Messages From Zimbabwe

ZAPU Vice President, Emelia Mukarakatirwa, recently castigated President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party for their selfish rule.

She lambasted women politicians from ZANU PF for “dancing kongonya” and kneeling “in front of other men” while failing to respect their own husbands at home in the name of trying to gain political favours.

Addressing the party’s supporters at a rally here at the weekend, the ZAPU leader said ZANU PF rule had created so much ethical division and political polarization that political intolerance had become commonplace.

“We need to stop the hate language that has created a lot of divisions. People must not apologise for the language they speak and the political choices they make. Some capable people in Zimbabwe have been denied the opportunities they deserve just because they speak a certain language,” said Mukarakatirwa.

She called on Zimbabweans to unite and share one common vision for their country, which she said had suffered from 31 years of Mugabe’s misrule, in which the octogenarian and members of his party have become too self-centred to care about the rest of the population.

“Leaders have forgotten that there are leaders because of the people who voted them into those positions and now behave as if they own the same people,” said the ZAPU official.

She castigated women for their failure to empower their own, saying most women would rather betray their gender by voting men into top positions.

“Some women also choose to stay away from political and governance issues because they believe that they are the preserve of men and they believe that women are not good enough to hold high level posts, but that is very wrong.”

(Source)

Zimbabwe police and private security guards employed by mining companies in the Marange diamond fields are shooting, beating and unleashing attack dogs on poor, local unlicensed miners.

The evidence gathered by Human Rights Watch contradicts claims that areas controlled by private mining companies, instead of by the Zimbabwe government alone, are relatively free of abuses.

Over the past six months, police and private security personnel have attempted to clear the fields of local miners whom they accuse of illegally mining diamonds. Human Rights Watch research found that in many cases, the police and private security guards used excessive force against the miners. The violence follows claims, in June, by the government and the head of an international industry monitoring body that conditions in the Marange fields are sufficient for it to be allowed to resume exports of diamonds from Marange.

”Shooting defenseless miners and unleashing dogs against them is inhuman, degrading and barbaric,” said Tiseke Kasambala, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. ”The diamonds from the Marange fields are tainted with abuse.”

Local civil society activists told Human Rights Watch that the government has granted six international mining companies concessions in the Marange fields. The companies’ private security guards carry out joint patrols of the mining areas with Zimbabwe police. Local miners said that most of the companies have built electric fences around their mining concessions, while security guards with dogs regularly patrol the concessions. However, local miners are still able to reach the fields and sometimes stray into areas under the companies’ control.

Some members of the international diamond monitoring body, known as the Kimberley Process, have tried to argue that conditions in the areas controlled by joint ventures are not abusive, and that those diamonds should be certified and allowed onto international markets. But Human Rights Watch has found, on the contrary, evidence of serious abuse by private security guards patrolling the joint venture territory.

Human Rights Watch researchers interviewed 10 miners in Mutare and towns close to the Marange diamond fields who had been beaten by guards and attacked by their dogs after being caught by mine security in the past six months. During patrols, police would also fire live ammunition at the miners as they fled, the miners said.

”I was attacked by all of them,” one of the miners told Human Rights Watch. ”The dogs were biting me and I was screaming. It was terrible.”

Medical personnel who treated the miners at neighboring clinics and the main provincial hospital confirmed that they had treated wounded miners.  An official at a local clinic told Human Rights Watch that he had treated between 15 and 20 victims of dog attacks a month since April, many with serious wounds. Clinic officers also reported seeing people with gunshot wounds, including people who had been shot in the head.

Many of the miners were reluctant to report the incidents to the police, miners and local activists said, as they were afraid of being arrested for digging in the fields because they were unlicensed. The government has conducted no investigations into these abuses.

The Ministry of Mines and Development, other relevant Zimbabwe authorities, and the mining industry in Marange need to take immediate measures to stop these abuses and ensure accountability for abuses by members of the police force and the private security guards, Human Rights Watch said. At a minimum, the companies should follow internationally recognized standards on security, such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, investigate any allegations of abuse, and urge investigations of those acts.

Human Rights Watch urged the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, an international body that oversees the diamond trade, to suspend all exports of diamonds from the Marange fields and asked retailers to refuse explicitly to buy Marange diamonds. The Kimberley Process has not adequately addressed the abuses in Marange.

