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Zimbabwe
Judge Sues MDC Party Leader for $1 Million
http://www.voanews.com/
Peta Thornycroft |
Johannesburg 28 September 2010
In a rare political case in Zimbabwe,
a Harare High Court judge is suing a
popular Movement for Democratic Change
leader for $1 million for remarks
allegedly made during a terrorism trial
that ended in May.
Movement for Democratic Change Treasurer Roy Bennett
was arrested when he
returned to Harare from exile to join Zimbabwe's unity
government in
February 2009. He was arrested on weapons charges and
accusations he had
plotted to kill President Robert Mugabe.
Bennett
was acquitted of the charges after an eight-month trial at the
Harare High
Court. A government appeal of the verdict has not yet been
heard.
Judge Chinembiri Bhunu, who presided over the case, is suing
Bennett,
accusing him of making critical statements to the international
media before
the verdict.
Bhunu charges Bennett was quoted by the
British newspaper the Guardian as
saying he would be denied justice because
Judge Bhunu would apply the law
"selectively" because he is "compromised" by
being a beneficiary of a
white-owned farm.
State documents in the
Land Affairs Ministry show Bhunu and many of
Zimbabwe's top judges have been
given white-owned farms since 2000.
Bennett's remarks to the Guardian
were published a day before he was
acquitted of charges by Judge
Bhunu.
Two weeks ago, Bennett lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told journalists the
police
were looking for her client on charges of contempt of court. She
says
Bennett is out of Zimbabwe.
Bennett is a former farmer from
eastern Zimbabwe who was violently
dispossessed of his home and farm
business in 2001. He has been arrested
and beaten several times since then
and in 2004 was sentenced to an
effective eight months in a tough rural
prison.
Mr. Mugabe's failure to swear Bennett into office as deputy
agriculture
minister is regularly cited by the Movement for Democratic
Change as a
serious failure of the political agreement signed two years ago
by Mr.
Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister in the
unity
government.
Parties
must negotiate new charter: PM
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Simplicious Chirinda & Tobias Manyuchi
Tuesday 28 September 2010
HARARE - Zimbabwe's proposed new
constitution will have to be a compromise
document co-authored by the
country's three ruling parties that each, acting
alone, cannot impose a new
charter on the country, Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai said on
Monday.
Tsvangirai said an exercise to gather the views of the public
that should
form the basis of the new constitution has degenerated into a
contest
between his MDC-T party, the breakaway MDC-M faction of deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara and President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF - each
trying to impose their views on the others.
The constitutional
outreach exercise was no longer about affording ordinary
people to dictate
the content of the constitution but has become a mere
political contest
among the parties, said Tsvangirai, adding he would raise
his concerns about
the constitutional reform process in a meeting with
Mugabe and Mutambara on
Thursday.
"The current constitutional making process will be affected by
the fact that
no party has a two thirds majority in parliament and because
of that, no
party will be in a position of imposing its will on
constitutional
principle," Tsvangirai while addressing a meeting organised
by a local NGO
in Harare.
He added: "It will have to be ultimately a
negotiated constitution, but the
process of public participation was
intended to ensure that no Zimbabwean
across the political divide should be
prevented from airing their views.
"Unfortunately what has happened is
that all parties took a position that
they are going to take a partisan view
on what the constitution should
ultimately look like and that has caused
problems. It became not a process
of allowing people to speak but a process
of contestation between the
parties."
Zimbabwe is writing a new
constitution as part of reforms agreed by
Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Mutambara
to strengthen democracy in the country.
But the exercise to gather public
views to be put in the constitution has
been marred by reports of violence
and widespread intimidation blamed on
ZANU PF supporters wanting to pressure
Zimbabweans to support a new
constitution that will not bar Mugabe from
standing for re-election, while
banning the post of Prime
Minister.
Public hearings had to be called off in Harare and the nearby
dormitory town
of Chitungwiza after violence broke out during meetings more
than a week ago
leaving at least one person dead and scores of others
injured.
Under the power-sharing pact, Zimbabweans will go to elections
after a
referendum, which is expected next year but there are doubts the
vote will
take place because the constitutional reform exercise is about a
year behind
schedule.
Meanwhile Tsvangirai told the Harare meeting
that the multi-faceted crisis
that gripped Zimbabwe before formation of the
coalition government
epitomises what happens when a government is not
accountable to the
electorate.
He said: "Through a deliberate
campaign of intimidation, abusing the rule of
law and substituting national
policies for political party programmes our
economy was decimated, our
national institutions undermined and our peoples
impoverished and
persecuted." - ZimOnline.
EU 'ready'
to review Zimbabwe sanctions
http://www.busrep.co.za
September 28, 2010
European Union
supremo Herman Van Rompuy on Tuesday said the bloc was ready
to take a fresh
look at sanctions against Zimbabwe, pending political
developments.
Speaking at an EU-South Africa summit, Van Rompuy noted
Zimbabwean moves to
create a new constitution as part of a road map to
elections, a process
launched by the unity government formed by President
Robert Mugabe and Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last February.
"In
case of positive developments in Zimbabwe we'd be ready to look at fresh
measures," said Van Rompuy, the president of the EU.
Mugabe, 86, and
his aides are subject to travel bans and asset freezes in
the European Union
and the United States, who accuse his regime of repeated
human rights abuses
and denials of basic freedoms.
"The EU wants to give Zimbabwe chances
of success," said the president of
the 27-nation bloc, noting that the EU as
a whole had offered 365 million
euros (490 million dollars) over the last 18
months to projects in Zimbabwe
aimed at better governance."
"These
measures," he added, "never harm ordinary citizens or impede
development."
The EU last year slapped a 12-month extension on its
sanctions against
Harare, which include an embargo on arms and police
weaponry, as well as the
travel ban and asset freezes on Mugabe and his
aides. - Sapa-AFP
Pro-Mugabe
attacks on the rise, says HRW
http://www.mg.co.za/
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Sep 28 2010
14:58
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned against attacks
by supporters of
President Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe maps out a new
constitution with 13
public meetings called off in the
capital.
"Zanu-PF supporters and their allies continue to commit abuses
with
impunity, and the police remain partisan," said Rona Peligal, the New
York-based body's Africa director.
"The government of Zimbabwe needs
to put a halt to the attacks and allow the
constitutional outreach to
proceed without violence."
Outreach meetings on a new constitution since
June have seen increasing
violence and intimidation, HRW said. An attack
claimed the life of a
supporter of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last
week.
The violence was mainly by supporters of Mugabe's former sole
ruling party,
the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF),
or its war
veteran allies.
"In the past few days, the violence has
worsened, as the outreach meetings
have moved to the capital, Harare, and
the city of Bulawayo. Because of the
violence, 13 meetings in Harare were
suspended," HRW said in a statement.
Zimbabwe is creating a new
constitution as part of a road map by the unity
government to fresh
elections, after veteran leader Mugabe and Tsvangirai
formed a unity
government last February following months of turmoil.
"This violence and
intimidation do not bode well for the referendum and
elections that could be
held next year," cautioned Peligal.
"Without rights reforms and
accountability for continuing abuses, the kind
of violence that plagued the
2008 elections is likely to happen again."
The unity pact calls for a
new constitution to be approved in a referendum,
paving the way to new
elections. - AFP
Rift
between COPAC co-chairmen threatens new constitution
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Tichaona
Sibanda
28 September 2010
A row over the aborted outreach program in
Harare threatens to torpedo the
harmony within the COPAC management team,
after ZANU PF allegedly tried to
block the rescheduling of the abandoned
meetings.
