for war with Zimbabwe, its northern
neighbour with whom it has
had frosty relations for the past
decade.
According to the latest confidential diplomatic cables leaked by
whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, Gaborone believed that charges by Harare
that it was training rebels to topple President Robert Mugabe were part of a
propaganda war to justify military attack on it by the larger and better
equipped Zimbabwean army.
In preparation for such an eventuality then
Botswana Defence Forces deputy
chief, Major General Tlhokwane, met defence
officials at the US embassy in
Gaborone in July 2008 to request arms
including anti-tank missiles,
helicopter gunships and short range air
defence systems, the cables say.
But the embassy advised against
supplying weapons to Botswana for fear that
would damage overall US policy
objectives in the region while also
triggering a dangerous arms race between
the hostile neighbours.
“This mission is mindful of how ….. provision of
new arms and equipment,
might impact our ongoing diplomacy in southern
Africa and beyond,” embassy
officials told the US State
Department.
“We should examine ways to enhance institutional ties and
other support for
the government of Botswana and the Botswana Defence Forces
where
appropriate, but also in a manner that will not harm overriding US
interests
in Africa.”
But it is not clear whether Washington in fact
accepted the recommendations
by its officials on the ground not to supply
weapons to Botswana.
Relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana have been
strained since the latter’s
President Ian Khama as the region’s most
outspoken critic of Mugabe’s
controversial rule.
The two southern
African countries that share a long frontier between them
publicly
quarrelled in 2008 after Khama openly called for a fresh vote in
Zimbabwe to
resolve the country’s political crisis.
Zimbabwe angrily reacted to
Khama’s call for fresh elections saying it was
unwarranted interference in
its internal affairs and amounted to “extreme
provocation”.
Harare
accused Khama of trying to “pick a quarrel with Zimbabwe”, while it
also
accused Gaborone of training a rebel army for Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai to overthrow Mugabe.
WikiLeaks:
Mujuru behind Makoni party
http://www.newzimbabwe.com
05/09/2011 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
THE late Rtd General Solomon Mujuru initiated Simba Makoni’s
2008
presidential bid and actively supported the former finance minister
before
chickening out at the last minute to save his wife’s career and
business
interests.
Leaked United States embassy cables say Vice
President Joice Mujuru’s
husband, who was burnt to death when an as yet
unexplained fire razed his
farm house in Beatrice last month, was the
mastermind of Makoni’s candidacy
after failing to build sufficient momentum
within Zanu PF to force President
Robert Mugabe to step
down.
Mujuru’s moves against Mugabe were revealed by his key aides,
Tirivanhu
Mudariki and David Butau, in private meetings with officials from
the United
States embassy in Harare, according to diplomatic cables released
online by
WikiLeaks.
In a summary of discussions with Butau following
a meeting held in May 2007,
US Ambassador Christopher Dell wrote: “David
Butau, Zanu PF MP and member of
the faction allied to ex-military commander
Solomon Mujuru, (told us) on May
31 that Mujuru had determined that the time
to unseat President Robert
Mugabe was now.
“Mujuru had flexed his
muscle and wrested control of the party structures in
Masvingo and Bulawayo,
and his subordinates had begun to chip away at
Mugabe's key backers. Butau
added that while pressure on Mugabe was needed,
the USG needed to quietly
weigh into this intra-party battle to help block
Mugabe's bid for another
term.”
After failing to stop Mugabe’s nomination as Zanu PF’s
Presidential
candidate at the December 2007 congress, the conspirators
apparently
initiated Makoni’s bid while maintaining pressure within the
party.
Mudariki told Dell’s successor, Ambassador James McGee, that
Mujuru’s
efforts culminated in a meeting with Mugabe on March 30, 2008,
where the
General was however outwitted by the veteran Zanu PF
leader.
Wrote McGee: “(Mudariki) reports that Mujuru, in a meeting March
10 with
President Robert Mugabe, urged Mugabe to step down, Mugabe declined,
subsequently telling the press that Mujuru supported him and not
presidential candidate Simba Makoni.
“Mujuru is now attempting to
rally Zanu PF politburo members to put
additional pressure on Mugabe at a
scheduled Wednesday politburo meeting to
resign. Mujuru continues to
actively support Makoni, although he has not
come out
publicly.”
