Wednesday, 25th May 2011
Howzit
Foreign currency mid-rates updated...
-o00o-
Well, this morning we are supposed to have someone come in and fix the boiler. It is already half eight as I begin this, and not a sign...
UPDATE 1: An engineer from the contractor pitched up at just gone 9:30... and, would you believe it, the control plate that fits to the end of the push rod is absent once again! He has headed out to see if he can find one (although previous contractor engineers have failed), but at least he has left his tools here so we are at least assured of his return.
And once again, our house is a tip as we have had to move things to allow the engineer access.
I will update again if anything happens... which somehow I doubt.
UPDATE 2: I stand corrected... The engineer returned, and had found the required plastic button. Smaller than even the old ha'penny piece. He fitted it, and we now have hot water in the kitchen and the bathroom. B is just so grateful to this engineer, and I am too.
Hopefully that is an end to it...
UPDATE 1: An engineer from the contractor pitched up at just gone 9:30... and, would you believe it, the control plate that fits to the end of the push rod is absent once again! He has headed out to see if he can find one (although previous contractor engineers have failed), but at least he has left his tools here so we are at least assured of his return.
And once again, our house is a tip as we have had to move things to allow the engineer access.
I will update again if anything happens... which somehow I doubt.
UPDATE 2: I stand corrected... The engineer returned, and had found the required plastic button. Smaller than even the old ha'penny piece. He fitted it, and we now have hot water in the kitchen and the bathroom. B is just so grateful to this engineer, and I am too.
Hopefully that is an end to it...
-o00o-
Whenever I read about human rights charges and the torture of people in Zimbabwe, I cannot but help to think of the travel sanctions in place against Mugabe, and the alacrity he had in deporting the United Nations torture specialist very early this year.
Mugabe, by throwing the specialist out, opens himself up to two critical points.
Firstly - the lack of any transparency of the operations conducted in Zimbabwe by the various arms of the security services. If there were no torture allegations, then the United Nations would not feel obliged to send one of their specialists into Zimbabwe. And, by Mugabe throwing him out again before he even left Harare International airport, he displays the lack of transparency without having to argue the case - and the UN's case is proven before it even began.
Secondly - by deporting the specialist, Mugabe displays that he has the same choice that countries elsewhere in the world have. He protects Zimbabwean borders (ostensibly) and he has the right to deport whoever he doesn't want in Zimbabwe. The countries that have signed up to the targeted sanctions also have the right to prevent the entry into their country of undesirable people.
One would think that what the countries preventing the entry of Mugabe and his thugs are, in actual fact, doing him a favour. At least he knows not to plan travel to those countries, unlike the specialist, who had actually arrived in Zimbabwe before being turned around and sent on his way - and thereby they have saved him the cost of the flight to and from...
If you ask me, it is very decent of them to pre-warn him.
"Fresh allegations of human rights abuses have surfaced from the Marange diamond field of eastern Zimbabwe with activists accusing Mbada Diamonds, a partner with the Harare government of setting guard dogs on residents to pressure them to relocate.
Local sources said guard dogs have attacked four residents of the Chiadzwa area of the Marange diamond zone over the past two weeks.
Chiadzwa Community Development Trust Chairman Malvern Mudiwa, currently facing charges of inciting villagers in Marange to resist relocation, said Mbada is deliberately putting residents in a desperate situation so they will agree to relocation.
"There are so many abuses from the security guards, which are being led by a white man," Mudiwa said. "They are letting their dogs to people and livestock."
I find it very confusing that the chairman should 'be facing charges of inciting residents to resist relocation' - since when is refusing to be moved without compensation, at least, a criminal offence?
And who is the white man that is leading the security guards? Is this the Russian that was reported on quite a while back? If so, this man is already known for his brutality...
"Mudiwa said the attacks began when Mbada created a so-called fireguard around a new claim. Mudiwa said Mbada security guards "are patrolling that area quite frequently with their vicious dogs" even though families are still living within the demarcated claim.
"The fireguard is already in the people’s areas," Mudiwa said. "You just have to cross it because you can’t avoid it. It’s where you’re staying." The people who were attacked had been searching for their livestock near the boundary of Mbada’s claim."
Mugabe and his flunkies make the rules and regulations up as they go along. And no amount of common sense is going to make him/them realise the errors of their ways.
"With police backup, Mbada started relocating residents three weeks ago, moving 44 families from the diamond zone to ARDA Transau Farm in Odzi, about 60 kilometers away. Another company operating in the Marange zone, Anjin, has relocated 178 families since 2010 and forcibly removed another 24 last weekend, activist Mudiwa said.
