Wednesday, 23rd February 2011
Howzit
Foreign currency mid-rates updated...
-o00o-
We have all watched the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt - and now, of course, the current rebellion in Libya. Many people have wondered whether the same can happen in Zimbabwe and if the people would be able to dislodge Mugabe from his 31-year reign of terror against the population.
Perhaps not.
"Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is unlikely to be forced out by a popular uprising like those in Egypt and Tunisia and plans to entrench his 31-year rule through elections later this year, analysts said.
His election plans have angered impoverished Zimbabweans and led to clashes between supporters of the ruling ZANU PF party and those of the MDC, formerly the main opposition, now his uneasy coalition partner.
The protests which toppled Hosni Mubarak and Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Egypt and Tunisia have not gone unnoticed in Zimbabwe but Mugabe's supporters have vowed to keep their elderly leader in power.
Political analysts say that while conditions are ripe for mass anti-government protests, and Zimbabweans follow events in the Arab world on satellite television, the ruling party's tight control of the security forces and state institutions mean protests are unlikely to succeed.
Also, the internet and mobile phones were used extensively in Egypt and Tunisia to coordinate protests, but this would be difficult in Zimbabwe where just over half the population have mobile phones and only 12 percent have access to the Internet."
Zimbabwean authorities are so determined to deter people from even thinking about a civil uprising that the police have arrested almost 50 people for meeting together and watching the events on television that led to the fall of Mubarak.
"The army and police have a long history of cracking down on opposition protests, and in the 1980s North Korean-trained Zimbabwean troops killed thousands when they crushed a five-year insurgency in Matabeleland province.
Elections since 2002 have also been marked by violent state crackdowns on the opposition. A disputed 2008 election was marred by violence which the MDC says was orchestrated by the military and left more than 200 of its supporters dead.
Security chiefs, many of whom have been given farms seized from white farmers, say they would not accept a president who did not fight in the 1970s independence war, a reference to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's long-time rival.
"It is not easy to get crowds onto streets in Zimbabwe, as the security apparatus is thoroughly controlled by ZANU PF and they have not hesitated to intimidate and inflict pain on dissenters or opposition members willing to protest," said Mark Schroeder, sub-Saharan Africa analyst at Stratfor."
Mugabe has a penchant for punishing the Zimbabwean population for his shortcomings.
Having bullied, lied and cheated his way to the top, Mugabe is intent on using the same method in remaining in office. There can be no doubt now that Mugabe is determined to die in office, and, in so doing, ensure that ZANU PF stay on top.
Regardless of the popular mandate, ZANU PF continue to act as if they are the chosen party to rule Zimbabwe, and no amount of opposition, resistance or civil action will change that view.
"Security forces arrested dozens of activists at the weekend on charges of plotting protests against Mugabe similar to those that toppled the Egyptian and Tunisian leaders.
As in Egypt, Tunisia and several Arab countries, Zimbabweans are battling high levels of poverty and unemployment, decaying infrastructure, diminishing freedoms, police brutality and corrupt elites who continue to amass wealth.
But there the similarities end.
"It is hard to imagine Zimbabweans can rise against the government. I think it is possible but then the culture of fear is just too much and not without reason," said Martin Chimeda, who says he was brutalised by ZANU PF members in 2008 for organising for the MDC.
Analysts say ZANU PF's control of key state institutions and use of state violence against defenceless citizens have crushed people's willingness to rise against the ruling party.
Mugabe, whom critics accuse of wrecking the economy with policies such as the seizure of white-owned commercial farms, has led the country since independence from Britain in 1980.
After a decade of economic collapse and his violent re-election in 2008, Mugabe was forced into a fragile coalition with opposition leader Tsvangirai which has managed to stabilise the economy and ease political tension.
The economy last year grew for the second consecutive year, ending shortages of basic goods, fuel and foreign currency, though poverty and unemployment levels remain high.
Now hope has turned to anger as billions in foreign aid, expected after the unity government was formed in 2009, failed to arrive because Western donors and investors were still waiting for real political and economic reforms."
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Perhaps not.
"Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is unlikely to be forced out by a popular uprising like those in Egypt and Tunisia and plans to entrench his 31-year rule through elections later this year, analysts said.
His election plans have angered impoverished Zimbabweans and led to clashes between supporters of the ruling ZANU PF party and those of the MDC, formerly the main opposition, now his uneasy coalition partner.
The protests which toppled Hosni Mubarak and Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Egypt and Tunisia have not gone unnoticed in Zimbabwe but Mugabe's supporters have vowed to keep their elderly leader in power.
Political analysts say that while conditions are ripe for mass anti-government protests, and Zimbabweans follow events in the Arab world on satellite television, the ruling party's tight control of the security forces and state institutions mean protests are unlikely to succeed.
Also, the internet and mobile phones were used extensively in Egypt and Tunisia to coordinate protests, but this would be difficult in Zimbabwe where just over half the population have mobile phones and only 12 percent have access to the Internet."
