Messages From Zimbabwe

A Zimbabwe court on Tuesday formally charged senior MDC party official Roy Bennett for taking part in a plot involving terrorism and insurgency, just days after the party joined a unity cabinet.

He was also charged with banditry and violating the Immigration Act for leaving and returning to the country illegally, in a case that has raised doubts about the credibility of the new government.

(Source)

Mutare Central Police station is a pretty colonial era building with a clock tower which doesn’t keep time and a line of tall palm trees at its front. Mutare is surrounded by ranges of mountains, in the north to Christmas Pass, named by British Empire builder, Cecil John Rhodes and to the east heavily wooded ranges of hills which spread to where they sky ends over Mozambique. The police cells where Mr Bennett is being kept are tiny, about 10′ x 6′ with high concrete ceilings. They have a tiny window at the top of the back wall which lets in a little light and with just the cement floor on which to sleep on and smeared graffiti on filthy walls to read. In cells reserved for men, there is usually no room to lie down as most water facilities are broken so warders concentrate as many as possible into one or two cells where there is working tap which occasionally dribbles a drop or two. Sometimes there is an ancient threadbare red blanket but they are so covered in lice and excrement, that detainees try never to have to use them, even in cold winter months. Most of the lavatories – holes in the ground in the corner of the cell – are only flushed from the outside when a passing warder feels so inclined.

Prisoners are woken for line up and inspection just after dawn. They are allowed into the small shabby courtyard for a few minutes and are then locked up for the rest of the day with a few minutes out at mid day and before supper. Food is brought in by relatives as the prisons department has no food. Mr Bennett will be held in one of these cells in the courtyard, overlooked by detectives in their offices on the floor above. After detainees are locked up for the night, before sunset, the men begin the long uncomfortable lock up with noisy conversations, and then as the hours drag they begin to sing, sometimes familiar Christian hymns, sometimes folk songs from tribal areas, sometimes with additions about current events, but it seems, no matter who the occupants, the music spreading throughout the line of cells is hauntingly tuneful with harmonies developing through each song until the grande finale when all voices join together. Then quieter melancholy songs begin and the volume decreases as prisoners begin to fall asleep. They are woken through the night by rats and bites from an appalling range of lice, bed bugs and spiders. Sometimes one outside light is on in the courtyard, but usually the bulb is broken, but through the tiny grille in the iron door, in the clear bright nights over Mutare the stars are there and many prisoners waking from fitful sleep take turns to look out at the world above.

(Source)

Frank Muchirahondo, the United States Agency for International Development driver accused of attempting to assassinate Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri is seeking to be removed from remand.

He was denied bail by the High Court last week and on Thursday notified a Bindura magistrate of his intention to apply for refusal of further remand on his next appearance in court.

He is set to appear in court again on Thursday next week.

Muchirahondo’s lawyer Mr Chris Mhike of Atherstone and Cook raised a number of complaints against the police that included alleged assault upon arrest.

The State pledged to investigate the claims and to produce a report.

Muchirahondo was arrested on January 22 at Forbes Border Post in Mutare while on his way to Mozambique and was brought before the court charged with attempted murder.

The State alleges that he was responsible for the shooting and injury of Air Marshal Shiri on the night of December 10, 2008.

The AFZ chief was on his way to his farm in Shamva when the incident happened.

It is alleged that gunmen, who included Muchirahondo, ambushed and shot Air Marshal Shiri in the right palm.

(Source)

As the new unity government between the MDC and ZANU PF continued to take shape this week, it has emerged that one of the country’s biggest commercial farms has been taken over by soldiers and police.

The company that owns Mazoe Estates outside Harare, Interfresh, this week said in a statement to shareholders that an invading group, led by uniformed soldiers and police, moved onto the farm last week and declared themselves owners of various plots on the estate. Last Saturday, “a group of individuals accompanied by ZRP policeman and a uniformed ZNA military policeman claimed ownership of plots comprising Yarrowdale Farm, the crops section of Mazoe Citrus Estates.” According to a ZimOnline report, the farm invaders ordered its employees to vacate the estate by Friday – ironically the same day the process to form the unity government was completed.

Interfresh said in its statement to shareholders: “The financial impact on the company, loss of employment and loss of food production in the event of total loss of this farm would be very significant.”

The news highlights the many problems facing the new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in a government with Robert Mugabe – whose notorious land invasions have set a worrying precedent among his loyal militia and armed forces.  Analysts have said the unity government offers Zimbabwe its ‘best chance in a decade to end its crisis’ and put the country on the road to sustainable economic and social recovery.

But many say major differences between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over fundamental issues such as the highly contentious issue of land reform could yet derail the unity government. And Mugabe is still in the seat of power.

Tsvangirai has called for an audit to establish who owns what land in , but Mugabe has in the past repeatedly accused the new Prime Minister of wishing to return land to former white owners in his role as a “puppet of the West.”

(Source)

Zimbabwean security agents have arrested Roy Bennett, a senior leader of the opposition MDC ahead of a swearing-in ceremony of a new unity cabinet, a party official said on Friday.

“Roy Bennett was arrested a few minutes ago at Charles Prince Airport. I am not sure whether he was arriving or leaving,” Ian Makone, a senior MDC official told Reuters. Bennett was nominated as deputy minister of agriculture by new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

(Source)

Morgan Tsvangirai vowed to rebuild Zimbabwe‘s shattered economy and to end political violence, as he became prime minister on Wednesday in a unity government with long-time rival President Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai spoke to more than 10 000 cheering supporters who filled a stadium and hung from trees and light towers, as he laid out ambitious priorities to turn around a country mired in economic and humanitarian crisis.

His speech was an indictment of Mugabe’s record after 29 years in power, highlighting the vast challenges facing a unity government whose very existence raised doubts within his own party as well as overseas.

“Political violence must end today. We can no longer afford brother against brother, because one happened to have a different political opinion,” Tsvangirai said to cheers.

“The transitional government will make food available and affordable,” he said. “No Zimbabwean will ever go hungry again.”

“Our hospitals must be places of healing… On Monday, all schools must reopen. This Monday.”

Economy

He also vowed to take some immediate steps to fix the economy, like paying civil servants in foreign currency, but warned that curbing world-record inflation and 94% unemployment would take time.

“It would take time to implement unity of purpose, to rebuild our country,” he said.

Both Tsvangirai and Mugabe, speaking at the presidential mansion after the swearing-in, acknowledged the mistrust that marred their negotiations and which critics say could undermine their unity government.

“We are all aware that the road has been long, tedious and often frustrating. It’s has not been easy to overcome the deep-seated mistrust,” Mugabe said.

But he vowed to make the unity government work.

“I offer my hand of friendship and co-operation, warm cooperation and solidarity in the service of our great country Zimbabwe,” Mugabe said.

“If yesterday we were adversaries… today we stand in unity. It’s a victory for Zimbabwe,” he said.

Doubts remain

But doubts persist. The European Union said that the new government would have to prove itself before receiving major economic aid.

“We are ready to support the economic and social recovery of Zimbabwe once the new government shows tangible signs of respect for human rights, the rule of law, and macro-economic stabilisation,” the bloc said in a statement.

Former colonial power Britain said that Tsvangirai “and his team have a formidable challenge in bringing legitimacy and reform to Zimbabwe‘s government.”

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said his appointment does offer “the possibility of a change for the better”.

The challenges facing Zimbabwe would daunt even the most experienced of administrators.

More than half the population needs emergency food aid. Unemployment is at 94%.

Only 20% of children go to school because teachers have not been paid and exams not graded.

Public hospitals are closed, with doctors and nurses unpaid, exacerbating a health crisis in a nation where 1.3 million people have HIV and cholera has hit nearly 70 000 people since August, killing about 3 400.

“We only hope that his appointment will stem the tide of economic and humanitarian decline,” said Daniel Makina, a political analyst at the University of South Africa.

“But the lingering question is how effective are his powers going to be.”

(Source)

Your Majesty, King Mswati III, the Chairman of the AU Commission, Mr Jean Ping, President Mugabe, former President Mbeki, Your Excellencies, Honoured Guests, People of Zimbabwe,

Today is an historic day for our country. As we form this transitional government, we look back with reflection on the difficult journey that has brought us to this day, and look forward with determination to the road that lies ahead.

To my fellow African leaders, there can be no turning back on the political agreement which each party has signed, knowing it is not a perfect agreement but still a workable one. An agreement that if implemented with good faith, will deliver a peaceful way forward toward a stable economy, a new constitution and free and fair elections. Brothers and sisters in SADC and the AU, we are counting on you to be our partners and to ensure that this agreement is upheld as we face the challenges of rebuilding our country in the days ahead.

Though today’s ceremony marks a very significant milestone on our democratic journey, it is only the beginning. On this day 19 years ago Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison, an historic step on South Africa‘s long road to freedom.

But former President Mandela’s release did not signify the end of his people’s struggle for democracy. His personal liberation showed that the victory of freedom over oppression was near. But on February 11th 1990, make no mistake, freedom had still not arrived. Only with the courageous effort and compromise by all parties was a peaceful transition finally possible.

With the formation of this transitional government, President Mugabe, Professor Mutambara and I have pledged, in the sight of God, to deliver to the nation a new political dispensation.

This is our promise to you, to our children and to the future generations of Zimbabweans. This is the debt that we owe to our liberation heroes and our democratic heroes who paid the ultimate price so that we could all live together, free from fear, hunger and poverty.

For too long, Zimbabwe has endured violent political polarization.

This must end today.

For too long, our people’s hopes for a bright and prosperous future have been betrayed.

Instead of hope, their days have been filled with starvation, disease and fear. A culture of entitlement and impunity has brought our nation to the brink of a dark abyss.

This must end today.

Economic collapse has forced millions of our most able to flee the country seeking menial jobs, for which they are often overqualified but underpaid. They have had to leave their children behind to be cared for by the elderly, who do not have the resources to feed them and watch in despair as these flowers of our nation wilt and die.

This must end today.

People of Zimbabwe, I have a vision for our country that will guide me as Prime Minister. I will work to create a society where our values are stronger than the threat of violence, where our children’s future and happiness is more important than present political goals and where a person is free to express an opinion, loudly, openly and publicly without fear of reprisal or repression. A country where jobs are available for those who wish to work, food is available for those that are hungry and where we are united by our respect for the rights and dignity of our fellow citizens. This is the Zimbabwe that I am working towards.

To achieve this vision, my priorities are very clear.

Firstly, we must implement our democratization agenda.

Through parliament, the people’s representatives in the MDC and Zanu PF, will pass legislation to restore the people’s freedoms, create the mechanism through which a people’s constitution can be created, reestablish the rule of law and promote the independent media. Our liberation war was fought to provide political freedoms to all Zimbabweans and we intend to restore them as a matter of urgency.

As I stand before you, more than 30 innocent people continue to languish in jail months are being abducted and illegally detained. While I will not interfere in the judicial process, I will make it a priority to ensure that the law is upheld and that the justice system deals with their cases in a fair, equitable and transparent manner in the shortest possible time frame

People of Zimbabwe, I call upon all of us to put aside our differences, to begin a process of national healing within every community, to work across party lines and look forward together with hope, while learning from a sad past that has so devastated our nation and our people.

Our second priority is tackling the humanitarian crisis with every means possible.

In the immediate days ahead we will focus on the cholera crisis. We will urgently reduce both the number of outbreaks and the unacceptably high mortality level by tackling the causes of the epidemic.

We will also ensure that every Zimbabwean has access to emergency food aid regardless of tribal or political affiliation. In this regard, we will ensure that the people can access humanitarian food aid on a non-partisan basis. I call upon the chiefs and local councilors to work together to ensure that all those that are deserving can access the help they require.

To all of the international relief agencies and donors who have assisted us, let me say thank you on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe. It will be the mandate of this government to do all we can to make it easier to help alleviate the suffering of every Zimbabwean as we tackle the humanitarian issues gripping our country. In this regard, I will ensure greater impact and efficiency in the distribution of emergency and development aid by appointing a senior member of my cabinet to coordinate emergency and development efforts.

In addition to emergency food distribution, the transitional government will make food more available and more affordable by removing all duties on foodstuffs imported into the country. In the short term, we will convene a food summit of all relevant stake holders to help us ensure that no Zimbabwean goes hungry. We will introduce incentives to resuscitate and rehabilitate the local food manufacturing industry and we will move towards self-sufficiency in food production beginning with the next agricultural season.

The third priority is to stabilize the economy.

Out of the 20 fastest growing countries in the world, 15 are in Africa. Indeed, despite the overall economic gloom in the world today, the International Monetary Fund predicts a growth rate of 6.3% in sub Saharan Africa in 2009. As the world slows down, much of Africa is still growing.  This is good news for us as we all know, if we work together, Zimbabwe has the skills and resources to contribute to this hopeful trend.

To get our economy going again, we must get the country working again. This starts with an educated and healthy workforce. Our schools, once amongst the best on the continent, can be restored to that standard of excellence.  Similarly, our hospitals must be places of healing, with the staff and resources to prevent and treat disease.

The professionals in our civil service are the backbone of our government, making sure that policy decisions are carried out and delivery of government services moves efficiently and accountably. Today our public service has ground to a halt as many of our patriotic government employees can no longer afford to eat, let alone pay for transport to their place of work.

If we are to successfully address our nation’s humanitarian crisis, we must first address the urgent plight of our civil servants.

As Prime Minister I make this commitment that, as from the end of this month, our professionals in the civil service, every health worker, teacher, soldier and policeman will receive their pay in foreign currency until we are able to stabilize the economy.

These hard currency salaries will enable people to go to work, to feed their families and to survive until such time that we can begin to sustain ourselves as a country.

My Fellow Zimbabweans, as we work together to rebuild our country, all of us must do our part. This will sometimes require sacrifices. In this respect, I ask every school be re-opened, and that every member of the civil service is behind his or her desk on Monday providing service to Zimbabweans.

As your Prime Minister, I will ensure that there is a clear distinction between the party and the state.

As your Prime Minister I will be open and honest with you.

It will take time, commitment and unity of purpose to rebuild our great country. I appeal to all Zanu PF supporters and MDC supporters, to recognize the legitimacy and contribution of the other party to our nation’s history and our nation’s future and work together to restore our pride in our people and our country.

We will need help from the international community and I ask them to engage with us to rebuild our nation and to work towards reestablishing a relationship that is not based on humanitarian assistance alone.

People of Zimbabwe, we face many challenges but we are brave and resourceful. By uniting as a nation and a people we can succeed.  If you match our efforts with your own, we will succeed, if you match our desires with your own, we will succeed, if you match our dreams for Zimbabwe with your own, we will succeed.

At each point in our proud history we have looked forward not backwards, we have stood for hope not fear, we have believed in love not hate, and we have never lost touch with our democratic values or sight of our democratic goals.

People of Zimbabwe, I ask you to support me as your Prime Minister and the efforts of our new transitional government. I ask you to share my vision for our great country, to work with me to rebuild our nation and to walk with me on this promising phase of our journey to a true and lasting democracy.

May God bless you and May God Bless Zimbabwe.

(Source: by email)

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has successfully wrestled back its fleet of coaches and mini-buses that were impounded by ZANU PF on flimsy grounds prior to the chaotic 2008 March 29 “harmonised” elections.

An impeccable MDC source told ZimDaily that the buses that are all emblazoned with the grand emblem of Morgan Tsvangirai the party president and also bear the trademark colour Red would be used to ferry supporters throughout the country on party business.

MDC has planned to throw bashes throughout the provinces of the country in celebration of the inauguration of their party leader as Prime Minister as well as the successes in cowing ZANU PF into submission to subsequently share the cake of governance.

ZANU PF has also been disabled by the disbanding of the notorious spy agent the central intelligence organisation (CIO) that would be replaced by the National Security Authority.

Mugabe has been manipulating the CIO, the army, prison officers and the police as his election rigging apparatus since independence in 1980. 

The grand surrender of the MDC property by ZANU PF has been hailed as another major score for Tsvangirai and the MDC.

The development has taken place amid further disclosures by MDC national treasurer Roy Bennett that their party is already receiving pledges for donor support.

According to Bennett, the MDC is planning to expeditiously craft a sound national budget that would nullify the one presented by Patrick Chinamasa as it has no meaningful effect to the nation.

Bennett who is tipped to take charge of one of the ministerial portfolios has said that their immediate task is to ensure that the central bank has been cleared of Gideon Gono before they commit the funds for national expenditure.

Gono’s sacking was given thumps up by a SADC communiqué  as the extension of tenure to 2013 was fraudulently done by the geriatric leader Robert Mugabe.

(Source)

Following the Zimbabwean parliament’s passage this week of an amendment enabling the formation of a long-delayed unity government, another session Tuesday is expected to pass a bill creating a National Security Council that will oversee state security forces. Creation of the National Security Council was a key demand by the Movement for Democratic Change formation led by prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai, which sought the panel to give the opposition party visibility into the functioning of the state security apparatus which was deeply implicated in deadly post-election violence in April-June 2008. But political sources say problems are cropping up again between the MDC and the ZANU PF party of President Robert Mugabe over the allocation of provincial governorships. The Tsvangirai MDC says it should name the governors of the five provinces it won in March 2008 general elections; ZANU PF wants five as well though it only won four provinces. The rival MDC formation led by Arthur Mutambara meanwhile wants the governorship for Matabeleland South, which it dominated in the general election.

Elsewhere, the Tsvangirai MDC formation has been rocked by allegations that seven of its parliamentarians including Evelyne Masaiti, tipped to join Tsvangirai’s cabinet, were involved in diverting subsidized agricultural materials intended to be distributed to farmers. The seven have denied the allegations. Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told VOA that the party will look into the allegations, promising that if they are found to be true heads will roll. A ZANU PF house member and one ZANU PF senator have been implicated too. In a judicial development with political implications, a Harare magistrate on Friday threw out treason charges pending against Tendai Biti, secretary general of the Tsvangirai opposition formation. The charges were brought against Biti for allegedly prematurely announcing election results last year and plotting the overthrow of the government. Magistrate Olivia Mariga dismissed the charges after Biti’s lawyers produced evidence – a recording of comments by a prosecutor – that the case was politically inspired. Defender Lewis Uriri told VOA that the conversation he taped reflected clear political bias by the state prosecutor.

(Source)