The Zimbabwe Standard, 25 September
By Foster Dongozi
and Caiphas Chimhete
Barely two weeks after State Security and Land Reform
minister, Didymus Mutasa described white commercial farmers as "dirt" which
needed to be cleansed, mayhem has broken out in Manicaland. Attacks were
reported in Chipinge and Nyazura, where commercial farmers said they now fear
for their lives. Mutasa made the chilling threat against whites at a land audit
meeting in Masvingo two weeks ago. Police in Chipinge confirmed receiving
reports of "disturbances" at some farms in the district. "Assistant Inspector
Makota is handling some cases but he has gone out. He is the only person who can
talk to you," said an officer when contacted for comment yesterday. In Nyazura
two farms - Tsungwezi Source and Tsellandal - were taken from their owners, Jane
Herrer and David Banard respectively. In Chipinge, Joseph Chiminya, a senior
official with the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) allegedly led a gang
which stormed Ashanti Farm on Wednesday morning. Five members of the gang then
savaged the farm manager, Allen Warner with hoses and steel pipes while Chiminya
stood at a distance. Warner said: "Chiminya, a senior member of the CIO was
carrying an Uzi light machine gun and he pointed it at me but when he tried to
fire it, the gun jammed which was very lucky for me. When I tried to escape on a
motor bike, they descended on me and beat me up." He said the beatings only
stopped after David Wilding-Davies, a co-owner of the farm, pleaded with the
assailants not to harm him.
The assault on Ashanti Farm is expected to cause
a major embarrassment in Zanu PF, as the farm is partly owned by former
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Graham Hill. Warner confirmed
Hill was a part owner of the farm. Wilding-Davies, who with Hill owns Ashanti
Farm, confirmed Chiminya is targeting the farm. The farms export coffee and tea
that earn the country much-needed foreign currency. "The acting DA, Kutamahofa
came with Joseph Chiminya from the President's Office and told me that they
intended to take over the farm. They told me they were coming the following
day," Wilding-Davies said. Unconfirmed reports say a senior official based at
the Zimbabwe Embassy in London, had 12 police officers in tow when he overran
Brackenridge Farm on Tuesday night. Four of them were allegedly brandishing AK
47 automatic rifles. The evictee, Gideon Mostert said the diplomat, accompanied
by his wife, instructed him to vacate the farm at night and ordered neighbours
and workers not to assist them to pack. An intelligence officer, identified only
as Sigauke, is reported to have muscled his way into Destiny Farm and informed
workers and management that he would be the new owner of the farm at the end of
the month. "Sigauke has been coming here to intimidate the workers despite the
fact that he was served with an eviction order in June," said farm manager,
Robert Clowes. Chiminya and Sigauke could not be reached for comment.
The
latest mayhem comes after President Robert Mugabe assented to the Constitutional
Amendment Bill 17, which prohibits people from seeking recourse from the courts
on matters relating to farming land. Doug Taylor-Freeme, the president of the
Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU), said the invasions in Chipinge and Nyazura had
instilled fear in the hearts of the farming community and would have negative
effects on the national agricultural output. Taylor-Freeme said the CFU had
appealed to government to intervene and ensure farmers can farm with confidence
to ensure the country retains its status as the breadbasket of southern Africa.
When informed about the attacks Mutasa yesterday backtracked on his threat and
professed ignorance about the mayhem in Chipinge and Nyazura, saying farmers
should report any invasions to the nearest police station.
The Sunday Mail, 25 September
Metro Reporter
Police in Harare have in the past week, raised over
$180 million in fines after arresting over 5 000 people for various offences
committed under operation code-named Siyapambili. Harare Province police
spokesman Inspector Loveless Rupere said 5 084 arrests had been made from
September 16 to 22. "We have collected a cumulative revenue of $180 125 000 so
far from fines," he said. In Harare Central alone 680 offenders were fined for
various offences while there were 376 arrests in Harare suburban districts. In
Mbare and Harare South Districts, there were 307 and 678 arrests respectively
while Chitungwiza district also saw 355 offenders being fined. The national
traffic department recorded a total of 2 287 arrests while the total number of
arrests made in all six districts by last Wednesday was 1 071. Inspector Rupere
said arrests made were for the various offences, including housebreaking and
theft, assault, robberies, theft from motor vehicles, illegal dealings in
foreign currency, street vending, gambling and touting. "We have noted with
great concern that after Operation Restore Order, most crimes of concern had
gone down by a respectable margin. However, we have seen that despite all
efforts being made by police, there is now a trend which shows an increase in
the crime rate," said Inspector Rupere. He added that the exercise was an
ongoing process to curb crime within the city.
Zim Standard
By Valentine Maponga
THE opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it will take
part in the Senate polls due to be held before the end of the year, The Standard
can reveal.
Professor Welshman Ncube, the MDC secretary-general told The
Standard that there were differences between circumstances leading to the Senate
elections and the 31 March Parliamentary elections.
"There are fundamental
differences between the March Parliamentary elections and the position we are in
right now. It is very clear that the national council lifted the suspension on
election participation and that position has not changed. The operative
resolution of the council is that we are in the elections," Ncube said.
Ncube dismissed claims of divisions within the opposition party adding that
having different views over certain issues does not mean that people are
divided.
"It is very democratic to have differing views so that we debate
and try and convince those with contrary views why we think the other view is
better and important. Right now we are encouraging the people to go and
register," he said.