Mujuru’s involvement in Makoni’s Mavambo/Kusile project was
also confirmed
by Dumiso Dabengwa, one of the few prominent Zanu PF
officials to leave the
party ahead of the key 2008 elections.
McGee
adds: “Dabengwa averred that Makoni had substantial support in the
country,
even though high-profile leaders had, for personal reasons, chosen
not to
publicly express their support.
“He commented that General Solomon Mujuru
also was one of the initiators of
Makoni's candidacy; Mujuru was still
solidly behind Makoni, but Dabengwa was
unsure when and if he would make his
support public.”
Mujuru is said to have balked at publicly endorsing Makoni
for fear of
possible “prosecution for corrupt business
practices”.
Butau said Mujuru’s bid to get rid of Mugabe was driven by
increasing alarm
at the impact the country’s economic collapse was having on
his vast
business empire.
“The Mujurus believe Zanu PF cannot solve
the economic mess and they need a
regularisation of the business environment
so that they can continue to
conduct their many businesses,” Mudariki
allegedly told Ambassador McGee at
another meeting in October
2010.
The General had complained bitterly about the impact of Western
sanctions on
his business activities in a rare meeting with Ambassador Dell
in 2006.
“Demonstrating that even he was hurt by the financial sanctions,
Mujuru
complained bitterly about a US$7 million line of credit he had
arranged
which had been frozen by OFAC,” Dell said.
“Mujuru added that
the targeted sanctions were impacting other regime
leaders and making them
less eager to engage.”
The revelations could be a hammer blow to Vice
President Mujuru’s waning
dreams of succeeding Mugabe at the helm of Zanu
PF.
Political commentators say already weakened by her husband’s death,
VP
Mujuru now risks being sidelined by Mugabe who bristles at any challenge
to
his rule.
WikiLeaks
Revelations: Will They Change The Face Of Zimbabwe Politics? -
Analysts
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
06/09/2011 10:42:00 By Nkosana Dlamini,
THE
latest release of the US diplomatic cables from the whistle-blower
WikiLeaks
is the material that would leave script writers of soaps licking
their lower
lips.
But even in the creative world of soap operas, the critical viewer
would
chide the author for being rather too wild with their
imaginations.
Details of very senior Zanu (PF) officials, more-so, those
purportedly close
to President Robert Mugabe, clandestinely meeting a sworn
enemy to the party
like the American ambassador to Zimbabwe and pouring out
on the party’s top
secrets are mouth watering and just too good to be
true.
While the authenticity of these meetings and details can be debate
for
another day, what would be more worrisome to President Mugabe
especially,
are the mention of names of his deputies, one of them Joice
Mujuru, revered
as a heroin and child of unquestionable loyalty to the
revolutionary party.
Mugabe’s would also not have sleep to hear that his
most trusted banker
Gideon Gono supped with the devil, even going to the
extent of gloating over
prospects of his “impending” death after revealing
his medical status to an
enemy that longs for all the misfortunes to befall
him.
Mugabe’s failing health has been jealously guarded by Zanu
(PF).
Mugabe would also wonder how his younger wife Grace went to the
extent of
telling central bank governor that he was now old and senile, and
how blue
eyed boy, Youth and Indigenisation Saviour Kasukuwere would tell an
enemy
that he (Kasukuwere) wished him to step down.
Perhaps after
taking a good laugh about the evidently waning fortunes of his
political
nemesis, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on the other hand, would
also cool
down to some deep, meditative thinking over his own circumstances.
Just
how could some of his most trusted buddies like Nelson Chamisa and
Obert
Gutu see through him, casting aspersions on his leadership qualities?
It
is now apparent that Mugabe and Tsvangirai, the two most powerful players
on
the country’s political scene and the main focus from the latest batch of
cables, now walk a tight rope.
They do not know whether to
immediately purge their masked allies or allow
political expediency to
prevail at least up to next year’s make or break
elections, which they are
both contesting.
Also going to the next polls with people who have
literally sold them out is
another hard choice for them.
But should
they flex their muscles and purge “sell outs” from their parties,
what
guarantees are there that those who shall remain close to them would
not
find themselves in the next batch of cable releases?
Observers say the
revelations are more likely to dent internal party
politics as opposed to
affecting the inter-party relationship of the
inclusive government where
parties have been working on a premise of
mistrust and mutual contempt for
each other.
