The Zimbabwe Situation

January 26, 2009

phandu-skelemani Phandu Skelemani, Botswana’s Foreign Minister.

HOT SEAT interview: Journalist Violet Gonda interviews Phandu Skelemani the Foreign Minister of Botswana

(Transcript of a SW Radio Africa broadcast on January 23, 2009)

Violet Gonda: Today I have the pleasure of welcoming the Botswana Foreign Minister, Phandu Skelemani on the programme Hot Seat, talking about Botswana’s position on the crisis in Zimbabwe. On Monday, SADC is holding an emergency summit on Zimbabwe in South Africa, so I first asked what we expect from the regional body in light of this upcoming meeting.

Phandu Skelemani: We hope that this time around both the Zimbabweans and SADC will take a firm stance and once and for all resolve what appears now to be a problem which is just dragging on. So we look forward to a firm resolution with SADC telling the rest of the Zimbabweans particularly the leadership that enough is enough. They must form a government at least; otherwise they should go back to the people and hold a ballot box.

VG: Right, what has been your assessment though, if you can just briefly tell us your assessment of how SADC’s role has played out since September last year?

PS: Well as we have said before, we at SADC have failed the people of Zimbabwe. We have simply failed to tell the leadership, the political leadership in Zimbabwe that what they are doing is wrong, it is undemocratic and that they ought to respect the people and do everything with the people as the priority. That SADC has failed to do, so SADC has virtually achieved nothing in respect of Zimbabwe. It is unfortunate but it is true.

VG: Why is that so Mr Skelemani, why is it that SADC is failing to deal with this problem, why hasn’t it succeeded?

PS: My opinion is that too many of the leadership in SADC feel some kind of obligation towards Mugabe, probably because he has been such a good freedom fighter which we don’t deny, but we think they’re confusing the part played by Mugabe during the liberation and the part that he wants to play now when he has subjected himself to the will of the people. That is the reason. SADC is divided and is divided because we simply don’t put the people first but rather an individual and that is unfortunate.

VG: Now you seem to, and by you I mean Botswana, seems to be a lone voice in SADC in terms of siding with the people of Zimbabwe. Do you know any other countries in the region that are vocal or that have criticised the Mugabe regime?

PS: I don’t think it’s a question of people criticising the regime, it’s a question of people telling the truth as they see it. Those who – at least appear to us - to think that what is happening is wrong are not probably what you might call vocal, but I think the stance of the late President Mwanawasa was quite clear. Zambia was quite clear that what Mugabe was doing was unacceptable and he spoke out. Recently I think other people in private have spoken out but since they haven’t spoken out publicly, one is careful not to be naming names.

VG: What are the sort of things that they speak about even though it is behind the scenes?

PS: Clearly that what Mugabe is doing is wrong, that he can’t pretend to act as if he won an election because he didn’t, that he should be more accommodating than he appears to be doing. That is where the problem is and the last ridiculous thing – that he thinks they should have two ministers in charge of a ministry just because he knows that is the ministry he abuses. It is not acceptable. It is ridiculous, that is what everybody should have told him, that the rest of the people - in public, they accepted let’s experiment, let’s have two ministers. How that can function, even in theory I think is silly.

VG: So what do you see happening this coming week because press reports say that it is highly likely that SADC will finally accept that it has failed and finally hand the matter to the African Union? Do you see this happening?

PS: I don’t think SADC should hand the matter over to the African Union. SADC should tell the Zimbabweans that they had better form a government that is going to function. If they don’t, SADC should then tell the leadership, tell Mugabe that ‘look if you people can’t agree don’t expect SADC to come and prop you up’. We love the people of Zimbabwe too much to allow a dictatorship. It is undemocratic; it’s as simple as that. If Mugabe and his compatriots don’t want to agree then SADC must tell them straight away that they are not going to get the support of SADC. The AU is not going to do anything because what can the AU do if SADC fails, if SADC doesn’t take a position? Can the AU take a position which can be implemented without SADC? Does it mean then that SADC will have to be forced by the AU to take a position? So SADC must take a position in the first place and then ask the AU to help implement that position.

VG: Some actually feel that it is going round and round and they say what can we expect from the African Union especially when those in SADC are the same people that are actually in the African Union? So seriously, will anything new come out of any of these two bodies?

PS: Unless SADC takes a stance and then the AU endorses that, I’m afraid I don’t think anything is going to come out of it. Don’t you think the same round and round story until everybody is dizzy and meantime the Zimbabweans are dying.

VG: What about (Thabo) Mbeki’s mediation efforts?

PS: I think the former president of South Africa tried his best. Whether his best was actually the best is debatable but I think he tried. He has not succeeded and probably it’s time to see if after Monday nothing comes, whether we should not have a different approach. Help Mbeki with somebody else who has stature, to add value.

VG: On that issue, I wanted to ask you, why does SADC continue to keep Mr Mbeki on as mediator especially when the MDC has repeatedly said he is not an honest broker?

PS: Well up to now you know there were expressions of dissatisfaction on both sides - although Zanu-PF did not express in the same way as the MDC. We felt that if both sides don’t appear to be too happy it must mean that Mbeki is doing something right but obviously we couldn’t tell the Zimbabweans not to have Mbeki as long as they felt he could broker a peace deal. But clearly if one of the parties felt that enough is enough then obviously SADC should think again. It’s no use to keep Mbeki there if in fact one of the parties has lost total faith. We can’t continue in that way. But I haven’t seen, I’ve only heard of the dissatisfaction of Morgan Tsvangirai and his party but I haven’t seen what he has said in writing which will then be public.

VG: Now you were mentioning earlier on that perhaps it will be time for someone else to take over, who do you think will be an honest broker in Zimbabwe or to deal with the Zimbabwe situation?

PS: That’s a tough one. I don’t want somebody totally new that’s why we have gone along with Mbeki mediating because he knows the problems. I think what we need, if it is possible, is to have somebody going in with Mbeki and not allowing Mbeki to be the only one. I think that was a mistake in reflection. In retrospect it probably would have been wiser if right from the meeting, the first meetings, Mbeki even as president, had been given some other people, either from the UN or the AU itself, to help him broker the peace. But of course, that is merely crying over spilt milk. We have to look forward and find somebody probably from the UN; there are people who have been sent actually to help Mbeki, except that they haven’t been active as far as I know.

VG: People continue to die in Zimbabwe while politicians continue to play these games and while SADC keeps on calling for these endless meetings. Now the Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga and also people like Bishop Desmond Tutu have actually called for military intervention. Do you see military action for humanitarian purposes as a reality?

PS: Well I’m always against military action. First we have to answer the question – who are we going to be fighting? We should be careful because if you go in and attack Zimbabwe you could get everybody being angry because they see themselves as a Republic being attacked. So we would have to be very careful who we are going in to fight. Military action should be really the last resort. We have said and I have personally said that if we deny Mugabe petrol so that his army cannot move around and brutalize people I’m sure his hold on Zimbabwe would collapse and would collapse within three weeks. All this suffering would be now a thing of the past. But everybody thought – ah we can’t do that. So I’m not totally in favour of the proposal by the Prime Minister of Kenya and the Reverend Tutu. I think we should be very careful - even if they can say who we are going to be attacking – are we going in to remove Mugabe as a person and what do you do with the rest of the people who support him? Do we have the ability? Do they know what is happening on the ground in Zimbabwe? It’s a huge and dangerous step. I would want one to explain to me because if you are going to go in and end up killing innocent people, I don’t think that is right, although innocent people as we speak are dying actually.

