I'm Not Scared: Tsvangirai

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he remains unshaken over threats to have him arrested ahead of possible elections this year, arguing that these are mere political machinations plotted by politicians who are afraid to face him at the ballot.

The MDC strongly believes some senior government officials and service chiefs are maliciously pushing for Tsvangirai’s arrest accusing him and Hebson Makuvise, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Germany, of embezzling $1,5 million in 2009.

Luke Tamborinyoka, Tsvangirai’s spokesperson told the Daily News yesterday that the premier came to know about his “arrest” in the newspapers but was not shaken by the move.

“He is reading about the so-called planned arrest in the newspapers.

This is obvious politics, his conscience is clear and he remains unshaken.

“He is not worried about these threats and continues to work as the country’s Prime Minister and also as leader of the MDC,” said Tamborinyoka.

He added that Tsvangirai has not been interviewed or interrogated by the police or anyone over the issue.

Tamborinyoka said the purported fraud was just an imagination of those plotting the PM’s downfall.

The intended arrest follows a similar pattern in which active MDC members have been arrested and detained throughout the country without trial.

The MDC has accused Zanu PF of using the police to arrest its members to destabilise its structures.

As the country approaches elections, political parties fear a crackdown on Zanu PF opponents will escalate and that their main target at the moment was Tsvangirai who poses the greatest challenge to Mugabe.

The plot to arrest Tsvangirai emanates from alleged funds the PM is accused of misusing which are said to have been released by the RBZ to renovate a house government bought for him.

Tsvangirai is accused of having been paid twice, by the RBZ and Treasury for the same project.

The push to arrest Tsvangirai is reportedly being orchestrated by top security officials and a senior RBZ official.

Another official close to Tsvangirai said: “I talked to the PM who professed ignorance on the fraud. Actually as we speak, the government is building a house for the PM in Harare. So why would the PM have asked for a loan from the same government that is building him a house?”

After the formation of the inclusive government in February 2009, Tsvangirai was expected to move to State House or Zimbabwe House but Mugabe seemed to have fought against such moves. Mugabe has moved out of Zimbabwe House to his privately-owned home in Borrowdale, hence the expectation that the PM would move into either.

Another top Tsvangirai official said the plot against the Prime Minister seemed to be thickening on the horizon as other personalities fighting for positions in their various spheres including at the RBZ were trying to bring in the PM’s name.

There are plots within the RBZ to topple RBZ Governor Gideon Gono and Tsvangirai’s issue is being used by senior RBZ officials to bootlick Mugabe in the hope of taking over the top central bank post if Gono gets the boot.

“There are certain personalities fighting their wars using the PM’s name. It is not fair because they are producing fake documents which allege the PM as fraudulent. There is a dossier with all sorts of fabricated accusations against the PM and we are aware of that circulating document,” said another Tsvangirai aide.

However, officials in Zanu PF and securocrats are said to be divided over the intended arrest.

“There is a school of thought to the effect that an arrest now would make the PM even more popular. It might collapse the inclusive government. Others are of the opinion that the arrest should be made as soon as they create enough evidence to pin him."

“We have intelligence that there are plans, but when, how and where this would take place is everyone’s guess,” said a minister from the MDC.

(Source)

Mugabe To Quit

President Robert Mugabe is reliably understood to be planning to retire after the next elections to pave way for his hand-picked successor, who will protect his interests and shield him from punishment for human rights violations.

Officials close to Mugabe said the veteran leader, in power for 32 years, was scheming to win the next elections by all means necessary and hand over power to a younger leader as part of a strategy to resolve the crisis around his succession and keep Zanu-PF in power. Mugabe wants elections this year.

Senior Zanu-PF officials told the Sunday Times that Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, 66, was earmarked to take over from Mugabe, 88, if he wins the next polls. Mnangagwa, despite his battered reputation due to his involvement in human rights abuses - mainly the Gukurahundi massacres - remains a powerful figure in the faction-ridden Zanu-PF.

He is currently battling to succeed Mugabe with State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi and Vice-President Joyce Mujuru, who is now weakened by the death of her husband General Solomon Mujuru.

Although Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga is reportedly interested in the top job, he is a close Mnangagwa ally and could throw his weight behind him if he emerges as the front-runner in the succession race.

Mnangagwa and Chiwenga are key members of the Joint Operation Command (Joc), which brings together the army, police and intelligence chiefs. Joc is the power behind Mugabe's throne. Insiders say Mugabe's plan has been discussed with a few specially selected individuals who are expected to drive his election strategy.

He is said to have requested Zambian President Michael Sata to sell the proposal to other Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders who are increasingly becoming impatient with him.

Last month Mugabe met with Sata for private talks in Livingstone, Zambia. Insiders say they discussed the SADC political and security situation, focusing on Zimbabwe. While Mugabe wanted Sata's support, he also hinted his future plans to secure his backing.

On Wednesday, Mugabe met a few senior officials at the Zanu-PF headquarters and told them he wanted to quit after the polls. He is said to have hinted that he wanted to go because he had "had his time" and would like to "make way for a younger successor".

"The plan is that after the elections the president will retire and hand over power to a senior party official, who will complete his term while consolidating himself or herself," a senior official said. "Depending on what constitution would be in place, how the successor comes in would be determined by the constitutional and political circumstances, particularly the outcome of the elections insofar as it concerns the distribution of seats in parliament and the executive arrangement."

Another official said Mugabe was afraid of retiring without security guarantees, hence his current manoeuvres. "The president is now making plans to retire and resolve the succession issue, but only after he gets security guarantees."

Efforts to get comment from Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo were unsuccessful. But Sata hinted at Mugabe's plans this week, saying: "There will be elections and Mugabe will go and someone else will take over, but not someone imposed by the Western countries."

Mnangagwa now seems well placed to take over from Mugabe. As ex-minister of state security from 1982 to 1988 and justice minister until 2000, it was on his watch that the Gukurahundi massacres took place.

He was defeated in the 2000 election by the MDC's Blessing Chebundo and lost his ministerial position. He then became speaker of parliament until 2005.

Following general elections that year, he bounced back as minister of rural housing, a position he held until 2009 when he was appointed defence minister.

