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Zimbabwe NewsLatest Zimbabwe News:08-19-08 | 09:19 amSADC now a tree Trade AreaTwelve of the 14 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have officially launched a free trade area (FTA). Launched during the 28th SADC Summit in Johannesburg at the weekend, the agreement ushers in a new era of economic integration and industrialisation for the sub-region. With the goal of eliminating tariffs and trade barriers among member countries, the FTA agreement is part of the SADC's ongoing efforts to deepen long-term regional integration in order to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty for the millions of people living on the continent. From August 2008, producers and consumers will pay no import tariffs on an estimated 85% of all trade on goods between 12 countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo will join the FTA later. It is expected to create a regional market worth about $360-billion, benefiting a total population of 170-million people. The SADC FTA programme also includes establishing a Customs Union by 2010, a Common Market by 2015, a monetary Union by 2016 and a single currency by 2018. Speaking at the launch, President Thabo Mbeki, who is also the new SADC chairperson, said member states needed to assess how best they could advance the integration effort and the region's trade performance, noting that the most serious constraints to growing the region were underdeveloped structures and supply capacity. "We must intensify our collective efforts to build and diversify the region's productive capacity to expand the range of products that can be traded" while striving to increase the value addition of those exports, Mbeki said. "In this context, our sectoral work at harmonising regional industrial, agricultural and competition policy should be prioritised as we move forward." Cross-border infrastructure development would be essential role to advancing integration, Mbeki added. The implementation of the FTA area for SADC started in 1996 with the signing of a Protocol on Trade, which entered into force in January 2000 and was implemented from September 2000, following arduous negotiations on tariff reduction schedules and rules of origin. Since then, liberalisation of tariffs has taken place at different rates, with developed countries reducing tariffs at a faster rate. South Africa, Botswana and Namibia removed most tariffs in 2000, while countries such as Mauritius gradually reduced their tariffs between 2000 and 2008. For least developed countries such as Mozambique and Zambia, tariff reductions were introduced during 2007-2008.
contributor
08-16-08 | 11:15 pmKirsty Coventry gets GoldKirsty Coventry won the women's 200 metres backstroke on Saturday with a new world record time of 2:05.24 to defend her Olympic title. Coventry, who had won three silvers already in Beijing, led throughout and was nearly a full second ahead of Margaret Hoelzer of the United States who took silver. Japan's Reiko Nakamura took the bronze medal. Coventry's time was 0.85 faster than the previous world record time set by Hoelzer at the US trials in Omaha in July. She is now big news in Zimbabwe
Zim Staff
07-21-08 | 04:10 amMr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai " sign unity deal"Tsvangirai and Mugabe are close to signing a deal outlining a framework for talks on the country's political crisis, a UN envoy says. Haile Menkerios, the UN's envoy to Zimbabwe, expects a deal to be signed by President Robert Mugabe and the opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai. The agreement was due to be signed last week but Mr Tsvangirai pulled out. Mr Menkerios said he believed the two men had agreed a draft memorandum of understanding setting out the terms under which they could enter direct negotiations. But he said both men would have to sign the document to "clear the way" for talks. The two sides are locked in a dispute over presidential elections - which they both claim to have won. Mr Tsvangirai garnered more votes in the initial presidential poll - but election officials said there was no outright winner and called for a run-off. Mr Mugabe won the run-off - but he was the only candidate after Mr Tsvangirai pulled out, accusing the government of mounting a campaign of violence against his supporters. Mr Tsvangirai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), still has several conditions to be met before it will agree to talks with Mr Mugabe. The MDC's demands led Mr Tsvangirai to feel the need to pull out of signing the deal last week. Among the problems identified by the MDC was South Africa's Thabo Mbeki - the lead negotiator in international talks on Zimbabwe. They accused him of being biased in favour of Mr Mugabe, and Mr Tsvangirai had asked for another envoy to join the talks. It was later announced that a group of senior diplomats, drawn from the UN, African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), would help Mr Mbeki - a move welcomed by Mr Tsvangirai. Since then, several senior diplomats and national leaders have expressed confidence that the agreement would eventually be signed.