SW Radio Africa understands that the rift between
co-chairpersons Douglas
Mwonzora from the MDC-T and ZANU PF's Paul Mangwana
was widening because of
the approach being championed by ZANU PF.
The
public hearings had to be called off in Harare and in Chitungwiza after
violence broke out during meetings last week. Crispen Mandizvidza, an MDC
activist, died from injuries sustained after he was assaulted in
Mbare.
Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us Mangwana was
adamant that
the aborted meetings should not be rescheduled, a situation
that would work
in favour of the former ruling party.
'The assumption
is that ZANU PF dominated the outreach meetings in the rural
areas, so they
wanted to neutralise the views of the MDC in its urban
strongholds,
especially the capital city. This is why ZANU PF bussed in
people from
outside Harare to disrupt the meetings,' Muchemwa said.
Mangwana's hard
nosed approach has caused fractures and rifts within the
management
committee which threaten to derail this reform exercise.
Despite the protests
of other parties who are advocating for the
rescheduling of meetings,
Mangwana remains obstinate and observers believe
he's taking orders from his
ZANU PF party.
The three principals to the Global Political Agreement are
expected to meet
this week to look at reports of what transpired during the
violence. It is
believed Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur
Mutambara would make a
decision on when to reschedule abandoned meetings in
Harare and other areas,
like Manicaland province.
When this program
began four months ago (after delays of nearly a year)
there were promises of
transparency. However throughout the process the
outreach has been distorted
by intimidation and violence, blamed mainly on
ZANU PF supporters trying to
force participants to toe party lines.
The exercise to redraft a new
constitution is part of reforms agreed to by
the three principals to
strengthen democracy in the country. Under the GPA
pact the country is
expected to hold elections after a referendum on the new
constitution, which
is expected next year.
Illegally
exported Zim diamonds seized in Dubai
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
28 September
2010
A package of diamonds believed to have been illegally exported from
Zimbabwe's
controversial Chiadzwa fields, was recently seized in Dubai, in a
clear
indication that international restrictions on sales are doing nothing
to
stop smuggling.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) confiscated and
returned the package to the
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC)
and the Minerals Marketing
Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) about two weeks
ago. According to reports
over the weekend, the parcel comprised of 4000
carats of diamonds, worth
millions of dollars.
The export is a
complete violation of an agreement reached by the Mines
Ministry and the
international diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley
Process. That agreement
was meant to pave the way for a full return to
diamond exports, which were
banned over human rights violations at Chiadzwa.
The Kimberley Process
this year agreed to certify a stockpile of diamonds
mined at Chiadzwa as
'conflict free' to allow two legal auctions. Both those
auctions have
happened, with the approval of the Kimberley Process. There is
now meant to
be another review of Zimbabwe's diamond industry before the
country can
resume full exports, but no details of this have been made
available yet. As
it stands, no diamonds are meant to be exported without
the Kimberley
Process' involvement.
The MMCZ has reportedly tried to defend the
suspicious diamond exports to
Dubai, claiming that the parcel only contained
diamonds produced between
2007 and 2009, before the Kimberley Process
agreement was reached earlier
this year.
The UAE is fast becoming a
preferred trade route for Zimbabwe's
controversial diamonds and last year it
was revealed that a multi million
dollar sale of Chiadzwa diamonds went
ahead in Dubai, well before the
Kimberley Process gave Zimbabwe the green
light to start exports. In May,
the Kimberley Process itself announced that
from December 2009 through April
2010, there had been "multiple shipments of
rough diamonds moved from
Zimbabwe to the UAE".
Meanwhile earlier
this month, Belgian authorities reportedly seized a
shipment of suspected
Chiadzwa rough diamonds sent from Dubai to Antwerp.
The diamonds are being
held in the Diamond Office of the Antwerp World
Diamond Center, on suspicion
that they originated Chiadzwa.
Security
forces violating rights: NGO
http://www.zimonline.co.za/
by Chenai Maramba Tuesday 28 September
2010
HARARE - A human rights group has accused Zimbabwe army soldiers
of
violating human rights, as the United States said Harare must show
greater
respect for people's basic rights and freedoms before sanctions on
President
Robert Mugabe and his allies can be removed.
The Zimbabwe
Peace Project (ZPP) that monitors rights abuses in the southern
African
country said soldiers, police, war veterans and youth militia have
led a
campaign of violence and intimidation to force citizens to back the
views of
President Robert Mugabe on the proposed new constitution.
The group said
in a its latest report released at the weekend: "For the
other most volatile
provinces of Masvingo, Midlands and Mashonaland Central,
the levels of
violations remained almost constant with sporadic incidents of
physical
violence.
"The main perpetrators of the violations recorded in August
have been war
veterans, ZANU PF youth militias, chiefs, police officers and
serving
members of the Zimbabwe National Army."
Zimbabwe is writing a
new constitution as part of reforms agreed by Mugabe
and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai to strengthen democracy in the country.
But an exercise
to gather public views to be put in the constitution has
been marred by
reports of violence and widespread intimidation blamed on
ZANU PF supporters
wanting to pressure Zimbabweans to support a new
constitution that will not
bar Mugabe from standing for re-election, while
banning the post of Prime
Minister.
Public hearings had to be called off in Harare and the nearby
dormitory town
of Chitungwiza after violence broke out during meetings more
than a week ago
leaving at least one person dead and scores of others
injured.
Tsvangirai last week accused the military of intimidating
Zimbabweans during
the countrywide public hearings and charged that the
process to gather
citzens' vies on the new constitution was not credible, in
his clearest
indication yet that his MDC party may reject the outcome on the
new charter.
And the US State Department on Sunday the Harare unity
government must do
more to protect human rights and political freedoms for
the visa and
financial sanctions against Mugabe, his top lieutenants and
about 200
companies linked to his ZANU PF party.
In a statement after
its top official for Africa met three Zimbabwean
ministers last Thursday,
the department said it had acknowledged the reforms
that have helped
stabilise Zimbabwe's economy but said little has changed on
the political
front.
The department said: "As long as human rights violations, land
seizures, and
intimidation of those participating in the political process
continue, the
sanctioned individuals and entities on the list who continue
to perpetrate
and benefit from these acts are unlikely to be
removed."
Zimbabwe has a notorious history of political violence and
human rights
abuses since independence in 1980 but perpetrators, mostly from
ZANU-PF and
the security forces, have never been punished.
The
government has said the new Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission will probe
only
human rights abuses committed after December 2008, effectively sweeping
under the carpet gross abuses committed since independence and before. -
ZimOnline.
South
Africa's Zuma Seen Again Urging European Union to Lift Zimbabwe
Sanctions
http://www.voanews.com
After talks between US and Zimbabwean officials in New York
last week, a
State Department official said the United States was not ready
to lift
sanctions as rights violations were continuing in the
country
Ntungamili Nkomo & Jonga Kandemiiri | Washington 27 September
2010
South African President Jacob Zuma is expected to again ask
European Union
officials to lift targeted sanctions on President Robert
Mugabe his inner
circle in meetings scheduled for Tuesday in
Brussels.
Sources said Mr. Zuma will tell European officials that the
sanctions are
hindering Zimbabwe's economic and social recovery. The
exchange will also
examine the general condition of the Harare unity
government, sources said.
President Zuma, who is mediator in Zimbabwe on
behalf of the Southern
African Development Community, has previously urged
the EU and other Western
powers to lift the travel and financial
restrictions.
