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Archived News
24th August 2004
Soldiers take leave to assist Zanu PF's election campaign
Urban residents battle with rising prices
Dabengwa snubbed
Implats invests millions in Zimbabwe
Conafex land in Zimbabwe to be expropriated
Illegal cross border gun smuggling rife in Limpopo
SADC leaders are out of touch with reality
Second medal for Zim's Coventry
Nhema named in graft case
Teachers in Zimbabwe: "We are very afraid"
Mugabe still has the people's trust - poll
Mercenaries' deny charges of illegally acquiring weapons of war
Hitting the hard times down South
Expect usual sounds of silence on Zimbabwe at SADC summit
Zanu PF revives terror bases
Taught to hate
Greater trust in Mugabe ascribed to fear
Zimbabwe promises poll reforms in by-election
Chingoka payment touches off row
SA hunters on 'wildlife killing spree' in Zimbabwe
Coventry eyes gold
Mugabe targets charity groups
Donors allowed to resume food aid - for specific groups
Jonathan Moyo in multi billion dollar poaching scandal
Nkomo strikes back!
Zim says it can't extradite 'mercenaries'
AirZim unearths fraud involving corpses
A third medal for Zimbabwe - and racial harmony
Mugabe slams clerics
Mugabe should halt political violence - Arcbishop Ncube
Hungry youth programme trainees steal cattle and fish, villagers claim
UN failing Zim immigrants - Refugees International
"It's cheaper to stay at home"
Rule of the lawless
Harare out to crush deviant NGO puppets
'Bury the puppet MDC'
Mugabe ally dies
Media monopoly said to underpin Mugabe's popularity
Donated food being sold to buy seed for rainy season
State buys Prados for defence chiefs
IPU confirms systematic harassment of the political opposition
No greener pastures in Botswana farms
Banks latest: Intermarket, Barbican may not reopen
Run-up to Zim polls the crunch
Eddison Zvobgo
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From Zim Online (SA), 17 August
Soldiers take leave to assist Zanu PF's election campaign
Johannesburg - The Zimbabwe National Army will send several hundred of its men on leave to allow them time to campaign for the ruling Zanu PF party ahead of next year's general election, ZimOnline was told. Army sources said some soldiers had already been granted leave with more set to be released by December. The soldiers, together with war veterans and militias from the government's controversial national youth service training programme, are expected to form the core of Zanu PF's campaign for the March 2005 poll. Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi vehemently denied that soldiers were being drafted into the ruling partyıs election campaign: "That is a lie against the army and the government of Zimbabwe. Soldiers are not allowed to actively participate in politics. We have a highly professional army and I am not aware of any moves to use the army to campaign for any political party." But sources at the Mutare headquarters of the army's 3 Brigade told ZimOnline that an initial 50 soldiers had already been granted vacation under the plan. "The military is going to play a prominent role in Zanu PF's election strategy and some of our colleagues have already been released to prepare for the campaign," said the army officer, who spoke on condition he was not named. "Those who have been identified for the campaign are being asked to take indefinite leave and they will be heavily involved in Zanu PF's campaign." The officer said the plan would allow the soldiers to be drafted into Zanu PF's campaign teams as civilians. He said they would use their military experience to lead the Party's youths in terrorising opposition supporters. The sources said the exercise was not a free for all, with senior officers carefully vetting soldiers and only granting leave to those known to be steadfast supporters of Zanu PF.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) shadow minister of defence, Giles Mutsekwa, yesterday said he was aware of the alleged plan. When contacted by ZimOnline, he said, "In fact you called me at a time when I was preparing to raise that issue in Parliament. Soldiers are being asked to go on leave en masse and then are deployed into Zanu PF ranks and I want Parliament to take note of that." Mutsekwa did not say when exactly he was going to bring the matter before the House. Human rights groups and the MDC have in the past accused the government of using state security agents including soldiers to terrorise its political opponents. The government denies the charge. This would not be the first time for the government to co-opt the army into some of its controversial programmes. At the height of farm invasions two years ago soldiers and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, some of them in uniform, publicly took part in the seizure of white-owned farmland. In the run up to the March 2002 presidential election, then Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Vitalis Zvinavashe declared that the armed forces would not back any candidate who had not fought in the country's 1970s war of liberation. This was seen by many as a veiled threat to stage a coup if MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won. He did not fight in the war. A former army intelligence officer, Sobuza Gula-Ndebele, heads the Electoral Supervisory Commission currently responsible for ensuring fairness in the conduct of elections. The commission, which is answerable to President Robert Mugabe, has been accused of turning a blind eye to political violence by pro-Mugabe militants. The commission insists it has been even handed in its treatment of political contestants.
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From IRIN (UN), 17 August
Urban residents battle with rising prices
Johannesburg - Urban Zimbabweans battling with escalating prices are finding that more and more food essentials are beyond their reach. "Malnutrition levels among the elderly and children are very high in the urban centres. A loaf of bread costs about Z$3,500, which most ordinary Zimbabweans cannot afford to buy every day. The lowest paid Zimbabwean earns Z$150,000," said Fambai Ngirande, spokesperson for the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations. Although food items were readily available in the urban markets, few ordinary Zimbabweans could afford to buy them, he said. The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe's latest monthly expenditure survey showed that the price of maize meal in urban markets had increased by 44 percent within a month. In previous years, urban Zimbabweans faced with escalating prices would source cereals and other food items from rural areas as a "coping mechanism, but this time there is no food in the rural areas too," Ngirande said. To enforce the monopoly of the Grain Marketing Board, roadblocks prevented maize privately acquired in the countryside from being transported to towns. The council reported that a monthly expenditure basket for a low-income urban household of six stood at more than Z$1 million in June, up by 7 percent from their May survey, and about 436 percent more than in June last year. Between May and June this year, the price of maize meal went up by 44 percent, sugar by 21 percent, tea 14 percent and flour 12 percent. "A meal of potatoes, which is cheaper than bread, will cost a family of four Z$3,000," Ngirande said. The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS-NET) said in its monthly food security update on Zimbabwe that over the past 12 months "rentals for shelter have increased by 400 percent and a significant number of poor households have been priced out of the market - they have been pushed to illegal settlements around the cities and towns." The annual food inflation reported by Zimbabwe's Central Statistics Office stood at 430.6 percent in June, dropping by 51.2 percent from the May rate of 481.8 percent.
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From The Sunday Mirror, 15 August
Dabengwa snubbed
Mirror Reporter
Confusion is reigning supreme in the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) council following the last minute snubbing of politburo member and former cabinet minister, Dumiso Dabengwa, who was supposed to be conferred with an honorary degree at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) graduation ceremony held on Friday. The UZ council is the body that makes decisions to confer honorary awards to listed individuals, but in Dabengwa's case the council has cited that it was unaware that Dabengwa had been omitted from graduation ceremony programme, only discovering the anomaly at the last minute. According to UZ council chairman and Awards Committee chairperson, Ambassador Buzwani Mothobi, they were as baffled as Dabengwa's relatives who had attended the graduation ceremony when they realised that Dabengwa would not be receive the honorary degree. "The Executive Committee of the council had made a decision to award Dabengwa an honorary doctorate and up until the graduation ceremony itself on Friday morning, no information had been relayed to us concerning the erasure of Dabengwa from the graduation ceremony's programme," said Mothobi. Dabengwa, who was absent from the graduation ceremony, told the Sunday Mirror that he had been satisfied by explanations furnished to him saying: "I was given an explanation that it had been decided to postpone it and that we will have a separate ceremony later. I tried as much as possible to reach out to as many of my relatives as possible to explain the postponement, but some still made it to the UZ. I am satisfied with the explanation I got."
However, impeccable sources close to Dabengwa, say that he was extremely incensed by the sudden postponement, after Higher Education minister, Herbert Murerwa, is alleged to have phoned him explaining the postponement. Higher Education secretary, Washington Mbizo tried to bar the Sunday Mirror from following up on the farce concerning Dabengwa, but confirmed that Murerwa had indeed informed Dabengwa of the postponement. "What I suggest is that you don't write this story because these things go through procedures involving the Chancellor (President Robert Mugabe). It is a very sensitive issue and I advise you not to write about it. Minister Murerwa phoned Dabengwa to explain the postponement to him." UZ Vice Chancellor, Levy Nyagura refused to comment on Mothobi's statements, citing university protocol. "How can I comment on what Ambassador Mothobi has said? Remember he is my boss, and regulations clearly spell out that I cannot give comments contrary to what my boss has said," said Nyagura. Pressed for clarification as to who gave the directive that Dabengwa's name be omitted from the graduation ceremony programme without the UZ council's knowledge, Nyagura feigned ignorance of what actually took place. Nyagura said: "It's not a policy matter. I am only an officer of the institution tasked with enforcing what the both the UZ council and the ministry (of Higher Education) decide on. What I will tell you is that we have a procedure on honorary degrees, and when the process is complete, that is when I, as an officer of the UZ, can proceed to put a candidate's name on the list. That's all I can say." This is not the first time a senior ranking politician has been snubbed at the last minute, and thus denied the opportunity to be conferred an honorary degree. In May this year, Speaker of Parliament, Emmerson Mnangagwa was treated in similar fashion at the graduation ceremony of the Midlands State University (MSU) with university staff hurriedly erasing Mnangagwa's name from the graduation programme in a last minute move. Sources said that MSU vice-chancellor, Ngwabi Bhebhe had held an urgent meeting with the university chancellor, President Mugabe, whereupon it was decided the President had indicated that "the timing was not right" for Mnangagwa to be conferred with an honorary degree.
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From SABC News, 17 August
Implats invests millions in Zimbabwe
Impala Platinum has announced an investment of $700 000 million into a new mining venture in Zimbabwe. This investment, 178km south of the capital Harare, comes hard on the hells of another platinum venture by Anglo Platinum called Unki - 300km south of the capital. Makwiro Platinum, 83% owned by Implats is set to become Zimbabwe's biggest mining venture. Zimbabwe has the third largest platinum resources after South Africa and Russia. Makwiro is hoping to tap into the 2.4 million tones of platinum lying along the country's richest mineral belt - the Great Dyke. South African officials in Zimbabwe are impressed. "As they are coming in they bring in capital, they bring in experience and they compliment the experience the mining labour that they have the coming in South Africa. (And this) will benefit the mining industry," said Jeremiah Ndou, the South African ambassador to Zimbabwe. Impala Platinum has invested R16 billion in Zimbabwe at Mimosa and at Zimplats Makwiro Mine to date. "Phase one will be an underground mine on these areas that we are currently standing on. That's an investment of around $110 million and phase two and phase five will, however, commence immediately that will be an investment of around $700 - $800 million and that will span a period of 5-10 years," said Keith Rumble, the CEO of Implats. The Zimbabwean government is meanwhile quietly rejoicing at the arrival of the big investment, hoping other international investors will follow suit. "I would want to assure the international community and potential investors that whatever final product that we going is going to be borne out of intensive and substantive discussion, a product that takes into consideration business interests and viability," Amos Midzi, the minister of mines in Zimbabwe, said. Impala platinum has promised to invest more money into this mining operation.