Zimbabwean authorities are so determined to deter people from even thinking about a civil uprising that the police have arrested almost 50 people for meeting together and watching the events on television that led to the fall of Mubarak.
"The army and police have a long history of cracking down on opposition protests, and in the 1980s North Korean-trained Zimbabwean troops killed thousands when they crushed a five-year insurgency in Matabeleland province.
Elections since 2002 have also been marked by violent state crackdowns on the opposition. A disputed 2008 election was marred by violence which the MDC says was orchestrated by the military and left more than 200 of its supporters dead.
Security chiefs, many of whom have been given farms seized from white farmers, say they would not accept a president who did not fight in the 1970s independence war, a reference to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's long-time rival.
"It is not easy to get crowds onto streets in Zimbabwe, as the security apparatus is thoroughly controlled by ZANU PF and they have not hesitated to intimidate and inflict pain on dissenters or opposition members willing to protest," said Mark Schroeder, sub-Saharan Africa analyst at Stratfor."
Mugabe has a penchant for punishing the Zimbabwean population for his shortcomings.
Having bullied, lied and cheated his way to the top, Mugabe is intent on using the same method in remaining in office. There can be no doubt now that Mugabe is determined to die in office, and, in so doing, ensure that ZANU PF stay on top.
Regardless of the popular mandate, ZANU PF continue to act as if they are the chosen party to rule Zimbabwe, and no amount of opposition, resistance or civil action will change that view.
"Security forces arrested dozens of activists at the weekend on charges of plotting protests against Mugabe similar to those that toppled the Egyptian and Tunisian leaders.
As in Egypt, Tunisia and several Arab countries, Zimbabweans are battling high levels of poverty and unemployment, decaying infrastructure, diminishing freedoms, police brutality and corrupt elites who continue to amass wealth.
But there the similarities end.
"It is hard to imagine Zimbabweans can rise against the government. I think it is possible but then the culture of fear is just too much and not without reason," said Martin Chimeda, who says he was brutalised by ZANU PF members in 2008 for organising for the MDC.
Analysts say ZANU PF's control of key state institutions and use of state violence against defenceless citizens have crushed people's willingness to rise against the ruling party.
Mugabe, whom critics accuse of wrecking the economy with policies such as the seizure of white-owned commercial farms, has led the country since independence from Britain in 1980.
After a decade of economic collapse and his violent re-election in 2008, Mugabe was forced into a fragile coalition with opposition leader Tsvangirai which has managed to stabilise the economy and ease political tension.
The economy last year grew for the second consecutive year, ending shortages of basic goods, fuel and foreign currency, though poverty and unemployment levels remain high.
Now hope has turned to anger as billions in foreign aid, expected after the unity government was formed in 2009, failed to arrive because Western donors and investors were still waiting for real political and economic reforms."
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This is a laugh... does the MDC really think that the SADC 'mediator' is going to assist them in preventing any further acts of violence in Zimbabwe?
"Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s formation of the co-governing Movement for Democratic Change is asking South African President Jacob Zuma to intervene to halt what it calls an escalating crackdown on opponents of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party which is destabilizing the unity government.
Mr Zuma, mediator in Zimbabwe for the Southern African Development Community, sent a team of facilitators back to Harare on Tuesday to in a bid to patch up the frayed unity government. Zuma foreign policy advisor Lindiwe Zulu said the team is following up on a road-map to elections and lingering issues related to the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing which is the basis of the two-year-old unity government.
She confirmed facilitators will meet the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee late Tuesday and meet Wednesday with negotiators for the three governing parties."
Zuma is pro-Mugabe, always has been and always will. His remit as mediator in the cross-party negotiations has proved that. He does nothing and intends to do nothing.
For him, Mugabe is the man. Mugabe has an incredible following by numerous African leader - perhaps because he is showing them the way to behave when the chips are down.
Nobody in the world is prepared to face down Mugabe for his actions. And ZANU PF will state, upon his demise, that he was never convicted of any crime to do with human rights or criminal activity. That alone will be enough for them to vindicate his/their actions.
"Sources said the top item on the agenda - at least for the MDC - was the recent surge in political violence, continuing invasions of white-owned property, and alleged hate speech carried in state-controlled media including radio, television and newspapers.
The facilitators undertook to consult with JOMIC - established to measure compliance with the Global Political Agreement - more frequently to better follow the situation on the ground. JOMIC sources said the facilitators expressed concern about reported violence.
Tsvangirai MDC sources said they will present the facilitators with documentation on incidents of violence they say were perpetrated by ZANU PF militants, the police and the army, and would urge Mr Zuma to personally involve himself without further delay.
MDC ministers confronted their ZANU PF counterparts about the alleged crackdown in a heated cabinet meeting on Tuesday, sources said.
Political analyst Trevor Maisiri told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that Southern African leaders must change tactics in Harare to get power sharing back on track, and that Zimbabwe needs a full-time mediator 'monitoring events every day'."
Obviously Zuma is not taking his mission seriously, and SADC, for some unknown reason, have decided to stick with a mediator who a) cannot and will not do his job, and b) sees no wrong in actually doing nothing.
"Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s formation of the co-governing Movement for Democratic Change is asking South African President Jacob Zuma to intervene to halt what it calls an escalating crackdown on opponents of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party which is destabilizing the unity government.
Mr Zuma, mediator in Zimbabwe for the Southern African Development Community, sent a team of facilitators back to Harare on Tuesday to in a bid to patch up the frayed unity government. Zuma foreign policy advisor Lindiwe Zulu said the team is following up on a road-map to elections and lingering issues related to the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing which is the basis of the two-year-old unity government.
She confirmed facilitators will meet the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee late Tuesday and meet Wednesday with negotiators for the three governing parties."
Zuma is pro-Mugabe, always has been and always will. His remit as mediator in the cross-party negotiations has proved that. He does nothing and intends to do nothing.
For him, Mugabe is the man. Mugabe has an incredible following by numerous African leader - perhaps because he is showing them the way to behave when the chips are down.
Nobody in the world is prepared to face down Mugabe for his actions. And ZANU PF will state, upon his demise, that he was never convicted of any crime to do with human rights or criminal activity. That alone will be enough for them to vindicate his/their actions.
"Sources said the top item on the agenda - at least for the MDC - was the recent surge in political violence, continuing invasions of white-owned property, and alleged hate speech carried in state-controlled media including radio, television and newspapers.
The facilitators undertook to consult with JOMIC - established to measure compliance with the Global Political Agreement - more frequently to better follow the situation on the ground. JOMIC sources said the facilitators expressed concern about reported violence.
Tsvangirai MDC sources said they will present the facilitators with documentation on incidents of violence they say were perpetrated by ZANU PF militants, the police and the army, and would urge Mr Zuma to personally involve himself without further delay.
MDC ministers confronted their ZANU PF counterparts about the alleged crackdown in a heated cabinet meeting on Tuesday, sources said.
Political analyst Trevor Maisiri told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that Southern African leaders must change tactics in Harare to get power sharing back on track, and that Zimbabwe needs a full-time mediator 'monitoring events every day'."
Obviously Zuma is not taking his mission seriously, and SADC, for some unknown reason, have decided to stick with a mediator who a) cannot and will not do his job, and b) sees no wrong in actually doing nothing.
-o00o-
"The US State Department says that Robert Mugabe had failed to heed the lessons from Arab revolts against longtime autocrats after the arrest of scores of Zimbabweans who met to discuss them.
"Activists meet in Zimbabwe to discuss the implications of Egypt and Tunisia and end up arrested. Mugabe did not learn the right lessons," spokesman Philip Crowley wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter.
Zimbabwean police had detained a former lawmaker and 46 others at a meeting discussing the protests in Egypt which pushed president Hosni Mubarak out of power after a 30-year-reign, a lawyer said Monday.
"They were picked up late Saturday afternoon at a meeting where they were discussing the events in Egypt and whether other countries would follow what happened there," attorney and rights activist Rose Hanzi told AFP.
Among the arrested were Munyaradzi Gwisai, a university lecturer and former lawmaker from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, members of the audience and some passers-by.
Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, has been nominated by his party to stand again for president in elections expected later this year, which will end his shaky power-sharing government with long-time rival Tsvangirai."
"Activists meet in Zimbabwe to discuss the implications of Egypt and Tunisia and end up arrested. Mugabe did not learn the right lessons," spokesman Philip Crowley wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter.
Zimbabwean police had detained a former lawmaker and 46 others at a meeting discussing the protests in Egypt which pushed president Hosni Mubarak out of power after a 30-year-reign, a lawyer said Monday.
"They were picked up late Saturday afternoon at a meeting where they were discussing the events in Egypt and whether other countries would follow what happened there," attorney and rights activist Rose Hanzi told AFP.
Among the arrested were Munyaradzi Gwisai, a university lecturer and former lawmaker from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, members of the audience and some passers-by.
Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, has been nominated by his party to stand again for president in elections expected later this year, which will end his shaky power-sharing government with long-time rival Tsvangirai."
-o00o-
Mugabe has, in the last 31 years, surrounded himself with ZANU PF apologists and people who put him and the party above the needs and wants of the Zimbabwean people.
To the point that his underlings are falling over themselves to be included in birthday messages each year. And the messages that they have published are, to one degree or another, self-serving as they show the huge following he has, even if those who write the messages are aware that they can be wiped from the face of the Earth with a single order from Mugabe.
"George Charamba’s discerning message on the occasion of president’s Mugabe’s 87th birthday couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
"The Joy of being Mugabe’s Spokesman", was the heading of the article which paradoxically appeared in one of the major online publications that Charamba would traditionally regard as antagonistic. Disguised as a birthday message, there appears to have been more to it.
"To work with the President can be great fun. You meet a legend who is so ordinary, a myth which is so human", says the loquacious and longest-serving presidential spokesman. Reading through the well-thought-out accolade, one could wonder if Charamba was delivering a valedictory speech, some kind of eulogy or both. Some of the mesmerised readers were made to recall one of the most recycled quotes in ancient literature "I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him". In his own words, Charamba said "I have worked with the President for slightly over two decades, clearly his longest serving Press Secretary to date, possibly ever" It will be interesting to know your own inference of this bold but unusual statement.