Brian Sibanda, a Harare businessman, says a party facing
electoral defeat
like Zanu (PF) requires a coherent system where all
individuals connected to
its survival are speaking with one
voice.
“The divisive voices coming from within the intra-party politics
of Zanu
(PF) are not only unprecedented but very, very dangerous as they
tend to
alienate the President from his predictable constituency," he
says.
“They also tend to create deep seated divisions to the point that
the
President is now so confused. He can no longer make a distinction
between
his friends and foes.”
Timothy Mbaimbai, another Harare
resident says the anguish is not limited to
Mugabe and Tsvangirai but also
to those implicated in the cables who do not
know whether they should seek
audiences with their leaders and absolve
themselves from the “lies” or
simply keep quiet and observe where the wind
blows.
“It is most
worrying when you even hear some powerful voices from the
(military)
Generals shouting down their commander,” says Mbaimbai, referring
to the two
serving army Generals who allegedly labelled incumbent army chief
Constantine Chiwenga as "a political General".
“A coherent military
setup does not have dissenting voices. In military
language, a dissenting
voice is mutiny at best especially if you are talking
to a sworn enemy under
the cover of darkness denigrating your commander.”
Some say the
revelations would poison relationships and fan more suspicions
within the
parties. They view this as more damaging to Zanu (PF) than MDC-T
because
Zanu (PF) has lot of internal fissures.
“For Tsvangirai, they only expose
his leadership weaknesses something that
has already been in the public
domain and not the scheming around him,” says
a political analysts who did
not want to be named.
“It’s rather too dangerous with Mugabe who does not
know anymore what the
right hand is thinking."
Charles Mangongera, a
political analyst, sees a worse off scenario after
these
revelations.
“There would be a huge fallout,” he says, “Trust has
definitely been broken
and it will have long term political implications for
both parties. It will
change a lot of relationships.
“People who were
considered for certain positions within the political
parties would no
longer get them. Moreover, Mugabe does not countenance any
kind of contempt
or criticism. All those who are seen as being critical of
his leadership and
status would face the consequences.”
Trevor Maisiri , another political
analyst, says while Mugabe and Tsvangirai
may be itching to punish their
treacherous allies, this may not happen now
but in the medium to long term
because both are still trying to grapple with
other pressures.
“A
leader like President Mugabe is still facing pressure from both in and
outside and may not want to make far reaching decisions immediately," he
says.
“The revelations also render moribund, the Zanu (PF) trump card
strategy of
casting the MDC is a western sponsored party because his own
inner circle
has been unmasked. Mugabe is shocked and feels betrayed. He is
wondering how
his party has been so infiltrated by the Americans because it
seems everyone
in the party has sold out.”
For MDC, says Maisiri, the
revelations seem to impound the fact that
Tsvangirai’s leadership is being
questioned and this may lead to
factionalism.
But all said and done,
it is American diplomacy that would be the biggest
loser in this situation,
some say.
"No one would want to be scene hobnobbing with the American
ambassadors
again because people don’t trust this would be in confidence
anymore," says
Sibanda. - Radio VOP
Summer Travel: Mugabe
Style
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Leslie
Wayne
Associate Editor, 100Reporters.com
Posted: 9/6/11 11:10 AM ET
Summertime is travel time and no
one is taking to the friendly skies more
than Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean
president who has brought nothing but
poverty and pain to his
country.
In July, he was in New York, even though sanctions imposed by
the United
States do not allow him to enter the country. The loophole? The
87-year old
Mugabe and an entourage that included his wife Grace, 46,
various government
officials and a phalanx of body guards (twelve in all)
came to attend a
youth conference at the United Nations. He was the only
head of state at an
event that brought together young people to discuss
issues common to their
age group.
U.N.-sponsored events are fair game
for Mugabe, as is anything at the
Vatican and in other countries -- mainly
in Asia -- that have not imposed
the same travel sanctions that bar him from
the U.S. and the European Union.
This loophole is large enough to fly a 747
through and that is exactly what
Mugabe has been doing, courtesy of Air
Zimbabwe.
"He only comes on U.N. business,'' Nhamo Matambo, a spokesman
for Zimbabwe's
mission to the U.N. told 100Reporters. "It was a high level
conference and
people came to hear his views." Matambo declined to say where
Mugabe stayed
or what else he did in New York -- "it is not really a concern
of the
public."