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From Business Day (SA), 18 August
Conafex land in Zimbabwe to be expropriated
Agricultural company Conafex raised alarm bells for South African companies with operations in Zimbabwe yesterday, when it said President Robert Mugabe's government had given notice that authorities would immediately seize the agricultural assets of Conafex subsidiary Zimcor. This is the second expropriation attempt on the Zimbabwean assets of an SA-listed company, following a notice served on Anglo American in January for the expropriation of the company's Hippo Valley sugar estates. There are other South African farming companies with Zimbabwean operations, such as Tongaat-Hulett, and Conafex's predicament will raise concern their assets could face a similar fate. Conafex CEO Chris Jousse did not want to add to the company's terse statement that all of Zimcor's agricultural assets "are to be compulsorily acquired with immediate effect". Expropriation notices had already been served on two of Zimcor's main estates , Trelawney and Kent, but this order now extends the expropriation to all Zimcor's agricultural assets. Conafex, which is listed on both the JSE Securities Exchange SA and the Luxembourg stock exchange, had made diplomatic representations through the Luxembourg embassy in Zimbabwe to fight this compulsory annexure but it seems these efforts have now failed. In its announcement yesterday, Conafex said "the implications of this action and the matter of compensation are not yet clear".
However, the expropriation clearly will hurt Conafex, which until recently relied heavily on its Zimbabwean operations. Conafex's Zimbabwean assets were worth $8,4m the bulk of the company's total $13m in assets, according to last year's annual report. The report said that "if these compulsory acquisitions of (Trelawney and Kent) proceed without adequate compensation, land and improvements up to a value of 4200000 could be permanently impaired". Conafex employs 963 workers in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and it is unclear what effect the Zimbabwean government's action will have on Conafex's operations. Although Conafex had been on a mission to reduce its dependence on Zimbabwe, Zimcor made profits of Z1,1bn last year, up from Z165m. Its efforts to diversify led to the company buying into two South African agricultural companies in November last year. This included 17,45% of the JSE-listed fruit specialists Intertrading, while its European associates bought another 17,45% of that company. Conafex bought 50% of the SA-based Coffee Team & Chocolate Company, while selling its stake in the Zimbabwean company Barato Holdings for $1,1m. A number of other South African giants with Zimbabwean operations will be keeping a close eye on what happens to Conafex's annexed operations. Anglo American received a notice of expropriation for its Hippo Valley sugar estates in January this year, after which it lodged formal objections with the Zimbabwean authorities. However, sugar producer Tongaat-Hulett, which owns the Zimbabwean based Triangle Sugar, has not announced any expropriation notices for its farms.
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From SABC News, 17 August
Illegal cross border gun smuggling rife in Limpopo
Illegal guns are entering South Africa as Zimbabwe slides into turmoil and refugees from that country stream across our northern border, more and more. This follows an SABC investigation into illegal gun running in the Limpopo province during which the team tried to determine how easy it is to buy an illegal fire-arm. Tens of thousand of illegal immigrants are entering South Africa. Most of them desperate. Others are believed to be bringing guns into the country to sell for food. Stan Joubert of the police serious and violent crime unit, says many of the culprits are former soldiers and now unemployed and in order to support their families the sell guns. Three weeks ago, the SABC team was offered about 15 guns for sale from gun runners and syndicates from both Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Prices ranged from R 500 to R 1 500. Police says the arms are trickling in, because people are moving in and South Africa appears to be a place of hope. Several chiefs in the area have reportedly come across Zimbabwean refugees with AK-47 assault rifles that they are trying to sell in South Africa. The SABC team also travelled to Mozambique where an AK-47 assault rifle with a full magazine costs a mere R500. It's been more than 12 years since the civil war ended and guns are still freely available and transported by gun smugglers to South Africa.
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Comment from Mmegi (Botswana), 17 August
SADC leaders are out of touch with reality
Editor
Since yesterday, leaders of countries that make up the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been meeting in Mauritius. The tone of the speeches presented so far suggests that the meeting will not be any different from previous ones. The leaders will show solidarity with each other and fail to confront the most pressing issue in the sub-continent at the moment: mismanagement of Zimbabwe by Robert Mugabe. Very much to tradition, the leaders are building a protective wall around Mugabe against perceived enemies from the west. "We are tired of being lectured on democracy by the very countries which, under colonialism, either directly denied us the rights of free citizens, or were indifferent to our suffering and yearnings to break free and be democratic. "Let SADC speak with one voice, and let the outside world understand, that to us Africans, land is much more than a factor of production. We are spiritually anchored in the lands of our ancestors," said Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa. This was deliberately said to once again absolve Mugabe from blame for his misrule in Zimbabwe.
From behind the high walls of his official residence in Tanzania, Mkapa probably does not have the benefit of first hand information about the consequences of his friend's misrule. Those outside Zimbabwe who know better are the residents of Gaborone, Francistown and Johannesburg, whose streets have been swamped by illegal immigrants running away from Mugabe's tyranny. Mugabe represents everything that all right-thinking people should find reprehensible. He is a man who muzzles the independent press, starves political opponents, harasses the opposition and rigs elections. Instead of showing solidarity with the victim (the ordinary Zimbabwean), the African leaders have chosen to stand by the perpetrator of one of the worst human rights violations in Africa's recent history. This is a man who, in the 1980s, massacred his own people in Matebeleland whom he perceived to be a threat to his hold on power. Incidentally, it is not the former colonial powers that are calling for true democracy and good governance in Africa. It is Africans themselves. Whoever seeks to trivialise Africa's quest for democratic reform is out of touch with the African reality and cannot claim to represent African interests.
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From AFP, 18 August
Second medal for Zim's Coventry
Kirsty Coventry gave Zimbabwe a second Olympic swimming medal on Tuesday, and the teenager from Harare said she hoped her success would inspire people in the troubled African nation. The 19-year-old took bronze in the women's 200 metres individual medley on Tuesday to go with the 100 metres backstroke silver she won the day earlier which had been the first Olympic swimming medal ever won by a Zimbabwean. Coventry set African records in both events, timing 2:12.72 in the 200 metres Individual Medley behind Yana Klochkova of the Ukraine and Amanda Beard of the United States, and 1:00.50 in the 100 metres backstroke which was won by world record holder Natalie Coughlin of the United States. The road to Athens has been a long one for the swimmer who has been based at Auburn University, Alabama, for the past three years. But she stresses that her heart is still in Zimbabwe where her family lives. "Over the past couple of years Zimbabwe has been going through a rough time," explained Coventry. "I think every country goes through bad years and good years. I hope this gives Zimbabwe hope and they can take something good out of it. All sportsmen and women can take inspiration from it and know that they too can follow their dreams." Coventry explained that she started swimming as a two-year-old, encouraged by parents who were both keen swimmers, and grandparents who were coaches in the sport. But the best decision for her swimming career was to study and train in the United States where she was able to further develop her talent. "It was the best decision to go to Auburn, but I haven't left Zimbabwe, my family are all there and I still go home every summer. I still consider it my home. I hope Zimbabwe will come round. I'm very proud to be from Zimbabwe and representing them. Sportsmen and women are just there to compete. When I'm swimming I don't say 'she's white or she's black'. Colour doesn't matter to me." And the competition is not yet over for Coventry who is also down to compete in the 200 metres backstroke on Thursday, buoyed by her recent successes. "Winning the medal in the 200 back gave me more confidence in my swimming generally," she said.
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From The Financial Gazette, 19 August
Nhema named in graft case
Njabulo Ncube
A Hwange safari operator has grabbed the bull by the horns and dragged Environment and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema to court on allegations of corruptly awarding a lucrative hunting concession to a company whose director is reportedly linked to the minister. Nhema, the son-in-law of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Harare-based firm Asitroc Investment (Private) Limited were last week served with High Court papers to rescind a hunting concession awarded to Marble Dete, one of the directors of Asitroc. Headman Sibanda, a safari operator in Matabeleland North, wants the High Court to cancel and set aside the lease agreement the Environment and Tourism Minister allegedly awarded to Asitroc in Matabeleland North. Sibanda's decision to seek High Court intervention comes at a time when President Robert Mugabe and his government are battling to counter accusations that the chaotic and controversial land reform pioneered by the veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle has mostly benefited leading politicians and their cronies. President Mugabe has cracked the whip on graft, with the corruption dragnet claiming the notable scalps of Finance Minister Christopher Kuruneri and Zanu PF central committee member, James Makamba, who are battling to secure their freedoms since they appeared before the courts in February and April this year. It also comes against the backcloth of the arrest and subsequent suspension of Vitalis Chadenga, a director at the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, following allegations of corruptly capturing wild animals for re-sale at the country's major wildlife parks. There have also been allegations of rampant poaching of animals at the national parks.
Nhema, who emerged the major shareholder of the Zimbabwe Building Society (ZBS) a few months ago, has in the past categorically denied allegations of corruption and favouritism in the awarding of lucrative hunting concessions in Matabeleland. However, Sibanda alleges in documents, copies of which are in the possession of The Financial Gazette, that Nhema and his ministry officials corruptly awarded the concession to Asitroc without going to tender, charges vehemently denied by the minister. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is listed as the first respondent in the matter, Nhema, the second respondent and Asitroc as the third respondent. The High Court application seeks to nullify the lease agreement signed on June 13 2003 between Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Asitroc. The documents state that Nhema approved the agreement in his capacity as the Minister of Environment and Tourism. "The first (Parks and Wildlife Management Authority) and second respondent (Nhema) be and are hereby directed to invite tenders for the Deka Pool Safari area, in terms of standing tender procedure after which an independent adjudication committee should be appointed to process the tenders," reads part of the draft order lodged with the High Court. Officials at the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority confirmed receiving the High Court papers but refused to comment, saying the matter was before the courts. The granting of lucrative hunting and photographic concessions to ZANU PF associates sparked off controversy early this year amid revelations that Nhema's ministry doled out long leases to top officials outside Matabeleland at the expense of locals. In his affidavit, Sibanda alleges that Nhema abused his ministerial position by ordering that the Deka Pool Safari Area and Sengwa Safari Area concessions be granted to Asitroc Investment and Tent Peg consortium respectively.