Following bilateral talks between US and Zimbabwean
officials in New York
last week, a State Department official said the United
States was not ready
to lift sanctions as rights violations were continuing
in the country.
The EU sent much the same message earlier this year in
meetings with
officials of Zimbabwe's so-called re-engagement committee
established by the
Harare Cabinet to expand dialogue with the
West.
Zuma foreign policy adviser Lindiwe Zulu told VOA Studio 7 reporter
Ntungamili Nkomo from Brussels that although the summit will focus mainly on
trade and bilateral relations, Zimbabwe will feature
prominently.
"What will arise is the overall progress in Zimbabwe, but
obviously the
issue of sanctions will also be discussed," she
said.
Commenting, Programs Manager Pedzisai Ruhanya of the Crisis in
Zimbabwe
Coalition told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that Mr. Zuma should see
to it that
ZANU-PF conforms to democratic values before lobbying Brussels
and other
Western capitals to remove sanctions.
International
Trade Union Calls For Free And Fair Election
http://news.radiovop.com/
28/09/2010
16:29:00
Harare, September 28, 2010 - The International Trade Union
Confederation
(ITUC) has called for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe
saying any further
imposition of an illegitimate government posed a
continued threat to workers'
rights.
Visiting ITUC general secretary
Sharon Burrow said Tuesday that Zimbabwean
workers should fully participate
in Zimbabwe's next elections in order to
elect a government that respects
their labour rights.
"We want to see people have their right to exercise
their vote for a
democratic government, that will in fact act in the
interest of the people,
in the interest of the workers," Burrow told
journalists in Harare Tuesday.
She added, "Without a government elected
fairly, elected in peaceful
circumstances, a government that actually stands
out for the rights of
workers, a government that puts the legislation in
place, govern Zimbabwe in
the interest of the people and put in place a
sustainable economy, then
workers will suffer."
The international
labour organisation chief is part of a 35 strong
delegation from Africa and
beyond that came to Zimbabwe to help the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions
operationalise a recent International Labour
Organisation commission of
inquiry report that found the Zimbabwean
government in serious violation of
labour rights.
In the report, the ILO gave government a period of 12
months to implement
its recommendations.
The report calls on the
Zimbabwean government halt all trade union abuses in
Zimbabwe,
recommendations which call for the repeal of repressive laws
impeding the
rights of workers.
Mugabe's
Large Entourage On Foreign Trips A Concern
http://news.radiovop.com/
28/09/2010
10:51:00
Harare, September 28, 2010 - President Robert Mugabe always
travels with
between 50 to 60 officials when he goes overseas, Prime
Minister, Morgan
Tsvangirai, has revealed.
"I cannot stop him from
taking huge delegations when he travels," he told
Radio VOP responding to a
question in Harare. "However this will have to
stop because we as leaders
are now talking about accountability in
Zimbabwe."
The Prime Minister
had been asked how he felt about the 80 officials who
flew to New York in
the United States of America with President Mugabe last
week to the United
Nations (UN).
"He (Mugabe) usually travels with between 50 and 60
people," Tsvangirai
said. "The others (officials) could have been ministers
dealing with issues
relating to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at
the UN meeting. We do
not discuss how many people travel with him because he
does and travels with
whomever he wants."
Tsvangirai said the three
principals did not discuss delegations and he too
could take whomever he
wanted when he travels.
He however said huge delegations were not good
for the country right now
because it did not have any money in its
coffers.
Bulawayo
police harass residents under unofficial ‘curfew’
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Alex Bell
28
September 2010
Bulawayo police have been accused of harassing and
intimidating innocent
city residents in what is being called an undeclared
‘state of emergency’.
According to the Matabeleland Civil Society
Consortium the police have been
rounding up, beating and arresting people in
Bulawayo. But while police
officials say they are just tightening security,
the Consortium says people
are living in fear as a result of the police’s
actions.
The ‘tightened security’ has come in the aftermath of a shooting
earlier
this month during an armed robbery, which resulted in the death of a
police
chief. The death saw Defence Force Commander Constantine Chiwenga
announce
that the army would be sent into Bulawayo to deal with the scourge
of armed
robberies in the city. The result has been a clamp down on the
public and
reports of police brutality.
The Civil Society Consortium has
since challenged the police to come out in
the open and declare that
Bulawayo is now under a ‘curfew’. The group’s
Dumisani Nkomo said it was as
if Bulawayo was under a “state of emergency or
curfew” which has not been
declared.
“If the police want to impose a curfew for the purposes of
hunting down
criminals, then they should do so and if that is the real
intention I do not
see any law-abiding citizen objecting to that,” he said.
“What is obviously
wrong is for the police to work as if there is a curfew
when they have not
declared any.”
SW Radio Africa’s Bulawayo
correspondent Lionel Saungweme agreed that there
was an undeclared curfew,
explaining that road blocks are being set up every
evening on the main roads
leading out of the city. Saungweme said the public
are being heavily
monitored and some have even been forced to undergo strip
searches on the
streets. There have also been reports of assault at the
hands of the police,
if anyone tries to resist being stopped and searched.
Saungweme continued
by saying that there is widespread fear that the army’s
deployment to
Bulawayo is a “decoy,” ahead of possible elections next year.
He said that
the public are afraid that the machinations of violence, seen
during the
2008 election period, are beginning to re-emerge.
There is also concern,
because of the history of genocide in Matabeleland.
“There is a lot of fear
that this could be the second wave of the
Gukurahundi, because this is how
it all started originally,” Saungweme said.
Ban
on used vehicles will make cars inaccessible
http://www.swradioafrica.com
By Irene Madongo
28
September 2010
A new law banning the import of second-hand vehicles will
make cars out of
reach for most people, an economist has said. It could also
force used-car
traders out of business.
The government recently stated
that people will not be allowed to import
vehicles more than five years old
for use on roads in Zimbabwe. The law will
come into effect in March 2011.
The government claims the move will prevent
accidents on the country's
roads.
Zimbabweans who cannot afford new cars or vehicles assembled in
the country
have become reliant on cheaper imported second-hand cars from
countries like
Japan.
Economic analyst John Robertson said on
Tuesday: "The worst effect will not
be for the government sake, but for the
purposes of the people who have very
little money. Most will not be able to
buy cars that will sell for more
money. We might see the closure of a few
second-hand car dealers who have
relied on the turnover in these vehicles to
keep them going. That is going
to severely impact on quite a few
companies."
The government is also understood to be considering banning
left-hand drive
vehicles. Partson Mbiriri, the permanent secretary in the
Ministry of
Transport and Infrastructural Development, said: "Government is
considering
banning all left-hand-driven vehicles because it has become
clear that they
are one of the major causes of accidents on the
roads."
But many observer feel the main causes of the high number of
deaths on
Zimbabwe's roads are the reckless driving, often by drivers with
no legal
licences, plus the poor quality and lack of maintenance of the
roads.
"The roads are overcrowded especially in the cities and that has
led to
higher accident rates, not necessarily the quality of the vehicles
but so
many of them," Robertson added.
Last month, Environment and
Natural Resources Minister, Francis Nhema,
called for a ban on the
importation of used vehicles in order to "save lives
and protect the
environment."
'War Vet'
Leader Holds Warning Rallies
http://news.radiovop.com
28/09/2010 10:49:00
Zaka, September
28, 2010- Controversial Zimbabwe war veterans national
chairman Jabulani
Sibanda who is conducting warning rallies here has stunned
villagers by
telling them that he was "sent to warn all sell-outs in the
area that Zanu
(PF) is ready to kill them if they fail to join his party
before campaigns
for next elections has begun.