By participating in the elections other opposition MPs
fear that they might be legitimising the ruling Zanu PF and its policies.
Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC spokesperson said: "There are a lot of things
that we do that have been misconstrued as legitimising the government, yet it is
not true. Anyone is entitled to arrive at his or her conclusion but the ultimate
decision on whether the party should participate or not must come from within
the party structures."
MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese said they needed to be
satisfied first on the merits and demerits of participating in the Senate race
as a party and thus the need to consult.
"We need to satisfy ourselves first
that we are making the right decision by participating in those elections and
that is why we are going through the consultation process. But you should always
know that our party is always prepared for any elections that may come our way,"
Gonese said.
But analysts told The Standard that failure by the MDC to make
an early announcement on their participation in major elections showed lack of a
clear political strategy.
They warned that the delay could act in Zanu PF's
favour in the forthcoming Senate elections, because the ruling party had
intensified its campaign.
Elections for the 66-member Senate are scheduled
to be held before the end of the year.
John Makumbe, a political analyst and
lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said: "They shouldn't have participated
in the 31 March elections but now that they are in Parliament, it would not make
sense for them to ignore the coming elections. The Senate will be part of them
since the two houses would supposedly work together in the business of making
laws, for as long as they sit in Parliament."
Eldred Masunungure, another
lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said the delay by the MDC in reaching a
decision was going to cost them a number of seats should they decide to
participate.
"If the MDC decides not to participate, it would be a giant
step backwards. The opposition needs to learn from past experiences and it is
very evident that they lost a number of seats during the March Parliamentary
elections because of the late announcement that they would contest the
elections," Masunungure said.
Patrick Chinamasa, the Minister of Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, last week confirmed that the Senate elections
would be held before the end of the year.
"Democracy is an expensive process
and there is no ideal time for it to happen. We are going to conduct Senate
elections by mid- December and those who can't make decisions now have
themselves to blame," Chinamasa said.
Zim Standard
By our staff
SWITZERLAND has
frozen a bank account linked to President Robert Mugabe's government and placed
33 more people under travel sanctions, The Standard has learnt.
This
month Swiss Economic Ministry said it had added 33 more Cabinet ministers and
provincial governors, increasing the number of prominent Zimbabweans who now
face travel and finance restrictions.
The Swiss ban, announced over two
weeks ago, is with immediate effect.
Marcel Stutz, the Swiss Ambassador to
Zimbabwe, on Friday confirmed the ban, but said in line with Swiss banking laws
he could not identify whose name the frozen account is registered under.
Stutz also said the US$10 000 said to have been in the frozen account was
not a considerable amount.
The increase to 126 Zimbabwean leaders now under
travel sanctions following this month's decision by the Swiss is in line with
recent decisions of the European Union (EU), which diplomats last week said
could have given rise to Zimbabwe's move proposing "vindictive" mandatory exit
visas for its citizens.
Switzerland remains outside the EU but co-ordinates
its policy with Brussels. The US has also imposed its own travel restrictions on
Zimbabwean leaders. Switzerland followed the EU in imposing sanctions on
Zimbabwe's rulers in 2002 following international condemnation of a disputed
presidential poll.
In June the EU extended a travel ban and a freeze on
assets of Zanu PF leaders, arguing that there was little democratic space in
Zimbabwe, that the media was gagged and human rights abuses were rife.
While
efforts to establish the names of the 33 now on the list of Zimbabwean leaders
banned from travelling to Switzerland were not immediately successful, the EU
expanded list included among others Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs and his deputy, Obert Matshalaga; Munacho Mutezo of Water
Resources; Tichaona Jokonya, the Minister of Information and Publicity, and his
deputy, Bright Matonga; Chen Chimutengwende of Public and Interactive Affairs,
and deputy ministers Hubert Nyanhongo (Transport and Communications); Sylvester
Nguni (Agriculture); Edwin Muguti (Health); Joel Biggie Matiza (Rural Housing);
and the governors for Manicaland and Mashonaland East, Tinaye Chigudu and Ray
Kaukonde respectively.
The chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,
Justice George Chiweshe, is also on the list of those banned.
Zim Standard
By our staff
BRITAIN has announced a 10.5 million pounds (nearly Z$500 billion) in
food aid and support for victims of "Operation Murambatsvina", The Standard can
disclose.
The bulk of the support pledged will be for the United Nations
humanitarian appeal to distribute up to 300 000 tonnes of grain to five million
people affected by food shortages, while Z$23.5 billion will support victims of
the government's "clean up" exercise who have been repatriated to their rural
homes.
Hilary Benn, the UK's Department for International Development
secretary, said all the money would go through UN agencies and non-governmental
organisations.
The total aid assistance announced is 11.5 million pounds,
with one million pounds being for meeting the needs of 2.5 million people in
Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland affected by food shortages.
Meanwhile
Mashonaland East Governor, Ray Kaukonde has acknowledged that the government
still needs the support of Britain in order to advance the interests of rural
communities.
Zimbabwe has been involved in a diplomatic standoff with
Britain over the past five years.
Speaking at the commissioning of a $300
million children's house at the Mother of Peace Community (MOPC) in Mutoko on
Friday, Kaukonde praised Britain for assisting communities.
"You did a great
job…your country did a great job…we will go back to the British ambassador
whenever we face difficulties (at MOPC)…Presidents, resident ministers and
ambassadors will come from these children. We have to help them," Kaukonde said.
