zimbabwejournalists.com
By Taurai
Nyasha
HARARE - THE Save Zimbabwe
Campaign, an outfit formed following the
Save Zimbabwe Convention held in
July in Harare, has attacked the Zanu PF
government saying it has turned
itself into an enemy of the people and no
longer deserved the respect of the
generality of the populace.
In a press
statement meant to introduce the organisation to the
public, the Save
Zimbabwe Campaign said a leadership that condoned the
assault, torture and
harassment of unarmed men and women peacefully
expressing bread and butter
issues affecting them did not deserve any
respect.
"The Save Zimbabwe Campaign
regrets that the use of torture, banned
and frowned upon by both local and
international law, is condoned by the
head of state, supposedly the
custodian of Zimbabwe," read the statement.
"His statements put in serious
doubt his posturing at the National Day of
prayer this year where he called
for peace and dialogue and indeed dampens
any efforts towards a negotiated
settlement of the Zimbabwean crisis."
The
organisation, which is chaired by the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance
and boasts
the membership of political parties such as the Movement for
Democratic
Change (MDC) and 34 other civil society groups, says it was
appalled by
recent statements in which President Mugabe condoned the
beatings of labour
leaders during a protest over workers' poor
wages.
"We condemn the growing culture of
impunity by the police force and
other security agents in dealing with
peaceful expressions of discontent
with the manner in which Zimbabwe is
being governed," the group said. "We
reiterate that the Zimbabwe
constitution, even in its present flawed state,
protects freedom of
expression and association. We further condemn the use
of repressive laws
such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) to ban
and restrict free
expression."
The increasing violent
approach by security agents to deal with
peaceful expressions of discontent
with the prevailing economic situation is
not only deplorable but shows
insensitivity to people's concerns, the
organisation
said.
The Save Zimbabwe Campaign demanded
that Zimbabwe investigates and
prosecutes all those involved in the torture
of ZCTU and NCA members at
subsequent protests in solidarity with the union
leaders.
"No amount of violence against
innocent civilians can resolve Zimbabwe
economic and political problems and
the exercise of power through violence
is in fact a clear sign of failure
and fear." The campaign also questions
Mugabe's sincerity in setting up a
human rights commission "in an
environment where torture is celebrated by
the head of state as a means of
dealing with genuine social
concerns".
zimbabwejournalists.com
By Wellington
Chibhanguza
THE resolution to the
Zimbabwean issue has always been reliant on a
collective effort between
Zimbabweans and the region "SADC".
Given
the recent political and economic upheaval fuelled by ZANU (PF)
cocktail of
African culture and Politics. Comprising a deadly mixture of
ingredients
elitism, brutality, individualism, superiority complexes and
corruption.
One is to question the
regions reluctance in pushing for a resolution
to the Zimbabwean crisis. But
forced to highlight a catalogue of missed
opportunities to address the issue
head on.
At the recent SADC Summit held in
Maseru, Lesotho, the chairman,
Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili,
said, "The situation in that
country is of concern. We have been engaged
with the leadership of Zimbabwe
on how best we can recover the economic
viability of that country. (But)
there has been progress," Please note the
key word here being progress.
Signalling
that the regions attitude is still one being played on the
colonial card by
Mugabe. Intern the supposed illegal travel sanctions by the
international
community are crippling the economy right? Hence the regions
heads of states
position on Zimbabwean crisis is stagnant, with astonishing
support for
Mugabe's, outstanding record of the struggle against colonialism
and
minority settler rule.
It's somehow the
norm amongst the African leaders not to acknowledge
the Zim crisis as one of
bad governance by one true liberation hero. Due to
Looming fears of being
labelled puppets of the west, resulting in them
forming a legion of support
for Mugabe.
Referring back to the
questions of reluctance, one is quick to point
out SADC's flaunting of the
regions economic, social and political growth.
Undoubtedly some of the
SADC's member states have be lavishing in economic
growth at the expense of
Zimbabwe's migrant skilled and labour workforce not
mentioning the vital
investment organs that flooded the region from
Zimbabwe.
Is SADC's solidarity with
the regime out of fear of Mugabe or is it
systematic exploitation of
Zimbabwe's economic and political meltdown.
"African to African slavery"
With Zimbabwe's highly educated and skilled
population at grabs, the regions
reluctance can be justified as "progress"
in the words of Mr Pakalitha
Mosisili.
Drawing to the general
consensuses shared amongst most young
Zimbabweans, that 'Our independence is
meaningless unless we can be totally
liberally and exercise our civil
rights'. And the denial of good governance
is a shamefully mockery to all
those who died in the struggle for a Free
Zimbabwe.
As for SADC's prosperity of
democracy within the region, its high time
the Political tide turns on the
Mugabe regime. There is a need of
transparency and immediate shift from the
"quite diplomacy" with Zimbabwe
and adopt an attitude that recognizes the
suffering being incurred by
millions of Zimbabweans and the negative impact
this has on the region.
The big question
being how can we as Africans move forward
economically, socially, political
and most important as a people, if we cant
uproot the evil unjust being done
to our own people. But it's important that
SADC uses its influence on the
ever-isolated Mugabe regime to push forward a
long overdue political
resolution that has the plight of Zimbabweans at
heart.
Zimbabwean crisis is collective
responsibility between Zimbabweans and
the region. Like how the region
played a pivotal role in the liberation
struggle "Chimurenga", South
Africa's Apartheid and the civil war in
Mozambique.
Wellington Chibanguza is a
founding member of Free-Zim Youth,UK.
zimbabwejournalists.com
Robert Mugabe says police were right.
By a
Correspondent
LONDON - The Human Rights
Institute of the International Bar
Association (IBA) has urged the United
Nations and African Union to take
decisive and immediate action to end
impunity for serious violations of
international law in
Zimbabwe.
In a statement released today,
the IBA says it was sad to note
President Robert Mugabe's recent endorsement
of the "unlawful actions of the
Zimbabwe Republic Police against the leaders
of the Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade
Unions".
Speaking in a rare interview with
the AP at the United Nations in New
York last week, Mugabe absolved his
police of any wrongdoing but blamed the
brutal beatings of the ZCTU
leadership on "one or two overzealous"
officers.
The unionists were severely
assaulted on September 13 as they sought
to protests against the plight of
the Zimbabwean worker which they said
continues to worsen in light of the
rising cost of living as opposed to the
poor
wages.
Barely five days after the AP
interview, Mugabe told his staff in
Egypt over dinner that the ZCTU
leadership deserved the beatings because
they had not listened to the police
when they were asked to move. He blamed
"stupid" journalists, some unnamed
non-governmental organisations and
individuals of being used by unionists
seeking the attention of the British
Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S.
President, George W. Bush.
Said Mugabe in
the statement that has invited worldwide condemnation:
"We cannot have a
revolt to the system. Vamwe vaakuchema kuti takarohwa, ehe
unodashurwa
(others are crying that we were beaten up, yes you would be
beaten up). When
the police say move, move. If you don't move, you invite
the police to use
force.'