"I respectfully submit that this was unprocedural and irregular and second respondent knew that. Indeed on the 29th of January 2004, my legal practitioners gave second respondent (Nhema) notice in terms of the State Liabilities Act, of my intention to bring this application before this court. When the second respondent (Nhema) saw that letter, he sent a leading political figure in Matabeleland North, Mr Jacob Mudenda to come and talk to me to try and resolve the matter on his terms and without reversing the irregular Deka concession. I refused to accede to his request and nothing came out of the discussion. I respectfully submit that I have made out a good case for the quashing of the Deka concession, the cancellation of the agreement of lease with the Third Respondent (Asitroc Investment) on the basis of impropriety and breach of tender procedure and the ordering of the commencement of proper tender procedure for all to participate in a transparent and fair manner," reads part of Sibanda's affidavit.
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From Zim Online (SA), 19 August
Teachers in Zimbabwe: "We are very afraid"
Harare - The Zimbabwe government is deploying trainees in its controversial youth training programme at all public schools, ZimOnline has established. The Youth Training Programme was introduced two years ago with the objective "to inculcate discipline and patriotism in young people". Several teachers across the country said they were afraid the youths might be supposed to spy on teachers suspected of backing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) ahead of next year's parliamentary election. They also expressed fear the youths might seek to influence senior students, most of whom are of voting age, to back the ruling Zanu PF. In circulars to school heads asking them to accept the youths at their institutions, the Ministry of Youth Development, Gender and Employment Creation says the youths are on community service and will perform whatever duties they are assigned by school authorities at no cost. The schools have not requested such help from the ministry. In one such letter dated June 8, 2004, the ministry's provincial staff officer, a Mr. J.M. Maveve, writes to the head of a state High School in Harare: "Your good office is requested to assist (name of recruit omitted) with a place of attachment to do community service for a period of one month." "Feel free to assign the youth/youths any possible lawful duties in your organisation. It is part of our training curriculum. Please note that it is a free service to the community and the nation at large, so your organisation will not pay the youth/youths for the period of attachment."
Both Youth Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri and Maveve could not be reached for comment yesterday. Mutinhiri has in the past denied allegations that the youths trained by the programme are committing violence against opposition supporters. He insists the programme teaches discipline and patriotism among the youths. Teachers, who spoke on condition they were not named, expressed discomfort over the presence of the youths at schools. Especially those teachers serving at schools in rural areas were among the worst affected victims of political violence during the run up to and after the 2002 presidential election. Suspected Zanu PF militants, allegedly also including youths from the national service programme, harassed and beat up teachers whom they accused of influencing voters to back the MDC. Summing up the fears of most of his colleagues interviewed by ZimOnline, a school teacher in Masvingo (about 300 kilometres south of Harare) said: "The idea of placement of youths at schools is that they can get information on who among school staff supports the MDC. Clearly the government fears that teachers, being community leaders, are able to influence people especially in remote rural areas. And do not forget that these are the same youths who worked with war veterans attacking and beating anyone they suspected of not supporting Zanu PF. We are very afraid."
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From AFP, 19 August
Mugabe still has the people's trust - poll
Forty-six percent of Zimbabweans say they trust President Robert Mugabe, compared to just 18 percent who see opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as the most trustworthy politician, according to an independent survey released Wednesday. "While hardly a strong endorsement of presidential popularity, trust in the president has risen since the dismal showing of 1999" when Mugabe enjoyed 20 percent support in a previous poll, the Afrobarometer survey said. Three out of four Zimbabweans - 75 percent - say they have lost faith in political party diversity and feel that "party competition frequently leads to conflicts," the survey said. While Zimbabweans said they were disillusioned, 83 percent also said they "must often or always be careful about what they say about politics." On the economic front, the survey found that rates of persistent hunger were higher in Zimbabwe than in 15 other sub-Saharan African countries. About 82 percent of Zimbabweans said they were deprived of food at least once in the past year while more than half - 54 percent - said they felt economically deprived. "The present generation thinks that they are materially worse off than their parents," said the survey. Once the breadbasket of the region, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of economic collapse over the past five years and some two million Zimbabweans, out of a population of 12 million, are expected to be in need of food aid by year-end. The hardships faced by Zimbabweans have been blamed on drought and on land reforms launched by Mugabe, under which land owned by whites has been seized and redistributed to blacks. In contrast to government claims, the survey found that only four percent of Zimbabweans saw land reform as a national priority. Meanwhile, 76 percent of Zimbabweans think that land acquisitions should be done by legal means, with compensation for owners. The survey was conducted by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, Centre for Democratic Development of Ghana and Michigan State University. A total of 1 104 Zimbabweans were polled in May in several local languages.
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From Zim Online (SA), 19 August
Mercenaries' deny charges of illegally acquiring weapons of war
Harare - 66 suspected mercenaries held in Zimbabwe yesterday denied charges of plotting to illegally acquire weapons of war from state arms manufacturer, the Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI). The alleged mercenaries were arrested in March this year when their plane landed at Harare International Airport. The state alleges the men had stopped over to pick up firearms meant to be used to topple Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo. The group, made up of mostly South African citizens, claims they were on their way to guard a mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The men, who have already admitted to lesser charges of breaching Zimbabweıs immigration and aviation laws, yesterday denied they wanted to illegally acquire arms of war from the ZDI. The leader of the alleged mercenaries, Simon Mann, a British national, has already admitted to attempting to acquire weapons from ZDI. Addressing a makeshift court at Harareıs Chikurubi Maximum Security prison, where the men are being held, lawyer Jonathan Smakange said: "The accused persons will deny the allegations. Up to today they have not even seen the weapons they are being accused of acquiring. How can they possess something that they didn't even know existed?" Another 15 men, who were allegedly working with the 67 held in Harare, are awaiting trial in Equatorial Guinea's capital Malabo.
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From The Daily News Online Edition, 19 August
Hitting the hard times down South
Johannesburg - Zimbabweans who illegally entered South Africa (SA) are finding it difficult to make a living. There are reports that the majority live under squalid conditions and are being ill-treated by their employers, according to a snap survey conducted by the Daily News Online in Johannesburg. In separate interviews in the past three days, the illegal immigrants narrated different stories of their crisis-ridden experiences in South Africa as migrant workers. The snap survey follows the reports that the South African Home Affairs Ministry would be introducing computerized national identity cards and new passports as President Thabo Mbeki's government clamps down on illegal immigrants. Jane Ndebele, 30, from Plumtree in the south-western part of Zimbabwe said she came to South Africa in 1991 after illegally crossing the border together with her two brothers. She said they were looking for jobs, hoping they would be able to help develop their rural home. She is living in Sandton, an exclusive low density suburb of Johannesburg where she works for a white couple.
Ndebele says life in Sandton has been entertaining, frustrating and at times threatening as she has met with mixed fortunes in her search for the more powerful South African rand. Ndebele works for three other employers on a part-time basis during her free time. "When I came, everything looked set to be right without any problems," she said. "As soon as I got my first job, my employer, a white couple from Randburg started coming up with stringent working conditions that I ended up being dismissed." She said: "When my second child turned two and half last year, my employer asked me to choose between my child and my job because they could not retain me if I stayed with my son. I had to send my son home to save my job otherwise I would have been fired. The poverty back home forces me to prioritise my job ahead of my family." Ndebele said she was not allowed to use the hot water from the geyser or to have any visitor. She said if found with a visitor, her employer deducts R100 (Z$100 000) from her wage of R1 200 (Z$1, 2 million).
Elliot Makona, 56, from Bikita in Masvingo, also resident in Sandton, said although he has found the going tough working in SA, he felt it was better than to return to Zimbabwe where poverty levels were deepening without any political or economic solution in sight. Makona said: "I am working in town as a salesman where I am earning about R2 000 (Z$2 million) pr month. My wife works as a domestic worker in Parkmore, Johanesburg where she has a room and we stay together. She earns about R1 400 (Z$1, 4 million). We are not allowed visitors." But Emma Museka, 29 from Buhera was not fortunate to have her own private room because her employer has only one room for her and four other male workers employed as gardeners. Museka said she could not sleep well because she was afraid the four men might rape her or sexually abuse her since she would be alone with them overnight. "I sleep in my own bed but the four guys also sleep in the same room," she said. "I have become used to their presence but still I remain on guard because you can't trust men with your body. If things were better back, I wouldn't mind returning but as it is I would better suffer and earn something at the end of the month. I send some money to Zimbabwe to my family and it has helped a lot."
Other Zimbabweans interviewed at some horse-stables outside Sandton where they work told the Daily News Online that they lived in crowded wooden rooms with their wives and friends. They said they maintain a low profile as they live in constant fear of being arrested and subsequently deported by the South African authorities. The majority are illegal immigrants. Some of them have corruptly obtained South African documents but police would still deport them. Zimbabweans escaping the economic and political hardships have also sought refuge illegally in the United Kingdom, Botswana, Australia, and New Zealand where the majority do menial jobs to earn a living. Most of them do three or four jobs everyday to supplement their income. There are at least 2, 5 million Zimbabweans living in South Africa alone, 5000 of them with valid documents. It is not clear what will happen to these Zimbabweans living illegally in South Africa when the Home Affairs Ministry moves in. But what is certain is that most of them will be sent packing back to their troubled Zimbabwe.
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Comment from Business Day (SA), 18 August
Expect usual sounds of silence on Zimbabwe at SADC summit
Wyndham Hartley, Parliamentary Editor
Johannesburg - Observers, both informed and casual, have for years been completely confused by the situation in Zimbabwe and the responses of leadership in southern Africa to the depredations of President Robert Mugabe. This confusion can only have increased after the opening day of this year's Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Mauritius. It is worth remembering that the heart and soul of the SADC are the former "frontline states". These frontline states Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Angola were at the forefront of the fight against apartheid SA. Those mentioned gave succour to the African National Congress (ANC) and the South West African People's Organisation (Swapo) in the form of camps and often material support. In return they suffered raids from the apartheid war machine, either in the form of bombing raids or commando- style attacks. The bottom line here is that somewhere in the depths of their subconscious they believe SA owes them something. Now let us try translate that into an economic development region and some of the reasons for the moribund nature of the SADC begin to emerge. In addition to believing that there is a debt owing there is fear of SA's economic muscle overpowering them. But I digress.
