Messages From Zimbabwe

Yet another farming family in Chegutu have been forced to turn their backs on their land and livelihood, after being forcibly and illegally evicted in the name of so called land reform.

The Keevil family’s land, Dodhill Farm, has been snatched and placed in the hands of the brother of the Chegutu Lands Officer, after months of intense harassment that started in November 2008. Abel Kunonga and fellow land invader Nyasha Chikafu, have mercilessly hounded the Keevils to their recent eviction, despite numerous High Court orders issued since November protecting the Keevils’ right to their land.

Chegutu police openly ignored the court orders, only reacting with speed and assertion to arrest the farm’s workers, who acted to prevent Kunonga and an accompanying youth from stealing fuel off the farm. The workers were arrested and kept behind bars for more than a week, for nothing more than trying to protect the land.

Dodhill Farm invasion at a glance:

- First attacks in November 2008 led by Abel Kunonga, brother of Chegutu Lands Officer, Clever Kunonga.

- High Court issues numerous orders on the Keevils’ behalf since November, but all are ignored

- Chegutu police openly ignore the ongoing attacks and court orders, only responding to arrest the farm’s workers who tried to stop Kunonga and other invaders from stealing fuel

- Farm workers spend more than a week behind bars

- Supreme Court Justice Chidyausiku rules against the Keevils in May, paving way for fast track farmer prosecution

- Keevils ordered to the leave their land by the court

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, ruled against the Keevils, who were dragged to court by their oppressors for remaining on the land. The Chief Justice effectively paved the way for the fast track prosecution and eviction of farmers, systematically destroying the arguments the Keevils had in their defence

The Keevils have now been forced to leave their productive, successful farm in the hands of an inexperienced land thief, who ironically has contacted Sam Keevil for assistance on how to run the farm.

The renewed offensive against the country’s remaining commercial farmers has hit the Chegutu farming community the hardest. Almost all farmers in the area are facing prosecution for continuing farming activities, or are dealing with state sponsored land invasions and harassment. All five of the most productive and successful farms in Chegutu have been almost completely taken over and production halted by invaders, led by ZANU PF loyalists. On these farms alone, more than 1300 farm workers have lost their jobs, and more than 5000 Zimbabweans, dependent on Chegutu’s farm operations, have been left penniless and destitute.

The invasions and devastating consequences of the attacks come as the unity government remains unwilling to take action to intervene. Robert Mugabe has naturally defended the attacks in the name of his ‘land-reform’ programme, which has all but destroyed the critical agriculture sector in Zimbabwe. Most shockingly, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is set to embark on a cross-continental tour to ‘improve international economic relations’, has downplayed the attacks.

While the desperate bid to win financial favour continues, ordinary Zimbabweans continue to suffer, and until the land attacks are stopped and food production is encouraged, the suffering will continue.

(Source)

The world has not been convinced by the “inclusive” government in Zimbabwe. Many diplomats say that the support needed for the reconstruction of the country will not materialise until Robert Mugabe has gone.

Until then the goodwill money that does enter Zimbabwe will continue to go to nongovernmental institutions rather than to the state and is specifically designed to relieve the humanitarian crisis rather than get the state up and running.

Even as Mugabe signed the global political agreement that resulted in the unity government he was manipulating the situation so that he and his ZANU PF could hold on to key levers of power to minimise the effect which Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai could bring to bear on the country.

Now Mugabe, following Tsvangirai’s appeal to President Jacob Zuma as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is again seeking to manipulate the situation by seeking the support of Swazi King Mswati on the issue of Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana holding on to their jobs as reserve bank governor and attorney-general respectively.

It was Gono who presided over the bank during the years which saw hyperinflation ravage the currency to the extent that it no longer exists. Tomana heads a justice system which has seen opponents of ZANU PF terrorised and persecuted merely for being against the ruling party. Surely both should go.

Tsvangirai is in an unenviable position – unless he and his Movement for Democratic Change team make a significant difference in the fortunes of the country it risks losing support.

In his state of the nation address on Wednesday, Zuma said that SA would continue to support Zimbabwe until such time as conditions were ready for free and fair elections. The implications are clear – previous elections have not been free and fair and the shorter the life of the inclusive government the better.

There will be no rescue package until the electoral impasse has been resolved. Zuma must not allow Mugabe to bypass him and Sadc and must insist on Mugabe observing the full letter of the global agreement.