Tafadzwa Gonzo
07-11-08 | 12:14 amZimbabwe warns that sanctions may spark civil warZimbabwe told the U.N. Security Council that the sanctions it is considering could push Zimbabwe toward civil war. The letter, which was released to the media, said the sanctions would lead to the removal of Zimbabwe‘s "effective government and, most probably, start a civil war." Western powers are pushing for a vote this week on an arms embargo and financial freeze on Mugabe and top officials in his government in response to Mugabe‘s violence-marred re-election. The U.S. and France say they have the nine votes that are required for the 15-nation council to pass the resolution. Russia has threatened to veto it, and China also has opposed sanctions; both have veto power on the council, like the U.S., Britain and France. But Russia and China also could let the sanctions resolution pass by abstaining from the vote. The council has repeatedly critised Robert Mugabe‘s government, saying the violence made it impossible to hold a free and fair election.Ban Ki-moon U.N. Secretary-General , who has been deeply involved in trying to resolve the crisis, also strongly criticized Mugabe‘s regime "
kode
07-02-08 | 08:13 amGerman firm stops bank notes to ZimbabweBERLIN (AFP) — A German firm said Wednesday it has bowed to pressure and will stop supplying blank banknotes to Zimbabwe where the regime of Robert Mugabe fills them with ever increasing numbers of zeros. "By stopping with immediate effect we are taking into account the position of the (German) government and the international sanctions initiative of the EU and the UN," Giesecke and Devrient GmbH spokesman Heiko Witzke said. The Munich-based firm has supplied Zimbabwe for several years with the sheets of blank notes with security features like watermarks, which are then completed in the southern African country. Once a vibrant economy, Zimbabwe has suffered a financial collapse in recent years with the Mugabe government responding to runaway inflation by printing more and more banknotes of ever dizzier denominations. The firm, founded in 1852, also supplied banknotes to the Weimar Republic in 1920s Germany when it too was suffering from hyperinflation. It also printed tickets for the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi-era Germany and currently provides banknotes to 60 countries including Germany. German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul wrote to the company last week asking it to stop supplying Zimbabwe, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed these concerns in a phone call with its CEO, the spokesman said. Mugabe, 84, was re-elected for a sixth term on Friday in a one-man election after opposition leader and first round winner Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew because of violence and voter intimidation. Giesecke and Devrient's spokesman added that it was subject to "very strict" international conditions when it supplies banknotes, and that any central bank it does business with must have World Bank accreditation. Mugabe's spokesman told the West on Tuesday it could "go hang a thousand times" over its criticism of the vote. "
ZimStaff
07-02-08 | 01:10 amMugabe rejects unity GovernmentMugabe has rejected the African Union's call for a government of national unity similar to the one constructed in Kenya after disputed elections there last year. African heads of state called for Zimbabwe's political rivals to hold talks and work towards a government of national unity. Michele Montas, spokesperson for Ban Ki-Moon, says the United Nations Secretary-General thinks a Kenyan-style solution is the way forward. A summit of the pan-African body, which had been divided over Zimbabwe, adopted the resolution after Botswana called for the African Union and the South African Development Community to bar President Robert Mugabe. It was the toughest public statement from one of Zimbabwe's neighbours since Mr Mugabe was sworn in on Sunday in a one-candidate election marred by violence. Botswana said Mr Mugabe's participation in African meetings "would give unqualified legitimacy to a process which cannot be considered legitimate." Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has also called for Robert Mugabe, 84, to be suspended from the African Union. On the other hand, the European Union says it will only accept a Zimbabwean government headed by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. France has just taken over the EU presidency. "
ZimStaff
03-24-08 | 12:52 pmZimbabwe Decides – Five more years???With barely a week left before Zimbabwe decides on who should be the president, senator, parliamentarian, and councillor, it is important to pose to reflect on what would be in store for Zimbabweans during the next five years if ZANU-PF and President Mugabe were to be re-elected. What may be obvious to many that Zimbabwe needs to turn a new chapter is apparently not so obvious to President Mugabe who still would want the voting public to believe that his administration has really not been in charge over the last 28 years. If President Mugabe were to win, it is important to imagine what kind of change he is promising. We now know that he will push for an amendment of the constitution to ensure that people like Makoni will not be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to offer themselves for election as President. To the extent that President Mugabe would want Zimbabweans to believe that he is still a democrat, his position on the Makoni presidency and his knee jerk reaction of proposing to amend the constitution to address what appears to be a party and personal problem clearly highlights that deep down in his veins he does not support the bill of rights enshrined in the constitution of the country. This raises an obvious question of whether a person who holds the constitution he was elected to uphold and protect in contempt should be trusted with another five years in power. Is it conceivable that President Mugabe's contemptuous behaviour to the constitutional order will change after the elections? If not, what is the responsibility of anyone privileged to vote in this historic election? Should political clubs be the custodian of who should be a President when the constitution provides for citizens to directly elect their leader? To many people it might appear absurd for an incumbent President who for the last 28 years has argued that citizens are sovereign and should be trusted to make their own choices to now opportunistically make the case that citizens cannot be trusted to choose between four