VG: On the other hand, if you do deny Robert Mugabe petrol as you’ve just said, is it really Mugabe who suffers, or is it the innocent masses?

PS: Well as far as petrol, the innocent masses now they need food. At the time we spoke about cutting him off petrol, there was no cholera. So inaction has brought in more complications. But I still believe that if you did that the people would probably suffer for another two weeks. It’s better that they do that than just to hang on aimlessly and endlessly and we’ll be talking the same thing when the winter sets in, in June. Whereas if you starve him and he can’t move until there is going to be a reaction from some of the armed forces and Mugabe would know that. I’m sure he will come to the table.

VG: Now let’s move on to this other issue – the allegations of banditry activities in Zimbabwe and your country has actually been accused of training ‘Zimbabwean bandits’ to overthrow the Mugabe regime. What can you say about that?

PS: Well as you know, the accusation is ridiculous. I think Mugabe and his cohorts know very well that it is a lie, that we are not training anybody. If we were training anybody they would have long come - at our invitation - to point out where we are training these people. To parade the people who have been trained. You can’t train 250 people and they just disappear into thin air. It is not possible, it is a lie. It is a figment or as I suspect, it’s a diversion. He wants everybody to be thinking about Botswana being very bad towards its neighbour so that we don’t talk anymore and concentrate on the bad things he is doing. He is using his usual diversion tactics.

VG: But the regime says it actually has footage showing the Zimbabwe individuals and has actually shown this video to SADC. Have you seen this and if so, what is the nature of the videos?

PS: (chuckles) it’s silly. You can get a video of me sitting in a small little room, small little box, and what does that tell you? My suspicion is that those are probably Zanu-PF, either CIO or supporters masquerading as having been trained, because one of the things he should be able to do is to allow those people to come to SADC and give evidence. They’ve not been able to do that. Anybody could concoct that kind of story. And anyway, we were never allowed to even question those people, not even in Zimbabwe. So if they’re confessing - as alleged - why can’t everybody else see them confessing? Why are we being shown pictures where you can’t tell where the question, accept we are sure that person is in prison? What would you do if you are put in prison and you’ve been tortured sufficiently and you think your survival is in telling a lie so that you don’t disappear? That’s what we think is happening.

VG: So what response have you made to SADC about this?

PS: Now we have submitted our position to SADC. We are waiting for SADC to call us to formally present our case and to be allowed if necessary to question those Zimbabweans who, it is very unlikely that they will be free to speak the truth. We are waiting for SADC; we have given them our written reaction and we hope we’ll be given the opportunity to present that report and elaborate so that the matter can be put to rest. I don’t think any sane person can believe the allegations.

VG: Scores of civic and political activists are actually in prison right now on these terrorism charges, but how come SADC hasn’t really pushed for the release of these civil and political activists who have said in court that they were actually tortured to make these submissions?

PS: That is one of our problems at SADC that we react after such a long time, after things have gone totally wrong, after people have died, because everybody seems to be giving Mugabe and his people some credit which I don’t know understand why and on what basis. In SADC as I have said – and I don’t expect them to make any demands on Mugabe because they think he having been a liberation hero must continue to be respected as a liberation hero when now he is no longer performing as a hero but a total despot.

VG: Mr Skelemani, Zanu-PF and other critics actually accuse you of supporting the MDC and say you have been sheltering Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, what can you say about that?

PS: Well that’s another silly allegation. We’ve not been sheltering Tsvangirai not more than we would shelter Mugabe himself if he ever felt insecure and crossed the border into Botswana. He would be surprised; we would give him the same treatment. We are not going to throw him into jail, nor are we going to throw him back to Zimbabwe if he feels uncomfortable. We simply don’t do that. And as it happens, Tsvangirai went back, didn’t he? So what kind of sheltering was this? Are we supposed to have thrown him away when he came and we thought for his own safety and for a better approach to the Zimbabwe position he should remain and consult outside? He’s been consulting other people not just Botswana and the other countries haven’t thrown him out. So why are we being accused of harbouring him when we have done nothing other than being civil.

VG: I was going to ask that, what is the nature of your relationship with Mr. Tsvangirai?

PS: Our relationship with Tsvangirai and MDC is the same as our relationship with Mugabe and Zanu-PF. They are both Zimbabweans, we want to help both of them to resolve the impasse in Zimbabwe. We don’t take sides. If our view is regarded as taking sides then we are very sorry but we are not going to apologise! Right things are right whether people think we are supporting so and so or not supporting so and so. We can’t give in just because people think that what we consider right seems to tally with what the MDC maybe demanding. That’s the nature of things. Tsvangirai is not our blue-eyed boy; he is not our favourite any more than Mugabe is.

VG: Is it true that the summit on Monday will be held in South Africa because Mugabe refused to hold it in Botswana - which is the home of the SADC Secretariat?

PS: That part I don’t know, I don’t know whether he refused. What I do know is that by the time we were told that the summit will be held it was too late for Botswana to arrange. As you might be aware, in Gaborone where we would normally hold such a summit we have very few beds. Even if it’s a one day affair, the Heads of State should be given rooms where they can refresh before they go into a meeting and we couldn’t find - we would not have been able to find enough hotel rooms to accommodate the Presidents. We have nothing against Mugabe personally but his politics. But if he doesn’t want to come to Botswana, well that is his problem. He is the one who has the problem not Botswana. Botswana doesn’t have a problem with him coming and negotiating with his compatriots in Botswana. We are open.

VG: With the kind of accusations that are coming from Zimbabwe, from the Mugabe regime, some will ask how do you maintain diplomatic relations with a country that is spoiling for a fight?

PS: All the more reason why we should maintain diplomatic relations. We want lines of communications to remain open so that if the need be, we can communicate. We are not on strike against Zimbabwe. We know that somebody, whether we like it or not, actually is in physical control and really to cut your nose to spite your face is silly. We don’t want to do that. Our relations are with Zimbabwe, not Mugabe.

VG: But what you said earlier on about the sort of pressure that you would support, you mentioned denying Mugabe petrol, now some people would say wouldn’t it also increase pressure if Botswana was prepared to cut diplomatic ties with the Mugabe regime or even recall your Ambassador in protest?

PS: Right - you assume that Mugabe is a reasonable person. That his attitude towards what is happening is that of an ordinary person? He is not. You can imagine - if we closed our embassy, what does he lose? Nothing! But what we then lose ourselves is that we would not be able to learn on a daily basis what is happening in Zimbabwe. We will have denied ourselves the opportunity to communicate when it is necessary and I think that is not a line that should be taken lightly.

