Tuesday, 30th March 2010

Howzit

I begin today with a story which is almost unbelievable. A pro-ZANU PF governor is blaming sanctions upon the fact that she travel over one thousand kilometres to work each week.

This is just plain stupid! How can targeted travel sanctions be responsible for the distance from the governor's farm near Bulawayo and her offices in Gwanda?

"Provincial governor has blamed international travel restrictions imposed by the United States and European Union member countries on President Robert Mugabe and 200 other government officials for forcing her to commute more than 240 kilometres daily to work at taxpayers' expense.

Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku (ZANU PF) says in a bid to beat the sanctions she is forced to drive more than one thousand kilometres to work each week in her chauffeur-driven government issue Mercedes Benz E280 as she commutes between a farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo and her offices in Gwanda."

If and when the travel sanctions are lifted, ZANU PF will arrange for the relocation of Gwanda to the outskirts of Bulawayo...

I fail to understand how the prevention of her travelling to participating countries can be blamed for a daily commute to Gwanda. And why is she complaining - she is driven by a chauffeur - which means that she can do some work whilst en route?

"Meanwhile, Bulawayo Metropolitan Governor, Cain Mathema, also of ZANU PF, travels a similar distance from rural Tsholotsho to the city. The two government officials jointly clock 2400km to and from work in a five-day week.

"The problems we are facing are caused by the illegal economic sanctions that were imposed by Britain and her allies. Our major buildings in Matabeleland South are still undergoing construction after many years," Masuku said."

The sanctions are neither 'illegal' nor 'economic' - but Masuku has to sing the same song as that of the President. Why the governor should tell us about slow building work and blame that on decisions made by foreign governments which have nothing to do with travel habits within Zimbabwe of ZANU PF officials is beyond me... but I do know this... travel sanctions are targeted and apply to foreign travel conducted by Mugabe and his stalwarts - and blaming the inconsistencies of government on something so disconnected is pathetic.

-o00o-

Mugabe doesn't mess about. Cross him and see how quickly the axe falls.

The only query I have with this story is will Marange face criminal charges? We have read numerous other reports before today where non-ZANU PF people have been arrested and arraigned for bringing the office of the President into disrepute for doing almost exactly the same as Marange.

But, perhaps because he is a ZANU PF supporter, even if he did utter anti-Mugabe chant, it is excusable... in ZANU PF circles at any rate.

"The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWA) has fired one of its top members after he denounced President Mugabe for continuously holding on to power.

Maxwell Marange, who was the association’s chairman in Manicaland Province, chanted slogans denouncing Mugabe in 2007 at the Meikles Park in Mutare during a march organized to support the aging leader’s presidential candidacy in the 2008 elections.

But Marange took everybody by surprise when he took to the podium and chanted: "Pasi naMugabe! (Down with Mugabe)."

Marange was among ZANU PF supporters who felt Mugabe was not the appropriate candidate to stand on behalf of ZANU PF in the 2008 harmonized poll."

It appears that not all of the ZANU PF support is behind Mugabe as he and his apologists would have us believe. Who would want a geriatric anarchist in control anyway?

"Marange was not available for comment but officials from the war veterans’ association confirmed the developments.

However, other war veterans are insisting he must be brought back saying when he denounced Mugabe he was merely expressing his own personal opinion.

"Marange was just saying what he thought was good for the party," said a war veteran based in Mutare. "After all he was right because we saw what happened. We lost the election and by the grace of God we forced a run-off. It is not healthy for people to think that Mugabe is always right."

Don't you like the reference to the vote being stolen - the unnamed veteran says that ZANU PF 'forced' a run-off. Forced it by way of misery, mayhem and murder...

"On arrival at the Meikles Park after the march from the Chiefs’ Hall, the hosting chairperson of the province was given the floor to address the gathering.

"Cde Marange chanted his slogan. In the process he was advised by the people in the gathering to raise his hand in the process of making his slogan. Cde Marange started afresh and in the process of his slogan he said ‘Down with the President’, a move which irked the gathering."

Now perhaps this veteran will discover what real life is like when Mugabe turns his back.

And ZANU PF takes corrective action against one of their own for this anti-Mugabe chant, but we read how the party often comes out with anti-MDC chants. How is that different, and how come Mugabe's party does nothing to stop the 'hate speech' as undertaken in the agreement?

-o00o-

Two stories that make me cringe. Zimbabweans who take the law into their own hands - either at home or in foreign lands - deserve no respect or mercy.

"A Zimbabwean man was beaten to death on Monday, allegedly by three Zimbabwean men who accused him of stealing their belongings in Loate, Pretoria police said.

The victim, also a Zimbabwean, was walking with two friends when they were confronted by three men during the early hours on Monday, Inspector Llisi Ramtlo said.

His friends managed to run away. His attackers allegedly accused him of robbing them of an amplifier, a cellphone and R600. They beat him to death and fled the scene."

Meanwhile, in the UK:

"A man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a woman's body in a flat.

Police were called to an address in Gotham Street, Highfields, Leicester, at about 3.10pm on Friday after concerns were raised about the occupant’s welfare. They discovered the body inside.

The 34-year-old man was arrested on Friday. He was due to appear before Leicester magistrates today.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Castle said: "We’d like to talk to anyone who was in Gotham Street from the evening prior to the body being discovered, to 3pm on Friday.”

The body of Julia Mubvumba, 44, was found at an address in Gotham Street, Highfields, on Friday.

Archibold Gurure, 34, of Humberstone Road, Leicester, was remanded by magistrates in the city to appear at Leicester Crown Court on 5 July.

Ms Mubvumba was originally from Zimbabwe but lived in Leicester, police said."

-o00p-

Zuma is finding out the hard way that whatever may be agreed behind closed doors is not necessarily what comes out in public.

Another report says that Tsvangirai's MDC party is rather surprised at Mugabe saying that no agreement was reached during Zuma's visit...

And I have to ask why the smaller faction of the MDC, led by rocket scientist Arthur Mutambara, has not weighed in with any comment.

"Zimbabwe's political parties failed to meet a Monday deadline set by South African President Jacob Zuma to resolve a power-sharing dispute that threatens to tear apart the country's coalition, a cabinet minister said.

President Robert Mugabe formed a unity government last year with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, but the union is fraught with disagreements over how to share power.

Zuma, who is mediating in Zimbabwe, held talks with the two rival leaders early this month and said Mugabe's ZANU PF and Tsvangirai's MDC had agreed a package of measures to rescue the unity government.

Zuma then set a March 29 deadline for ZANU PF and MDC negotiators to conclude the talks, after which they were to present a report to him by Wednesday."

Mugabe will say and do whatever it takes to perpetuate his grip on power. We also have to remember that his ZANU PF party do not hold the parliamentary majority in Zimbabwe, and that Mugabe's being the President was only achieved by his party 'forcing' the run-off following a reign of terror on MDC officials and supporters which left hundreds of people dead and came to an end when Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the election.

"A source privy to the talks said it was "very unlikely" agreement on the sticking points would be reached and that the regional Southern African Development troika chairman, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, would be forced to call a meeting to try end the dispute.

The MDC wants its treasurer-general Roy Bennett sworn in as deputy agriculture minister, appointment of five of its senior officials to positions of provincial governors and for Mugabe to sack the attorney general and central bank governor.

Mugabe last week vowed not to cede any ground to the MDC until sanctions imposed on ZANU PF members and a general freeze on financial aid for Zimbabwe by the West are removed."

As I have explained more times than it warrants, targeted travel sanctions are not for the MDC to have removed, are the decision of foreign governments, and would only be lifted once ZANU PF stands by its word and implements the GPA...

Zuma is supposed to be Mugabe's shamwari akanaka and he won't be impressed with Bob's abrupt u-turn.

-o00p-

You may recall Mugabe's Mines Minister making the most absurd allegations against the De Beers Diamond Company, saying that they has stolen diamonds from Zimbabwe by not declaring the find...

"Diamond mining giant, De Beers has dismissed as "outrageous and incredible" allegations by the Zimbabwe government that the firm looted the Marange diamonds for 15 years without notifying authorities of the discovery.

Mines and mining development minister, Obert Mpofu early this month claimed that De Beers had extracted tonnes of diamonds from the area while giving government the impression that they were only prospecting and carrying out tests.

"Everyone knows that the diamonds at Chiadzwa are mined from the surface and De Beers was for the last 15 years alleging that they were doing prospecting and carrying out tests when in actual fact they were looting diamonds from Chiadzwa," Mpofu said.

The government says De Beers only pulled out of the country after government launched a probe into the company’s activities in the area.

However De Beers has dismissed the allegations as outrageous saying it was impossible to conduct mining activities for 15 years without attracting attention.

"If we had been mining 'tonnes' of diamonds, over a 15 year period, there would be a very large hole indeed left behind in Marange. Industrial mining of this magnitude would have been impossible to disguise, let alone keep secret," De Beers spokesperson Lynette Gould told an industry publication, Rough & Polished."

Mugabe's administration is prone to making the most far-fetched allegations - without substantiation - and then expect those that are accused to disprove the allegations. Without any substantiation these allegations hold no water and should just be ignored - rather like Mugabe ignores the needs of the people - people who he relied upon for support to put him back into office.

As De Beers says, where is the proof?

"Gould said the company started prospecting the Marange area in the early 1990s but left the country in 2006 after concluding that the deposits were not in line with the firm’s other activities elsewhere across the continent.

"Amongst the reasons for relinquishing the Marange licenses back to the government were: most significantly, after carrying out sampling across the area we concluded that the deposit did not fit the profile of our other activities elsewhere in southern Africa.

"De Beers' exploration focus is on primary deposits and our view was that our resources would be better invested in other prospective areas more suited to our commercial objectives; in addition, the (Zimbabwe) government had created an environment of uncertainty regarding the status and future of the concession and by 2006, the area was being worked by unmanaged, itinerate diggers," Gould said."

ZANU PF now runs the diamond find and although they claim to being transparent in their endeavours, I find it just a little strange that the government is broke...

"The De Beers spokesperson ruled out any future interest in the Zimbabwe diamond sector saying the company was focusing its exploration efforts on Botswana, Canada, Angola, South Africa and India.

Following De Beers departure from Marange, junior resources group African Consolidated Resources (ACR) took over the claims but government has since cancelled the company’s licence.

The state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has since entered into joint ventures with two private companies to exploit the deposits."

-o00o-

In Zimbabwe, seized commercial farms seem to include whatever is on that land, no matter whether private property is on the land or in the homestead. And, even though the seizures are reportedly for the land and the farm improvement, private property is regularly destroyed or stolen.

"Zimbabwean Senator Roy Bennett, whose status as deputy minister of agriculture designate and prosecution on treason charges have made him a central figure in the ongoing power-sharing negotiations, said Monday that armed police barred him from his former farm though he had authorization to pick up personal effects from the property seized under land reform.

Bennett said he had a letter from the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority granting him access to Charleswood Farm to collect personal property including his father’s ashes, but was unable to do so.

Bennett told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that he and his wife Heather traveling in a vehicle with drivers were stopped at a roadblock outside Chimanimani and harassed by police who told him they did not recognize the unity government."

The police is a pro-Mugabe institution so even if the members do not recognise the unity government, they do know who pays the wages... (sort of...)

"Bennett, treasurer of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, was designated deputy minister of agriculture in 2009 but President Robert Mugabe has refused to swear him in because charges have been pending that he tried to overthrow the government in 2006. Bennett's trial has been unfolding in Harare over the past month."

One wonders if the personal property of the Bennett family still is on the farm. Much had happened in Charleswood and not all of it can be published as it would cause major political fall-out.

Not long ago it transpired that diamonds had been found on the farm - but I rather think that the refusal to allow Bennett on the farm is just political posing, using the police as pawns in the bigger game of chess being played by Mugabe.

Mugabe use bully-boy tactics for almost anything he wants, and when painted into a corner, he privately makes deals - which he backs out of as quickly as he made them...

-o00o-

Some days, I have to laugh at the Blogger spell-checker. It highlights words that it suggests are spelt incorrectly - when there is nothing wrong with it - but offer no 'suggestions'...

Take care.

'debvhu