Messages From Zimbabwe

Chinese authorities have promised death or lengthy jail terms to Zimbabweans caught smuggling ivory and drugs into the country.

A notice posted outside the Chinese embassy here reads, “It has been observed that Zimbabweans knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly have been involved in trafficking prohibited substances into China. According to Chinese law, illegal buying or selling of, importing and exporting of the following products is a serious offence that attracts a death penalty or life imprisonment.”

The notice lists heroine, cocaine, marijuana, ‘narcotics’ and other drugs as well as ivory and its products.

Currently, at least three Zimbabwean women are serving lengthy terms in Chinese jails after being apprehended while trying to smuggle cocaine into the Far Eastern country.

Further comment could not immediately be obtained from the embassy. It was also not clear what prompted the warning or whether or not it was related to recent reports of massive killings of near-extinct black rhinos and export of their horns to China, or a result of a possible agreement between President Mugabe and his Chinese counterpart, above.

A report in the British tabloid, The Daily Mail recently named defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa among the culprits. The paper said wealthy Chinese were paying up to US$250 000 for a single rhino horn. The buyers believe the horns have aphrodisiac properties.

The Mail report said Mnangagwa had set up a notorious outfit known as the Crocodile Gang to hunt down the rhinos which are supposed to be protected by international law.

(Source)

Over 60 white pensioners with British passports who were repatriated from Zimbabwe face destitution in Britain as the country is failing to provide them with adequate food and shelter.

A survey carried out by the Zimbabwe Guardian reveals that many of the repatriated pensioners are still in temporary accomodation awaiting to be allocated housing. Many of them still do not get a decent meal and are yet to receive the promised benefits.

Pensioner poverty rates in the UK are already at unacceptably high levels and this latest news adds to the gloom.

Many of the pensioners, who are over 60 years of age, are unlikely to find decent accommodation in time for winter, which is only a few months away.

In June this year, Britain started repatriating pensioners with British passports and living in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwean government said the move by Britain was racist and was an admission that the illegal sanctions imposed by that country were not targetted to top leadership only; but were indiscriminate and targetted every Zimbabwean.

A pensioner who wanted to be identified only as Mark told the Zimbabwean Guardian that since he entered the UK he has only heard from the authorities twice.

“We have been provided with this shelter and food here in Leeds and nothing else.

“We are still to be properly registered with social services. No one seems to know or care where we are and about our welfare,” said Mark who said he was 69 years old.

“We do not even know where to go to claim the money that we have been promised.”

Mark left Zimbabwe at the end of June. He said he was promised decent accomodation and a weekly allowance. He still hasn’t received any payment and still has nowhere decent to live.

British pensioners are among the poorest in the European Union, with nearly one-third of the elderly living in poverty, according to new European Commission statistics.

One in five pensioners in the UK are classed as living in relative poverty.

The figures, published by Eurostat, compared relative poverty in the 27 member states and showed 30% of UK over-65s were at risk of poverty in 2007, the same proportion as in Lithuania, and put Britain fourth in the poverty league of nations.

Recent research showed one in five people aged 60 and older are skipping meals to save money on food, while two-fifths are struggling to afford essential items. Seven in 10 over-65s are resorting to thrifty skills from the war and post-war years to help them through the recession.

(Source)

Zimbabwe’s arrogant set of generals who vowed never to salute Morgan Tsvangirai were forced to eat humble pie on Tuesday when they saluted the country’s new Prime Minister.

The generals have time and time again said they would not salute anyone without a liberation war history and specifically made it known their loyalty was to Mugabe and not Tsvangirai.

But during Armed Forces Day on Tuesday which was attended by Tsvangirai, the generals saluted their previously sworn enemy.

Several weeks ago Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa told parliament that the generals were not legally obliged to salute anyone outside their military structures.

Mnangagwa further explained that Mugabe was always saluted because he was the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

“There are two positions: the legal and the civil position. At law, no officer will commit any offence for not saluting a person who is not in the military structure, but morally they should salute senior members of society,” he said.

(Source)

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has called for comprehensive security sector reforms to “depoliticise” Zimbabwe’s army and police and transform them into professional forces that owe allegiance to the nation and not political parties.

The MDC that has a difficult relationship with top commanders of Zimbabwe’s security forces said a new and independent board should be appointed to oversee senior police and army appointments and promotions in order to enhance professionalism in the forces.