Manicaland spokesman Pishai Muchauraya of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Tsvangirai said he saw armed police forcing villagers into Chinese lorries over the weekend. Anjin is operated by Chinese investors.
VOA was unable to reach Mbada or Anjin officials for comment."
Does Anjin have any plans to sign over 51% of their ownership to ZANU PF - sorry, I meant indigenous - ownership? Somehow I don't think that they are included in the firmgrab...
"Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association Head Researcher Shamiso Mtisi says families moved out of Chiadzwa - often forcibly by the military - are only receiving a thousand dollars compensation for the seizure of their homes and farming plots.
"There is lack of transparency in the manner of calculating the compensation," Mtisi said. "If the process were well managed, these communities would be signing some sort of contract with the mining companies in terms of services and provisions."
It would appear that Chiadzwa has become close to a war zone, with the army assuming responsibility for the forced re-locations.
I will say it again - Mugabe doesn't care...
Mugabe, by throwing the specialist out, opens himself up to two critical points.
Firstly - the lack of any transparency of the operations conducted in Zimbabwe by the various arms of the security services. If there were no torture allegations, then the United Nations would not feel obliged to send one of their specialists into Zimbabwe. And, by Mugabe throwing him out again before he even left Harare International airport, he displays the lack of transparency without having to argue the case - and the UN's case is proven before it even began.
Secondly - by deporting the specialist, Mugabe displays that he has the same choice that countries elsewhere in the world have. He protects Zimbabwean borders (ostensibly) and he has the right to deport whoever he doesn't want in Zimbabwe. The countries that have signed up to the targeted sanctions also have the right to prevent the entry into their country of undesirable people.
One would think that what the countries preventing the entry of Mugabe and his thugs are, in actual fact, doing him a favour. At least he knows not to plan travel to those countries, unlike the specialist, who had actually arrived in Zimbabwe before being turned around and sent on his way - and thereby they have saved him the cost of the flight to and from...
If you ask me, it is very decent of them to pre-warn him.
"Fresh allegations of human rights abuses have surfaced from the Marange diamond field of eastern Zimbabwe with activists accusing Mbada Diamonds, a partner with the Harare government of setting guard dogs on residents to pressure them to relocate.
Local sources said guard dogs have attacked four residents of the Chiadzwa area of the Marange diamond zone over the past two weeks.
Chiadzwa Community Development Trust Chairman Malvern Mudiwa, currently facing charges of inciting villagers in Marange to resist relocation, said Mbada is deliberately putting residents in a desperate situation so they will agree to relocation.
"There are so many abuses from the security guards, which are being led by a white man," Mudiwa said. "They are letting their dogs to people and livestock."
I find it very confusing that the chairman should 'be facing charges of inciting residents to resist relocation' - since when is refusing to be moved without compensation, at least, a criminal offence?
And who is the white man that is leading the security guards? Is this the Russian that was reported on quite a while back? If so, this man is already known for his brutality...
"Mudiwa said the attacks began when Mbada created a so-called fireguard around a new claim. Mudiwa said Mbada security guards "are patrolling that area quite frequently with their vicious dogs" even though families are still living within the demarcated claim.
"The fireguard is already in the people’s areas," Mudiwa said. "You just have to cross it because you can’t avoid it. It’s where you’re staying." The people who were attacked had been searching for their livestock near the boundary of Mbada’s claim."
Mugabe and his flunkies make the rules and regulations up as they go along. And no amount of common sense is going to make him/them realise the errors of their ways.
"With police backup, Mbada started relocating residents three weeks ago, moving 44 families from the diamond zone to ARDA Transau Farm in Odzi, about 60 kilometers away. Another company operating in the Marange zone, Anjin, has relocated 178 families since 2010 and forcibly removed another 24 last weekend, activist Mudiwa said.
Manicaland spokesman Pishai Muchauraya of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Tsvangirai said he saw armed police forcing villagers into Chinese lorries over the weekend. Anjin is operated by Chinese investors.
VOA was unable to reach Mbada or Anjin officials for comment."
Does Anjin have any plans to sign over 51% of their ownership to ZANU PF - sorry, I meant indigenous - ownership? Somehow I don't think that they are included in the firmgrab...
"Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association Head Researcher Shamiso Mtisi says families moved out of Chiadzwa - often forcibly by the military - are only receiving a thousand dollars compensation for the seizure of their homes and farming plots.