men who have all qualified to be candidates for the office of the President in this historic and defining elections. However, politicians in general only pursue politically expedient outcomes and in most cases it is so because citizens allow them by choosing not to exercise their democratic rights through non-participation in electoral process. I have no doubt that President Mugabe is praying that like what happened during the constitutional referendum many Zimbabweans will not vote and, thereby, allow him to remain in power fully knowing that he also is challenged by the future and has no real answers to the defining questions that confront the nation. It is evident that President Mugabe would not like this election to be a referendum on his record rather he would like it to be a referendum on colonialism and its known vices. To accept President Mugabe's argument means that one has to accept the proposition that Rhodesia never died and he as the only leader of post colonial Zimbabwe failed to provide the required leadership that Zimbabweans deserve and urgently need. President Mugabe has attempted to persuade Zimbabweans that voting for the MDC would mean the restoration of colonialism. Whether this argument will wash with the voters remains to be seen but what is clear is that for anyone to accept this proposition one has necessarily also to acknowledge that President Mugabe has failed to deliver independence to the majority a task he willingly accepted to discharge in 1980 and at every election since then. Indirectly, President Mugabe has accepted that sanctions are biting and the future of Zimbabwe would be more secure and prosperous if sanctions were lifted. If this is the case, no suggestion has been made by him that the situation will be any different if he was to be re-elected. On the contrary, anyone who will be naïve enough to vote for the status quo must accept that sanctions will continue and fear will be institutionalised. Even President Mugabe has correctly observed that only Tsvangirai has the pin number required to unlock the sanctions issue. It is also evident that President Mugabe has not informed the Zimbabwean public that he is powerless to deliver hope and anything he says about the future is speculative and cynical at best. Zimbabwe cannot lift itself out of the current economic abyss without the support of the international community and if the attitude of the international community is accepted as given there is nothing in President Mugabe's campaign message to suggest that he has any intention of reaching out to the people who do not share his views on how the country should be governed and, therefore, assist in bringing hope to a nation on its knees. It is common knowledge that the so-called imperialists are firmly in control of the very institutions that Zimbabwe needs to lift itself up and yet President Mugabe would want to persuade Zimbabweans to commit economic suicide by voting for him. The next five years under President Mugabe will mean that the people's government will continue to be managed with no accountability characterised by state induced fear. Only yesterday, this is what President Mugabe on the campaign trail: "Let the British keep their money and we will keep our land. It is treasonous for the MDC to aid the British involvement in our country. They must take due precaution because after the elections we will act against their companies. How dare Tsvangirai and his party continue to bow down to the British? In this day and age, when we have fought for the restoration of our dignity and sovereignty of our people, the MDC still panders to the British? A party that is full of white Boers and the white farmers? The likes of Bennett (Roy) are still masters in the MDC. And this is the party that wants you to vote for them to rule this country? Never in my lifetime will the MDC rule this country. I swear by Mbuya Nehanda, that will never happen," It is evident from the above that no amount of persuasion will convince President Mugabe to look into the mirror and see how irrelevant he may be to the future of the country. Why would a person who purports to be a democrat want to argue that a white Zimbabwean citizen like Roy Bennett is less Zimbabwean than a black citizen while accepting that the constitution should have the same meaning to all? Who is President Mugabe to say that MDC will never rule Zimbabwe while accepting to subject himself to electoral politics? Zimbabweans must take responsibility for helping to create an absurd situation in which a purportedly democratic order would allow itself to produce a President who thinks he is above the constitution. If there was any reason why President Mugabe must be shown a red card, I believe one does not have to look any further than what I have quoted above. Surely for Zimbabweans to reclaim their future and help shape their destiny, it is evident that President Mugabe must go as his world view is clearly not aligned to the kind of values a progressive nation needs. All I can urge anyone who values his/her future, property and life to please take a minute just to imagine what the next five years will bring under President Mugabe's continued watch. The future will surely belong to those who believe that change is not someone else's business but theirs. It is not too let to put your signature of the future by being the change you want to see. It should be accepted that a vote for President Mugabe has its own meaning and implications and ultimately responsibility must be accepted by those privileged to vote that they had six days to think deeply about the future and yet had the wisdom to invest in the past. If the past is important to you, then President Mugabe is your man. Any other outcome will surely represent change that people can really begin to believe in. ""
credited to www.mmawere.com