”MDC calls on the defence forces to be depoliticised so that they serve the interests of the nation above those of any political party,” Tsvangirai’s party said, in a statement issued at the weekend and as the country prepared to honour its security forces during the Defence Forces holiday tomorrow.

“The MDC believes that the Defence Forces Commission should be overhauled so that a new board with independent and qualified members be appointed in consultation with commanders of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Air force of Zimbabwe.

“In this view, it should be the responsibility of this commission to review and oversee senior appointments and promotions, as well as general working conditions and salaries of all personnel.”

Zimbabwe’s top security commanders have refused to salute or recognise Tsvangirai and for months refused to attend National Security Council (NSC) meetings because the former opposition leader is a member.

And on several occasions Zimbabwe’s top generals have threatened to stage a coup should Tsvangirai takeover over power.

When the MDC leader defeated Mugabe in a first round presidential election in March 2008 the security forces responded by waging a campaign of violence against Tsvangirai’s support base, forcing the former opposition leader to quit the decisive second round presidential ballot.

Mugabe won the ballot uncontested. But his victory was rejected internationally including by African countries who pressured the veteran leader to open power-sharing talks with Tsvangirai and that eventually saw the old foes agreeing to form a government of national unity last February.

(Source)

I bumped into Max Chigweda last week and in the course of our discussion he said to me, “At least we are closer to the end than the start”. That just about sums up where we are right now and the territory in front of us is as deadly as any we have traversed so far. As has been the case so often in the past 30 years, we are dependent in part on what the region does or does not do to ensure we can cover the ground that remains.

I am quite encouraged by the news from South Africa where the Prime Minister saw the President on Monday. It seems clear to us that the South African leadership understands the situation we are in right now, both the President and the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs are savvy, street wise and certainly more committed to a democratic outcome than was Thabo Mbeki. But the ghosts of the Mbeki administration remain and those in the region who want to try and protect Zanu PF from its fate are still embedded in the system and active.

The visit to South Africa and the discussions held with the President are in the same league as the September 1976 visit to Pretoria by Henry Kissinger when the Americans delivered the final blow that led to the demise of the Rhodesian Front and the eventual transfer of power to Mugabe in 1980. Because of the nature of diplomacy it will be some time before we see the final outcome of all this diplomatic manoeuvring.

If we look back over the past six months since MDC entered the transitional government, we can point to a number of key achievements – we have stabilised the economy, secured a resumption of all basic services – health, education, water, sanitation and communications. We have been able to restore markets and get the retail and wholesale sector back into business.

The finances of central government are recovering steadily – total revenues to the State have grown from $4 million in January to $70 million in July. My guess is that the theft and plunder of public assets has been reduced from perhaps $1,5 billion last year to $250 million. That is partly because we have closed down the Reserve Bank and partly because there is not much left to steal.

We have been able to partly restore our relations with the international community – the World Bank and the IMF are both back in Zimbabwe with limited programmes of technical assistance and the Bank is making its first forays into local finance since 1997. We have made formal contact with virtually all the OECD States as well as the Non Aligned countries; international grant aid has reached $100 million a month and lines of credit negotiated, although we have yet to see the colour of this money.

On the downside we have seen little progress in media reform. No changes in the attitude or the activities of the security agencies and no changes to repressive legislation or improvements in the management system for elections. The constitutional reform process has started, but faces a difficult and tortuous path over the mountains in its way. The judicial system as a whole is being used as an instrument of oppression and a political weapon. No progress has been made in agriculture where output and activity continues to decline.

Yesterday the South African Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs said that she wanted to see “the acceleration of the implementation of the Global Political Agreement”. In fact I think she said the “full implementation” and that would be even better. More we could not ask for, as the GPA, even though it has numerous weaknesses and faults, is the only way forward.

I attended the annual Congress of the Commercial Farmers Union this week in Harare. It was a courageous and well organised affair and Deon Theron was elected President. I was glad to see both – it is vital that while we work on the solution to our problems and negotiate the difficult terrain ahead of us that we keep what is left of our economic institutions alive and operational. Deon will make a good President and is an important player in this situation.

The keynote address was given by a farmer from Zambia who is the current President of the International Association of Agricultural Unions. It was an excellent summary of the global state of agriculture and it was good to see a farmer from Africa in such an influential position. Zimbabwe’s displaced farmers are making a huge impact on agriculture throughout the continent and are a real testimony to what we have lost in the way of human capital.

C G Tracey died the other day and his book “All for nothing?” was on sale at the CFU Congress. It is an excellent read for anyone who is interested in this country and wants to see what has gone on over the past century – no man played a bigger role in building the country and served its best interests more than “CG”, as he was known. The title was suggested by his wife before she died and all he did was to add the question mark to emphasise that it is not yet all over.

I hear rumbles that JZ may visit Zimbabwe for talks with Mugabe shortly. The Vice President of SA is here for the funeral of our Vice President who died last week and he will be buried on Monday and no doubt talks will take place on the sidelines – funerals are great events for this sort of activity. Certainly we will have to wait for a couple of weeks to ascertain what is going to happen on this front.

If (as usual) we are let down by the region, we will have to fight our way through some very tough terrain. There is no doubt in my mind where the people are and if we can mobilise the resources required, we could stun Zanu PF yet again with a significant electoral victory in the bi elections. I was listening yesterday to some music especially written for the MDC and one song in particular asked “if you vote for Zanu, where are you going?” That just about sums things up.

This is not the time to relax or to abandon the prayer mat – we need to work and pray. At its heart this is a spiritual battle and both activities are vital to our eventual victory.

EG Cross

(Source: by email)

Finance Minister Tendai Biti has said the ongoing succession debate in Zanu PF should be resolved urgently as it has potential to affect Zimbabwe’s development negatively.

The two factions, one led by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the  Defence Minister and other one  led by former army commander, retired army commander general Solomon Mujuru have been at loggerheads for a longtime over who should  succeed President Robert Mugabe as leader of Zanu-PF and head of state.

Zanu-PF infighting has reportedly been escalating steadily worse since the party lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence, to the MDC last year.

Addressing businesspeople in Bulawayo on Thursday at a Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) organized meeting, Biti said the succession debate   in Zanu-PF must be resolved urgently as it can lead to a military coup.

“Succession debate in Zanu-PF should be resolved urgently as it will affect     this country. It’s not a secret that there is chaos in Zanu-PF about succession.  This might lead to a military coup, we don’t want a coup in this country like what happened in Somalia and Ivory Coast when they failed to replace leadership  in time,” said Biti.

“We hope the unfortunate death of Vice President Joseph Msika won’t   worsen the succession debate in that party,” he added.

In May Zanu-PF set up a committee which will deal with the succession issue.

The leadership committee led by Zanu-PF national chairman, John Nkomo was set to look into the procedure to be followed when dealing with the succession topic to preserve the delicate unity within the party, among other concerns.

Political  analysts said the committees was chosen specifically to pacify a possible revolt at the Women’s League congress  this  month, where Oppah Muchinguri and Shuvai Mahofa are reportedly baying for Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s blood over her role in the election of the leader of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus.

The Vice-President was said to have joined hands in Parliament with the main Movement for Democratic Change vice president Thokozani Khupe to garner support for ZANU-PF’s Goromonzi legislator Biata Beatrice Nyamupinga against her colleague and senator for Chimanimani Monica Mutsvangwa.

Nyamupinga emerged victorious in the poll despite suffering a defeat in the party’s primary elections.

Before the March  2008  polls, divisions were brought about by the party’s primaries that saw disgruntled Zanu-PF members standing as independent candidates on a parallel party ticket.

Biti also said the failure to implement the Global Political Agreement was affecting the country’s economic recovery.

“We agreed that there should be rule of law and media freedom, among others   but those issues are still being violated. We hope the SADC summit to be held in Kinshasa in the near future will resolve these issues,” he said

(Source)

The violations on Karori Farm continue unabated as police refuse to act.

Armed soldiers of the ZNA have still prevented the delivery of any crops from the farm.  There is 150 tons of tobacco and 500 tons of maize waiting to be delivered but Mujaji insists that nothing will leave unless Lock agrees to giving him the farm.  He has also shut down all operations for the umpteenth time to try and force us to comply.  He has already stolen our irrigation pipes and pumps which we cannot access or use and has used the soldiers to prevent any equipment from leaving the farm.

The tobacco season is nearly over and still tobacco has not been delivered for sale nor the maize in a country where maize is desperately short.  The Unity Govt seems powerless to act on this lawlessness as the army through sheer force are doing what they want for self enrichment.

What was once a highly productive farm seems will now become another worthless dust bowl.

(Source: by email)

The prosecution in the case in which Chiredzi commercial farmer and businessman Sean Digby Nesbitt is facing charges of refusing to vacate State land has accused defence lawyers of employing delaying tactics to stall the finalisation of the trial.

This came after the two defence lawyers, Ms Nyaradzo Maposa and Mr Rodium Makausi, failed to show up for the case which was set to resume in Chiredzi on Monday.

Ms Maposa was reportedly attending to other land cases at the High Court in Harare while Mr Makause proffered no reasons for not attending. Chief law officer Mr Tawanda Zvekare told Chiredzi magistrate Mr Enias Magate that the case had taken too long to complete.

He said on several occasions the defence lawyers had not shown up in a deliberate attempt to buy time. “The defence cannot continue holding the State at ransom using delaying tactics to delay the finalisation of the trial,” said Mr Zvekare. He suggested that Nesbitt engage services of other lawyers.

Mr Zvekare said if Ms Maposa was attending to other cases, then Mr Makause should have been present.

“This lacks seriousness on the part of the defence because as long as she says she won’t be available, then everything has to stop.”

(Source)

At about 1530hrs yesterday evening (Tuesday 5 August 2009), three man who refused to identify themselves, two in their early 30s and one in his early 20s, driving a white Isuzu 4X4 Fleetside, with registration number AAE 3627 arrived at the entrance gate of a plot being leased by MDC Treasurer General, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, Senator Roy Bennett, Sun Valley Chicken Farm, just outside Harare.

The three men demanded to see Senator Bennett. When the security guards refused to permit them in, the three men threatened to shoot to kill the guards. The guards ran away and informed Senator Bennett’s son, Charles.

When Charles arrived, the three men drove away threatening that whoever wanted to get themselves involved would face death.

This incident cannot be taken lightly, particularly with the declared hatred of the person of Senator Bennett by some in ZANU PF, particularly the residual elements. Senator Bennett has for the past few weeks been receiving death threats, and this mafia type visit by these three men can only have been an attempt on his life. We interpret these three men as nothing but a hit squad.

A report has been made with the police and we hope a full and proper investigation will be done and the safety of Senator Bennett and his family will be guaranteed.

This comes a few days after MDC Secretary General; Hon Tendai Biti received a letter with a bullet inside.

The continued harassment of MDC members in general and Senator Bennett in particular, is a clear sign that there remains some residual elements that refuse to accept the reality and consensus for change sweeping the country.

Let it be known that Senator Roy Bennett remains the exclusive choice of the MDC for the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and it is inconceivable that this will change, as such we demand that he be sworn in without further delay.

(Source: via email)

Interviews to choose candidates for the Media Commission and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe were mired in controversy and deadlocked yesterday amid reports that a team of human resources experts that drafted the questions and MDC interviewers failed all candidates perceived to be sympathetic to ZANU PF while passing pro-MDC applicants.

This led to the abandonment of the process with Parliament’s Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC) resolving to submit the list of all 27 prospective commissioners and BAZ members to Robert Mugabe to pick the final 18.

The process was abandoned after ZANU PF officials led by Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana allegedly realised that the whole process was fraudulent. It also emerged that the MDC formations’ numerical advantage on the panel of interviewers impacted negatively on those perceived to be linked to ZANU PF.

ZANU PF cried foul because its team was awarding score marks on merit, while those from the other side ensured that candidates perceived to be ZANU PF sympathisers were awarded zero points, while those perceived to be anti-ZANU PF were scoring all the points.

Impeccable sources last night said when ZANU PF realised the irregularity perpetrated by the team of human resources experts whose identity, status and sources was still shrouded in secrecy, objected to the whole process, arguing that it was fraudulent.

“ZANU PF objected to the process arguing that it was based on partisan grounds and the results were unacceptable, culminating in the deadlock,” said one of the sources.

This saw the parties to the process agreeing that all the names of the 27 candidates interviewed be forwarded to the President without ranking them.

This now leaves Robert Mugabe with a torrid task of coming up with the suitable candidates for the two bodies — the work which was supposed to have been done “professionally” by the team of human resources experts and the three parties’ representatives.

Speaker of the House of Assembly Mr Lovemore Moyo told The Herald soon after the interviews that 12 would represent the ZMC and the remainder the BAZ.

Twenty-seven out of 28 candidates turned up for yesterday’s interviews, which were conducted by a panel comprising SROC members Senator Obert Gutu, President of the Chiefs Council of Zimbabwe Chief Fortune Charumbira (representing chiefs’ council), Mr Edward Mkhosi, Ms Tabitha Khumalo and Mabel Chinomona.

Senior Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Division Chief of Strategic Planning, Foreign Investment Promotion and former broadcaster Millicent Mombeshora, Media and Information Commission chief executive Tafataona Mahoso and outgoing Zimbabwe Union of Journalists president Matthew Takaona were among the interviewees.

Others included former Zimbabwe ambassador to China Christopher Mutsvangwa, former legislator and publisher Mr Kindness Paradza, former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings chief executive Mr Henry Muradzikwa, former Herald Assistant Editor Ropafadzo Mapimhidze, university lecturer and former ZBH chief executive Dr Rino Zhuwarara, lawyer and journalist Chris Mhike, University of Zimbabwe English lecturer Dr Vimbai Chivaura, the national director of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, Reverend Useni Sibanda, and veteran journalist Tichaona Zinhumwe.

Scientific, Industrial Research and Development Centre deputy director Dr Geoffrey Chada, journalist Vambe Jirira, broadcaster Susan Makore, Danhiko Project deputy director Mr Godfrey Majonga, Dean of the National University of Science and Technology Faculty of Communication and Information Science Dr Lawton Hikwa, Zimbabwe Media Council executive director Mr Timothy Nyahunzvi, Zimbabwe Liberators’ Platform executive director Mr Wabata Munodawafa, freelance journalist Miriam Madziwa, photojournalist Fidelis Zvomuya and fellow journalist Douglas Dhliwayo also faced the panel.

Marketing and sales professional Freddy Samupindi, NUST Journalism and Media Studies lecturer Ms Nqobile Nyathi, Text Pertise managing director Mr Roger Stringer, head of the Zimbabwe Open University’s Media Studies Programme Mr Clemence Mabaso and local publisher Mr Benson Ntini completed the cast of prospective appointees.

The only absentee was Elizabeth Karonga who is out of the country.

Each candidate was given 15 minutes to respond to six questions, which were crafted around the significance of the national anthem, national language promotion strategies, the relationship between the ZMC and civil society as well as the best practices, ethics and measures the candidates would espouse in order to make the commission effective.

Responding to the question on national language promotion, most interviewees advocated the establishment of community media in different parts of the country.

They also pledged to uphold transparency, profe-ssionalism and good ethical practice if appointed.

Said Dr Mahoso: “If appointed to the commission, I would use the experience I have acquired in different duties while in America and locally.

“We managed to put together the Media and Information Commission from scratch when we only had a desk, terms of reference and an Act.”

Mhike pledged to ensure the commission operated within the provisions of the Constitution and also actively engages key stakeholders such as the media, public and media training institutions.

Mutsvangwa said he would ensure the commission became effective by synchronising local and international values. He also said it was important for the ZMC to interact with civil society.

“However, the definition of this sector should be clearly spelt out and should be driven by local views. These views could be opposing ones. It doesn’t matter as long as this is coming from truly indigenous organisations,” he said.

“The commission also needs Government and public funding without which it may fall foul of any other financiers.” The ZMC is one of the four commissions that are being set up in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Act (Number 19).

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission are the remaining constitutional bodies.

Provisions of the law, state that the ZMC should comprise a chairperson and eight other members appointed by the President from a list of 12 or more nominees drawn by the SROC.

The appointees must be chosen for their knowledge and experience in the media. Among the Commission’s functions will be to uphold and develop Press freedom and ensure Zimbabweans have equitable and wide access to information.

It will also promote good media practices. Section 100Q of the Act empowers the Commission to investigate any conduct that appears to threaten Press freedom as well as the conduct of the media.

It will look into the disciplinary action that will have been taken against journalists and other media personnel found to have breached any law or code of conduct applicable to them.

(Source)