"There is lack of transparency in the manner of calculating the compensation," Mtisi said. "If the process were well managed, these communities would be signing some sort of contract with the mining companies in terms of services and provisions."
It would appear that Chiadzwa has become close to a war zone, with the army assuming responsibility for the forced re-locations.
I will say it again - Mugabe doesn't care...
-o00o-
Regular readers of this page and many others about Zimbabwe will know that life in a Mugabe jail is probably worse than death.
We have read the comments that were made by Roy Bennett on his release from prison, and we have also read the stories told by the Zimbabwean prison warden that escaped to the United Kingdom.
And we have no option but to believe the horrendous stories, even though Mugabe and his underlings will assure you that they are lies.
Then there is the footage of Zimbabwean prison shot by an undercover SABC team which caused so much clamour last year - from the Zimbabwean side and resulted in the prosecution of three wardens. The prosecutions failed, but the warden were fired anyway.
"A Zimbabwe Prison Service truck, popularly known as "Magumete", rumbles as it slowly drives into the Prison Fellowship of Zimbabwe (PFZ) premises along Beatrice Road in Harare.
Fifty-six inmates are singing different songs and the melodies come out through the truck's tiny, highly placed meshed windows and louvered vents. The music seems to override the engine sound of the huge green and gold striped truck.
It is laden with convicts coming to a special anniversary meant to reunite them with long-forgotten relatives and friends, all at once.
Female inmates are donning green African attires and men are in gray and crème outfits.
The truck finally halts in front of the crowd and queues of inmates of both sexes jostle out hoping to give hugs to relatives and friends who they believe are waiting for them outside.
"Amai vangu muripi, mukoma mauya navo here? (mum where are you, did you come with my brother)," an inmate shouts as he disembarks from the truck.
But to their surprise, only two relatives are standing near the truck and they are the only ones who have made it to the venue.
Are all the 56 incarcerated people all related to the two visitors?
The two visitors disappear between the inmates and start looking for their relatives.
At the same time some prisoners gaze around hoping to see their relatives emerging from the lavatories or from the corners of the few buildings within the premises.
But the sad reality is that only two relatives of the prisoners have come to the anniversary while many other people in attendance are good Samaritans who want to worship with them at the "halfway house". The prisoners are left with unanswered questions of why those they hold closest have shunned them.
Do the convicts, some of whom have rehabilitated, really deserve such emotional "punishment"? Will their families who have ignored this special meeting give them accommodation and food. The inmates believe that what they have seen is just a fore test of what they should expect when they complete their jail-terms?
Others who had been through the same road took some time to comfort them."
This is the stark reality of jailed persons in Zimbabwe. Rejected by the community, treated badly by prison staff in an unforgiving environment, these people find their emotions now being the target of the day.
Not every person that ends up behind bars in Zimbabwe are incapable of reform. But the prison service is obviously intent on making life as difficult as possible for the inmates. Toying with their hearts is just the icing on the cake.
"A woman who identified herself only as Martha gave a testimony of how she ended up in prison and how her family disowned her. Martha said she married a youthful husband who moved from the rural areas to Harare to look for a job.
While in Harare, her husband was hypnotised by the urban beauties thereby forgetting to support her and their child.
"This prompted me to follow my husband and I found out that he had a mistress and that is where he was spending all his money. I was so angry and my first reaction was to pick up a log that was close-by and hit him in the legs until when he could not walk. This paralysed his legs.
"I was sentenced to an effective eight months in prison and was extensively counselled. I also went for anger management lessons and am reformed though some people still do not trust me," she said.
She says the moment she was released from prison her family was not comfortable being around her and she had to rebuild her life alone. However, with time, some of her brothers started visiting and seem to be getting along with her.
"During that time none of my relatives visited me, including my in-laws. Surprisingly, my husband was willing to forgive me, but his relatives were against our reunion. My husband's relatives openly said they feared I would kill their son," she said.
The Herald also spoke with Martin Sora who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 1999 for armed robbery. He was classified as a class D prisoner, meaning he was a notorious criminal.
Time flew and he went to class C, B, A and was eventually was released a born again Christian.
He got counselling from the PFZ before his release.
"The problem now is that the community sees me as this big monster that can pounce on them yet I have reformed. I thinK there is need to teach society that prison reforms people, making them better," he said.
Jack Moyo (not his real name) testified that he defrauded one of the local companies when he was the accounting manager.