Even so, it is hard to miss Mugabe. On the road, he
likes to roll with his
pack: His companions are often a 70-member delegation
and his tastes are
extravagant. Mugabe's travel expenses are running around
$3 million a month
and it's easy to see why. He's a regular at the "Langkawi
Dialogue, '' a
Malaysian conference where his stay in the Presidential Suite
at the posh
Berjaya Langkawi Beach & Spa -- which "embraces the emerald
waters,"
according to its website -- costs over $1200 a night.
The
Daily News, a Zimbabwe newspaper, reports that Mugabe has spent more
than
$20 million on travel since January alone and Zimbabwe government
officials
from the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) party
fear his
travel expenses are on track to reach $50 million by year's end.
"The
situation is out of hand,'' said Tendai Biti, an MDC member and finance
minister in the country's divided government. "It's alarming. It's
frightening. It's criminal." Biti said these lavish travel bills mean "you
can't put that money either into health or education" and added that nothing
tangible has resulted from Mr. Mugabe's globe-trekking.
While in New
York, Mugabe used the U. N. conference as a chance to continue
his portrayal
of Zimbabwe as a victim of "neo-colonial machinations" through
illegal
sanctions and constant interference in the country's domestic
affairs,
according to an account of his remarks on the U.N. website. All
that, he
said, hurts the youth of his country.
Zimbabwe is hemorrhaging money and
Mugabe's jaunts cause it to bleed even
more. The country has outstanding
debt totaling $9 billion and anticipates a
budget shortfall this year of
$700 million. The Daily News article that
broke the travel story estimates
Mugabe's 2011 travel budget could pay for
six months of AIDS treatment for
600,000 Zimbaweans.
Mugabe traveled at least six times this year to
Singapore -- at $3 million a
pop. In January, he was off to Singapore on
holiday and for an eye
operation. He returned in February to correct the
operation and needed a
March visit, again, he said, because of his eyes. He
has made several other
trips there since.
He, Grace and a delegation,
attended the Vatican beatification ceremonies
last April for Pope John Paul
II. Rome is popular on the Mugabe circuit: He
attended the funeral of John
Paul II in 2005 and any number of U.N.
conferences in the Eternal City on
such issues as food and agriculture --
both of which are in short supply in
Zimbabwe, thanks to Mugabe's policies.
The presence of his wife, Grace,
raises hackles back in Harare. Grace's
penchant for extravagant shopping
sprees in the world's capitals has earned
her such monikers as "Dis-Grace,"
"First Shopper" and "Grasping Grace."
University of Zimbabwe political
science professor John Makumbe saw the
recent New York trip as a
thinly-veiled opportunity for Grace to go
shopping.
In an interview
with SW Radio Africa, an independent radio station, Prof.
Makumbe said
Mugabe is always itching to jet away to "facilitate shopping"
for Grace and
replenish their supplies of luxury goods. There have been
widespread press
accounts of Grace's wholesale purchases of marble statues,
handbags and gems
and of her aides paying for hotel rooms with bags of cash.
Of course, as
with all travel, not everything goes smoothly. When Mugabe was
in New York
last year for the U.N. General Assembly, he decided to hit a
decidedly
down-scale Duane Reade drug store. While standing amid a display
of blushers
and lipsticks and looking intently, a New Yorker with family in
Zimbabwe
recognized him. According to an account in London's Daily Mail, the
shopper
began to shout at him: "Give the power to the people. Leave office
gracefully. Do it for Zimbabwe."
A dozen of Mugabe's bodyguards
swooped down on the protester and bundled him
outside while Mugabe, after
waiting for the coast to clear, scurried into a
waiting limousine.
US Ambassador Charles Ray on Question
Time
US ambassador to
Zimbabwe Charles Ray is the guest on Question Time and speaks to SW Radio Africa
journalist Lance Guma while answering questions from the station’s listeners.
Ambassador Ray reacts to reports that he was barred from paying his condolences
to Vice President Joice Mujuru, comments on state media articles attacking him
and also gives his take on prospects for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
Interview
broadcast 31 August 2011
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|
Lance Guma: Hello Zimbabwe and thank you for joining us on another
edition of Question Time. Our guest tonight is the US ambassador to Zimbabwe
Charles Ray. We asked you, our listeners, to send in your questions for the
ambassador using Face Book, Twitter, Skype, e-mail and text messages. Ambassador
Ray, thank you for your time.