This business of recalling Ambassadors, you do it with a country that has some respect for law and order. I don’t think Mugabe and Zanu-PF are in that group. Not at the moment, no. Remember recently, we had to use these lines of communication to send help to Zimbabwe, to ask them what medications they needed, and what purification agents did they need for the water to fight the cholera. If we had recalled and chased away the Zimbabwean ambassador we would not have been able to do that. Because we have kept the lines of communication open, we have been able to do that and we have sent help to Zimbabwe.

VG: Right, and on the issue of the humanitarian crisis, what has been the impact of this on Botswana?

PS: Well it’s continuing it’s terrible. More and more Zimbabweans are coming over. They of course are hungry people and you can’t chase them away. Our responsibility is increasing. We have to look after those who have crossed our borders to see whether they are genuine refugees or pretenders. It’s a situation we’d rather not have, but what can we do? We can’t chase away people who are running, who we know are running because there is great suffering in their own country. We just have to ask the international community to help us however the community can.

VG: How long do you think you as Botswana will be able to contain this humanitarian crisis without a solution in sight, the humanitarian crisis that is spreading to your country?

PS: I don’t know frankly how long we can maintain the position but there is no alternative. We can’t go and cut the border because the people will cross any area when they can, and so as I say, we can only hope that the international community will come and help us to help the Zimbabweans who have crossed into Botswana, who keep on crossing into Botswana. And I hope that the international community is geared to do that as a long haul.

VG: Many human rights organisations have actually described what is happening in Zimbabwe as genocide and even the Physicians for Human Rights last week issued a report saying that Mugabe has become a global threat. What are your thoughts on that? Is what’s happening in Zimbabwe, can it be considered genocide?

PS: I’m afraid I can’t disagree with that description. Unless somebody told me genocide means taking a gun and actually shooting the person. But if you starve people to death deliberately because you are putting in place programmes which don’t work or you are doing nothing to prevent people from dying unnecessarily, I think some people would describe it as genocide. But you know it’s genocide against all Zimbabweans, it’s a crazy situation.

VG: Minister Skelemani, President Barack Obama took a shot at despotic leaders. He said people who starve their own people and worry about their own legacy and that America would not tolerate any of this. Do you see a new role for the Obama administration in actually helping to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis?

PS: Yes I think if America brings her weight to bear on this issue we could move a step further, we could move closer to a resolution and I hope that America is going to do exactly that. You need somebody to be brave. Somebody with muscle and America I think has the muscle. If only SADC would also cry out for help and not pretend that SADC is able to do anything, then I am sure that President Obama would be able to act and help us help Zimbabwe.

VG: How would you respond to people who say why is it people like yourself and other upcoming African leaders, like Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who are pro-democratic, why do you still want to stick to these old and archaic institutions like SADC, like the African Union and people ask why can’t you form parallel structures that are based on good governance and democracy?

PS: Well the question will be asked as to whether when you do that, you still remain democratic. It’s not an easy thing. I don’t think you can just dismantle SADC because the present generation of leadership seems to be in favour of a leader who has lost credibility. I think you must understand that SADC is not just made up of the present leadership, the present leadership will come to pass and we still hope that, you know, good men and women will see sense and tell the Zimbabwean leadership to stop playing games when people are dying. It’s not the institutions as such. Those who are in the position of influence right now, who probably, should be ‘told it’s time they went, it’s time they go’. That is why we say that if we examine and found out why is Mugabe holding on to power and dealt with that issue, then we would have Mugabe out of the question and Zimbabwe would be a (inaudible) member of SADC, as it is as a republic except it has no leadership that is recognised in terms of civilised rules.

VG: Zimbabweans who are frustrated with these endless talks are actually calling on the MDC to pull out of the talks and also because Mugabe is not negotiating in good faith. What are your thoughts on that?

PS: Well the MDC should be the judge of when and whether to pull out. It can’t be Botswana. Botswana doesn’t have the mandate of the Zimbabweans. We leave that to the MDC to decide. If they think that the end of the road I’m sure they will say so and they will withdraw and we’ll respect their decision but we can’t be the ones to tell them to withdraw. I think that would be going too far.

VG: And a final word Mr Skelemani?

PS: The final word really is a wish - that for once can SADC please stand up. Stand up and ensure the implementation of the spirit of SADC, the spirit of the AU and the UN and stop the carnage, the genocide as people say, in Zimbabwe. By speaking out they need not say or do anything except speak out firmly, tell the Zimbabwean leadership, tell Mugabe that if they continue like they are doing then SADC is not going to support him in any way. I think they should come out loud and clear and demand that fresh elections, presidential elections should be held in Zimbabwe because that would end this nonsense!

Violet Gonda: Thank you very much Mr Phandu Skelemani.

Phandu Skelemani: Thank you

Jestina Mukoko, leading Human Rights campaigner in Zimbabwe in detention since early December
Trocaire

Jestina Mukoko, a Trocaire partner and leading Zimbabwean human rights defender, was abducted from her home in Harare, Zimbabwe on December 3.

Despite a High Court judge ruling that she and her two colleagues, who were also abducted around the same time, should be freed and transferred immediately to hospital to receive medical attention, they remain imprisoned.

Ms. Mukoko has now been in captivity for over fifty days in Chikurubi maximum security prison, notorious for overcrowding, filth and disease.

Jestina testified in court on Thursday 15th January for the first time since authorities seized her. During her appearance, she told of how she was forced to kneel on gravel for hours on end. She was also beaten on the soles of her feet with rubber truncheons during interrogations.

Jestina wept on the stand in a Harare courtroom as she recounted her ordeal.

"I was abducted, kidnapped, tortured and assaulted," she said. "The experience was frightening. I would not wish it upon anyone." Her lawyers, from the organization Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights - another Trocaire partner organisation - are working around the clock to have her released and to get her access to medical attention.

"The fight to have Jestina released is a constant uphill battle," said Justin Kilcullen, Director of Tr?caire. "A number of judges have already refused to hear her case citing technicalities and have forced her lawyers to resubmit papers through very cumbersome procedures. All of this just ensures that Jestina and her colleagues continue to remain in detention in appalling conditions."

Jestina 's case has been referred to the Supreme Court by the magistrate's court at her lawyers' request, as they are arguing that the State cannot prosecute her until the numerous infringements of her constitutional rights have been properly redressed - unlawful deprivation of liberty, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment while detained, denial of pre-trial rights [no reason given for arrest, no access to lawyers or relatives], denial of protection of the law [the report of her abduction not investigated by police, and her abductors not prosecuted].

As this is a constitutional case, it will be heard by five Supreme Court judges. The hearing will be open to the public, but the date has still not been fixed although the Chief Justice has already ruled the case is urgent.

Mukoko's lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said she hoped the Supreme Court will treat the matter as urgent."We do hope the constitutional court will hear the matter urgently because she actually is in custody and that she continues to be denied access to medical facilities," said Mtetwa.

Tr?caire is urgently seeking the support of the public to secure the release of Jestina and her collegues.