"I was given an effective 10-year sentence after I made the wrong choice and stole huge amounts of money between 1997 and 2000."
"The time I got out, my son had just written O' Level examinations. The economy was also in doldrums and many of my relatives died while I was in prison.
"My wife left me and went to South Africa," Moyo said. He said his family neglected his minor children saying they had thieving blood in them.
Jack received proper counselling and has reunited with his wife. However, the business community still shuns him whenever he tables a profitable business idea because they fear he will get back to his old tricks. But the support from his wife gives him strength each day. A counsellor at the PFZ, Mrs Edith Mavhoko said the Prison Fellowship Zimbabwe centre for reformation, invited inmates, ex-inmates, church institutions and members of the society including spouses and relatives of prisoners to commemorate the institution's 17 years of existence.
She noted that it is sad that that a few relatives and friends turned up to meet the inmates because of varying reasons, chief amongst them stigma. Mrs Mavhako said such stigma should be buried in the past as people reform when in prison.
"Most of the people in the country's jails either come from broken families or are orphans. When they grow up parental guidance lack and they are mistreated which mutates them into criminals. The society and family is to blame for all the criminal activities.
"We have to embrace and give them a second chance once they are back into the society. All I can say is there is no exoneration when it comes to imprisonment. Let's support each other especially when one has reformed," Mrs Mavhoko added. Others are of the perception that convicts are sent to jail for rehabilitation but do not get much support. They say they should be adequately prepared to face the world in the event they have to re-integrate with society. Others say prisoners have to be punished at all costs since they are unpredictable.
"Some families and friends rarely come to see the convicted individual. They might do so in the first few days but as time flies no one even thinks of them.
"For this reason we find that pauper's burials are accorded to inmates who die in custody and no relative comes forth to claim their body," said Mrs Nancy Madzima of Hatfield.
Some fear that some criminals may not take seriously the help they get in jails. A typical example could be that of 'unrepentant' criminals who after being released tend to revert to criminal activities before they are resent to jail.
Of course some people could be termed habitual criminals but there could be underlying circumstances that might force them to stick to the criminal habits. Some convicts say prison is better because they receive various skills so that they can assist themselves once they step out of the correctional institutions. This is because there has to be rectification of what they lacked in society or they did not access.
They involve motor mechanics, carpentry, tailoring and farming. The arts industry has also boomed in that we have seen the emanation of the Chikurubi farm choir, the Professional Dance, Drama and Comedy group and the Divine touch choral group that sings gospel music.
Apart from that there could be citing of notable figures in our society who managed to study various honours degrees when they were sent to jail under different circumstances. These include Hebert Chitepo, Joshua Nkomo and even Nelson Mandela who studied when he was convicted with a life sentence for leading the revolutionary movements Africa. The prison garb we see mostly referred to as "makhaki", gowns that are donned by magistrates and the military green uniforms worn by prison guards are sewn by prisoners in the prison's sewing section.
With these skills, it is very possible for the ex-convicts to be employed and perform like any other individual as long they are given a second chance."
We have read the comments that were made by Roy Bennett on his release from prison, and we have also read the stories told by the Zimbabwean prison warden that escaped to the United Kingdom.
And we have no option but to believe the horrendous stories, even though Mugabe and his underlings will assure you that they are lies.
Then there is the footage of Zimbabwean prison shot by an undercover SABC team which caused so much clamour last year - from the Zimbabwean side and resulted in the prosecution of three wardens. The prosecutions failed, but the warden were fired anyway.
"A Zimbabwe Prison Service truck, popularly known as "Magumete", rumbles as it slowly drives into the Prison Fellowship of Zimbabwe (PFZ) premises along Beatrice Road in Harare.
Fifty-six inmates are singing different songs and the melodies come out through the truck's tiny, highly placed meshed windows and louvered vents. The music seems to override the engine sound of the huge green and gold striped truck.
It is laden with convicts coming to a special anniversary meant to reunite them with long-forgotten relatives and friends, all at once.
Female inmates are donning green African attires and men are in gray and crème outfits.
The truck finally halts in front of the crowd and queues of inmates of both sexes jostle out hoping to give hugs to relatives and friends who they believe are waiting for them outside.
"Amai vangu muripi, mukoma mauya navo here? (mum where are you, did you come with my brother)," an inmate shouts as he disembarks from the truck.
But to their surprise, only two relatives are standing near the truck and they are the only ones who have made it to the venue.
Are all the 56 incarcerated people all related to the two visitors?