Charles
Ray: My pleasure.
Guma: Okay
the suspicious death of retired army general Solomon Mujuru is obviously a major
talking point for Zimbabweans right now. Last week it was reported security
personnel at the Chisipite home of vice president Joice Mujuru blocked you from
paying your condolences. Several of our listeners want to know what happened.
Ray:
Sure. First of all, the reports
that I was blocked from paying my condolences were incorrect. I did go last week
in the morning to the vice president’s residence, which by the way happens to be
only a few kilometers down the road from my own residence.
There were a lot
of people there and I chose of my own volition to stand in a line with everyone
else; I don’t like this ‘I’m a VIP, I get to push people aside’ treatment.
Unfortunately there were a lot of people ahead of me; the vice president had
been greeting people all morning, had to go to a meeting, and then was going to
take a rest.
This was
communicated directly to me by a senior member of her staff with apologies
because they understood that I had a fairly busy schedule and wouldn’t be able
to stay so I asked him to relay my condolences along with a letter of condolence
and I left.
I went back later
in the afternoon at about 5.30 with a group of ambassadors and we were able to
meet directly with vice president Mujuru, so the fact is that the security
personnel at the residence were very professional and very polite and I have no
complaints about the performance of their duties. There was no effort made by
anyone to block me from doing anything.
Guma: So
what do you think was, or what created these stories because we even had
pictures of you standing aside with everybody else as you are saying, so what
could have been the source of a story like this?
Ray:
Well frankly I think it’s because
the situation here has become so politicized and so polarised that people take
events and depending on their particular viewpoints, bend them to support their
viewpoint rather than reporting accurately on what happened.
You see this quite
often in a lot of the media; if you read some of the things that some of the
media have accused me of doing you wonder if I’m not some reincarnation of
Machiavelli instead of just a simple country boy who happens to the American
ambassador here.
Guma: My
final question on the whole…
Ray: …it’s
a matter of lack of journalistic professionalism.
Guma: My
final question of the whole Mujuru story – just your thoughts on it? Zimbabwe’s
awash with speculation, would you like to share your opinions? Not that we want
you to engage in speculation but what do you make of the whole situation?
Ray:
Well at this point I would echo
what vice president Mujuru said herself – let’s wait until the facts are known
and investigations are completed. I don’t as a rule engage in speculation about
things that I don’t have the facts on.
Guma: On
Monday you came out clearly to say that although you are not opposed to black
empowerment, Zanu PF officials want to use the indigenization and empowerment
laws to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor. Memory in Bulawayo sends
us an email wanting to know why you believe this to be the case?
Ray:
Okay first of all, let me correct
that statement. I am not opposed to empowerment of any disadvantaged people
regardless of their colour; I have made that very clear throughout my career but
also especially since I arrived here in 2009. I did not say that officials of
any party were doing anything.
I said that the
concern on the part of foreign investors was the appearance that some people,
and I stress I used the term people, I did not say party officials, I didn’t
even say government officials, I said that some people appear to be using this
programme of empowerment to, or indigenization to empower themselves rather than
to benefit the disadvantaged populations.
I did not and I
don’t as a rule, paint an entire party or group of people with one brush. I
don’t think anyone can argue that there are individuals in this country who do
in fact enrich themselves but that has nothing to do with their party
affiliation.
Guma: I
suppose part of the problem is the majority are from Zanu PF and they are the
only ones who are in a position to enrich themselves via this legislation.
Ray:
Well I’m not sure that’s actually
accurate; my own experience in travelling to the countryside and hearing people
is that a lot of people have used this as an excuse to empower themselves
without regard to their party affiliation.
But again I think
getting into finger pointing and name calling doesn’t help. When you have a
climate of impunity and lack of respect for rule of law it really doesn’t matter
what party people belong to. Until the rule of law is firmly entrenched and
respected you’re going to have these problems.
Guma: On
Face Book comes a question from Michael Ruva. He says Zimbabweans have been
tortured, killed and oppressed and those responsible are still roaming the
country free, in fact enjoying the highest privileges of the land.
The same however
cannot be said for the likes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, so his
question is – at what point do you and your allies, military or otherwise,
decide it’s time to intervene? He also says how many people have to be killed
first before a situation is classified humanitarian and what criteria is used
when you are making these decisions?