"We are asking people to contact their TD or MP to insist that the Irish and British governments put pressure on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) to speak out against the actions of the Zimbabwean government and to demand the release of Jestina and her colleagues," said Mr Kilcullen.

We also urge supporters to take our online action at trocaire.org/takeaction."

He continued, "Jestina, our friend and partner, has become a symbol of a suffering nation, a nation imprisoned by a devastating lack of responsible leadership over the past decade."

"This seems set to continue as on January 19 Robert Mugabe and the opposition failed yet again to reach agreement over power-sharing talks."

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Council Conclusions on Zimbabwe

Source: European Union (EU)

Date: 26 Jan 2009

2920th GENERAL AFFAIRS Council meeting - Brussels, 26 January 2009

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

"1. The situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated in a manner that stands in
stark contrast to the duties and responsibilities of Governments, according
to global and regional standards and charters, not least the SADC principles
and charters. The victims of this misrule are the Zimbabwean people. The
Council condemns the regime for its ongoing failure to address the most
basic economic and social needs of its people.

2. The Council views with particular distress the escalation of the
humanitarian crisis including the cholera epidemic that has taken the lives
of so many Zimbabweans and that threatens the health security of the
neighbouring countries and of the region as a whole. The Council reiterates
its deep concern at the continued deterioration of economic and social
conditions in Zimbabwe.

3. The Council reaffirms the European Union's commitment to the Zimbabwean
people through a substantial and long-standing programme of humanitarian
aid. The Council demands full respect for the principles of humanitarian aid
and, in particular, respect for the principle of impartiality and equal
access to humanitarian aid for the entire Zimbabwean population. It
underlines the importance of a response by the international community to
the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe and the urgent needs of the country.

4. The Council considers that only in the context of a durable, equitable,
political solution can the economic, social and humanitarian crisis in
Zimbabwe be fully addressed. It calls on SADC, the African Union and states
in the region to pave actively the way for a truly representative democratic
government reflecting the will of the Zimbabwean people expressed in the
election of March 2008. The Council urges stakeholders to comply with the
power sharing agreement. It condemns the ongoing violations of human rights,
in particula the abduction and detention of those exercising a democratic
right to express opposition to the regime and of those defending human
rights.

5. The Council has decided to extend, for another year, the Common Position
on restrictive measures against Zimbabwe. It has further decided to add to
its list of persons and entities subject to those measures additional
persons and entities that are actively associated with the violence or human
rights infringements of the regime.

6. The Council notes with concern the growing trade in illicit diamonds that
provide financial support to the regime. In this context, it also condemns
the violence inflicted by statesponsored forces on diamond panners and
dealers at Marange/Chiadzwa. The Council supports action to investigate the
exploitation of diamonds from the site at Marange/Chiadzwa and their
significance in possible financial support to the regime and recent human
rights abuses. It calls on the Kimberley Process to take action with a view
to ensure Zimbabwe's compliance with its Kimberley obligations.

7. The Council reaffirms that the European Union stands ready to support the
economic and social recovery of Zimbabwe once a government reflecting the
will of the Zimbabwean people has been formed and shows tangible signs of a
return to respect for human rights, the rule of law and macroeconomic
stabilization."

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China MP calls for Bona Mugabe's deportation

http://www.zimbabwemetro.com

Local News
January 26, 2009 | By Metro Staff Writer
Emily Lau, a Chinese Member of Parliament , on Sunday called for the
deportaion of Robert Mugabe's daughter Bona Mugabe at the University of Hong
Kong, and said her father's regime is "obnoxious".

Bona Mugabe, 20, enrolled under an alias at the University of Hong Kong in
the autumn.

Australia last year deported eight students whose parents were senior
members of the Mugabe regime, saying it wanted to prevent those involved in
human rights abuses giving their children education denied to ordinary
Zimbabweans. The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions
on Mugabe's ruling clique, including asset freezes and travel bans.

Asked about Miss Mugabe's admission, a University of Hong Kong spokesman
said: "We believe that education should be above politics and young people
should not be denied the right to education because of their family
background or what their parents have done."

A university official, who asked not to be named, said most students were
unaware of the presence of Miss Mugabe, who has gone to Zimbabwe for the
Chinese New Year holiday.

When she returns to Hong Kong, the university would "keep a watchful eye
more from a student life perspective", the official said. However, the
source added: "We are aware of the impact and significance of this. After
all, he is a dictator, no one will deny this - but education, frankly, is
above politics."

Law Yuk Kai, director of Human Rights Monitor in Hong Kong, said: "A child
who has not done anything wrong should not be asked to take the burden of
the wrongs of their parents - and in accordance with international human
rights, the interests of the child should be our first principle."

But he added: "If the money she is spending was siphoned off the ordinary
people, there is a problem. Just like other members of the international
community, Hong Kong should do its part in imposing sanctions."

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Emelia Ndoro, "We fear an outbreak here would be a big disaster"

Photo: IRIN

Little protection from the elements
HARARE, 26 January 2009 (IRIN) - Emelia Ndoro, 32, lives in an unplanned settlement in Epworth, 20km east of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. With the rainy season now underway, she fears the spread of cholera in the community, and the possibility that her three-roomed mud house could collapse.

"I have lived in different informal settlements over the past eight years and the rainy season always comes with many problems for all dwellers in squatter camps.

"The inside of my shelter is damp because of the heavy rains ... My neighbours nearly sustained injuries after their shelter collapsed while they were inside. They have moved to another part of Epworth, where they hope to put up another structure.

"There have been many cases of diarrhoea; with the national cholera outbreak we are experiencing, we fear an outbreak here would be a big disaster.

"I'm only human and want to live in a decent structure one day, with all the comforts and peace of mind of staying in a formal settlement.

"[In the meantime], as you may be aware, there are a lot of power shortages in urban Harare, and we raid nearby farms to poach firewood, which we sell. The downside to that is if you are caught by the farm guards, they don't even bother charging you with a fine. They just beat you up."

[ENDS]
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

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Stop supporting 'passive genocide' in Zimbabwe - Catholic priests

http://www.3news.co.nz

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 7:18a.m.

Southern African leaders must stop supporting Zimbabwe President Robert
Mugabe or accept complicity in a "passive genocide," Catholic bishops from
the region said Monday as the European Union increased sanctions on Mugabe
and his supporters.

Protesters calling for Mugabe to step down converged near the presidential
guesthouse where Zimbabwe's opposition leader and nine African heads of
state including Mugabe were holding an emergency summit on Zimbabwe's
political crisis. Police fired rubber bullets at them as they tried to
gather in front of South Africa's capital building.

A police spokesman, Capt. Julia Claassen, said police fired at what she
called an illegal protest after some of the 1500 protesters threw stones at
officers and blocked roads.

Claassen said seven protesters were treated for minor injuries and no
arrests were made. Emily Wellman, a spokeswoman for one of the groups that
organized the protest, said seven people were injured and an unknown number
arrested.

The bishops said in a message to the heads of state that Mugabe must step
down immediately and southern African officials "must stop supporting and
giving credibility to the illegitimate Mugabe regime with immediate effect."