The two visitors disappear between the inmates and start looking for their relatives.
At the same time some prisoners gaze around hoping to see their relatives emerging from the lavatories or from the corners of the few buildings within the premises.
But the sad reality is that only two relatives of the prisoners have come to the anniversary while many other people in attendance are good Samaritans who want to worship with them at the "halfway house". The prisoners are left with unanswered questions of why those they hold closest have shunned them.
Do the convicts, some of whom have rehabilitated, really deserve such emotional "punishment"? Will their families who have ignored this special meeting give them accommodation and food. The inmates believe that what they have seen is just a fore test of what they should expect when they complete their jail-terms?
Others who had been through the same road took some time to comfort them."
This is the stark reality of jailed persons in Zimbabwe. Rejected by the community, treated badly by prison staff in an unforgiving environment, these people find their emotions now being the target of the day.
Not every person that ends up behind bars in Zimbabwe are incapable of reform. But the prison service is obviously intent on making life as difficult as possible for the inmates. Toying with their hearts is just the icing on the cake.
"A woman who identified herself only as Martha gave a testimony of how she ended up in prison and how her family disowned her. Martha said she married a youthful husband who moved from the rural areas to Harare to look for a job.
While in Harare, her husband was hypnotised by the urban beauties thereby forgetting to support her and their child.
"This prompted me to follow my husband and I found out that he had a mistress and that is where he was spending all his money. I was so angry and my first reaction was to pick up a log that was close-by and hit him in the legs until when he could not walk. This paralysed his legs.
"I was sentenced to an effective eight months in prison and was extensively counselled. I also went for anger management lessons and am reformed though some people still do not trust me," she said.
She says the moment she was released from prison her family was not comfortable being around her and she had to rebuild her life alone. However, with time, some of her brothers started visiting and seem to be getting along with her.
"During that time none of my relatives visited me, including my in-laws. Surprisingly, my husband was willing to forgive me, but his relatives were against our reunion. My husband's relatives openly said they feared I would kill their son," she said.
The Herald also spoke with Martin Sora who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 1999 for armed robbery. He was classified as a class D prisoner, meaning he was a notorious criminal.
Time flew and he went to class C, B, A and was eventually was released a born again Christian.
He got counselling from the PFZ before his release.
"The problem now is that the community sees me as this big monster that can pounce on them yet I have reformed. I thinK there is need to teach society that prison reforms people, making them better," he said.
Jack Moyo (not his real name) testified that he defrauded one of the local companies when he was the accounting manager.
"I was given an effective 10-year sentence after I made the wrong choice and stole huge amounts of money between 1997 and 2000."
"The time I got out, my son had just written O' Level examinations. The economy was also in doldrums and many of my relatives died while I was in prison.
"My wife left me and went to South Africa," Moyo said. He said his family neglected his minor children saying they had thieving blood in them.
Jack received proper counselling and has reunited with his wife. However, the business community still shuns him whenever he tables a profitable business idea because they fear he will get back to his old tricks. But the support from his wife gives him strength each day. A counsellor at the PFZ, Mrs Edith Mavhoko said the Prison Fellowship Zimbabwe centre for reformation, invited inmates, ex-inmates, church institutions and members of the society including spouses and relatives of prisoners to commemorate the institution's 17 years of existence.
She noted that it is sad that that a few relatives and friends turned up to meet the inmates because of varying reasons, chief amongst them stigma. Mrs Mavhako said such stigma should be buried in the past as people reform when in prison.
"Most of the people in the country's jails either come from broken families or are orphans. When they grow up parental guidance lack and they are mistreated which mutates them into criminals. The society and family is to blame for all the criminal activities.
"We have to embrace and give them a second chance once they are back into the society. All I can say is there is no exoneration when it comes to imprisonment. Let's support each other especially when one has reformed," Mrs Mavhoko added. Others are of the perception that convicts are sent to jail for rehabilitation but do not get much support. They say they should be adequately prepared to face the world in the event they have to re-integrate with society. Others say prisoners have to be punished at all costs since they are unpredictable.
"Some families and friends rarely come to see the convicted individual. They might do so in the first few days but as time flies no one even thinks of them.
"For this reason we find that pauper's burials are accorded to inmates who die in custody and no relative comes forth to claim their body," said Mrs Nancy Madzima of Hatfield.
Some fear that some criminals may not take seriously the help they get in jails. A typical example could be that of 'unrepentant' criminals who after being released tend to revert to criminal activities before they are resent to jail.