03-17-08 | 01:03 pmPatronage, Cronyism and Populism Politics - Is Mugabe’s legacy a lesson for Zuma?To the independent observer, that President Mugabe should be considered a front runner in the March 29 plebiscite in Zimbabwe boggles the mind. For the average Zimbabwean, it is very difficult to be completely bitter with the man despite the intense suffering (except of course our Ndebele brothers, and rightly so for the Gukurahundi Massacres). Many a time, when confronted by non-Zimbabweans trying to understand how much a demon the man is, I surprise even myself when I present a Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde analysis of the man, almost speaking fondly and glowingly about him at times, especially his early years. Indeed after a few years of his demise, when we have forgotten some of the present suffering, we might yet miss him. But why is it like so? You see, the man himself has tried to stay away from blatant looting. Yes he has enriched himself through the years but often masks his loot as gifts from well wishing business and other political friends, and obviously the alleged US$100,000 (Insurance / start-up capital in case of a coup, I am told!) he gets every-time he takes a trip outside the country has helped him along. I am positive it is never returned to the country’s coffers. The problem is less with himself personally as with the system he presides over. Mugabe operates an effective patronage system of politics where cronyism to his colleagues in return for cementing his position is the stock-in-trade. At independence, the socialist Mugabe believed his colleagues in government were there to serve the people, and they operated a strict Leadership Code where self-enrichment was anathema. Soon enough, however, he discovered that his colleagues were as greedy as pigs and decided to feed their insatiable appetites while he carved out himself a life-presidency. He then extended them so much rope that they literally tied themselves irretrievably to him and his system. When you hear many of them claim they want him to be life-president, they are not joking, they know their fate is tied to the old man, and he tells them openly: “If I must go down, you will go down first.” He has allowed every single of their corrupt deeds to go “unnoticed” although well documented. These documented misdeeds of his cronies is his insurance, he simply needs to pull out a few on you and he can put you away for a very long time, trial or no trial. Many have wondered why his lieutenants have no spine of their own and are largely regarded as his wives: he created the situation precisely for a time like this. The working of the system is simple. Bottlenecks are created first. When supply is restricted, those powerful enough then get access and enrich themselves while the situation persists. In the early eighties, the Willowgate Scandal was the first publicised example of how the patronage system is employed. A ‘special car’, the Toyota Cressida, came on the market. Although people could afford it, it was not available; the only assembly plant in the country could only produce a limited number. However, the Ministers and members of parliament had a direct route to acquisition of the same. The greedier among them used the opportunity and got vehicles for family and friends, for some consideration of course. Corruption was not so open then, such that when it came to the fore, there was a public outcry and one popular liberation war veteran, Morris Nyagumbo had to commit suicide in the ensuing mess (but then again, you never know if it was ‘assisted suicide’) . Which is another thing the Dear Leader hates, cowards. His policy is, you stick with the establishment, give excuses and you just get recycled to another government post. If what you committed is too shameful you may be given an ambassadorial posting and go somewhere far away to cool your heels. Another veteran, Chikoore did the unthinkable and resigned in the heat of the moment due to failure as the Minister responsible for fuel following a public outcry about shortages. Later in ailing health, when he approached the dear leader for a position in government, literally seeking a ‘feeding trough’ and was turned down, he committed suicide in despair. Mugabe’s greatest undoing was perhaps in 1997 when a brazen show of patronage literally started the country off the ruinous path. After suffering sleepless nights of pressure from self-imposed, self-styled War Veterans’ leader Dr. Chenjerai Hunzvi, Mugabe woke up one day to award about 50,000 war veterans Z$50,000 each (Z$1 was equal to@R2 or so then) when the economy could ill-afford it. This Z$2.5 billion was a significant fraction of the government of Zimbabwe’s budget then. This is one group Mugabe has always counted upon in elections for striking fear into the electorate by threats of returning to the ‘bush’ should he lose an election. As the economy slipped further, Mugabe had to come up with patronage packages thick and fast. Next up was a VIP housing scheme where the investing civil servants were lured into buying into developments whereby the government would construct massive apartments. Alongside the general scheme, a VIP scheme was attached where those with more money (loosely translated, Government Ministers and Senior Officials) could pay in more and get VIP treatment and get priority on the scheme. In the end, they built houses for each other, top of the list being Mugabe’s wife. The coffers ran dry after they had built these mansions and many civil servants lost their savings. In the face of apparent demise in the face of the MDC challenge after losing the referendum of 2000, Mugabe came up with the land grab just before 2002 elections. When it was announced that land redistribution would take place, we all rushed to make the official applications. That land needed to be distributed was never the question, even the whites who owned vast tracts of land could see the obscenity of the imbalance. I was one of those officially allocated a piece of land through the official system ( I have the letter until now!) . However, after a few months preparing my land, one day I was just shut out, a nephew of the president and his mother had taken over the entire farm. I never stepped onto my plot again from that day, simply de-barred by the youth militia, no recourse, no appeal, and no compensation. So progressed the land grab, those that could wield more power simply appropriated themselves land where they wanted and how they wanted, without any regard to provisions of compensating the original owners for improvements. Farm implements and tools were expropriated in broad daylight, farmhouses were taken over unceremoniously. Years of investment were reduced to poverty in a few weeks for many farm owners. In later iterations of the ‘revolution’ grabbing of land was from fellow black countrymen who were not politically connected. But the system did not stop there. Those that had farms would get diesel at a ridiculous fraction to its real cost, sometimes as little as 5 %. They would then sell this diesel on the open market and make instant riches. Those in government continue to get foreign currency at ridiculous official rates pegged at less than 10% of its value on the black market. Once one gets access to this money, they can increase their