"Failing this, (Southern African) leaders accept complicity in creating the
conditions that have resulted in starvation, displacement, disease and death
for ordinary Zimbabweans. This is nothing short of passive genocide," the
bishops said.

The European Union added 26 officials and 36 companies to a blacklist
freezing assets and barring travel in Europe, which now totals 203 people
and 40 entities - many of them also blacklisted in the United States.

Two EU officials said most of the companies on the blacklist were fake firms
used to funnel money to prop up Mugabe's government and supporters. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized
to speak to press on the issue.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton is reviewing what more the Obama administration can do to
help

"We're just very concerned about the behaviour of Mugabe," he said. "It
appear to us that the regime has no interest in its own people; it has no
interest in trying to bring about good governance and democratic
government."

Zimbabwe has been virtually without a government since a presidential
election last March in which opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the
most votes. Tsvangirai pulled out of a subsequent runoff against Mugabe
because of brutal attacks on opposition supporters.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed in September to form a coalition government but
have failed to agree on how to share Cabinet seats and leaders at the summit
were expected to press for a deal.

The stalemate has distracted leaders from a growing economic and
humanitarian crisis, with millions of Zimbabweans dependent on international
aid groups for food and medical care and a cholera epidemic killing nearly
3,000 people and spreading to neighbouring countries.

The regional Save Zimbabwe Now campaign sent a statement to the summit
warning that political violence was again on the increase in Zimbabwe,
quoting witnesses who have fled the country in recent days reporting "the
resurgence of familiar patterns of victimization by state forces and
militias and revenge attacks on suspected activists and their families."

AP

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Momentum Builds for Zimbabwe Intervention

http://www.commondreams.org

Published on Monday, January 26, 2009 by OneWorld.net

by Ida Wahlstrom

WASHINGTON - Calls are growing for the international community to do more
about Zimbabwe, and now global human rights leaders including Desmond Tutu
are engaging in a "relay fast" and other nonviolent acts to pressure
neighboring countries -- particularly South Africa -- to support the
Zimbabwean people's struggle for democracy and human rights.

"SADC and African governments must act resolutely to protect the people of
Zimbabwe who are being subjected to a passive genocide. The suffering of the
people of Zimbabwe cannot be ignored any longer," says the Save Zimbabwe
Now! Coalition in a petition calling for immediate action to resolve the
East African nation's political, economic, and humanitarian crises.
In addition to the petition and fast -- which human rights leaders including
CIVICUS's Kumi Naidoo and Nomboniso Gasa of the South African Gender
Commission are joining for 21 days apiece -- Save Zimbabwe Now! has launched
letter writing campaigns and will hold public meetings and rallies
throughout Southern Africa.

The coalition of human rights activists is demanding that the regional
economic alliance South African Development Community (SADC) and African
political leaders abandon the notoriously fruitless policy of "quiet
diplomacy" toward Zimbabwe.

Instead, they say, the SADC and other continental powers should staunchly
condemn the political violence and the Robert Mugabe regime's violation of
regional and international treaties and conventions on human and democratic
rights.

One such treaty is the Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party and the two factions of the leading opposition MDC party
paving the way for talks to resolve the country's political impasse.

The international community must also address Zimbabwe's crippling
humanitarian crises: primarily widespread food scarcity and hunger, the
near-collapse of the country's health system, and the cholera and AIDS
epidemics, the Coalition says, adding that Zimbabwe's neighbors in
particular must provide humanitarian assistance and refuge to those fleeing
the country.

"The act of purposefully going without food is also symbolic. It recognizes
the worsening food shortages in Zimbabwe, and the deepening humanitarian
crisis. It acknowledges the (mis)use of food as a tool in the ongoing
political turmoil. Most importantly, it expresses solidarity with the people
of Zimbabwe, as many struggle to meet the most basic of daily needs --
food," said a written statement released by Save Zimbabwe Now! earlier this
week.

Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to help
end apartheid in South Africa, believes international activist pressure can
yield results for Zimbabwe too. "If we would [only] have more people saying
'I will fast,' maybe one day a week -- just to identify myself with my
sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe," Tutu pleaded on South African radio
recently. The 77-year-old archbishop will be going without food one day a
week until the Coalition's demands are met.

Save Zimbabwe Now! is also calling for a halt to the government's intense
assault on civil and human rights activists, marked by a series of
abductions and torture of those criticizing the government.

New Mediator Needed?
Many of Save Zimbabwe Now!'s demands are directed at the SADC, but some
human rights groups are so disappointed with the regional body's efforts to
date that they are suggesting the African Union (AU) take control of
mediation efforts in Zimbabwe.

"During the recent Citizensâ€TM Continental Conference held in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia...the participants called upon the African Union to formally
recognize that the SADC mediation is challenged and has not achieved the
desired results and that the resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis should be
done under the direct authority of the AU," wrote the 16-member Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum in an email to supporters Wednesday.

Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York and monitors abuses around
the world, agrees. "Ongoing human rights abuses have not ceased and those
responsible have not been held to account," the group said Thursday, calling
on the African Union to "insert itself formally into the mediation process
and set basic principles, specific human rights benchmarks, and timelines
for resolving the crisis."

Human Rights Watch also urged the AU to suspend Zimbabwe from the grouping
of nations if -- within a specific time frame -- it does not meet specific
human rights and good governance benchmarks.

The African Union will begin a week-long summit meeting in Addis Ababa
Monday.

Call to Americans

Zimbabwe- and U.S.-based groups are also urging Americans to stand up on
behalf of Zimbabweans.

Following a December holiday visit to his home country, Washington, DC-based
Zimbabwean Briggs Bomba relayed to reporters the requests of civic leaders
and activists in Zimbabwe.

Groups like Zimbabwe Crisis Coalition, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, Zimbabwe
Peace Project, and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights all need help spreading
the word about the problems Zimbabweans are facing, said Bomba, who works
with the nonprofit pressure group Africa Action.

Indeed, noted Bomba, campaigners in Zimbabwe believe human rights defender
Jestina Mukoku finally surfaced after more than three weeks of disappearance
only because of intense international pressure from human rights groups
around the world.

The grassroots and community organizations that Bomba connected with in
Zimbabwe are also strapped for funds to enable basic operations such as
accessing and sending e-mails and traveling to connect with other
organizations and provide services within the country.

These groups "bring an important perspective and feeling to the table and
are absolutely vital to the democratic and social justice struggle in
Zimbabwe," said Bomba. "They are severely crippled by lack of basic
resources for communication, transport, and other needs."

Ordinary Zimbabweans Make Their Plea

The idea for the global hunger strike was born when activists from South
Africa were in Zimbabwe in December to produce a film about the struggles
faced by everyday people and local community organizing groups.

The short video features ordinary Zimbabweans, church leaders, trade
unionists, community workers, and human rights lawyers, suggesting that
immediate and decisive action from South African leaders and the wider
international community is needed.