Of course some people could be termed habitual criminals but there could be underlying circumstances that might force them to stick to the criminal habits. Some convicts say prison is better because they receive various skills so that they can assist themselves once they step out of the correctional institutions. This is because there has to be rectification of what they lacked in society or they did not access.
They involve motor mechanics, carpentry, tailoring and farming. The arts industry has also boomed in that we have seen the emanation of the Chikurubi farm choir, the Professional Dance, Drama and Comedy group and the Divine touch choral group that sings gospel music.
Apart from that there could be citing of notable figures in our society who managed to study various honours degrees when they were sent to jail under different circumstances. These include Hebert Chitepo, Joshua Nkomo and even Nelson Mandela who studied when he was convicted with a life sentence for leading the revolutionary movements Africa. The prison garb we see mostly referred to as "makhaki", gowns that are donned by magistrates and the military green uniforms worn by prison guards are sewn by prisoners in the prison's sewing section.
With these skills, it is very possible for the ex-convicts to be employed and perform like any other individual as long they are given a second chance."
-o00o-
ZANU PF continue to act with total impunity in Zimbabwe. Whether their crimes are theft, robbery, assault or murder, it is acceptable to the political party. These crimes are reported to the police, but nine times out of ten, they result in the MDC complainant being arrested instead.
"ZANU PF thugs led by war veteran Tsikida of village 17 in ward 21 confiscated MDC-T regalia and important documents from members who had attended the recent party Congress.
"Confiscated items included t-shirts, caps, hand bags with party insignia and information on the congress agenda. Meeting minutes regarding previous MDC-T ward 21 deliberations were also seized," said an MDC-T activist.
Tsikida recently grabbed a homestead allocated to a villager, Peace Muhwati. He kicked off an MDC activist, Gambe, from the stand accusing him of continuing to be MDC despite Tsvangirai being a 'puppet' of western countries. Gambe is nephew to Muhwati the landlord.
Village 17 is headed by headman Muhwati who was accused of conspiring with ZANU PF thugs to make life difficult for MDC members. Elsewhere in the district, MDC members who attended the congress were being summoned by a Grasslands area based ZANU PF thug, Chidhakwa, to appear before a disciplinary hearing at his homestead.
"Chidhakwa, a member of ZANU PF district coordinating committee based in ward 4, was last Sunday threatening to take the MDC members to CIO offices for disciplining. The names were already with CIO and what was left was for the accused to report at the CIO offices in company of Chidhakwa. Chidhakwa also warned wanted MDC members against resisting to his demands as dire consequences would follow," said one of the hunted MDC officials yesterday."
Why is it that there are never any reports about ZANU PF doing something good for the country or for the population? We have read about how Mugabe has donated computers to schools, but always in the run-up to an election (and then we discover that the computers all died within a few weeks of the donation), but we never read of ZANU PF doing something wholesome, something that is not linked to politics or some national subterfuge...
"ZANU PF thugs led by war veteran Tsikida of village 17 in ward 21 confiscated MDC-T regalia and important documents from members who had attended the recent party Congress.
"Confiscated items included t-shirts, caps, hand bags with party insignia and information on the congress agenda. Meeting minutes regarding previous MDC-T ward 21 deliberations were also seized," said an MDC-T activist.
Tsikida recently grabbed a homestead allocated to a villager, Peace Muhwati. He kicked off an MDC activist, Gambe, from the stand accusing him of continuing to be MDC despite Tsvangirai being a 'puppet' of western countries. Gambe is nephew to Muhwati the landlord.
Village 17 is headed by headman Muhwati who was accused of conspiring with ZANU PF thugs to make life difficult for MDC members. Elsewhere in the district, MDC members who attended the congress were being summoned by a Grasslands area based ZANU PF thug, Chidhakwa, to appear before a disciplinary hearing at his homestead.
"Chidhakwa, a member of ZANU PF district coordinating committee based in ward 4, was last Sunday threatening to take the MDC members to CIO offices for disciplining. The names were already with CIO and what was left was for the accused to report at the CIO offices in company of Chidhakwa. Chidhakwa also warned wanted MDC members against resisting to his demands as dire consequences would follow," said one of the hunted MDC officials yesterday."
Why is it that there are never any reports about ZANU PF doing something good for the country or for the population? We have read about how Mugabe has donated computers to schools, but always in the run-up to an election (and then we discover that the computers all died within a few weeks of the donation), but we never read of ZANU PF doing something wholesome, something that is not linked to politics or some national subterfuge...