riches at least ten times immediately by simply going on the black market to convert their ill-gotten gains. These are just the ones that stick out, but many more examples exist. Even in death, patronage is evident as one gets buried at the Heroes Acre on account of how loyal they have been to the Dear Leader. As you may have heard by now, the ‘special’ for this election year is literally expropriating foreign companies, that is ‘Indigenising’ them. Now every foreign company must literally handover a significant portion of its shares to Zimbabweans, and those most likely to benefit are obviously the vultures occupying the high places of influence, Ministers and Senior Government officials. I dare say some of these evil schemes are suggested to the Dear Leader by these Ministers. It is therefore easy to understand why Mugabe continues to have die-hard supporters; it is constituted mostly of those that have had a share in the plundering of this once robust economy. These campaign passionately and vigourously for him in every election. For that reason, he must not be held singularly accountable for the demise of Zimbabwe; the whole crew must go with their captain. A Truth and Reconciliation exercise is not a far fetched idea to heal Zimbabwe once a new government comes into place, at least with the aim of restoring all stolen gains to the state. Land must be re-distributed on the basis of merit, no doubt. This begs the question, “Will a Makoni government not simply perpetuate this system of politics of patronage?” Turning to South Africa, this is the danger of a populist, shifting leader who has no policy position as Jacob Zuma promises to be. In the past weeks he has been in the papers mostly for shifty, dodgy positioning. Already indications are that there are people or groups of people whom he must pander to. We do not know who else, and how many else have made him feel obliged to them like Vavi and company. But maybe 12 years (2 terms) or so is not enough to destroy a nation like South Africa? Only time will tell. Or could he endear himself to his comrades better than Thabo and convince them that he can stay on? After all the ANC has the overwhelming majority and can change the constitution at the drop of a pin, if the candidate is right. Nothing is cast in stone, right? ""
Patrick Huni
02-29-08 | 12:29 amRacists, Separatists and SupremacistsIncidents of racial flare-ups are on a disturbing ascend. After some soul searching on this topic, I must reluctantly comment. Reluctant because it’s difficult to talk about it without sounding racist, one way or other, yourself. But as many views on this matter must be aired so our leaders may have width in their deliberations as they prepare a better Africa for us . Race, like Religion, Language, Gender, Nationality is a distinction that will be with us until the end of the age. I believe in natural association, and most governments do, hence the enshrining of the freedom of association in our bill of rights in the Constitution. But why are we different? You see, the account of creation in the bible does not aid us very much on this issue. There is no clear anthology in it to make us understand the proliferation of races. At least language can be attributed to the Tower of Babel. Even evolution offers no compelling explanation as to race differences. If evolution and migration were responsible, the whites who have been in Africa for four or so centuries should have begun to gain some pigmentation and their descendants should be at least twenty percent ‘black’ or at least ‘off-white’, when compared to those that never left Europe. The African, the Caucasian, the Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans), the Indian, the Arabs – all these races display well defined, distinguished features different to each other. I will excuse any racist who can categorically, unambiguously give to me a clear historic and scientific thesis of how we got to be so different. Trying to claim supremacy on the back of something one has no hold or understanding of at the very least sounds like a kid bragging about ‘my Mercedes’ when in fact he means ‘his father’s Mercedes’, which he has no clue how much his papa is indebted to the bank for it! I therefore agree with those that generally conclude that racism, like any other segregationist basis, is founded on shallowness and mere ignorance. To that, I add the fear factor: for what people fear the, tendency is to pre-empty its threat by proving its inferiority. But what are we to do about it? Firstly, let’s understand how racial clashes come about. Earlier, I illustrated our differences. In as much as there are physical differences in the races on earth, there were geographical differences. The Caucasians were in Europe, the Asians in Asia, the Arabs in the Middle East and the Africans in Africa. If it had remained like that, there would have been no single racial clash, at least in the sense of colour! Granted, there would have been tribal conflicts but although there were wars of conquests, it was never to the point of degradation of the conquered tribe. So the first and easiest solution would be, “As You Were!” Let every race go back to its roots, all Africans in America and Europe must come back to Africa, all Caucasians must go back to Europe, all Indians to India, and all Asians to Asia etc. “Impossible!”, I hear you shout. But why is it impossible, if I may ask? Its easy really. Firstly, your ‘roots’ may no longer be there, and secondly, you are really happier where you settled and called home, you fancy your opportunities there. I mean, Obama would be very unhappy to return to Kenya and let pass the opportunity to become the next president of the most powerful nation on the earth! The next solution is to be recognised by those where you settled and be given autonomy as a separatist state. The problem with this is, it is an issue of conquest and domination. The land you get you must fight for it, I have already illustrated it belonged to some race by virtue of creation and ‘default distribution’ (which no one can fully claim to understand how it happened). Those that advocate for separatist states must therefore realise they would have to achieve this by no less than the barrel of the gun, no race on the earth would offer another its territory especially when they are there by no special invitation. Comparisons with America, Australia where race interests may be catered for in certain states would be unhelpful since occupation of these lands were done almost to the total annihilation of those that were the true inhabitants: a feat colonialists could not achieve in Africa. The mere fact of giving way for majority rule is admission of failure at total conquest. The only solution that remains then is co-existence. When black governments have come to power all over Africa, on the eve of independence great exoduses of white and other races have occured, believing they would not have fair opportunity in black run countries. Others simply could not bring themselves to accepting the inevitable, and did the honourable thing by leaving to go where they could live with their conscience. Most embraced the majority governments and committed in their minds to work for change and go along with the new dispensation. However, a few of those that remained did so because they were in denial, and hoped the spectre would be gone when they woke up the next day. Unfortunately, the apparition remained and solidified, much to their chagrin. These are the bad apples that have brought up their children in a doctrine of supremacy of their race and the vileness of any other race. This is not helped by the fact that these supremacists have remained in control of all the wealth, practically. The only danger is, should these elements not be able to wake up and smell the coffee, they are sowing seeds for yet another revolution, because the more these racial flares come up, the more those that believed they were in power realise the fallacy of their assumptions. What these supremacists underestimate is the depth of anger that moves through the veins of their erstwhile subjects (or is it ‘objects?’) when anything reminiscent of the apartheid days is perpetrated on their kin. It is therefore a choice between co-existence, integration and reconciliation on the one hand, or domination on the other. Separatism is not an option to those that believe they have heritage claims to the land, more so if they re-gained it via armed or other form of resistance in the first place. Returning to countries of origin is also a bit of a stretch of the imagination. In fact, I am one that is amazed at the contribution of the whites to the development of Africa generally, so they have a right to be here. We must therefore appeal to commonsense to prevail, and for the good to drown out the bad and the evil. The constitutional provisions must also kick in and cases of racial abuse dealt with conclusively. I was asking my colleagues what would happen to those glaring involved in such racial abuse and no-one was sure, although they all believed ‘something’ would definitely be done. It’s not good enough to just condemn such behaviour and hope those perpetrating it would feel ashamed and stop, it’s not in their makeup. Imagine what it would be like if everyone knew that for calling someone ‘Kaffir’, for example, he would pay a fine of R10,000 or go to jail for two months? The only way we regulate the large volume of traffic on our roads is by way of road rules, similarly tight laws must be in place for racial crimes as for any other crimes. "
Patric Huni
02-27-08 | 04:40 pmOf Mugabe, Zuma, Tsvangirai and Makoni: A cry for Visionary LeadersWhy do men and women run for political office, particularly in Africa? To look for significance and recognition. I put it to you that it should be the other way round, people should run for political office because they have become significant, are recognised and have a programme of action for the betterment of their constituencies once elected. Have you ever wondered why corruption in African governments is endemic? Notice how they get into office, many have no prior economic achievement of their own and the first thing they will use their position once elected is to enrich themselves. In contrast, at least I know in America, one of the pre-requisites for you to consider running for public office is possession of unquestioned personal wealth. Unquestioned integrity is another ingredient for aspirants to high office in developed democracies. It is time African governments set some markers as to basic requirements for one to run for high office, particularly say, the Presidency. I will return to this later. What should be the real motivation for one to run for office? I believe a vision as to what an aspirant wishes to do to better the lives of his would be subjects must be the driving force. I really get amazed when I look at a country like South Africa, for example. The level of infrastructural development for a country of its size is truly magnificent. I try to imagine the level of focus that must have been possessed by the minority white governments that put so much into the building of what SA is today. I challenge our majority rule governments to do a critical analysis to see what infrastructure they have added in the last fourteen years since independence. In Zimbabwe, the road infrastructure, for example, has not improved 28 years after independence. The only new road I can vividly remember is from Harare to Zvimba where President Mugabe comes from. There may have been a few other insignificant ones, but all the major link roads remain exactly as they were when Ian Smith occupied State House. In fact, that is not correct. Most roads have regressed; they have become worse for wear without proper maintenance. There are now some main roads that you cannot drive on at night because of manholes and craters littering the highway. Do you remember the Eskom debacle, how a routine request to upgrade power generation facilities in tandem with economic growth was dismissed out of hand by the government of Thabo Mbeki? What could be the cause for such myopic vision? Many of the projects that need to be done do not necessarily need to draw money from the fiscus. Both situations I mention for the two different governments could have been funded via BOT deals (Build, Operate and Transfer). We have seen how roads can belong to corporate companies, for example the Platinum / Bakwena freeways in South Africa. Collection of tolls for a specified period would more than compensate fairly for the investment into infrastructure. The same can be done for electricity generation. Private companies, if allowed to charge economic tariffs would more than happily have built power generation plants. It goes for everything, come to think of it: fuel generation plants after the Sasol model come into mind. Why then, one must ask, are these things not done? There are two basic reasons. The first and saddest is: What is in it for me? Many projects of national interest are ignored because there is ‘nothing’ of personal benefit to the leader, be it the President or the responsible