Despite his influence, Mnangagwa's main weaknesses are his bad reputation and lack of charisma, which have seen him lose several elections for top positions within Zanu-PF in the past.

(Source)

Panic As Mugabe's Plane Billows Smoke

An Air Zimbabwe flight crew and an advance delegation accompanying President Robert Mugabe to an African Union summit on Friday hurriedly evacuated an aircraft they had boarded after smoke engulfed the plane just before the ageing octogenarian leader boarded it.

Informed sources who were at the Harare International Airport told Radio VOP that an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200 aircraft which was about to ferry Mugabe to Ethiopia developed a faulty auxiliary power unit (APU) which pumped smoke into the cabin where some flight crew including pilots, air hostesses and engineers had already settled and waiting for Mugabe to board the plane.

The smoke forced the flight crew and some of delegates accompanying Mugabe to the summit to flee from the plane.

The incident happened just before lunch time when officials were waiting for Mugabe to arrive at the airport for the departure to Ethiopia.

Engineers who attended to the aircraft switched off the APU to avoid the blowing of smoke into the cabin and declared the plane fit to fly and Mugabe then departed for Addis Ababa around 2PM.

Sources said after the embarrassing incident Air Zimbabwe was forced to run a test flight of the plane for 25 minutes before Mugabe boarded it to assure his aides that the aircraft is safe for flying.

However, some members of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation reportedly interrogated Air Zimbabwe acting chief executive officer Innocent Mavhunga over the embarrassing incident as they suspected that the airline’s striking workers could have sabotaged the plane so as to communicate a message to Mugabe.

Last month, Mugabe became the latest victim of the chaos at Air Zimbabwe after he was forced to hire a private plane to ferry him to the Far East for his annual vacation after Air Zimbabwe failed to provide the service.

The diamond firm intervened to rescue Mugabe after failing to secure the services of Air Zimbabwe, whose long haul aircraft, a Boeing 767-200 was holed up in London after developing a technical fault.

The wide-bodied aircraft, which services Air Zimbabwe’s international routes and which Mugabe usually charters for his local, regional and international jaunts developed a technical fault after being impounded at Gatwick International Airport by American General Supplies over a US$1.2 million debt.

(Source)

Two Guns Found Next To Mujuru’s Body

The inquest into the death of retired General Solomon Mujuru took a dramatic turn on Thursday when it was revealed that two firearms and a magazine of bullets were found next to his charred remains.

Police Chief Superintendent, Crispen Makedenge told the inquest in Harare that one of the weapons discovered was an AK 47 rifle. He did not disclose the details of the second weapon. Both guns were however badly burned from the fire that engulfed the house.

SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said that on further inspection of the burned out house, Makedenge discovered 13 more weapons in a gun cabinet in the general’s bedroom. The inquest is being held before Harare Provincial Magistrate Walter Chikwanha.

Muchemwa said Makadenge’s brief testimony raised more questions than answers during his 10 minute appearance. The senior police officer will take to the witness stand on Friday to continue with his testimony before cross examination.

“We have information that either Makedenge or a ballistic weapons expert will testify that three spent bullet cartridges were also recovered near the general’s remains,” Muchemwa reported.

He added: “Questions are also being asked why those two guns were near the general and not in the gun cabinet. Was he protecting himself from some danger… is what people were asking after Makedenge’s testimony.”

Two witnesses have already told the inquest that they heard sound of gunfire moments before they were alerted to a fire that destroyed the former Zimbabwe National Army commander’s farmhouse.

Rosemary Short, a maid at the farmhouse and Clemence Runhare, a private guard at the property also told the inquest they heard gunshots before they rushed to the house to try and douse the fire.

Meanwhile, a ZESA employee testified on Thursday and ruled out an electrical fault as the cause of the fire.

Giving evidence during the inquest Douglas Chiredza Nyakungu, ZESA Consumer Services Officer for Beatrice area, said he noticed that there were two circuit breakers that had tripped on the Meter Circuit Board situated along the passage.

He however could not ascertain which breakers had tripped because the labels had been badly burnt.

“Circuit breakers distributing power to the geyser, water pump, tobacco barns and kitchen remained sound, ruling out fears that an electrical fault inside the house could have caused the fire,” Nyakungu said.

He added that the circuit breakers could have tripped as a result of the socket outlets and lamp holders, which were badly burnt.

He explained that Mujuru’s house had metal electrical pipes, which, in the event of a fault, would have exhibited some holes or damage due to a short circuit. But an inspection of the wiring system found no evidence of damage.

Nyakungu stated that on further investigations he concluded that there were no high currency carrying appliances such as heaters at the time of the fateful incident.

Evidence by Nyakungu who is the 27th witness came after the Fire Brigade Station Officer Clever Matoti, had suggested that a fire such as the one at Mujuru’s farm could have been caused by an act of arson.

He said it was rare for a fire in a house to start in two separate rooms at the same time unless it was an act of arson.

Matoti said a combination of oxygen, hydrogen and heated ceiling dust can explode leading to a house fire especially in hot seasons.

He said the type of fire in which Mujuru is believed to have died could have been caused by petroleum substances because it was extensive, leading to the collapse of the roof of two rooms.

(Source)

Mujuru Inquest: Cops Face Arrest

The ongoing inquest into the death of the first commander of the Zimbabwe National Army has highlighted serious incompetence in the force, as well as tough working conditions.

Mujuru’s lawyers and relatives have slammed the police for negligence. His widow vice President Joice Mujuru says government will look into the matter after a police officer admitted having slept on guard.

The inquest has heard that the constables were fast asleep when the fire that incinerated the general broke out. Their police issue radios had not been working for some time – despite having been reported to their superiors. They had no cash for airtime for their mobile phones and therefore no means of communication whatsoever. They did not even know where the general’s bedroom was.

This breakdown in basic standards within the force was compounded by the fact that the municipal fire tender came 60km from Harare with no water in the bowser.

The officers could be charged under any or all of these clauses in the Act: “abandoning or delivering up any station, post, camp on guard which it is his duty to defend; leaving his guard post, beat, patrol or other place of duty without permission or reasonable excuse; or sleeping, loitering or committing any irregularity when on duty.”

Contradictory evidence given by those appearing before the inquest has fuelled speculation that Mujuru, who was said to lead a faction within Zanu (PF) battling to take control of the party and come to some accommodation with the MDC, may have been a victim of foul play. But forensic experts have ruled out the use of inflammables. Some witnesses said they heard gun shots, while others said it was the sound of asbestos sheets exploding.

The inquest heard that Mujuru had ordered staff at his farm to stop feeding the police officers guarding him, and had plans to ask that they be withdrawn just days before he died. He was reportedly furious after the officers, said to have been drunk, severely assaulted one of his workers who had to seek hospital treatment. Rosemary Short, a maid at the farm Mujuru occupied in Beatrice, told the Harare Magistrates’ Court that the powerful Zanu (PF) power broker had confided in her that the police officers were avoiding him since the brutal assault on an unnamed employee.

“He said he had no security and was as good as being on his own,” Short told the court and under the Police Act “being drunk on or off duty,” is a punishable crime.

Efforts to get a comment from the police were fruitless.

Giving testimony last week under oath Constable Obert Mark admitted under cross examination by Mujuru’s lawyers that he was sleeping and also that he did not know the house plan.

The other cops who also were on duty during the fire are constables Augastinos Chinyoka, and Lazarus Handikatari.

(Source)

Nat Hentoff: The 'Hitler Of Africa' Still Rules

Our planet abounds in horrific dictators, most of whom eventually are erased from power by their suffering, mutinous subjects. But one of them - Robert Mugabe - continues his despotic reign as president of Zimbabwe.

This land, once "the breadbasket of Africa," is now a place where hardly anyone feels safe.

In Peter Godwin's book, "The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe" (Little, Brown and Co., 2011), he distills this hell during three decades of President Mugabe's "smart genocide":

"There's no need to directly kill hundreds of thousands, if you can select and kill the right few thousand... It is as if he has taken an entire nation hostage, using them as human shields."

In the Oct. 31, 2011, edition of The Weekly Standard, David Aikman describes the impact of this tyrant:

"With desperate hyperinflation, a drop in male life expectancy from 62 in 1990 to 44 today, widespread cholera, and desperate malnutrition, Zimbabwe is a dying state presided over by an 87-year-old mafioso."

The United Nations, as usual, has been useless in rescuing these utterly helpless people. South Africa and a few other African nations have murmured their displeasure - fruitlessly - at this monster who has actually likened himself to Hitler.

In one of my many ineffective columns about Mugabe's terror ("Mugabe's Victims, Mostly Black," Village Voice, May 6, 2003), I quote his self-appraisal from March 21, 2003:

"I am still the Hitler of the time. This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold. Ten times Hitler, that is what we stand for."

That self-adulatory tribute was in response, as Mugabe noted, to his having been compared to Hitler by the British press. Soon after the speech, the United States "accused Zimbabwe's government of unleashing a new wave of violence against the opposition, which it said was incited when President Robert Mugabe compared himself to Adolf Hitler" ("US slams Mugabe's 'black Hitler' speech," The Mail & Guardian Online, Sapa-AFP, March 25, 2003).

Further along in the story, it was reported that President George Bush, responding to the violent crackdown, froze "the assets of Mugabe and 76 other government officials, charging they have undermined democracy."

But the Hitler of Africa was not intimidated by the president's reaction.

As I wrote six years later, "the BBC's Mike Thomson, in a series of reports from Zimbabwe... spoke to 'a Zimbabwean mother and (13-year-old) daughter who are still too afraid to return home after being abducted and repeatedly raped by militiamen from President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party a year ago'... Their fear has not lessened despite the new alleged 'power-sharing' coalition between Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change's Morgan Tsvangirai" ("No One Feels Safe in Zimbabwe," Cato Institute, July 3, 2009).

This so-called "coalition" has not been allowed by Mugabe to actually function, as reported by Celia W. Dugger in The New York Times ("Robert Mugabe Hounds Rivals in Zimbabwe, Parties Say," April 18, 2011):

"More than a quarter of President Robert Mugabe's opponents in Parliament have been arrested since agreeing to join the government in a shaky power-sharing arrangement, part of an intensifying campaign of harassment intended to drive them out of office, officials from both sides say."

This is why one member of the targeted Movement for Democratic Change was arrested: "The police accused Moses Mzila Ndlovu, co-minister for national healing (that is not a typo) of attending a meeting held without their authorization."

His crime, Dugger reported, was attending "a memorial prayer service for the thousands of civilians from the Ndebele minority slain in the early years of Mr. Mugabe's 31-year rule."

But alleged elections continue in Zimbabwe and this Hitler is ready. Last summer, the Times' Dugger quoted a high-ranking general in the Zimbabwe army, Douglas Nyikayaramba, who said this to a state-run newspaper:

"President Mugabe will only leave office if he sees fit or dies. We will die for him to make sure he remains in power" ("General Says Mugabe Rival Is a Threat to Zimbabwe," June 23, 2011).

The military, Dugger reports, will be ubiquitous during the forthcoming elections (as always) because the president's opponent, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, is, according to the general, a "'major security threat' who 'takes instructions from foreigners.'"

However, this "security threat" has "survived arrests, a police beating, assassination attempts and a treason trial over the past decade" ("Robert Mugabe Hounds Rivals in Zimbabwe, Parties Say," April 18, 2011).

Thankfully, he's not quitting the government and will campaign for the presidency to free the people of Zimbabwe from Mugabe's shackles.

Next week we will meet Patience Mhlanga, born and raised in Zimbabwe. She will tell us how she escaped and is now a student at Fairfield University in Connecticut while also volunteering in such organizations as the Gospel Mission's orphanage in southeastern India. Patience's calling is to help the abandoned wherever she can.

This witness against the Hitler of Africa has a lot to tell us from personal experience.

And during this next "election," how many members of the American media will be there as our witnesses to the hell that is Robert Mugabe's merciless occupation of Zimbabwe?

Nat Hentoff is a nationally renowned authority on the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights. He is a member of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Cato Institute, where he is a senior fellow.

(Source)

Typhoid Outbreak Hits Harare

Zimbabwean health authorities have reported that Harare is under siege from the biggest typhoid outbreak in recent history which might sweep across the country with devastating effect.

At least 80 people have been hospitalised in Harare and reports indicate that if the disease is not contained, it could spread rapidly.

The director of the Harare City Council Health Department, Dr Prosper Chonzi told the Daily News yesterday the deadly infection has been traced back to food that is being sold by illegal vendors in Kuwadzana suburb, and frantic efforts were underway to combat the disease.

The latest typhoid outbreak comes amid another outbreak of a diarrhoeal infection caused by the “shigella bacteria”, a deadly mix that could prove to Typhoid outbreak hits Harare nbe a major test for the city health department, which had never before been faced with a typhoid outbreak on such a massive scale.

On the frontline of the battle to save lives and bring the disease under control is medical charity Medicines Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) which has moved to pitch tents at the Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital and in Kuwadzana to screen patients.

The Daily News heard that there was an emergency "partners meeting" on Wednesday last week to coordinate a response to the spiralling epidemic.

Following that meeting, according to Chonzi, food samples from Kuwadzana shopping were tested and came back positive of salmonella, an organism that causes typhoid.

"We have traced it back to illegal vendors especially those selling fish, chicken, beef and sadza," Chonzi said. "We took samples and they were all contaminated by salmonella. We even examined those who prepare the food.

“We must stop illegal vending. People must stop buying that food. Very soon it will be city-wide because the salmonella lives under finger nails. This is not good for the city," he said.

Typhoid, a water-borne infection, has been virtually endemic in Zimbabwe and this is just the latest outbreak, but at a much larger scale, health authorities warn.

This is the second outbreak of typhoid in as many months, with health authorities having diagnosed dozens of cases at Beatrice Infectious Disease Hospitals so far.

"This is serious," Chonzi told the Daily News. "It is concentrated in Kuwadzana and 80 people are in Nazareth (Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital) right now."

Typhoid causes vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea - it can kill the old, the young and those who are already weakened.

Although the city's water system is so out-of-date and antiquated that it has failed to adequately supply the whole city, Chonzi ruled out water contamination and said "in those areas, the city of Harare has tried."

"There is water in Kuwadzana and many areas around that area. There is no sewer flowing," he said.

"There is both taped and borehole water. People are boiling water and there is distribution of aqua tablets. The issue is now vending," he said.

A nurse at the Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital said she was on duty when the first victim was brought into the hospital, but had no idea at the time of the seriousness of the outbreak.

The city hospital was eventually overrun with typhoid patients, with the hospital opening up most of their beds to new typhoid admissions.

She said: "The authorities here were quite unprepared. They had no emergency plan to cope with an outbreak, nor any stocks of emergency medicine.

"They appealed to the MSF and I must say they have really helped but it is still a huge challenge."

The panic over the disease has been so great that very few outsiders are daring venture further West into Kuwadzana.

The Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital has been swamped with people, including false alarms as the city is thrown into panic.

The typhoid outbreak comes hard on the heels of the outbreak of shigella, a diarrhoea infection that also hit the Western suburbs especially Warren Park. The disease shows itself through a blood-stained stool, fever and stomach cramps and 36 cases of shigella were diagnosed last week.

Dysentery, cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid and a whole bouquet of diseases have been widespread in the capital: "We have been facing an epidemic of typhoid and this is the second time since last month. We don't know when this typhoid outbreak will stop," said Shorai Moyo, of Kuwadzana.

Zimbabwe’s public health system, which before the collapse of the last decade was one of the best in Africa, is on a firm path to recovery but still faces major hurdles.

Most of Zimbabwe’s public hospitals, which were forced to close their doors as they could no longer afford drugs, equipment or wages for their staff at the height of the economic crisis, began operating only months after the formation of a coalition government by President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara in February 2009.

The power-sharing government promised to rebuild Zimbabwe’s economy and to restore basic services such as health and education that had virtually collapsed after a decade of economic meltdown blamed on Mugabe's previous government.

But the administration, which says it needs $10 billion to revive the economy, is struggling to deliver mainly because it has failed to unlock financial support from Western governments that have remained reluctant to provide aid until they see evidence that Mugabe is committed to genuinely share power with Tsvangirai.

(Source)

Air Zimbabwe Threatened With Liquidation

Air Zimbabwe has been placed under judicial management and may face liquidation after the airline’s debt rose to $140 million.

The application to place the struggling national airline under judicial control was made by the airline’s employees who are owed about $35 million in salary arrears.

The High Court has since appointed Innocent Mavhunga, a chartered accountant, as the airline’s judicial manager and barred the Air Zimbabwe board from any involvement with the company.

The development also came after chief executive, Innocent Mavhunga wrote to President Robert Mugabe pleading for government assistance in keeping the company afloat.

"We wish to advise that the non-payment of salaries and other statutory obligations for the period in question has not been deliberate, but rather a manifestation of underlying viability challenges that our company has been experiencing where we have even suspended international and regional flights with domestic flights having become erratic,” Mavhunga said in the letter which was produced during the court hearing.

The workers’ lawyer, Caleb Mucheche said his clients had not been paid their salaries since 2009.

"Since the court has appointed a judicial manager it means that this is a prelude to liquidation. The judicial manager will now move in and the current AirZim board will have to step aside," Mucheche told the Sunday Mail.

"The judicial manager will assess if AirZim is still a going entity, but as the way things stand all is not well he is likely to recommend liquidation.

That is the process. Whenever a judicial manager comes in, the next step is liquidation."

Air Zimbabwe is battling massive debts which include obligations to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, National Social Security Authority as well as the workers’ medical aid and pension schemes.

Creditors also seized the company’s planes in South Africa and the United Kingdom last December over unpaid debts.

The company’s Boeing 737-500 was briefly held at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg over a US$500 000 debt while an American firm was also forced to seize the long haul Boeing 767-200 at London’s Gatwick airport.

The airline has since been forced to pull-out of the lucrative London and Johannesburg routes to prevent similar actions by restive creditors.

(Source)

Police Detain & Torture WOZA Activists In Bulawayo

At least 17 members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) pressure group were briefly detained, assaulted and tortured by police in Bulawayo Thursday morning, for reasons that were not explained.

WOZA leader Magodonga Mahlangu told SW Radio Africa that all of them were released by the afternoon, but one of their members was having problems breathing after police “put her head in a plastic bag and asked if she was prepared to talk”.

Mahlangu said there was no demonstration or large gathering of WOZA members at the time. Two police officers who are familiar with WOZA members initially arrested three friends they recognized, accusing them of “standing” at a mall.

They then bundled the three into a police van and drove around picking up other women they knew to be WOZA members. One male activist was also picked up and then released after an hour. The remaining 16 were assaulted.

It is not clear what the charges are but according to WOZA, a “notorious” officer named George Levison Ngwenya, who has been involved in previous arrests and assaults of their members, dealt with Thursday’s arrests.

“He had the audacity to follow them when they were released and say let’s forget everything that happened in his office. How do you forget a plastic bag over your head,” Mahlangu asked. She added that police stepped on some of the women’s heads and on their toes. No-one has been hospitalized.

“WOZA note that once again the Officer Ngwenya is overzealous and assaults members in his ongoing personal vendetta against WOZA members,” the group said in a statement.

WOZA leaders Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are due in Bulawayo Magistrates Court on Friday, in another case where they are facing kidnap and theft charges.

A magistrate ruled earlier this week that two must answer the charges even though witnesses denied the incident ever happened. The magistrate promised a written copy of the ruling, which the defence lawyer needs in order to challenge the ruling at the High Court.

Mahlangu said police officer Ngwenya was also involved in the kidnap and theft case. The group accuses Bulawayo police of harassment and malicious prosecution, but vowed to continue with their peaceful activities.

(Source)

Mujuru Cop Makes Shocking Statement

A policeman who gave evidence at an inquest into the death of Zimbabwe’s former army commander, made the shocking claim that he had no airtime to call the fire brigade.

Solomon Mujuru, the husband of Zimbabwe's Vice-President Joice Mujuru, died in a house fire in August 2011.

But some Zimbabweans suspect foul play.

Constable Augustino Chinyoka was one of three police guards commissioned at Mujuru’s Beatrice farm on the night of the blaze.

On Monday, he told the inquest that he noticed the fire at 2am, but they could not contact the fire brigade because they had no airtime on their mobile phones.

Chinyoka said when the fire brigade finally arrived at 5am, there was no water in their fire engine.

Meanwhile, Joice Mujuru said there were many unanswered questions surrounding her husband’s death.

(Source)

US$30 Million Worth Of "Presidential Input Scheme" Looted

Robert Mugabe's controversial "Presidential Well Wishers Special Input Scheme" meant to benefit party loyalists masquerading as farmers has been looted; US$30 million worth of inputs have disappeared and members of the Central Intelligence have been called-in to investigate the scandal.

Farmers have appealed to relevant authorities to investigate cases in which some people are reported to have looted fertilisers being disbursed under the Presidential Well Wishers Special Input Scheme.

Farmers who were supposed to benefit under the US$27 million input scheme are breathing fire, claiming that some people in positions of authority abused the facility by taking large quantities of fertiliser at the expense of the intended beneficiaries.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Director, Mr Paul Zakariya said his organisation has been inundated with calls from aggrieved farmers who want relevant authorities to urgently intervene.

The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Deputy General Manager, Mr Lawrence Jasi distanced the parastatal from the administration process of the presidential inputs scheme, saying GMB is only involved in the Government Inputs Scheme.

Contacted for comment, the Minister of State Security, Sydney Sekeramayi said they are investigating the matter while Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Didymus "Diesel from Rocks" Mutasa argued that the provision of inputs under the presidential programme is progressing well, adding that the office is not aware of reports of corruption.

However, farmers insist that culprits should be brought to book.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti has defended his agriculture funding record insisting criticism of his policies was only coming from failed farmers, among them ministers in the country’s coalition government. Biti has come under fire from cabinet colleagues accusing him of undermining the country’s land reforms by “refusing” to adequately fund the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and help farmers procure inputs. Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa recently said the GMB was failing to pay farmers for grain supplies after being refused funding by Biti.

“We are worried that farmers struggle to get agricultural inputs due to lack of funds when they are owed huge sums of money by the GMB,” Mnangagwa told farmers at a meeting in Chiredzi. We put the blame squarely on Finance Minister Biti of the MDC-T who does not release funds to the GMB on time,” he said.

But Biti dismissed the criticism claiming more than US$2 billion dollars has been put into agriculture since the formation of the coalition government in 2009.

“The people who criticise our work at the ministry, especially what we have done for the agricultural sector, do so from the viewpoint of malice and total ignorance,” Biti said in an interview with The Herald. “This is so particularly with failed farmers, some of whom masquerade as Cabinet ministers who continue to be called new farmers even after 11 years of the land reform programme.”

He said agriculture accounted for up to 40 percent of total government expenditure since 2009 adding the sector had only started recovering after the formation of the coalition government. “In 2008, we could not find a bag of maize meal, wheat production was zero and coffee and tea plantations had become sites of tourism. But in a very short period, agricultural output has massively grown because of the interventions of the inclusive Government,” he said.

Biti claimed some of his critics were actually responsible for the collapse of agriculture in the last decade adding they were further holding back recovery of the sector by blocking a much-needed land audit.

“Unfortunately, the non-genuine farmer in powerful political positions is afraid of the (land) audit, which will expose that they are multiple farm owners. It will further expose the vicious malpractices taking place on the land. There is land that is not being productively used and that is what the audit will expose.”

Biti said the government did not have the resources to fully fund agriculture and warned that a full turn-around in the sector would not be achieved unless farmers were given “securitised long land leases”.

“There is no Government in the world that can ever finance agriculture in full. To expect the Government of the day, particularly the present GNU, to be able to finance agriculture is fiction,” he said. “We can talk about financing agriculture until the cows come home but as long as the farmers do not have securitised long land leases, then let us forget about agriculture beyond subsistence farming.

“As long as the land does not have title, it is dead capital, it has no useful and exchange value. More importantly, without security of tenure, farmers cannot borrow money from the banks to finance their operations.”

The MDC has been calling for a transparent and non-partisan distribution of farming inputs to vulnerable farming communities.

This follows the launch of the Presidential Special Input Scheme by President Robert Mugabe where free seed and fertiliser would be distributed to over 710000 households countrywide.

The Presidential input scheme recently torched a storm in the coalition government with the MDC accusing Zanu PF of politicising the scheme, which is being funded by the taxpayer.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti who is secretary-general for the MDC has mantained that no individual or political party should monopolise national resources for political party gains.

“The MDC recognises the existence of vulnerable farming groups in the country in particular communal farmers and therefore accepts that government must support these vulnerable farmers.

“However, the party is concerned by the skewed and politically biased distribution of farming inputs such as seed and fertiliser and the use of inputs and food as a campaign tool by the ministry of Agriculture and the Grain Marketing Board which borders on vote buying,” said Biti.

Biti said the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare was responsible for people’s welfare and was the only ministry responsible for distribution of aid to the disadvantaged population, not the ministry of Agriculture.

The ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is led by an MDC minister, Paurina Mpariwa-Gwanyanya.

The calls by Biti will fly in the face of Zanu PF which had been devising campaign strategies using national resources meant to benefit every citizen, a move that saw national projects like the land reform benefiting those believed to be Zanu PF supporters.

The Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono unveiled an ambitious agricultural mechanisation project that saw mainly Zanu PF supporters access farm implements for free as a campaign strategy by the former ruling party.

Similarly, observers have also raised concern over the current indigenisation and empowerment programme being touted by Zanu PF saying it has been hijacked by Mugabe’s party for political gains.

Biti on Saturday said the indigenisation programme was a “rent seeking regime” and called for a complete restart. Biti said the ministry of Agriculture was supposed to be apolitical in its distribution of farming inputs.

“The MDC calls on the Ministry of Agriculture and the Grain Marketing Board to distribute farming inputs in a transparent manner,” Biti said.

(Source)

"Chiwenga Ordered Mujuru Assassination" - Report

An investigation into the mysterious death of army General Solomon Mujuru has not only concluded that he was murdered but Nehanda Radio.com can exclusively reveal that fingers are being pointed at Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander, General Constantine Chiwenga.

The 62 year old General Mujuru died in a fire in the early hours of Tuesday 15 August 2011 at his farmhouse in Beatrice, 60 km outside Harare. His death deeply divided Zanu PF because he led a faction that was locked in a fierce contest for influence with another camp led by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Nehanda Radio.com has now been told by a senior army officer, that there is even more serious infighting within the army over Mujuru’s death. This is because a secretly conducted investigation by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and police is accusing Chiwenga of killing Mujuru.

Its being alleged General Chiwenga is gunning to succeed President Robert Mugabe and is determined to eliminate anyone opposing his plans. According to the report Chiwenga is running a hit squad within ZANU PF and the army which is seeking to assassinate anyone that he views as an obstacle.

The first target of Chiwenga’s hit squad was Air Force Commander Air Marshall Perence Shiri. Both Shiri and Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda are heavily opposed to Chiwenga’s plans of succeeding Mugabe.

The high stakes drama began in December 2008 when Shiri survived an assassination attempt after he was shot and wounded in the arm on the way to his farm. Police said he was accosted by unknown people who shot at his car.

When Shiri heard the gunshots, he got out thinking it was a puncture and was shot.

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi immediately blamed MDC-T activists but strangely no one was arrested. Nehanda Radio.com has now been told Chiwenga ordered that hit. Shiri has been vigilant about his security since then and last year when Mujuru died, he is said to have ‘taken extra measures’ to protect himself.

Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda and Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwengwa lead the funeral parade in honour of General Solomon Mujuru at One Commando Barracks in Harare.

It’s not clear whether Mugabe sanctioned Chiwenga’s operation but the recent promotion of Three Infantry Brigade Commander, Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, to Major-General by Mugabe, suggests he is on the same side as General Chiwenga.

ZANU PF insiders say although Mugabe is undecided on who should succeed him, there is growing evidence someone who could protect him from future prosecution for human rights abuses, like Chiwenga would be ideal.

We have also been told the infighting in the army is so vicious, Nyikayaramba’s posting at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters in Harare, is not a coincidence. He is there to bolster Chiwenga’s campaign.

“If the infighting in the army escalates, Nyikayaramba will be close by to assist Chiwenga. His previous posting in Manicaland (Three Brigade) was considered too far from the action,” our source said.

Chiwenga is pushing his presidential ambitions aggressively. Last year he acquired a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Zimbabwe. Chiwenga, described by his subordinates as “knowing very little” about the military, went public with his achievement, taking out an ad in the Sunday Mail.

Chiwenga is already nicknamed Zim2, another way of saying he is second in command after Mugabe. The registration number for Mugabe’s official armour-plated limousine is Zim1, so Zim2 is a play on that. Not only are Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions being resisted in ZANU PF, its worse in the army.

Leaked US diplomatic cables showed that Chiwenga is not respected in the army. During a January 5 and 6, 2010 meeting with US ambassador Charles Ray, Brigadier General Herbert Chingono, the Inspector General for the Zimbabwe National Army, and Major General Fidelis Satuku, the ZDF Director General for Policy and Personnel described Chiwenga as an ignoramus.

“General Constantine Chiwenga is a political general who works hard, but who has very little practical military experience or expertise. Given a choice between a military and a political issue, Chiwenga will always choose the political, because he doesn’t know enough about the military to be comfortable discussing it,” the cable reads.

At the end of last year Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba confirmed that he was working closely with hardliners, who include army generals, to manage President Robert Mugabe ahead of elections envisaged for 2012.

Impeccable sources in the politburo told the weekly Zimbabwe Independent newspaper that the military was setting up parallel structures so as to take over the day-to-day running of government. General Constantine Chiwenga was reportedly behind the establishment of the parallel structures.

Mugabe spokesman was also regularly seen visiting Chiwenga at Defence House. “I have no apologies to make about being at Defence House, or at the PGHQ (Police Headquarters) or (the army’s) KG6 - these are the structures I work for,” Charamba fired back.

It was also claimed that “the military’s plans have advanced to the extent that they are now intercepting speeches approved by Mugabe and exchanging them with alternative speeches prepared at Defence House.” Sources who spoke to the paper said this was a direct order from Chiwenga.

An inquest into Mujuru’s death is due to begin on Monday at the Harare Magistrates’ Court and expected to end on Friday. Nehanda Radio.com has been told “this is nothing but a sham exercise meant to divert the nation’s attention. Everyone in the security forces knows Chiwenga killed Mujuru".

“The police also know who killed Mujuru but no one has the guts to take Chiwenga and Mugabe head on, on this matter. By throwing this case to the courts for an inquest, its another way for the police to wash their hands off the matter. Everyone in the security forces knows the courts will do absolutely nothing.”

“The reluctance to make the police report public, tells you everything you need to know. The public don’t know what’s in the report but most senior people in the security forces know what’s inside,” another source told us.

So why did Mugabe sanction the assassination?

Relations between Mugabe and Mujuru were strained. The former guerrilla leader was the only remaining official able to openly challenge Mugabe in high level meetings. Mujuru’s faction also tried but failed to remove Mugabe as the ZANU PF candidate at the party’s extraordinary congress in December 2007.

Mujuru’s second in command during the liberation war, Wilfred Mhanda last year called for a commission of enquiry into Mujuru’s death saying he was “quite shocked and touched by his death and actually surprised that President Mugabe didn’t come out openly to say it is suspicious”.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa, Mhanda said “Any person who has listened to the story, who has read the papers, clearly can come to no other conclusion except that there was naked foul play and why the President could not come out clearly about that and announce the establishment of a commission of enquiry baffles the mind.”

Mhanda said he believed Mujuru’s death benefited Mugabe more than anyone else. Mujuru “as many people have testified including Dumiso Dabengwa was the only one in the current politburo who could speak out to Mugabe. No one now is prepared to do this,” Mhanda added.

Last year Vice President Joice Mujuru publicly spoke out about the suspicious nature of her husband’s death. Speaking to members of a women’s football team Mrs Mujuru said she believed her husband could have escaped the fire:

“The problem is we just hear its fire. But what happened from 8.30pm to when the fire was seen? That’s where the story is. I was called just after 2am and told that the house is on fire. The roof had collapsed, but that doesn’t happen instantly.

“It means the fire had started around that time when he got home on Monday night. That should be the time when people should start, you know, whatever they want to look at because we can’t just start when the roof has collapsed.”

Mrs. Mujuru also questioned why her husband opted to run for the door of the 14-roomed house, when he could have used the bedroom window instead. “The (bedroom) set up had two western big windows, so if you want to come out you just jump. Our little kids used to jump and we used to laugh about it. It was closer to come out through the window than the door,” she said.

“I suppose if they were to give us something satisfying it would make my heart rest. We are anxiously waiting for the police to finish their investigations. They have invited all the experts they could find to look at what could have happened,” Mrs Mujuru added.

That investigation has been completed and the report is not being made public.

Rumblings of discontent also came from Mujuru’s 69 year old elder brother Joel Tazviwinga Mujuru who suggested a lot is being kept from the public.

Joel has already said he is not happy with the police investigation and the way senior ZANU PF officials are ignoring the matter.

Joel said all indications were that Mujuru was murdered and “he vowed to leave no stone unturned in unravelling the mystery behind the death. Solomon was unable to go back to his vehicle where he left his phone, groceries and documents. It was not possible for him to leave his phone in the vehicle and go to sleep.”

“Secondly, I did not hear that the car keys were found. Solomon could have escaped through the window if it was a genuine fire. Where he died and where his bedroom was there was some distance.”

“Solomon could have been burnt on the bed, not where he was found dead. The fire was coming from the other side going to his bedroom, but Solomon died where the fire was coming from. All this gives me unanswered questions,” Joel said.

(Source)

Tsvangirai Hunts 2008 Murderers

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC are pushing for the murderers of the 2008 political violence to be brought to justice without any further delays.

But Attorney-General (AG) Johannes Tomana, whose job it is to prosecute these killers, continues to dither and sit on the cases - accusing the MDC of cheap electioneering.

The MDC says it is keen to ensure that perpetrators of the 2008 violence are jailed to prevent them from committing more atrocities as President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF desperately tries to use the next poll to overturn its 2008 electoral defeat.

Churches, civil society and election observer groups largely blame the 2008 violence on the military, as well as Zanu PF supporters - who were all battling to overturn Mugabe’s embarrassing and dramatic defeat in the March 2008 first round presidential poll.

In that light, the MDC says it wants Tomana to use his constitutional powers to force the prosecution of the “murderers” who are still roaming free and appear to enjoy police protection.

The party has implored Tomana to invoke Section 76 (4a) of the constitution to order the commissioner-general of the police Augustine Chihuri to investigate the murders.

The party has also approached the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic), an organ set up under the Global Political Agreement (GPA), to monitor the implementation of the power sharing accord.

Deputy Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Obert Gutu, who is also a top official in the MDC, says the party will this year exhaustively pursue the matter.

“The MDC is still pursuing the matter because it goes to the very root of foundational concepts of democracy, transparency, accountability and good governance,” he said.

“Naturally, the MDC will not rest until such a time that the perpetrators of these brutal murders and other heinous crimes are brought to book. As they say in Shona, mhosva hairovi (you can not run away from the law). It is a fact that no less than 200 MDC activists were brutally murdered between March and June, 2008.

That period in time was a reign of terror,” Gutu told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.

Gutu accused Tomana of shielding perpetrators of the 2008 violence, saying the AG had been sitting on dossiers containing details of the gruesome 2008 violence “for ages” without acting.

Tomana denied the charge.

He rubbished the MDC’s concerns, saying the party should follow due process.

Tomana told the Daily News on Sunday that he could not invoke the constitutional provisions directing police to investigate the murders when the MDC had failed to meet key conditions for that to happen.

“The Attorney General invokes that power where it is very clear before him that there is a witness who has cared to actually go all the way to assist the police with all the requisite information that is required,” Tomana said yesterday.

“I can only invoke that power when they (police) are not doing what they are supposed to do for example, this could either be because of corruption in the sense of showing favour, or fear because certain threats have been made to them or prejudice,” said Tomana.

“Police stations have jurisdictions because an offence that is committed in Magunje is reported in Magunje and investigated in Magunje. Now we will then check to see whether that report was actually made, what the CR Number is and then over and above that we can certify that yes, the IO (investigating officer) did less than what he is supposed to do.

“We refer you to the DisPol (Officer Commanding District). If the DisPol doesn’t help, we refer you to the province.

“If they don’t help we find that there is a real responsibility? You go up to the PGHQ (Police General Headquarters) itself,” said Tomana, explaining the due process necessary before he can act.

In the meantime, MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti has also furnished Jomic with a list of the murders that were perpetrated against MDC supporters in 2008.

Zimbabwe has struggled to regain stability ever since and tensions have been rising again ahead of another election, to be held possibly next year.

“The MDC implores you to ensure that the Zimbabwe Republic Police are made to enforce the rule of law by causing the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of these murders,” Biti wrote to Jomic national coordinator Patience Chiradza.

“It is inexcusable that almost three years after the perpetration of these murders; absolutely nothing has been done by the police to arrest those who committed the murders.”

Police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka declined to comment saying Jomic must answer the questions since the MDC had chosen to write to them.

“They have written to Jomic. I cannot answer for Jomic,” Mandipaka told the Daily News on Sunday. “He (Biti) will get his answers from Jomic.”

Biti’s letter was copied to co-Home Affairs ministers Theresa Makone and Kembo Mohadi as well as Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa.

The letter further quotes a speech made by Vice President Joice Mujuru at the Celebration Centre in Harare on December 7, in 2010.

“If you are out there and you kill in the name of Zanu PF, the law will catch up with you because an offence (once) committed should be brought to justice,” Mujuru is quoted saying at the Celebration Centre in the letter.

“Zanu PF won’t protect you. We don’t want to be a country known for murder and harassment.”

Said Biti in his letter: “Indeed, Vice President Mujuru acknowledged in December 2010 that Zanu PF supporters had committed murders in 2008.”

Attached to Biti’s letter was a letter to Tomana written by the MDC director of security and intelligence, Chris Dhlamini, containing the names, districts, dates and summaries of 2008 murders and other violent activities.

“Villages, particulars and locations where the deaths occurred can be supplied by the MDC leadership in respective districts given in the said document,” Dhlamini’s letter to Tomana says.

“The deaths occurred in 2008, over a period of time extending from April 2008 to December 2008. We will forward to you any further reports from our members as they come.

Information available suggests that the deceased were murdered, by, in some cases people who the deceased’s relatives and neighbours will be able to identify or name,” the letter reads.

The MDC intelligence supremo says in his letter to Tomana that reports in some cases were made to the local police stations but the report references were not given to the informants.

“The police have not gone back to the informants/relatives to inform them of the levels of achievements in their efforts to deal with the said matters in accordance with the law,” reads the letter.

Suspected Zanu PF supporters, war veterans and intelligence officers were accused of carrying a retribution exercise against perceived MDC backers in Mashonaland Central and East in the run up to the June 2008 presidential run-off.

Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off days before polling, citing massive violence and intimidation against his supporters.

Mugabe went ahead with the poll widely condemned as a sham and installed himself as the winner of the one-man election.

Sadc leaders, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, however intervened and forced a political pact leading to the formation of the inclusive government.

(Source)

ZANU PF Running Parallel Government

Several events in the last two months have shown that Zimbabwe’s coalition government exists in name only and that Mugabe and his ZANU PF party are now blatantly running a parallel government.

Towards the end of December Mugabe unilaterally promoted Three Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, to Major-General. Nyikayaramba has in the past been implicated in rhino poaching, partisan food distribution, election rigging and even the murder of an army captain.

Not only did Mugabe snub Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in making the promotions, but in June last year Nyikayaramba had told the ZANU PF controlled Herald newspaper that Tsvangirai was a “national security threat rather than a political one”, and suggested the military should step in to deal with him.

This month Mugabe cut short his leave in the Far East to rush back to Harare and meet the Equatorial Guinea President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Obiang was on his way back home when he stopped over in Harare from South Africa where he had attended the ruling ANC centenary celebrations.

Highlighting the dysfunctional coalition government again was the fact that the two MDC formations knew nothing about Nguema’s visit. A ‘raft’ of deals are said to have been signed between the two countries and only acting Foreign Affairs Minister Nicholas Goche, from ZANU PF, was at the signing ceremony.

According to a report in NewsDay the deals: “Included agreements to develop programmes in education and training, public administration, defence and security, support for Equatorial Guinea’s industrialisation programme, agriculture, agro-industry and livestock production. The two countries also agreed to set up specific projects in mining, infrastructure development, communication and commerce.”

Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said: “The PM did not know anything about the visit and is completely in the dark about the deals. He was not even invited to the State banquet for Nguema on Monday.”

Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube also professed ignorance on the deals signed: “I am not privy to the agreements as I was not involved. I am not able to comment on something I do not know as nobody from my ministry was involved and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be the best to say why they did not involve us.”

Similarly Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa told NewsDay: “That is news to me. I am not aware of anything that was signed about information and communication as I was not involved in the discussions and did not know about Nguema’s visit.”

The end of January is expected to throw up another opportunity for Mugabe to snub his partners. The terms of office for the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga and police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri expire at the end of the month.

Expiring at the end of February will be the terms of office for the Prisons Services Commissioner, retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi; Air Force commander Air Marshal Perence Shiri and Zimbabwe National Army commander Lieutenant-General Philip Sibanda.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa on Friday, MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said they did not expect Mugabe to consult Prime Minister Tsvangirai, despite the coalition agreement saying the President had to do so. “Over the years Mugabe has been renewing their contracts from year to year,” without consultation he said.

The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper did quote the MDC saying: “MDC-T and the smaller formation headed by Welshman Ncube said they would fight Mugabe legally and politically if he renewed the service chiefs’ contracts or if he made new appointments without consulting other players in the inclusive government.”

There is however a feeling amongst many commentators that the two MDC formations have effectively given up fighting a losing battle and both are now just waiting for elections.

In an interview with SW Radio Africa in October, Prime Minister Tsvangirai admitted as much saying: “Everyone thinks that the only way to resolve these matters is to go to an election.”

But he did add: “We still want the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement before elections.”

(Source)