Ray:
Well I think you’ve got a lot of
different things rolled up into one statement there. Military intervention in
cases where a government is employing massive military power against its
citizens, in effect genocidal actions is one thing, political violence,
inter-party violence that does not threaten the interests of outside countries
really can’t be used as an excuse for any kind of physical intervention.
In the first
instance, it’s really up to the people of a country to sort these things out
themselves. You know there’s no chart somewhere that says if x number of people
get killed you do this and if y number get killed you do something else.
I think it’s a bit
dangerous to compare situations between and among countries; to compare Zimbabwe
to either Iraq or Libya I think is a bit of a stretch so I don’t know that
there’s anyone who could actually give you a rational answer to that question.
Guma:
Zimbabwe has been back and forth as an item for discussion at countless SADC
summits and there never seems to be any movement or progress. Priscilla Nyathi
in Victoria Falls wants to get your take on the usefulness of SADC in resolving
the Zimbabwean crisis. She says has the time not come for alternative
approaches?
Ray:
Well I mean Zimbabwe is a part of
the southern African region and in the first instance, Zimbabwe’s problems need
to be dealt with by Zimbabweans in a manner of being committed to actually
solving those problems, but SADC as a regional body has a right to be concerned.
Zimbabwe is a
large portion of SADC, both in terms of population and economic potential and I
think it’s appropriate that the region consider ways to be at peace with itself.
I think you should
always consider alternative approaches; I think having just one approach to
something is a bit of a problem because if you only have one method of dealing
with a problem and it doesn’t work you tend to create disaffection and
disillusionment but I would argue that the problem is it takes people of good
will and commitment to sit down and develop those alternative approaches and it
would be best if they were done here in the region.
Guma: How
do you see Zimbabwe’s future and prospects for a free and fair election?
Ray:
Well for Zimbabwe’s future,
particularly over the long term given the demographics, the large number of
people under 35, I think that the long term future is bright.
Prospects for
credible elections, which is the term I prefer, that is elections that are
trusted and accepted by the people and I think ultimately in the long term,
Zimbabwe will find its way to that but until the institutions that support
credible electoral processes and honouring the will of the people are put in
place, supported and respected by all parties here I think that there will be
problems.
Guma: Much
is being made about the need for security sector reforms to guarantee free and
fair elections or credible elections as you call them and a smooth transfer of
power irrespective of who wins. Now you yourself have served in the military for
over 20 years – what are your thoughts on security sector reform as demanded by
the other political parties in the coalition?
Ray:
Well I don’t know, I think maybe
just that term security sector reform frightens people. As a former professional
military man in a country where the military is clearly subordinate to civilian
authority and sees itself as an instrument of the people and the state rather
than a single political party, my view is that professional military people, in
order to deserve the title professional military, take an oath to defend the
entire country, not just to defend the interests of a specific party and when
senior military people in uniform become obviously and overtly political then
that makes it impossible, even when there’s no violence, to have a credible
election because you have hanging over you this threat that if the military
doesn’t like it, it won’t stand and that is not a government of, for and by the
people.
Guma: Of
all the ambassadors in Zimbabwe you seem to be the one the state media and Zanu
PF love to hate. Several of your meetings have been disrupted by Zanu PF
hooligans, you have been the victim of many vicious articles in the state media.
How do you take all this within your stride and continue with your job?
Ray:
Well I raised four children and
I’m the oldest child in a family with three younger brothers and sisters; I’m
accustomed to dealing with people who throw temper tantrums and the way I deal
with that is I ignore it until they run out of steam.
I have as I see it
a job to do; one to represent US interests and if I can help to, help
Zimbabweans create a situation where they have a better life, that they create a
country they are proud to call home and I focus on that, all of the rest of this
is just background noise, it’s static if you will, I tune it out.
Guma: How
much of that rabble-rousing though can lead to self-censorship where you have to
watch what you say because you know it can be twisted by the state media?
Ray:
Well if you’ve listened to my
speeches and you’ve heard me speak before, you know that self-censorship is not
a skill that I practise. I say what I think is right and I don’t censor myself
for fear that someone might disagree with what I’m saying or, if you say
nothing, you can still be twisted.
I will continue to
speak out when I think it’s appropriate to speak out and say what I think the
truth is and those who don’t like it – that’s a problem they have to deal with.
I don’t, basically if people choose to twist my words, that’s their choice; I
try to put enough words out there so that rational people will know when things
have been twisted.