Reading between the lines, one gets the impression that something might be brewing in the corridors of power. Of late, the articulate Charamba whose command of the English language is by any measure impressive, has curiously eased from his seemingly radical stance and adopted a style which has a semblance of professionalism, proactivity and accommodativeness. He surprised as well as won the respect of many when he recently disclosed that the president had gone to Singapore for a post-operation review. Considering that the president can never be a private person, this information was plausible and literally killed the rumour machine. Interestingly, this was after those talented with hiding the truth thereby causing unnecessary speculation had gone on rooftops assassinating every media that had covered the story. Unsurprisingly, one of them was the shameless architect of the Daily News bombing who is still frantically trying to find a lucrative office in Harare, but in vain.
The speculation now is that the same sycophant, having realized that both Webster Shamu and Rugare Gumbo are firmly entrenched in their respective positions therefore cannot be dislodged any time some; may have shifted his focus towards Charamba’s office. The other supposition is that Gushungo may have confided in Charamba that time to relinquish power, retire peacefully and focus on memoirs and farming was now fast approaching. What else could have led the typically defensive presidential spokesman to circulate such an article as the one in question?
Nevertheless, if you were to ask people the difference between Jonathan Moyo and George Charamba, the common response would probably be that the latter engages his brains before opening his mouth while the former does the diametric opposite. Like him or hate him, Charamba seems to have some kind of a congenital gift of oratory that no one can take from. On the opposite end of the political spectrum, I would probably equate him with Nelson Chamisa, Obert Gutu or a few others. We expect more of this kind of truthfulness in the coming months.
Reflecting on the past including the Willowgate scandal, Charamba dispelled the one notion that has been around since independence, being that the president is an infallible human being who is only unlucky to be surrounded by ministers who mislead him from time to time.
Charamba says there are some who see the president as "a leader who does not know, who is misled and smothered by a parapet of official duplicity. That, too, is another variant to the same myth of vulnerability. I have always thought the President often brings that upon himself". What this statement confirms is that the president is equally culpable for the errors of judgment or sins of commission or omission by his trusted lieutenants over the three decades he has been leading the nation for he alone had the power to hire and fire.
Delivering the kind of praise characteristic of a funeral speech, Charamba goes on to describe the president as "a long-time teacher, a commander, a skillful negotiator, a husband, a father, a Catholic, he has met humanity in its diverse frailties".
On awareness of everyday issues, Charamba tells us that the president "can look detached, even oblivious to developments around him, while actively taking in the outrage, understanding it before finally taking a position". So here you are, those who have always argued that Gushungo was surrounded by people who ill-advise him. The truth is he knows everything that happens around him though he may take time to act. So the recent postulation by some that he wasn’t aware of the violence happening around the country particularly the poor township of Mbare, simply falls away, unless if his spokesman got it all wrong.
On Willowgate, we are told that Dr Elleck Mashingaidze, then CIO boss, said in one of the routine briefing sessions "Aa-ah Shefu ngazvichipera izvi. Zvanyanya kani. Chistoppai izvi Shefu". Gushungo’s response was "the process will continue and remedial action has to be taken-ka, Dr Mashingaidze". This is clear demonstration of the fact that the president is informed of and makes decisions on any major event or process affecting his party as well as the country. Also, the presidential spokesman hints that those who break the laws of the land can only be prosecuted or let free on the orders of the president. Whether this is in tandem with the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary, your guess is as good as mine.
Mashingaidza is said to have gone on pleading "Shefu, how far do you want to go? Zvakwana kani shefu. Mavakudestabiliza system. Mavakuwuraya party kani Shefu". This is the very kind of mental model inherent in most of our current security bosses; they put the interest of the party ahead of that of the country. Is it then unfair to say in its current form, the security service is undoubtedly partisan and terribly compromised?
Another interesting point Charamba makes is that president Mugabe never signs a document before scrutinizing it. To demonstrate this, he says that the late Dr Jokonya once brought a pile of paperwork to the president for signing and only flipped to the pages that needed the president’s signature. After a bit of pestering for a signature by Jokonya, Gushungo is said to have said "Dr Jokonya, my name is Robert Mugabe; not Robot Mugabe! Do you hear?" This again shows how informed the president is and has always been.
Thanks Charamba for seemingly opening up of late. At least the nation now appreciates that we have not had a semi-god at State House for three decades. You have effectively portrayed the president’s human side many of us did not know about. Coincidentally, there seems to be a bit of toning down in some sections of the state media. This is great for our nation. However, the big question remains; was yours simply a birthday message or farewell speech?"
To the point that his underlings are falling over themselves to be included in birthday messages each year. And the messages that they have published are, to one degree or another, self-serving as they show the huge following he has, even if those who write the messages are aware that they can be wiped from the face of the Earth with a single order from Mugabe.
