Saturday, 31st July 2010

Howzit

There will be no posting tomorrow as I have our regular monthly RBL meeting...

-o00o-

Comments like this will not endear Job Sikhala to ZANU PF.

In recent weeks we have read about a supposed attempted assassination when Sikhala's car was shot at, and just last week we heard about a 'car bomb' outside Sikhala's house. Neither event has been substantiated as attempts on his life.

"Outspoken MDC 99 leader, Job Sikhala says President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party is a terrorist organization which should be treated the same way with Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda.

In a statement Thursday while responding to the alleged bombing of his bus in Chitungwiza last week, Sikhala said Zimbabweans have been living under a terrorist organisation since 1980 when the country attained independence.

"The recent bombing of my family by suspected terrorists from ZANU PF has hardened our resolve to fight against internal terrorism introduced into our lives by the ZANU PF regime until it is defeated.

"The people of Zimbabwe remember that in the 1980s, the ZANU PF terrorism regime slaughtered more than 20000 innocent supporters of the late Dr Joshua Nkomo.

"We all remained silent in fear of a terror backlash. The same happened since formation of the MDC in 1999 when thousands of the party supporters were killed, maimed and tortured.

"It has proved to the MDC 99 beyond any reasonable doubt that there is no way you can distinguish Al-Shabaab of Somalia, Al-Qaeda and all other terrorist groupings from ZANU PF.

"MDC99 urges the international community to slap restrictive measures against anyone associated with the terrorist organisation called ZANU PF," said Sikhala in his statement."

Whilst I appreciate what Sikhala is saying, making public statements like this just places him on the target listing for ZANU PF. I struggle with the idea that ZANU PF are attempting to kill Sikhala. Tsvangirai of the mainstream MDC faction has had his hands full throughout the years with ZANU PF trying to take him out, but even these actions have largely stopped.

Why would the Mugabe attempt to put an end to Sikhala when they have so many others that would outrank him in the grand order of things.

And proving that ZANU PF is behind these 'attempts' would be very difficult.

"Sikhala was in the main MDC before it split and joined the smaller faction led by Arthur Mutambara. He again fell out with Mutambara to form his own MDC99, claiming his party was the most legitimate one of the three factions which includes Tsvangirai’s larger faction."

MDC99 is a new creation and Sikhala claims that it has tens of thousands of members, but I see no hard and fast policies... What the new party has done is dilute the MDC support - which suits Mugabe down to the ground.

-o00o-

All is not well in the coalition government, we know that. But when one of the principals decides to have a go at the other two, then we have to realise that the differences are not going to be easily resolved.

"Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur Mutambara has accused his partners in Zimbabwe’s shaky coalition government of poor leadership and political grandstanding.

Mutambara’s unprecedented attack on President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai comes after the two openly called for elections next year.

"Elections next year are unpractical, we first have to come up with a number of reforms to the electoral commission, the media and other institutions.

"They are not confident enough to speak about the national interest, they are just grandstanding," he charged.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has already said it needs between a year and 18 months to sort out the voters roll, the more reason Mutambara argues elections were impossible next year.

Mutambara said reforms to these institutions were important to avoid a negotiated settlement that saw losers being retained in government. He warned that if this was not heeded, the 2008 situation would be repeated.

"Let us not forget where we are from, the 2008 election was problematic and we risk repeating a vicious circle of fraudulent elections," he warned."

The 2008 general election was an interesting time, insofar as the smaller faction of the MDC became the 'kingmaker' as their alliance with either Tsvangirai or Mugabe would effectively shift the powerbase. Whilst we know that the smaller MDC faction allied with the larger faction, the differences between the two remain, and the voters face an uphill battle in any new election.

The required swing is large and with the advent of a third MDC party/faction, the underlying threat is that the voter base would be further split allowing ZANU PF to scoop the win from the jaws of defeat.

"Elections are about competition and that is not what we want, what we need now is co-operation more than anything," he advised.

Squabbles among the three main political parties, MDC, ZANU PF and MDC-T, have dominated the national agenda since the formation of the inclusive government early last year.

Tsvangirai has called for elections to solve the dispute between him and veteran leader Mugabe, while on the other hand Mugabe, also wants elections in the hope that he will defeat Tsvangirai, his long time rival."

I am concerned that this article should label Mutambara's faction as the "MDC", and Tsvangirai's faction as the "MDC-T", thereby suggesting that the smaller faction is, in actual fact, the mainstream MDC. This is as a result of Mutambara maintaining that his faction is not a break away from the main body, but rather that Tsvangirai's faction broke away from his body.