In response, the IBA's Executive
Director Mark Ellis said: "Mugabe's
statements add to the weight of evidence
that torture and other serious
violations of international law are
sanctioned at the highest level in
Zimbabwe. This underscores the urgent
need for international and regional
action to hold the Zimbabwean Government
to account.'
"The torture of the trade
union activists is not an isolated incident,
but part of a dangerous and
illegal system of repression which constitutes
crimes against humanity in
international law. Decisive action is required
by both the United
Nations and the African Union to end impunity and
violence in
Zimbabwe.''
Fifteen Zimbabwean trade
union leaders sustained severe injuries
after they were assaulted on the day
in question while at least 30 were
arrested. They are set to appear in court
on the 3rd of October. Credible
reports from several local sources contend
that the trade union leaders were
brutally tortured.
VOA
By Patience Rusere
Washington
27 September 2006
The Save
Zimbabwe Campaign, a coalition of civic groups and and political
parties in
existence for about a month, said Wednesday it has established a
steering
committee of 34 civil society groups, opposition parties and church
organizations.
A Save Zimbabwe spokesman said the establishment of a
collective
decision-making structure marked the true start of action to
force the
government of President Robert Mugabe to make significant economic
policy
and political changes.
A news conference to unveil the
structure brought together prominent
opposition figures including Morgan
Tsvangirai, founding president of the
divided Movement for Democratic
Change, Democratic Party President Wurayi
Zembe, representatives of the
National Constitutional Assembly and the
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, as
well as diplomats from Great Britain,
Sweden and Tanzania, among other
nations.
Reporter Patience Rusere asked key organizer Jonathan Gokovah of
the
Christian Alliance for more details on how the new leadership structure
will
work.
VOA
By Blessing Zulu and Loirdham
Moyo
Washington
27 September 2006
A
faith-based human rights organization, Zimbabwe Peace Project, has accused
the ruling ZANU-PF party of politicizing distribution of humanitarian aid in
the Eastern Highlands province of Manicaland. But the government dismissed
the charge.
It found abuses by opposition politicians, but to a much
lesser degree.
The Peace Project makes the charges in a new research
report that accuses
officials of diverting scarce grain and selling it on
the parallel market or
across the border.
The rights group said it
has documented cases in which distribution of drugs
or other assistance to
people living with HIV-AIDS has been decided on the
basis of political
affiliation. The organization said the orphans and widows
of Aids victims
have also been denied food and medical assistance.
The report estimated
that 83% of the incidents of discrimination could be
attributed to ruling
party officials, while about 6% were laid at the
doorstep of the
opposition.
But ZANU-PF Harare province spokesman William Nhara, also
principal director
of public affairs in the office of President Robert
Mugabe, dismissed the
Peace Project as a "bogus" organization which was
serving Harare's western
critics.
For a response from government to
the charges, reporter Blessing Zulu of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe turned to
Zimbabwean Anti-Corruption Minister
Paul Mangwana, who is also the acting
minister of information.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Coordinator Jacob
Mafume, also a human rights
lawyer, said such discrimination would violate
the African Charter on Human
Rights.
Elsewhere, 21 families in
Gandai, a village in Manicaland's Zimunya
district, said they have been
excluded from a grain distribution program for
political reasons.
The
families, all supporters of the political opposition, charge that they
have
been left off a list of beneficiaries of Grain Marketing Board
distributions
at the instructions of a ZANU-PF rural district councilor. The
families said
they have drawn up a complaint in the matter which they
planned to send to
Manicaland governor Tineyi Chigudu.
The Herald
By Victoria Muringayi
AIR Zimbabwe is set to acquire
a new fleet of airplanes as it seeks to
reduce the high operating costs
associated with flying an ageing fleet.
Board chairman Mr Mike Bimha said
the national airline was spending a
fortune on fuel and maintaining the
planes, and this was negatively
impacting on its viability.
"We are
acquiring the new aeroplanes as part of our turnaround strategy to
recapitalise the organisation as well as reducing operating costs on fuel
and maintenance of the aeroplanes," said Mr Bimha.
Air Zimbabwe
currently operates three Boeing and three MA60 aircraft.
Mr Bimha could,
however, not disclose the amount involved or the number of
airplanes
Air Zimbabwe was planning to buy although sources indicated
that the planes
were likely to be sourced from Russia.
"We are
scouting for the aeroplanes from several suppliers in the world so
that we
get the appropriate aeroplanes.
"As for the funds, we are looking for
private financiers, Government and
other sources," added Mr Bimha.
In
line with this development the airline is in the process of reviewing its
routes to assess the viability and the potential of the routes to
grow.
Meanwhile, the national airline was working flat out to stop the
haemorrhaging that has cost it billions of dollars in losses over the
years.
Currently, Air Zimbabwe is operating without a substantive chief
executive
and finance director. Captain Oscar Madombwe has been acting CEO
since
November last year when Dr Tendai Mahachi was sent on forced
leave.
Recent Press reports suggested Air Zimbabwe the board had made an
appointment, but was now awaiting approval from the parent Ministry of
Transport and Communications.
The Herald
Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Water
Authority has failed to solve Harare's water
crisis and has now resorted to
partial supply cuts to cope with rocketing
demand arising from the
prevailing hot and dry weather.
City waterworks have been running at full
throttle since the Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe paid off chemical suppliers 10
days ago, but Zinwa has failed to
extend these plants since taking over bulk
supplies from Harare City Council
last year.
Harare's northern,
eastern and southern suburbs will face cuts on alternate
days if demand
exceeds supply, although the high-density western and
south-western suburbs,
where most people live, are not affected.
Zinwa yesterday published its
schedule of cuts that can apply when necessary
until the beginning of
November when rains usually start falling while
demand drops.
Without
such a move, the eastern and north-eastern suburbs go without almost
continuously while everyone else has a normal supply.
The outer ring
of suburbs has been divided into two groups: the northern
suburbs in one;
and the southern and north-eastern in the other.
Northern suburbs include
Mabelreign, Marlborough, Belvedere, Milton Park,
Avondale, Mt Pleasant,
Highlands, Borrowdale, Philadelphia, Hogerty Hill and
Vainona.
The
southern and north-eastern suburbs are Hatfield, Waterfalls, Queensdale,
Cranborne, Eastlea, Hillside, Braeside, Greendale, Arcadia, Chikurubi,
Mandara, Glen Lorne, Chisipite and The Grange.
Northern suburbs will
be cut at 7am on days when the date is an even number,
with supplies
resuming at 7am the following day. Southern and north-eastern
suburbs will
be cut at 7am on days when the date is an odd number.
A Zinwa official
said some densely-populated areas would be spared.
"Some areas,
especially high-density suburbs, would not be affected by the
water
rationing because there are too many people living there so they
cannot be
cut off," said the official.
Zinwa said in a statement yesterday that
treatment plants can only produce
620 megalitres a day against a top demand
of 850 megalitres.
This is the capacity of the plant they inherited from
Harare City Council.
Maintenance has been done but the treatment plants have
not been extended
despite the urgent need.