(Source)

Zimbabwe hotels are reconsidering their pricing after a deal offered by FIFA for occupation of 80 percent of the country’s hotel rooms flopped, the Herald reported today.

This followed condemnation by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority of what it said were “ridiculous pricing demands” of up to US3000 per night.

This, the authority said, had led to FIFA turning its back on Zimbabwe and signing a deal with Botswana.

However, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe president Lewis Chasakara told the Herald the new prices would be nowhere near US1,000.

He said the problem was that Match Events – the official FIFA accommodation company – had met junior officials instead of having a meeting at corporate level.

“Yes, the guys from Match Events came through but met our guys at grassroots and they wanted 80 percent of our rooms.

“They should have met us at corporate level and we would have given them reasonable figures because we are reasonable people,” Chasakara told the newspaper.

He added that FIFA’s deal with Botswana was “a marketing gimmick meant to put pressure on us… Botswana has no rooms”.

(Source)

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai arrives early next week in Washington, hoping to influence the US government’s guarded attitude about restoring economic aid to his fledgling unity government. Mr. Tsvangirai is expected to encounter a sympathetic, but hesitant reception in Washington, trying to convince congressional leaders and US aid officials that providing budgetary support will strengthen proponents of change in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe-born history professor Ken Mufuka of Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina says that Washington may not yet be ready to shift policy and play a decisive role in Zimbabwe’s recovery.

“Our problem is that the countries in the west, particularly Britain and the United States, are afraid to give money to the unity government because the treasury, the governor of the bank, and of course, the president of the country are still ZANU people who have abused their authority in the past. And they have abused the finances of the past and they have brought the country to where it is. So the problem for Mr. Tsvangirai is to convince the western world that he is in charge of the government and that the monies will not be wasted,” he said.

Mufuka says that US policymakers would like to back Mr. Tsvangirai, who has championed electoral and human rights freedoms for Zimbabweans. But they remain fearful that President Robert Mugabe and hard-line segments of his ZANU-PF following are still possibly in position to renew their hold on power.

“That is the predicament in which they are. If they respond, then they will strengthen his (Tsvangirai’s) hand in the government. But Mr. Mugabe is a very tricky person. If, suppose help begins to flow to Zimbabwe. The fear is that he could turn around next year, dismiss Mr. Tsvangirai, and perhaps hold elections which are fraudulent, which he has done before at least twice,” suggests Professor Mufuka.

He says the dilemma of the United States government is that if they don’t help Mr. Tsvangirai, then they face the predicament that if he fails, Mr. Mugabe will still have the upper hand.

Washington continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to Harare for food, health services, water sanitation, and the fight against HIV/AIDS and cholera. But US leaders continue to wait for evidence of Mugabe supporters’ full cooperation with the MDC before it considers lifting economic sanctions imposed in 2002 and 2003.  Professor Mufuka notes that American suspicions about how Zimbabwe disposes of the humanitarian aid have sometimes been justified.

“The US had some problems when the money which was given for AIDS relief was taken over by the Zimbabwe government and the US ambassador had to certify it with the Zimbabwe government for its return – it was about $7 million,” he recalls.

Earlier this week, the United Nations boosted its appeal for urgent humanitarian aid for Zimbabwe to about $720 million. On Tuesday, the European Union (EU) authorized $11 million in humanitarian help for medical supplies and parts to repair water treatment plants while Zimbabwe endures a chronic cholera crisis.

The EU continues to impose financial and travel sanctions against President Mugabe and ZANU-PF associates who it accuses of human rights abuse. But the $11 million aid package will be distributed in Zimbabwe through non-governmental aid groups, the UN, and the International Red Cross. Professor Mufuka suggests that US aid to help the Tsvangirai government could follow the European model in the way it is disbursed.

“Sweden has given us a way of doing it. What the Swedes have done is they have set up a system whereby they can help, let’s say, the teachers directly rather than go through the treasury so that the money is not budgeted by the Zimbabwe government. The money is paid directly to the teachers. So the Swedes have a way of directly controlling their expenditures and making sure that they go to the right people,” he points out.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai leaves Zimbabwe over the weekend for the United States and Europe. In Washington, he will meet with members of Congress, including ranking Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, and members of the US Congressional Black Caucus and will hold talks with US diplomatic and foreign aid officials.

(Source)

Four Zimbabwe army soldiers were last week shot dead in two separate incidents believed to have been sparked by disputes over proceeds from the sale of diamonds illegally mined and smuggled from the lucrative but dangerous Chiadzwa diamond fields near Mutare city.

The government has deployed hundreds of heavily armed soldiers in the Chiadzwa area to protect the diamond fields from illegal miners and traders. But the soldiers have themselves taken to illegal mining of the diamonds.

The first shooting incident is believed to have occurred on May 24, when two soldiers were found dead about 100 metres away from their base. The second incident happened the next day at a roadblock leading to the diamond fields.

Police are withholding the names of the dead soldiers until next of kin are informed.
A police spokesman Andrew Phiri told journalists last week that investigations into the fatal shootings were underway.

“We are investigating the two cases involving soldiers who were on duty in Marange,” said Phiri.

He added: “The first case happened on May 24 in which two soldiers were found dead about 100 metres away from their base. Investigations carried out showed that the two had their rifles, but with spent cartridges entailing they had discharged their firearms. The cause of the deaths is yet to be ascertained but there is a high possibility that they could have turned their rifles on each other.”

The police spokesman said the second incident was sparked after soldiers manning a roadblock had a heated argument resulting in a shootout which killed two soldiers.

Sources this week said the soldiers fired at each other following heated arguments over sharing of proceeds from the illegal trade of diamonds they had smuggled from Chiadzwa.

There are widespread reports linking soldiers to notorious syndicates involving wealthy foreign buyers and daring dealers based in Mutare and Harare, who in turn smuggle the gems to buyers on the international black-market for diamonds.

The government has deployed soldiers in the diamond rich area after thousands of illegal miners had descended on Chiadzwa.

Although the soldiers managed to flush out the illegal miners there were outcries from human rights organisations that they had used heavy-handed methods and violated the rights of the illegal miners and innocent villagers living near the diamond fields.

Some human rights groups claim that as many as 200 people may have been killed during the army and police operation to flush out illegal miners from Chiadzwa. But human rights groups have not been able to back up their claims with concrete evidence because the army will not allow them to in the diamond fields to carry out investigations.

The government denies soldiers and police killed illegal miners.

(Source: The Zimbabwean)

The decision by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to accommodate pathetic losers ZANU PF in the government of national unity has significantly improved the lives of Zimbabweans from all walks of life.

Thousands of children who had been denied the opportunity to attend school by the fire fighting ZANU PF administration got a life line courtesy of the MDC’s sincerity to accommodate decimal losers ZANU PF.

For the first time in more than four years the teachers have fully returned to work after their salaries (though not enough) were reinstated. The past four years had seen a mass exodus of Zimbabwean professionals making their way into the Diaspora to reclaim their dignity and professionalism.

The social and economic confusion that followed caught up with a bulky of those Zimbabweans who could not make it to the Diaspora lines. It was during the same period that saw the Zimbabwean dollar being relegated from the international market but continued to be used locally to defraud citizens of their hard earned functional foreign currency.

Even though many donors are still waiting to see whether a real change has taken place in order for them to commit themselves to the plight of Zimbabwe, the availability of the once scarce basic commodities has been resolved by the boost of confidence brought by the MDC.

Obviously there is a great shady effort by those who had enjoyed the status quo to try and frustrate this important effort by the MDC to better the lives of the suffering masses of Zimbabwe. The continuous occupation of farms is a clear testimony that some elements within ZANU PF are not happy that the people of Zimbabwe are recovering from a ZANU PF made catastrophe.

Time is still plenty for those who would like to see the birth of democracy in Zimbabwe and subsequently a new beginning for the once oppressed peace loving citizens.

The interest generated by the MDC s’ generosity by accommodating ZANU PF in to the government of national unity to the international community has made a big impact in the lives of the common men in Zimbabwe.

Though knowing exactly that ZANU PF lost the plebiscite the MDC has seen the greater picture mirrored through the suffering masses of Zimbabwe far divorced from the importance of power and political mileage.

The need for political, social and media reform is of paramount importance to the infancy of democracy being nursed in Zimbabwe. It is sad to see ZANU PF dragging feet on reforms while people are suffering.

(Source)