Zimbabwe is likely to hold next elections
in 2011.
Sibanda is currently staying at Chief Nhema's home in Zaka.
Together they
have forced villagers to attend a number of rallies since the
beginning of
last week.
"He is here forcing us to go for his rallies.
In fact he said that he is
only warning us that the time to repent and join
Zanu (PF) is now because
all those who will be waiting for campaigns to
start will be choosing death.
"We are now living in terror following
Sibanda's open declaration that Zanu
(PF) is ready to kill and silence all
those who turn against it and bite the
finger that fed them," said one of
the villagers.
RadioVOP was informed that Sibanda is supposed to have at
least 20 meetings
with villagers in Zaka district before moving to another
area.
Chief Ranganai Bwawanda Nhema who admitted staying with Sibanda,
defended
the 'war vet'.
"What is wrong with him warning villagers?
Did he beat anyone here? I think
people are misunderstanding him, he is
staying with me and I know his
motive -he is here to give people light so
that they know what they do
before the elections.
"As a Chief here, I
am so glad that Sibanda is here to bring light where
there was darkness,"
said Chief Nhema.
However, Sibanda could not be reached for comment as
his mobile number
remained unreachable.
Zaka North Member of
Parliament Ernest Mudavanhu has condemned actions by
Sibanda calling for the
government to take action against the 'war vets'
boss.
"He is causing
serious harm to the people of Zaka. Instead of healing, he is
opening fresh
wounds. What kind of warning is Sibanda giving to the people?
It is high
time government takes action against him," said Mudavanhu.
This is not
the first time for Sibanda to wreck havoc in rural areas.
Recently,
Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) had to suspend
operations in
Bikita in protest against Sibanda who was spreading hate
language in the
area.
Mugabe
under pressure to appoint Roy Bennett
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Guthrie Munyuki
Tuesday, 28
September 2010 17:21
HARARE - A group of Zimbabweans and
internationals dotted around the world,
has launched an audacious internet
campaign aimed at forcing President
Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF to end
persecution against MDC treasurer general,
Roy Bennett.
The drive
has targeted raising 10 000 signatures that would be appended to
the
petition set for delivery to Mugabe whom "Friends of Bennett" blame for
failing to swear him as deputy minister of Agriculture as per the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) signed on September 15 2008.
"Roy Leslie
Bennett is not a man in pursuit of personal power, greed, or
glory. He has
been wrongfully accused and imprisoned for alleged crimes he
did not
commit," said the group.
"His compromise, devotion and the purpose of his
life lie within his land
and for the good of his fellow Zimbabweans, and his
time in prison has not
deterred this purpose nor persuaded him,
understandably, to stop caring for
his nation."
The group had hoped
that the GPA and the subsequent consummation of the
inclusive government
would end the harassment and persecution of opposition
officials.
"Today, we watch in disappointment as the Global Political
Agreement of
September, 2008 continues not to be honoured, and Mr. Bennett
denied his
service in the ministerial position he has been appointed to",
lamented the
group whose campaign is being run under the care2 petition
site.
After years of quarelling, characterised by blood-letting violence,
Mugabe,
Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara agreed to sign the Southern
African
Development Community (Sadc) brokered pact which led to the
formation of an
inclusive government in February 2009.
Among the key
issues agreed to in the GPA were the swearing in of Tsvangirai
as Prime
Minister and Mutambara his deputy ahead of new ministerial
appointments.
While Mugabe appointed a new government, he left out
Bennett arguing that he
had to be cleared of terrorism charges before he
could be sworn in as deputy
minister for Agriculture.
He has since
been cleared of the trumped up charges but Police, who have
raided his home
in the last few weeks, are on the hunt for the feisty MDC
strongman for
unspecified reasons.
This has prompted pro-democracy groups and concerned
neutrals to push for a
campaign to force Mugabe and his allies in Zanu PF to
end Bennett's
political woes.
"We have been following the events
taking place in Zimbabwe for the last
decade and, more specifically, the
events that have been taking place in
more recent years.
"A land that
once stood proud for its food production, whose exports were
significantly
aiding in the well-being of the economy, is at risk of facing
desolation and
neglect due to the political and racial divisions that are
marring your
great country of Zimbabwe and preventing your farmers from
feeding your sons
and daughters, your villages and your people. Sadly, if
this situation is
not reverted, Zimbabwe might never again be "the Food
Basket of Africa,"
said the group.
It denied having political leanings but was driven by its
belief in justice
and democratic freedom.
The group comprise of
different people from different parts of the Caribbean
basin, different
backgrounds, professions, ideologies, creeds, races, ages
and
genders.
"Through these words, we peacefully but firmly voice our
heartfelt support
for a man who, by all known accounts, has dedicated his
life to the land
where he was born, not only as a farmer, but also as a
staunch supporter of
the rights of all farmers in Zimbabwe, regardless of
the color of their
skin, many of whom have seen their lands removed from
them unjustly since
2000.
"Many of these lands, according to
testimonies that have been made widely
public around the world, now lie in
quiet expectation, patiently awaiting
the day when Zimbabwean farmers, black
and white, will once again make them
fertile for the good of the entire
nation," added the group in reference to
the forced seizures of prime land
occupied by white commercial farmers.
Zimbabwe still bear the scars of
chaotic land grab which reduced the once
prosperous nation into beggars as
shortages of grain and cereal ravaged the
entire country.
Although
there have been improvements of food stocks and grain in shops,
critics
argue that without a proper land audit and firm decisions on
multiple farm
owners, food deficit will continue to hover around Zimbabwe.
Gukurahundi
massacres to feature in Supreme Court ruling
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Maxwell Sibanda
Tuesday,
28 September 2010 14:53
HARARE - The Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s
once again take centre
stage when the Supreme Court is set to determine
whether or not
criminalizing creative arts infringes on the freedom of
expression and
conscience.
Bulawayo Magistrate, Ntombizodwa
Mazhandu recently granted an application by
Zimbabwean artist Owen Maseko's
lawyers for the Supreme Court to make the
determination.
The
government this month invoked the Censorship and Entertainment Act to
ban an
art exhibition of paintings by Bulawayo based artist Owen Maseko that
showcased paintings of the 1980s Gukurahundi era.
Mazhandu said it
was a fact that the Gukurahundi-military killings of over
20 000 civilians
in Matabeleland took place in the 1980s.
"It is not a secret that
Gukurahundi did happen. That it happened in
Matabeleland is not a secret. I
do not see how the application before me is
frivolous and neither is it
vexatious," said the Magistrate as she granted
the application by Maseko's
lawyers for the Supreme Court to determine
whether criminalizing creative
arts infringes on the freedom of expression
and freedom of
conscience.
The Zimbabwean government invoked the Censorship and
Entertainment Act and
charged that the exhibition of paintings that were on
show at the Bulawayo
National Art Gallery portrayed "the Gukurahundi era as
a tribal biased
event".
The exhibition's paintings capture images
that characterized the civil
unrest in Matabeleland in which the
government's Fifth Brigade army unit
murdered civilians in cold
blood.
Maseko's lawyers stated that the artist's fundamental rights,
provided for
in the Constitution of Zimbabwe and other International Human
Rights
Instruments to which Zimbabwe is a State party, were being
violated.
The Supreme Court will now make a determination on the
violation of the
protection of the artist's freedom of expression as
enshrined in Section 20
(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the protection
of freedom of thought
guaranteed in terms of Section 19 (1) of the
Constitution and the protection
of the law as provided in terms of Section
18 (1) of the Constitution.