"The scenario shows that
at any given time, there is always an area or areas
without water. It is not
possible in this situation for all residents to
access water at the same
time," said Zinwa.
The authority said the water supply infrastructure in
the capital city was
now old and prone to breakdowns and that severely
affected production.
However, Zinwa said it was working on repairs and
maintenance of plant and
equipment to reduce disruptions.
"The high
levels of water losses in the reticulation networks are being
addressed by
both Zinwa and the local authorities, namely Harare,
Chitungwiza, Norton,
Ruwa and Epworth.
"All consumers are encouraged to repair all leaking
taps and toilet cisterns
within their properties. A lot of water is lost on
private properties," said
the authority.
It said any disruptions in
pumping caused by power cuts at major treatment
plants might affect the
water demand management timetable.
Last week, RBZ made available $215
million to Zinwa to provide clean water
to residents after most suburbs went
without supplies.
People's Daily
The Zimbabwean
government's domestic debt rose to 509.6 million U.S.
dollars as of last
week from 57.2 million dollars in January this year
according to the latest
statistics from the central bank.
The rise
was mainly on the back of increases in Treasury bills, which
stood at 179.2
million dollars, and attracting interest of 323.2 million
dollars. The
government stocks, on the other hand, remained stable at 6.4
million
dollars.
However, since the mid-term
monetary policy review, the authorities
are now keen to realign Zimbabwe's
domestic debt from short term to long
term as evidenced by the continued
issuing of long-term paper with tenors
varying between 180 days and 365
days, albeit at lower interest rates.
Government's domestic debt climbed to 85.6 million dollars in May 2006
before rising further to 198 million dollars in July
2006.
This was on the back of the central
bank aggressive open market
operations to mop up the excess liquidity from
the money market.
Source:
Xinhua
USA
Today
Posted 9/27/2006 6:15 PM ET
WASHINGTON
(AP) - The White House on Wednesday said Zimbabwe is
subject to U.S.
sanctions because of the government's failure to take steps
to halt human
trafficking.
The impact is expected to be
minimal because of the number of
sanctions already imposed against Zimbabwe
in recent years.
Zimbabwe was on a State
Department list published in June of 12
countries alleged to have done
little to stop human trafficking. It was the
first time that Zimbabwe had
been named as a serious offender. U.S.-backed
pro-democracy and health
programs will not be affected by the White House
finding.
There was no announcement as
to which programs will be suspended.
Countries that appear on the list are given a 90-day grace period to
take
steps to combat trafficking and protect victims in order to avoid
possible
sanctions.
Of the 12 countries named, only
Belize and Laos were deemed to have
made good progress during the grace
period and have been removed from the
"worst offender"
list.
The remaining countries have been on
the list for a year or more and
their status concerning sanctions remained
unchanged.
They are Saudi Arabia, Cuba,
Iran, Laos, North Korea, Sudan, Syria,
Uzbekistan, Venezuela and
Zimbabwe.
The most common offenses against
trafficking victims are sexual
coercion and forced
labor.
In an interview, Ambassador John
Miller said the main U.S. goal is not
to impose sanctions against countries
indifferent to trafficking but to
encourage them to take the issue
seriously.
Miller, who heads the
trafficking office, said Belize has rescued 62
trafficking victims in recent
months and carried out a number of
prosecutions of
traffickers.
He credited Ecuador, Jamaica
and United Arab Emirates with a serious
effort to deal with the trafficking
issue in recent years.
He noted that 32
countries are ranked just below the worst offender
category.
Miller said the United
States and Saudi Arabia plan official
consultations next month on a broad
range of issues, human trafficking among
them.
Worldwide Faith
News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From
"NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>
Date Wed, 27 Sep
2006 17:10:45 -0500
Zimbabwe remains good place to live, speakers
say
Sep. 27, 2006
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org/.
By Linda
Green*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Though beset with economic problems,
Zimbabwe is
still "a very pleasant place to live," say United Methodists
working with
Africa University there.
Because of the country's
economic condition, officials with the United
Methodist-related school are
often questioned about operating in the country
and about how and why the
university continues its mission there. Zimbabwe
has been described as a
place of desolation and strife, but people who live
there disagree with that
image.
"Certainly the economy is in shambles. There is no question about
that," Bob
Armstrong told the Africa University Advisory Development
Committee during
its Sept. 23 meeting in Nashville. "The thing that you do
find is that it
still is a very pleasant to live."
Armstrong said
someone from the United States viewing the country from a
Western
perspective might not view the quality of life favorably. "There are
no
security problems any greater than any place else. The problem is an
internal struggle that will have to be worked out by Zimbabwe for Zimbabwe,"
he said.
He referred to the country's 1,300 percent inflation rate,
which makes the
cost of living expensive for citizens, and noted that
international costs
are the same as they have been for a long time, he
added.
Armstrong, a native of Western Pennsylvania, has worked and
resided in
Zimbabwe since 1991 as an employee of the U.S. Agency for
International
Development. He became a faculty member at Africa University
in 1996 and
helped establish the school's agricultural business department.
He and his
wife, Sandy, have since retired and still live in Mutare, and
they will
rejoin the university faculty in January.
They and other
Zimbabweans provided the committee with glimpses of life in
the sub-Saharan
country.
"It is a beautiful place to live," Armstrong said. "...We
thoroughly enjoy
it. We could live practically anywhere we want it, but we
choose to spend
half of our time in Zimbabwe, so we think it is
fine."
Armstrong described Africa University as "a role model for what
potential
education could be, and it can offer a great example as (to) what
can be
done to do educational training in Africa. It is an institution that
should
be continued and perpetuated."
His esteem for the university
stems from a "love (of) Zimbabwe and Africa
and helping students. I believe
quite frankly that the educated of the world
have an obligation to those who
are not educated, and Africa University
gives me a nice medium in which to
do that kind of work."
The development committee, established in 1993,
works with the Africa
University Development Office in Nashville and
agencies of the United
Methodist Church to raise money for the school's
capital, endowment and
operational needs.
University
'untouched'
Committee member Grace Muradzikwa, chief executive of
NicozDiamond in
Harare, Zimbabwe, said Zimbabweans "appreciate the Africa
University
miracle. It is unarguably one of the finest universities in
Zimbabwe at the
moment," she said. "With all that is happening in Zimbabwe
... Africa
University remains very much untouched."
She told her
fellow committee members that she participates in business
throughout Africa
and is "always happy to get back home."
"Zimbabwe still remains one of
the best places to live despite the levels of
inflation," she said. "It is a
very safe place. It has warm people with very
warm hearts." She added that
the "infrastructure is still very good." "With
that in mind, I do not know
if there could have been a better place to
locate Africa University," she
said.
University Vice Chancellor Rukudzo Murapa said student enrollment
is being
kept at a little more than 1,200, and student housing remains a
challenge.
"Because of the current prevailing macroeconomic environment
and the runaway
inflation ... which is the highest in the world, and the
extremely
controlled exchange rate, it has become extremely costly to put up
new
buildings," Murapa said. "We are sort of at a standstill with respect to
that." The school has 1,229 students from 25 countries, including Benin,
Mali and South Africa.