Topping the agenda for this summit are two issues. Free and fair elections in Africa, and the situation in Zimbabwe. Clearly the two are not unconnected particularly with a parliamentary election scheduled for next year in Zimbabwe. Palpably Mugabe stole the last presidential election and has rigged the courts in his country to defend the result against any legal challenges. Not especially good advertising to the world about how the region respects democratic fundamentals. Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Monday gave a chilling speech to the opening ceremony of the SADC summit. He railed shrilly against the enemies of Africans, against those who had imposed colonialism on African countries. Then the clincher he suggested that the region should develop electoral laws that were in line with its political, social and cultural background. All of us, European, Asian or African, somewhere, come from a dictatorial system originally. Alexander the Great and the great Egyptian pharaohs were not great exponents of the democratic state. Neither were Genghis Khan and other Asian leaders. Democracy is a relatively modern idea, Mkapa should be told.
It is also considered critical all over the world to giving ordinary poor people a shot at influencing the way their lives are run. It is not a creation of the Americans or the British. In effect, Mkapa was saying nothing would be done about the situation in Zimbabwe and Mugabe would not be stopped from stealing yet another election. His tirade came after Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili said democracy was thriving. Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Berenger issued a stern warning earlier that free and fair elections needed an independent electoral commission, access to state media, unfettered press and credible observation, all denied in Zimbabwe by Mugabe. So Mkapa praises Mugabe, Berenger appears to be criticising him and telling him what is required. But it is all being done in a sort of code that precludes anyone in the region taking the Zimbabwe issue by the scruff of the neck. Perhaps they want to sell food to the starving millions in Zimbabwe after the collapse of agriculture in that country. Berenger spoke as if a free and fair election in Zimbabwe was a foregone conclusion. There is no question that the US, UK and European Union (EU) are not convinced. There is also no question that to get development going in Africa they need to be convinced. It might be unfair but that is the truth.
So why does Mugabe get a standing ovation from the crowds gathered at the Union Buildings for President Thabo Mbeki's inauguration? Why are other SADC leaders, whose countries are obviously being harmed by the situation in Zimbabwe, so reluctant to criticise him? Why does Mbeki practise silent diplomacy with Mugabe but foghorn diplomacy with Israel? Ordinary South Africans consider Mugabe to be a hero of the struggle against racism and the colonial legacy. Many of the leaders in Africa would also share this view. Indeed I think white South Africans would be surprised at how many supported the idea of Zimbabwe-style land grabs. Politically it is not a good idea for a black leader to be going about slagging Mugabe off. The people who are going to vote for him or her next time round are not going to like it. And because Mugabe is a hero of Africa, standing bravely against the evil of the UK, US and EU opposition, criticism from the Movement for Democratic Change and the Democratic Alliance will be to no avail. Zimbabweans themselves will have to find a way to depose Mugabe and replace Zanu PF.
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From The Daily News Online Edition, 20 August
Zanu PF revives terror bases
Zanu PF has begun reviving terror bases on resettled farms around the country as the party prepares to launch a violent campaign against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) ahead of next year's parliamentary election. Party sources told the Daily News Online that the bases would provide a launch pad for the ruling party's campaign against the MDC. More bases would be set up in rural and urban areas, the sources said. Youths drawn from the resettled farm and surrounding rural areas were already staying at the bases were they were undergoing "political mobilization", some ruling party officials said who could not be named. "The party wants to make sure that the farming areas are sealed off from the opposition. We will then venture into the rural areas from the farms. We realized that the MDC would target the farms and the rural areas for its campaign because it already has urban support. But they will find us in a state of preparedness," said a party official.
The officials said a recent politburo meeting had tasked national political commissar Elliot Manyika and secretary for the youth league Absalom Sikhosana with the revival of the terror bases. Sources said the youth would undergo political mobilization and physical training but said this did not include firearm handling. War veterans and some retired army personnel were involved in the training, while militia from the government-sponsored national youth training service had also been incorporated, it was established. Zanu PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira refused to comment: "These are the usual lies to discredit us. Goand seek comment from the MDC because they are the ones who manufacture such stories." The ruling party has consistently denied charges that it uses violence and intimidation against political rivals. But the MDC shadow minister for defence, Giles Mutsekwa said he was aware of such activities on resettled farms. Mutsekwa said two farms, The Grange and Meikle Farm, were being used for such activities in his Mutare North constituency.
Efforts to alert the police had been fruitless, the former army major said. "I have been aware of such training going on at the farms. Of late the training has been intensified as we head towards the elections. I am pleased to say that they have failed to mobilize a lot of youths from the constituency so they have to rely on their usual militia. I understand that the youths would be unleashed in the rural areas when election time is near to intimidate villagers. My reports indicate that this is happening nationwide," said Mutsekwa. Mutsekwa said he had informed the police about the activities taking place at the farms: "Innocent Gonese (MP for Mutare Central) and I advised the police but instead of investigating the matter, the police have now turned on us. The officer commanding law and order section, Superintendent (Godfrey) Chikwanda threatened us with unspecified action for mentioning the activities." Chikwanda refused to comment on the matter yesterday when contacted for comment. "It's a matter between me and them. Anyway you have to come to my office if you want more details because I wouldn't talk to you over the phone," said Chikwanda.
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From The Mail & Guardian (SA), 19 August
Taught to hate
Godwin Gandu
Border Gezi, one of Zimbabwe's national heroes, is buried at Heroes Acre. The former Zanu PF secretary for the commissariat and minister of youth and employment creation died in a car accident. Gezi is best remembered as the running mate for "war veterans" leader Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi in the 2000 election campaign, in which he is alleged to have engineered about 200 murders. To honour Gezi, the national youth service training camp 250km north of Harare was named after him. Border Gezi National Youth Camp is where 23-year-old Dumisani Phiri* was trained and now lectures others on patriotism. Phiri was not forced to don the dark green military outfit of the infamous "Green Bombers". It was a career move. When he completed high school in a Harare township, he knew his parents, who live off state pensions, could not afford to pay for him to further his studies. Unemployed, he would drown his sorrows in Harare's townships. He believed his only alternative was to enlist for the national youth service in the hope of securing a job in the police, army or government. "That's why I went kwaBorder Gezi," he said. His bloodshot eyes and nicotine-stained teeth reveal his liking for Madison cigarettes. "I had no [political] party, I just enjoyed fun. Like other young men I liked machinja [the Movement for Democratic Change], but I was not committed." Border Gezi changed all this. "Yes, I came to understand Zanu PF and its principles, why they went to war to fight Ian Smith, why they need to take land now and teach Tony Blair a lesson."
To visit the youth training camps you have to seek permission from the Ministry of Gender and Employment Creation. As in a prison set-up, a ministry official monitors all interviews and your every move. I made arrangements to meet Phiri in Harare town. He was frank and forthright in his responses and had very little bad to say about the camps. He described the daily routine at the camp as similar to boarding school: "We wake up every morning about 5.30am, go for military drills with instructors - a retired army colonel and a retired major." At 6.30am they have yeKenya porridge (yellow maize), followed by tea at about 9am with bread, no margarine, no eggs and no milk. You bring your own toothpaste because the government has no money. "Those that went to war never had these essentials," he says with pride. Lunch is served at 12.30pm, mainly beans, meat, cabbage and, on the odd occasion, chicken. Afternoon is leisure time. Most of the day is spent in lectures where "we were taught the background of the Zimbabwe war of liberation, the Chinese revolution, the Cuban revolution and the land reform", he said. He spoke passionately of Fidel Castro, about pan-Africanism, and remembered the dates when the country's heroes passed away and what they mean to him.
There are no examinations at the camp. "Your commitment is measured by your discipline, ability to perform military drills and to understand the revolution and land reform. The national anthem we sang in the morning, and late in the afternoon." The youth are told that the MDC, acting in cahoots with the British, has a strategy to derail land reform. Phiri is convinced that if the MDC gets to power, the land will go back to whites. Morgan Tsvangirai's speeches are printed, photocopied and distributed at the camps, especially his infamous quote at Rufaro stadium in September 2001 where he declared his party would remove President Robert Mugabe's government "violently" if he does not go "peacefully". Recruits are drilled until they come to believe that the people who vote for the MDC are lost. They feel they are fortunate to be at the camps. He gave the official line: recruits are taught patriotism, agriculture and military drills - but not violence. He scoffed at reports that recruits have been harassing civilians in township nightclubs and rural areas where scores of people have been displaced. "At our training camp, we are never taught to fight others, but are taught self-defence. I don't know about other camps," he said.
And on allegations of rape at the camps, he said: "I was told the police did investigate, but I'm not sure what happened to them. Others we were told were just in love. Some came [to the camp already] pregnant - like the woman who named her son after Border Gezi. It's not that she fell pregnant there. "Even during the war there were cases of rape. There is nothing unique about Gezi." Harassment, he said, is done to instil discipline. Female recruits get equal treatment. Phiri said recruits attend national events and, as per their military training, have to salute Mugabe and all government officials, something he will never do for Tsvangirai should he become president. His explanation was simple: "You should understand he never went to war. We have no respect for someone who never went to war." Retired General Gava Zvinavashe expressed the same sentiment prior to the 2002 presidential election. The defence forces, too, are on record saying that they will not salute anybody who did not participate in Zimbabwe's liberation war. Another youth-camp graduate, Gift Dube*, is 18 years old. He did his stint at Dadaya National Youth Service from September to November last year and was awarded his certificate from the resident minister, Cephas Msipa. It is proudly displayed in his home in Harare's Mabvuku township. Dadaya National Youth Service Training is about 500km south of Harare. It is located next to Five Brigade military quarters. Recruits live with the army, talk to the army and learn military drills at Five Brigade.
Dube did not mention poverty as a reason to enlist, as Phiri did. He had heard that a national youth certificate would be a prerequisite for a place at a training college, and so he signed up. "I applied and went for training last year. The food was atrocious," he said, pointing out that he lost 10kg during his stay at the camps. He does not understand why recruits had to do military drills but "no mathematics, science or geography. We were taught about globalisation, the struggle, liberation war songs and land reform. "We were provided just three blankets and would sleep in the barracks," he said. "We were barricaded by a big fence and we rarely interacted with women after hours. There was strict military discipline." His superiors were the only people with access to the camps at night. "We were taught in a particular way to hate the MDC ... that was the agenda." Dube now works at a government office in Harare. He believes he will get a job in the army, police or prison service, and is convinced that with a youth certificate in hand he's eligible for further studies, which could lead to a job as a lawyer, prosecutor or judge.