The Constitutional court will determine
whether or not bona fide works of
artistic creativity can be subjected to
prosecution under Section 31 and 33
of the Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) without
infringing on the provisions of Sections
18 (1) and 20 (1) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Angeline Kamba, a
respected arts administrator and board member of the
Harare International
Festival of the Arts (HIFA) said it was puzzling how
government banned
Maseko's exhibition.
Kamba spoke as she viewed one of the artist's
artistic artefacts on show at
The Live and Direct exhibition at the National
Gallery of Zimbabwe.
She said: "I do not see why Maseko's works should be
banned. Artists should
be given the freedom to produce artworks that reflect
their surroundings."
Asked to comment on whether there was artistic
freedom in Zimbabwe, former
Deputy Director at the National Art Gallery of
Zimbabwe, Tapfuma Gutsa said
it was difficult to say.
He said: "I
asked the same question to a lawyer who said that while there
was freedom to
create images and exhibit them, the problem was what happened
afterwards."
Professor George Kahari said times were changing and
today's artists were
living in democratic systems that gave them the
privilege to create thought
provoking works. "I have recently been reading a
book about the liberation
war and it's refreshing that today's writers have
the liberty to write so
critically. It wasn't easy in the colonial
era."
Professor Kahari said artists and writers the world over have been
jailed in
the past and this current Maseko feud was not a new
phenomenon.
"But it will be very difficult to ban works of art," he
added.
Starvation
rocks Mat South
http://www.dailynews.co.zw
By Albert Mazhale
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
11:40
GWANDA - Villagers in some parts of Matabeleland South now
accept maize as
payment for cattle amid reports pupils are dropping out of
school due to
starvation.
Villagers in Nhwali are barter trading a
single beast for as little as ten
bags of maize to avert hunger following
poor yields in the province.
"It's not a fair deal but you can only
ignore it at your own risk, at the
end of it all you have no option but to
go for it as children need to be
fed," said Emmanuel Moyo a villager in
Nhwali.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai earlier this year declared the
southern
region a drought disaster area after touring parts of the province
to assess
the hunger situation.
Enterprising business people are
sourcing maize from Lupane and Gokwe for
barter trading in the
province.
A bag of maize( with three tins) sells for around $15 while a
reasonably
sized beast sells for between $300 and $500.
Ironically
200 metric tonnes of maize meant for Mat South is reportedly
stuck at Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) Bulawayo depot amid reports there are
no funds to
transport the consignment to Gwanda.
The region has in the past suffered
incessant droughts and has largely
depended on donor supplies for
survival.
However, of late aid agencies have become reluctant to provide
food
assistance after President Robert Mugabe accused them of nurturing a
dependency syndrome among Zimbabweans.
Mnangagwa,
Moyo and Jabulani Sibanda in genocide plot
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/
28 September, 2010 05:17:00 Staff Reporter
ZIMBABWE
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa’s chief strategists, former
Information
and Publicity Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and War Veterans
leader
Jabulani Moyo are planning a massive genocide accross all
Mashonaland,
Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces in the run up to the proposed
new
constitution referendum and general elections scheduled for next year,
we
can reveal.
The trio have already set up bases in Masvingo, the country’s
most populous
province, and they are using the Zimbabwe National Army’s 4
Brigade barracks
for logistical support and training facilities.
The
plan, authored by Professor Jonathan Moyo, has hundreds of unemployed
youths
undergoing training at the army camp and they will soon be deployed
across
the country for an unprecedented wave of violent attacks on the
Movement for
Democratic Change supporters, and make no-go-areas to Robert
Mugabe’s
opponents.
The plan is on course and by the time international election
monitors arrive
in the country, most villagers will have undergone mass
indoctrination and
psyched into believing that there will be a war if they
voted the MDC. MDC
supporters will be abducted and killed, their homesteads
burnt and their
cattle and goats distributed to Zanu PF
supporters.
Mr Sibands, who used to be the driver of the late
Vice President Joshua
Nkomo is moving around the province in an orange
colour 4X4 twin cab, and he
has already started terrorising villagers with
chilling threats of murder
and torture, and he is on course for a full scale
country wide terror
campaign in all provinces excluding
Matabeleland.
The controversial leader of the war veterans faction is
conducting night
rallies in villages and has stunned villagers by telling
them that he was
"sent to warn all sell-outs in the area that Zanu (PF) is
ready to kill them
if they fail to join his party before campaigns for next
elections has
begun.
Zimbabwe is likely to hold next elections in
2011.
Sibanda is currently staying at Chief Nhema’s home in Zaka.
Together they
have forced villagers to attend a number of rallies since the
beginning of
last week.
"He is here forcing us to go for his rallies.
In fact he said that he is
only warning us that the time to repent and join
Zanu (PF) is now because
all those who will be waiting for campaigns to
start will be choosing death.
"We are now living in terror following
Sibanda’s open declaration that Zanu
(PF) is ready to kill and silence all
those who turn against it and bite the
finger that fed them," said one of
the villagers.
It has been reported that Sibanda is supposed to have at
least 20 meetings
with villagers in Zaka district before moving to another
area.
Chief Ranganai Bwawanda Nhema who is believed to be a relative of
Emmerson
Mnangagwa admitted staying with Sibanda, defended the 'war
vet'.
"What is wrong with him warning villagers? Did he beat anyone here?
I think
people are misunderstanding him, he is staying with me and I know
his
motive -he is here to give people light so that they know what they do
before the elections.
"As a Chief here, I am so glad that Sibanda is
here to bring light where
there was darkness," said Chief
Nhema.
However, Sibanda could not be reached for comment as his mobile
number
remained unreachable.
Zaka North Member of Parliament Ernest
Mudavanhu has condemned actions by
Sibanda calling for the government to
take action against the 'war vets'
boss.
"He is causing serious harm
to the people of Zaka. Instead of healing, he is
opening fresh wounds. What
kind of warning is Sibanda giving to the people?
It is high time government
takes action against him," said Mudavanhu.
This is not the first time for
Sibanda to wreck havoc in rural areas.
Recently, Constitutional
Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) had to suspend
operations in Bikita in
protest against Sibanda who was spreading hate
language in the
area.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned against attacks by
supporters of
President Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe maps out a new
constitution, with 13
public meetings called off in the
capital.
"ZANU-PF supporters and their allies continue to commit abuses
with
impunity, and the police remain partisan," said Rona Peligal, the New
York-based body's Africa director.
"The government of Zimbabwe needs
to put a halt to the attacks and allow the
constitutional outreach to
proceed without violence."
Outreach meetings on a new constitution since
June have seen increasing
violence and intimidation, HRW said. An attack
claimed the life of a
supporter of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last
week.
The violence was mainly by supporters of Mugabe's former sole
ruling party,
the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF),
or its war
veteran allies.
"In the past few days, the violence has
worsened, as the outreach meetings
have moved to the capital, Harare, and
the city of Bulawayo. Because of the
violence, 13 meetings in Harare were
suspended," HRW said in a statement.
Zimbabwe is creating a new
constitution as part of a road map by the unity
government to fresh
elections, after veteran leader Mugabe and Tsvangirai
formed a unity
government last February following months of turmoil.
"This violence and
intimidation do not bode well for the referendum and
elections that could be
held next year," cautioned Peligal.
"Without rights reforms and
accountability for continuing abuses, the kind
of violence that plagued the
2008 elections is likely to happen again."