Murapa noted that the university has kept
faculty and staff turnover at a
minimum, unlike other academic institutions
in the country.
In his report to the committee, James Salley, associate
vice chancellor of
institutional advancement, said the university is
"managing by the grace of
God." The university has "to do a juggling act" to
maintain all of its
operations, and it "continues to operate without
interference from the
government," he said.
In other actions, the
committee:
* Heard about a campaign to build housing for married
students. * Learned of
a Senior Servants program opening in the Faculty of
Management and
Administration. * Received an update on the clinical trials
for an AIDS
vaccine by St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and its approval
by the
Zimbabwean government. * Learned of proposed plans by the
university's U.S.
alumni association for special projects such as a soccer
game to benefit
Africa University. * Learned of an Oct. 9-13 celebration at
the school in
honor of Dag Hammarskjöld (pronounced HAM-mar-shold), who
assisted emerging
nations in Asia and Africa as the former secretary general
of the United
Nations, before dying in a 1961 plane crash in Zambia
(formally Northern
Rhodesia). * Learned about the United Methodist
Foundation from its
director, Byrd Bonner.
Before the committee
meeting, the Africa University Development Office
hosted the Sixth Annual
Richard E. "Dick" Reeves Legacy Society Recognition
Dinner. The dinner is
held in memory of a key supporter of the school who
died in 1999, and the
legacy society was created in 2001 to recognize, honor
and thank those who,
like the late United Methodist layman, reach beyond
their own lives to have
an impact on future generations at Africa
University. The 2006 society
honorees included four people who received
posthumous recognition, six who
were honored for deferred gifts to the
university, five for contributing to
the general endowment and two for
endowing scholarships.
The Jarvis
Brothers, a singing group from Orangeburg, S.C., performed a
concert for
Africa University's friends and supporters at the Sept. 22
dinner.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based
in Nashville,
Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk@umcom.org.
********************
United
Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org/
New Zimbabwe
By Mutumwa D. Mawere
Last updated: 09/28/2006
10:23:19
AS THE British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to the
Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, as a "remarkable servant to the
UK", I could
not help but imagine if the same could happen in
Africa.
The contemporary African story is intertwined with the
de-colonisation
struggle and the post-colonial era where former liberation
movements in the
main were forced by circumstances to transform themselves
into political
governing institutions.
The experience in Africa is
checkered particularly in so far as democracy is
concerned. To date, no
single inch of African soil is under colonial
occupation and notwithstanding
the fact that most African countries are over
the age of twenty, the
challenges on governance are all too obvious.
Yes, Africans fought for
sovereignty and won but the African people in the
majority have been
condemned by the very people that purported to fight for
their liberation to
a hostage status where the spectacle in Manchester where
Blair could consent
to bowing out without any blood is unprecedented.
We have observed in
country after country how risky succession aspirations
can be in Africa.
What is striking is that the Bush/Blair strategy to remove
Saddam Hussein
through the creative use of the UN by creating the perception
that Weapons
of Mass Destruction (WMD) did exist in Iraq, and the world was
safer without
Hussein, is no different from strategies that have been
employed by African
heads of state to eliminate their would-be successors.
In the case of
Africa, the trick used is that the potential successor
possess Weapons of
Mass Corruption (WMC) and the country is better off
without the person and
all too often the corruption, like the weapons of
mass destruction, is never
found. If Blair was an African head of state it
is conceivable that he would
have used the state machinery to punish Brown
and any would-be successor.
Equally, post-colonial Africa would not have any
place for persons like
Brown.
What the Labour Party has experienced in the last few weeks is
remarkable
and has no parallel in many African countries. Can you imagine
African
Ministers and parliamentarians deserting the great leader on a
succession
issue? We have seen what has happened in South Africa and how the
ANC has
responded. The story is no different to what is taking place in
Nigeria
where the incumbent President and his Deputy are at each other's
throat.
Again the corruption undertone is the operative word and if
corruption does
not eliminate the aspirant, then the state machinery can be
used to demonize
the person. The culture of intolerance is prevalent in
Africa and unless the
root causes that generates an environment where the
rights of other
citizens, even those who choose to aspire for higher
service, becomes
subservient to the great leaders of Africa the prospect of
our continent
rising up on the moral and democracy ladder is
remote.
We have leaders who see in themselves the salvation of the
country and
cannot imagine anything and anyone else doing any better. It is
also ironic
that most of our leaders display a profound concern about global
governance
and would want Bush and Blair to be accountable to the world
forgetting that
in the case of Blair, he was elected by the British people
and now his own
party (club) is of the view that he must step
down.
However, in as much as Blair may want to continue in office, he is
smart
enough to realize that his party is supreme and his personal choices
have to
give in to what is good for the party and the country. We cannot say
the
same about our political institutions in Africa where the leader
invariably
becomes the personification of the party and his destiny becomes
the destiny
of the party and the country.
How can Africa overcome
this challenge? What kind of conversations do
Africans need to have to
ensure that the people shall govern and leaders
remain their servants? What
kind of covenant does Africa need with its
leaders? What kind of
institutional and governance framework does Africa
need to discourage
monsters from taking the highest office and running away
with the baton and
disappearing into the wilderness? It is important that
Africa draws lessons
from the Blair/Thatcher experiences.
What is instructive is that the
Labour party, in as much as the ANC, was
able to assume ownership of the
future of the party and in the end they
triumphed. However, Brown did not
have to go through the ordeal that his
counterparts in South Africa and
Nigeria are going though. In debating this
issue we need not be blinded by
our own African experiences but we can be
comforted that even in Asia and
Latin America the dynamics of political
power and succession are not too
different.
Malaysia provides another stark reminder of what can be
possible if the
incumbent is determined to ensure that the people will be
denied to choose
their leaders when he leaves office. It is also interesting
to note that
corruption is the biggest raw material for eliminating
potential aspirants
from seeking the people's mandate to govern.
In
the case of Zambia and Malawi, corruption has been used to cripple the
former heads of state into a new prison where they have to spend most of the
retirement defending themselves from a litany of accusations that they
abused office.
Blair's statesmanship was obvious at his last Labour
Party conference as
Prime Minister, when he stopped short of endorsing his
finance minister.
Blair said of Brown: "He's a remarkable man, a remarkable
servant to this
country and that is the truth."
Blair underlined that
New Labour and its three unprecedented election
victories would not have
been achieved without Brown. It is my fervent hope
that a day will arrive in
Africa where a black Blair and a black Brown will
be at the same conference
paying tribute to each other and allowing the
people to decide their destiny
without fear or prejudice.
The machinations that took place prior to the
conference and the
personalities involved all serve to demonstrate that
democracy should not be
taken for granted. I am sure that even Blair was not
happy about Brown's
maneuvers but there was nothing he could do to Brown
other than praise him
for being loyal and patient.
Africa is still
the youngest continent in so far as democracy is concerned.