Either way, with three MDC camps, the potential to beat Mugabe in an electoral ballot is markedly reduced.

-o00o-

There is no surprise here. Grace Mugabe is reknowned for flaunting the law - we have read about her physical attacks on journalists and photographers around the world, so when we read that she has found the attraction of the diamond find in Zimbabwe too much to resist, we just know that it was inevitable.

When there is the smell of money in the wind in Zimbabwe, you can almost bet your life that the Mugabe family is not that far away.

Amazing (Dis)Grace has an eye for the high life in which she dresses in the most expensive clothes and shoes, eats only the finest foods, and has a rather large personal protection entourage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grace Mugabe cares not for the people of Zimbabwe - or any other country for that matter. She bulldozes her way into money, with the threat that she will impoverish anyone who stands in her way. Her marriage to Robert Mugabe is a loose facade which she uses to get anything she wants.

Her relationship with Mugabe began whilst his first wife, Sally, lay on her death bed. Grace's greed and avarice is all that has kept her in Mugabe's bed.

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

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

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

The Mugabe family use the national resources of the country as if they were their private property. And there is very little anyone can do about it - such is the protective shield he and she have put up around their inner sanctums.

-o00o-

The pro-Mugabe police force have been told to do whatever it takes to prevent the MDC rally in Hwange tomorrow. In the past, when the MDC were not in government, they were obliged to apply for permission to hold rallies. These were denied as a matter of course - and the reasons for these denials were puerile... public safety, the availability of latrines, a shortage of policemen...

Now that the MDC is part of government, I reckon that they are still obliged to apply to the police for permission, but now the police have to be a little more selective in what reason is given to stop the gathering.

"Police in Hwange are reportedly attempting to stop an MDC "Real Change" rally scheduled for Saturday in the town, according to the party.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to address thousands of MDC supporters at No. 1 Old Hwange Colliery Grounds. A high-powered delegation known as the "The MDC Real Change Team" is also set to join the party president in briefing the people "on the performance of the inclusive government and the progress made since the start of the Constitution-making process, which kicked off in June".

But, according to a letter signed by Chief Superintendent S. Utete of Hwange Police Station, the police are claiming that they do not have enough manpower for the rally as police details are attending constitutional outreach meetings, while others are attending a Comesa ministers meeting in Victoria Falls."

So they trot out all the same old excuses. When ZANU PF want a rally, they just do it, and the ZRP conforms to the party requirements, but when it is the MDC, then suddenly there aren't anough cops... pathetic!

"The MDC also expressed concern on Friday that self-styled war vets leader, Jabulani Sibanda, is harassing and intimidating villagers in Bikita West ahead of the constitution-making outreach meetings in the area. Sibanda, accompanied by ZANU PF youths, is moving around the constituency intimidating villagers into support ZANU PF’s position on the discredited Kariba draft.

Meanwhile, the MDC deputy organising secretary, Senator Morgen Komichi who was arrested in Lupane, Matebeleland North on Wednesday, has been granted $50 bail by a Hwange magistrate. Komichi is facing trumped–up charges of 'communicating falsehoods'."

Consider this. A policeman accused of murder is out on US$100 bail, and Komichi is out on a US$50 bail for allegedly 'communicating falsehoods'... Is the crime that Komichi is alleged to have committed worth half the bail for murder?

"In February he addressed an MDC rally in Lupane and told supporters that the provincial police, led by Edmore Veterai, were unwilling to release three MDC impounded vehicles. In the run-up to the sham June 27th 2008 presidential elections, Lupane Police impounded President Morgan Tsvangirai’s campaign vehicle and two others belonging to the Matabeleland North province and the Youth Assembly. The three vehicles are still at Lupane police station. Senator Komichi will appear in court again on 29th September."

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu

Friday, 30th July 2010

Howzit

Foreign currency mid-rates updated.

-o00o-

So, Mugabe's sister, Sabina, has died and within a few hours we discover that she has been declared a national hero. Is the declaration of some a hero a ZANU PF sole domain or is it something that the MDC have not been able to get close enough to as ZANU PF close ranks on them?

"Sabina Mugabe suffered a stroke in 1995 and never fully recovered, her brother President Robert Mugabe said last night, hours after her death.

Sabina, 76, died at the Avenues Clinic in Harare and was declared a national heroine by the ZANU PF politburo following a meeting held at the party’s head office in the capital.

She will be buried at the National Heroes’ Acre on Sunday.

Mugabe told mourners at State House - who included Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, his two deputies as wells judges from the both the Supreme and High Courts - that Sabina never quite recovered from a stroke she suffered sometime in 1995.

"Sabina suffered a stroke some time in 1995 and the stroke damaged part of her brain.

"Doctors said one-third of her brain had been damaged. Physically she would appear well, but mentally she became somehow confused," Mugabe said.

He said he last saw her before leaving the country for the African Union Summit which was held in Uganda early this week.

"I visited her on my way to Uganda. She could recognise me. I looked at her and she was very frail but at least she could recognise me," President Mugabe said."

Whilst I am sorry for his loss, I am very concerned about the national hero declaration. The National Heroes' Acre is full of ZANU PF heroes - no one else. And even though ZANU PF is no longer the ruling party, they continue to operate as if they are.

And it would appear that hero status can only be given to ZANU PF members.

"Meanwhile, Tsvangirai said the whole country was in mourning over the former Zvimba South legislator’s passing.

"We are very sorry. I remember when I was involved in an accident, she was also in the same hospital with me and this shows she has been unwell for a long time and now she has rested.

"The whole country is in mourning," he said."

-o00o-

It doesn't matter what Mugabe is involved in, very little thought goes into whatever, and he couldn't give a continental about how his actions are read on the ground.

This dispute is about a statue, made by the Democratic Republic of Korea, of Joshua Nkomo being erected in Bulawayo.

Nkomo led the second freedom fighter force during the chimurenga and then found himself the target of Mugabe before they finally made peace in 1987. Nkomo was a Matabele and hence, his family feels, any statue should be erected in Bulawayo, but the fact that the statue was built by a country that attempted to lead the decimation of the Matabele people is objectionable.

"A showdown is looming between the government and Bulawayo activists following revelation that the statue of the late Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Mkomo, soon to be erected in the city was made in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The DPRK was responsible for training and arming the notorious Fifth Brigade "Gukurahundi" which was respnsible for the massacre of thousands of civilians in the Matabeleland and Midlands in the early eighties."

Mugabe never misses a chance to put the screws in. He often leaves Matabeleland to their own fate - not that many years ago he refused to declare a drought in Matabeleland so the province was unable to take emergency measures. Such is Mugabe's power, that only he can declare an emergency.

"The statue will be mounted on a 1, 2 metre long pedestal. As we speak, the statue is already in Harare and we are expecting the department of the national Museums and National monuments to bring the statue to Bulawayo very soon so that it can be mounted," said the worker.

Methuseli Moyo, the ZAPU Director of Information and Communication said it is not befitting for the DPRK to make a statue of the late father Zimbabwe.

"Honestly this is a mockery for the late Vice President. In Zimbabwe we have some of the best artists in the world and we wonder why and how the Koreans were chosen to make the statue of Father Zimbabwe.

"After all the Koreans were partly responsible for the killing of our people here. This is unacceptable and an insult to the people of Matabeleland and the Midlands."

-o00o-

Staying with the ill feeling that Mugabe is causing in Matabeleland by rubbing the collective Ndebele face in the dirt, I found it fitting that someone should write and open letter to Mugabe demanding an apology for the Gukurahundi...

"Dear Sir,

As you already know, the just passed cold month of June is when Africa and the world remembered those brave young people who were murdered in Soweto in 1976 by a despicable unit of military misfits under the command of an oppressive South African government.

I would also like to kindly bring to your attention a similar situation that prevailed in Zimbabwe in the 1980s when a despicable unit of military misfits operating under the name Gukurahundi, under the command of a one-party government you controlled murdered more than 20000 people in Matabeleland and the Midlands.

Your politburo and both elements of MDC’s national executive committees have just met to seek reconciliation, but you are yet to explain and ask Zimbabweans to forgive you for the transgressions of the renegade Fifth Brigade that was under your command.

South African Mail & Guardian blogger Israel Rafalovich, a journalist and analyst based at The Hague, The Netherlands, says of such a situation: "Forgiveness has a spiritual component and involves acknowledgment, contrition and forgiveness. It cannot be imposed and depends on our acknowledgment of the power and depth of God’s love."

He continues: "Forgiveness is an important factor if we want to achieve a lasting peace. Otherwise, we will hear only the voices of scepticism. The readiness to forgive will create possibilities for truth-telling and the courage to take political responsibility."

I am one of those voices of Zimbabwean scepticism at home and abroad who strongly believe that you, Perence Shiri, Constantine Chiwenga, Emmerson Mnangagwa and, Enos Nkala, owe Zimbabweans an urgent, overdue apology. Is this asking for too much? Why is it that Gibson Sibanda and John Nkomo - both of Ndebele origin, victims for that matter - can be given an unenviable task to wring out contrition from citizens when those who were responsible for sowing the seed of hatred have not acknowledged their transgression? Why is it that 25 years on, Mr Mugabe, you have yet to convene a press conference or appear on television explaining the punishable acts of Gukurahundi? Or perhaps I should venture to put words into your mouth for such public disclosure:

"People of Zimbabwe, children of Matabeleland, as president of this inclusive government, I am aware that efforts are underway to fulfil obligations impressed upon us by the 15 September 2008 agreement. One such obligation is for the people of this country to seek reconciliation and lasting peace for our divided nation. In pursuit of this noble cause, I would like to concur with those that point out the need to acknowledge events in history as a basis for sustainable future relationships. In the 1980s, those of us in power then strongly felt that our legitimacy was under threat from unruly and remnant elements of our partners in the struggle for independence. We therefore sought to utilise the authority bestowed upon us by the constitution to subdue these undesirable elements.

"But as you may agree, even in our own families, brothers and sisters argue and fight, at times resulting in tragic loss of precious lives. When commonsense once more prevails, family members unite in search of peace, like we are doing now. In retrospect, we could have sought advice and wisdom from friends to settle our disputes, but opted for hard-headedness, resulting in needless loss of precious lives. We in Zimbabwe have now entered a new era of brotherhood, never mind the other forgettable events of the last decade. The deployment of the Fifth Brigade was inspired by a desire to protect what was ours, but perhaps those of us in charge threw caution to the wind and lost control. Even if those few troublesome elements were vanquished, the innocent thousands needlessly perished. Some were accounted for, others not. Those who were at the epicentre of conflict have sour memories, generations still afflicted with pain and anguish.

"So even if the late Joshua Nkomo and I agreed to cooperate in December 1987, there are still those who feel more needs to be done. It is for this reason that today I present myself to the world, Africa, Zimbabwe and particularly the citizens of Matabeleland and the Midlands as one who truly regrets those fateful events of the 1980s. My colleagues in ZANU PF, particularly Perence Shiri, Constantine Chiwenga, and Emmerson Mnangagwa, share with me this agony of truth. Our commitment is now to take full responsibility so that survivors and the affected are accorded due recognition, compensation and lasting respect. I thank you."

To conclude my proposition, Mr Mugabe, I have to admit that it is generally difficult, especially for African leaders, to show remorse when they strongly feel their action is supported by national constitutions. However, I should be quick to add that matters of forgiveness are driven by good moral judgement in pursuit of enhanced social relationships. Such an attitude demands humility, sophistication, wisdom and commonsense. The intelligent Jewish prophet called Jesus of Nazareth, labelled forgiveness as an entity that can be quantified. Whether or not you are endowed with these rare characteristics I will leave judgement to the victims of Gukurahundi.

In the meantime, it is critical to save the credibility of the Organ for National Healing, which is grappling with the dichotomy of peace in the face of vengeance, forgiveness where confession does not exist and forgetfulness where nightmares poison our dreams. My take, Mr Mugabe, is that only one man can redeem this unsavoury situation with a few words. You are that man.

Faithfully yours,
Rejoice Ngwenya."

But Mugabe will be unmoved, content with the nonsensical explanation he came out with years ago. The Gukurahundi was "a moment of madness".

A "moment" that lasted many years; a "moment" that cost the lives of between twenty and thirty thousand people, and a "moment" that remains unpunished in Zimbabwean history.

-o00o-

When I was serving in the Zimbabwe Republic Police very shortly after Zimbabwean independence, I was never happier than when I was working in the courts. As a prosecutor I got to rub shoulders with some of the finest legal minds in the country, and was able to learn much from them all.

Not just lawyers, but magistrates, fellow prosecutors, and many of the people that beavered away behind closed doors preparing documentation and cases for the State representatives to present in court.

And perhaps the one things that I remember so clearly was the common goal of justice. No sentence was deemed too heavy and the courts frowned upon leniency.

Yes, the fact that criminal courts were necessary is endemic throughout the world, but the scales of justice in the early 1980s in Zimbabwe worked very, very well.

So when I read an article like this that suggests that the goal of justice and fairness is subverted by Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, I am saddened deeply.

"Economic inducements and threats of physical harm have kept Zimbabwe’s judiciary beholden to President Robert Mugabe with the new coalition government doing nothing to re-establish the integrity of the compromised bench, international lawyers’ groups have said.

The groups said because of a compromised judiciary coupled with a culture if impunity among state security agents and inadequate training of judicial officers the rule of law situation in Zimbabwe remains precarious, 16 months after Mugabe and former foe Morgan Tsvangirai formed a power-sharing government.

The unity government that came into office in February 2009 with promises to fix the economy, uphold democracy and the rule of law has achieved some success on the economy. But it has struggles to implement democratic reforms and failed to stop lawlessness in the farming sector or eradicate political violence that is resurgent in many parts of the country.

The report released at the weekend but made available to ZimOnline yesterday said "By far the majority of the senior judiciary remains fundamentally compromised by state patronage, grants of land and other gifts given to them by the former government.

"The present government has not sought to claw-back such inducements from the senior judiciary nor has there been any policy initiative directed at re-establishing the integrity in the eyes of the public."

The report goes on to make a number of recommendations in an effort to restore the stature of the judiciary, but, as with most things that want and need to be actioned to improve life in Zimbabwe, it will be totally and utterly ignored.

The report also discusses the continued defiance of a SADC tribunal concerning the seizing of land in Zimbabwe. Having twice ruled against Mugabe, we then heard from his Justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa, who stated that the law of the land could not be overruled by any court inside or outside of Zimbabwe.

Talk about making the rules up as you go along!

-o00o-

It is a common feeling - probably anywhere in the world - that serving prisoners in prisons will hold a grudge against those that have landed them behind bars. But not that many have the courage to speak out against the likes of Mugabe for their plight.

"A prisoner serving an armed robbery sentence stunned a delegation touring Chikurubi Maximum Prison when he openly accused President Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF of being responsible for his incarceration after he was forced into robbery when his employer, a white commercial farmer was forcibly evicted from his farm in 2002.

The prisoner Edmore Mapinje told a delegation led by Justice and Legal Affairs deputy minister Obert Gutu that ZANU PF and President Mugabe forced him to engage in armed robbery for survival after he lost his job as a farm worker during the land invasions.

An emotional Mapinje also said mismanagement by President Mugabe’s government also led to the deterioration of standards at the country’s prisons, especially at Chikurubi Maximum Prison."

Okay - perhaps embarking upon a criminal life was not the solution to his problems once he had lost his job on the farm, but Mapinje does have a valid point.

How many people are there in Zimbabwe that now find themselves having to deal in the criminal world just to get by? How many people are now reliant upon their criminal activities in order to feed their families?

Mugabe doesn't care about these people - and if they get caught, he just ensures that they get thrown in his hell-holes that pass for prisons in Zimbabwe.

"There were mass graves here in 2008 but we did not see government doing anything about it. Why are they denying us food from outside, if the government cannot provide us with food?"

"It's because of ZANU PF that we're here (prison) and it is because of Robert Mugabe's government. They drove my boss out of his farm, leaving me destitute as well but now they neglect us," he said. "We're eating sadza and maize on the cob because the have nothing to give us."

I think it was Winston Churchill who said that if you want to get a feel of the efficiency in any government and their attitude to human rights, then all we have to do is look at their prison standards. In Zimbabwe that says an awful lot.

"Munyaradzi Shavi said he turned blind because of lack of proper nutrition at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.

"I can not get proper medication because prison officers claim there is no fuel to take me to a specialist doctor," Shavi said.

Reports of tuberculosis are said to be on the increase among inmates but there are no X-ray machines to conduct further checks.

Barnabas Majarira who was convicted of armed robbery and is serving a 16-year jail term said there was no medicine and health personnel to attend to special cases affecting fellow inmates.

It was also revealed during the tour that several inmates were diagnosed with either HIV or AIDS and tuberculosis but were awaiting death as the prison has no fuel to take them to hospital.

"Most of us here are HIV positive and we are waiting for our death. We are not equally represented in areas of authority to air our concerns.

"As prisoners, our plight is not considered and as you can see, it's winter but we have no jerseys. We fear most of us will die of pneumonia."

-o00o-

My thanks to DS for sending me the link to this audio file: Letter from Africa: The Britishness of Mugabe...

-o00o-

Take care.

'debvhu