"George Charamba’s discerning message on the occasion of president’s Mugabe’s 87th birthday couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
"The Joy of being Mugabe’s Spokesman", was the heading of the article which paradoxically appeared in one of the major online publications that Charamba would traditionally regard as antagonistic. Disguised as a birthday message, there appears to have been more to it.
"To work with the President can be great fun. You meet a legend who is so ordinary, a myth which is so human", says the loquacious and longest-serving presidential spokesman. Reading through the well-thought-out accolade, one could wonder if Charamba was delivering a valedictory speech, some kind of eulogy or both. Some of the mesmerised readers were made to recall one of the most recycled quotes in ancient literature "I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him". In his own words, Charamba said "I have worked with the President for slightly over two decades, clearly his longest serving Press Secretary to date, possibly ever" It will be interesting to know your own inference of this bold but unusual statement.
Reading between the lines, one gets the impression that something might be brewing in the corridors of power. Of late, the articulate Charamba whose command of the English language is by any measure impressive, has curiously eased from his seemingly radical stance and adopted a style which has a semblance of professionalism, proactivity and accommodativeness. He surprised as well as won the respect of many when he recently disclosed that the president had gone to Singapore for a post-operation review. Considering that the president can never be a private person, this information was plausible and literally killed the rumour machine. Interestingly, this was after those talented with hiding the truth thereby causing unnecessary speculation had gone on rooftops assassinating every media that had covered the story. Unsurprisingly, one of them was the shameless architect of the Daily News bombing who is still frantically trying to find a lucrative office in Harare, but in vain.
The speculation now is that the same sycophant, having realized that both Webster Shamu and Rugare Gumbo are firmly entrenched in their respective positions therefore cannot be dislodged any time some; may have shifted his focus towards Charamba’s office. The other supposition is that Gushungo may have confided in Charamba that time to relinquish power, retire peacefully and focus on memoirs and farming was now fast approaching. What else could have led the typically defensive presidential spokesman to circulate such an article as the one in question?
Nevertheless, if you were to ask people the difference between Jonathan Moyo and George Charamba, the common response would probably be that the latter engages his brains before opening his mouth while the former does the diametric opposite. Like him or hate him, Charamba seems to have some kind of a congenital gift of oratory that no one can take from. On the opposite end of the political spectrum, I would probably equate him with Nelson Chamisa, Obert Gutu or a few others. We expect more of this kind of truthfulness in the coming months.
Reflecting on the past including the Willowgate scandal, Charamba dispelled the one notion that has been around since independence, being that the president is an infallible human being who is only unlucky to be surrounded by ministers who mislead him from time to time.
Charamba says there are some who see the president as "a leader who does not know, who is misled and smothered by a parapet of official duplicity. That, too, is another variant to the same myth of vulnerability. I have always thought the President often brings that upon himself". What this statement confirms is that the president is equally culpable for the errors of judgment or sins of commission or omission by his trusted lieutenants over the three decades he has been leading the nation for he alone had the power to hire and fire.
Delivering the kind of praise characteristic of a funeral speech, Charamba goes on to describe the president as "a long-time teacher, a commander, a skillful negotiator, a husband, a father, a Catholic, he has met humanity in its diverse frailties".
On awareness of everyday issues, Charamba tells us that the president "can look detached, even oblivious to developments around him, while actively taking in the outrage, understanding it before finally taking a position". So here you are, those who have always argued that Gushungo was surrounded by people who ill-advise him. The truth is he knows everything that happens around him though he may take time to act. So the recent postulation by some that he wasn’t aware of the violence happening around the country particularly the poor township of Mbare, simply falls away, unless if his spokesman got it all wrong.
On Willowgate, we are told that Dr Elleck Mashingaidze, then CIO boss, said in one of the routine briefing sessions "Aa-ah Shefu ngazvichipera izvi. Zvanyanya kani. Chistoppai izvi Shefu". Gushungo’s response was "the process will continue and remedial action has to be taken-ka, Dr Mashingaidze". This is clear demonstration of the fact that the president is informed of and makes decisions on any major event or process affecting his party as well as the country. Also, the presidential spokesman hints that those who break the laws of the land can only be prosecuted or let free on the orders of the president. Whether this is in tandem with the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary, your guess is as good as mine.
Mashingaidza is said to have gone on pleading "Shefu, how far do you want to go? Zvakwana kani shefu. Mavakudestabiliza system. Mavakuwuraya party kani Shefu". This is the very kind of mental model inherent in most of our current security bosses; they put the interest of the party ahead of that of the country. Is it then unfair to say in its current form, the security service is undoubtedly partisan and terribly compromised?
Another interesting point Charamba makes is that president Mugabe never signs a document before scrutinizing it. To demonstrate this, he says that the late Dr Jokonya once brought a pile of paperwork to the president for signing and only flipped to the pages that needed the president’s signature. After a bit of pestering for a signature by Jokonya, Gushungo is said to have said "Dr Jokonya, my name is Robert Mugabe; not Robot Mugabe! Do you hear?" This again shows how informed the president is and has always been.
Thanks Charamba for seemingly opening up of late. At least the nation now appreciates that we have not had a semi-god at State House for three decades. You have effectively portrayed the president’s human side many of us did not know about. Coincidentally, there seems to be a bit of toning down in some sections of the state media. This is great for our nation. However, the big question remains; was yours simply a birthday message or farewell speech?"
-o00o-
ZANU PF very seldom allow their people to end up in court, let alone be arrested by the pro-Mugabe police force - but sometimes, their actions are to well documented and have gone beyond even the ZANU PF remit, so Mugabe allows 'justice' to take its course.
Of course, we must be aware that 'justice' on ZANU PF members is an entirely different thing from 'justice' for MDC members, or, indeed, Zimbabweans who have no political connections.
"Ten ZANU PF youths, who severely assaulted a Masvingo central chief who is currently battling for his life in the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital, are expected in court on Wednesday.
The rowdy youths accused chief Murinye of instructing his people not to donate gifts for President Robert Mugabe’s birthday party which is expected to be held this weekend. The chief was left for dead when the youths assaulted him with logs, clenched fists, sjamboks and knobkerries at a party function at Boroma school.
Mugabe turned 87 years olf on Monday."
There is a huge difference in donating cash or gifts to the President's birthday bash and being forced to part with your money or goods to allegedly be received by the President. But ZANU PF don't have that sort of dictionary.
As far as they are concerned, if you live in Zimbabwe, then you owe the President something for his birthday.
The question which I have to ask is what sort of record is kept of the ;donations'? How do these unruly youth members account for the 'gifts'?
"ZANU PF youths have been moving around the rural areas in the province demanding villagers to pay US$10 in cash or donate their livestock in form of chickens, goats and even cattle for the president’s traditional lavish bash.
Radio VOP has been told that the chief had advised the people in his area that the donations for the President’s birthday were not compulsory and told those who could not afford not to worry themselves.
His sentiments did not go down well with the youths who labelled him a sell-out and an Movement Democratic Change chief.
Although Masvingo Police spokesperson, Inspector Tinaye Matake refused to comment over the matter, a police officer at Muchakata who declined to be named, said the youths were still in custody as some of them were still on the run.
"We have arrested some of them but we can’t tell you their number and names as this will jeopardize investigations as some of them are on the run and we have launched a man hunt," said the source."
It is a common practise in Zimbabwe that some of the ZANU PF members are dragged to court, sentenced to imprisonment - and then, very shortly thereafter they are released having earned their colours...
If the same had been perpetrated by MDC members, they would spend the rest of their natural lives behind bars in Mugabe's stinking prisons.
"The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC-T Masvngo central Legislator, Jefferson Chitando condemned ZANU PF for victimising traditional leaders who were perceived opposition sympathisers.
"It is sad to note that this is the same party that is ever preaching about respecting traditional leaders in our communities."
I also note that ZANU PF are blaming the increase in violence in Zimbabwe upon the MDC, and yet here we have numerous individuals being taken to court for beating a chief to within an inch of his life.
Of course, we must be aware that 'justice' on ZANU PF members is an entirely different thing from 'justice' for MDC members, or, indeed, Zimbabweans who have no political connections.
"Ten ZANU PF youths, who severely assaulted a Masvingo central chief who is currently battling for his life in the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital, are expected in court on Wednesday.
The rowdy youths accused chief Murinye of instructing his people not to donate gifts for President Robert Mugabe’s birthday party which is expected to be held this weekend. The chief was left for dead when the youths assaulted him with logs, clenched fists, sjamboks and knobkerries at a party function at Boroma school.
Mugabe turned 87 years olf on Monday."
There is a huge difference in donating cash or gifts to the President's birthday bash and being forced to part with your money or goods to allegedly be received by the President. But ZANU PF don't have that sort of dictionary.
As far as they are concerned, if you live in Zimbabwe, then you owe the President something for his birthday.
The question which I have to ask is what sort of record is kept of the ;donations'? How do these unruly youth members account for the 'gifts'?
"ZANU PF youths have been moving around the rural areas in the province demanding villagers to pay US$10 in cash or donate their livestock in form of chickens, goats and even cattle for the president’s traditional lavish bash.
Radio VOP has been told that the chief had advised the people in his area that the donations for the President’s birthday were not compulsory and told those who could not afford not to worry themselves.
His sentiments did not go down well with the youths who labelled him a sell-out and an Movement Democratic Change chief.
Although Masvingo Police spokesperson, Inspector Tinaye Matake refused to comment over the matter, a police officer at Muchakata who declined to be named, said the youths were still in custody as some of them were still on the run.
"We have arrested some of them but we can’t tell you their number and names as this will jeopardize investigations as some of them are on the run and we have launched a man hunt," said the source."
It is a common practise in Zimbabwe that some of the ZANU PF members are dragged to court, sentenced to imprisonment - and then, very shortly thereafter they are released having earned their colours...
If the same had been perpetrated by MDC members, they would spend the rest of their natural lives behind bars in Mugabe's stinking prisons.
"The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC-T Masvngo central Legislator, Jefferson Chitando condemned ZANU PF for victimising traditional leaders who were perceived opposition sympathisers.
"It is sad to note that this is the same party that is ever preaching about respecting traditional leaders in our communities."
I also note that ZANU PF are blaming the increase in violence in Zimbabwe upon the MDC, and yet here we have numerous individuals being taken to court for beating a chief to within an inch of his life.
-o00o-
In typical pro-ZANU style, the police have turned their backs on allegations that Ignatius Chombo has gained his huge wealth through devious, illegal and underhanded means. There should also be no surprise that the ZRP want to have a chat with the individual who lodged the complaint.
"The combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has reacted with fury to comments by the police that corruption allegations against Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo are 'nothing but media hype'.
CHRA recently filed charges against Chombo, for fraudulently acquiring vast tracts of land in Harare. Instead of launching investigations against the minister police have indicated they want to question Simbarashe Moyo, the CHRA chairperson who filed the complaint.
"Police left a note at our offices stating that I should report to Harare central police station for questioning. Obviously I did not do that for fear they will arrest me. This is intended to silence me," Moyo said. Police have also claimed the media has waged a vendetta against Chombo.
Moyo told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that he personally submitted overwhelming evidence, pointing to the fact that Chombo converted vast tracks of land within the city of Harare for personal use.
Politicians and ordinary Zimbabweans had been wondering just how the ZANU PF minister amassed such a 'spectacular' fortune and property portfolio in the last decade, while earning a modest civil servant’s salary."
You may recall the list of Chombo's 'assets' when the documents pertaining to his divorce were made public. In in country, anywhere is the world, the listing would have been impressive, but in Zimbabwe we are just supposed to accept that he has this vast empire and that is that.
Either that or the Zimbabwe Republic Police are siding with the minister, and that is not the first time that we know this sort of thing occurs.
"Chombo’s riches were revealed in damning court documents, after his wife of 25 years Marian, filed for a hefty divorce pay-out last year.
Court documents revealed Chombo has tentacles in virtually all sectors of the economy. They include interests in several farms, mines, hunting safari lodges in Chiredzi, Hwange, Magunje and Chirundu, as well as properties in South Africa. Local properties include 75 residential and commercial stands, plus 14 houses and 5 flats, all dotted around the country. And there are also 15 vehicles.
The CHRA chairperson said; "We have long seen that ZANU PF ministers appear virtually unaccountable. When you belong to ZANU PF and are corrupt you get protection from the police. In fact you are above the law and don’t face problems with the police.
"But when you’re corrupt and belong to the opposition, you will be exposed to the full wrath of the law," Moyo added."
It is a well-known fact in Africa that if you are connected with any political party that holds power in any country (even if that power is held unlawfully) that you will get away with anything - including murder...
"The combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has reacted with fury to comments by the police that corruption allegations against Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo are 'nothing but media hype'.
CHRA recently filed charges against Chombo, for fraudulently acquiring vast tracts of land in Harare. Instead of launching investigations against the minister police have indicated they want to question Simbarashe Moyo, the CHRA chairperson who filed the complaint.
"Police left a note at our offices stating that I should report to Harare central police station for questioning. Obviously I did not do that for fear they will arrest me. This is intended to silence me," Moyo said. Police have also claimed the media has waged a vendetta against Chombo.
Moyo told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that he personally submitted overwhelming evidence, pointing to the fact that Chombo converted vast tracks of land within the city of Harare for personal use.
Politicians and ordinary Zimbabweans had been wondering just how the ZANU PF minister amassed such a 'spectacular' fortune and property portfolio in the last decade, while earning a modest civil servant’s salary."
You may recall the list of Chombo's 'assets' when the documents pertaining to his divorce were made public. In in country, anywhere is the world, the listing would have been impressive, but in Zimbabwe we are just supposed to accept that he has this vast empire and that is that.
Either that or the Zimbabwe Republic Police are siding with the minister, and that is not the first time that we know this sort of thing occurs.
"Chombo’s riches were revealed in damning court documents, after his wife of 25 years Marian, filed for a hefty divorce pay-out last year.
Court documents revealed Chombo has tentacles in virtually all sectors of the economy. They include interests in several farms, mines, hunting safari lodges in Chiredzi, Hwange, Magunje and Chirundu, as well as properties in South Africa. Local properties include 75 residential and commercial stands, plus 14 houses and 5 flats, all dotted around the country. And there are also 15 vehicles.
The CHRA chairperson said; "We have long seen that ZANU PF ministers appear virtually unaccountable. When you belong to ZANU PF and are corrupt you get protection from the police. In fact you are above the law and don’t face problems with the police.
"But when you’re corrupt and belong to the opposition, you will be exposed to the full wrath of the law," Moyo added."
It is a well-known fact in Africa that if you are connected with any political party that holds power in any country (even if that power is held unlawfully) that you will get away with anything - including murder...
-o00o-
I am not happy when I read about Zimbabweans living in the diaspora letting us all down with their criminal escapades. This one really struck home, the outlaw receiving 12 years imprisonment for his actions.
"A Zimbabwean man has been jailed for 12 years in Cardiff, Wales, for the armed street obbery of a vulnerable woman.
Logan Ntandoyenkosi Madaka, 20, got the harshest sentence after entering a 'not guilty' plea, while three other men escaped with lesser sentences by pleading guilty.
South African Bongane Peter, 22, will serve eight years, while brothers Donald Ajala and David Ajala were sentenced to 11 and eight years respectively.
The Cardiff Crown Court heard the men - all from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - were caught after they did not have enough change to pay for car parking.
A warden issued a ticket with their car’s registration and this led police straight to the gang.
Detective Constable Mark Saunders, of Cathays CID in Cardiff, said the discovery of the parking ticket was the crucial breakthrough in a case that shocked experienced police officers.
Just days earlier, two of the four men pointed imitation handguns at 23-year-old Elizabeth Mann's face and chest and snatched her handbag, which contained just £20 and a few items including a mobile phone and an umbrella.
The midnight robbery outside the Aston Martin showroom on North Road, Cardiff, on Friday, July 30, last year, was so unusual it has been described as 'off the radar' by Detective Sergeant Stuart Wales, also of Cathays CID.
"It didn’t fit normal crime patterns. We just couldn’t believe someone would go to those lengths for such a low reward," he said.
"It doesn’t happen in Cathays, it doesn’t happen in Cardiff and it doesn’t really happen in South Wales."
But it did... and, if you're gonna do the crime, be prepared to do the time.
"University student and trainee pilot Logan Madaka denied the charges, claiming he knew nothing about the robbery, had stayed in the car during the incident and had simply come to Cardiff with the other men to buy a car.
Cardiff Crown Court Judge Stephen Hopkins, QC, sent the men away for a total of 39 years.
After sentencing, a family spokesman for the Madaka family said they were 'devastated'.
"This all happened two days after Logan returned from America for his flying practise. He accepted the invitation to go to Cardiff from his friends who told him Bongane’s mother had given her son money to buy a car," the spokesman said.
"Logan had £600 in his bank card, and had his mother’s bank card on him with over £1,000. Just how he got caught up in this is difficult to understand, but he maintains that he was not involved in the robbery.
"The sentence handed down by the judge is in the high end of what people get for this sort of crime and we are consulting lawyers with a view of launching an appeal against both conviction and sentence."
"A Zimbabwean man has been jailed for 12 years in Cardiff, Wales, for the armed street obbery of a vulnerable woman.
Logan Ntandoyenkosi Madaka, 20, got the harshest sentence after entering a 'not guilty' plea, while three other men escaped with lesser sentences by pleading guilty.
South African Bongane Peter, 22, will serve eight years, while brothers Donald Ajala and David Ajala were sentenced to 11 and eight years respectively.
The Cardiff Crown Court heard the men - all from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - were caught after they did not have enough change to pay for car parking.
A warden issued a ticket with their car’s registration and this led police straight to the gang.
Detective Constable Mark Saunders, of Cathays CID in Cardiff, said the discovery of the parking ticket was the crucial breakthrough in a case that shocked experienced police officers.
Just days earlier, two of the four men pointed imitation handguns at 23-year-old Elizabeth Mann's face and chest and snatched her handbag, which contained just £20 and a few items including a mobile phone and an umbrella.
The midnight robbery outside the Aston Martin showroom on North Road, Cardiff, on Friday, July 30, last year, was so unusual it has been described as 'off the radar' by Detective Sergeant Stuart Wales, also of Cathays CID.
"It didn’t fit normal crime patterns. We just couldn’t believe someone would go to those lengths for such a low reward," he said.
"It doesn’t happen in Cathays, it doesn’t happen in Cardiff and it doesn’t really happen in South Wales."
But it did... and, if you're gonna do the crime, be prepared to do the time.
"University student and trainee pilot Logan Madaka denied the charges, claiming he knew nothing about the robbery, had stayed in the car during the incident and had simply come to Cardiff with the other men to buy a car.
Cardiff Crown Court Judge Stephen Hopkins, QC, sent the men away for a total of 39 years.
After sentencing, a family spokesman for the Madaka family said they were 'devastated'.
"This all happened two days after Logan returned from America for his flying practise. He accepted the invitation to go to Cardiff from his friends who told him Bongane’s mother had given her son money to buy a car," the spokesman said.
"Logan had £600 in his bank card, and had his mother’s bank card on him with over £1,000. Just how he got caught up in this is difficult to understand, but he maintains that he was not involved in the robbery.
"The sentence handed down by the judge is in the high end of what people get for this sort of crime and we are consulting lawyers with a view of launching an appeal against both conviction and sentence."
-o00o-
Take care.
'debvhu
'debvhu
posted by Robb WJ Ellis at 8:21 AM
Union Jack (1963 - 64, 1998 - ??)
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