Messages From Zimbabwe

In May 2005, the Zimbabwean government embarked on a massive, highly systematic programme of demolitions of all informal housing in urban and peri-urban areas across Zimbabwe. Combined with a total clampdown on the informal trading sector, including the destruction of official vending areas and confiscation of all wares, Operation Murambatsvina (OM), or “Drive out the Filth” caused direct havoc in the lives of millions. The sheer scale and thoroughness of OM set it apart from previous demolitions, not just in Zimbabwe, but in Africa.

1. 2005: immediate losses of dwellings and livelihoods

Three million people countrywide directly and indirectly suffered, as a result of the demolitions; an estimated 100,000 vendors were arrested – many of them legally licensed and selling from legal vendors’ markets; 560,000 people lost their shelter countrywide, with some small centres losing as much as 60% of their housing. A further 2,4 million lost markets for their goods, and/or remittances from the urban areas. Most of the demolished shelters were of good quality with access to electricity, water and sewerage, and many had been legitimated by virtue of standing for decades. The illegality of the government’s actions, which were in violation of the nation’s own laws with respect to evictions, as well as in violation of international statutes and protocols, has been noted in our previous reports on OM, as well as by other commentators.

2. 2010: impact of OM

Five years on, what observations can be made regarding the causes and impact of OM, bearing in mind its context in the multi-layered, cataclysmic decline of Zimbabwe, which began in the 1990s? The massive internal displacement of people that resulted from OM in 2005, has been followed by further economic, humanitarian and political crises that have created seemingly impossible conditions for Zimbabwe’s citizens. In 2008, a combination of political violence on a scale unseen since the 1980s, the total economic implosion of the nation with inflation running into the millions of percent, the almost total closure of schools and hospitals and the resulting cholera epidemic, all led to another exponential movement of people, this time out of the country in search of work, basic services and safe haven. In a previous report, we documented that in 2008-9, the rate of diasporisation increased one-hundred-fold from that of the 1990s, in rural Matabeleland at least.

A nation on the move – still

In this report, we follow up on previous OM research conducted by SPT in 2005 and 2006, and build on our narratives of the lives of particular families and informal settlements from 2005 to 2010. The story is a grim one, with many of those we remembered now prematurely dead, and others living in unspeakable poverty.

The four detailed case studies in this report illustrate the lives of extreme hardship that have driven Zimbabweans from one place of abode to another in the last five years. In urban Bulawayo, we found that 80% of people on our target sites had moved on between 2005 and 2010. We found that people in the informal settlements in Bulawayo have moved an average of 4,2 times in the last five years – to end up exactly where they started out – only to be evicted again in July 2010! And we found that Zimbabweans who have travelled as far as the Western Cape have lived in up to seven places in the last five years, and are also once more on the move, chasing seasonal employment and fleeing xenophobia. Zimbabwe’s population is in a state of flux and movement, and each move costs dearly in terms of lost possessions, interruption in access to services, and emotional stress. Families have been forced to live apart, with children in Zimbabwe living with grandparents while their parents earn abroad, or living in rural areas while their parents struggle to make money in the informal sector in the towns. The social fabric of Zimbabwe has been ripped apart.

(Source)

First Lady Grace Mugabe has been fingered as one of the biggest beneficiaries from the diamonds from the controversial Chiadzwa fields after it emerged she is a shareholder in Mbada Diamonds.

Mbada Diamonds is one of the companies that were clandestinely awarded mining rights at Chiadzwa by President Robert Mugabe’s government.

Government sources revealed the First Lady had a substantial interest in Mbada Diamonds together with little known South African company, Grandwell Holdings and the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.

“The First Lady is one of the shareholders in Mbada Diamonds,” said an official from the ministry of mines.

The official said eyebrows were raised after the First Lady was constantly meeting Robert Mhlanga, Mbada Diamonds’ chairperson.

Mhlanga, a retired Zimbabwe Airforce Vice Marshall, is a close confidante to the First Family dating to the days of the Congo war when he was still in active service and as President Mugabe’s personal helicopter pilot.

Mbada Diamonds caused a furor last year after it clandestinely flew over 300 000 carats of diamonds to Harare International Airport from Chiadzwa without police supervision.

The company wanted to auction the gems but the sale was stopped at the eleventh hour.

It was feared that the non-transparent manner in which the diamonds were transported, could have created room for corruption with some loads being diverted to other destinations before they reached Harare.

They were also worries that the government had no presence at the fields mined by Mbada Diamonds. With no representative on the ground, government had no idea how much Mbada was mining.

Human rights groups have in the past accused President Mugabe’s government of plundering the precious resource in Chiazdwa.

A human rights activist based in Mutare, Farai Maguwu burnt his fingers after he attempted to expose human rights violations and the looting of the gems by senior officials in government.

Maguwu was arrested and detained for five weeks on charges of spreading falsehoods prejudicial to the state.

He is out on stringent bail conditions. Police arrested Maguwu again on Monday and charged him with possession of a stolen vehicle.ends

(Source)

President Robert Mugabe’s younger sister, Sabina, has died. She was 75 years old.

Sabina, the mother of Leo Mugabe, Patrick and Robert Zhuwao, passed on at around 4am on today at Harare’s Avenues Clinic where she had been admitted since last Friday after allegedly complaining of stomach pains.

Sabina, who quit active politics two year’s ago, had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as doctors unsuccessfully battled to save her life.

An official announcement of the death is expected later today and would be broadcast on national radio and television.

Born on October 14, 1934, Sabina bowed down from active politics due to ill health before the 2008 harmonised elections, with unconfirmed reports at the time suggesting her retirement was due to ill health.

Sabina, who was nearly 10 years junior to Mugabe, 86, served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Makonde East in 1985 and later became the legislator for Zvimba South constituency between 1990 and 2008.

She was also a member of the ZANU PF women’s league serving as its national secretary for production and labour.

During her time in active politics Sabina was part of what seemed to be the Mugabe political dynasty with President Mugabe ruling the country while she served in parliament with her two sons and their cousin, prominent business Philip Chiyangwa.

(Source)

Approaching his 87th birthday next February, President Robert Mugabe appears to give his friends a few birthday gift ideas as he walks unsteadily down the steps prompting aides to offer some support.

These pictures were taken as Mugabe left the closing ceremony of the African Union’s Summit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 27.

Mugabe, who still looks fit for his age, has never been seen in public with a walking stick and until recently, was bouncing up and down the steps of Air Zimbabwe planes – an image his PR people were happy to put out as it showed their man to be robust and raring.

But these pictures from Uganda show a man struggling to hold onto his youthful stoicism that has helped him stay in power for an incredible 30 years – for his minders and his Zanu PF party an unwelcome reminder that aging is mandatory, and he too is vulnerable to the pulling power of the end of time.

Surprisingly, Mugabe’s cabinet colleagues speak of a man whose attentiveness at meetings belies his advanced age.

A senior minister from Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party revealed recently: “Cabinet meetings start around 9AM and Mugabe can go all the way up to 1 or 2PM without taking a break, all the time listening intensely to the proceedings, but rarely talking himself.

“There is no question he’s doing better than many at his age.”

The teetotaller President is known to exercise regularly and is a big fan of yoga – a combination that has helped him stay fit and outfox his opponents despite growing public disaffection.

(Source)

Approaching his 87th birthday next February, President Robert Mugabe appears to give his friends a few birthday gift ideas as he walks unsteadily down the steps prompting aides to offer some support.
These pictures were taken as Mugabe left the closing ceremony of the African Union’s Summit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 27.
Mugabe, who still looks fit for his age, has never been seen in public with a walking stick and until recently, was bouncing up and down the steps of Air Zimbabwe planes – an image his PR people were happy to put out as it showed their man to be robust and raring.
But these pictures from Uganda show a man struggling to hold onto his youthful stoicism that has helped him stay in power for an incredible 30 years – for his minders and his Zanu PF party an unwelcome reminder that aging is mandatory, and he too is vulnerable to the pulling power of the end of time.
Surprisingly, Mugabe’s cabinet colleagues speak of a man whose attentiveness at meetings belies his advanced age.
A senior minister from Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party revealed recently: “Cabinet meetings start around 9AM and Mugabe can go all the way up to 1 or 2PM without taking a break, all the time listening intensely to the proceedings, but rarely talking himself.
“There is no question he’s doing better than many at his age.”
The teetotaller President is known to exercise regularly and is a big fan of yoga – a combination that has helped him stay fit and outfox his opponents despite growing public disaffection.
(Source)

Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku is tomorrow expected to decide on the application by the Attorney General (AG) seeking permission to appeal against the acquittal of Roy Bennett, the deputy minister of agriculture designate and MDC-T treasurer general.

Bennett, the MDC-T treasurer general was in May acquitted of charges of attempting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.

High Court judge, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu ruled that the state failed to prove a prima facie case against Bennett during his high profile trial.

Trust Maanda, one of Bennett’s lawyers, said the Supreme Court was expected to decide on whether the AG should be allowed permission to appeal against Bennett’s acquittal or not.

Bennett was appointed deputy minister of agriculture-designate by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, but President Robert Mugabe refused to swear him until he was cleared on charges of treason, banditry and terrorism.

Although Bennett was acquitted, he is still to be sworn-in. Acquitting Bennett, Bhunu ruled that evidence by the state’s key witness and arms dealer Peter Michael Hitschmann was inadmissible.

Hitschmann practically ruined the state’s case when he said statements extracted from him while in custody were uttered under duress.

He was declared a hostile witness. Bhunu ruled the prosecution failed to prove that e-mails allegedly linking Bennett to the arms dealer were genuine. Bennett was arrested on February 13, 2009, the day ministers in the delicate unity government were sworn in.

The Bennett issue has rocked the unity government since its inception and is one of the long- standing sticking points bedevilling the coalition.

(Source)

The notion that, to qualify as people-driven, the current constitution making process must exclude politicians and be spearheaded by civil society is as malevolent as it is misleading. Of course, the case is pushed most assiduously by various interest groups in a naked and doomed attempt to claim relevance without losing the high ground.

It is a proposition that discloses the cancerous condition within Zimbabwean society where some individuals have become desperate to the point of saying anything, however erroneous or self-serving, solely to raise their own profile and impress generous donor communities. Nothing could be more treacherous.

South Africa’s wonderful constitution is considered among the most advanced in the world with, among numerous other progressive provisions, an entrenched, finely crafted and generally respected Bill of Rights – yet it is the product not of any consultative process among the populace but of discussions and negotiations between political parties.

Not only were the leadership of the African National Congress and the then ruling National Party influential in both setting in motion and determining the negotiation process, they were also influential in deciding its substantive outcomes.

The point is that, while the involvement of civil society in a democracy is fundamental, the fact that it is not at the forefront of the drafting process does not render the resultant constitution any less people-driven.

Objective tests are more reliable than out-and-out grandstanding – and those tests can easily be stated. Were the people’s views sought? Were those views freely provided? Both must be answered in the affirmative to pass public scrutiny.

If there are reservations about the content of the new Zimbabwean constitution, it should not be because the ZCTU or, worse still, the NCA and ZINASU, elected not to be part of that process or merely because their ‘important’ input was disregarded. It will be because the people’s views were not sought or that their ability to express them was curtailed.

There is a dangerous absurdity in the argument that, because Dr. Madhuku and his backslappers feel they have been sidelined in the crafting of a new constitution, the whole country should for that reason alone blindly ‘reject’ the outcome. Such stunts serve no constructive purpose.

In part, this posturing explains why as Zimbabweans, after so many years of fighting for emancipation, we have yet to defeat tyranny. Whereas our enemy has remained determined, resolute and united, we have displayed a dangerous and damaging inclination to act disjointedly with neither unity of purpose nor meaningful coordination.

Self-indulgence cannot be pitted against discipline with any hope of obtaining a satisfactory outcome.

At every moment in the history of our struggle our ability to advance as a people has been hindered by the discord which has of late found expression through Madhuku and company.

In truth, if we fail to see the importance of acting in concert and speaking with one voice as one people, one nation, then we are indeed doomed.

If all that should matter is for Dr. Madhuku, for instance, to be revered and exalted whenever there is talk of a constitution just because he is chairman of an organization with the word ‘constitutional’ in its name…..

If all that should count is to criticise even the most progressive of initiatives simply in order to save oneself from the embarrassing prospect of being irrelevant….

If our failure to think, speak and act as a people united actually serves to promote the dictatorship rather than dismantle it… then those seeking a free and democratic country will ask, ‘Why bother?’

Morgan Tsvangirai’s failure to mobilize Zimbabwean people-power makes him and his MDC just as culpable as Madhuku and the others, if not more so. At best it represents a woeful lack of leadership. At worst it smacks of a desire to hold on ferociously to a monopoly of opposition politics in Zimbabwe.

We need Morgan Tsvangirai to encourage and promote unity of purpose among the many disparate groups of Zimbabweans committed to restoring and sustaining democracy in Zimbabwe. We need his charisma and inspiration to rally every progressive individual, organization and party into one united front if we are to win the battle against tyranny.

Zimbabweans pay heed: unless and until we speak and act collectively with one voice, as one people, one nation, our enemy will continue to revel in the status quo and tyranny will still oppress our society for many more years to come. Political posturing, disorganization, self-interest and disunity have nowhere been known to disturb let alone destroy dictatorships. Far from posing any threat, they are the very elements that enable tyrants to divide and rule. Of all nations, we should know better. We must act on this knowledge.

Psychology Maziwisa LLB, Union for Sustainable Democracy, leader@usd.org.zw

Senior police officers are still heavily involved in the illegal sale of diamonds from the controversial Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe despite recent vehement denials by Home Affairs co-minister Kembo Mohadi.

In one bizarre case, a police officer was found conducting the roaring trade from his house at the Fife Avenue police station.

The discovery came as international diamond trade bodies and both sides of the inclusive government were bent on sweeping the abuses under the carpet to allow Zimbabwe to offload the Marange ‘blood diamonds’ onto an unsuspecting global market.

Rights groups and consumer watchdogs last Friday vowed to take their fight to the stores.

The radical consumer rights group Consumer Action said it would mount a two-day protest outside diamond stores, including blocking entrances to Tiffany’s in New York and other shops in several other cities in early August, timed to coincide with the Kimberly Process monitor’s visit to Zimbabwe, where he is expected to certify the country’s controversial Marange stones for international sale.

Underworld figures in the illegal diamond trade named several top cops as the culprits in the thriving rackets.

Investigations by this newspaper revealed that the well-organised gangs included illegal diamond miners displaced from the Marange fields in the widely-condemned, brutal 2008 army-led Operation Hakudzokwi (No Return) in which security forces allegedly murdered up to 200 illegal miners, according to Human Rights Watch.

Finding the illegal diamond sellers in Harare was not difficult. A contact led this reporter to the Ximex Mall, a centre for illegal deals of all kinds. Among a band of youth dressed in expensive American designer clothes and fiddling with mobile phones was a youth who called himself Grey.

Without hesitation, Grey promised he could find any amount of diamonds for the ‘foreign buyers’ we claimed to represent.

“You don’t have to be afraid of being arrested. I get my stones from senior police officers who can even help you to get them across the border to South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Congo or even Dubai,” Grey said.

Licking ice-cream and flashing the gold chains on his neck and arms, Grey revealed that he had been one of the illegal miners at Chiadzwa when the army descended on the area in 2008 as part of Hakudzokwi. The youth said two of his friends were tear-gassed in a shaft and buried alive. Those who tried to run to mountains for safety were strafed with bullets from helicopter gunships while also being tear-gassed and pursued by horses and dogs on the ground, the gangster revealed.

“It was total war. I was injured and arrested. They tortured us for days but I was lucky because one of the policemen was from my home area. He told me I should come to Harare and act as his agent. That is why I am here. My job is to find customers for him and his friends. Most of the people here are not selling cell phones as they claim. They are pushing ‘ngoda’ (diamonds),” Grey said, before leading us to Fife Avenue police residence for senior officers.

Although police armed with AK 47s manned the entrance and required all visitors to sign a register, Grey just greeted the cops and made some jokes at which the guards laughed before they ushered us in. The youth appeared well-known to them.

The youth led this reporter to the house of Teddy Zhou, a police chief inspector who, last year, got arrested after illegal diamond dealers in Mutare accused him of robbing them of gemstones and cash. The case was dropped earlier this year after the complainants alleged that Zhou and his police associates threatened to arrest them if they pursued the matter.

Grey pointed out a new top of the range BMW in the car park, which he claimed Zhou had bought with diamond money, along with a Mercedes Benz which he had recently sold. Zhou was not at home and Grey’s disappointment was evident. “I’ve just lost a lot of money,” he muttered.

Other sources in Mutare revealed that a named senior police officer from the minerals and border control unit was always in the area collecting stones from the ongoing illegal activities at Marange. The same officer is said to have led a police raid on the Bluff Hill, Harare house of Chief Chiadzwa searching for diamonds.

The continued involvement of security forces in illegal mining, smuggling and human rights abuses is one of the main reasons Zimbabwe has been barred from selling gemstones from Marange. Global Witness recently revealed that the activities were benefitting senior security officials and ZANU PF members.

The Centre for Research and Development’s director, Farai Maguwu was detained for over a month and is still facing charges after exposing the abuses, which include forced labour of villagers in the diamond fields and gang rapes of women by soldiers and police.
The Zimbabwe Youth for Transparency recently named vice president Joce Mujuru as one of those senior officials continuing with illegal mining in the area.

Another point of contention is that mines Minister Obert Mpofu formed and licensed several companies to mine the Marange diamonds in murky circumstances, ensuring that the military continued to play a major role.

There was a stunned silence on the ZANU PF benches in parliament last Wednesday when Finance minister Tendai Biti announced that the law would be amended to ensure that diamond rights reverted to the state. Biti also hinted that an out of court settlement would be pursued with African Consolidated Resources, the original owners of the rights to the Marange diamonds. ACR was dispossessed by Mpofu.

(Source)

Yesterday, you may recall that I wrote about Mugabe’s attitude to the new SADC ruling following his ignoring the initial ruling. This is all about the land grab and the SADC Tribunal had ruled that the applicants, Michael Campbell and his son-in-law, Ben Freeth, were to be allowed to live and work on their farms and that the invaders were to leave them alone.

The thugs, representing Mugabe’s interests, then burned the households to ground.

The invaders have not left the farms and Campbell and Freeth have not been able to work the land.

A new ruling reiterates the original ruling and orders the invaders off the land.

Mugabe’s Minister of Justice has stated that the Zimbabwean government doesn’t recognise the tribunal’s ruling.

“The government has once again snubbed a ruling by the human rights courts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), saying the ruling is of ‘no consequence’ to Zimbabwe.

The comments were made by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa over the weekend, after the SADC Tribunal ruled that the government was in contempt, for ignoring previous rulings over unlawful land seizures. The contempt ruling is the third since the government was taken to court over the land ‘reform’ programme in 2008, and the case will now be referred to the SADC summit in Namibia next month.

But ZANU PF’s Chinamasa on Sunday told the state controlled Herald newspaper that SADC rulings would never change the government’s position on land ‘reform’. He added that the position on the SADC Tribunal remained the same, in that that it did not recognise its judgements.

“Our position remains the same that we don’t recognise the SADC Tribunal for reasons that we have given before. The farmers can have as many such judgements as they can but they will be of no effect in our jurisdiction,” he said.

“The farmers are wasting their time and money and are only going there for propaganda purposes. They are entitled to play their propaganda by going to the Tribunal but we will not recognise the judgement,” he said.“

When I wrote an editorial yesterday, I stated exactly that. Mugabe will not be moved – not be SADC, not by the AU, not by the EU and not by the UN. Mugabe believes that he was ‘elected’ by the Zimbabwean people – and now he is intent on remaining in power and will shout down anyone who objects, will knock down anyone who opposes him and hold down anyone who seeks justice for the treatment handed out by his violent ZANU PF party.

Yet Mugabe believes that his party should be recognised as the ‘ruling party’ by virtue of his position as President of Zimbabwe, although his return to that office was achieved through violence, intimidation and fraud.

Whilst his government refuses to recognise the SADC Tribunal, perhaps it is time for SADC to refuse to recognise his tenure, knowing that it was achieved through surreptitious means.

“The Tribunal on Friday ruled that farmers can refer their grievances to the SADC summit in August, as the Zimbabwean government has still failed to protect them and their rights to their land. This decision followed an urgent court application made by farmers Louis Fick and Mike Campbell last month, in a bid to force SADC leaders to intervene.

The application called on the SADC Tribunal to consider measures under the SADC Treaty to terminate or suspend Zimbabwe’s membership from SADC. The basis of the application is that the government remains in contempt of the SADC Tribunal by allowing ongoing farms invasions, arrests, prosecutions and imprisonment of farmers, despite a Tribunal order to protect the same farmers.

The government was ordered to protect these rights in a landmark ruling by the Tribunal in 2008, which said that land ‘reform’ was unlawful and discriminatory. That ruling has been completely ignored by the government, which was eventually charged with contempt by the Tribunal. Previous comments by Chinamasa dismissing the Tribunal landed the government in further hot water, when another contempt charge was eventually handed down.“

The termination or suspension of Zimbabwe’s membership to SADC will achieve nothing as Mugabe will believe then that he has removed yet another yoke from his shoulders – and I believe that he will ensure that the land referred to in the rulings will not only be invaded and taken in toto, but that the invasion will be conducted with extreme prejudice.

“Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth, who heads the SADC Tribunal Rights Watch group, on Monday told SW Radio Africa that the ball is now in SADC’s court to take firm action with Zimbabwe. He explained that the Tribunal is a “visionary concept that means nothing until judgements are implemented.”

“A court with no teeth is a pretty useless thing,” Freeth said. “It paints a gloomy picture for the whole SADC region if human rights abuses are allowed to continue in this way.“

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man

(Source)

At least 20 MDC supporters including two councillors were arrested in Rusape, Manicaland province last week after residents protested against the Local Government, Rural and Urban Development minister, Ignatius Chombo. The arrested councillors are Rusape council chairperson, Kidwell Gomana and Ward 8 councillor, Teddy Chipere. Residents of Rusape were infuriated by Chombo’s ruling that he wanted to set up a commission to run the affairs of the Rusape Town Council.

Of these twenty, eight were released with no charges laid against them and the other seven appeared before a Rusape magistrate. Six of these were released on US$50 bail each, whilst Chipere who is also the MDC Rusape district chairperson, was denied bail and remanded in custody. The other five, who were picked up on Friday, are expected to appear in court today.

The Manicaland province spokesperson and Makoni South MP, Hon. Pishayi Muchauraya appeared before a Murambinda magistrate on trumped-up charges of undermining the President at a rally in 2006. He will appear before the courts on September 22.

In Midlands North, the MDC Midlands North provincial chairperson, Cephas Zimuti has been acquitted by a Gokwe magistrate. Zimuti was arrested last month for holding an MDC executive meeting at Gokwe Centre. The case was dismissed on the basis that any closed door meeting is not supposed to be booked to the police.

In Masvingo province, Zanu PF has continued with its terror campaign. In Masvingo South, Masviba Dhombo, Kariba Musaidzwa, Saston Maroveke and Julius Masimba – all headmen have been on the forefront of inciting political violence in the area despite the fact that the Global Political Agreement (GPA) openly states that traditional leaders should be apolitical.  The four have clearly declared that they would campaign for Zanu PF.

In Mwenezi district, Zanu PF thugs and soldiers last Friday stormed Chingami Primary school, Ward 5 in Mwenezi East and reportedly ordered the school authorities to temporarily stop lessons to pave way for a Zanu PF rally. The Zanu PF mob, which was led by one Colonel J Hungwe   and Zanu PF District Coordinating Committee (DCC) commissar for Mwenezi, Justice Sithole, arrived at the school around mid morning and instructed the pupils to go home and bring their parents to the rally, which was later addressed by Colonel Hungwe.

In the same province, Gorden Mugadza, the MDC Masvingo South vice-chairperson was last week arrested and denied access to food and medication by overzealous police officers at Renco police station, only to be released two days later with no charges being brought against him.

(Source: via email)