* Not his real name
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From The Guardian (UK), 20 August
Greater trust in Mugabe ascribed to fear
Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria
Zimbabwe's trust in President Robert Mugabe has risen to 46%, a survey released yesterday shows, but it gives most of the credit for the aging leader's increased popularity to state propaganda and the fear of intimidation. The Afrobarometer survey shows that trust in Mr Mugabe has more than doubled from the 20% it recorded when it was last conducted, in 1999. The South African and US researchers attributes Mr Mugabe's rising popularity to the relentless propaganda by the government party, Zanu PF, which holds a monopoly on television, radio and daily newspapers. "Political propaganda is by far the most important determinant of presidential approval," they say in The Power of Propaganda: Public Opinion in Zimbabwe. "In a setting where the mass media have been strangled and the diet of public information is tightly controlled, many Zimbabweans have apparently succumbed to Zanu PF's view of a country beset by internal and external enemies." Mr Mugabe's surge in popularity is not matched by any improvement in the Zimbabweans' sense of well-being. The researchers found high levels of persistent hunger, 82% of those polled saying they had gone without any food at least one day in the past year. And they found that political fear was at one of the highest levels in the 16 African countries that Afrobarometer has surveyed in recent years: 83% of the respondents believed that people had to be careful what they said about politics. And only 48% preferred democracy to any other form of government - a fall from 71% in 1999. More than 75% disapproved of Mugabe's land seizures.
From ZWNEWS: If you would like to read the Afrobarometer survey, please let us know. It will be sent as a Word attachment to an email message, approximately five times the size of the average daily ZWNEWS.
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From Reuters, 19 August
Zimbabwe promises poll reforms in by-election
Harare - Zimbabwe will introduce some electoral reforms in a by-election this year to fill a parliamentary seat left vacant by the death of an opposition legislator, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Thursday. President Robert Mugabe, under pressure from the opposition and his southern African neighbours, last month pledged wide-ranging electoral reforms before next March's parliamentary elections. The reforms, backed at a regional level by this week's summit of Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Mauritius, follow widespread criticism of Mugabe's re-election in 2002, which both the opposition and some Western powers claim was rigged. Chinamasa said the new reforms to be introduced on a trial basis in the Seke constituency just outside Harare did not require ratification by parliament. He said in the poll, expected before the end of the year, voting would be conducted in one day instead of the traditional two days and ballot papers would be counted at separate voting centres rather than one centralised location. "There are other electoral reforms which we cannot introduce but there are those we can introduce without any legislative intervention," Chinamasa was quoted by state television as saying. "I have communicated this to electoral officials and I have indicated that we will have as a trial run some of the election reforms we have proposed during the by-election in Seke," Chinamasa said. Other proposed reforms including the establishment of an independent election body need parliamentary approval. The reforms have been largely welcomed by the opposition Movment for Democratic Change (MDC) as a step toward free and fair elections, although Mugabe's critics say the long-time ruler has often resorted to other means, including intimidating voters, to secure victory at the polls.
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From The Zimbabwe Independent, 20 August
Chingoka payment touches off row
Staff Writer
A row has erupted between the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) board and members of provincial structures over a payment of £50 000 to ZCU chairman Peter Chingoka by the union. The ZCU is also accused of spending more than $300 million last year in travel and accommodation expenses for all 12 board members when they accompanied the Zimbabwe national cricket team on a tour of Australia. It is claimed that the board members took their wives along with them. The issue of payment to Chingoka and the trip to Australia had been concealed by the ZCU leadership, with former general manager Vince Hogg having remarked earlier this year that the matter was confidential. He reportedly asked how it got to be known. Tongues have been wagging in the cricket fraternity over Chingoka's payment as well as the cost of the board members' trip to Australia. The Zimbabwe Independent has been investigating the issue since last week. Chingoka was interviewed on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, a story appeared in the Herald yesterday that appeared designed to pre-empt these investigations, claiming there was a "conspiracy" to sully Chingoka's name.
Chingoka admitted at the recent ZCU annual general meeting that he received the money after former cricket administrator Ray Gripper raised a question from the floor. Chingoka refused to explain the circumstances under which he was given the money. In an interview on Wednesday, he admitted to having received the money from the ZCU. He also confirmed all 12 board members travelled to Australia last year. "The matter was discussed by the board of directors on January 18 2003. It was minuted following a meeting," said Chingoka. "I was not in the meeting but I was advised that there was a unanimous decision to give me the money. They said it was for service to cricket for 21 years," Chingoka said. Hogg, who resigned at the AGM two weeks ago, said the matter was meant to be confidential. Chingoka said the spending on the board's trip to Australia was justified. "It's normal practice for various board members from all over the world to visit and interact. For example, when Sri Lanka came here there were three board members and Australia had one. Yes, all our board members went across. But there were no expenses incurred on members' wives. Probably board members paid for their wives' expenses. The expenses, which I can't give a figure for, are part of the board expenses in the report. We can't state every item." The financial report for the just-ended ZCU calendar year indicates that board expenses were over $500 million.
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From The Cape Times (SA), 20 August
SA hunters on 'wildlife killing spree' in Zimbabwe
By Melanie Gosling
Conflicting reports are emerging from Zimbabwe about poaching and illegal trophy hunting. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force has heard of illegal hunting in the Matetsi area near Victoria Falls, its chairman, Johnny Rodrigues, says. "Our informant met ... some South African hunters. He was told they were engaged in a massive hunting expedition on a game ranch or conservancy now being taken over by settlers. He saw a large number of vehicles with South African number plates ... He says these people are ... on a killing spree. Among the carcasses he saw were lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, kudu, sable, impala and even baboon ... He was invited to the abattoirs, which were full of game meat. Our informant was told one of the settlers was paid US$50 000 by the hunters." Most of the government officials to whom he used to report such incidents had quit because of pressure, Rodrigues said. A professional hunter said there was hardly any game left on the commercial ranches. "One property near Bulawayo used to get a quota of one bull elephant every two years for trophy hunting. This year five bulls have been shot. It is illegal to shoot animals with radio collars as they are part of research. In Hwange National Park, four of the five collared lions have been shot. In many places there is uncontrolled slaughter, where people are even shooting babies." Sally Bown, of Zimbabwe's Professional Hunters and Guides Association, said there had been poaching on private land, but there was "plenty of game" on state land. Morris Mtsambiwa, director-general of Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said illegal hunting was not widespread. "On farms it was a problem up to a year ago, but new farmers are seeking quotas. We appreciate information on illegal hunting and will investigate it."
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From The Zimbabwe Independent, 20 August
Coventry eyes gold
Staff Writer
Zimbabwe's swimming star Kirsty Coventry guns for a third Olympic medal today in the 200m backstroke final at the 28th games in Athens, Greece. Coventry ended Zimbabwe's 24-year wait for an Olympic medal with silver in the 100m backstroke final on Monday. The new heroine followed up her fine start with a bronze medal on Tuesday in the 200m individual medley final. Yesterday Coventry finished third in the preliminary heats of the 200m backstroke before coming second in the semi-final behind Stanislava Komarova of Russia. Coventry finished the race in 2 minutes 10 seconds. Zimbabwe has pinned hopes for another podium finish when the dazzling Coventry takes to the pool against seven other swimmers in the 200m backstroke final tonight.
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From The Times (UK), 21 August
Mugabe targets charity groups
From Jan Raath in Harare
All voluntary organisations in Zimbabwe, from those concerned with civil liberties and food aid to the Brownies and tropical fish clubs, will have to register with a new state-controlled council under a Bill published by President Mugabe's Government yesterday. The move has been widely condemned as an attempt to silence organisations pressing for political reform ahead of elections next year. Under the Non-Governmental Organisations Bill, thousands of associations, charities and clubs will have to register with the 15-member council - one of whom must be a member of Mr Mugabe's notorious secret police - or face closure. The council will be able to withdraw licences from any organisation and appoint trustees. It will hire "inspectors" to carry out surveillance on the associations. The Bill would outlaw any foreign organisations involved in "governance". Local bodies working in the same field will be banned from receiving funding from abroad. Jail sentences of up to six months are prescribed for anyone defying the law. Political parties will be exempt from regulations, but trade unions are included, as are church organisations, except for "activities confined to religious work".
"Non-governmental organisations must work for the betterment of the country and not against it," said President Mugabe when he first announced the proposed law. "We cannot allow them to be conduits for instruments of foreign interference." Those within the scope of the law will include organisations monitoring alleged torture, electoral fraud and human rights abuses under the regime. Also at risk are bodies that work to relieve famine and poverty and thus expose the failure of the Mugabe Government to feed its people. "Trade unions, the media, the judiciary, the education system, have all been systematically assaulted," said Brian Raftopoulos, a board member of Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition, an alliance of the country's major civil rights bodies. "This is the perfection of the methods used very effectively since 2000 to silence voices that are critical." The Bill has been introduced only six months ahead of the next scheduled parliamentary elections. "It's quite clear they are preparing the stage for next year," said Lovemore Madhuku, head of the National Constitutional Alliance, which presses for constitutional change.
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From Zim Online (SA), 21 August
Donors allowed to resume food aid - for specific groups
Harare - The Zimbabwe government has allowed food aid organisations to restart assisting hungry people. In an interview with ZimOnline yesterday, Social Welfare Minister Paul Mangwana said non-governmental organisations had been allowed to resume feeding schemes targeting specific groups but not the general population. "We are giving them (NGOs) permission to give assistance to vulnerable groups such as orphans and those affected by HIV/AIDS. They will also be allowed to chip in when there is an emergency. But as government, we will carry out the general feeding programme. We are already doing this through the public works system. We won't need any donors for that because we have harvested enough food and we have actually recorded a surplus." Sources, who do not want to be named, told ZimOnline said Mangwana had "backtracked" on food aid following intense pressure by governors of provinces which are the worst affected by food shortages. Earlier this month, ZimOnline reported that the governors of three provinces - Matabeleland South, Bulawayo and Masvingo - had written to Mangwana to allow food aid operations to resume in their areas. The governors indicated that the general population and not just special groups required help.
Spokeswoman for the United Nationıs World Food Programme, Makena Walker, said: "We are yet to get clarification (from government) on what this exactly means. May be a meeting will be called and by next week we might have received an explanation." During his speech marking the opening of Parliament in July, President Robert Mugabe told donors to take their food elsewhere because Zimbabwe had harvested enough to feed its 12 million people. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made has insisted the country will realize a harvest of more than two million tonnes of the staple maize grain. Zimbabwe requires about 1.8 million tonnes of maize a year for consumption and for its strategic grain reserve. Several surveys by the United Nations and other institutions have indicated Zimbabwe will harvest less than this amount. Confusion over Zimbabwe's food situation deepened with reports last week that the state's Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and the Central Statistical Office (CSO) had given a parliamentary committee probing the food situation contradicting information about the quantity of maize in the country. The GMB told the committee that Zimbabwe will harvest 2.4 millions tonnes of maize while the CSO put the total tonnage at 1.2 million.