He also reiterated the need to put aside political differences in order to
equip children to face the future.
zim Standard
Walter Marwizi and Valentine
Maponga
JUDGES have flatly refused to submit themselves to scrutiny
following allegations that their rulings were compromised by "pressure" and
"inducements" from government officials seeking favourable judgements.
The Standard can reveal that an attempt to refer to the Supreme Court,
questions about the impartiality of judges who benefited from the land grab
exercise and those accused of making judgements favourable to the State has been
dismissed as "frivolous and vexatious".
Several high-ranking members of the
judiciary were allocated farms during the land seizures.
Remarking on the
failed constitutional request, which it is thought, would have opened a can of
worms, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku ordered courts to deal firmly with
lawyers "scandalising" the courts while Justice Selo Nare, the President of the
Administrative Court, ruled that it bordered on "naked contempt of the bench".
Challenging the acquisition of their properties by the Ministry of Lands and
Agricultural Resettlement, SC Shaw (Pvt Ltd) asked the Administrative Court to
refer the matter to the highest court in terms of Section 24 (2) of the
Constitution.
The section allows presiding officers to refer to the Supreme
Court any questions arising over the contravention of the Declaration of Rights.
The officers, however, reserve the right to decline if they think the points are
"merely frivolous or vexatious".
Among other constitutional preliminary
points, Shaw sought to bring before the Supreme Court evidence that officials in
government had been "party to providing improper inducements by making and
exerting improper pressure on judges of the Supreme Court, the High court and
the Administrative" to ensure that such persons gave judgements favourable to
the government.
This, Shaw argued, denied the respondent a fair hearing by
an independent and impartial court as required by section 18 (9) of the
Constitution.
"The respondent (Shaw), in particular, wishes to lead evidence
regarding improper inducements to members of the Administrative court and wishes
to lead evidence regarding inducements given to judges. Such evidence will be
tabled at the commencement of the hearing."
Shaw's counsel, Advocate Adrian
de Bourbon, who took over the case at a later stage said although he had not
himself prepared the heads of argument, he stood by them.
"I want to say at
the onset that I am not in a position to lead evidence on improper pressure
brought on judicial officers. However, I will reiterate the point that I made
this morning that practitioners must have a huge concern that some powerful
people in government and other higher places are endeavouring to exert pressure
on unfortunate judicial officers.
"You know better than I that it was common
knowledge what befell Mr Majuru," said the counsel.
Michael Majuru, who was
the President of the Administrative Court, fled the country.
Refusing to
refer the matter to the Supreme Court, Nare said it was unacceptable that senior
lawyers "would gather such courage to denigrate the bench and hope to get away
with it".
"It was wrong for the counsel to try and use the unceremonious
departure of Mr Majuru from the service as indicative of the conclusive evidence
on the alleged pressure brought to bear upon members of the Bench in land
related manners…
"What counsel did was merely to cast aspersions on the
Bench. His actions border on naked contempt of the Bench," he said.
Chief
Justice Chidyausiku agreed with him saying the counsel had made irresponsible
and unprofessional submissions.
"Where legal practitioners, who are officers
of the court, and as such, are expected to know better, make totally
irresponsible submissions scandalising the court mere admonition is inadequate
and more appropriate action should be taken to punish such legal practitioners
for contempt of court," he said. Four Supreme Court judges, Justices Wilson
Sandura, Vernanda Ziyambi, Luke Malaba and Elizabeth Gwaunza agreed with
Chidyausiku.
Zim Std
By Michelle
Faul
UNITED NATIONS - The African leader some call a hero and others a
destructive despot suggests people in his country aren't hungry, they just can't
eat their favourite food.
President Robert Mugabe, said in an interview
with The Associated Press that his people are "very, very happy" though aid
agencies report 5 million of 11.6 million face famine.
"You describe it as
if we have a whole cemetery," Mugabe said of a reporter's description of the
southern African nation's dire straits, blaming "continuous years of drought".
The problem is reliance on maize, he said during the interview, "but it
doesn't mean we haven't other things to eat: We have heaps of potatoes but
people are not potato eaters ... they have rice but they're not as attracted (to
that)."
But the cost of potatoes is beyond the pocket of ordinary
Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwe became the regional bread basket, with some 5 000
white commercial farmers growing enough to feed the nation and export. Buyers
from all over the world came to Zimbabwe's annual tobacco auction, tourists
flocked to the Victoria Falls and wildlife reserves, while its Sandawana
emeralds and renowned Shona stone sculpture were widely popular.
That
changed in the 1990s. Mugabe's rule became increasingly repressive against a
growingly vociferous opposition and corruption grew rampant. Mugabe then seized
on an issue that long has preoccupied Africans - land ownership.
Last week,
the Commercial Farmers' Union said fewer than 1 000 white commercial farmers
remain, working a fraction of land they once sowed. A parliamentary committee
said there would be no farming season this year, even if the drought breaks,
because there are no seeds, no agricultural chemicals because there's no foreign
currency, and no fuel to transport products or work tractors.
Everyday in
Zimbabwe queues more than a mile long form for basics like bread and fuel.
Zimbabweans are also reeling from what Mugabe calls a "clean up" campaign,
in which hundreds of thousands of poor and working-class urban people lost their
homes to bulldozers.