Guma: My
final question, as things stand is there a sustainable and feasible diplomatic
relationship between Zimbabwe and the United States? Is there room for
engagement at all and as Tarisai K Mazibananga on Face Book asks, how would you
describe the working relationship with Harare and what is US engagement strategy
if any with the government of national unity?
Ray:
Well first of all, we’ve been
engaged diplomatically with Zimbabwe since independence and it’s never been
disrupted. You could probably describe the relationship right now as being a bit
dysfunctional like squabbling siblings. We for some reason got upset with each
other and we’ve been bickering for a while and I think we’ve forgotten what
started it.
There’s a lot of
room for what I would consider to be productive relations between the US and
Zimbabwe. We have more in common then we have that we differ on if we would just
get past the rhetoric and as a senior official said to me this morning, deal
with issues not tissues, I think we could get more done.
We are in fact
getting a lot done; we are working with the business community here now to
assess the challenges and opportunities for American companies to invest and do
business here. We’ve worked very closely with the minister, the Ministry of
Education on redressing the textbook to student ratio to get it closer to
one-to-one so all students have an opportunity to learn.
We’re working with
the Ministry of Health on the problem of HIV-Aids, prevention of mother to child
transmission, malaria and other debilitating diseases. We’re working in the
agricultural sector to revitalize the agricultural sector so that all people
living on the land here will have the opportunity to more productively and
effectively exploit that land.
So we are engaging
in a lot of areas; there are other areas where with time I think, as we focus on
issues rather than on differences, that we can work even more.
It requires an
effort on both parts – us to understand the things that motivate people here,
people here to understand what motivates us and learn to disagree with each
other without being disagreeable and keep our eyes not focused on where we used
to be because we can never go back there and we can’t undo it but where we need
to be and keep our eyes focused on the future. So I think that there is a lot of
room for more engagement; we are engaging. We certainly can find more things
that we can do together and I’m committed while I’m here to doing that.
Guma: Some
say just like the government of national unity you have politicians from
different political parties meeting and running a government but playing to the
gallery and saying all sorts of things. Could we say the same for US/Zimbabwe
relations that a lot is played out in the gallery but is it a different picture
in terms of your various interactions?
Ray:
I think in some cases you could
probably say that. Many of the direct interactions don’t have quite the negative
tenor of the public statements which is why as I said, I don’t pay attention to
what appears in the media, I focus on what people do, not what they say and
that’s true of politics anywhere. Politicians play to the gallery.
I have the
advantage of not being a politician, I am a public servant, I took an oath to do
a job a certain way and I do it and I do not play for public opinion polls or
for popularity. I play for productivity and achievement so yah, you’re right, a
lot of what you read in the media has no bearing on reality but unfortunately
that’s what people have to make their decisions on so we need to work on having
a media that presents a balanced picture of things rather than what they would
like or what supports their preconceived beliefs.
Guma: Well
Zimbabwe that was the US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Charles Ray joining us on
Question Time and taking questions from you our listeners. You sent in questions
using Face Book, Twitter, Skype, email and text messages and I hope the
ambassador has answered your questions adequately. Ambassador Ray thank you so
much for your time.
Ray:
Well thank you for inviting me.
To listen to the
programme:
http://swradioafrica.streamuk.com/swradioafrica_archive/qt310811.wma
Feedback can be
sent to lance@swradioafrica.com
http://twitter.com/lanceguma or
http://www.facebook.com/lance.guma
SW Radio Africa –
on line 24 hours a day at www.swradioafrica.com and daily broadcasts on 4880 kHz in the 60m band between
7 - 9 pm Zimbabwe time. T witter :
Facebook :
RSS feed You can
now get SW Radio Africa on the Tunein Radio smart phone app.
|
Wikileaks Tsunami - Will Jonathan Moyo be prosecuted?
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 06/09/11
Jonathan Moyo’s hypocrisy of wining
and dining with a supposedly enemy of
the Zanu-pf party, the U.S. Ambassador
to Zimbabwe has finally been exposed
by a leaked cable now available online,
courtesy of Wikileaks website.
At his meeting with Ambassador Christopher
Dell on 30 March 2007, cable
reference id: #07Harare 270, Jonathan Moyo said
it was unlikely Mugabe’s
decision to run for president in 2008 would have
been successfully
challenged from within the ruling party.