-o00o-
I have been saying for months, if not years, that SADC are less use than an ashtray on a bicycle. Perhaps someone else has realised this as well, and they are now calling for aid to SADC to be reduced or stopped until a lasting solution is found and implemented on the Zimbabwean crisis.
For some people, including myself, the only solution is the removal (by democratic means - do not read anything else into my words) of Robert Mugabe and his hitherto vicious and bloody ZANU PF party.
"Pressure continues to grow on the British government to suspend all direct financial aid to the leadership in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), until it implements a plan that will bring real democratic change to Zimbabwe.
The London based protest group, the Zimbabwe Vigil, has been calling for these measures for several months, "to help focus the minds of SADC leaders". The group’s Rose Benton told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that country’s who insist on supporting Robert Mugabe should not receive any financial support from Britain, because they act against Britain’s own commitments to protection of human rights.
"The whole region will be affected if Mugabe is allowed to continue his reign of bad governance. The whole region will be compromised, if it isn’t already," Benton explained, adding: "If Britain wants stability in the region and respect for human rights, then they need to take serious action against the governments that stand in the way."
Benton was speaking just days after rampant corruption within the SADC Secretariat was revealed by the Namibian newspaper, the Windhoek Observer. On the same day the regional bloc’s summit of leaders got underway, the newspaper reported that this corruption is set to be investigated.
According to inside sources quoted by the newspaper, the audit will examine a wide range of issues surrounding the operations of the top management at the Secretariat. The sources told the Windhoek Observer that if SADC goes ahead and institutes the forensic audit, "it could open up a can of worms"."
Who cares what can of worms it will open? A failure by SADC to sanatise their own policies and financial management would make them no better than the very person they seek to appease.
Mugabe will be laughing all day long. Is that meant to be some sort of threat? It now would appear that SADC is equatable to the ZANU PF party insofar as the corruption is concerned.
How can a corrupt institution stand as guarantor of an agreement between a known corrupt leader and his party and the political party that won the election in 2008? Indeed, how can the loser of an election hold the moral high ground in negotiations with the winner as to how much power the winner is allowed?
"We want an investigation because this has become an institution of money laundering, they create illegal contracts, they are always travelling abroad, there is no transparency and accountability, and they lie to the Council," the sources are quoted as saying.
The sources also told the newspaper that corrupt SADC officials "use regional integration as a shield and in this case an investigation will be the only solution". The sources said the implementation of regional projects "has suffered because those heading the Secretariat do not seem to have the plight of SADC citizens at heart, but show more interest in flying first-class and living in luxury hotels".
It was further alleged that there was "rampant misuse of donor and member state funds", saying top officials at the Secretariat "have an addiction to lavish spending". The Zimbabwe Vigil’s Benton said such allegations of corruption do not come as a surprise, adding that these reports alone should force the UK and Europe to at least consider some kind of funding cut."
The time for SADC to be deconstructed is now. Any interests they have should be taken over by the African Union, although that institution will also need a forensic audit to ensure that the same situation is not lurking under the surface.
Guarantors of the GPA? Give me a break!
"We believe that Britain and the European Union can be much tougher on the countries and institutions that they give aid to. They should be insisting that human rights be a top priority for any country they give aid to," Benton said."
For some people, including myself, the only solution is the removal (by democratic means - do not read anything else into my words) of Robert Mugabe and his hitherto vicious and bloody ZANU PF party.
"Pressure continues to grow on the British government to suspend all direct financial aid to the leadership in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), until it implements a plan that will bring real democratic change to Zimbabwe.
The London based protest group, the Zimbabwe Vigil, has been calling for these measures for several months, "to help focus the minds of SADC leaders". The group’s Rose Benton told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that country’s who insist on supporting Robert Mugabe should not receive any financial support from Britain, because they act against Britain’s own commitments to protection of human rights.
"The whole region will be affected if Mugabe is allowed to continue his reign of bad governance. The whole region will be compromised, if it isn’t already," Benton explained, adding: "If Britain wants stability in the region and respect for human rights, then they need to take serious action against the governments that stand in the way."
Benton was speaking just days after rampant corruption within the SADC Secretariat was revealed by the Namibian newspaper, the Windhoek Observer. On the same day the regional bloc’s summit of leaders got underway, the newspaper reported that this corruption is set to be investigated.
According to inside sources quoted by the newspaper, the audit will examine a wide range of issues surrounding the operations of the top management at the Secretariat. The sources told the Windhoek Observer that if SADC goes ahead and institutes the forensic audit, "it could open up a can of worms"."