The unity pact calls
for a new constitution to be approved in a referendum,
paving the way to new
elections.
Mugabe
can’t face war crimes charges - Goldstone
http://www.thezimbabwemail.com
28 September, 2010 02:35:00
By Staff Reporter
FORMER Constitutional Court judge Richard Goldstone
on Monday said levelling
war crimes charges against Zimbabwe’s President
Robert Mugabe would not be
possible.
Goldstone has led a number of
independent probes for the United Nations
Security Council and made
headlines last year with controversial war crimes
allegations against both
Israel and Hamas for the Gaza invasion at the end
of 2008.
He said
while there were serious reports about crimes against minority
groups in
Zimbabwe during Mugabe’s reign in the late 1980s and most of the
1990s, they
fell outside the ambit of the International Crimes Court.
“Firstly, the
court has no jurisdiction on anything that happened prior to
the 1st of July
2002. Secondly, Zimbabwe is not a member of the court and
therefore the
court has no jurisdiction over any war crimes committed in
Zimbabwe,” said
Mugabe.
Meanwhile, Courtenay Griffiths, the Jamaican-born QC, who
has worked for
some of Britain's most reviled criminals during his 25-year
career, is
making a last-ditch bid to bolster the defence of Taylor, the
Liberian
warlord-turned-president who is his latest notorious
client.
Last week, Mr Griffiths was in South Africa in an attempt to
persuade its
former president, Thabo Mbeki, to give evidence at The Hague's
war crimes
trial where Taylor faces multiple charges relating to a bloody
conflict in
Sierra Leone.
The trip was part of what Mr Griffiths
describes as the "110 per cent
effort" he is putting into the defence of the
former president of Liberia
whom – allegations of cannibalism, rape and
torture notwithstanding – he
described as "one of my easier
clients".
"He has made himself into a pretty good lawyer over the years
of the trial,"
Mr Griffiths told The Sunday Telegraph.
"He can spot
good legal arguments that are worth pursuing in cross
examination and is
actually a pretty modest guy. Of course I have only known
him as a detained
individual, divested of the trappings of office or any
power.
"I have
had to sit through a great deal of harrowing evidence and worked to
cut
through a lot of public prejudice in defending Charles Taylor. I enjoy
the
challenge of defending those who seem to the rest of the world quite
indefensible."
His previous clients have included Patrick Magee, the
IRA terrorist
convicted of planting the 1984 Brighton bomb; the IRA members
who blew up
Harrods and Canary Wharf, and a man he successfully defended on
a charge of
murder who later went on to kill three members of a
family.
The Taylor trial – Mr Griffiths's first foray into international
law – had
been conducted in relative quiet obscurity for more than two and a
half
years until Naomi Campbell was subpoenaed to give evidence for the
prosecution.
The court heard claims that Taylor had given the model a
gift of uncut blood
diamonds after they met at a charity dinner hosted by
Nelson Mandela.
But as the media spotlight fell on the Special Court for
Sierra Leone for
Miss Campbell's testimony in August, the ebullient
performance of the chief
defence counsel briefly threatened to steal some of
the show.
A Facebook page dedicated to the Rastafarian-following Mr
Griffiths was
immediately set up; highlights of his devastating forensic
put-downs were
tweeted across the ether.
The model's appearance on
the stand, which she memorably described as "an
inconvenience" was, he said,
"an attractive but irrelevant sideshow" to the
case.
"The reason
Naomi Campbell was called by the prosecution was to bring some
much needed
publicity to the proceedings. Her evidence had no relevance at
all to what
is being considered," he said.
"Whether Mr Taylor was in South Africa at
that time to purchase arms, as is
being claimed, has no impact on whether
there was a gift of diamonds to
Naomi Campbell or not. Eventually, the
prosecution, who had gone to the
effort of issuing a subpoena to get her
there, then turned on their own
witness and accused her of lying because she
could not confirm that a gift
of diamonds had come from Charles Taylor. I
can understand why she felt
slightly pissed off by it all."
Miss
Campbell was followed directly onto the stand by another guest at the
Mandela charity fund-raiser, the American actress Mia Farrow, who claimed
that the British model had told her that the gem gift had come directly from
Taylor.
The fact that Miss Farrow, who is now a UN goodwill
ambassador, only came
forward with her version of events more than a year
after the war crimes
trial began has clearly vexed Mr Griffiths – although
he denied referring to
her as an "over the hill model and actress" in a
South African newspaper
interview.
"I think I might have called her a
one-time Hollywood actress," he conceded,
before adding waspishly, "But you
really would think that with all the good
work that she does in the Third
World, Mia Farrow might have taken less than
12 years to recall these
pertinent events and bring them to the attention of
the investigators or the
media. I have no idea what her motivation was."
With the end of the
marathon Taylor trial approaching – closing arguments
will begin within
weeks – Mr Griffiths is considering possible future cases.
He certainly had
time to ponder the future last week as he languished in a
smart Johannesburg
hotel waiting for an audience with Mr Mbeki that never
came.
The
former South African president was one of a cadre of African leaders
said to
have made a pact with Taylor in Ghana in 2003, in which the Liberian
was
reportedly guaranteed safe exile and freedom from prosecution in return
for
relinquishing power.
Mr Griffiths had hoped that Mr Mbeke might be
persuaded to give evidence at
the hearing, but the president's office
declined to assist. Approaches by Mr
Griffiths to other African heavyweights
who were in on the deal – including
from Ghana and Nigeria – have proved
similarly fruitless.
"I have been struck by the absence of any solidarity
among former brother
African presidents," he said. "All I am seeking is
factual evidence of the
discussion into Charles Taylor standing down, but
they are all distancing
themselves from him, I suppose, to protect their own
long term prospects."
Such reluctance to come forward is possibly
understandable, if one accepts
Mr Griffiths' own interpretation of the
"unbalanced" application of
international law against African
leaders.
"There are no fewer than five African leaders awaiting trial at
the
International Criminal Court," he explained. "How is it possible that in
2010 we have a situation where every indicted individual at the
International Criminal Court is African and every investigation is, guess
where, Africa?"
Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is not among them, but Mr
Griffiths already has an
eye on him as a potential client if a case is
secured against him.
"I would definitely like to represent Mugabe – from
a defence point of view
he would be an interesting challenge. In the eyes of
the world, he is a
complete power crazed ogre, I would like to present
another side to him," he
said.
"Look, I am not suggesting that
African leaders should not be on trial, but
I do think that everyone has to
be equal before international law.
"Why is it that the Tony Blairs and
the George W Bushes of the world are not
being investigated for conducting
an illegal war?
"I am a defence lawyer, but if Blair came to The Hague, I
would definitely
have to switch sides and do some prosecuting."
Man In
Court For Saying Mugabe Must Go To Hell
http://news.radiovop.com
28/09/2010
16:29:00
Bulawayo, September 28,2010 - A Bulawayo man was on Monday
arrested and
dragged to court for saying President Robert Mugabe "should go
to hell".
Gareth Fury director of Fisher Motor Engineering Company
appeared before
provincial senior magistrate, John Masimba on charges of
contravening the
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform)
Act.
According to the state outline, on September 08 this year, Fury
asked
Nkululeko Tshuma a director at the same company "to surrender the car
and
office keys before telling him that he was no longer wanted at the
company".
Then the two started exchanging harsh words with Tshuma also
telling Fury
that "his coming to the company was not done according to the
"Indigenisation Act".