"Here we are not free. We do not get enough food to eat. We do not get
enough clothing. We do not get any care at schools. We do not get
comfortable at home. When we wake up, we do not get any food to eat. We only
get water and go to school," said one young person interviewed in Part I of
the film (see video below). "Water does not give us strength to learn," he
added. "There are not doctors at the hospitals. We need doctors also. We
need teachers -- we need qualified teachers."

The film, entitled "Time 2 Act," can be viewed below and will be distributed
to the leaders of South Africa, the SADC, the AU, and South Africa's ruling
party the African National Congress, said the producers.

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Judges: nickels, dimes in regime's pockets?

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

26th Jan 2009 11:34 GMT

By Chenjerai Chitsaru

IN the seminal gangster movie, The Godfather, the head of one of the Costra
Nostra Families complains to Don Corleone why he doesn't allow them to use
the influence of "the judges and politicians he keeps in his pocket like so
many nickels and dimes".

Judges everywhere are susceptible to accusations of making judgments on
immoral grounds - after being bribed by influential, rich defendants or
their families. Don Corleone was assassinated in the film, perhaps
graphically displaying the consequences of disappointing the expectations of
a Mafia associate.

In Britain last year, there was a controversial case: a relative of the
former fascist leader, Oswald Mosley, appeared in court, charged with
engaging in bizarre, sado-masochistic sexual acitivites which shocked some
of the Britain's strait-laced society.

The motoring executive sued a newspaper which went to town with the story,
earning itself a libel suit from the Mosley tycoon. A judge ruled in his
favour, fuelling the wrath of most newspaper editors, who were steamed up
about the verdict, accusing the judge openly, of setting a precedent which
might encourage other rich ,but sexually deviant personalities to get away
with their bizarre practices, even if they were considered seriously
illegal enough to warrant a court case.

In Zimbabwe today, it must be enormously difficult to predict how far the
current debate on the integrity of the country's judges will go.
If Robert Mugabe's regime, cornered mostly in its own self-constructed
political cage, had its own way, the debate would get nowhere fast.

The integrity of the judiciary has been under the microscope since Mugabe
forced out the first black chief justice, Enock Dumbutshena, way back in the
1990s.

Dumburtshena then formed a political party to challenge Mugabe's Zanu PF -
and got nowhere. The microscope developed into a magnifying glass when Chief
Justice Anthony Gubbay, as erudite a legal mind as Dumbutshena, was also
forced to quit.

In both instances, there was a matter of principle involved: the accusation
was that the judges would not bend to Mugabe's bidding.
The current debate was inflamed by Judge President, Rita Makarau, a relative
of Mugabe, who laid into her fellow judges for not being exemplary in their
duties. Joining the debate was the little-known group called, Youth In
Politics Trust, who placed a full-page advertisement in a newspaper, with
the headline JUDGES SHOULD REMAIN HONEST TO BE RESPECTED.

"Judge President Rita Makarau, in her statement at the opening of this year's
High Court legal year, blasted some judges for allowing politicians to
compromise them."
She spoke in the presence of four judges.

The advert says the judges did not deny the charges."because there is clear
evidence that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has made donations to the judges".
The donations are said to include plasma televisions, luxury cars, houses,
cash payment of school fees for children and generators, "among other
things".

By now, nobody with any shred of knowledge on Zimbabwean politics would be
surprised or even shocked at Zanu PF's attempts to "bribe everybody" into
voting for it, or to ignore its malfeasance.
This is a regime whose ambition since independence was to get everybody of
any influence whatsoever into its pockets like so many nickels and dimes.
This extended to Parliament, where there are facilities for the MPs which
may or may not have persuaded some of the opposition legislators to ease up
on their criticism of the ruling party.

Many cynical analysts have always wondered why, a few years ago, the MDC's
attempt to impeach Mugabe fizzled out without so much as a whimper. It's
arguable if the action would have succeeded, but there are some observers
who believe that, carried to its logical conclusion, the impeachment attempt
would have left Zanu PF and Mugabe with bloody noses.

By now, even the Sadc leaders, some of them young enough to be Mugabe's
children, must appreciate that the 84-year-old nationalist will do anything
at all to remain in power - including granting them their wildest wishes.

There has been, for a while, sentiment among analysts that the judiciary is
the only bastion of democracy left in the country, apart from the opposition
in Parliament. And there has been much evidence that not all the judges are
wiling to do Gushungo's bidding in exchange for fancy TV sets.

But when a judge ruled in favour of Associated Newspapers, publishers if the
independent Daily News, a few years ago, there was so much heat from the
government and Zanu PF he fled to South Africa.

That display of Mafia-like fury sent the property signal to other judges -
as had been anticipated: you defy Zanu PF at your own peril.

There are a number of former judges whose opinion of The Bench under Chief
Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku is less than flattering. Chidyausiku succeeded
Gubbay, having cut his teeth as a Mugabe loyalist as chairman of the
ill-fated Constitutional Commission.

That abortive plan to amend the constitution "the Zanu PF way" was foiled by
a referendum verdict orchestrated by the National Constitutional Assembly
(NCA) whose chairman was the same man now Mugabe's No. l nemesis, Morgan
Tsvangirai.

What will the judges particularly those who must feel guilty, do after
reading the Youth in Politics Trust advertisement? These are hard economic
times, even for the judges, with their almost obscene perks. Yet they must
all have international considerations to weigh before deciding that what is
essential for them today is, not to be seen to be carrying out their duties
faithfully and sincerely, but to make money before the Mugabe gravy train
crashes, as it is bound to, sooner or later.

The role of the RBZ in softening the judges' principled stand against a
government committed to bribing the world to applaud its stand, is bizarre -
if you are unaware of its other equally outlandish actions in favour of the
Mugabe regime.

Incidentally, it is difficult to understand why Gideon Gono would, in all
honesty, see his role as acceptable internationally. Can you imagine other
central bankers congratulating him heartily for supporting a regime which
has garnered such a reputation for political perfidy?

Cynics tend to worry about the stubbornness of the Mugabe regime to resist
any attempts by the MDC to accede to some of the opposition demands.

Is there a deliberate plot to so disillusion and discourage the MDC , in the
end, they may accept the Zanu PF formula because to continue to resist would
plunge the country down an abyss from which it might not emerge for decades?

There is real fear that Mugabe and Zanu PF are prepared for this - to
destroy the country - if it means they retain their hold on power, even of
a country with nothing of any material importance to itself, its people and
the rest of the world.

Then you would have to wonder what it is they are trying to conceal from the
rest of the world. What is it that we have not been told about what Zanu PF
has done to this country?

On the facer of it, an inclusive government with Mugabe and some of his
people in top positions is not so difficult for the people to accept- as
long as the MDC has the clout to decide such vital matters as law and order,
finance and the media.

But it would appear that Zanu PF and Mugabe are determined that any final
agreement must result in the MDC eating crow, in recognising that Zanu PF is
still top dog, still calling the shots, still holding all the aces - that
nothing has changed, except the MDC has cabinet ministers, but cannot
determine the destiny of the country, unless with Zanu PF's say-so.

Basically, this is why a settlement has been long in coming. Zanu PF wants
even the MDC so conduct itself like "so many nickels and dimes:" in Zanu PF's
pockets.