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From The Daily News Online Edition, 20 August
Jonathan Moyo in multi billion dollar poaching scandal
The Zimbabwe Conservation Trust Fund (ZCTF) has implicated President Mugabe's spokesman Information Minister Jonathan Moyo in a multi-billion dollar poaching scheme that involves illegal South African hunters. Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of the ZCTF, an independent wildlife conservation watchdog said Moyo and other settlers had allowed South African hunters to poach wildlife in the Matetsi area, near Hwange National Park. The animals' products were worth billions of dollars and would be sold mainly to the Asian market, although some locally based Chinese also bought them for illegal export to their country. Moyo grabbed a 32-bed lodge known as Sikumi, which also encompasses a large conservation area in Matetsi. The conservancy and the lodge belonged to the De Vries family before Moyo grabbed it last year. Rodrigues said Moyo and neighbouring settlers had struck a deal with the South African hunters who are now involved in large scale illegal hunting of wildlife.
"Moyo chucked out the previous owners and he is now bringing safari companies from South Africa to slaughter animals. The conservancy is flooded with South African registered land cruisers. The VIPs like Moyo are involved in a lot of funny deals with safari operators. We have been monitoring the events," Rodrigues told The Daily News Online yesterday. Rodrigues said some settlers and Department of National Parks and Wildlife workers in the area had received "thousands" of United States dollars in bribes. He however said it was not clear whether Moyo had also received a pay out from the South African hunters "but our information shows that Moyo definitely authorized the illegal hunters". Rodrigues said eye witness reports indicated mass slaughter of animals by the hunters: "These people are literally on a killing spree. Amongst the carcasses our informants saw were lion,leopard, buffalo, elephant, kudu, sable, impala and even baboon." It was not possible to get a comment from Moyo yesterday. His secretary said the minister was not willing to take questions from the Daily News Online.
According to Zimbabwean laws, conservancy owners who have surplus animals should apply to the government so that the surplus animals are considered for hunting. The surplus animals would then be put on a quota for animals to be hunted. "The idea is that money earned from hunting should be ploughed back into the community and also into wildlife conservation. But in this case people are just lining up their pockets at the expense of the community and the animals," said the wildlife activist. Rodrigues said his organization would approach the Minister of lands and Resettlement, John Nkomo for recourse. "Nkomo is our hope. We will present him with all the evidence. Our hope is that he will drive Moyo out of the farm because he is there illegally. We understand that Moyo has other farms and is not entitled to the property," said Rodrigues. Nkomo last month demanded that Moyo and several other ministers should surrender extra farms they had illegally acquired during the fast track land reform programme.
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From The Daily Mirror, 20 August
Nkomo strikes back!
Unscrupulous ministers to be dealt with
Nkululeko Sibanda
The minister of Special Affairs responsible for Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, John Nkomo, has hit out at fellow ministers and provincial governors who are seeking to enrich themselves through the agrarian reforms at the expense of the general public. Addressing more than 140 delegates to the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ) annual conference in Nyanga, Nkomo on Wednesday put his foot down and vowed to deal with unscrupulous politicians and government officials who were working against the successful conclusion of the land reform programme. No one would deter him from bringing sanity to the land reform programme and ensuring that it was concluded in a transparent manner, he said, referring to those who were seeking to derail the programme as saboteurs. Government was putting in place stringent measures to deal with such people, he added. He said that he was aware of tricks that were being used to conceal some of the information from his department so that the culprits were spared when farms wrongly acquired were repossessed. Many of the culprits have excess land held in trust through proxies, and have attempted to beat the system by claiming that the properties are not registered in their names.
Nkomo and officials from his department have received a lot of flak from the public media following the issuing of withdrawal letters on some people who had acquired farms in an improper manner or were multiple farm owners. However, he has stood undeterred and has vowed to do all the dirty work, if any, to ensure that sanity prevails in the programme. "I will put this example of a public toilet where all the dirt is dumped. In this I mean that I, to some people, resemble a public toilet that is stinking and full of smelly waste and some people cannot afford to come closer to me. But that will not stop me from making sure that this programme succeeds as mandated to me by the Presidency, which entrusted me with the duty of seeing to it that the land is amicably distributed to all those that need it," said Nkomo. He hit out at some of his colleagues in government, whom he said were acting in an errant manner and had failed to adhere to laid down statutes of the programme. "Although there are some of us in the government who have acted as per their briefs and upheld the very fundamental principles of the land reform programme, there have been some of us who have acted (in an errant manner) and sought to enrich themselves at the expense of others. They have decided to ignore the existing laws of the land because they have seen that these are corrective measures that in the long run will affect their endeavours, and at the same time contribute to the success of the programme," Nkomo charged.
He also accused some of the provincial governors of having contributed to the chaos besetting the programme. "While some of our governors diligently carried out their roles as fatherly figures in the land reform programme, there are some of them who were a let down. We still have chaos in the programme and I regret to say this, that some of the chaos has been a result of the actions of some of our governors. They have been working with some of the elements that are against this programme to derail the programme through benefiting where they are not supposed to." Nkomo said there was need for the stakeholders to pull energies together as the programme was nearing completion. "We are now working on the cleansing process of this programme and this is where maximum cooperation of the stakeholders is needed and in the maximum of all levels. There is need for collective responsibility that will in the long run assist us in tying all the loose ends that are presented by the land reform programme and all those issues that were brought to the fore by the Buka report." Nkomo admitted that the cleansing process had not been easy, given the attitude of some of the players in the sector, both at government and at the civic society level.
He further said the government was putting in place mechanisms that would ensure a systematic distribution of land that would in turn cut down on the chaos that ripped the programme due to lack of coordination. "We, in the ministry, are currently working out a system that will ensure that the distribution of land is done in a more proper manner than the current scenario where everyone is just distributing land willy-nilly. No one shall be allowed to distribute land as and when they wish and to whoever they wish. This is aimed at avoiding the confusion that was once the order of the day in the past, and I would like to reiterate that we do not want to see that situation prevail again. Saboteurs of the programme would not have a place in this dispensation and we would once again reiterate that they will be dealt with according to the laws of the land and also in line with the statutes of the programme. "Illegal settlers will also be evicted from those plots that they illegally allotted themselves to pave way for the systematic resettlement and that is set to be done as a matter of urgency," Nkomo said.
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From Reuters, 20 August
Zim says it can't extradite 'mercenaries'
By Stella Mapenzauswa
Harare - Zimbabwe said on Friday it could not extradite 70 suspected mercenaries accused of plotting to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea for legal reasons as prosecutors wrapped up the case against them. Relatives and lawyers for the men had feared the South African citizens, arrested after their plane was impounded in Harare in March, could face the death sentence if transferred to the oil-rich West African state. On Friday Zimbabwe's Home Affairs (interior) minister Kembo Mohadi said extradition was impossible. "We don't have that arrangement with Equatorial Guinea ... and also it would be against international law to do so," Mohadi said in remarks broadcast on state television. Zimbabwe officials said the men were en route to a planned coup against Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. State prosecutor Lawrence Phiri said the men were lying on the floor when their plane arrived in Harare, suggesting they were following instructions written on a document found in the plane and knew they were involved in illegal activities. "The fact that they were lying on the floor, that they were in darkness, means they were complying with instructions to avoid detection," he told the court. "The manner in which the accused were recruited in South Africa was suspect because they were recruited over the phone by a man they did not know ... That can only be consistent with mercenary recruitment or military recruitment," he said.
Shackled and dressed in khaki prison garb, the suspected mercenaries were led into a makeshift courtroom at a maximum security jail in Harare to hear final statements from prosecution and defence counsels. Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe ordered the men back in court next Friday, but it was unclear if he would pass judgment then. Sixty-six of the accused were charged this week with illegally trying to "possess or acquire" weapons including assault rifles, hand grenades, anti-tank missiles and mortar bombs. They face up to 10 years in jail if convicted. The defence asked the court to dismiss those charges because they are not covered under the Public Order and Security Act and because the state failed to prove there had been a conspiracy. "There is no evidence led by the state at all to show that there has been an agreement (for a conspiracy)," defence counsel Jonathan Samkange said, adding there was no evidence linking the passengers on the plane to the firearms. Last month 67 of the accused pleaded guilty to lesser charges of contravening immigration and aviation laws. The group's leader Simon Mann, a former member of Britain's special services, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess dangerous weapons, but rejected a second charge of purchasing weapons, saying the deal never went through. Fifteen other men are awaiting trial in Equatorial Guinea in connection with the same accusations.
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From The Daily Mirror, 20 August
AirZim unearths fraud involving corpses
Clemence Manyukwe
Air Zimbabwe is investigating the alleged misappropriation of funds generated from the ferrying of human bodies from abroad. Sources alleged the airline had been prejudiced of billions of dollars after money paid in foreign currency never found its way into the airline's coffers. The sources said the bulk of the funds were generated from the United Kingdom and South Africa, where the bulk of Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora are resident. " People privy to the transactions can tell you that the number of bodies that were carried and what is indicated as having been generated do not tally. This scam is not new, but spans a couple of years back. Air Zimbabwe spokesperson, Arthur Manase, said although management was of the view that no such underhand dealings were taking place, investigations had been launched to clear the air, since the allegations had been doing the rounds for some time. "The usual payment policy for freighting human remains is cash up-front through our appointed GSAs. However, to allay any suspicions, a thorough probe into all the transactions undertaken has been ordered and is underway," said Manase. The Minister of Transport and Communications, Christopher Mushowe, said he had not been appraised on the developments leading to the probe, but called on anyone with relevant information to approach him.