The experiences
of countries like the UK with a long tradition that has seen
citizens rise
from being subjects of other people to common citizenship
firmly grounded on
values and customs provides a useful standard of what we
should aspire for
and how democracy and tolerance can be constructively used
to advance the
cause of not just the leaders but the governed.
The importance of
institutions like the Labour Party and personalities like
Brown cannot be
overstated if Africa has to transform itself from a
continent dominated by
warlord type of leaders who will not countenance or
brook any opposition
from within their own ranks and from without choosing
to call names those
that dare challenge their authority.
Mutumwa Mawere's weekly column
appears on New Zimbabwe.com every Monday. You
can contact him at: mmawere@global.co.za
People's Daily
A senior Zimbabwean
official said on Wednesday that the southern
African country, which is
reforming its economy to reduce foreign control,
was eager to strengthen
ties with China to benefit from the Asian giant's
better trade and
investment terms.
The Zimbabwean
government was shifting focus in its relationship with
China from politics
to economic cooperation, having cemented the former
firmly since
independence from Britain in 1980, Industry and International
Trade Minister
Obert Mpofu told Xinhua in an exclusive
interview.
"We have all-weather relations
with China, both at the economic and
political level, but it has become more
imperative now for us to grow our
economic ties for mutual benefit. This is
particularly so given that we are
reforming our economy, and China is doing
the same," he said.
He said the two
countries had in recent years signed a series of
protocols to enhance
economic cooperation, in areas of infrastructure
development, tourism, trade
and investment.
This had paved the way for
the Chinese government and private
companies to explore more economic
opportunities in this Southern African
country in various sectors, Mpofu
said.
"We have opened up the whole
economic spectrum between the two
countries, and each is going into areas
where it has strength. In the case
of China, this is almost in every sector
of the economy and this is mutually
beneficial for the two countries," he
said.
He highlighted huge Chinese
investment in tobacco production and
processing, and the agriculture
industry as a whole where last week the
central bank announced a 200 million
U.S. dollars capital injection from
China in farming, manufacturing and
mining.
Tobacco is among Zimbabwe's top
exports, and China has become the
largest importer of the commodity from the
country. But Mpofu said China had
now moved beyond just importing Zimbabwean
tobacco, and had gone into the
crop's production and
processing.
He said a huge Chinese
investment, running into millions of U.S.
dollars, was on the cards in
tobacco processing, but could not give further
details as sensitive
discussions on the project were still pending. In
tobacco production, Mpofu
said Chinese investors had moved into out-grower
schemes with local farmers,
providing critical financing to boost the crop's
output, which has been
falling in recent years.
"We have a
project proposal that has been brought up by Chinese
investors to process
tobacco into cigarettes and export this as a finished
product. This
(value-addition) is what the government encourages very much
and we are very
supportive of such ventures," he said.
He
also spoke of other Chinese investment projects on the cards in
steel-making, tractor assembly and mining, saying these would bring in large
amounts of foreign currency into the
country.
A recent visit to China by Vice
President Joyce Mujuru secured 1.3
billion U.S. dollars potential investment
in power generation and mining.
Mpofu said
in view of rising Chinese investment interest in Zimbabwe,
the local
government was working on measures to ease customs and immigration
formalities to facilitate the flow of capital from the Asian
country.
"We are working on measures to
facilitate investment flows into
Zimbabwe, especially from China and other
developing countries. We are
essentially doing away with a lot of the red
tape that was in place to give
investors convenience and confidence in us,"
he said.
In infrastructure development, he
said Chinese companies were active
in the construction of roads, hospitals
and other projects, and the firms
were generally price-competitive even
compared to local ones in some
instances.
Mpofu, who has recently
been to China, highlighted existing Chinese
investments, particularly the
huge cement factory in Gweru which has gone a
long way in meeting national
demand for the commodity. The project is a
joint venture between Chinese
investors and a local company, and has ensured
Zimbabwe no longer imports
cement.
He said China offered better trade
and investment terms, compared to
other foreign nations, and this was the
main attraction for Zimbabwe, in
addition to Beijing's friendliness to
Harare.
In most cases, Chinese investment
was in the form of joint ventures,
something Mpofu said the government
preferred because it ensured mutual
benefits. Investors from the developed
countries often insisted on outright
ownership.
Source: Xinhua
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Zimbabwe's leading opposition party said this
week one of its
members in Buhera South had her house burnt by supporters of
President
Robert Mugabe, in what it charged were politically motivated
attacks.
The authorities confirmed the house was razed by fire.
A
spokesman, for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) told The
Zimbabwean
that supporters of the governing party burned the house over the
weekend.
According to Nelson Chamisa, the ruling party thugs set MDC
provincial
chairperson Veronica Dingwiza Mashonga's house alight under the
cover of
darkness. He said the ruling party thugs had shouted political
slogans in
support of the governing party, Zanu (PF) while torching the
house.
No-one was injured but property worth billions were burnt to
ashes.
Opposition party officials said they were gravely worried about the
escalation of violence in the run up to district local elections. They
said
there had been several clashes between members of the two rival
parties,
whose leaders are contesting the election scheduled for
October.
Police spokesman Andrew Phiri described the disputes as random and
spontaneous. "I think it is political immaturity, where people don't respect
other people's political views," he said.
However, Chamisa said he
believed that the violence was coordinated by the
government. He said he
feared that violence would only intensify as election
day approaches. "The
situation is quite bad," Chamisa said. - Gift Phiri
The Zimbabwean
INSIZA - Villagers in Singwambizi and Mbaulo are
complaining of poor service
delivery by the department of Veterinary
Services.
Villagers who spoke to The Zimbabwean pointed out that their cattle
had
spent almost two months without being dipped, because of a shortage of
dipping chemicals. They said government had made them pay $60.00 per beast
per year for the procurement of dipping chemicals.
"Unfortunately things
did not go as expected. We now suspect that this is
an artificial
shortage created by some big fish in the district offices who
has convert
the chemicals for his own personal use," said a spokesman for
the
villagers.
Efforts to get a comment from Mcgown Dube, the dip-tank
administrator
based at Avoca Business Centre were fruitless. - Francis
Sibanda
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The gap between the rich and the poor in
Zimbabwe has never been
wider. About 10,200 Zimbabwe dollars now buy what
100 Zimdollars bought in
1995. The official exchange rate rose from about 8
Zimbabwe dollars to the
U.S. dollar in 1995, to 250-1 this year, alongside a
current black market
exchange rate of up to 850-1.
Mugabe, 82, who has
been in power for 26 years, travelled to Guinea recently
to discuss fuel
supplies after being cut off by key suppliers after Zimbabwe
didn't pay
millions in arrears for previous shipments.
Anti-government strikes called by
the ZCTU a fortnight ago demanding better
pay were thwarted by a massive
show of force by police, soldiers and ruling
party militiamen.
The
protests appeared to be of little concern to one pro-Mugabe businessman
who
threw his 54th birthday party soon afterward. He hired a replica of a
Mississippi paddle steamer on Zimbabwe's northern Lake Kariba, a stone's
throw away from where a meeting called to discuss the new government human
rights commission. The meeting was snubbed by Zimbabwe's left-wing civic
society.
The calligraphy for the handwritten dinner place name cards
alone cost five
times Zimbabwe's average annual per capita income. - Own
correspondent
The Zimbabwean
Disturbing reports have been received of government
sanctioned hunting,
operating in Zimbabwe's part of the Great Limpopo
Transfrontier Park.
Some local tourists who visited Sumaweni camp at Buffalo
bend, southwest of
Gonarezhou, two weeks ago were told they had to move camp
because a safari
outfit, Victoria Falls Hunters, had arrived a few days
earlier with a client
Mr Edd Chiziva, to hunt in the park. They were told
that the safari company
had government connections.
Johnny Rodrigues,
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF),
said: "The next
morning the tourists saw two safari vehicles leave the camp
with people on
the back of the vehicle holding rifles, a few minutes later
they heard shots
fired from a heavy caliber rifle which made them very
nervous because it was
so close to the camp. The tourists then decided to
pack up and leave, whilst
they were doing this three more shots were fired
with one bullet ricocheting
somewhere close by."
When the tourists questioned the warden about the
hunting he was "very
apologetic" and said that he had no control over the
matter at all. He also
suggested that the tourists not talk about what they
had seen. In addition
to this incident there have been other reports of
hunting and poaching in
the area involving National Parks personnel.
Tourists on a game drive
opposite the Nyahomgwe River confluence with the
Lundi River, stumbled
across a camp full of National Parks employees hanging
and drying vast
quantities of meat which they said had come from two impala
caught in traps.
The tourists noted, however, that they quantity of meat was
much more than
two impala's worth.
The Transfrontier Park was set up in
2003 and covers 35,000 square
kilometers in Mozambique (Limpopo Park), South
Africa (Kruger Park) and
Zimbabwe (Gonrezhou). The park was opened by
President Robert Mugabe himself
along with Thabo Mbeki and Joachim Chissano
in December 2002. The idea was
to turn the area into a huge ecosystem to
help protect the wildlife and also
attract tourists from South Africa's
Kruger Park to visit Zimbabwe's
Gonarezhou and Mozambique without the hassle
of long border crossings.
Mr Rodrigues said that the ZCTF had reported the
illegal hunting to both
National Parks and the Minister of Environment and
National Resources but to
date had "no response whatsoever".
The Zimbabwean
Zimbabwe's wildlife continues to suffer terrible
atrocities. Snaring is
reported to be rife, with the country's larger,
stronger animals (such as
the elephant) sometimes managing to break free of
these deadly wire traps,
and later seen with hideous wire injuries.
Conservationists do what they
can, destroying snares, immobilising and
treating suffering animals,
arresting poachers and pushing for harsher
penalties for their criminal
acts.
The country's wildlife also continues
to suffer the effects of wanton
gunfire. "It took time, but high-level
authorities have reversed some
underhanded hunting practices which
accompanied land claims in this area,"
says Sharon Pincott of the
'Presidential Elephant' Conservation Project in
south-western
Zimbabwe. "Land has been returned for tourism purposes, and
some
hunting licences have been revoked."
While the wildlife attempts to recover
from the mayhem of the past few
years, some interesting elephant statistics
are emerging.
Australian Sharon Pincott has spent more than five years among
'The
Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe' - a clan of over 400 free-roaming
elephants, individually known in over 20 family groups, so named when
Zimbabwe's President Mugabe decreed them 'protected' in 1990; to be a
symbol, it was then said, of Zimbabwe's commitment to responsible wildlife
management. These habituated elephants can be found on the unfenced
Hwange
Estate, bordering Zimbabwe's premier Hwange National Park, where
their
social structure and population dynamics are being studied.
Ongoing
conservation efforts remain the key focus of this long-term elephant
project.
"The key home-range of the Presidential Elephants was
underhandedly taken
over by hunters - a situation now thankfully rectified,"
Sharon confirms.
"The elephants did however endure more than two years of
unethical hunting
problems."
From data collected to date it is becoming
clear that elephant conception
rates during this hunting period were
negatively affected, with elephants
coming into estrus up to four times
before they eventually conceived.
"Female elephants only come into estrus
once every three months. Some
elephants took another 6, and even 9
months to conceive after the first time
I witnessed them in estrus," says
Sharon. "Some elephants, for example, who
I witnessed in estrus (and
being mated) during late 2003 have only recently
had their babies, some 31
months later."
Data collection continues now that the gunfire is better under
control, in
an attempt to confirm that conception rates have improved. Some
of
Zimbabwe's conservationists are now asking the question: Is gunfire
negatively impacting conception rates of all of it's wildlife species? "It
is difficult for me to believe that only elephants would be negatively
affected," says Sharon. - Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
The
Zimbabwean
BY CAJ
NEWS
HARARE - Army officers are furious about the recent arrest of
retired
Colonel Samuel Muvuti, the managing director of the Grain Marketing
Board
(GMB), which is the sole authority over the country's grain
supplies.
Muvuti is facing charges of corruption for allegedly having used
GMB
engineers at his farm and authorizing the fraudulent payment at GMB
expense
of compensation for one engineer who was injured while felling a
tree
there.
A
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) brigadier, who requested
anonymity, told the
South-African based news agency, CAJ News, that Muvuti's
arrest had angered
many in the ZNA. He said the Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP), and Police
Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri in particular, was far
more corrupt than
Muvuti and yet had not been
arrested.
"Chihuri is the last person to condemn corruption. He is one of
the
filthy-rich ex-combatants in the country. He used police resources, that
is
material and personnel, to build a modern house near Rushinga turn-off in
Mount Darwin. He used the same facilities to built another house at
his
plot in Darwendale, and to construct a house and borehole in
Chitungwiza,"
alleged the
source.
Another senior police source claimed that Chihuri was currently
doing the
same for his Deputy Commissioner, Barbara Mandizha, in Borrowdale.
"To add
to his list of massive properties, Chihuri owns a construction
Company named
Kidsdale. Also his relatives manufacture police uniforms. That
man is
administering the most corrupt organization in the country," alleged
the
source.
Recently the ZRP acquired top of the range vehicles for senior
officers. The
move is seen as a bribe to these officers, as junior members
of the force
find it difficult to attend scenes using bicycles and foot in
an environment
where criminals use fast
cars.
Another Colonel said the arrest of Mvuti marked the beginning of
Chihuri's
downfall.
"Senior Officers in the ZRP are the most corrupt people. Chihuri
and his
deputies have more than five top of the range vehicles each. The
Senior
Assistant Commissioners enjoy unlimited fuel. Their wives and
husbands are
given police vehicles and fuel when constables have no bond
paper or
typewriters.
"Each Assistant Commissioner is given an executive command car,
a pick-up
for himself and another one for the wife. These guys own adjacent
farms to
ours, you can visit these farms and see for yourself we have this
Woman
Assistant Commissioner who owns a farm near mine in Marondera. This
lady
uses highway patrol cars to run her farm," alleged another police
source.
A Senior Intelligence officer in the Central Intelligence
Officer
organization (CIO), which falls under the President's office also
claimed
that the police commander and some known senior police officers were
"extremely a corrupt
lot".
Asked to comment on the allegations of corruption in the ZRP
Chief
Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka, the source said the allegations of
corrupt
tendencies were a mischief which needed to be
ignored.
When further pressed to explain, he referred the reporter to the
police
spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bundzijena, who could not
be
reached by the time of going to press. - CAJ News
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Arthur Mutambara, leader of the breakaway MDC
faction, addressed a
cheering 4000-strong rally in Zengeza 4 at the weekend,
according to a
statement from the party. He was accompanied by the Youth
Chairman, Gift
Nyandoro and Secretary for Security and Defence, Job
Sikhala.
Mutambara outlined his party's economic vision for Zimbabwe. He
described a
nation characterized by prosperity, economic opportunities,
affordable high
quality public services, business growth, productive
commercial agriculture,
innovative entrepreneurship, a living wage for all
workers, fair taxation,
and respect for human and economic rights. He
painted a future with
functional and affordable schools and hospitals,
universal access to ARVs,
and housing for all. Specifically, he envisaged a
competent and efficient
local government, capable of delivering high quality
services, in
Chitungwiza, St Mary's and Zengeza. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Seed Co, one of Zimbabwe's biggest seed
producing companies,
recently shocked invited guests when it donated more
than 23 tonnes of maize
and wheat seed to vice President Joseph Msika who
had visited its properties
in Mashonaland East province. This represents
more than 10% of its annual
production,
Msika toured Rattray Arnold
Research Station and Frascoti Seed Production
Farms in the province, both
owned by Seed Co, and officially launched a new
wheat seed.
Sources said
that after the tour, management at the company took Msika by
surprise when
they announced that they were giving him more than 23 tones of
seed.
The
sources said many people were taken aback by the donation, given the
magnitude of the seed that was being donated to President Robert Mugabe's
deputy.
"After the tour, the management at Seed Co told guests that they
wanted to
give the vice president a token of appreciation. Everybody
expected
something modest.
"But then they announced they were handing
over a token of appreciation that
included 10 tonnes of wheat seed as well
as another 10 tonnes of maize
seed," said the source that attended the
tour.
Apart from the maize and wheat donation to Msika, Seed Co allegedly
donated
a further truckload of seed, which management said was for the vice
president's donation to people of his choice.
The source said other
invited guests to the tour suspected the generous
donation was a kickback
that Seed Co was paying to the government, through
Msika, for the farms that
had been allocated to the company by the
government.
"People thought it
was a kickback of some sort because if they had really
wanted to make a
donation, they could have simply donated at least five
tones or less
combined of both maize and wheat seed variety. To many, it was
a thank-you
for the farms that government had given to Seed Co," the source
said.
Contacted for comment, Pat Devenish, the Seed Co chief executive
officer,
said that there was nothing sinister about the donation, adding
that it was
"company policy to thank officials who would have visited their
properties.
"I am pretty sure there was nothing sinister about that. It's our
company
policy that we donate some seed to senior government officials who
visit us.
It was simply following company policy and nothing else," said
Devenish,
before referring more questions to the company's managing
director, Dennis
Zaranyika, who would not answer his mobile phone.
The
donation comes against a background of projected reduction in seed
production by Seed Co, with sources saying the company could produce only
200 tonnes of the annual target of 400 tonnes, the sources said. - CAJ
News
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - The Zimbabwe dollar continues to devalue
against all convertible
currencies. Changing money on the parallel foreign
currency market is
illegal but remains the only source of survival in the
country for
individuals and companies, as well as the government
itself.
The local dollar, weighed down by falling production amid a deepening
political and economic crisis, has plummeted to 800 to the American dollar,
while one British pound fetches about Z$1 200.
The South African rand,
one of the main sought-after currencies by
Zimbabweans who source most of
their food and other goods from their giant
neighbour, is now fetching
around Z$110.
On the official interbank market, the United States dollar is
trading at
$250, the British pound sterling at $470 while the South African
rand is
trading at $40. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - A Zimbabwean inventor has come up with a way
to ensure that rigged
elections are a thing of the past. "Elections in the
third world are a major
problem. But modern technology is on our side," said
software developer Alex
Weir in an exclusive interview with The Zimbabwean
this week.
He explained: SEEV (sms external encrypted voting) is a new
innovative
concept which uses existing technologies (mobile phone sms and
TAN-envelopes) in conjunction with an external international processing
centre to ensure that phantom voters, ballot-box stuffing, count fraud etc
are a thing of the past. And the cost of this electronic voting is
potentially less than present-day paper voting systems. SEEV could hold its
first election within six months of project go-ahead.
Weir said the
system did not mean that one had to own a mobile phone in
order to vote -
you only need access to one.
His plan is for all votes to be processed for
all participating countries by
a Global Electoral Commission data centre
sited in Norway or Sweden; these
countries are suited because they have a
reputation for integrity and
impartiality.
"The key to the process is the
secret sealed envelopes with secret numbers
and codes inside which enable
the voter to vote with no-one (including KGB,
CIA, CIO and all these people)
ever being able to tell which way he or she
voted; only the centre in Norway
will know, and they will destroy that
evidence some months after voting is
completed," said Weir.
In order to assure the voter that his or her vote was
counted, some minutes
after sending the voting sms, a confirmation reply sms
is received on the
same phone - this should match another line of data on
your secret envelope,
and is your guarantee that your sms got all the way to
Norway and was
processed correctly. Once again this confirmation sms
can never in 1000
years be de-encrypted by domestic or foreign intelligence
services.
"The system will need extensive voter education to enable everyone
in the
rural areas to vote, and also additional mobile phone masts will have
to be
installed. Also on the week of voting, NGO's will have to arrive
in the
rural areas with mobile phones which voters can use to vote using
their
secret envelopes. Voting is not a trivial matter and extensive
resources
will have to be devoted to ensuring that a real election is
held. But the
dividend is that in many countries throughout the 3rd
world, the people will
finally know that count fraud by the sitting
government has been rendered
impossible. This will herald a new era of
democracy, the elimination of
corruption, and an economic and social
renaissance," said Weir. - Own
correspondent. More detail on SEEV at http://www.cd3wd.com/SEEV/
The Zimbabwean
HARARE - Zimbabwean motorists battled for scarce petrol
supplies during the
weekend as a deepening fuel crisis brought the southern
African country to a
near halt.
Many fuel stations completely ran dry.
Riot police were called in to stop
motorists fighting at those, which still
had petrol.
In the capital Harare, there were few cars and buses on the
roads, with
thousands of motorists jamming a dozen or so petrol stations in
search of
supplies. A litre of petrol was selling for $1,200.
"I have
been here since last night, waiting for petrol and I have seen about
half a
dozen fist-fights and one guy threatening to shoot anyone who tries
to jump
the queue," one man told The Zimbabwean at a fuel station in central
Harare.
Riot police was summoned to those stations with fuel to control
rowdy
motorists fighting among themselves.
Speaking in Egypt en route
home from the UN General Assembly, President
Robert Mugabe said the fuel
crisis was particularly bothersome to him, as he
had worked out a special
deal with South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.
The 82-year old leader blamed
the crisis on government officials who he said
had failed to take advantage
of the arrangement with Equatorial Guinea,
where Zimbabwe buys oil in local
currency in exchange for joint-ventures in
tourism and exports of beef and
soya-beans.
Industry sources however accused the oil procurement agency of
engineering
the shortage through corruption and sabotage.
They reported
petrol stations were running dry because the National Oil
Company of
Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) was hoarding fuel, and pushing for cash oil
import deals
that could give company officials a chance to benefit from
illegal foreign
currency deals.
Government and industry sources, said NOCZIM was moving to
scrap a deal with
SA, endangering one of the last fuel lifelines Zimbabwe
has left.
South Africa and Equatorial Guinea currently supplies 70 percent of
Zimbabwe's fuel while the balance comes from Kuwait's Independent Petroleum
Group.
Senior government and NOCZIM officials refused to comment, but
sources in
Mugabe's government confirmed there was a probe into the
shortage, which has
left motorists queuing for kilometers to fill their
tanks.
The current fuel shortages have created a black market for
unscrupulous
officials who were now selling fuel at more than 10 times the
official
price, undercutting government efforts to cushion hard-pressed
consumers. -
Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
r
HARARE - The Harare metropolitan governor admitted
this week that anti-AIDS
drugs were in perilously short supply, endangering
the lives of HIV-positive
people.
David Karimanzira, speaking after his
appointment as patron of the
Provincial Aids Action Committee at the
weekend, attributed the crumbling of
Zimbabwe's healthcare system - which is
threatening the free antiretroviral
(ARV) programme - to sanctions imposed
by western nations.
"Only 42,000 people are on anti-retroviral drugs out of a
possible 171,000,"
Karimanzira said, adding government was battling to set
aside US$250,000 to
procure HIV drugs every month.
Zimbabwe has one of
the world's highest rates of HIV infection and is
currently under going a
severe economic crisis. The prevalence rate for HIV
has declined from 20,1
percent in 2005 to 18,1 percent in 2006, but 3,000
still die to the disease
in Zimbabwe every week. Karimanzira said 2,000
people were getting infected
every month.
Karimanzira said the government's response to the AIDS crisis
has been to
declare a state of emergency in 2002, allowing cheaper generic
drugs to be
imported as well as locally made under World Trade Organisation
rules.
But local generic drug manufacturers are hamstrung by the scarcity of
foreign currency, which they need to import raw materials to make the
ARVs.
Karimanzira said there were more than 80,000 orphans and vulnerable
children
and 6,000 people living openly with HIV/AIDS in the Harare
province.
He said there was serious donor fatigue. After a three-year delay,
a US
$10.3 million grant by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria is finally making its way to Zimbabwe. But activists have stressed
that this paled in comparison to what countries "just across the (Zambezi)
river" were receiving from international donors.
Nevertheless, AIDS NGOs
are managing to make a difference.
But aid workers said the brutal Operation
Murambatsvina last year had
compounded the problem as many were displaced
and their treatment programmes
disrupted. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
MUTARE - Six years after the start of the chaotic land
invasions the
Zimbabwe government is still evicting white farmers. Last week
prominent
Manicaland farmer, Dave Meikle's farm was invaded by people waving
letters
of offer from the minister in charge of the spy agency, CIO, and
lands,
Didymus Mutasa.
Meikle's farm is one of the most highly-developed
commercial agriculture
properties in the province - farming timber and
fruit.
A friend of his told The Zimbabwean: "Dave is a born African with
parents
and grandparents who lived in Zimbabwe. He has been dispossessed in
the past
few days together with many others in a similar position. His
personal
losses will run to many millions of US dollars. This is not only
unjust, it
is patently illegal and racist. Again Mutasa is the principle
player - his
own home is not far from the farm. Mutasa was also present when
the Trade
Union and MDC leaders were being beaten into pulp in Harare two
weeks ago -
he was actually seen during the beating at the Police Station in
Mbare.
"The family arrived home from a funeral to find invaders in the house
who
forced them to pack immediately. They realised that the offer letter was
a
genuine Didymus Mutasa thing and that there was absolutely nothing they
could do about it. A senior policeman finally arrived and restored a bit of
order. The family spent a very uncomfortable night, and broken-heartedly
made the decision to vacate their home of 32 years. Many tears were shed but
they are going forward. They lost everything, including all equipment and
tools etc. Only their personal effects were recovered." Ironically, on the
same day, Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono appeared on South African
television declaring that farm invasions in Zimbabwe were over. Apart
from
the Meikles,12 farms in Chiredzi/Masvingo and six in Chipinge have been
taken recently. - Own correspondent
The Zimbabwean
When people grow old, some develop various mild forms
of dementia and lose
touch with reality. Others go completely bonkers. That
is life. The
important thing is to recognise it and deal with it. Not to
ignore it and
pretend it is not happening.
Our 82-year-old President has
been saying some pretty weird things lately.
And although his top officials
continue to close ranks around him, surely
even they must be getting to the
limit of their credibility.
Speaking in an interview in the hallowed halls of
the UN in New York last
week, Mugabe was obviously somewhat embarrassed by
the barbarism of his
police force. He seemed to try and distance his
government from the riotous
behaviour of the police at Matapi Police Station
in Mbare, where 15 leaders
of the ZCTU and MDC were thrashed while in
custody.
He dismissed the brutal assaults as "the work of one or two
overzealous
policemen". Here we have a huge reality gap - it was not one or
two who
perpetrated the atrocities. It was a gang of thugs in police
uniform.
Didymus Mutasa is said to have been seen at Matapi Police station at
the
time. We wonder what he was doing there - if it wasn't to egg them
on.
Then, earlier this week, Mugabe spoke again about the savage attack -
this
time obviously more comfortable - from another Africa country,
Egypt. This
time he came out strongly behind the torturers and accused
the victims of
having "brought it upon themselves" by "sitting in places not
allowed".
"They want to become a law unto themselves," he said. Although he
said he
did not know what the protests were about, he dismissed them as
"nonsensical
and stupid". He also accused Zimbabwean journalists, presumably
from the
independent media, of being "the stupid ones, who always write
stupid
things".
Another reality check: the leaders were not beaten in the
streets. They did
not resist arrest. They were not sitting in "a place that
is not allowed".
They were beaten while in police custody.
He also
continues to talk of an expected bumper harvest, while soldiers are
going
around the country beating up villagers for not surrendering their
harvest
to the GMB and more than half the population of Zimbabwe goes to bed
hungry
every night.
This country needs a leader who has his finger on the
pulse. We cannot
continue to be ruled by a doddering old man who is
living in cloud cuckoo
land. It is time somebody showed him the way back to
Zvimba.