Minister. I know of many projects of great innovation that could not see the light of day in Zimbabwe because the (ir)responsible Ministers dilly-dallied as they could not see any direct benefit to them, the proponents having refused to give them bribes as there were many other countries where their project could be freely welcomed. The second is: Does it not loosen our grip on power? Many governments feel that if they have to give strategic projects into the hands of individuals, e.g. Phones, Broadcasting, Fuel, Roads, Electricity etc, these individuals may use their power obtained through controlling these resources to turn the screws on the incumbent government should they no longer support them and have designs on power themselves. But this is also selfishly myopic. What would we be having if the White minority governments had taken this approach in building the economies of their colonies, because they obviously knew one day that Black majority rule would take over? They would have built strip roads and kept it at that, why build freeways? So my plea to us is, when we desire to lead, do we really know where we want to lead people? Also us the electorate, when we choose our leaders, do we know the calibre of leaders we are choosing? What capacity do they have? What is their understanding of the bigger economic and social picture? How big are they, do they have a large enough vision? We need leaders that are larger than life. I know you may have heard about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of India, who was later known as Mahatma Ghandi. Mahatma was not his first name, but it is a term that means “a Great Soul”. It’s like saying Mzee in KiSwahili or “Saint” in English. He was accorded this title in his relentless, selfless struggle for the rights and freedom of Indian communities and the Independence of India from British rule. He was well known for his simple lifestyle which shunned all opulence and was self sufficient in his own way. And why is it that we leave politics to some of these people who got into politics simply because they could not qualify for any other job? I therefore have question marks about some of our aspiring leaders, people like Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai and Mr. Jacob Zuma. I am not necessarily thinking about their education, rather the absence of it; but how they have so far displayed signs of short-sightedness in possessing this great Mahatma. Morgan Tsvangirai has failed to embrace back the weaker faction of his opposition party even when they were keen to do so, obviously his eyes and those of his colleagues are already on those government positions if they should get into power. Because of that single action of mean-spiritedness, that ‘if’ has become a capital IF. For the ordinary voter, this was such a minuscule thing to accede to, greater souls such as Joshua Nkomo sacrificed far much more to achieve peace for their people. Robert Mugabe fooled us to believe he was a great one at some point, but he has sadly deleted himself out of the history books as one of the great Mahatmas of our time. Although he started well and gained international acclaim, his selfish grip on power is now to the disregard of the welfare of the same people he purports to lead. When he realised his leadership was failing, he could have bowed out in time and allowed fresher minds with international goodwill to takeover. He would have then rivalled the great Mahatmas of African politics, the likes of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and the beloved Nelson Mandela. Now he must be categorised with the likes of Charles Taylor, Mengistu Haile Mariam, Idi Amin and other cruel, selfish despots. The cry of Zimbabweans at this hour is, can God raise for us a real Mahatma, not after the pretensions of Robert Mugabe? Could Simba Makoni be such a one? Only time can tell. Sadly for the beacon of hope in sub-Saharan African, I see a kindred spirit in the presidential aspirant, Jacob Zuma. Although he has tarnished his image by dubious sexual behaviour, dubious friendships with convicted criminals and serious allegations of fraud and corruption, he does not realise that insisting on becoming president of this great nation will only pull the nation down with him. Why can he not get other, better positioned lieutenants of his go for this top job? Its simple really, he needs the job to become important, to secure an income and to look after his ever growing family, both of spouses and children. Maybe also to exact some revenge on his imaginary enemies, not least of which is Thabo Mbeki. It’s a sad day for South Africa which began the new, post-apartheid era with a Mahatma in the mould of Mandela. Such mean, small souls have no place for Africa in need of a rapid, consistent drive towards development, peace and prosperity. "
Credited to;http://pathun.blat.co.za/
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02-13-08 | 01:03 pmSimba MAKONI --The ReformerPRESIDENTIAL candidate Simba Makoni on Wednesday launched his election manifesto, anchored mainly on economic and constitutional reform under the slogan Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn. Makoni, a former finance minister who was expelled by the ruling Zanu PF party after declaring his intentions to challenge Mugabe on March 29, was careful not to attack his political opponents, insisting that he was “offering himself for President instead of President Robert Mugabe”. Makoni, who had insisted he remained a Zanu PF member before confirmation of his expulsion by the Zanu PF politburo this week, said he would stand as an independent. The nomination court sits on Friday to accept candidates for the March 29 ballot which for the first time will see presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and local government elections being held on the same day. Once elected, Makoni said he would “undertake immediate and urgent tasks to resolve the food, power and fuel, water and sanitation problems… and develop a policy framework for economic and social renewal, in the short, medium and long term.” Makoni said he would redefine the mandate of the central bank and its relationship to the state as well as improving the bank’s relationship with other financial institutions. He said: “I will restore the autonomy of the central bank as a regulator, remove different foreign exchange rates as a tool for doing away with the pararell market and removing distortions in the economy.” He added that he would initiate a process for a new “people-driven national constitution”. In mining, he