Who cares what can of worms it will open? A failure by SADC to sanatise their own policies and financial management would make them no better than the very person they seek to appease.
Mugabe will be laughing all day long. Is that meant to be some sort of threat? It now would appear that SADC is equatable to the ZANU PF party insofar as the corruption is concerned.
How can a corrupt institution stand as guarantor of an agreement between a known corrupt leader and his party and the political party that won the election in 2008? Indeed, how can the loser of an election hold the moral high ground in negotiations with the winner as to how much power the winner is allowed?
"We want an investigation because this has become an institution of money laundering, they create illegal contracts, they are always travelling abroad, there is no transparency and accountability, and they lie to the Council," the sources are quoted as saying.
The sources also told the newspaper that corrupt SADC officials "use regional integration as a shield and in this case an investigation will be the only solution". The sources said the implementation of regional projects "has suffered because those heading the Secretariat do not seem to have the plight of SADC citizens at heart, but show more interest in flying first-class and living in luxury hotels".
It was further alleged that there was "rampant misuse of donor and member state funds", saying top officials at the Secretariat "have an addiction to lavish spending". The Zimbabwe Vigil’s Benton said such allegations of corruption do not come as a surprise, adding that these reports alone should force the UK and Europe to at least consider some kind of funding cut."
The time for SADC to be deconstructed is now. Any interests they have should be taken over by the African Union, although that institution will also need a forensic audit to ensure that the same situation is not lurking under the surface.
Guarantors of the GPA? Give me a break!
"We believe that Britain and the European Union can be much tougher on the countries and institutions that they give aid to. They should be insisting that human rights be a top priority for any country they give aid to," Benton said."
-o00o-
What's the bet that the court order is either disobeyed, or that once released, the accused persons will find themselves re-arrested?
"Zimbabwe's High Court ordered the immediate release Tuesday of six former army officers accused of plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe.
The alleged coup plotters have been in prison since 2007, despite several attempts by their lawyers to have them released. Treason carries a death sentence in Zimbabwe.
After reading a seven-page ruling, Justice Yunus Omerjee said it was apparent that the defendants should not have been commuted to custody and he said a declaratory order will be issued to that effect. Justice Joseph Musakwa concurred.
In July, the High Court dismissed the case because the alleged coup plotters had not been brought to court for trial within six months, as required by law. State prosecutors responded by re-indicting them. The defendants appealed to the High Court to throw out the re-indictment.
The man accused of being the ringleader of the alleged coup plot, Albert Matapo, was arrested in 2007, as were six other suspects: Nyasha Zivuku, Oncemore Mazivahona, Emmanuel Marara, Patson Mupfure, Shingirai Mutemachani and Rangarirai Maziofa. They were accused of plotting to violently topple Mugabe and replace him with the country's defense minister, Emerson Mnangagwa. The suspects denied the allegations against them, and one was later released.
Their attorneys said if the state wished to pursue the matter, their clients would not be detained. It was not immediately clear what action the state would take."
Only time will tell...
"Zimbabwe's High Court ordered the immediate release Tuesday of six former army officers accused of plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe.
The alleged coup plotters have been in prison since 2007, despite several attempts by their lawyers to have them released. Treason carries a death sentence in Zimbabwe.
After reading a seven-page ruling, Justice Yunus Omerjee said it was apparent that the defendants should not have been commuted to custody and he said a declaratory order will be issued to that effect. Justice Joseph Musakwa concurred.
In July, the High Court dismissed the case because the alleged coup plotters had not been brought to court for trial within six months, as required by law. State prosecutors responded by re-indicting them. The defendants appealed to the High Court to throw out the re-indictment.
The man accused of being the ringleader of the alleged coup plot, Albert Matapo, was arrested in 2007, as were six other suspects: Nyasha Zivuku, Oncemore Mazivahona, Emmanuel Marara, Patson Mupfure, Shingirai Mutemachani and Rangarirai Maziofa. They were accused of plotting to violently topple Mugabe and replace him with the country's defense minister, Emerson Mnangagwa. The suspects denied the allegations against them, and one was later released.
Their attorneys said if the state wished to pursue the matter, their clients would not be detained. It was not immediately clear what action the state would take."
Only time will tell...
-o00o-
Take care.
'debvhu
'debvhu
posted by Robb WJ Ellis at 7:31 AM
Union Jack (1963 - 64, 1998 - ??)
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