Mugabe insisted though that "We pride ourselves as
being top, really, on the African ladder ... We feel that we have actually been
advancing rather than going backwards."
Yet on 8 September, setting out
Zimbabwe's aims for the UN millennium goals before heading to the World Summit,
he said the number of Zimbabweans who cannot afford one daily balanced meal has
risen from 20% in 1995 to 48% in 2003, and that 63% now cannot afford more
comprehensive basic needs including things like school fees.
In Africa, his
seizure of lands that whites took from indigenous people when they colonized in
the 1800s is applauded, and he is seen as a towering hero.
Now, he said, his
government will take a stake in private mining enterprises to ensure Zimbabweans
benefit from their natural resources. He said he expects mining companies,
including the multinational Anglo American, to understand that desire.
"What
we intend to do is for the state to have a stake in the production of some of
our minerals - gold, platinum, diamonds," he said. "We just want to be partners.
We are not doing anything unusual, and this is the practice in many countries."
Zimbabwe also mines coal, chromium ore, asbestos, nickel, copper, iron ore,
vanadium, lithium and tin.
Mugabe, 81, said he has fulfilled all his
ambitions except retirement. He plans to stop being president in 2008, and write
and farm, but said he'll remain in politics until he dies.
"I can't retire
from that unless the Almighty says 'enough is enough'."- AP
Zim Std
By our staff
BULAWAYO
- Zanu PF founder member and ex-cabinet minister Enos Nkala says he is not
interested in a Senate seat because he has quit politics, The Standard can
reveal.
Nkala's denial comes amid reports in Bulawayo that the former
ruling party strongman, who held various ministerial positions between 1980 and
1989, could be readying himself for a come back following meetings with
President Robert Mugabe in Bulawayo.
"I will not contest any election in
Zimbabwe. I have quit loud-mouthed politics. I think I have had my time and it
is over as far as politics is concerned.
Nkala who, of late, seldom speaks
to the Press said: "I can confirm that I have been in touch with President
Mugabe but he has not invited me to consider contesting for a seat in the
Senate," Nkala said.
Then he added: "However, if I am asked to do something
productive, I will consider it," said the former cabinet minister who noted that
he was preparing for life after death; following the completion of a Theology
degree.
Nkala, a small-scale farmer and born-again Christian, said his
recent meetings with Mugabe were not unusual because the two shared ideas about
various issues concerning Zimbabwe.
"I worked with President Mugabe for
almost 30 years. We were good friends. Meeting him is not something that I
should sing about. If I shake hands with him or we have breakfast together, we
don't talk about it in public," said the ex-Zanu PF strongman.
Nkala fell
from grace after he threw in the towel following the widely publicised
Willowgate Scandal of the 1988/89 that involved top government officials.
There are indications in Matabeleland that the PF Zapu old guard and
remnants of the ruling party may feature in the Senate.
Authoritative
sources in the ruling party told The Standard that among the politicians set to
contest the senate polls included former parliamentarians Thenjiwe Lesabe,
Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, Reverend Masiyane, Ananias Nyathi and war veteran
Abdul Nyathi.
"Some of these people have already shown their interest in
gracing the Senate. There are indications that President Mugabe approached
(Enos) Nkala. What I can say is that the Senate, as things stand now, is largely
designed for the old guard and not upcoming politicians or novices," said one of
the sources, a Zanu PF Central Committee member.
He said if the majority of
dumped politicians bounced back, the Senate was likely to be composed of "yes
men and women" who would endorse all ruling party decisions.
Nkala seemed to
echo these remarks when he said a Senate should have wise and well-informed
people who would not be frightened to express their views in public and Senate
sessions.
Nkala said: "It would be disastrous to have 'yes men and women'
taking into consideration that the reintroduction of the Senate actually adds to
the top- heaviness of government administration. The Senate should have teeth to
deal with legislation coming from the Lower House.
"There is no need to have
people who will be frightened to express their views. We should have people that
are constructively critical of certain laws of this country."
zim standard
By Nqobani Ndlovu
BULAWAYO - The upgrading of the Tsholotsho, Nkayi and Kezi roads linking
Bulawayo to parts of rural Matabeleland North Province lie almost abandoned much
to the disgruntlement of community leaders.
Speaking to The Standard
last week, the leaders attacked the sluggish pace of construction saying it is
deterring development in the region.
The government last year earmarked
billions of dollars for the construction of the roads, but there has been slow
progress.
The Kezi Road where an official launching ceremony was conducted
amid pomp and fanfare before the 2005 parliamentary elections has failed to take
off with a number of graders and excavators the only sign that an attempt was
made to upgrade the roads, The Standard found during a recent visit.
In
Nkayi, only a few kilometres have been tarred since 1981 while a stretch of less
than five kilometres has been upgraded on the Tsholotsho Road.
Chief Conrad
Hadebe Magama of Tsholotsho said: "People of Tsholotsho are not happy about
this. Construction is now moving at a snail's pace. We want the road to be
tarred or at-least improved as soon as possible."
The chairman of the
Tsholotsho Business Community, Absolom Dube, and another prominent businessman,
Charge Edlin Tshaka, expressed concern over the slow pace of the upgrading
saying that it was detrimental to the growth of the entire region.
Dube
said: "The Ministry of Rural Development has tarred or surfaced only five
kilometres of the Tsholotsho Road. We had hoped that it will go beyond that and
we are disappointed about it.
"It may take 30 to 40 years at the rate at
which it is moving. As the business community we are prepared to help in
whatever way so that it is completed."
Contacted for comment, the MP for the
area, Professor Jonathan Moyo, said that for the villages to be developed, the
national crisis should be solved first.
"Let's not retreat into village
politics. We have to solve the national crisis so that our village
constituencies get development," said Moyo, who was credited with bringing
development to Tsholotsho when he was still close to President Robert Mugabe.
Kezi village heads told The Standard it would probably take another
pre-election period for construction work to progress.
"It is our wish to
see the road completed but it is taking too long," said Rubert Dube, a village
head for Manhiso.
zmi standard
By our staff
KEZI - The Minister of Education, Sport and Culture Aeneas Chigwedere has admitted that rural schools have collapsed because of neglect by his ministry but scoffed at those criticising him for bringing down the education system and calling on him to resign.
In an interview with The Standard at Zamanyoni Primary School in Kezi, 90km west of Bulawayo last week, Chigwedere said the people criticising and calling on him to step down were a minority and were not qualified to judge him.
"The people that are fighting us as a ministry are a minority. For example, private schools over the issue of fees. They are not judges. If as a ministry we feel that the Education Amendment Bill is alright, we will push it through," Chigwedere said.
He made the remarks against the background of widespread criticism by lawyers, teachers‚ associations and various pressure groups over the manner in which he has attempted to push through the Education Amendment Bill which gives him sweeping powers with direct control over Zimbabwe's education system.
He has also been lampooned for trying to introduce a common uniform for all schools and has also been dragged to court by private schools over school fees.
Officiating at Zamanyoni where Art Corporation donated stationary, textbooks and school property worth $100 million, Chigwedere admitted that rural schools had collapsed.
He instructed education officials to visit schools in remote areas to assess their problems and challenges.
But he said that rural communities were responsible for developing their schools and if they failed to do so, he would not be in a position to help.
He said: "My policy as a minister is that I help those who help themselves. If you just sit, I will also sit."
Zim Std
By Caiphas Chimhete
FAILURE o reach consensus and acute divisions among civil society
organisations in Zimbabwe appear to have scuppered efforts to draw up a broad
based people-driven constitution, The Standard established during a conference
held in Harare last week.
Under the theme: "Deciding Zimbabwe's Destiny
- A new Constitution for all, by all - now," the conference drew participants
from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), political parties and churches but
it was clear they could not agree on whether to negotiate with or confront
government over the need for a home- grown democratic constitution.
Two
distinct groups emerged with some participants calling for a negotiated
approach, while others said President Robert Mugabe's government, which recently
effected a 17th amendment to the Constitution, should be taken head-on.
Previous demonstrations for a new constitution by civic organizations,
mainly the National Constitutional Assembly, have not yielded results.
Crisis Coalition Zimbabwe chairman, Wellington Chibebe, said the divisions
rocking the civil society sector were a major drawback to initiatives towards a
new constitution.
"We have developed jealousy among ourselves. There are
people who are herding cattle and those who are milking them. We need unity of
purpose," Chibebe said.
The divisions are sometimes camouflaged as diversity
of views, but resurfaced when human rights activist, Brian Kagoro, and Lovemore
Matombo, the president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), clashed
over who should drive the constitutional process.
Kagoro suggested that
"petty bourgeoisie" and intellectuals should lead and finance the constitutional
reform, a suggestion that did not go down well with the trade unionist.
"If
you think you (intellectuals) can go it alone then let it be," shouted Matombo.
But other participants warned that the "pull-him-down syndrome" was rampant
in civil society sector as they battle to source funds from the same donors,
making it difficult for them to agree on anything.
Opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) secretary for legal affairs, David Coltart, said if the
civil society bodies saw themselves as competitors, they were doomed.
"There
are many tough battles in the civil society but then they will get nowhere,"
Coltart said.
The participants also differed on whether to dialogue or not
with President Mugabe's administration on the new constitution.
Zimbabwe
Election Support Network national director, Rindai Chipfunde-Vave, said it was
necessary for civic organisations to engage the government.
She said
intra-party dialogue and consultation were pivotal to coming up with a
democratic constitution.
Human rights activist, Thoko Matshe, echoed her
sentiments who said: "Here we are monologueing because policy makers are not
here. The government might be oppressive but we still need to talk to them. They
matter."
But militant Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
secretary-general, Raymond Majongwe, insisted Mugabe needed to be confronted.
"How can you agitate for a soft stance when we are being beaten and harassed?
The time to act is now!" he said.
Archbishop Pius Ncube, of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo, cautioned against the use of violence, lest
Zimbabwe became another Rwanda or the DRC, which have been ravaged by years of
civil wars.
Ncube, an arch critic of Mugabe's 25-year-old administration,
attributed the current fractious state of civil organisations to infiltration by
the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation.
He said organisations such as
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) and the church had been infiltrated.
At the
end, participants "agreed" that the NCA should continue to lead the process and
re-affirmed the need for a homegrown constitution.
They also resolved to
lobby the Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union and the
United Nations to exert pressure on Mugabe to accept the establishment of a
technical team to draw up a new Constitution.
zim standard
By our
staff
BULAWAYO - A row has erupted between the Gwanda Town Council and
the ruling party, Zanu PF, over the allocation of new houses built by the
government.
Gwanda Mayor Thandeko Zinti Mkandla told The Standard last
week that Zanu PF led by its provincial chairperson, Rido Mpofu, had allegedly
contravened sections of the Urban Councils Act when they compiled a list of
beneficiaries, bypassing the local authority.
Mkandla protested: "This
('Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle') has been hijacked by unscrupulous and
unethical characters for their own selfish ends. These ruling party supporters
think they have a right to allocate the new houses to people not realising that
they are, in fact, sabotaging government efforts in constructing houses for
those affected by 'Operation Murambatsvina'."
Section 38 of the Urban
Councils Act stipulates that "every council area shall be governed by a council
and subject to the general control of a council the control and administration
of every municipality shall rest in a mayor …"
But Mpofu denied allegations
that his party had compiled a list of 100 people who were supposed to occupy
houses at Hlalani Kuhle suburb in Gwanda.
"I do not have a parallel mayoral
office in this town (Gwanda). In fact, there are some people who even fear my
shadow. They are not comfortable with my presence in Gwanda. I have not compiled
any housing list for beneficiaries in state-sponsored programme.
"The issue
here is that many people need houses and we (Zanu PF supporters) are human
beings as well who want houses under this Operation Hlalani Kuhle," said Mpofu,
who lost to Mkandla of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the 2002
executive mayoral elections.
He denied submitting a Zanu PF list of
"Operation Hlalani Kuhle" beneficiaries to an inter-ministerial task force led
by Lieutenant Colonel Hlanganani Dube.
Dube declined to comment on the
issue, referring all questions to his Press secretary, Alois Chamboko, who said
he was on his way from a week-long business seminar in Bindura.
Kucaca
Phulu, a human rights lawyer said it was illegal for political parties to
allocate stands and houses in urban areas as specified under the Urban Councils
Act.
"The ruling party members in Gwanda are definitely contravening Section
38 of the Act. They should know that a political party has no business in
council affairs in terms of allocating houses and stands. Their efforts are
definitely misplaced. It shows the extent to which Zanu PF can go in showing its
irrelevance to society. What they are doing is illegal and they should stop it,"
said Phulu, a legal advisor of various urban and international human rights
organisations.
*Meanwhile, the government has failed to meet its target of
building 4000 houses under "Operation Garikai" in Masvingo due to a critical
shortage of building materials and lack of funds, The Standard has established.
The operation which is meant to benefit people displaced by the widely
condemned operation Murambatsvina kicked off in July with the government
promising to complete the construction by 30 August.
However a recent visit
by The Standard revealed it had been impossible to complete the houses within
the stipulated deadlines.
The houses are being constructed at Victoria Ranch
near Runyararo West high-density suburb on stands that are yet to be serviced.
A construction worker who declined to be named told The Standard that it was
impossible to finish all the houses on time as a result of a shortage of
building materials.
Officially opening the construction of the houses early
last month, Masvingo provincial governor, Willard Chiwewe, said the government
would complete thehouses in the province.
"We have an ambitious target to
complete the construction of 4 000 houses and 2 000 factory shells and I urge
all players to brace up for this mammoth government programme," Chiwewe said at
the time.
Zim Std
By our own Staff
MATERNAL mortality continues to be a major challenge in Zimbabwe with
most women dying due to pregnancy related complications because of the limited
access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, according to the recently
launched 2004 progress report on the Zimbabwe Millennium Development Goals,
(ZMDGs).
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) seek, among other
things, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary
education, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV and AIDS,
malaria and other diseases, and promote gender equality and empower women by the
year 2015.
Zimbabwe is one of the 189 nations, which assented to the
Millennium Declaration at the fifty-fifth session of the United Nations General
Assembly in September 2000. But Zimbabwe's progress report for the year 2004
says the country still faces a myriad of challenges in its efforts to reduce
maternal mortality.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare
maternal mortality was 695 per 100 000 and the government aims to reduce by 75
percent the total number of maternal deaths to at least 174 per 100 000.
The
report says the lack of maternal care, which is the major reason of maternal
deaths, is reflected in delays in seeking care, receiving care and referral to
an upper level health facility.
The report noted: "The challenge is to
mobilise both domestic resources and development assistance to ensure the
availability of essential drugs and equipment necessary for the provision of
high quality obstetric care.
"While health facilities in urban centres are
generally within reach, in rural areas, mothers are often discouraged by the
long distances they have to travel to reach a healthy facility. The immediate
challenge is to extend primary health care facilities/clinics to rural
populations."
The progress report pointed out that diet related problems,
such as malnourishment and diet related chronic illnesses such as diabetes in
pregnant mothers as being major challenges in achieving safe motherhood.
"Nutrition highlights the importance of maintaining good maternal health,
given that it is generally women who sustain the food cycle from production,
harvesting, storage and processing…" said the report.
"Given the centrality
of women in rural households, the challenge is to ensure that the nutrition of
mothers is a priority at the household level."
The ZMDGs report also says
that other challenges that need to be addressed in reducing maternal deaths
include the HIV and AIDS pandemic, gender inequalities and negative cultural
practices that make women in rural areas shun health services.
The report
also says because of limited control over their sexuality and reproductive
rights, women cannot make informed decisions about their health and the
challenge is to empower them through, for example, sex education.
It was
cited in the progress report that HIV and AIDS remain one of the major
challenges in the area of reducing maternal death.
Said the report: "The HIV
and AIDS epidemic has placed mothers under an increased state of vulnerability.
The challenge is to reverse the HIV and AIDS epidemic and mitigate its impact
through the provision of Antiretroviral drugs and other measures.
The ZMDGs
progress report is a result of a consultative process spearheaded by the
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, which was co-ordinated by
the United Nations Development Programme.
Zimbabwe Standard
THE
crisis in agricultural production in Zimbabwe is not a result of the weather. It
is the result of mistiming, misplacement of resources and red tape.
Small-holder farmers were, until a few years ago, the major growers of
cotton and maize. However, the main beneficiaries of the government's farm
support facilities have been the A2 farmers. These are the very people who
should bear the blame for Zimbabwe's precarious food and foreign currency
situation.
At the commencement of the resettlement exercise, each A2 farmer
was required to submit proof of farming skills or of competent farm managers.
They were also required to furnish evidence of financial resources to enable
them to undertake farming activities on the newly acquired land.
Today the
government complains that the people it pampered with support not only
disappointed but fraudulently claimed skills and resources that are not
evidenced by their production.
Vice President Joice Mujuru showed the
government was running out of patience with the multitude of excuses from the A2
farmers when she warned: "If you are not farming properly this is sabotage at
its highest level. What pains us is that the farmers are not producing at the
farms yet they are the first to beg for assistance from the government.
"If
you are not up to the task and demands of farming, leave it to those who work
the land for maximum production, not incompetents and idlers who just sit and do
nothing."
But the government disappoints. It is paralysed by its own sense
of guilt after nurturing weekend braai or cellphone farmers for too long.
If
it is accepted that the failure by the A2 farmers is sabotage at its highest
level, why is the government undecided about dealing swiftly with these
saboteurs? Recent experience has demonstrated that elements declared saboteurs
can end up guests of the State or lose entitlement to their property, or both.
There could be a case for the newly appointed Anti-Corruption Commission to
undertake an audit of what and where the government support was committed. It
could uncover widespread abuses by people the government trusted. It could also
establish if senior government officials were among the main beneficiaries of
State assistance.
It is inconceivable that agricultural production support
facilities could have been extended to people, whose claim to skills and
resources were never subjected to any form of verification. It is also reckless
in the extreme that having extended support to such claimants of skills and
resources, no monitoring or supervisory mechanism was put in place to ensure
resources were not being squandered. Dereliction of duty in this regard lies
squarely on government's shoulders. But even more tragic is the fact that while
it recognises why it can not act against the saboteurs, it is incapable of
learning from its blunders.
On Wednesday the government, against better
judgement, decided to reward the same failed farmers with a $1 trillion package,
ostensibly "to inject life into and strengthen their capacity". Present during
the announcement were representatives of seed houses, fertiliser companies,
tobacco boards, the Cold Storage Company and the leadership of agricultural
unions. If anything the event merely served to demonstrate how the government
operates - fire-fighting.
Three weeks into September is too late to be
talking about planning for the 2005/2006 farming season. These meetings should
have been held between May and July to allow farmers to plan preparations and
secure their inputs ahead of the onset of the rainy season.
The process
under which farmers have to apply for the $1 trillion fund is heavily tilted in
favour of ruling party bigwigs and those politically connected - basically the
same people who have failed to demonstrate their capacity or skills to deliver
on agricultural production. Despite several schemes that the government has put
in place the production from the beneficiaries does not justify the resources
poured in. Unless the facility is going to be disbursed without scrutinising the
ability and performance records of the A2 farmers, it will be too late for this
season.
There will be a sharp drop in agricultural production because a
survey of the countryside uncovers the full horror of the state of
unpreparedness on the part of those the government continues to pamper with all
manner of assistance. This raises the question of the role and function of the
agriculture ministry.
The government has looked upon and treated the
small-holder farmers with contempt and derision, yet their record at both
production and repaying loans is impressive.
It is time to shift emphasis
and support the sector that has demonstrated commitment.
Zim Std - Business
By Ndamu Sandu
A MAJOR
shake-up is looming at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) as the central bank
embarks on a re-alignment programme designed to breathe new life into the
institution.
In a document titled 2005 Re-alignment of the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe's Functional Structures central bank chief Gideon Gono says the
thrust of the programme was to radically shake-up areas where - based on the
experience of the past 20 months - capacity limitations were observed, or
performance was below expectations for various possible reasons.
Gono said:
"The re-alignment programme also seeks to provide a framework and opportunity
for staff to unlock their full potential by being in areas where they are most
effective."
Gono says the process, to be characterised by an incisive
performance appraisal framework against the bank's core objectives, is
inevitably going to culminate in a far-reaching transformation of the
institution and "the way we all do business, right across all levels, from top
to bottom".
A memo has been send to all staff outlining the re-alignment
ordering each worker to write a three-page document saying why he or she has not
been performing to expectations and what they think should be done about it.
In the memo Gono said: "While members of management, workers' committee and
some selected non-managerial staff are at a retreat, your Governor expects each
one of you to be carrying out that soul searching exercise and deliver to your
Governor's office by the end of day Monday 26th September 2005, no more than
three pages of what you do, why you have not been performing according to
expectations and what you think should be done about it."
Gono says these
inputs from workers would form the basis of new structures and manning levels at
the bank.
The central bank chief says workers have a choice to realign or
leave.
Gono said: "Those tired of working for the bank and for the nation
must not hesitate to indicate in the letter to the Governor their wish and
desire to be considered for retrenchment because nothing short of total
commitment to the bank's vision and the bank's mission statement will do in the
months ahead beginning 1st October 2005."
Zim Std
By Walter Marwizi
THE
Masvingo Zanu PF provincial committee yesterday recommended to the Politburo
that Henry Matuku Hamadziripi be declared a provincial hero, in what could be
regarded by veterans of the struggle as belittling the role played by former
member of the legendary Dare reChimurenga.
Announcing the
recommendation, Masvingo Political Commissar Dzikamai Mavhaire said: "We are
requesting the Politburo to consider declaring Hamadziripi a provincial hero. We
think this is where he belongs but the party may either reject or accept our
recommendation."
Mavhaire said the province acknowledged that Hamadziripi
had made a great contribution to the struggle but had taken note of the fact
that he had made mistakes.
"When the journey is long, there are likely to be
some mistakes and shortcomings. Hamadziripi had those shortcomings. He was now
an ordinary card carrying member seeking provincial positions," Mavhaire said.
War veterans familiar with Hamadziripi's exploits during the liberation
struggle told The Standard yesterday that the recommendation underlined Zanu
PF's disdain of veteran politicians who had dared to oppose it either during the
liberation struggle or after independence.
Sokwanele - Enough is Enough - Zimbabwe
_______________________________________________________
International
Peace Day Demonstration (Late Posting)
Sokwanele Report: 25 September
2005
We apologise for the late posting of this article, owing to
circumstances
beyond our control.
On International Peace Day,
Wednesday September 21, the feisty protest
group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise
(WOZA), staged a peaceful demonstration in
Harare, demanding "Peace not
Poverty". Until the riot police intervened
with batons it was an entirely
peaceful, orderly and good-natured protest.
About 200 women started their
march from the Market Square. It had been
intended to complete the short
protest walk at Harare's Town House, a few
blocks away, but the ZRP riot
squad was quickly deployed in response and
blocked their way when the women
were just 100 meters from Town House. As
they walked the women sang with
great gusto, and their singing attracted the
attention of motorists and
passers-by, many of whom joined in the march.
Along the way the WOZA women
distributed fliers which were quickly picked up
by the crowd - itself a sign
of the new boldness Zimbabweans are
demonstrating in embracing anything
promising change. In the past
pedestrians have been fearful of being seen
picking up opposition or protest
leaflets.
The reason the march was
intended to finish at Town House was that the women
were bearing a message
to the Town Clerk, Nomutsa Chideya. In the message,
co-signed by WOZA and
the Combined Harare Residents' Association, the
protesters drew attention to
the significance of International Peace Day,
and demanded "Peace not
Poverty".
The letter continued, "Our sister Anna Tibaijuka (The United
Nations Special
Envoy) said Zimbabweans are today deeper in poverty,
deprivation and
destitution and have been rendered more vulnerable . We,
citizens, know that
the Harare Commission were part of the architects of
Operation Murambatsvina
and should be held accountable for crimes against
humanity".
"The legitimacy of your commission is already under suspicion.
Instead of
delivering services, you are launching operations that disturb
what little
peace we have left".
The letter concluded with a demand
for the right "to elect our own civic
leaders and hold them accountable to
deliver all services like water and
refuse collection".
A short
distance from Town House the protesters were intercepted by
baton-wielding
riot police who lashed out at them without mercy. The WOZA
women have
developed to a fine art the technique of appearing, as if from
nowhere, on
the streets of Zimbabwe's cities and then disappearing just as
quickly after
making their dramatic protests. Most of them managed to escape
arrest on
this occasion, though not to avoid bruises and cuts from the
police
batons. It is believed however than three of their number were
detained by
the police. Human rights lawyers are seeking to establish the
whereabouts
of the three and the nature of any charges brought against them,
but at the
time of filing this report the lawyers had not been able to make
contact
with them. The ZRP are once again reported to be proving less than
helpful
in permitting those in their custody the legal right to see their
lawyers.
September 22,
2005
_______________________________________________________
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News 24
25/09/2005 14:34 - (SA)
Harare - Seventeen employees of Zimbabwe's state-run oil procurement
company have been suspended following investigations into the theft of tens of
thousands of litres of fuel, the Sunday Mail newspaper reported.
The
state-run paper said that a combined total of 38 000 litres of petrol and diesel
went missing on one day recently, but unnamed sources told the paper millions of
litres could have been stolen since the beginning of the year.
The oil depot
has had to cancel night shifts to prevent the theft. The fuel has been used to
supply the black market, where fuel sells for prices way above those set by the
government, the report said.
The fuel had also been smuggled into
neighbouring countries, the Sunday Mail added.
"The thefts were perpetrated
by the very persons entrusted with safeguarding the fuel in conjunction with
some truck drivers and greedy business people in the community," the National
Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim) was quoted as saying in a statement.
The
report said proceeds from the looted fuel had been used to import luxury
vehicles from the United Arab Emirates.
The report comes as Zimbabwe is in
the throes of its worst fuel crisis ever. Fuel stations have not had deliveries
of fuel for several months, while there are long lines of queues outside a
handful of service stations that are selling fuel in hard currency.
Zimbabwe
has experienced erratic fuel supplies since 1999 due to acute shortages of
foreign currency. - Sapa-dpa