said he would restore property rights and restore the rule of law. Makoni said he wanted a “transparent” land reform programme and would champion “equitable processes” once elected. Makoni blamed the economic crisis on what he termed the failure of leadership that he said implemented short term and ad hoc policies that have not yielded positive results. Makoni said: “Zimbabweans are experiencing stress and tension because of the following… siege mentality in the state with the state resorting to violence to suppress dissent, lack of respect for the law, gross abuse of state resources which has contributed to the economic decline. “National institutions have been corrupted, privatised and politicised. We are seeing a scourge of the politics of patronage and gross abuse of power and a culture of chefdom. There is lack of a national vision and agenda on the basis of which all Zimbabweans could be mobilised for national reconciliation and revival.” Makoni says he has the backing of senior officials in Zanu PF, and local media reports suggest former home affairs minister Dumiso Dabengwa and Vice President Joice Mujuru are supporting his presidential bid. On Friday, Makoni is expected to announce an electoral pact with a faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) whose leader, Arthur Mutambara, will stand down from the presidential race and run for MP in Zengeza West constituency instead. "
Story credited to www.newzimbabwe.com
01-01-08 | 10:17 am
01-01-08 | 01:46 am
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12-31-69 | 07:00 pmTime for the fight back - Ten Eyes for an EyeFor those of you who have become ‘regular readers’ of this blog, you may wonder at my inconsistence. You see, pragmatism is my key rallying point - when my ideas are at a tangent to occurrences on the ground, I get taken aback and draw back to compare notes with self. If you are a thinker, there is nothing as painful as people and actions that defy logic. You seek to understand things which are otherwise obvious and wonder why it is not so with everyone. Such has been my introspection in the last two weeks and i have some conclusions to share with you. I will keep it short. Firstly, the events of Xenophobia in South Africa, the abductions and political killings in Zimbabwe juxtaposed to the background of ’so much trouble in the world’ drew me to the first conclusion - we are in extraordinary times. In fact, Zimbabweans in particular should consider themselves to be in a time of a revolution, a time of war, a time to complete the revolution that was started but never quite completed by the previous generation of liberation heroes. If you correctly read the times, you do not get dismayed when things unfold before you. If you take it that we are in a time of war, you can accept the killing of over fifty activists and disappearances of many more in Zimbabwe. You can also accept the death of a couple more in supposed exile away from the danger at home, with the attacks in South Africa in mind. Secondly, I concluded that the world is too busy with ’so much trouble in the world’ to really care about disturbances in a little part of Africa, especially if the total death toll is hardly a hundred people. There are other pressing issues and if you do not keep reminding them, they will soon forget you. These two lead to the third and most critical observation. Before there can be intervention by the neighbours or other observers, the opposing powers must clearly define their turf. Muscles must be flexed and territorial marks must be clear. Once this is the case, negotiation may even be possible without involving third parties. I am talking about fighting back and defining where you stand as a possible political force, and here I am thinking about the MDC. I am very sympathetic to the cause of the MDC because they carry the hopes of the Zimbabwean people. Recently, I got visitors from home who explained to me what is happening on the ground. MDC activists are fighting back, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. In fact, they are saying ten teeth for a tooth, ten eyes for an eye. They are returning fire with fire and brimstone with brimstone. The leaderships still preaches peace and maybe rightly so, but on the ground, the youth and other militant members of the party are mounting a fight back, sometimes taking the fight to the ‘bases’ of Zanu PF and in other cases abducting the Security Agents! Why is this important? Firstly, in terms of numbers, Zanu PF and its supporters are in the minority. If you add the opposition vote, about 60% of the voting population rejected Mugabe by voting for either Tsvangirai or Makoni. In simple terms, why must the about 40% who voted for Mugabe terrorize the majority? Why must the minority terrorise the majority? It is a misnomer! Secondly, in the likely event of loss in the run-off, Mugabe must not be under the illusion that he can rule with impunity regardless. A full show of the willingness to resist and fight back, indeed more than fight back, would be a good message to say its no longer business as usual. Think about it, rule has always, from primitive times, been by conquest and vanquishing of a weaker opponent. Clearly democracy has not taken root in our part of the world, hence some flexing of these primitive muscles is still necessary. I know the killing of people that results from these retributions is not right, in as much as it is wrong for Zanu PF to kill those that it is killing. Sooner or later, the opposing leaders will laugh, share a joke and clasp hands in mirth as they sign some form of power-sharing arrangement much the same as the Kenya one. My argument though is, MDC has to show that its worth its place in that arrangement, indeed that it must lead any such arrangement. It has more than shown that already via the ballot, but there has to be a demonstration of force behind that ballot. It is the language the aggressor understands - let the same be spoken to them. The aggressor has held Zimbabweans to ransom with the ‘takarwa hondo’ (we gave you the liberation) rhetoric, the question is, are we also prepared to fight as they did, some of our number dying in the process? Indeed we are already in that fight, aluta continua! Ah, almost forgot: unless of course the international community, beginning with SADC and AU reconsider and help to deliver a violence-free, fair, transparent and un-delayed election outcome. Only problem is, I am convinced of their incapacity or unwillingness to do so, if not both! ""
Patrick Huni
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