Fury is quoted to have saying to Tshuma: "If
you need the car you should go
and get one from your President Mugabe and
his indigenisation. To hell with
him and his indigenisation.
"He will
make the indigenisation work in his house but not in this company.
Go and
tell him to give you his car and then bring back my company car".
Tshuma
made a report to the police, leading to Fury's arrest this week. He
was
granted USUS$100 bail and his case was remanded to 15 October.
This comes
three weeks after a 23 year old Chipinge man was sentenced to a
year behind
bars with hard labour, for 'insulting' Robert Mugabe.
Chipinge provincial
magistrate Samuel Zuze handed down the stiff sentence to
Gift Mafuka, who
was accused of make an "insulting" remark to two children
wearing pro-Mugabe
T-shirts. Mafuka apparently asked the boys why they were
wearing T-shirts,
picturing an old person with wrinkles.
Terror stalks Zim
elections
http://www.mg.co.za
JASON MOYO - Sep 28 2010 10:29
Edson Gwenhure
recalls how, one by one, they were picked off by bullets as
they fled their
burning house. Gwenhure was an election agent for the
Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) in the 2008 elections.
One night, at a house he
shared with other MDC activists in the southern
Gutu district, the doors
were barricaded from outside, the house doused with
fuel and set on fire. As
the house's burning occupants broke out through the
door, they were cut down
by gunfire.
Gwenhure survived the attack, but pictures of the charred,
riddled bodies of
two of his colleagues awoke Zimbabweans to the extent of
the violence in the
run-up to the 2008 run-off election, when President
Robert Mugabe claimed
victory despite a boycott by his rival, Morgan
Tsvangirai, the MDC leader.
In Muzarabani, north of Harare, Morris
Chabvondeka's two sons were beaten to
death and their bodies dumped in a
maize field. Today, he struggles to feed
his sons' seven children. "I have
no way of feeding them and they are being
prevented from attending school
because their parents were MDC [activists],"
Chabvondeka says.
His
sons' killers still walk free, and they continue to threaten his family.
He
finds the Zimbabwe government's message of "national healing", a
programme
urging forgiveness, hard to accept. "I just want them to stand
trial," he
told the Mail & Guardian.
On Monday, to sobs and gasps from a
conference room, Chabvondeka and
Gwenhure bravely gave their testimony to
Tsvangirai. Impatient with the
coalition government, Tsvangirai has been
pushing for a new poll. But after
the grim testimonies of his supporters,
who pleaded with him not to call for
elections and a weekend of attacks on
public hearings on a new constitution,
he is being forced to rethink
it.
A woman told him how her husband was found dead after days of torture
at a
militia camp. She put him in a wheelbarrow to take him to a hospital,
but
Zanu-PF activists seized him along the away. That was the last she saw
him
alive. His mangled body was found stuffed in a sack and buried in a
shallow
grave.
Last year in June, a year after he was killed, she
finally buried him. For a
year, Zanu-PF militiamen had refused her
permission to mourn. Two years
after Taengwa Chokuda, an MDC activist,
watched his son Moses being killed,
Moses's body still lies in a hospital
mortuary in the rural Gokwe area.
Chokuda insists his son's killers must
see justice before he buries him.
There are many more, as bitter and
fearful. A group that provides support to
violence victims says more than 20
000 mostly rural victims sought medical
and psychological support at a
centre in Harare. Thousands
more still need help.
Fears of renewed
violence grew this weekend after five people were injured
in Harare
townships in attacks on public hearings for a new constitution.
Zanu-PF
militants even employed farcical tactics to disrupt meetings.
At the
start of one meeting in Mbare township, a woman rose to chant what
she
called a prayer -- she asked God to give Zimbabwe leaders "not possessed
by
British demons". The disturbances stalled the constitutional reform
process
that is at the centre of the roadmap towards a free election.
"I will not
commit anyone to any election if it is a declaration of war,
"Tsvangirai
told the violence victims. The weekend disturbances had been "a
reminder of
the dark past and a threat to a bright future", he said.
An election next
year would be the eighth time Zimbabweans have gone to the
polls since 2000.
With memories of 2008 still fresh and the economy
recovering, there is
little public support for a new round of balloting.
So brazen were the
weekend attacks on the public hearings that even the
Herald, the state-owned
daily, published a critical editorial. "At the top,
the leaders have found
each other and can disagree without pushing matters
to the extreme. There
has been a genuine effort to treat each other with
respect, but the same
cannot be said of the lower ranks," the paper wrote.
Business groups have
written to Mugabe to ask him not to call elections, and
the head of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has said the country cannot
afford elections
and is still caught up in a cycle of violence.
Zimbabwe
Deputy PM Khupe Says Poverty Biggest Challenge In Stopping HIV
http://www.voanews.com
Zimbabwean
Deputy PM Khupe said poverty undermines the ability of young
girls and women
to protect themselves from the epidemic as many adopt coping
strategies that
expose them to the risk of HIV/AIDS
Sandra Nyaira | Washington 27
September 2010
Poverty is the biggest obstacle to stopping the
HIV/AIDS epidemic in
Zimbabwe, Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe said
Monday at a UNAIDS
meeting focused on stopping the epidemic among women and
girls.
"Poverty undermines the ability of young girls and women to
protect
themselves from the epidemic as most adopt coping strategies that
expose
them to the risk of HIV/Aids," said Khupe,recently appointed goodwill
ambassador for the campaign to accelerated reduced maternal mortality in
Africa.
"Gender inequality and unequal power relations between women
and men
continues to influence the spread of HIV/Aids epidemic," Khupe told
the
gathering. "And a number of socio-economic and religious related gender
issues also predispose women and girls to HIV infections."
In
Zimbabwe, female university students without incomes ended up selling
their
bodies to get a few dollars for their upkeep, exposing themselves to
the
deadly virus, Khupe told the meeting.
Khupe said Zimbabwe lacks
sufficient financial resources to fight HIV/AIDS.
She said she intended to
seek additional funds to bolster the country's
efforts to stop the spread of
the virus.
The conference was called for the purpose of creating a new
and sustainable
network of female legislators and ministers from around
Africa to fight HIV
and develop policy implementation plans for the UNAIDS
agenda for
accelerated country action at the national and regional level,
organizers
said.
Southern
African Central Bank Governors Hold Strategic Meeting in Harare
http://www.voanews.com
Various
committees will start deliberations Tuesday on regional central bank
operations, cross-border clearing, monetary policies and
cooperation
Gibbs Dube | Washington 27 September 2010
Central
bank governors of 15 member states of the Southern African
Development
Community gathered Monday in Harare, Zimbabwe, for a four-day
meeting
focused on regional economic integration and monetary policy.
It is the
first meeting in Zimbabwe for the central bankers the SADC
governors group
was formed in 2005.
Central bank sources said various committees will on
start deliberations
Tuesday on regional central bank activities,
cross-border clearing systems,
monetary policies and areas of central bank
cooperation.
Each member state delegation will focus on a strategic
sector such as
energy, agriculture, water and land management in the aim of
building the
capacity of all nations in the region.
The meeting will
also focus on strengthening SADC stock markets and the
regional banking
association.
Economic commentator Rejoice Ngwenya told VOA Studio 7
reporter Gibbs Dube
that Zimbabwe may not benefit from the meeting as much
as some other
countries due to its current economic and political challenges
Zanu PF
declares Masawi a national hero
http://news.radiovop.com/
28/09/2010 17:35:00
Harare,
September 28, 2010 - Ephraim Masawi, the late Zanu (PF) deputy
national
commissar has been declared a national hero by the party's
politburo.
Masawi's hero's status is said to have split the politburo
on Monday as some
members of the supreme decision making body were of the
opinion that he did
not participate in the war of liberation and could not
be buried at the
Heroes Acre.
However, the Zanu (PF) politburo made a
decision Tuesday morning to declare
Masawi a national hero.
Masawi,
a former provincial governor for Mashonaland Central province died
on
Saturday morning at the Avenues clinic.
Masawi reportedly fell out of
favour with President Robert Mugabe after he
attended the launch of a former
Zanu (PF) secretary general, Edgar Tekere's
launch of his book, "A lifetime
of a struggle".
In his book, "A Lifetime of a Struggle" - Tekere speaks
disparagingly about
President Mugabe's participation in the liberation
struggle.
Tekere in his book claimed that Mugabe does not know how to
handle an AK 47
and that he was an opportunist.
Masawi is expected to
be buried at the Heroes Acre on Thursday.
One Step forward in EU-Zimbabwe Relations - Press Statement
PRESS
RELEASE
Harare,
28 September 2010
One step forward
in EU and Zimbabwe relations
Today, Catherine Ashton, the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief
and Vice President of the European Commission, and European Commissioner
for Development, Andris Piebalgs have informed the government of Zimbabwe that
the country has provisionally been allocated €138.6 million under the 10th
European Development Fund. This decision recognizes progress made in the
implementation of the power-sharing agreement between the Zimbabwean governing
parties. It comes as a follow up of the Ministerial Zimbabwe Team for
re-engagement held on 2 July in Brussels. This allocation comes on top of the
current EU financial support to the Zimbabwean people and will accompany further
progress in the implementation of the power-sharing
agreement.
After the 2008 elections in Zimbabwe, three
parties entered a Government of National Unity (February 2009) based on a Global
Political Agreement (GPA). In the implementation of the GPA, a number of
positive developments have occurred, particularly with regard to economic
reforms. Three Commissions on media, human rights and electoral issues have been
established and media reform is showing first results. The EU will follow the
ongoing constitutional and electoral reform processes with great interest.
While the EU recognises there are still serious challenges in the
implementation of the GPA, it remains fully committed to the Government of
National Unity and in acknowledgment of the progress made has informed
Zimbabwe that €130 million could
become available under the
10th European Development Fund. In addition, a complementary envelope
of € 8.6 million would be available to Zimbabwe to cover unforeseen needs
such as emergency assistance.
The disbursement of these amounts is subject to the signature of a
Country Strategy Paper with Zimbabwe as is the case in all African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries. This will
however first require the revision of measures, which currently limits direct
cooperation with the government of Zimbabwe.
These steps will accompany further progress in the fundamental
reforms set out in the GPA. The details will be worked out in the context of
continued political dialogue between the EU and the Zimbabwean government. The
EU is also open to further review its "restrictive measures" under the Common
Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), pending additional progress in GPA
implementation
Background
Since 2002, "appropriate measures"
apply to Zimbabwe and prohibit government to
government cooperation. The country is also subject to CFSP "restrictive
measures" mainly consisting of arms embargo, a visa ban and freeze of assets of
targeted individuals and entities. These measures were put in place in response
of violation of human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law. Both
types of measures are reviewed on an annual basis but reassessment is possible
at any moment.
Despite these measures, the EU has, since the creation of the
Government of National Unity in 2009, provided support to the people of
Zimbabwe amounting to € 365 million.
This support is provided through international organisations and NGO's in
support of the National Development Plan and in coordination with the line
ministries. The 10th EDF allocation would be additional to this assistance.
Link to IP/10/882 on EU-Zimbabwe Political Dialogue:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/882&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=lv
Website
of EU
High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice President of
the European Commission, Catherine
Ashton:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/ashton/index_en.htm
Website of Commissioner for
Development Andris Piebalgs:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm
Website
of DG Development:
http://ec.europa.eu/development/index_en.cfm
Website
of EuropeAid (AidCo):
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm
Website of the
EU Delegation to Zimbabwe: http://www.delzwe.ec.europa.eu
For more
information
Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe
EU
House, 1 Norfolk
Road, Mt. Pleasant Business Park
P.O.
Box MP 620 Mt. Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel
+263-4-338 158 to 64; +263-912 568 980
to 84
Fax
+263-4-338 165
Email:
delegation-zimbabwe-hod@ec.europa.eu
Website:http://www.delzwe.ec.europa.eu
Just what Zimbabwe needs - the arrival of
Wal-Mart
A US branch of
Wal-Mart. An imminent deal could take the retailer into Zimbabwe.
Could the Waltons soon be doing business under Robert Mugabe's regime?
A curious detail in Wal-Mart's $4.6bn
(£2.9bn) takeover
offer this week for the South African shops group Massmart is that, if
successful, it will take the world's biggest retailer into Zimbabwe.
If Wal-Mart buys Massmart, it will inherit Makro warehouse stores in
Zimbabwe's two biggest cities - Harare and Bulawayo. While not unusual for a
South African company, that could create some unwanted complications for a US
corporation.
The US government has had economic sanctions in place on Zimbabwe since 2001,
after Mugabe won a discredited election. But they're fairly tightly drawn and
Wal-Mart wouldn't necessarily be breaking them - according to the US Treasury,
the rules say US companies can't engage in transactions with any Zimbabwean
people, entities or organisations found to be "undermining democratic
institutions and processes".
The situation in Zimbabwe has changed since Mugabe was forced into a
power-sharing deal with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangarai last year. But
Washington still has its doubts - the US assistant secretary of state for
Africa, Johnnie Carson, met a Zimbabwean delegation only last week and told them
that more progress needed to be made before these targetted sanctions would be
lifted, citing ongoing human rights violations, land seizures and intimidation
of political participants.
Wal-Mart, which owns Britain's Asda chain, wasn't keen to
chat about its possible Zimbabwean operation - a spokesman at the retailer's
Arkansas headquarters, Kevin Gardner, said: "Since we have only made a
preliminary proposal that could potentially lead to an offer, it's premature to
discuss specifics."
Richard Branson this month called on the
business world to help Zimbabwe get back on its feet - he has been involved
in setting up a nonprofit group called Enterprise Zimbabwe, which connects
investors interested in the country.
The NGO world is non-commital on the prospect of Wal-Mart's strategy of
rock-bottom prices and equally parsimonious wages reaching Zimbabwe. Rona
Peligal, deputy African director for Human Rights Watch, said: "We're not
against investment unless it violates sanctions. But we do have broad concerns
about how any investment is used and the climate in which it takes
place."
Ireland beaten by three wickets by Zimbabwe in Harare
Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:31 UK
One-Day International,
Harare:
Ireland 238-9 lost to Zimbabwe 239-7 by three wickets
Match
scorecard
Niall O'Brien scored 73 for Ireland on
Tuesday |
Ireland lost by three wickets to Zimbabwe in the second of the
three one-day internationals between the sides in Harare on Tuesday.
After being put into bat, Ireland made 238-9 off their 50 overs, with Kevin
O'Brien scoring 73 not out and opening batsman Paul Stirling 52.
Chris Mpofu took 2-60 and Prosper Utseya 2-37 for Zimbabwe.
The home side made 239-7 off 48.5 overs in reply, Brendon Taylor top-scoring
with 71 and Tatenda Taibu adding 41.
Kevin O'Brien took 2-33 for Ireland.
Ireland lost the opening match between the sides by two wickets on Sunday and
the teams will meet again on Thursday.