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Another good kicking

http://www.zimbabwetoday.co.uk/

How South African police follow the example of Zimbabwe's uniformed thugs

Johannesburg, Monday, January 26

It's as well that we Zimbabweans are accustomed to being beaten and shot at
by the forces of law and order in our country. Because exactly the same
treatment is being meted out to us here in the heart of supposedly lawful
South Africa.

I came to South Africa at the weekend to cover the extraordinary summit of
South African Development Community (SADC) leaders, who are meeting in
Pretoria today to once again consider the vexed question of Robert Mugabe's
stranglehold over Zimbabwe.

What I witnessed was police brutality on a scale I had previously only seen
on the streets of Harare. Clashes between demonstrators and police ended
with various highly respectable individuals being taken away in police
vehicles, and ten protestors rushed to hospital with injuries caused by
rubber bullets.

The trouble began when a protest march, organised by a coalition of South
African and Zimbabwean civil society groupings and intended to bring
pressure on the SADC leaders to end the stalemate in Zimbabwe, reached the
Union Buildings, which house the office of President Kgalema Motlanthe.

The marchers numbered about 1,500, and some of the more adventurous stormed
into the building, singing, waving flags and shouting slogans. The police
replied with volleys of rubber bullets which sent hundreds of demonstrators
running for cover.

Among those injured was a boy of about 17, who was hit in the head with a
rubber bullet and lay on the ground bleeding profusely. He was able to give
me his name, Trsut Nyathi, before he was taken away to hospital, where I
later learned his condition was stable.

Meanwhile a delegation from the Save Zimbabwe Now! campaign, a new
initiative under the auspices of CIVICUS, the civil society based here in
Johannesburg, attempted to present a memorandum to the extraordinary session
of SADC, asking for an end to tacit support of the Mugabe regime.

Eight of the delegation, including Kumi Naidoo, president of CIVICUS, were
arrested, bundled into police vehicles, and driven away.

I have to point out that the high-handed and violent official reaction only
lasted for a short while, compared to similar events in Zimbabwe. But no
doubt the South African police will learn quickly from their more
experienced colleagues north of the border.

Posted on Monday, 26 January 2009 at 18:33

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Letter from America

http://www.zimaction.com

January 26, 2009

If Zimbabwe talks fail SADC/AU must push for new elections

During her inaugural speech before the Senate Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton announced the three pillars of the United States foreign policy,
collectively known as "smart power ." Mrs. Clinton said the United States
would use its diplomatic, defense and developmental strength in its foreign
policy.

Mrs. Clinton mentioned Zimbabwe as one country where she said the United
States will seek to end the autocratic regime of Robert Mugabe.

Earlier President Barack Obama, and in obvious reference to Mugabe regime,
said

" To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the
silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but
that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Mrs. Clinton elaborated on Obama's speech by adding that the United States
will seek partnerships and priorities in dealing with the world's problems.
She said the United States cannot solve all the world's problems alone and
will have to take into account its state of economic recession.

The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Susan Rice, also
said the United States will work tirelessly to confront Mugabe in order to
bring the suffering of the Zimbabweans to an end.

A common theme in the Obama administration's policy is that the US will
form partnerships, particularly with countries in southern Africa, to effect
a meaningful transitional government in Zimbabwe.

It is highly unlikely that Obama's policy on Zimbabwe will be
significantly different from that of his predecessor, George Bush.

What is likely to emerge is an even more robust and proactive diplomatic
effort to bring pressure not only on Mugabe but on SADC and the African
Union.

Today, SADC heads of state will meet in Pretoria, South Africa's capital
city, to try to broker a government of national unity implementation
agreement in Zimbabwe.

The United States will follow the deliberations with great interest and
some involvement, possibly in form of financial incentives to support the
fragile government of national unity should MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai,
be satisfied his demands have been met and sign the agreement.

Unless the SADC commits itself to a paradigm shift away from its
traditional cozying up to Mugabe and unless SADC demands real and meaningful
concessions from Mugabe, the Pretoria meeting today will be a big yawn for
Zimbabweans.

What is essentially blocking a chance for a government of national unity
is the fact that Mugabe has refused to agree to an equal sharing of
strategic ministries. He grabbed for himself all the ministries of home
affairs, defense, local government, justice, foreign affairs, and
information. In addition Mugabe has appointed all provincial governors and
reserve bank governor and attorney general.

The only compromise, if it can be called that, Mugabe was willing to make
was sharing the ministry of home affairs.

Former president Bush's policy on Zimbabwe was spearheaded by his
undersecretary of state for African affairs, Jendayi Frazer, whose fiery
rhetoric brought shivers down the spines of the Mugabe regime.

   Zimbabweans hope that the Obama policy on Zimbabwe will build on the
existing approach, and not allow it to be watered down in any way.

At the end of last year, the Bush administration was reportedly
considering a number of options to escalate its political, economic and
diplomatic push to bring pressure to bear on Mugabe.

This should precisely be where the Obama administration must begin. It
must look at additional measures that can be taken over and above the
existing targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime and its top bras.

But Obama's policy of partnership stresses the active involvement of other
parties, notably SADC and the African Union.

Both SADC and the African Union have scheduled meetings this and next
week.   The Zimbabwean crisis will hang like an albatross over both the SADC
and AU necks.

If SADC and AU fail to resolve the Zimbabwean crisis, this will signal to
the international community that Africa is incapable of dealing with the
crisis. It will make a mockery of the outbursts, especially by the Ugandan
and South African representatives at the United Nations Security Council
that Africa is capable of resolving the Zimbabwean situation and that the
western world must stay out.

Both SADC and AU will lose credibility in being active and effective
players in dealing with African problems. They will just become another
extension of the widely discredited Organization of African Unity which
failed dismally to play a meaningful role in addressing and solving the
continent's problems.

The task now rests with Botswana, Kenya, Ghana and possibly Nigeria, who
have taken a more critical attitude towards Robert Mugabe, to try to lobby
their counterparts at either, or both, SADC and African Union meetings to
take a tougher position and role in bringing pressure on Mugabe.

If there is no breakthrough in efforts to form a government of national
unity, SADC and AU must insist on new elections supervised by SADC/AU and
the United Nations.

   Mugabe will obviously refuse new elections under regional and
international supervision because he benefitted from rigging the last
elections, even though the rigging was not entirely successful.

For their part, Zimbabweans have their backs against the wall because of
the nose-diving economic and social conditions in the country.

With all the indicators of a failed state now visible - the collapse of
everything -Zimbabweans have no excuse whatsoever for their reluctance in
engaging in mass protests and civil disobedience.

The collapse of the worthless Zimbabwean dollar must be the last straw for
Zimbabweans. It must surely have brought the Zimbabweans to the edge of
their tolerance and indifference.

On one hand, Zimbabweans earn their wages in the worthless Zimbabwean
dollars, yet they are required to pay for virtually all of their goods and
services in foreign currency!

Faced with this massive dollarization, the ZANUPF propaganda that Zimbabwe
will never be a colony again is an idle and laughable hogwash!

Zimbabweans owe it to themselves and future generations to not only
liberate themselves from the evil clutches of the Mugabe dictatorship but to
also leave a legacy of a prosperous nation, the rule of law, freedom and
democracy for future generations.

To do so Zimbabweans are duty bound to stand up against Mugabe and tell
him they are reclaiming their country. Zimbabwe does not, has never, and
will never belong to Mugabe and ZANUPF. What has happened is Mugabe and
ZANUPF have stolen Zimbabwe through fraudulent elections, violence and the
militarization of the state.

History and future generations will judge Mugabe regime harshly for
failure to uphold democracy and human rights.

But the same history and future generations will judge Zimbabweans harshly
for failure to take advantage of missed opportunities for civil disobedience
and mass protests.

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New health fees; Residents` access to health barred!

…as Cholera and poverty wreak more havoc across the country.

23 January 2009

If Harare residents and Zimbabweans at large had a wand of magic or a choice at least; they would end all sicknesses but the fact that they occur naturally and involuntarily leaves them at the mercy of the twisted ‘politics of survival’ maneuverings of a desperate and failed defacto authority, the Mugabe ‘Government.’ The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) finds it stomach-turning that Public Health has been effectively privatized (through the introduction of the new hard currency fees) amid the socio-economic malaise that has drastically increased poverty among the residents. The average Zimbabwean has been denied access to health as the ZANU PF ‘government’ takes desperate measures to keep its ‘Titanic of chronic failure’ afloat.

The Government hospitals which together with Council clinics were given the nod to charge in hard currency (but still accept the valueless Zimbabwean dollar with the charges determined on a daily basis), charge patients a hard-to-come-by US$40=R 400 (equals to ZW$ quintillions at parallel market rate) for consultation only and massive US$70=R700 a night for in-patients. A Caesarean operation requires a flat fee of a whopping US$150=R1 500 while scans cost around US$80=R800.The Harare City council has pegged consultation fee for adults at US$5 a visit and US$3 for children Antenatal care booking charges for expecting women are pegged at US$50 and family planning method seekers pay an average of US$2 per service.

Most low income earners who make the majority of the Zimbabwean population still earn far below US$ 1 per month, lower than the least charge for any service rendered at the Government hospitals and council clinics. The health charges set are therefore exasperatingly out of reach of the generality of residents and have turned public facilities into private ones and condemn residents to more suffering. The health charges are tantamount to fundraising to prop up the failed ‘government’ and broaden the looting base for the Mabhizas, Ribatikas (ZANU PF Senator and Councilor who were recently arrested for allegedly defrauding the state of more than US$ 10 000), the charges are prohibitive, and should be reversed.

Meanwhile the hard currency craze has seen massive profiteering and nuances of lack of accountability in public and private sectors. CHRA would like to urge the ministry of Health, the defacto Government and all other public and private service providers to stop ripping off citizens and uphold principles of justice and due fairness in discharging their mandate and in their businesses respectively. CHRA will continue to advocate for transparency, professionalism, and quality municipal and other service(s) delivery.

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)

145 Robert Mugabe Way

Exploration House, Third Floor

Harare

ceo@chra.co.zw

www.chra.co.zw

Landline: 00263- 4- 705114

Contacts: Mobile: + 263 011862012, 011 923 204 0912 653 074, 0913 042 981, or email info@chra.co.zw, and admin@chra.co.zw

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Comment from a correspondent

The only way that the South African Government will come to its senses and
the force the issue on Zimbabwe , is if FIFA gets a flea in its ear over the
risk of Cholera spreading from Zimbabwe and '' posing a very real threat to
the 2010 Soccer World cup tourists ''

Its your trump card , and it would be worth your while to contact friends in
the international soccer fraternity , as well as the tourism industry to
'openly express concern about the situation in Zimbabwe and very
specifically the contagion effect of Cholera and its threat to tourists
visiting SA ''

It would also be a good idea for lobbyists to get the British , American
and European Union Governments repsrentatives in SA to start making noises
about a possible .... Travel Warning..... due to Cholera .

Many counties in OECD such as Japan , Canada , etc will follow suit , and it
could be a diplomatic coup .

Its essential that lobbying is done in Europe by Soccer authorities . If
FIFA comes to the party , of course that would be ideal .

This risk of losing the host status , will get so far up the SA Governments
nose that it will react swiftly , and drop Mugabe like a ton of bricks .

With about 60 weeks to Go to the World cup , the time to turn up the tempo
is now .

South Africa regards the WC as its chance to show the world the Africans can
stand up as equals in this world , they cannot allow its to be threatened or
allow it to fail or be moved to Australia .

Anything that threatens the holding of the Soccer WC will give SA wakeup
call , and you can be certain that they too are fed up with Mugabe . He is
80- something years old, surely the region can let him go and stop
supporting him . If Mugabe is seen as a threat to the hosting the WC , then
they will react .

We sit here in New Zealand and get the most horrendous stories coming out of
Zimbabwe , and continue to be astonished at the SADC and AU intransigence
over its support for the brutal Mugabe regime .

It may be also worthwhile to do what Mugabe had done so well over the years
, and 'make' a story about the risks to tourists of contracting Cholera in
the areas 'near Zimbabwe 's borders ', such as Kriger Park for example .

Here in New Zealand , where tourism is a major source of national revenue
and pride, its always an outrage when a tourist is threatened , robbed ,
injured or becomes ill or lost . It may be a good idea to have a story
about a sickly young German tourist to suspected to have contracted Cholera
while visiting Kriger Park near the Zimbabwe border. This could be used as a
pretext to explode the whole Cholera risk in the context of the WC . The
story will of course make it into the German and Swiss papers, and Sepp
Blatter will be forced to respond.

Good luck , its probably your last chance and your trump card

Regards

K

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Back to Index

No progress at regional Zimbabwe summit: MDC

SADC summit making no progress on Zimbabwe crisis

South African police use violence to break up Zimbabwean protest

Clinton "very concerned" by Zimbabwe impasse

Robert Mugabe threatens unilateral government

SADC has failed Zimbabwe - Skelemani

Mugabe, Tsvangirai held secret meeting

Zimbabweans Anxious About Their Future as Summit Convenes in South Africa

Zimbabweans have little hope for unity talks

EU tightens Zimbabwe sanctions, freezes firms' assets

Zimbabwean tycoon faces EU crackdown

FACTBOX - Sanctions on Zimbabwe

Cholera crisis expected to worsen as Red Cross pull-out feared

Cholera in Zimbabwe - latest figures up until 25 January 2009

Worst-case cholera scenario getting worse

50 days in captivity for Zimbabwean human rights defender

Council Conclusions on Zimbabwe

China MP calls for Bona Mugabe's deportation

Emelia Ndoro, "We fear an outbreak here would be a big disaster"

Stop supporting 'passive genocide' in Zimbabwe - Catholic priests

Momentum Builds for Zimbabwe Intervention

Judges: nickels, dimes in regime's pockets?

Another good kicking

Letter from America

New health fees; Residents` access to health barred!

Comment from a correspondent