”The ongoing abuses at Marange underscore the need for the Kimberley Process to address human rights instead of capitulating to abusive governments and irresponsible companies,” Kasambala said.

On June 23, Mathieu Yamba, the Kimberley Process chairman, announced that he had made a unilateral decision to lift the ban on exports of diamonds from the Marange fields. He took the decision even though independent monitoring, including the organization’s own investigation, had confirmed serious human rights abuses and rampant smuggling at the Marange fields. This decision, if implemented, would mean that the export of Marange diamonds is now permitted, without any monitoring for human rights abuses or credible evidence that Zimbabwe is complying with the Kimberley Process standards.

However, the Kimberley Process operates by consensus, and members such as the European Union, the United States, Israel and Canada criticized Yamba’s position. Others, such as South Africa, supported it. As a result, the organization remains deadlocked over whether to allow exports of diamonds from Marange.

”The Kimberley Process appears to have lost touch with its mission to ensure that blood diamonds don’t make their way to consumers,” Kasambala said. ”By ignoring the serious abuses taking place in Marange, it is losing credibility as a global diamond regulating body and risks misleading consumers too.”

Abuses by Police and Security Guards

Human Rights Watch interviewed miners in July, 2011, who were mauled by dogs and beaten by private security guards. They reported that the majority of incidents involved security guards working for Mbada Mining, a South African and Zimbabwean owned joint venture. The guards were identifiable by their black uniform. One miner said: ”The Mbada guards are the worst. They don’t hesitate to set the dogs upon you and they also beat you up.” Human Rights Watch was unable to interview Mbada Mining officials during the mission, because they were not reachable by phone.

In one incident, private security guards working for Mbada set four dogs on a handcuffed artisanal miner caught digging for diamonds close to the fields mined by Mbada. ”I was attacked by all of them,” said the man, who is in his 20s. ”The dogs were biting me and I was screaming.  It was terrible.”

A clinical officer in the town close to the fields told Human Rights Watch: ”We have so many people coming to the clinic with dog attacks. It’s easy to tell they’ve been bitten by dogs. You see the marks. During the week we treat around five or more miners with dog bites. They tell us that private security guards are the ones who set the dogs upon them. They say that it’s guards working for Mbada.”

Human Rights Watch’s research found that in many cases dogs were used not just to restrain the victims, but apparently deliberately to inflict as much injury as possible. One miner told Human Rights Watch that security guards would shout at the dogs to “attack” even if the miners had surrendered or stopped running.

A provincial hospital clinical officer told Human Rights Watch that he had seen at least 15 victims of dog attacks since April. In one case, the victim died from his injuries. Local miners and civil society activists reported that the numbers of dog attack victims could be much higher, but that the majority of the victims chose not to go to the hospital to receive treatment as hospitals often required a police report. Most victims preferred to recover at home without medical treatment, increasing the risk that their wounds would become infected.

Local civil society activists reported that police often carry out joint operations with private security guards in advance of visits to the fields by senior government officials or foreign delegations. For example, police and private security guards carried out operations to clear the fields of diggers in advance of visits to the fields by President Robert Mugabe in March and delegates from the African Diamond Producers Association in April. Some of the worst incidents occurred in the days before these visits.

A clinical officer at the main provincial hospital told Human Rights Watch:

”From March to June we have had many people coming to the hospital with gunshot wounds. They get shot at. Some of them have head injuries, some shot in the legs, arms, shoulders. We have one man who is in a coma. He was shot in the head about three weeks ago. There were four of them who were shot but one of them was serious because of the head injury. He was brought in by the police from Chiadzwa. They didn’t explain who he was.”

A local clinical officer described a joint operation between the police and private security guards to drive away miners in late May and early June. He told Human Rights Watch:

On the day they started the operation a lot of guys were bitten by dogs and a few came to the clinic for treatment. Three came on one day. The guys came with wounds similar to tears – not just teeth punctures. The injuries showed that the dogs were tearing the flesh and not just biting to restrain the miners. Such wounds are difficult to treat. I also treated three guys who were shot by the police. They were shot from the back and behind their legs. We tried to operate on them but their injuries were serious and we transferred them to the provincial hospital.

Testimonies

Blessing G., 21
There were six of us who went to mine in the fields. We were digging in the bush when we were caught by these private guards led by a white man. They had four dogs. One of the guards had a gun. When they saw us they released the dogs. I tried to run away and fell. My friends escaped. Three dogs attacked me. One caught me on the leg and the other one on my hand. The other dog bit me on the stomach.  I lay on the ground still begging them to call the dogs off. After two or so minutes, it felt like a long time they called off the dogs and told me, “We don’t want people like you mining illegally for the diamonds.”  I couldn’t walk for several days because of my injuries.

James T., 27
I was busy digging for the diamonds next to the Mbada area when I heard a shout, “Catch.” The guards were with a white man. There were four dogs and I was attacked by all of them. The dogs were biting me and I was screaming. One of the guards came, pulled off the dogs and then handcuffed me and then he shouted, “Attack” and the dogs came back and started biting me as I lay on the ground. It was terrible. After a few more minutes they grabbed the dogs off and marched me to their diamond base where they bandaged my wounds and then drove me out of the fields. I didn’t go for further treatment. I just went home.

Peter N., 20
During one operation we were caught by private security guards and police. There were many of us. The guards had dogs but they also had teargas, which they threw at us. We started running, and then they let the dogs loose. Many of us were bitten on that day. They had many dogs. The guards were wearing dark uniforms. The police were also there and they had guns. At some point they started shooting. I kept running but when the police started shooting I stopped and surrendered. That’s when the dogs came and started biting me. I know that some of the others were shot by the police because I saw them fall. I don’t know if anyone died.

Richard L., 22
I haven’t gone back since I was bitten by the dogs and hit by the guards. It was around May and there were around 10 or 15 of us. We were working in a syndicate with the soldiers and they had told us which area to dig for the diamonds. Suddenly we heard shouting and the security guards came running after us. They were not armed. They shouted at the dogs, “Attack” and then we all started running. I was caught by one dog. I don’t know how many dogs they were. The dogs bit me on the legs and stomach. Afterward some of the guards came and started kicking us saying we should learn not to dig for diamonds in that area. The Mbada guards are the worst. They don’t hesitate to set the dogs upon you and they also beat you up. I didn’t go to the hospital I just went home and healed by myself.

Fambai  K., 30
Going into the fields is dangerous for us these days. The soldiers are better because we now work with them. But the security guards all have dogs and they work with the police. I was attacked by dogs in June. As you can see my wounds are still fresh. I don’t know who the security guards belonged to but they wore a black uniform. Some say they are Mbada but I don’t know. The first dog caught my leg and I fell.  Then the guards came and started hitting me. They were kicking and punching me. Then another dog attacked me. I was trying to hold its mouth. It went on for a few minutes and when they saw I was bleeding they took me to a place called diamond base. They stitched me up there then handed me to the police.

(Source)

The Foreign ministry said it had declared Ambassador Taher Elmagrahi, in Libya’s Harare embassy ‘persona non grata’ and ordered him and his family to leave Zimbabwe.

Diplomatic sources said Elmagrahi argued against the decision, saying this would send him and his wife to a country in civil war.

Foreign ministry permanent secretary Joey Bimha said the ambassador no longer had any business in Harare because he has broken ranks with the man who sent him here.

Harare opposed military intervention in Libya and NATO’s air raid on Gaddafi’s forces, and has steadfastly stood with Gaddafi, who has helped prop up President Mugabe’s Zanu PF.

Zimbabwe has flatly refused to recognize the legitimacy of Libya’s rebel council.

On Wednesday, Libya’s ambassador in Zimbabwe joined his fellow countrymen to burn the effigy of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and hoisted the flag of the rebels that have seized power in Tripoli.

“From today, August 24, we follow the Libyan majority, the Libyan people, through our National Transitional Authority,” Ambassador Taher Elmagrahi told reporters outside the embassy in down town Harare. “We are here representing the Libyan people and not Gaddafi. I am not Gaddafi’s ambassador. I represent the Libyan people.”

Embassy staff and Libyan nationals sang freedom songs while others honked car horns while burning Gaddafi’s green flag at the offices just next to the Financial Gazette’s office.

Locals also joined in chanting down the “dictator” Gaddafi. The hoisting of the red, black and green independence flag was met with wild applause and cheers.

The celebration came a day after rebels stormed Gaddafi’s compound and looted his palace in Tripoli. The transitional authority has received widespread backing.

(Source)

While the controversy over whether Gen Solomon Mujuru’s death in a fire at his home last week was accidental or foul play rages on, Zimbabwe’s political parties are reassessing their strategies now that the Zanu-PF kingmaker has gone.

With President Robert Mugabe (87) nearing the end of his political career, the stage is set for a fierce clash between two Zanu-PF factions, one led by the general’s widow, senior vice-president Joice Mujuru , the other headed by defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

On the face of it, Mujuru is the big loser. Without Gen Mujuru, deputy-commander of the Zanu liberation army during the civil war in the 1970s and the first black head of the Zimbabwe National Army, her faction has lost its brand. He was always the real power in the faction of which she is titular head. Few analysts see her as the effective, decisive leader that her late husband certainly was.

For months now there has been talk of a possible alliance between prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai (59) and the Mujuru faction against Mugabe, with some in Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change fearing their party could be co-opted and swallowed in the same way that Joshua Nkomo’s Zapu was absorbed by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF two years ago.

After the general’s death, this is a much less attractive option for Tsvangirai but a more promising one for the general’s widow. Though as the senior vice- president she is the heir presumptive to the Mugabe throne, especially as the other vice-president, John Nkomo, 20 years older than her and reportedly unwell, is not a player in the succession stakes. Mugabe himself prefers Mnangagwa.

The vastly experienced Mnangagwa (65) has been in government since independence in 1980, holding many senior cabinet portfolios, including defence, finance, justice and state security, as well as serving a spell as speaker of parliament. Those who worked with him in the finance and justice ministries, including senior judges subsequently dismissed by Mugabe, describe him as a competent administrator who listens to his officials.

Joice Mujuru (56) has no such track record as an administrator and owes her prominence in the party more to her late husband’s powerbroker activities than her own ability.

On paper, who succeeds Mugabe could turn out to be largely academic because opinion polls, such as they are, suggest an easy win for Tsvangirai, assuming that the elections are even remotely free and fair. Those who support a Tsvangirai-Mujuru ticket — which includes many businesspeople — argue that this would continue the inclusive government of national unity while marginalising extremists within Zanu-PF, such as the Mnangagwa faction and political hotheads like indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere .

Kasukuwere hit the headlines again last week with his threat to cancel the business licences of 13 multinationals which have so far, he says, failed to comply with Zimbabwe’s localisation law requiring foreign-owned firms to dispose of 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans. Kasukuwere gave the multinationals, including Barclays and Standard Chartered banks, Impala Platinum , Aquarius, Rio Tinto, Nestlé, British American Tobacco , Cargill and Canada’s Caledonia Mining, 14 days to submit their proposals for localisation, which should be completed within five years.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono responded angrily, seeking to reassure depositors who were reported to have withdrawn their money from the two international banks that he was the only person with the authority to withdraw banking licences and that he had no intention of doing so.

Kasukuwere promptly hit back, telling Gono that if he did not want to implement government policy, he should resign or “we kick him out”.

Lurking in the wings is the military. Gen Constantine Chiwenga (55), is often named as a possible starter in the race to succeed Mugabe, though this seems unlikely. More important is which faction the top brass will back when the time comes to choose a new Zanu-PF leader. Only last month a senior military officer told a foreign visitor that however the succession struggle played out within Zanu-PF, the party would remain in government. “No other party would be allowed to win,” he said.

Just how much of this was bluster and bravado is impossible to assess. Like so many leaders in Zimbabwe today from all parties, regardless of whether they are discussing politics, the economy, the country’s mineral wealth or its external debt, there is a disconcerting disconnect with reality. Ministers, officials and soldiers are prone to wild claims, devoid of any realism but resonant of the leadership deficit that is clear in Zimbabwe in 2011.

Mujuru’s death and Mugabe’s impending retirement will leave a vacuum that none of the pretenders to the throne seems competent to fill.

(Source)

Zimbabwean Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere was quoted Tuesday as saying he has canceled the operating license of gold producer Blanket Mine and ordered the company to halt operations. But the Ministry of Mines, which licensed the mining firm, says it  has no knowledge of any such move against the Gwanda, Matabeleland South, company.

Indigenization Ministry Legal Adviser Psychology Mazivisa said Blanket did not comply with orders from the government to submit a plan providing for the transfer of a 51 percent controlling stake to indigenous Zimbabwean investors.

Mazivisa said Blanket Mine should cease operations while the government is engaging its owners, Caledonia Mining Corp. of Canada.

Sources said operations continued at the mine.

Mazivisa dismissed reports saying the ministry agreed to reinstate the license after meeting with mine executives, pending the re-submission of indigenization plans conforming to law.

Blanket Mine is one of several companies that were recently given from one to two weeks to submit new plans for indigenization or lose their licenses.

Mazivisa said the mine should obey the order to halt works.

But Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said his ministry has taken no action against Blanket.

Caledonia Mining Corp. Chief Executive Stefan Hayden, reached in Johannesburg, said Blanket is revising its plan for indigenization while continuing to operate.

(Source)

Soldiers are reported to have set alight two houses belonging to an MDC-T official in Hurungwe, after allegedly confronting him for organising a party rally in the area.

The Standard newspaper reports that MDC-T Hurungwe district organising secretary, Edmore Chinanzvavana, has said soldiers were behind the arson attack on his property.

Chinanzvavana said they accused him of organising a rally that was addressed by the chairperson of the MDC-T’s women’s assembly, Theresa Makone, and executive member Jessie Majome.

“When we arrived at my homestead at Magunje Growth Point from the rally at Mudzimu Township we were threatened by soldiers and some ZANU PF activists,” Chinanzvavana said.

“The houses were already on fire,” he explained. “Everything was burnt in the house including a welding machine, grinding machine, fishing rods, two tonnes of maize, six bags of fertliser, door frames and a table.”

The newspaper also said that a senior army officer reportedly threatened MDC-T Hurungwe district secretary Tonderai Kusemamuriwo with unspecified action for organising the rally.

“The senior army officer threatened me saying I should not lead MDC-T activities within a 2km radius of the 2.3 Infantry barracks,” he said.

MDC-T members continue to be harassed by the security sector, despite calls for it to stop. Local civic society groups and international groups like Amnesty International have joined the MDC-T in condemning the army and police brutality on political activists.

(Source)

Zimbabwe’s state media says two air force jets sideswiped each other during a state funeral flyover, dropping some metal wreckage but landing safely.

Three Chinese-built K8 jets flew in formation over the funeral of retired Gen. Solomon Mujuru on Saturday. Broken metal pieces from the two colliding jets fell near a sports stadium across the highway a few hundred meters (yards) from the cemetery where Zimbabwe’s political leaders and more than 40,000 mourners were gathered, military spokesman Col. Overson Mugwisi told the state Sunday Mail newspaper. There were no reported injuries.

Witnesses told the newspaper that one of the jets rolled over in the air twice before the pilot regained control and veered off toward the nearby Harare air force base.

(Source)

While police continued their forensic investigations yesterday into the death of General Solomon Mujuru, his widow, Acting President Joice Mujuru, implored people to stop making wild statements on the cause of death.

Police were tight-lipped yesterday over what they have found so far, and while revealing there had been a post-mortem, declined to give the results until they knew more.

Gen Mujuru (66) died when his farmhouse in Beatrice burned down on Monday night.

Since then, there has been speculation over the cause of the fire, but yesterday Acting President Mujuru made it clear that both she and everyone else should wait until investigations were complete.

She said people should not be preoccupied with the discussion surrounding the circumstances surrounding the death “because God is the only one who has an answer”.

“Ndirikukumbira hama neshamwari kuteerera kuite kushoma, nokuti zvinoitika kuti munhu acommente zvaasingagoni kuti azomira achipupura mangwana.

“Mwari watiri kunamata achatipa mhinduro.

“We don’t have to solicit for an extra mile, sometimes unozotsvaga nezvisipo. Kwatiri Solomon atova mudzimu wekwa Mwendamberi,” she said.

She was backed by the ZANU PF Politburo which resolved that no party member could speak to the media over the death of Gen Mujuru except party spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo.

The resolution came after some party members were quoted in the private media making unsubstantiated allegations surrounding the death of Gen Mujuru.

ZANU PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa made the announcement yesterday at the Mujuru residence.

“Tabvumirana kuti tinozvinzwa tichiteerera asi tosiira kunaVaGumbo vachipindura pavanokwanisa. Isu vamwe tinofanira kubata miromo yedu,” he said.

Earlier, ZANU PF national chairperson, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo had castigated the private media for irresponsible journalism.

“What I see in the so-called independent newspapers is not good. Let’s avoid being irresponsible. Let’s mourn with dignity. We should respect the dead and the Mujuru family.

“The freedom which makes you betray your own people is the freedom which was brought by General Mujuru.

“I am appealing to those in the media to search your souls and stand up to be counted. United we stand and divided we fall,” he said.

The police were yesterday still active gathering evidence to find out what happened.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday said investigations were in progress.

“We are still collecting all the evidence including reports from experts and organisations such as ZESA,” he said.

Snr Asst Comm Bvudzijena revealed that the post-mortem was done on Tuesday, but would not give the results.

On Tuesday, police said preliminary investigations suggest the fire could have been caused by a candle left burning in the house.

According to police, there were joint investigations by security and other organisations including the police forensic unit and ZESA Holdings.

(Source)

Top ZANU PF officials in Manicaland are reported to have warned President Robert Mugabe against holding elections this year as the chances of winning were very slim.

Sources within the ZANU PF provincial executive said the bigwigs openly told Mugabe that people at the grassroots were reluctant to vote for the party whose political fortunes are dwindling.

The party says it will release its primary election guidelines next week. Speaking at the Cotco Makoni District Farming Awards held at Nzvimbe in Makoni South recently ZANU PF national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo said “The release of the primary elections regulations is demonstrative of our intentions and preparedness to go to polls this year.”

The negotiating teams in the GPA have agreed on a timeline that postpones the poll to 2012.

Khaya Moyo insisted ZANU PF still wanted to hold elections this year. But sources said:

“When the President (Mugabe) in a previous politburo meeting announced that elections will be held this year, some top politburo members updated him (Mugabe) about the true situation on the ground. He was openly told that ZANU PF had lost the grip in Manicaland.”

The source said the politburo members told Mugabe that the 2008 elections should act as a barometer to measure his chances of winning an election in Manicaland.

But Khaya-Moyo was singing a different tune.

“Some of our officials were moving around intimidating people and lying to them in the name of the President. They were imposing people claiming that they had the blessings of the President. This time we will not allow that. This affected us in the last polls where we lost the majority of our seats to MDC.

“Let me warn these sellouts within the party to stop behaving like naughty school children. Let me be very clear to everyone that if somebody wants to represent the party, he/she must first meet the guidelines and then make sure that he/she is coming from the people and not from individual politicians,” he said.

A politburo member speaking from Harare who cannot be named for fear of victimisation said: “It will be suicidal for the party and the ZANU PF legislative and senatorial candidates.”

(Source)

Zimbabweans have called on President Robert Mugabe and disputed leader of the smaller faction of the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) Arthur Mutambara to quit politics according to recent results of the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) poll.

Presenting the MPOI findings of the research held in July in five provinces, Principal Researcher, Stephen Ndoma, said when they asked respondents on what they would tell political figures if given a chance to advise them, most of the respondents said they would advise Mugabe to retire while he still commanded respect while the common message to Mutambara was to quit politics.

A Mashonaland Central male said:“I would tell him (Mugabe) that we appreciate all he did for the country since 1980 but that it is unacceptable for him to continue holding onto power. I would also ask him to follow Mandela’s (Nelson) footsteps and retire.”

A Masvingo male said: “I would tell Mutambara to quit politics because he is not representing anything or anyone. I would tell him that he is a parasite and should leave politics and ask him to become a politician first before he gets into politics.”

According to the findings, Matabeleland South described Mutambara as driven by greed and urged him to give the legitimate MDC president elected at a congress early this year, Welshman Ncube a chance to be deputy Prime Minister. Mutambara was also urged by the respondents to pursue his robotics career.

Mutambara has refused to step down as leader of the MDC party after he was ousted by Ncube at the party’s congress earlier this year, citing irregularities.

However some respondents said they were not aware of what Ncube stood for either while others said they did not know him. Others said he should join the larger faction of the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

The research, whose purpose was to monitor the performance of the inclusive Government, also revealed that the common messages to Tsvangirai were that of encouragement and to develop the country.

One of the research respondents said about Tsvangirai: “If I happen to meet him, I would tell him to be strong and keep on fighting for people’s rights. He should not be afraid even if they continue intimidating him.”

On the Economic direction of the country, most respondents concurred that while things had stabilised after the formation of the Unity government, the economy was now again on a downturn agreeing that the USD the common used currency was hard to get.

One respondent noted: “Money is very difficult to get, you can go for two weeks without getting a mere rand (R1).”

Mass Public Opinion Institute is an Independent Research Institute in Zimbabwe. The research was carried out in Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Masvingo, Matebeleland South and North.

(Source)