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Extract from a longer article in The International Herald Tribune, 21 August
A third medal for Zimbabwe - and racial harmony
Symbols of racial harmony are hard to come by in present-day Zimbabwe, with President Robert Mugabe authorizing the repossession of the white minority's land and driving many of them out of the country and the nation's economy into a downward spiral. But amid the wider context of tension and perhaps insoluble differences, there was a pocket of shared delight inside the Olympic pool on Friday night as Kirsty Coventry, the most unlikely swimming success story of these Games, won her third medal. That was quite an accomplishment considering that Zimbabwe, the once-prosperous but now deeply troubled southern African nation, had never come close to an Olympic medal in swimming. It - or rather Coventry - now has one of every color: a bronze from the 200-meter individual medley; a silver from the 100 backstroke and, best of all, Friday's gold in the 200 backstroke. As Coventry, the white daughter of parents who still live in Harare, celebrated in the pool after her narrow victory, Paul Chingoka, the black president of Zimbabwe's Olympic committee, was also bobbing up and down in the stands with delight. "The whole country's going crazy at the moment," Chingoka said. "I know her parents. I knew her mother when she was pregnant with Kirsty. This is great for our sport. Everybody's excited." Nonetheless, Coventry, a 20-year-old who left Zimbabwe three years ago to swim for Auburn University in the United States, was still left to answer multiple queries about what impact her unexpected success might have on the socio-political climate at home. "I was born there, it's in my blood and I'm just so proud to be representing Zimbabwe and to be here for all the people at home and let them know they can follow their dreams, and it will take them anywhere," said Coventry, who has changed her plans and now expects to return to Zimbabwe after the Games for a celebratory visit - at government expense - instead of returning directly to the United States. "I don't think politics should interfere with sports," she said.
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From News24 (SA), 22 August
Mugabe slams clerics
Harare, Zimbabwe - The new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Harare publicly criticized the Zimbabwean government's poor human rights record on Saturday, drawing a scathing attack from President Robert Mugabe. Archbishop Robert Ndlovu told a crowd of some 6 000 people, including Mugabe, who turned out for his inauguration that free expression, association and assembly were rights the church supported. Zimbabwe has been wracked by political violence and economic turmoil in recent years as Mugabe's government has seized thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks. Seeking to crack down on dissent, the government has arrested opposition leaders, trade unionists and independent journalists. "The role of a bishop and of the church in general is to stand up for human dignity, and from human dignity flow human rights," said Ndlovu, who was formerly the Bishop of Hwange, a city in northwestern Zimbabwe where up to 20 000 suspected opposition supporters were killed by Mugabe's security forces in the 1980s.
After Ndlovu finished speaking, Mugabe made an impromptu speech, attacking unnamed religious leaders who "joined hands with erstwhile colonial masters to peddle lies about the state of affairs and demonize Zimbabwe". Mugabe often accuses critics of being league with Zimbabwe's former coloniser, Britain, and other Western nations. Before leaving, Mugabe commended the Catholic church for giving him his early education as a mission teacher and took communion with his wife. Ndlovu's appointment last month drew sharp criticism from Zimbabwe's state-controlled media, which said that one of several known pro-Mugabe clerics from Mugabe's majority Shona tribe should have been made Harare archbishop. Ndlovu is from the minority Ndebele tribe. On Friday, Mugabe's government published plans for new restrictive legislation banning foreign human rights group and making all private relief work subject to stringent state controls. Churches will require approval to undertake any work beyond their own registered members, if the proposed legislation passes, as expected. Mugabe, who claimed disputed parliamentary and presidential election victories in June 2000 and March 2002, says foreign-inspired organisations are undermining the country's sovereignty and promoting unrest.
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From The Zimbabwe Standard, 22 August
Mugabe should halt political violence - Arcbishop Ncube
By Foster Dongozi
President Robert Mugabe should play a leading role in stopping the political violence perpetrated by Zanu PF supporters against their perceived political opponents in Zimbabwe, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, said in Harare yesterday. He was speaking in an interview after the installation of the new Harare Archbishop, Robert Christopher Ndlovu. President Mugabe and the First Lady, Grace, were among thousands of Harare residents who thronged the City Sports Centre to witness the installation of Archbishop Ndlovu. President Mugabe is a devout Roman Catholic. Speaking at the end of the installation, Mugabe urged the church to engage the government in dialogue, especially on issues pertaining to human rights and basic freedoms. He told thousands of Roman Catholics, who had converged on the City Sports Centre to witness the installation that he recently sought a meeting with Archbishop Ncube and that he waited for an hour in vain but the Bulawayo Archbishop did not turn up. However, Archbishop Ncube fired back, saying he had only been informed of the proposed meeting when it was too late. "I had already made prior arrangements to attend to other issues and I could not just change my plans for Mugabe."
Archbishop Ncube said meetings between the president and him would not solve anything unless the President used his position as Head of State and First Secretary and President of Zanu PF to end political violence. "In fact, four Catholic bishops met Mugabe in October last year, expressing their concern about violence but nothing came out of that meeting. The problem with Mugabe is that he can be a very charming and sweet person when you discuss some of these problems and you would think that he also has similar concerns. The problem is that he never seems to tell his supporters to stop beating up people they think are their rivals and this means people will continue to be beaten and killed in politically-motivated violence." The new Archbishop, Robert Christopher Ndlovu, the former bishop of Hwange was born in Lupane, in 1955 and attended Tshongogwe primary School. He attended Dete Marist Brothers for his secondary education before proceeding to study theology and philosophy at Chishawasha Seminary. He attained a Masters in Biblical Theology at the Catholic University in Nairobi, Kenya, before being appointed Archbishop of Harare by Pope John Paul II on 21 May this year. In his acceptance speech, Archbishop Ndlovu praised his predecessor, the late Archbishop Patrick Chakaipa. "I feel humbled by the great missionary work done by my predecessor. I ask for your prayers that God can help us carry the heavy loads together and that he will guide His people though difficult times," said the new Archbishop.
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From Zim Online (SA), 22 August
Hungry youth programme trainees steal cattle and fish, villagers claim
Bulawayo - Hungry trainees at a government National Youth Service Training Centre in Matabeleland North province have allegedly resorted to cattle rustling and stealing food from surrounding villages to survive, ZimOnline has learnt. In one case the youths at the Kamativi Centre, which is understood to have run out of food, are said to have stolen 15 head of cattle from a nearby village. The youths are said to have slaughtered one of the beasts and roasted some of the meat, before ferrying the rest to their centre. A villager, whose cattle were among those stolen and who identified himself only as Moyo, said "Like most of the villagers I reported the theft at Kamativi police station but up to now nothing has been done. They (youths) are just doing as they wish because the police are not responding to our pleas. We do not know what to do anymore."
Some fishermen, who earn a living by selling fish from a dam nearby, said they had also fallen victim to the youths who they said regularly robbed them of their catch. The fishermen also said police have not acted on reports against the youths. Provincial police spokesman Casper Nhepera denied claims by villagers that police were ignoring such reports: "It is true that we received such reports and as police we have done our part and taken the docket to court. It is now the court's duty to bring them to book and I understand they would be appearing in court soon." Youth Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri could not be reached for comment. Mutinhiri has in the past rejected claims that the national youth service trainees commit crimes including political violence. He said the youth programme trains youths to be patriotic, well behaved and law-abiding citizens. Human rights groups and churches accuse the youths of political violence and human rights abuses against the governmentıs political opponents.
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From The Daily News Online Edition, 20 August
UN failing Zim immigrants - Refugees International
Johannesburg - A Washington-based humanitarian organisation, Refugees International (RI), says United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) must play its role in stopping and redressing the violations of human rights of illegal Zimbabweans immigrants by the South African authorities. RI official working on Zimbabwe Andrea Lari yesterday said his organisation was concerned that the UNHCR "is not living up to its responsibilities" while illegal Zimbabweans were raped, beaten and ill treated by South Africa authorities. "We have engaged the UNHCR at Pretoria level, at Geneva level and at Washington level but they seem to be doing nothing. We want them to increase their presence and visibility in the areas along the South African and Zimbabwean border because this will reduce and stop the violations in the areas," Lari said. Comment could not be obtained from UNHCR offices in Pretoria. Lari's comment comes amid reports of gross human rights violations by South African authorities on illegal Zimbabwean immigrants. He said because of the gravity of the human rights violations on the illegal immigrants, RI would be visiting South Africa in the next few months to explore way of redressing or stopping the violations. Thousands of Zimbabweans running away from persecution and poverty have been raped, beaten and humiliated by South African soldiers, police officers and officials from the Department of Homes Affairs.
The lawyers for human rights representative, Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh said the violations on asylum seekers were largely due to corruption by police officers and officials from the Department of Home Affairs. "Corruption is a serious problem in the Department of Home Affairs and needs to be addressed by someone at the top, may be by the Scorpions," said Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh. She said asylum seekers had a major problem in gaining access to offices and at times had to pay bribes of about R300 just to get access to the relevant offices. She said while the UNHCR was doing its part, there was a scope for it to play a bigger role by ensuring that asylum seekers were guaranteed access to the application process. Thousands of Zimbabweans have been deported from South Africa without being given a chance to apply for asylum. RI said it was grateful that the South African government had promised to investigate all reported cases of the violations and include some of its recommendations in its turnaround strategy. The government has announced it would launch a massive investigation into the Department of Home Affairs, the South African police services and other government in a move aimed at weeding out corruption in the public sector.
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From Zim Online (SA), 21 August
"It's cheaper to stay at home"
Bulawayo - Before dawn, on most weekdays, Thamsanqa Ncube can be heard scurrying about in his township home in Bulawayo. The 39-year-old usually gets up early to have enough time for his 22-kilometre walk to an industrial area, where he works as a welder at an engineering company. Ncube cannot afford public transport. A return trip to work, on four different commuter omnibuses, costs Z$6 000, money which could buy him two loaves of bread. On most days he has to walk to work without having breakfast. Ncube says his wife and their three children share a loaf of bread with three other relatives, who migrated to the city from their rural home in search of food.. He foregoes his two slices, hoping the simple breakfast of starch will thus go a little further for those who remain at home. Like many other Zimbabweans, Ncube's main concern is feeding his dependents on his small salary: "I earn only Z$300 000 a month because our company is forcing us to work only three days a week in order to maintain a manageable wage bill. I cannot fend for my family on these peanuts."
According to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) an average family of five requires $1 069 000 a month to survive. The average worker takes home Z$ 400 000. In addition to providing for his immediate family, Ncube is also expected to assist members of his extended family who live in a village nearby. But in the past four years Ncube has not once visited his mother or his rural home. He could not pay for the rising transport costs. He can only afford to send his mother a Z$20 000 token every month, which enables her to buy a 10-kilo bag of mealie meal. "I take each day as it comes. My life has become so difficult, I keep working because I don't want my family to starve. To be frank, I cannot afford one decent meal, let alone feed my relatives." He also says he spends much less time with his family now because he is exhausted after a day of walking: "I have to rest after the long walk to and from work, let alone the job."
Yet Ncube is one of the fortunate Zimbabweans who have a job. The government's Central Statistical Office says at least 65 percent of the population is jobless. The figure is disputed by independent economic analysts and the ZCTU who insist unemployment is somewhere between 75 and 80 percent. Ncube's position may change for the worse. His employer has indicated the company may axe most workers by the end of the year due to shortages of raw materials and foreign currency. This, coupled with rising electricity costs and rates, has contributed to the firm's unpaid bills mounting. Even thousands of working Zimbabweans face a growing dilemma. Despite the fact that they are employed, the cost of working far outweighs the benefits of meagre salaries which have been eroded further by inflation, currently at 360 percent. "There is so much motivation in staying home, at least then I save for the next day," explains a secretary at the government's postal company, ZimPost.. "If I have to go to work it means I have to borrow (money for transport). By the end of the month all I earn has to go towards settling debts."
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From The Spectator (UK), 21 August
Rule of the lawless
Jan Raath on the continuing story of murder and intimidation in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe
Harare - Most brutal regimes dispatch troublesome colleagues and pretend afterward to know nothing about it. Lenin perfected the wiping from memory of freshly eliminated aides. President Robert Mugabe's government, according to a decision just handed down by a high court judge in Harare, has now produced the ideal package for dealing with the disposal of a disloyal servant. Murder him when he becomes unreliable, declare him a national hero before the corpse grows cold, blame the opposition for his demise and then lay into them with righteous vengeance. Cain Nkala was the leader of Mugabe' s war veteran rabble in Matabeleland in 2000. He directed both the violent invasion of white farms and the ruling Zanu PF party's campaign of savage intimidation of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) before the parliamentary elections in June that year. He was implicated in the abduction in Bulawayo of veteran opposition activist Patrick Nyabanyana, the day before the election. A year later Nyabanyana had still not been found and, as a reluctant concession to a huge outcry, authorities had Nkala charged with kidnapping and then murder.
Suddenly insecure, Nkala began talking. He admitted abducting Nyabanyana but said he had handed him over to one of Mugabe's cabinet ministers. He spoke of fleeing to Britain. Retribution came fast. On 5 November 2001, Nkala himself was kidnapped from his home by eight men with AK47 assault rifles. A week later police announced that his body had been found, strangled, in a shallow grave outside Bulawayo. The rest ran according to established Zanu PF practice. The state media loosed a barrage of vilification that blamed the opposition MDC and denounced it as 'a violent terrorist organisation'. State television hourly showed grisly footage of the body being 'discovered' . A reporter in the government press was curiously able to describe how Nkala sang hymns as he was being strangled with a shoelace. Mugabe's politburo swiftly declared him a 'national hero'. At his burial in Heroes' Acre - reserved only for the Zanu PF faithful - outside Harare, Mugabe laid it on thick. 'Comrade Nkala's brutal murder was the bloody outcome of an orchestrated, much wider and carefully planned terrorist plot by internal and external enemy forces' who included the MDC, white farmers, Selous Scouts and even the Westminster Foundation. Zanu PF mobs went on the rampage in Bulawayo and Harare, burnt down buildings and left hundreds injured.
About the same time, six MDC activists, including the national treasurer, Fletcher Dulini-Ncube, were arrested on murder charges. Three were tortured until they signed 'confessions'. For the next year, in prison, all six were subjected to horrible neglect - Ncube lost an eye. Court orders for their release were ignored. Then their trial began in January 2002, and the authorities encountered an unexpected obstacle - an upright judge. Mugabe badly needed a guilty verdict. Despite a sustained five-year torrent of accusations of treachery and violence, the government has failed to make a single case stick against the MDC. A murder conviction could permanently disable the MDC's reputation as an organisation based on tolerance and non-violence, and wreck its considerable international support. The government wanted a conviction so badly that the judge, Sandra Mungwira, who was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, was threatened. Her clerk was hounded by Central Intelligence Organisation agents who came to his office and demanded copies of her judgment. When he said he couldn't get them, they told him to snoop into her computer.
Edith Mushore, one of the defence lawyers, was phoned repeatedly after midnight and menaced by Joseph Chinotimba, the war veteran gangster who terrorised former chief justice Anthony Gubbay into resigning (and whom Mugabe routinely introduces to visiting heads of state). She was followed daily to and from work and when she ferried her children to school. CIO agents would telephone Erik Morris, another lawyer, and threaten his wife and children. It was all spectacularly in vain. Mungwira said all 14 police involved in the investigation 'spewed forth untruths' throughout the trial, their records were 'an appalling piece of fiction' and they had conducted themselves 'in a shameless fashion' by torturing the suspects. She found that most of the six were arrested on murder charges days before police had officially found Nkala's body. She acquitted them all. Who, then, killed Cain Nkala?
Mungwira was excluded from examining culpability beyond the six MDC accused. However, she made a highly significant acknowledgment that 'a third force' was controlling the police in the case. She effectively, with great courage, pointed directly to the government as the murderer. She referred to the constant appearance in evidence of two related organisations. The first was a group of senior army, police, CIO officers and war veterans called the Joint Operational Command. It is a continuation of a counter-insurgency structure that the Rhodesian security forces used in the civil war against black nationalist guerrillas in the Seventies. The second was a group called 'the ferrets', a unit of high-ranking and experienced CIO agents selected for important covert operations. The involvement of these two organisations reveals Mugabe's comprehensive abuse of national police, defence and intelligence resources as his private political property. Worse, it shows that he is conducting his political contest with the MDC, which espouses its principles of transparency and fair play with probably more commitment than I have seen elsewhere in Africa, as a military operation. As it was in the Rhodesian era, the job of the senior officers and 'the ferrets' is surveillance, infiltration, disinformation, covering-up and, most importantly, elimination and assassination.
Zanu PF is notorious for slaughtering its own. An international commission blamed it for assassinating party leader Herbert Chitepo in Zambia in 1975. No one believes that the decapitation of Josiah Tongogara, the head of Mugabe's army, in Mozambique in 1980 was the result of a car accident. Ask any ordinary Zimbabwean how several others, also buried at Heroes' Acre, got there and the answer is always: 'It's obvious.' It remains for the attorney-general to order an investigation into Nkala's murder. David Coltart, the MDC MP whose election agent was Patrick Nyabanyana, says the attorney-general should now look 'closer to home'. 'We always knew it was Zanu PF,' he says. Mungwira is quitting, the 11th judge to do so since 2001. The Herald and Zimbabwe television broadcast her verdict, but in such paucity of detail that it could have been about a rural beerhall murder. The file on Nyabanyana's disappearance remains undisturbed. The 'third force' is in control.
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From Business Day (SA), 23 August
Harare out to crush deviant NGO puppets
Harare - The Zimbabwean government yesterday defended a proposed ban on foreign human rights groups and restrictions on foreign-funded charities, accusing donors of employing "local puppets to champion foreign values". The government on Friday detailed proposed laws under which foreign groups concerned principally with "issues of governance" would be in effect banned and charities forbidden from receiving funds from foreign donors. "Foreign-funded organisations and foreign organisations have (proved) to be a threat to national security when it comes to governance issues," said the labour and social welfare ministry. In a statement at the weekend, the ministry said such groups represented a security threat and adopted foreign values under the guise of human rights and prodemocracy activism. "The mischief the government wants to be rid of is that of foreign donors employing local puppets to champion foreign values much to the detriment of national security," the ministry said. By banning foreign funding for human rights work, the proposed laws would protect national security and ensure "governance issues have to be (seen) in the local context", the statement said. It said some nongovernmental organisations were "deviant and others dabble in politics". "This legislation should not come as a surprise to patent adversaries of government. It was long overdue," the statement said.
Churches and aid groups have warned that the ban on foreign funding will deprive millions of impoverished Zimbabweans of aid as the nation suffers its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980. The Non-Governmental Organisations Bill requires all nongovernmental organisations to register with a statedominated regulatory council and disclose details of their programmes and funding. It is expected to be approved by the ruling party-dominated parliament after it reconvenes on October 5. Groups not granted licences will be shut down. Mugabe is looking to shore up his hold on power after narrowly winning reelection in 2002 in a vote independent observers said was marred by intimidation and rigging. Nongovernmental groups have documented alleged human rights violations amid the political violence, blamed mostly on ruling party militants, that has killed 200 people and driven tens of thousands from their homes since the last parliamentary polls in 2000.
Meanwhile, the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Harare publicly criticised the Zimbabwean government's poor human rights record at the weekend, drawing a scathing attack from President Robert Mugabe. Archbishop Robert Ndlovu told a crowd of about 6000 people, including Mugabe, at his inauguration that free expression, association and assembly were rights the church supported. "The role of a bishop and of the church in general is to stand up for human dignity, and from human dignity flow human rights," said Ndlovu, who was formerly the bishop of Hwange, a city in southwestern Zimbabwe where up to 20000 suspected opposition supporters were killed by Mugabe's security forces in the 1980s. After Ndlovu finished speaking, Mugabe made an impromptu speech, attacking unnamed religious leaders who "joined hands with erstwhile colonial masters to peddle lies about the state of affairs and demonise Zimbabwe". Mugabe often accuses critics of being in league with Britain and other western states. Before leaving, Mugabe commended the Catholic church for educating him as a mission teacher and took communion with his wife Grace. Ndlovu's appointment last month drew sharp criticism from Zimbabwe's state-controlled media, which said that one of several pro-Mugabe clerics from Mugabe's majority Shona tribe should have been made Harare archbishop. Ndlovu is from the minority Ndebele tribe.
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From Zim Online (SA), 23 August
'Bury the puppet MDC'
Information minister lays down the line to editors
Harare - Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has ordered editors of the government's vast media empire to intensify propaganda against the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party ahead of next year's general election. Some of the editors, who did not want to be named, said Moyo last Friday met editors and senior journalists working for state-controlled newspapers and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holding (ZBH)'s radio and television services. The meeting took place at Harare's Sheraton hotel from about 9 o'clock in the morning to about 2 p.m. According to the editors Moyo criticised the journalists for being too soft in their coverage of the MDC and instructed them to use their papers, television and radio stations to "bury the puppet MDC." Moyo, who is known to have held such briefing meetings with journalists working for state-owned media companies in the past, switched off his cell phone when ZimOnline called him from Johannesburg.
A journalist who attended the meeting with Moyo said: "He said he was disappointed that our stories were not reflecting the fact that the MDC was no longer in existence as it had died a natural death.The Minister said he did not want to see a story that gave the MDC any measure of legitimacy. He said our job should now be to write obituaries on the opposition." "Moyo said our stories should reflect that we are in a one party state because Zanu PF cannot compete with a dead party (MDC). He told us he wanted a big funeral for the MDC t |