Moyo noted
that Mugabe genuinely fears “hanging” if he leaves office and
suggested
international guarantees for his safety could help persuade Mugabe
to
go.
The Ambassador responded that this was a decision for the Zimbabwean
people.
Moyo told the Ambassador that Mugabe was stung by criticism at the
Zanu-pf
December conference of his decision to extend his term until
2010.
Moyo was aware of the results (of an exercise to gauge Mugabe’s
support as a
candidate for 2008 elections) from seven provinces: the clear
sentiment was
that he should not run again.
Because of the lack of
support from the provinces, Mugabe largely dampened
discussion of 2008 in
the Politburo meeting.
An interesting theme that can only be explained by
Jonathan Moyo himself is
what sounds like his obsession with the subject of
military coups. For
instance, in Mugabe must go now, Moyo
said:
“Curiously, this real coup whose tribal story has not yet been told
took
place on the morning of the same day during which, later in the
evening, a
coup plot was allegedly hatched at Dinyane High School in
Tsholotsho giving
rise to the so-called ‘Tsholotsho Declaration”.
In
the leaked cable, Moyo told the American Ambassador that he thought it
highly unlikely the military would act on its own and stage a
coup.
Then in December 2010, Moyo accused MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirait
saying:
“As early as 2000 he was actively asking the US to bring troops to
Zimbabwe
to effect a coup,” (Zimdiaspora, 10/12/10).
Amazingly, in
June this year Moyo warned of “the looming danger which will
happen as sure
as tomorrow is coming. If that happens, all hell will break
loose”
(Livingstone report now a matter for historians, 19/06/11).
According to
the cable, Moyo told the American Ambassador that surviving
members of the
General Staff of ZANLA believed Mugabe would be defeated in
2008.
That was not different from his own personal views as expressed
through the
opinion piece, Mugabe must go now, in which Jonathan Moyo said:
“The nation
is bleeding and it would be very irresponsible to expect
Zimbabweans to wait
until 2008 for the presidential elections.”
He
then gave what he described as “compelling reasons why Mugabe must follow
the constitutional exit door by resigning now.” He said: “Mugabe is now a
leader of a shelf political party;” “the rot in Zanu-pf smells in
government; government has now resorted to ruling through ‘GBO’ Government
By Operations” and so on.
When he spoke with the American
Ambassador, Moyo believed that a Zanu-pf
party led by Mugabe was likely to
lose any election. He allegedly said that
Mugabe had told Mnangangwa that he
feared being hung.
Interestingly, many Zanu-pf officials in the leaked
cables seemed too keen
to impress on American diplomats that Mugabe feared
execution for his
alleged rights abuses.
On the issue of sanctions
the cable recorded that Moyo accepted the placing
of policy makers and their
families on sanctions lists, but urged “us” (the
American government) not to
list parliamentarians who are not members of
either Zanu-pf Politburo or
Central Committee.
Whether his alleged plea for the exemption of MPs had
anything to do with
his status then, only Moyo can explain that
himself.
Ironically, later through his opinion pieces Jonathan Moyo
campaigned
vigorously for the resignation and arrest of MDC President Morgan
Tsvangirai
whom he accused of treasonous acts by calling for the retention
of sanctions
against Zanu-pf inner circle.
“This is treasonous and
Tsvangirai should be held accountable for his
actions” Jonathan Moyo
said.
One is left wondering if it is the same Jonathan Moyo who was
quoted in
Cable 07Harare 270, as saying that he had understood a policy of
expanding
sanctions to include Politburo and Central Committee members (and
their
families) because they are in decision making positions.
With
the revelations coming from Wikileaks, it remains to be seen how
Jonathan
Moyo will try to stop the whole world from commenting about his
hypocrisy in
view of his recent attempts to gag the Zimbabwean independent
press from
publishing articles which he published criticising Mugabe.
At the
instigation of Jonathan Moyo, the Attorney General Johannes Tomana
appointed
a committee of legal experts to explore if there were any grounds
for
pressing treason charges against Morgan Tsvangirai and the answer was
negative.
Accordingly, it line with the rule of law and transparency,
it is only right
and proper for a similar committee to be constituted by the
Attorney General
to determine if there are grounds for prosecuting Jonathan
Moyo because many
people are asking: “Will Jonathan Moyo be
prosecuted?”
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri , Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail