Wednesday, 1st April 2009

Howzit

This is not an April Fool's joke! There is no posting today as I am at the hospital.

I will hopefully catch up tomorrow...

Take care.

'debvhu

Tuesday, 31st March 2009

Howzit

First of all, a simple reminder that there will be no posting tomorrow as I have an early appointment with the surgeon at the Pulvertaft Hand Unit at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. I am hoping that a decision will be made as to what to do about the break in my arm.

I do realise that some people would just say, "reduce the break and put him into a cast" - but sadly it is not as easy as that.

Just before Christmas last year, the arm was reduced to a "one bone forearm" - the ulna was shortened and fashioned so that it could be pinned to the radius. Then I developed an infection and had three surgical procedures in a week (to clean out the infection site), which also saw the pins being removed.

As I recovered from that, my arm in a specially built removable brace, I managed to snap the radius about one inch below the end of the plate - through the holes where the pins are meant to be - something like tearing along the dotted line. I have been in a cast with a 90 degree elbow ever since.

The surgeon did suggest to me that the solution may be surgical intervention with a bone graft from my hip.

In the end, I am not particularly worried about how they repair it - I just look forward to being able to return to my leather orthotic brace...

-o00o-

Up until a few days ago, I relied upon Google Alerts and The Zimbabwe Situation (an incredible site run by two ladies in Australia I believe) to keep me up to date on events in Zimbabwe, but then I stumbled upon a new resource. Have a look at ZimReport - which opens up even more stories for me.

Sadly, their "About Us" and "Contact Us" options are not active, so I am unable to tell you any more. I couldn't even tell you where they are based...

Whoever it is, I sincerely hope that they keep up the great work!

-o00o-

Whilst I understand the concern that the British government has over the thousands of their nationals in Zimbabwe, I am of the belief that this is perhaps shortsighted.

What about the millions of Zimbabweans who have no standard of life at all?

"The Government remains "concerned" about the fate of thousands of British nationals in Zimbabwe, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said.

He said the political situation remained "very delicate" and called for new prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai to be allowed to make changes the country needed.

Mr Miliband said MPs were "desperate" to see an end to the suffering of the Zimbabwean people, which for years had been "led on a path of economic ruin and human suffering."

It is my understanding that 25000 of the reported 40000 British subjects in Zimbabwe have been registered with the High Commission - and this is so that if the situation deteriorates, then they will be extracted post haste.

But what of the outstanding 15000? If the government knows the numbers, then they should have a record of the names, and should therefore be registered!

"The G20 summit this week in London was determined to take "concrete action" to protect the poor and vulnerable, he told MPs.

Mr Miliband said he had spoken to Britain's High Commissioner to Zimbabwe on Monday morning. He said: "The political situation in Zimbabwe remains very delicate indeed yet the meeting of donors in Washington last Friday brought the international community together to focus on humanitarian issues."

He added: "We are also concerned about British nationals in Zimbabwe, a concern that I know will be shared across the House.

"The UK Government recently launched a package offering assistance to elderly and vulnerable people to resettle in the UK.

"These are Britons who are unable to support themselves in Zimbabwe because of the severe economic social and health care problems that affect all who live there, something which the new government has barely begun to address."

Mugabe has often indicated his displeasure at having these people in Zimbabwe and has even offered to send the dead bodies home to England... Nice to know that he cares.

-o00o-

Targeted sanctions have been instigated against Robert Mugabe and his loyalists for some years now, although he will claim that the sanctions are 'full economic" measures and they damage the standard of life for all Zimbabweans.

These targeted sanctions have necessitated Mugabe to launch his "Look East" policy is which he shuns any trade or support with Western countries.

There is quite a serious list of people who are targeted by these sanctions, and they include a limit to the travel of these people to Western countries.

"A tycoon blacklisted by Britain for his links to Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe has been revealed as a major investor in Camec, the mining company headed by former England cricketer Phil Edmonds.

The British government named Billy Rautenbach two months ago as having links to the Mugabe regime.

Rautenbach was described as a 'businessman with strong ties to the government of Zimbabwe' and an order was issued making him the target of UK sanctions against the southern African state.

Now, Rautenbach's holding in Edmonds' Camec mining group - thought to be around 6 per cent - has been frozen.

He cannot sell his shares in the company nor receive dividends from his investment.

His holdings are thought to be through two companies, Harvest View and Meryweather."

I remember Rautenbach primarily because of his escapades as a rally driver. If I am not mistaken, he used to drive a Toyota and was one of the first African drivers to use a spotter helicopter during his races.

I have never met the man.

"Camec insisted yesterday that it took action to freeze Rautenbach's shareholding in early February, just a few days after the Treasury issued its list of Mugabe-linked targets.

The company said: 'As soon as the sanctions were announced Camec took appropriate legal advice and subsequently, in early February, made a notification to the Treasury.

'Camec is in full compliance with its requirements under the sanctions.'

Sanctions have been placed on Zimbabwe thanks to Robert Mugabe's despotic rule.

The British action was part of a Europe-wide attempt to isolate individuals involved with the Mugabe regime.

It froze assets and imposed travel bans on 203 people."

Rautenbach is thought to live on a farm not far from Harare. If this is the case, why has the farm not been taken away from him? Is this not further proof of his pro-Mugabe stance?

-o00o-

Many questions have been raised following the accident on the Harare-Masvingo road that claimed the life of Susan Tsvangirai - wife of the Zimbabwean Prime Minister.

Among those questions were the two big ones...

1) Was this really an accident?
2) Why was Tsvangirai travelling with limited MDC escort only?

"Security around Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai who recently survived a horrific car crush that claimed his wife Susan, will be bolstered this week.

A state of the art ambulance, a lead police car fitted with a beacon to warn off other motorists will be allocated to him, sources at his office at the weekend have said.

The sources said all has been put in place for the beefing up of his security when traveling anywhere in Zimbabwe.

This came after Tsvangirai’s office wrote to State Security Minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, requesting that the Prime Minister’s security be tightened following the death of his wife in a road accident three weeks ago."

Yesterday, I commented on the need for the MDC representatives in government not to get caught up in the ZANU PF habit of reaping where they have not sown. Specifically motor vehicles. But I suppose when you are the Prime Minister, it can't be avoided.

Most other world leaders seems to travel around their countries with some serious security, so I suppose that it can't really be avoided. Such is the world that we live in.

"At present, Tsvangirai travels in a three-car convoy consisting of a truck in front, his official maroon Mercedes Benz in the middle and another truck making up the rear.

But security analysts say this is inadequate for a person of his stature. Retired army colonel Martin Rupiya, who is in charge of the Prime Minister’s security, confirmed Tsvangirai’s office had been in contact with relevant government departments over his security. But he would not be drawn to disclose details of any proposed new measures to improve security.

"We’ve been in touch with the responsible people in government and hope that measures will be taken to address this issue (security) with the urgency that it deserves,” said Rupiya.

Sekeramayi refused to take questions on the matter because it was "a security issue which should not involve the media or ordinary people."

All I have to say is that to observe security measures in place that are slightly overdone, all you have to do is look at Mugabe's huge motorcade.

He is incredibly paranoid.

"A long history of deaths of prominent political figures in mysterious road accidents only helped exacerbate suspicions over the accident; while many Zimbabweans say this fatal accident could have been prevented had Tsvangirai been traveling with an escort as a Prime Minister should."

-o00o-

When you read this, remember that we are talking about church-goers!

"The Zimbabwe Journalists website reports that a Harare man was shot and injured by police, who were protecting a rebel service held by ousted Bishop Nolbert Kunonga's people. Police fought running battles with parishioners in Budiriro and Glen View, who had tried to reclaim their churches from Kunonga's people.

Controversial Bishop Kunonga was excommunicated in 2007 from the church, after he attempted to unilaterally withdraw the Diocese of Harare from the Central African Province. He was replaced by Bishop Sebastian Bakare but has since used youth militia and the police to chase away Anglican parishioners loyal to the new bishop.

Bishop Bakare told Newsreel the formation of the coalition government has done nothing to stop the lawlessness affecting the Anglican Church. He said for the past 4 weeks their services have been disrupted by Kunonga's thugs, who have no following within the parishes."

I do realise that most conflicts in the world seem to emminate from religion - that, and money - but when we see an established church caught up in the political fracas in Zimbabwe, we have got to take stock of what is happening there.

Running battles with parishioners? Not what we would expect to read about events in Zimbabwe!

"On Sunday two priests, a church warden, a youth member and another church member, all loyal to Bishop Bakare, were arrested during the skirmishes. Bakare said the police are openly telling them they are out in full force to protect Kunonga and his people.

Bakare began the defiance last week in Mabvuku when he defied attempts by riot police to remove him from the altar during a service. The riot police however turned on the parishioners, driving them away from the church. He told Newsreel he urged his parishioners to defy the police and reclaim their churches.

On Sunday the members of the different parishes did exactly that, but riot police were deployed to suppress them. Angry parishioners demanded to know why the police were protecting Kunonga and some sang church hymns outside."

Just where does this leave Zimbabwe? Mugabe will be happy for these events, as they will not be seen as political, but religious. Meanwhile, we all know that the problem starts and ends with him.

"Kunonga triggered controversy after publicly backing Mugabe's violent land grab and began a campaign to intimidate all opponents in the church. Many fled the country after receiving death threats. A church trial against him for abuse of church funds and intimidation collapsed, under very technical circumstances. Kunonga grabbed a farm from one of his parishioners with the blessing of the Mugabe regime, effectively confirming his alliance with regime."

-o00o-

Mugabe will display more arrogance with this demand from the West. Y'see, when someone is as comfortable as he is, they see no reason to change any one thing, let alone the raft of measures demanded here.

"The West wants the government of Zimbabwe to show its commitment to reforms before more assistance is given to the southern African country.

Representatives from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Washington recently to discuss ways of helping Zimbabwe.

The meeting, which also included officials from the European Commission, the European Union Council Secretariat, the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations agreed that the ageing despot Robert Mugabe must:

• immediately fire Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono;
• release political prisoners;
• end farm seizures;
• end politically-motivated violence;
• end harassment and intimidation of the media; and
• hold credible elections soon."

And they really think that Mugabe will play this game? He's not about to fire Gono, has told the world that there are no political prisoners - and if he was to stop harassment and intimidation of not only the media, but the MDC, just how is he to educate the population that they are to vote for ZANU PF in the next election?

Mugabe is incapable to reining in his security forces, veterans and militia as they are now in it for what they can get out of it - and prefer to take their chances using violence than appealing for forgiveness and some sort of immunity...

"We urge the government to take additional steps to demonstrate its commitment to reform such as the immediate release of all political prisoners, the end of farm seizures, the cessation of politically-motivated violence, the establishment of a credible and transparent central bank team, an end to harassment and intimidation of the media, and a commitment to credible elections in a timely manner," they said in a communique released at the end of the meeting."

If Mugabe does make any comment about this statement, it will be along the lines of: "You see? The West cannot go a meeting without discussing Zimbabwe!" Proof, he believes that the West wishes to re-colonise the country...

"Subject to performance from the transition government, we will work with the international financial institutions to develop an appropriate framework for reengagement," it concluded."

But Mugabe will not be dictated to. He prefers to do the dictating. And, if recent events are anything to go by, he is getting away with it...

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu

Monday. 30th March 2009

Howzit

Foreign currency mid-rates updated.

-o00o-

For us to share the concern of the number of traffic accidents in Zimbabwe, then the opinion of someone caught up in the carnage is required.

Who better than the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai?

"Prime Minister and MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai says he is worried by the number of accidents involving people associated with his party.

Speaking at a church service held in Saursetown, Bulawayo, on Sunday before the burial of Deputy Prime Minister, Thokozani Khupe’s mother Catherine Mabhiza, Tsvangirai said he was troubled by the rate of the accidents.

Mabhiza died Thursday morning at Arcadia Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. She was admitted there for treatment following a fatal car accident along the Harare-Bulawayo Road on February, 10 2009. The deputy Prime Minister’s aide, Timond Dube, perished in the accident.

Mabhiza sustained head injuries."

If you were to trawl back through the pages of just the last month, you will read articles that talk about what I believe could have been avoidable accidents.

The overturning of an MDC Mercedes after having been struck from behind near Harare International Airport.

There were two accidents involving vehicles returning from Susan Tsvangirai's funeral - one of those, in Rusape, was fatal. The other was not fatal, but occurred along the same stretch of road that claimed the Prime Minister's wife.

"I am very troubled at the fast rate at which accidents involving the leadership of the party are happening," Tsvangirai said. "It never rains but it now pours for us. Our loved ones are going.

"These two deaths (Mabhiza and Susan Tsvangirai’s) should not weaken us but should strengthen us, as a party in government and as Zimbabweans.

"The most painful thing about our mother’s death is that it was caused by an accident which occurred when she was travelling to Harare to attend the inauguration of her daughter as Deputy Prime Minister."

The article goes on to suggest that road traffic accidents are increasingly suspicious in Zimbabwe, being that the occupants of the vehicles involved are to some degree or another are opposed or affiliated to Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai, however, rules out any foul play.

"Tsvangirai has ruled out any prospect of foul play being the cause of the accident. The state of disrepair of Zimbabwe’s road network, vehicle defects as well as human error have been blamed for many accidents."

-o00o-

The second sentence of this article, epitomises the complete nature of Mugabe's tenure in office...

"Zimbabwe’s new power-sharing government isn’t ideal. Robert Mugabe remains president, despite losing last year’s election. His loyalists remain in charge of the army, the Justice Ministry and other key posts that allow them to arrest and intimidate opponents.

Yet respected and competent former opposition leaders now run important ministries like health, education and finance. These reformers ran on the promise of improving the lives of Zimbabwe’s long-suffering people.

The United States and Europe can help them deliver on those promises by providing increased financial resources. Zimbabwe’s own economy has been bled dry by decades of Mr. Mugabe’s disastrous policies, which have destroyed its currency, crippled its agriculture, mining and industry, and blighted millions of lives through preventable famine and epidemics."

And the watching world does exactly that. Watch. Nothing more - nothing less.

Anywhere else in the world, this would not have been allowed to occur.

And now if anyone does open their mouth in criticism, it is shouted down by Mugabe himself or one of his hardliner loyalists - and that is the end of that.

Yet Mugabe claims to now be part of an 'inclusive government' and is calling for aid to flow into Zimbabwe. Aid is not forthcoming...

"Any new resources must be packaged in ways that ensure they are used for their intended purposes. And without continued sanctions targeted against Mr Mugabe and his thuggish collaborators, even the limited progress so far achieved could easily be reversed. The challenge is to keep the pressure on the relatively few villains committed to keeping Mr Mugabe in power, while providing some relief to the millions of victims of his catastrophic misrule.

To this end, the United States and the European Union have rightly restricted travel and frozen assets of Mr Mugabe and his top collaborators. They have banned trade with businesses and banks used to finance the repressive apparatus. These targeted steps mainly discomfit a narrow, privileged elite."

Mugabe claims that these targeted sanctions are, in real terms, full economic sanctions, and claims that they adversely affect the good people of Zimbabwe.

Not so. Mugabe's continued rule in Zimbabwe adversely affects the good people in Zimbabwe.

Perhaps Mugabe needs to be aware that "Washington has also suspended direct development aid to Zimbabwe’s government but provides considerable humanitarian aid, channeled through private and international agencies, to pay for emergency shipments of food, medicine and clean water. Over the last 18 months, while Zimbabwe has been ravaged by a cholera epidemic, American aid has been more than $250 million."

But he will just become even more determined to get his hands on the money...

-o00o-

Mugabe is not only a control freak, but he also runs away from shadows. He needs to be involved at every level of government and also believes that any meetings he is not involved in discuss his downfall.

"President Robert Mugabe "went ballistic" on Saturday when he found out Morgan Tsvangirai and Emmerson Mnangagwa have secretly met up to six times since the MDC leader became Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister is said to have met with the ZANU PF heavyweight, who has been confirmed already by Mugabe as his preferred choice for President, in Harare and at a farm in the Kwekwe area.

Mugabe, told Saturday in a briefing about the meetings, is reported to have threatened to send the Minister of Defence back into the "wilderness" (gwenga, was the Shona word Mugabe used, apparently).

Although not immediately clear whether Mugabe was told what the mettings were about, he immediately saw this as a threat to his continued grip on power. Mugabe, although he has told Mnangagwa that he will most certainly now take over as head of ZANU PF and eventually President of Zimbabwe, likes things done his way."

Mugabe is renowned, the world over for saying one thing - and doing another. He also signs all manner of agreements, and then does the absolute opposite.

"Unto the victor the spoils" is his maxim - and if he isn't the victor, then he will quite happily rework and re-engineer the facts until he is...

"...the Minister of Defence could again very quickly find himself relegated back to the wilderness if Mugabe believes what he was told today. It already appears that he does indeed credit the reports.

When his power is "threatened" directly like this, Mugabe is very predictable. Action will be swift, ruthless. I dare say, on account of this, he would indeed be willing to let the government fall to pieces, if it were to come to that."

I concur - Mugabe believes his own position is much more important than the well being of others.

-o00o-

They say that rank has its priveleges - and none moreso than in Zimbabwe. ZANU PF have a history of providing for themselves with 'rewards' while the population of Zimbabwe starves.

With the creation of the 'unity government', interest has been piqued as to whether the MDC MPs and senators will accept the motor car that comes with that position. I have read at least one report that senator David Contart has refused his vehicle...

"Media reports indicate that MDC ministers are accepting Mercedes Benz cars as part of their ministerial package.

The nation implores you to take this one chance to demonstrate that you are with the people and not with the ZANU PF gravy train. The people will feel betrayed if you go ahead and they will tell you that they will not notice the difference between the past regime and the party delivering change! Attitudes must change and here is our chance to prove that there is leadership in this regard.

It is strongly suggested that these cars are refused or sold and locally assembled Mazda’s are bought and the balance of money donated to charities, to fund a clinic in the Minister’s respective area and so on; whatever is practical. This will have powerful and positive implications that will reverberate around the country."

Rewind the clock thirty years and we remember the much-vilified Ian Smith riding to work on a bicycle!

I agree with what Simon Spooner has written, and believe that the MDC must disassociate itself with the obvious 'help yourself' habits of the old order. The country is broke - and the MDC have been chosen by the people. So they (the MDC) need to a;;ign the,selves firmly with the people.

To effect change in Zimbabwe, the MDC needs to mingle with the people.

Watching a television programme last evening, I espied a little saying on a matelpiece which is so true to life in Zimbabwe...

"Never look down on anybody - unless you are offering a hand to help them up."

"When asked for comment, Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi said the Prime Minister was not keen to occupy the State House. Maridadi said: "The last time I spoke to the Prime Minister about the issue of his residence, he said Zimbabwe needs economic stability and national healing and those are his issues of priority. Not the kind of house he is going to sleep in or the kind of car he is going to drive."

Indeed, many of the ZANU PF bigwigs are too lazy to drive themselves, opting instead to have a driver...

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu

Sunday, 29th March 2009

Howzit

There is not a lot of 'news' on Zimbabwe out there today, so this will be a reasonably short posting.

I did work on a new graphic yesterday - an idea which I have been playing with for a while - and I envisage using this as the sort of "normal transmission will be resumed as soon as possible" screen when I am unable to post (i.e. Wednesday next week)...

See what you think of this:

-o00o-

Yesterday afternoon, I went walkabout (well - virtual walkabout) using the blogroll of "The Plastic Fuzz"... Bit of a story as background - but a fellow blogger asked me I would do a new header on his blog - which I duly did and then went for a good, long, close look at his blog.

And in my meanderings from blog to blog, I was amused and pleased to find "Being 5" and one of the strips was about Zimbabwe!

I am always game for a giggle... so:

-o00o-

Almost a month since the accident that killed Susan Tsvangirai, and finally someone is paying attention to Morgan Tsvangirai's security when he travels around Zimbabwe...

"Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will soon be allocated an ambulance and a lead police car fitted with a beacon to warn off other motorists as part of new measures to beef up his security when traveling, impeccable sources said.

The sources, who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the subject, told The Zimbabwean on Sunday that Tsvangirai’s office had written to State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi requesting that the Prime Minister’s security be tightened following the death of his wife in a road accident three weeks ago. Currently Tsvangirai travels in a three-car convoy consisting of a truck in front, his official maroon Mercedes Benz in the middle and another truck making up the rear, an arrangement security analysts have said is inadequate for a person of his stature."

What irks me is that the source says that the new security arrangements will be applied 'soon'... Why are they to be applied 'soon'? What is wrong with NOW?

What he needs is to be able to freely move around Zimbabwe in the execution of his duties!

"We been in touch with the responsible people in government and hope that measures will be taken to address this issue (security) with the urgency that it deserves," said Rupiya."

Talking of the future with no urgency at all...

-o00o-

"Finance Minister Tendai Biti has directed the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to enforce tax laws and ad hoc tax remittance measures, including seizing the assets of tax evaders and auctioning them to recover lost revenue and forestall future defaults.

In his budget review speech on Wednesday last week, which slashed the revenue and expenditure estimates for the year by approximately half, the Finance Minister revised the Finance Bill and added a clause providing for the seizure and auctioning of the assets of tax offenders. This applies to all tax laws such as the VAT Act, the Income Tax Act, the Customs Duty Act and many others, including the quarterly presumptive tax law covering informal-sector business entities such as hair salons, driving schools, commuter transport operators, haulage truckers and taxi operators."

In the past ten years or so, 'normal' is a word that has lost its definition in Zimbabwe. Money has lost its value, whilst individuals of all descriptions have sourced money from all manner of deals and tax has not been paid.

Now Biti wants that money - and if tax has not been paid, not only does he want the money, but he intends to institute penalties.

“All tax laws in Zimbabwe have a section dealing with offenses and penalties regarding tax evasion. If one is convicted of a level 12 offense, he/she could actually be fined heavily or imprisoned for a period of up to two years or be fined and imprisoned at the same time. “If the penalties are implemented fully, we may actually see property being seized and tax offenders being imprisoned. Remember our Finance Minister has a legal background.”

Chapter 23:12 of the VAT Act defines a tax evasion as inaccurately completing tax returns; giving false answers either in writing of verbally when asked by the Commissioner General; maintain or preparing false books of accounts; fraud involving false claims to avoid paying tax; issuing false tax invoices for the purpose of claiming high input tax; issuing tax invoices; debit or credit notes knowing fully well that the information is inaccurate, and many others."

And this is just for VAT. Individuals are also obliged to bring themselves up to date - and to pay anything that is outstanding - and I suspect that this is a full-time job!

"PAYE is also deducted from an employee's income by an employer acting on behalf of the government. Legally, non-remittance of both taxes constitutes fraud."

-o00o-

Expect more of the same - and not just on media - expect it on law and order, justice, finance... anything that you can think of.

ZANU PF will do everything in their formidable power to hassle and baulk the MDC of implementing any change - for two reasons.

Firstly, they will not want the MDC to succeed, and secondly, because they do not want the MDC to uncover just what they have been up to...

"A crucial conference to lay the groundwork for the reform of Zimbabwe’s troubled media was cancelled at the last minute on Friday, dashing hopes the inclusive government is ready to tackle some of the key targets it set itself under the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity said the conference, which would have run between Saturday and Sunday had been rescheduled after Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe lost her mother.

But sources said ZANU PF loyalists had blocked the indaba over fears that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was moving too fast to reform the local media crippled by some of the most oppressive legislation in the world.

"The death of Khupe’s mother came as a very convenient excuse," said the source. "But there is a lot of resistance from the ZANU PF side and the old guard within the ministry itself."

ZANU PF will use any excuse...

"The resistance, sources said, was also fuelled by topics that had been proposed for discussion such as the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Renowned media experts were also expected to lead discussions on the structure, role and management of public media in an emerging democracy and the state of the media in Zimbabwe.

President Robert Mugabe’s previous administration was accused of closing down the media space and using the public media to promote hate speech."

While Mugbe uses other media as his own mouthpiece and we all know the biased reporting that comes from these bodies...

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu

Saturday, 28th March 2009

Howzit

People in Zimbabwe are suffering - of that there is no doubt - but we should also remember the families of those that have died or have been killed in the struggle for democracy. Nine times out of ten, they were the breadwinner in their families and their demise has led to the family now being destitute.

And we don't see Mugabe reaching in to his back pocket to assist. No - that would be beneath his dignity...

"Movement for democratic Change (MDC) president, Morgan Tsvangirai, forked out $500 from his own pocket to assist the destitute widow of party activist Gift Tandare soon after he read about her plight on the Internet.

Soon afterwards MDC members in North America contributed $350 for the welfare of Sipiwe Tandare who has become destitute in Johannesburg where she now lives as a refugee after her husband was gunned down by the police in Harare in March 2007.

The MDC interim treasurer in North America Owen Ndhlovu contacted Tandare after reading about her plight on the Zimbabwe Times website at the end of December and made a collection from members of the MDC in the United States. He deposited the contribution in a bank account Tandare opened in Johannesburg using money donated for the purpose by the Zimbabwe Times."

The murder was compounded when State agents ordered and then forced the family to bury the slain activist at his rural home as they feared a confrontation if the burial ceremony was in Harare.

"The story of the plight of Tandare (36) and her three children, aged between three and 17, was broken by The Zimbabwe Times on Boxing Day, December 26 last year. The family was leading an existence of near destitution in Johannesburg, where they are political refugees.

Although Tsvangirai, who subsequently became Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in February 2009, sacrificed the amount of US$500 from his own pocket to help alleviate the predicament of the family and promised that the MDC would follow up on the issue, Tandare says she has waited in vain for any further action from the party.

Neither has the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) taken any steps to follow up on the quandary of the family. The late Gift Tandare was the youth chairperson of the NCA at the time when he was gunned down in cold blood by the police. He was killed as he approached the venue of a prayer meeting organised in Highfields on March 11, 2007 by a coalition of churches, civic groups and opposition political parties to pray for divine intervention in seeking a solution to Zimbabwe’s perennial political and economic crises."

No one has been charged in connection with Tandare's killing, even though the identity of the police officer who pulled the trigger is known.

"Tsvangirai phoned the Editor of The Zimbabwe Times, Geoffrey Nyarota, in Massachusetts from Johannesburg and expressed disappointment at the manner in which the Tandare family had been treated. He said he would personally attend to their plight.

He requested and was furnished with Tandare’s telephone number in Johannesburg.

Tandare told The Zimbabwe Times in Johannesburg Friday that Tsvangirai had, indeed, called her on more than one occasion, expressing his disappointment at the manner that she had been treated after her husband’s death.

She said that the MDC leader had told her during a telephone conversation on December 30, that he had not known that she was facing such problems.

"He said that he only got to know of my plight after the story was published," she said. "He promised that when he got back to Zimbabwe he would sit down with the party leadership to decide on how they would assist us."

-o00o-

When I worked in criminal courts in Zimbabwe, if a State witness failed to turn up, then the case could be thrown out as the State is unable to make its case. In this regard, because the witness is a senior member of Mugabe's enclave, do those basic rules fall away?

"Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa failed to turn up in court yesterday with the prosecution saying it was having difficulties in bringing him to testify in a matter in which he is said to have been a beneficiary of inputs looted from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).

State prosecutor Benson Taruvinga yesterday said: "We have been having difficulties with the witness… I will liaise with my superiors."

This was despite assurances that the Minister, a State witness, would appear on Tuesday."

Normally the witness would be subpoenaed to court, and in the event of their non-attendance, a warrant of arrest can be issued - but because this is Mnangagwa, it will never happen.

Y'see, there is one law for Mugabe's lot, and another for normal Zimbabweans.

"Defence lawyer Itayi Ndudzo was agitated by Mnangagwa's absence and said if he fails to turn up by next Friday, the State should proceed with the case.

"One of my clients is very ill. He cannot just continue coming to court," Ndudzo said.

Magistrate Lillian Kudya told the prosecution she would be resigning from the bench soon and wanted to conclude the matter before she leaves.

It is the State's case that Jeffrey Tabva, a former Central Intelligence Organisation operative and Andrew Raymond Williams connived to prejudice the GMB of 720 x 50 kg bags of urea fertilizer, over 30000kgs of flour, more than 70 metric tonnes of mealie-meal and 600 x 50kg bags of silo mealie-meal saying they had been sent by among other senior ZANU PF official, Mnangagwa.

The loot was to prop up ZANU PF's election campaign last year."

If Mnangagwa was one of those that issued an unlawful order, then he too, is guilty of an offence. Perhaps this is why he has failed to appear.

-o00o-

"Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai called on Friday for the two ministers who share control over the police - one from his party, one from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party - to ensure the arrests of all the people illegally seizing white-owned commercial farms. Apparently in a challenge to Mr Mugabe, who endorsed the seizures in his birthday speech last month, Mr Tsvangirai contended that most of them since he joined the government in February were "actually acts of theft". Mr Tsvangirai has been insisting on a halt to the renewed farm invasions for weeks, but he never so specifically exerted his authority to order arrests of the lawbreakers. The test will be whether the police do as he says."

As this short article states, it will be very interesting to see if the police will act on this order.

Mugabe has stated - often - that the land invasions would not be reversed, whilst senior members of his party have been encouraging an acceleration to the land grab, saying that a Tsvangirai-ledinclusive government will put a stop to them all.

Mugabe will, no doubt, rescind Tsvangirai's order and will do everything he can to ensure that the land is taken away from the white commercial farmers.

I don't think that Tsvangirai wants to reverse the land grab, but would prefer that the new 'owners' of the land actually be farmers that will work the land instead of Mugabe's bigwigs who have the land but have done nothing with it.

-o00o-

The only problem I have with more talks is that Mugabe keeps the talks going forever and then gives away nothing.

It is now a year since the elections last year, and all Mugabe has managed to do in that time is talk - and then talk some more. Time is not on the side of normal Zimbabweans - but Mugabe doesn't care.

"Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is to hold a crisis meeting with President Robert Mugabe next week to try to resolve the problems that have prevented the West bailing out the inclusive government. Local and international pressure is mounting on Mugabe to genuinely reform if Zimbabwe is get the US$2 billion needed to revive a collapsed economy."

Mugabe will make conciliatory noises but will move at his own pace - which makes a snail look like a sprinter!

"Although Southern African Development Community leaders are due to meet in Swaziland on Monday to try to come up with a rescue package for Zimbabwe, it is unlikely that they will be able to raise the amount needed. Tsvangirai, whose wife died early this month, is said to have been alarmed by reports of an imminent collapse of the economy if aid does not flow in."

Mugabe is determined that he will allow nothing to happen which will show Tsvangirai in a good light.

"The Prime Minister is concerned with the response of the international community to calls for assistance. "He believes the government has to make major re-forms, especially on the rule of law, if any donors are to come in. He is worried about the fresh farm invasions, the continued detention of political prisoners, the repressive media laws and the lack of respect for property rights."

-o00o-

As is apparent, the situation in Zimbabwe continues to get worse, but it has slipped from the front page of news around the globe. This is the time that we see Mugabe enacting various small changes - changes that will see very little moves for improvement.

Mugabe will block Tsvangirai's calls for invaders of farms to be arrested.

Mugabe will continue to deny swearing Roy Bennett into cabinet - despite him not being convicted in a court of the charges he faces.

Mugabe will not do anything to remove his lapdog Gideon Gono from the helm of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, and will continue to use whatever finance he wants to live a life of opulence.

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu