By Tererai
Karimakwenda
14 November, 2007
As the lawlessness continues to rule on
commercial farms in the country,
farmers’ organisations report that the
looting of farm equipment and other
assets by top officials has intensified.
The recent escalation is largely
due to the Supreme Court decision last
Monday that allows government to take
farm equipment from white farmers
whose properties have been ‘acquired.’ Two
well-known cases represent the
situation clearly, one in Karoi and the other
in Masvingo. In both cases,
senior army officials are reported to have
ordered the farm owners to leave
all their movable assets, and have not
offered any compensation for the
materials.
John Worsley Worswick of Justice for Agriculture (JAG), which
represents
evicted farmers, confirmed there is no regard for the rule of
law. He said:
“Where this equipment should be acquired by way of due process
under the
Farm Equipment and Materials Act, on the ground it’s politics that
reigns
and certainly we see a massive escalation in interest in that
equipment.”
Worswick added: “Farmers are now being instructed not to even
consider
taking any equipment off the farms that now belong to the State and
to the
chefs who are moving on to those farms.”
The chefs referred to
by Worswick include Major General Nicholas Dube in the
Karoi area of
Mashonaland West province. Major Dube used soldiers to take
over Grand
Parade farm illegally, and is alleged to have seized the owner’s
equipment.
The senior army chef ignored a court order that allowed the farm
owner to
stay on his property.
In the Masvingo area, Brigadier-General Kalisto
Gwanetsa, who is also the
Chiredzi South MP, recently ordered farmer Lyle
Engles to leave all his
movable farm equipment when he vacates his property.
Engles is reportedly
challenging Gwanetsa on the seizure, but is still said
to be leaving his
property.
Having found no justice from the courts
in Zimbabwe, some farmers have taken
their cases to tribunals outside the
country. Asked whether they are hoping
to get more encouraging results,
Worswick said: “We have 7 years of
experience here in Zimbabwe of watching
the judiciary being subverted and
the rule of law being circumnavigated by
politics. One always has the hope
that in a regional court, that is not
going to happen. So our hopes are
running high that we will receive rulings
from the law, rather than
political rulings.”
SW Radio
Africa Zimbabwe news
By Henry Makiwa
14 November 2007
The scrapping of
visas between Mozambique and Zimbabwe has given rise to
corrupt practices as
traders seek to capitalise on the recent relaxation of
immigration
regulations.
Many Zimbabweans, hard-hit by the crippling economic crisis at
home, have
begun flooding into Mozambique since the visa requirement between
the two
countries fell away at the beginning of the month. They are however
restricted by a ruling that only allows them to carry a maximum of Z$5
million – less than 100 Mozambiquean meticals - when crossing over into
Mozambique, which is hardly enough for them to purchase the basic goods
desperately needed at home.
The move has led to many of them making
“deals” with Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority (Zimra) officers to enable them to
pass through the border with
more money. “Smuggling” of goods is also
reportedly still rife, as
Zimbabwean traders with access to scarce
commodities ship them over into
Mozambique where they fetch bigger profits.
In other instances, items such
as sugar, bread and milk are brought from
Zimbabwe in exchange for other
commodities like rice, flour, cooking oil and
laundry soap from Mozambique.
Zimbabwean professionals who are battling
with threats of job losses and
poor pay have also reportedly been moving
into Mozambique, despite the
language barrier. According to construction
worker Akim Mufema, the once
sleepy border post of Forbes is now a hive of
activity.
He said: “Most Zimbabweans will find it hard to communicate
here because
Mozambiqueans predominantly speak Portuguese or other languages
that have
very little similarity to Shona and Ndebele. But many are
job-hunting here
regardless because the crisis at home is forcing us to do
so.”
He added, “Corruption at Forbes is brewing however. People are carrying
millions in cash hidden in pillows and even bibles, across the border. In
Mozambique you can now find people buying Zimbabwean-made goods that have
been smuggled in across the border,” Mufema told us from his Pemba
base.
The decision to scrap visas between Zimbabwean and Mozambique was made
to
“strengthen ties between the two countries”. Under the new system,
nationals
from both countries are permitted a 30-day stay in either country
on
presentation of a valid passport at the
border.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
The Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 14 November 2007 15:56
Formidable
alliance to unseat Mugabe in 2008
BY ITAI DZAMARA
HARARE
The idea of a coalition of political forces that would
undoubtedly
unseat President Robert Mugabe at the 2008 elections is being
mooted. Talks
behind the scenes have already been held, according to
impeccable sources,
between the leader of the opposition, Morgan Tsvangirai,
and some
disgruntled elements from Zanu (PF) fronted by former cabinet
minister Simba
Makoni.
It is believed that Arthur Mutambara, the
leader of the MDC breakaway
faction, has also been involved. We have
established that a meeting took
place in South Africa recently between
Tsvangirai, Makoni and retired army
general Solomon Mujuru.
Political analysts are convinced that such a coalition would put an
end to
the Mugabe era. Our sources say the coalition also has the backing of
elements within the government of President Thabo Mbeki of South
Africa.
"They believe this will provide an answer to Zimbabwe's
political
crisis and it is being pursued parallel to the current talks
involving Zanu
(PF) and MDC," said a source.
Makoni, who is widely
respected internationally and has a growing
following at home, is reported
to be mulling over the various options and
modalities of how to proceed,
said a highly-placed source.
"The Zanu (PF) option is out and he has
already started weighing the
others, which include forming a new party.
However, a coalition with other
existing parties would be stronger and stand
better chances of unseating
Mugabe," said the source.
Both
Tsvangirai and Makoni refused to discuss the matter when
contacted for
comment. But sources insisted the coalition was "very likely"
and could be
announced in January, once the necessary structures had been
agreed.
"The desire is there in all the political formations and
individuals.
The major issue to tackle is the actual power sharing. A
possible structure,
which has already been considered and debated, is that
of having Tsvangirai
as the leader of the coalition backed by Makoni and
Mutambara."
Makoni leads a group in Zanu (PF) that has been advocating
for
reformation of the ruling party and calling for an end to Mugabe's
stranglehold on power, which has led to unprecedented economic decline. In
an interview with this paper last month, Makoni said he was prepared to play
a role in the political leadership of the country if called upon to do
so.
Zim Online
by Tafirei Shumba Thursday 15 November
2007
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s government may be short on cash
after eight years of
economic recession but it certainly has enough to
splash on international
artists hired to perform in Harare in publicity
stunts aimed at sprucing up
the country’s battered image.
Just last
week, Jamaican reggae artist Luciano was in Harare in a one-off
spin
pocketing a cool US$30 000 from the state and not to mention that
foreign
currency is hard to come by in the crisis-hit country.
Luciano, who
enthusiastically endorsed President Robert Mugabe’s chaotic and
often
violent farm seizure policy, was offered everything a VIP could ask
for -
five-star hotel accommodation, a sleek glass-tinted Hummer vehicle and
bodyguards paid for by the government.
Only last month, Botswana's
pop star Vee and South African group Mafikizolo
were in the capital on a
similar exercise to promote Zimbabwe as a safe
tourist
destination.
Across the country, somewhat dreary regional Miss Tourism
beauty pageants,
again sponsored by the state, were taking place ostensibly
as a tool to
break Zimbabwe’s isolation by the international community and
in the process
help revitalise tourism.
However, business analysts
are sceptical the government's spirited stunts
will work.
Harare
business consultant Nick Pashai said it was illogical to think that
mere
catwalks and music could cure the ills of Zimbabwe brought to its knees
by
the controversial policies of Mugabe, in power since 1980 and among the
few
remaining of Africa’s old style Big-man rulers.
"It would be foolhardy
for the government, and for anyone for that matter,
to think that Zimbabwe's
problems such as the demised tourism could be
solved by an evening of
merrymaking at a beauty contest or a reggae jam
session," Pashai
said.
Pashai said what Zimbabwe required was comprehensive political
reforms to
foster economic stability and help turn around the tourism sector
and the
economy in general.
He said: "Without political reforms that
would give the international
community renewed confidence in Zimbabwe,
nothing would work for tourism
here.
“We can bring Naomi Campbell,
Michael Jackson or Madonna to Harare and that
won't be the lasting solution
to our tourism problems. Tourists will visit a
country that is peaceful and
safe, where they can access basic necessities
such as fuel, food and
cash."
Zimbabwe has grappled with a severe political and economic crisis
since 1999
amid allegations of gross human rights abuses as Mugabe’s
government
resorted to repression to keep public discontent in check in the
face of
shortages, deepening poverty and the world’s highest inflation rate
of
nearly 8 000 percent.
Many in the country, including some of the
leading officials in Mugabe’s
government, believe resolving the country’s
political crisis is vital to any
effort to stop what was once one of
Africa’s most vibrant economies from
further decline.
For example,
the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) last month
called for urgent
“political consensus” that would to lead restoration of
ties with the
international community to pave way for economic recovery.
“There is an
urgent need for political consensus in Zimbabwe which would
lead to
restoration of international relations, for industry and the country
to
recover from the current economic crisis,” said the CZI that is
considered
the voice of business in the country.
But the Harare administration
appears convinced that as far it concerns
tourism – probably the fastest
growing sector before decline set in - the
publicity stunts are just what
the doctor ordered.
Tourism Minister Francis Nhema told ZimOnline: "The
pageants and music shows
are ongoing. Both are important for image-building
and for publicity. It’s a
positive thing to do."
Besides, as Nhema
revealed, the performances by the visiting international
artists were also
something of a diplomatic coup for isolated Harare.
Said Nhema: "The
artists are coming here and spreading the word
internationally that we are a
haven for safe tourism."
Rising politically motivated violence and human
rights abuses following the
1999 birth of a stronger opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC)
party to challenge the rule of Mugabe has seen
Zimbabwe being classified as
an unsafe destination and tourist arrivals have
plummeted in response to the
country’s negative image.
To his credit,
Nhema admitted he was not quite able to judge how the music
galas and beauty
pageants were helping improve Zimbabwe’s image in the
traditional tourism
source markets in Britain, United States and other
Western
countries.
"I am not really able to judge on the international scene if
the events are
attracting tourists,” he said.
This however is no good
enough a reason to stop the government from
sponsoring more music galas with
at least one more gala to celebrate a 1987
unity accord between ZANU PF and
the then opposition PF ZAPU party expected
in December.
Meanwhile,
the government’s "artists for hire" are reportedly busy in the
studios
recording a CD that will promote Mugabe and ZANU PF in the run-up to
joint
presidential and parliamentary elections penciled in for March next
year. -
ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Sebastian Nyamhangambiri Thursday 15 November
2007
HARARE - Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
yesterday commissioned the
reconstituted Media and Information Commission
(MIC) and said he wanted the
body to "start in earnest" reviewing a ban on
Zimbabwe's largest
privately-owned paper imposed four years
ago.
Ndlovu said that he wanted the commission to address outstanding
issues
regarding the Daily News that was banned in 2003.
"I want them
to start working in earnest especially on the ANZ (Associated
Newspapers of
Zimbabwe, publishers' of the Daily News) case," Ndlovu told
ZimOnline.
The Daily News, which was Zimbabwe's best selling daily
paper, was banned
after the Supreme Court ruled it was operating outside the
law because it
was not registered with the (MIC).
A tough government
media law requires journalists and their companies to
register with the
commission in order to operate in Zimbabwe.
The case has been at the
courts since then with President Robert Mugabe's
government dragging its
feet in dealing with the matter.
Lawyers representing the Daily News and
media rights groups last month
attacked Ndlovu after he retained
controversial government apologist
Tafataona Mahoso as chairman of the
MIC.
Ndlovu refused to answer questions over the retaining of Mahoso who
was
found by the courts to be biased against the Daily News.
However,
unconfirmed reports yesterday suggested that Mahoso had been asked
to recuse
himself from adjudicating the paper's application.
Journalists and
political observers remain skeptical that the government
would allow the
mass circulating paper it often accused of being a voice of
the opposition,
months ahead of tricky presidential and parliamentary
elections next
year.
The issue of media freedom is part of ongoing talks being mediated
by South
Africa between Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF party and the main
opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
by Thulani Munda Thursday 15 November
2007
HARARE – Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon
Gono is today
expected to commission the country’s first bio-diesel
processing plant in
Harare as the southern African nation gropes for a
solution to acute fuel
shortages.
The bio-diesel plant is part of a
government-backed project to reduce
Zimbabwe’s dependence on petrol and
diesel by shifting to more usage of
bio-fuels.
The southern African
country, which is battling an unprecedented economic
crisis that has
manifested itself in the world’s highest inflation rate of
nearly 8 000
percent, requires US$300 million to import fuel per month.
But an acute
shortage of foreign currency since 1999 has seen the country
fail to import
enough fuel resulting in motorists queuing for hours across
the country in
search of fuel.
Gono, who earlier this week extended invitations for
people to attend the
commissioning of the bio-diesel plant, did not indicate
how much Harare had
spent on the plant.
Fuel shortages highlight
Zimbabwe’s unprecedented economic crisis that has
also seen inflation
shooting to nearly 8 000 percent, rising poverty,
shortages of food and
every basic commodity.
This week international oil prices touched the
US$100 per barrel mark,
further throwing landlocked Zimbabwe into a complex
situation.
However, local scientists say the development of the
bio-diesel project
could in the long run provide a viable solution to fuel
shortages.
“It important for Zimbabwe to engage in the development of
biotechnology
energy crops such as Jatropha, soyabeans and sugarcane so that
the country
can quickly work towards reducing the amount of fuel that it is
importing by
systematically replacing it with bio-fuels,” scientist
Christopher Chetsanga
told a conference on bio-diesel production in Harare
recently.
Chetsanga, who is president of the Zimbabwe Academy of
Sciences, said
bio-fuels were not only attracting attention in Zimbabwe, but
have recently
attracted serious considerations worldwide due to the rapid
increase in
international oil prices. - ZimOnline
VOA
By Blessing Zulu
Washington
14 November
2007
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has given the
green light to broad
electoral reform, according to sources in his ruling
ZANU-PF party who say
Mr. Mugabe has recognized that clear progress on this
front must be made if
the Southern African region and the West are to come
through with an
economic rescue package.
The government is expected
to table the so-called Electoral Laws Amendment
Bill in parliament when it
reconvenes on Nov. 20, political sources said.
Among other provisions,
the bill would oblige state-run media to provide
free and fair access to
opposition parties, bar soldiers, police and other
state security agents
from polling places during elections, remove polling
stations from locations
susceptible to pro-government pressure such as army
barracks and traditional
chief homesteads, and increase the independence of
the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission.
Ruling party insiders say some top ZANU-PF officials opposed
the reforms
mooted in South African mediated crisis resolution talks, the
president
endorsed them late last month with support from Justice Minister
Patrick
Chinamasa - lead negotiator in the Pretoria talks - and brought the
party's
central committee and politiburo on board.
Some in the ruling
party fear that if elections in 2008 are internationally
condemned, Zimbabwe
could fall much deeper into a crisis that is already
profound.
Other
reform items are likely to be added to the amendment bill once talks
between
ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change resume next month.
Sources
close to the talks say negotiators have already agreed a number of
reforms.
Lawmaker Tongai Mathuthu of the opposition faction headed by
by MDC founder
Morgan Tsvangirai told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio
7 for Zimbabwe
that the media reforms in particular will be welcome if they
are
implemented.
VOA
By Chris Gande
Washington
14 November
2007
Two members of the Zimbabwe opposition who went to
the newsroom of the
Bulawayo daily Chronicle newspaper to complain about an
article were
arrested by police, held for a week and severely beaten,
opposition
officials said on Wednesday.
Dickson Mahommed and Geshom
Zimba, members of the faction of the Movement
for Democratic Change led by
MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai, are said to have
tried to speak with editors
at the state-controlled newspaper when police
were called.
MDC
sources said the newspaper published an article saying the two men had
been
paid by Thokozani Khuphe, a deputy vice president of the Tsvangirai
faction,
to attack delegates to an MDC women's assembly congress held last
month at a
restaurant in Bulawayo that is owned by Khupe. The opposition
sources said
the men were held in a wet cell and tortured for seven days
before being
hospitalized Tuesday.
Mahommed and Zimba were released on Wednesday
without being charged,
according to the opposition sources. Officials at the
Chronicle newspaper
refused to comment. National police spokesman Wayne
Bvudzijena could not be
reached.
Faction deputy spokesperson Thabitha
Khumalo told reporter Chris Gande of
VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the
faction will lodge a complaint against
the police.
OhmyNews
Hungry children drawn
to the streets in quest for food
Stephen Tsoroti
Published 2007-11-15 07:18 (KST)
It is 2 a.m. and I am standing uneasily
at a shopping complex in
Chitungwiza, east of the capital of Harare, before
a stoop where a line has
just formed. At the storefront a uniformed night
watchman clutches a torn
blanket inn one hand and a stack of uneven cut
brown tags in the other,
which I later learn are line tags to keep the order
of the line. Now and
then, he dishes out tags to newcomers and barks sleepy
orders for them to
follow the line.
At my count, 24 children as young
as 6-7 years old tow the lines in these
pre-dawn hours. In many ways they
are confirmed night children -- led to the
streets by hunger. So goes my
pre-dawn journey in the townships that border
Harare and the capital
itself.
With most shop shelves empty and
shortages of all fast moving basic food
items now widespread, women and
children have been forced to wake up in the
middle of the night to trudge
from one shop to another, following rumors has
that bread, mealie meal,
cooking oil, sugar or meat products are in stock.
The children shiver in
the night cold as they wait for the shops to open at
7 or 8 a.m., four to
six hours later.
"They wake me up early each morning. Most of the time I
have no clue what
time it is," says seven-year-old Kudzanai Tomu. "If I
refuse, my punishment
is an empty stomach."
"My first days, I was
kind of scared and afraid. But when I learnt that
there are other boys here,
I am no longer afraid," he adds innocently.
After about half an hour, I
exhaust my annoyance. I move to the end of the
queue. A boy who looked about
five years old ran to a position that placed
his skinny, oversized jersey
between an old lady and me. He smiled broadly.
He gestured grandly at me, at
the line, at the other boys seated by a
makeshift fireplace. I learn later
that he is an apprentice at the school of
extortion -- when hours before the
shops open, he sells his place and
numerable others to
latecomers.
Not all of these children wake up in the wee hours for the
sake of their
stomachs. For some, it is for purely business reasons.
Margaret Samu takes
three children -- Aisha, 6, Manu, 9, and Samuel, 10.
Each of these children
gets a chance to buy some of the rare items that
later the family will sale
at the black market.
"With my husband out
of work, my children need money for school fees, food
and accommodation.
This is the only way we can survive," says Margaret.
"The proceeds from
our sleepless nights help keep us surviving in these hard
times," says
Margaret nonchalantly.
Anna Yona expresses fear: "I often see these
children here early in the
morning. I fear some terrible things are going to
happen to them one day.
They might get abused or worse raped. Something
needs to be done to stop
these children indulging in these
activities."
The Girl Child Network a local nongovernmental organization
estimates that
an average of 3,500 girls are abused each year nationally.
The NGO believes
that since the implementation of Operation Restore Order
(ORO), and the
successive operations, child sexual abuse cases increased due
to family
members losing their homes and income.
The network reports
that during a study of 3 of its 16 administrative areas
in 2006, it tracked
a daily average of three child sexual abuse cases.
According to the most
recent information, from the 2004 national Child Labor
Survey, approximately
25 percent of children between ages of 5 and 17 were
involved in some form
of labor. The unemployment rate continues to grow,
with some estimates
putting it as high as 80 percent. Children work in the
agricultural sector,
as domestics and as car washers or car attendees. Many
children sell simple
wares on the streets.
These children's families were particularly
affected by the government's
ill-timed Operation Restore Order, which
destroyed homes and informal ways
of employment. Many families who earned
their income in the informal economy
or by renting out cottages on their
property lost income when the "illegal"
market stalls and cottages were
destroyed. Widows faced particular
difficulties when forced to relocate to
rural areas.
The government's recent dabbling in price controls on basic
goods has
further exacerbated the situation.
These ill-timed
government measures have led to children absconding from or
being forced to
drop out of school. In most of the regions of the country,
fewer girls than
boys attend schools.
The ever-increasing poverty in the country is blamed
for the children's
ordeals.
With the growing restlessness among the
nation's poor -- almost half the
population -- Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe faces the delicate balance
of assuaging poverty's roots while also
addressing its symptoms. Recently he
declared price controls on all
essential items like maize meal, bread, fuel
and cooking oil as a measure to
cushion the burden of the poor. But the
manufacturing sector, which has been
reeling under the adverse economic
conditions, has failed to supply the
desired goods due to inadequate
electricity, fuel and other inputs, all of
which have become erratic of
late.
Until the table is full again,
many children will walk the streets not even
daring to look at the
clock.
Monsters and Critics
Nov 14, 2007, 17:51 GMT
Windhoek - A white
Zimbabwean farmer is set to go to court in Namibia next
week over attempts
by the Zimbabwean government to seize his land, the first
ever case to be
heard by the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Tribunal.
William Michael Campbell, 75, faces criminal charges in
Zimbabwe for failing
to vacate his farm located on the outskirts of Harare
after numerous
attempts to seize since it since 2000.
The case, to be
heard Tuesday, is a first for the 14-nation SADC, which was
established in
1992 but only opened to cases in April.
Campbell is seeking an urgent
interim interdict to halt the 'continued
onslaught of invasions and
intimidation' on his farm pending a full hearing
in Zimbabwe on the legality
of land seizures. Authoritarian Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe is the
respondent in the case.
Campbell has turned to the SADC court while
waiting for the Supreme Court of
Zimbabwe to hand down judgement on his case
following a hearing in March
this year.
He is one of only a few
hundred white farmers still working the land in
Zimbabwe after thousands had
their farms seized, most without compensation,
in a controversial land
reform programme begun in 2000.
The rule of law in Zimbabwe had been
replaced by 'rule by law,' Campbell
said in a statement. 'They can now put
me in prison for being on land and in
a home that I spent my life's work
paying for.'
The SADC tribunal is tasked with ensuring that SADC members
respect the SADC
treaty, which calls for respect for the rule of law, among
other things.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
zimbabwejournalists.com
14th Nov 2007 18:23 GMT
By Trust
Matsilele
JOHANNESBURG - The Zimbabwe Civic Society Organisation
Diaspora Forum (Zim
CSO) has made fresh attacks on Zimbabwean organisations
based in South
Africa who solicit donor funding to foster poor selfish
gains.
“We have seen that there are some Zimbabwean civic societies here
in South
Africa that are taking advantage of Zimbabwe and they are abusing
them to
source funds which directly benefits those CSOs.”
“Due to
this we met the European Union team of 15 person delegation recently
in
Pretoria and we told them that we as Zimbabweans no longer recognise fly
by
night organisations who milk monies for their benefits," said Norah
Tapiwa.
Many within Zimbabwe blame the donor community for Zimbabwe’s
worsening
political crisis as many pro-democracy organisations are allegedly
bent on
prolonging the crisis in the country in an effort to milk more donor
funds
for their own benefit.
One political analyst, who did not want
to be named told
zimbabwejournalists.com: “Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe have
become an
industry, anyone wherever who wants to make money abuses the
crisis in
Zimbabwe to their benefit whether they are in South Africa,
Zimbabwe or the
United States. It is really sad that the donor mentality has
destroyed
Zimbabwe more than many in the country actually know.”
The
analyst who did not want to be named fearing a backlash from colleagues,
who
quickly use the polarisation in the country to level any critic a Zanu
PF
spy or sell-out said the donor community was so gullible and continued to
fund fragmented efforts being used to deal with the crisis in
Zimbabwe.
The CSO Forum said that some organisations were more concerned
in filling
pockets rather than helping poor Zimbabweans squeezing in at the
Central
Methodist Church here.
"Never again should anyone take
advantage of the Zimbabwean people. Zimbabwe
is more than a geographical
location, a piece of land in Southern Africa,"
said the CSO’s
Tapiwa.
Tapiwa named some organisations known throughout the donor
community who
have failed to meet the needs of those poor Zimbabweans but
confirmed they
had managed to buy themselves posh cars from funds from
well-known donors.
Zim CSO Forum said Zimbabweans were now spread all
over world due to the
economic mismanagement of their country, poor
governance and the abuse of
state power.
"Zimbabwe is a people, a
nation that is now all over the globe hence the
formation of the Diaspora
Forum and the Global Zimbabwe to meet the demands
of the people of Zimbabwe,
"said Tapiwa.
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Young
people show little interest in backing the opposition in next year’s
elections.
By Jacob Nhlanhla in Bulawayo (AR No. 143,
14-Nov-07)
Signs of apathy among Zimbabwean youth who make up the
majority of voters
have begun to emerge as the country prepares for crucial
polls next year,
with many regarding the outcome as a foregone
conclusion.
In what were regarded as watershed elections in 2000 - the
first national
poll that pit the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, and
Robert Mugabe’s
increasingly unpopular ruling ZANU-PF against each other -
Zimbabwean youths
emerged as the largest voting bloc.
They came in
huge numbers to cast their vote for the then-newly established
MDC. Bulawayo
youths worked hard to mobilise other young voters in the
run-up to the
election, even though this risked a backlash from ZANU-PF
activists
notorious for meting out violence against their political
opponents.
But the hopes and enthusiasm of youngsters who took part
in the election
were dashed when ZAUN-PF emerged victorious - albeit by a
narrow margin
which many observers attributed to vote-rigging.
It was
an electoral defeat that not only shook the opposition but also the
young
men and women who had queued for hours under the blistering sun to
"vote for
change", as the slogan went.
"I was based in Harare then, and I took the
long train trip to Bulawayo to
vote in my constituency where I had been
registered as a voter," a then
student and now practicing journalist
recalled this week. "But along with
others, our disappointment was written
all over our faces when the election
results came out."
Although
ZANU-PF narrowly took the majority parliamentary seats, and the
opposition
quickly alleged electoral fraud, observer missions were divided:
African
teams endorsed the results, while their western counterparts
criticised the
poll for being held in a climate that was neither free nor
fair.
Nonetheless, presidential elections in 2002 pitting Mugabe
against the MDC’s
Morgan Tsvangirai saw enthusiasm again rekindled. But this
time the youth,
probably still the biggest voting bloc, approached the poll
with calculated
caution.
"While some thronged the polling stations,
others were already complaining
that there was no need to waste their time
as Mugabe would win," the
Bulawayo-based journalist told IWPR.
And
win Mugabe did. He claimed 56 per cent of the vote. The opposition again
alleged electoral fraud. The electorate’s frustration with the ballot’s
failure to usher in a peaceful political transition led to widespread
disillusionment and apathy.
In 2005, the MDC got its biggest
electoral drubbing with ZANU-PF claiming 78
out of 120 elected seats. The
MDC lost the seats it had won in 2000.
As the nation prepares for what
are seen as potentially bruising polls next
year, the MDC’s prospects have
never looked so bleak, as it seems many young
people are more concerned with
escaping the country than trying to bring
about change.
"Young people
are fed up," said the journalist who asked not to be named.
And the
frustration is palpable among the thousands who risk life and limb
crossing
illegally into neighbouring Botswana and South Africa in search of
jobs.
At the same time, the opposition has complained that the
authorities have
put in place measures to disenfranchise young people by
denying them
national identity documents that will enable them to register
and cast their
votes next year. The registrar general, whom critics say has
ruling party
links, denies these allegations, however.
"What’s the
use," a student at the Bulawayo Polytechnic said of the
elections in March
next year. Reflecting the sentiments of many here in this
city of more than
two million, he added, “There is so much confusion today
in the MDC, for me,
voting is a waste of time. Who do I vote for? The signs
are that Mugabe will
win."
Certainly, all the signs are that ZANU-PF and Mugabe will win the
combined
parliamentary and presidential elections, despite the plunging
popularity of
both.
A journalism and media studies lecturer at the
local National University of
Science and Technology put this down to the
poor state of opposition
politics in the country.
"Just when the
people have hope in opposition politics, something seems to
come up to put a
damper on these hopes for a new beginning for the country,"
he said,
referring to the current squabbles in the Tsvangirai-MDC faction.
The MDC
spilt into two factions in 2005 over the divisions which emerged
within the
ranks on whether to take part in the elections then.
As Zimbabwe prepares
for next year’s ballots, it seems the only thing
ZANU-PF has to be concerned
about is whether a low turnout will discredit
the elections.
Jacob
Nhlanhla is the pseudonym of an IWPR journalist.
zimbabwejournalists.com
14th Nov 2007 18:27 GMT
By Zinasu
IT IS with a heavy heart that we
note the current spate of victimization of
student leaders in Zimbabwe by
the tyranny of Robert Mugabe.
Recently two student leaders from the
National University of Science and
Technology, Mehluli Dube and Themba
Maphenduka in addition to three other
student leaders Kurai Hoyi, Vivid
Gwede, Samson Nxumalo were suspended on
allegation of leading students
unrest.
As we speak former President, Clever Bere is also on suspension
pending
verdict and this is unacceptable considering that since the opening
of the
University there have never been any suspensions or expulsions yet
we have
a total of six in one year.
The government of the day seems
to be at unease because the students as the
general populace are fast losing
their patience and cannot wait for a change
in governance.
How could
a government through the responsible University authorities, that
was
expected to play a parental role in taking care of the students and
building
a responsible citizen be after the destruction of the student's
future.
The current learning environment is not conducive, there is a
chronic
shortage of lecturers, halls of residence are inadequate, and
transport woes
are the order of the day at our beloved University, lest l
forget the
incomplete buildings that surround our
institution.
According to Article 8 of the Declaration on the Rights and
Responsibility
of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society, everyone has
the right to
criticize governmental bodies so as to improve their
functioning.
This human right has been trampled upon as these student
leaders were
suspended for criticizing the actions and barbaric policies
being
implemented by the government. We would like to remind the government
of
Robert Mugabe that we will guard our rights and education system
jealously.
No amount of torture, arrests, abductions, suspensions or
expulsions will
deter us from achieving our goal of having a vibrant and
robust education
system in Zimbabwe.
To our fellow students who were
suspended, we are with you through and
through. We would also like to
encourage you to remain focused and resolute
because you are fighting for a
justified and legitimate cause. The struggle
for freedom is not for the
faint hearted. Lastly, the struggle for
democracy, human rights, and
academic freedoms will continue unabated and
victory is certain.
An
injury to one is an injury to all.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted
for righteousness sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5
verse 10
In Solidarity
Sheunesu Nyoni
Students Union Secretary
General
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Zimbabwean health workers sceptical of official figures showing
decreasing
prevalence.
By Yamikani Mwando in Bulawayo (AR No. 143,
14-Nov-07)
A South African weekly screamed recently, “At last, good news
from
Zimbabwe!” The headline was for a story on a substantial drop in the
rate
of HIV infection throughout the country.
On October 31, the
authorities announced that the number of people living
with the virus had
fallen from one in four of the adult population to one in
seven over the
past four years.
It seemed that at last there was something the
authorities were doing right
at a time when President Robert Mugabe’s ruling
ZANU-PF is accused of
destroying a once vibrant economy and running down the
health sector.
According to a United Nations statement, the Zimbabwe
ministry of health and
child welfare, assisted by a group of international
experts, based the
figures on HIV infection in pregnant women attending
antenatal clinics.
Major agencies, including the World Health Organisation,
WHO, and the UN
children’s agency UNICEF, were involved in the
study.
But frontline health workers have told IWPR that they’ve seen
little
evidence of a downturn in levels of infection, with a number
suggesting that
if anything the situation is becoming worse.
In rural
Matopo, which lies outside Zimbabwe's second largest city of
Bulawayo, and
in areas surrounding Matabeleland South, they say they’ve
actually recorded
a rise in the number of young men and women in their 20s
succumbing to
HIV-related illnesses.
“It is difficult for many people to understand how
the [official] decline is
calculated,” a health worker, attached to a
Catholic non-governmental
organisation, told IWPR. The Catholic Church runs
clinics and health centres
in two Matabeleland provinces and monitors HIV
infection trends across the
country.
“In Matopo, we now have elders
postponing funerals because they say [burying
people] has become the only
thing they do throughout the week, and they need
to rest,” he
said.
“A lot of young people are dying in these areas. You just have to
be there
to see the impact this disease has had on rural
communities.”
Meanwhile, Bulawayo city council says it is running out of
graves, owing to
the high incidence of AIDS-related
deaths.
Government officials accuse the Movement for Democratic
Change-dominated
council of working hard to discredit the Mugabe presidency
by presenting a
picture that the government is losing the fight against
HIV/AIDS.
Local health workers who have analysed the latest report
documenting the
fall in HIV infection suggest it might be explained by the
continued
emigration of millions of Zimbabweans to neighbouring countries,
which has
made it difficult to adequately monitor infection
trends.
They also point out that deaths from HIV infection are growing
because of
the soaring cost of anti-retroviral drugs.
At a
communicable diseases centre run by the Bulawayo city council and
funded by
USAID, officials say out of around 180,000 people in need of
anti-retroviral
therapy in the city, only 70,000 are on the programme.
“It’s really
terrible,” a doctor working here told IWPR.
In communities where living
with HIV and AIDS were previously well-kept
family secrets, increasing
numbers of people are coming out about their
condition.
They do so in
the hope that somebody knows somebody who may be able procure
drugs for
free, and allow them to jump the queue of those waiting for places
on
treatment programmes.
The doctor welcomed this new openness, saying that
it would help to get a
more accurate picture of infection
rates.
“What is encouraging is that there seems to be an interest now
among
patients to come out into the open about one’s condition - unlike in
the
past, when many remained closet patients and died without being
documented.”
Yamikani Mwando is the pseudonym of an IWPR journalist in
Zimbabwe.
VOA
By Carole Gombakomba
Washington
14
November 2007
Despite seeming progress in crisis resolution
talks taking place under South
African mediation, human rights groups say
those living in Zimbabwe’s rural
areas continue to experience political
repression which remains rampant and
under-reported.
Reports released
by member organizations of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum
say opposition
members in rural areas who are seen wearing items of clothing
with the logo
of the opposition, reading independent papers, or listening to
independent
radio stations such as VOA's Studio 7, are beaten up, or
“severely
punished.”
A Zimbabwe Peace Project report says most cases of “political
victimization”
happen in Midlands and Mashonaland East provinces, and the
main perpetrators
are ZANU-PF militants and state agents, though some are
attributed to
opposition members.
In a certain percentage of cases
the affiliation of perpetrators is unknown.
The Peace Project, which
monitors such occurrences nationally, said
gender-based violence continues
with two cases of politically inspired rape
recorded recently.
The
group says some villagers have been displaced for backing the
opposition,
noting that such evictions often are preceded by gatherings of
local ruling
party backers who sing songs of the 1970s liberation struggle
at night at
the homes of the victims.
Village headmen and chiefs tell those who do
not support the ruling party to
look to Britain or Tony Blair, the former
British prime minister, for land
and food.
Zimbabwe Peace Project
Director Jestina Mukoko tells reporter Carole
Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7
for Zimbabwe that more and more cases of
repression in the rural areas are
being reported as the build-up to 2008
elections gathers momentum.
By Lance
Guma
14 November 2007
It was always going to be a long shot expecting
a negotiated settlement
between Zanu PF and the MDC in South Africa. This
week that pessimism found
a home in internal developments within the
opposition. Newsreel has it on
good authority that the National Executive of
the Tsvangirai MDC is almost
certainly going to reject constitutional drafts
being worked on by the
negotiating teams. At the centre of controversy is
the composition of
delegates attending the meetings in both Zimbabwe and
South Africa.
The MDC National executive mandated Lucia Matibenga, Tendai
Biti, Sam Sipepa
Nkomo, Elias Mudzuri and Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro to
be part of its
negotiating team. For as yet unexplained reasons, only Biti
is attending the
meetings alongside Mutambara MDC Secretary General Welshman
Ncube. This has
created acrimony within the party as to why Tsvangirai is
allowing the
decision of the National Executive to be sidestepped. Critics
had previously
warned against the secrecy of the talks saying it did not
inspire
confidence, but as it turns out even some of those selected to
negotiate for
the MDC are in the dark.
A senior official in the MDC
compared developments to the rejected 2000
constitutional draft saying
people shunned it ‘not necessarily on content
but on the process itself. The
same thing is happening now and I can assure
you the national executive will
reject whatever they are doing.’ He queried
the dominant role of lawyers in
the negotiating team saying matters of
principle are being sacrificed to
satisfy an obsession with constitutional
drafts. ‘Lawyers should come in
later in the process to give legal
expression to people’s concerns, not the
other way round.’
The talks were postponed earlier this month following
the death of Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa’s son in the United States.
Chinamasa and Labour
Minister Nicholas Goche are part of the Zanu PF team.
The deadline for the
talks to conclude has been set for the end of November.
Even this is not set
in stone as much of the information borders on
speculation. Party officials
were last briefed on developments in July and
they are threatening to block
endorsement of any deal. ‘We want a people
driven constitution. This is like
an arranged marriage where even the wife
is already pregnant. There is
little chance of this being accepted within
the MDC let alone by Zimbabweans
in general.’
SW Radio
Africa Zimbabwe news
zimbabwejournalists.com
14th Nov 2007 08:45 GMT
By a Correspondent
LONDON – The former head
of the British armed forces, Lord Guthrie has
revealed that he discussed
with former Prime Minister Tony Blair the need to
invade Zimbabwe at the
height of the political crisis in the country which
started with the March
2000 land invasions.
Lord Guthrie, speaking candidly in an interview with
the UK Independent
newspaper, says he was so close to Blair they talked
about anything
resulting in them discussing the need to launch a military
offensive that
could end Zanu PF rule in Zimbabwe.
But, says the
General who is known Blair's favourite, he warned the Prime
Minister against
the invasion saying it could worsen the situation in the
country.
"We
used to talk about things," says Lord Guthrie. "I could say anything to
him,
because he knew I wasn't going to spill the beans." Subjects discussed
included invading Zimbabwe, "which people were always trying to get me to
look at. My advice was, 'Hold hard, you'll make it worse.'
This is
the first time that a senior official within the British government
has
revealed how far Blair’s government went in trying to remove the Zanu PF
government from power.
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, blamed for the
country’s economic and political
crisis by the West and the opposition MDC,
says Britain is responsible for
the country’s crumbling economy, engineered
after his government decided to
take land from white commercial
farmers.
Mugabe says the British hatched a plan to remove him from office
by
sponsoring the opposition MDC.
Lord Guthrie does not give much
more information about the plan to invade
Zimbabwe but also says that the
invasion of Iraq was probably a mistake.
"I felt it was right at the
time," the former head of the armed forces says
of the decision to attack
Saddam to stop him attacking us. "Now I'm not so
sure. In fact I think it
was probably wrong."
The occupation has been a disaster, the General
says.
As Chief of the Defence Staff from 1997 to 2001, Charles Guthrie
struck up a
close relationship with the then Prime Minister and became known
as Blair's
favourite General. Even after retirement he was close to Blair,
acting as
his envoy to Pakistan, reports the Independent.
Meanwhile
the Voice of America's Studio 7 programme reports that a paper
published by
one of the most prestigious foreign policy institutes in the
United States
says Washington and its international partners should shift
its Zimbabwe
policy to prepare for - and perhaps hasten - the departure of
President
Mugabe.
The paper from the Council on Foreign Relations in New York says
U.S. policy
should focus on “sound recovery and reconstruction planning” and
plan to
avert or minimise chaos in a political transition which, under
worst-case
scenarios, could include civil strife, state collapse and
destabilisation of
the Southern African region.
U.S. policy towards
Zimbabwe has been to pressure the Mugabe government
through travel and
financial sanctions targeting senior officials, while
providing food aid and
assistance battling the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has
decimated the
population.
Author Michelle Gavin, an international affairs fellow at the
Council,
suggests Washington and the international community could galvanise
key
Zimbabwean players into action by making clear the benefits including
major
donor funding that would be released on the institution of reforms,
potentially speeding Mugabe’s exit.
U.S. officials should recognise
that they "probably cannot compel President
Mugabe and his loyalists to step
aside." But, "engaging with other members
of the international community now
to map out a path for Zimbabwe's recovery
is more than an exercise in
advance planning," Gavin argues.
"By working multilaterally to build
consensus around governance-related
conditions for reengagement, and by
marshaling significant reconstruction
resources in an international trust
fund for Zimbabwe, the United States can
help establish clear incentives for
potential successors to Mugabe to
embrace vital reform."
In doing so,
"the United States can encourage and even hasten constructive
forms of
potential political change by affecting the calculus of those who
are in a
position to trigger a transition," writes Gavin. She adds that
recovery and
reconstruction planning can also help avert "worst-case
scenarios of civil
conflict, state collapse, and regional destabilisation
from taking hold
during any future attempted political transition."
zimbabwejournalists.com
14th Nov 2007 09:04 GMT
By Sebastian Nyamhangambiri
HARARE – Long and winding
queues remain a common feature at all banks in
Zimbabwe as there appears to
be no solution in site to the cash shortages
that have rocked the country
since last month as people continue to keep
their money at home and not in
the banks to beat the effects of galloping
inflation.
Economists
interviewed yesterday said as long as the government does not
arrest
inflation – the highest in the world at 7 800 percent - cash
shortages would
remain in Zimbabwe.
John Robertson, a renowned economic commentator,
yesterday ruled out a new
currency as the solution to the prevailing acute
cash shortages.
“What we need is resuming production so that goods’
prices do not continue
rising because of scarcity,” said Robertson. “That is
the only way we can
get rid of inflation and the cash shortages resulting
from that.”
“If we are to have a new currency that means we will have to
do it again
pretty soon. We did it just last year. Plus that solution is
expensive. The
bottom line is that printing money will not
work.”
Cash shortages have even affected the foreign currency parallel
market as
the rates are no longer increasing at phenomenal rates. As of
yesterday the
US dollar was trading around $1 200 000 up by just $100 000
from last week.
However, foreign currency dealers are now paying up to $2
000 000 for an
electronic transfer.
An economist at ZB Bank (formerly
Zimbank) whose majority shareholder is the
government concurred with
Robertson on the solution to the cash crisis.
“Production has to increase
and then result in prices stabilizing and that
is the only time we can think
of a new currency,” said the economist who
spoke on condition of anonymity.
“But to think of increasing production from
our business sector is expecting
too much. Unpredictable policies have left
uncertainties in the business
sector.”
Last week the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe raised the cheque limit
that can be
accepted for clearing by 150 percent to a maximum Z$500 million
in its
latest bid to tackle the cash shortages. But that has failed to yield
results. Analysts dismissed such measurements as
‘cosmetic.’
Robertson said suppliers now needed cash so the changes
help.
“Unlike in the past, suppliers now need cash since cheques take a
week to
clear and in this inflationary environment that will not work,” said
Robertson. “There is need to come up with incentives to make people keep
money in the bank unlike now where there are no incentives for
that.”
RBZ Governor Gideon Gono could not be reached for comment
yesterday. His
spokesperson Kumbirai Nhongo had not responded to questions
sent to him last
week, citing tight business schedules.
Proposals by
Gono to introduce higher note denominations or introduce a new
currency in
the past months have been scrapped, demonstrating the government’s
indecision at addressing the crisis.
Gono has been printing trillions
of dollars and pumping them into the
manufacturing sector in an effort to
revive the supply side of the economy.
His intentions, observers have noted,
have been to reverse the damage done
by the government since June when it
imposed price cuts across every
economic sector, resulting in the shortage
of essential goods, and many
company closures.
The Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 14 November 2007 09:06
Zimbabwe and South Africa have been
rated "extreme" security risks,
according to a British risk
consultancy.
The entire country of Zimbabwe is rated an extreme
risk while only
areas of South Africa are rated extreme. Zimbabwe also rates
"extreme" on
the political risk scale, compared with South Africa which has
been rated of
"low" political risk.
At its launch of RiskMap
2008 in Johannesburg on November 13, Chris
Melville, Senior Africa Analyst
of the Control Risks Group said: "Arguably
more than any other region,
Africa has been subject to the most extreme
lurches of confidence, and
Afro-pessimism is so entrenched in the western
mindset that it is almost
instinctive to believe that downscaling of
ambitions by increasingly
risk-averse investors will first materialise in
Africa."
Melville explained that the Afro-optimism experienced in 2007 "was
based on
more than a simple hunger for commodities and reflected important
changes in
the global investment environment as well as significant changes
in Africa
itself."
Africa is considered today an important "arena for
diversification, as
well as being an important source of strategic resources
and the location of
one of the last great untapped markets, according to
Control Risks. The
consultancy strongly believes that investor confidence in
Africa will become
more resilient while at the same a greater appreciation
of "Africa's
complexity and diversity" will become the focus of future risk
management.
Melville identified South Africa as the respository of
Afro-optimism a
African renaissance, but cautioned this with concerns over
the
sustainability and direction of post-apartheid reform.
Control Risks says that although the current political turmoil in
South
Africa over the succession to the presidency of the African National
Congress (ANC) is unlikely to affect "overnight" the "fundamental"
conditions for policy and business in the country, "even in the event of a
victory for Jacob Zuma."
14 November 2007,
The Minister of Water resources and
Infrastructural development Engineer
Munacho Mutezo has directed the ZINWA
board to investigate allegations by
residents of inconsistent and inflated
bills. The directive comes in the
wake of a country wide out cry that ZINWA
is overcharging residents.
Residents in most parts of Harare have for the
last two months been
receiving bills ranging from 5 million to 40 million
dollars. The minister
stated that it was highly abnormal for a family in a
high density or low
density suburb to receive a bill of 40 million dollars
for water. The high
bills are also in violation of the governments' policy
on price controls,
said the Minister. Engineer Mutezo warned that all those
who have been
benefiting from swindling residents risk being
arrested.
It remains to be seen whether anyone will be brought to book.
The government
of Zimbabwe is known for neglecting corruption. The entire
central
government system is rotten with corruption. CHRA has for the last
few years
been campaigning for the reversal of the cabinet decision
empowering ZINWA
to takeover sewer and water services from local
authorities. CHRA continues
to lobby the cabinet and the parliament of
Zimbabwe to stop the madness
created by ZINWA. There is ample evidence that
ZINWA cannot manage water
affairs in Zimbabwe and that it is hopelessly
incompetent. The Association
continues to reject the takeover of sewer and
water services for the
following reasons:
Local authorities are set
to loose a monthly revenue base of between 40-70 %
due to the takeover. This
will further result in the decline of service
delivery by Local authorities
which are already failing to cope with the
hyper inflationary environment.
The quality of water services offered in
Harare is a case in point. The
Harare municipality lost 40% revenue base,
more than 100 vehicles and office
space due to the takeover.
The Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15)
provided residents an opportunity to
object rate increases. Residents are
given an opportunity to send objections
or comments to the local authorities
if they feel the rates are too high.
Under the ZINWA Act (Chapter 20:25) it
is up to the Minister to decide
whether the increases are justified of not,
for example, in May 2006 the
City of Harare increased water charges and
residents managed to have the
decision rescinded after residents sent
objections. In the case of the ZINWA
take over there is no framework for
consultation. In September 2007
residents received ballooned bills with
massive increases but had no
platform to challenge these
increases.
Water is a basic human right and thus it should be respected.
The ZINWA Act
(Chapter 20:25) states clearly that in the event of
non-payment of fees owed
to ZINWA the body is empowered to disconnect water
services. The government
must take into cognizance the economic melt down
that has reduced over 80%
of the population poor.
The increases in
service charges of over 1600% by ZINWA in the City of
Harare since September
2007 are unjustified considering that there is no
visible improvement in
water supply and administration. Residents and
business continue to be
plagued by water cuts as ZINWA fails to meet the
daily consumption of
Harare. CHRA fears that this will translate into a
national crisis further
impoverishing the poor people of our country who
form more that 80% of the
population.
Raw sewer continues to find itself to water bodies in the
City of Harare,
pushing up water treatment costs passed on to the residents.
Further, some
chemicals are not being procured, a situation which poses
serious health
threat to residents in Harare.
CHRA is concerned over
the excessive interference by politicians in the
running of local
authorities and making of this decision by the Politburo.
More significantly
ZINWA's has a demonstrated pathetic record and lacks
capacity; serve for
political manipulation to feed the interests of a few.
Below are some of
our recommendations;
The Minister should immediately reverse and halt the
continued acquisition
of sewer and water supply and administration from
local authorities, as the
case for Harare has shown no improvement for the
better. The situation is
actually worsening.
There is need for a
clear consultative framework for water increases. The
Urban Council Act
(Chapter 29:15) was not even sufficient in this regard.
The Association
calls for an urgent reform and constitutionalisation of
local governance in
the country.
The Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructural
Development should reign
over the insanity created by multi
billing.
ZINWA should focus on development of dams and supply of bulky
water i.e.
Kunzwi dam project in Harare and the Mutshabezi dam project in
Bulawayo.
Major projects which are lying idle.
Local Authorities and
Residents Associations should initiate and lodge legal
challenges against
the takeover. Local authorities are empowered under Part
X111 of the Urban
Councils' Act (Chapter 29:15) (i) "to provide and maintain
a supply of water
within or outside the council area".
CHRA encourages Residents
Associations countrywide to be vigilant and resist
the takeover of ZINWA.
CHRA is committed to resisting the takeover and to
advocate for effective,
accountable and local governance. The Association
has coordinated the
formation of the National Water Taskforce which seeks to
challenge the
takeover. The Association will continue to mobilize residents
and other
stakeholders to resist or reverses the takeover.
Farai Barnabas
Mangodza
Chief Executive Officer
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: 0912638401, 011443578, 011862012 or email info@chra.co.zw
The Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 14 November 2007 14:31
By
Bayethe Zitha
BULAWAYO - Bread, which literally vanished from the
Zimbabwean market
about two months ago, on Wednesday made an unexpected
re-appearance in the
second biggest city of Bulawayo.
Scores of
shoppers scrambled for the basic commodity at the few
outlets in the city,
which sold the Lobels-produced bread at a give-away
price of Z$100 000 for a
standard loaf.
"I was very surprised to see people carrying bread this
morning and
after having been told of a nearby confectionary shop where they
had bought
it, I rushed there and I was lucky to get it at Z$100 000," said
an
over-joyed Rejoice Nyika, an illegal foreign currency dealer who operates
in
the city centre.
By noon, there was no trace of the commodity,
as several desperate
shoppers kept queiuing at the shops that had sold it,
vainly hoping that
there would be another supply.
However, a shop
attendant at one of the outlets told The Zimbabwean
that there would be no
supply of the commodity on that same day, as the few
loaves that had been
brought were all finished and the bakery workers had
told them that they
would not return.
"We were just as much surprised to get a supply of
bread because we
had not placed an order. We have told our customers that
there will be no
more bread sales today but they have remained here hoping
that they will get
something. It shows how desperate they are to have a
taste of it. I am not
even sure whether we will get another delivery
tomorrow, because the Lobels
workers told us that we would only see by a
delivery if there is something,"
said the shop attendant.
However,
illegal foreign currency traders, who always get first hand
information on
deliveries of any scarce basic commodity, began to sell the
bread at
Z$1,2million on the streets after lunch.
"I bought more than one dozen
and there is nowhere I can put the
bread. I did not want to sell it but now
I have been forced to do so by
people demanding to know where I bought it,
while others are asking me to
sell it," said Shelton Sibanda, a vegetable
vendor who operates along the
city's Lobengula Street.
Sibanda had
sold more than half a dozen and said he would only keep
two loaves for his
family to "have a taste" of the commodity.
Bread, which had erratic
supplies in the country due to very low wheat
yields last year, disappeared
from both the formal and parallel markets at
the beginning of September, due
to a combination of factors, which included
a critical shortage of flour and
an irrational pricing regime enforced by
the government in July.
Protesting confectionery shops and bakeries stopped producing bread,
which
they said was making them incur huge losses, in favour of small but
highly
priced buns and other confenctioneries.
A small sugar bun costs Z$100
000 in Zimbabwe, the same price that the
government wants bread, produced by
10 times as much flour, to be sold at.
VOA
By Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
14
November 2007
The Miss Rural Zimbabwe pageant can usually
be counted on to generate
scandal or at least controversy - last year one
contestant was allegedly
impregnated by a deputy minister - and this year's
crop of allegations has
met or exceeded the standard.
Some
high-ranking politicians and businessmen are alleged to have sexually
abused
the young rural women and some contestants allegedly were prevailed
upon to
pose naked for photographers said to be staff at the Chinese Embassy
in
Harare.
Women’s Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri last month urged an
investigation
of organizer and pageant founder Sipho Ncube-Mazibuko. After
the Miss Rural
Zimbabwe finals in Masvingo last week, contestants were
reported to have
been stranded after the organizer failed to provide them
with bus fare home.
Two contestants took shelter with the
Chitungwiza-based Girl Child Network,
a non-governmental organization
promoting action against sexual child abuse.
Girl Child Network spokesman
Kamurai Mudzingwa told reporter Jonga
Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that staff of his organization are
awaiting the results of medical
exams before they will decide how to proceed
in the case.
Organizer
Sipho Ncube-Mazibuko said she is the victim of a conspiracy to
take control
of her pageant. She singled out Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
Chief Executive
Officer Karikoga Kaseke, accusing him of orchestrating the
alleged smear
campaign.
She charged that he sexually abused contestants and once walked
into her
hotel room at 2 a.m. Zimbabwe Tourism chief Kaseke could not be
reached for
a response to those allegations due to congestion on the mobile
phone
network he uses.
One pageant contestant who did not want to
disclose her identity said she
and other contestants were treated properly
by Ncube-Mazibuko and other
organizers.
The former contestant said
she believes some of her former competitors are
being manipulated to
undermine the pageant.
The Herald
(Harare) Published by the government of Zimbabwe
14 November
2007
Posted to the web 14 November 2007
Fortious
Nhambura
Harare
ZESA Holdings yesterday said it was reverting to its
normal load-shedding
schedule owing to improved electricity supply after
successfully completing
annual maintenance work at Kariba Power
Station.
The power station that generates 750 megawatts returned to full
capacity on
Monday. Last month, the power utility abandoned its
load-shedding schedule
and resorted to switching off supplies to consumers
as and when it saw fit
to accommodate the lull in internal power production
that had been caused by
corrective maintenance work at Kariba Power
Station.
During the maintenance period, production at Kariba was
reduced by 250
megawatts to 500 megawatts, affecting the country's power
supplies and
resulting in stringent power rationing. Zesa Holdings
spokesperson Mr
Fullard Gwasira said work at the hydro-electric power plant
had been
successfully completed and consumers should expect the normal
load-shedding
programme associated with the summer period.
"We
completed the routine maintenance of the electricity generation at
Kariba
Power Station over the weekend as targeted and the power utility is
pleased
to advise that power output is now back to normal. The station is
now
producing its total capacity of 750 megawatts and we expected normal
supplies to all our customers.
"Zesa is happy with the way the
exercise and the maintenance programme
progressed and is resorting to our
normal load-shedding schedule," he said.
Work at Hwange Thermal Power
Station, the spokesman said, was going on as
planned with all equipment
required for the refurbishment having been
procured. "All required equipment
has been procured for the refurbishment of
Unit 3 of Hwange Power Station
and is already on site. The first phase
included the identification of the
problems and machinery required in the
first phase of revamping of the Unit
3.
"The second phase now includes the implementation of the refurbishment
programme. "Unit 3 will be ready before the end of December and will
basically be a new unit as the refurbishment exercise involves installation
of new equipment," he said. HPS has two stages, Stage One consists of four
units producing 120 megawatts each and Stage Two has two units producing 220
megawatts, each. Unit three has not been operational for more than a year.
Currently, HPS is producing less than 300 megawatts out of a possible 920
megawatts owing to erratic coal supplies and continual breakdowns at the
station.
Lack of serious investment over the past decade, both for
upgrading,
reinforcement and in some cases requiring replacement, has
hampered
development in the country's energy sector leading to heavy
reliance on
imports.
The Herald (Harare) Published
by the government of Zimbabwe
OPINION
14 November 2007
Posted to
the web 14 November 2007
Tendai Hildegarde
Manzvanzvike
Harare
The Marimba Freedom Train of the National Railways
of Zimbabwe's morning
second run was once again delayed, and when it finally
came, it had to go
through the normal, but not so normal procedure of
changing the locomotive,
which is a time consuming process.
As the
changes go on, commuters are already on board, waiting patiently,
talking
and laughing. Some cocooned in their little worlds. As you look
through the
window, you see people running from different directions, some
visibly out
of breath.
Then the train starts moving, and as usual, the daredevils
jump on. I am
told there have been many fatalities especially during the
early years when
the service was introduced in 2001. On October 3, one such
fatality delayed
the 7:00am run for more than three hours, and commuters got
into town after
11:00am.
Church on wheels
On November 1, I was
in the popular number three coach, popularly known as
the Gospel Train, and
the moment the train started moving, the service
began. In fact coaches
number two, three and four have become de facto
interdenominational
'churches on wheels'.
Amen, Amen, Chechi inopisa! (Amen, Amen, the fire
powered church)
Amen!
Amen, Amen gospel
train!
Amen!
Amen, Amen kuti zvonzi mutrain munzi mumba maMwari!
(Amen, Amen for the
train is now the house of
Lord)
Amen!
Vadikani musakanganwe kuti nhasi tiri kupanana
maChristmas presents
sokutaura kwatakaita. (Beloved, don't forget that
today, we are exchanging
Christmas gifts as per our
agreement.)
Amen!
It was Christmas galore that day. By the time
the train got to the first
station in Budiriro, the coach was packed to
capacity. There was song,
dance, clapping, ululating and laughter. The
stamping of dancing feet
created a sensation that was felt in nearby
coaches. A first time rider
would have been forgiven for feeling as if they
were not travelling on a
train, and for thinking that the people were
actually not going to work. The
Christmas bonanza, which ended on November
9, was just but one of the many
activities in the gospel
train.
Before the presentation of the gifts, there was an announcement
from the
Master of Ceremonies. A fellow commuter had passed away, and they
took a
collection for the funeral, and those who could manage could go and
pay
their condolences to the bereaved family. The Mufakose address was
given.
There were also a number of announcements -- housekeeping issues
mostly. New
members were welcomed and encouraged to come again. Apparently
the Gospel
Train's compassionate ministry has seen many people benefiting,
including
Chinyaradzo Children's Home.
After the exchange of gifts,
there were more activities, preaching, prayers,
testimonies and song and
dance, and sweets. The sick are prayed for.
Yes employers, you are never
forgotten in those prayers. There is always
that call to pray for some
commuters whose jobs would be hanging in the
balance because they are always
late. The Lord should make their bosses
understand that the current
transport problems are not of their making, and
that the Freedom Train is
the cheapest mode of available transport that
their meagre earnings can
afford.
People with problems take them up with the duty evangelists, for
the
programmes are so well structured that they have preachers, masters of
ceremony for each service, during the four peak hour runs from Monday to
Friday, Saturday included. Programmes for each week are announced one week
in advance.
Delays
The train's original timetables have been
rendered useless due to known and
unknown circumstances. Sometimes, the
train has to make way for the goods
train coming from either Bulawayo or
Harare, which can be a long wait.
Further delays are sometimes experienced
at the Lochnivar control room when
the train has to give first preference to
the Dzivaresekwa train.
Seasoned patrons are always quick to proffer
explanations about every
conceivable aspect of the train's movements. Some
engine men have been
blamed for sloppiness and malice towards commuters.
This is despite the fact
that commuters can hardly see their faces when they
are in the locomotive.
When delayed, commuters usually resign themselves
to "ndiwo mubairo wokuda
zvakachipa. Taimu, taimu hapana bhajeti yawarova".
(This is the price you
pay for opting for cheaper things. However, in the
end your savings are
rendered useless.)
The delays are always a boon
for vendors who move up and down the more than
ten coaches selling their
different products: sweets, maputi (popcorn),
roasted peanuts, freezits,
snacks and other paraphernalia. Some of the
vendors' lingo makes their
prospective customers think of Patrick Mukwamba's
eighties hit song
Usambonyara kusekwa (Don't dread derision). For you hear
the hisses,
'Sviits!, Masviits apo vachada. (Sweets for those who want them)
Ane two
bhobho yake masviits.' ($20 000 each for a sweet). One commuter
whispered to
me, "These people are doing roaring business. Vanotodarika
munhu anoenda
kubasa". (They make more than those who are formally employed
do.)
Reflections and Perceptions
For close to three months I
have been a regular commuter on the Marimba
Freedom Train. It is a world of
its own, governed by its own self-made rules
and regulations. So much goes
on. It is a life that one loves to hate, but
it is not possible. As my
colleague says, the freedom train can equally be
called 'a community on
wheels'. It is just like the Internet, which now has
a whole global cyber
community that is not governed by time, space and
distance, but people still
engage and relate to each other in all manner of
forms.
The community
on wheels should be captured by camera for purposes of
educating,
entertaining and informing, for the written word cannot fully
portray all
the activities. I tell myself that a 13-week series on ZBC/TV
can capture
this life and issues highlighted could help in policy
formulation and also
help in addressing some of the challenges the nation
faces.
The
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority could also consider this as an attraction,
for a
journey on the Freedom Train is a memorable one, and it is a journey
that
shows the rich and diverse lifestyle among Zimbabwe's urban working
class
people. Freedom Trains offer a good history lesson on the state of
Zimbabwe's transportation system, while the beautiful scenery gives the
commuter a perspective on urban planning.
The other day commuters
talked about the history of the railway services
from the days of the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to present day
Zimbabwe.
They
analysed the interlocked "RR" (Rhodesia Railways) and the different
coats of
arms imprinted on the windows, the railway line, the signals,
Rugare suburb,
the list is endless.
Suddenly the whole coach was alive with the older
generation going down
memory lane about railway services in colonial
Rhodesia to the present day
freedom trains. They spoke about the
construction of the railway line when
the colonial administration unleashed
chibharo (forced labour) on the
indigenous people.
They also
travelled down memory lane as they talked about train journeys in
the
sixties and seventies: Umtali (Mutare) to Salisbury (Harare), Salisbury
to
Bulawayo and Salisbury to Fort Victoria (Masvingo). People recalled the
booming voices of the ticket checkers who were white then: 'Ticket, ticket,
ticket!' Blacks did not travel first class, and neither did whites travel
economy class.
Some poignant observations were made: "It is actually
a miracle that these
trains are still moving, 27 years after independence,
and more than seven
decades since their construction, for you can see that
some of the
locomotives are dated 1932, 1940.
"You can be sure that
there are no manufacturers who still make these
locomotives, engines,
coaches and spare parts. NRZ and Government must be
commended for keeping
the trains up and running. They must have a very good
maintenance
department, despite the alleged brain drain to neighbouring
countries to
search for greener pastures.
"If it were not so, NRZ would have ceased
operating years ago, especially
now when the economic crunch is being felt
at every level of life. Despite
the problems, they have also increased the
number of runs for all the
routes. Dai zvisiizvo, kuma 300 uko taikugona
here?" (If it were not the
case, would we manage the $300 000 fares charged
by commuter omnibuses?)
Another commuter suggested, "NRZ should do some
awareness campaigns, which
will conscientise people on the importance of the
service they are getting
at such heavily subsidised rates. Tell me, where in
Zimbabwe can you get a
ride for $40 000 when a freezit now costs $100
000?
"The awareness campaign should also address the kwachu kwachu
(destructive)
mentality that Hosiah Chipanga sings about, for it seems to be
so much a
part of us. People have to learn to appreciate and respect our
public
facilities. If we do not do that, then we are a people without a
conscience.
Look at what they are doing to ZESA transformers!
"Look
also at some seats in some of the coaches, the vandalised baggage
racks, the
graffiti, and the vandalised ticket booths!"
Soccer on wheels
The
short, but very lengthy journey ends when the train gets to the station.
I
tell myself that I have been in coaches two, three and four during peak
hour
runs, but I have not yet been in coach number one during the '5:00am'
run. I
understand that it is also show time there. It is the coach for
soccer
lovers, where commuters outdo each other in analysing the beautiful
game of
football.
The armchair critics I understand are so good that they will
make many a
sports reporter green with envy. There are sports writers,
commentators,
referees, linesmen and even players. Players such as Benjani
Mwaruwaru,
Obadiah Tarumbwa, Richard Muteki, Esrom Nyandoro, and Evans
Gwekwerere, to
mention few, rule the roost. Coaches are "fired, transferred"
while some
teams are "promoted" or "relegated" in coach number one. The post
mortem of
the highly charged DeMbare/Bosso clash last Sunday occupied the
entire
journey.
Lighter moments
There are also lighter moments
in all this milieu. The other day for
example, the evening second run got to
Marimba before 7:30pm, and one guy
said, "This driver must be given a
ticket. We are not used to getting home
before 9:00pm. My children have
actually forgotten what I look like".
Problems
The evening runs
are very different from the morning peak hour runs. Of
course, timetables
continue to be a major problem, but as the economy
continues to face more
challenges, with commuter omnibuses charging fares
way beyond what thousands
of commuters can afford, more people are opting
for the freedom trains.
Depending on the service for each particular day,
there is usually a sea of
faces at the station between 4pm and 7pm, which
can be very intimidating for
the uninitiated traveller. However, the people
seem to know each other so
well. You see them standing in little groups,
talking, laughing, smoking,
sharing maputi, or groundnuts bought from the
vendors at the
station.
However, the familial feeling is lost the moment the train
arrives and
people start boarding. The pushing and shoving that goes on when
people
embark is nerve wrecking, for it is survival of the fittest.
Pickpockets
always have a field day. The evening runs are usually so
overloaded, and it
is a miracle that the trains have not registered many
fatalities in their
six-year history, and it is hoped that the trend
remains. Many times, the
media have highlighted the dangers that commuters
are exposed to, and have
warned that the nation is sitting on a time bomb
where national disasters of
unimaginable proportion are likely to
occur.
It takes quite a while to adjust oneself to travelling in a
vehicle without
lights inside. Modern technology has been a saviour, for
some commuters
provide lighting from their mobile
phones.
Disembarking is also a challenge. You feel like there are slave
drivers
behind you shouting, "Imi burukai mhani! Burukai toda kuburukawo.
Imi
mother, burukai nokukurumidza mhani!" (Come on disembark. We also want
to
alight. Hey lady, please disembark quickly.) Those who have taken cattle
to
the dip tank know exactly what I am talking about.
The language is
coarse and rough with lots of pushing and shoving. This is
notwithstanding
that the doors are not wide enough to accommodate more than
one person to
alight at the same time. There are also no ramps at the
various stations,
including Marimba, which has always been a train station
since time
immemorial. I am told that the speed for disembarking is
determined by the
time the train stops at each station -- which is a maximum
of two
minutes.
Reflections and Perceptions
This is a microcosm of the
diversified life on the freedom trains that ply
the Marimba, Dzivaresekwa
and Ruwa railway lines every weekday.
As I sit on the train, reflecting
on the goings on that I witness each time
I take a ride, I tell myself that
there seems to be many trains: the freedom
train, gospel train and the gravy
train. Each train is symbolic of the life
of its commuters and the ethos of
the Zimbabwean urban dweller's lifestyle.
Apparently, each ride makes one
go down memory lane, when the road to
freedom looked so long and arduous,
but still reachable if one had the gifts
of patience, resilience and
positive thinking. The freedom train ignites all
these for it is possible
that a peak hour journey from Mufakose to the
central business district that
takes an average 30 minutes by car can
sometimes take more than five
hours.
Twice, I experienced the ordeal. One Budiriro commuter wrote to
The Sunday
Mailbag on August 30, 2005 about some of the absurdities and
trying moments.
The train left the railway station at around 6:00pm. He
alleges that he only
managed to get to his Budiriro A home at 3:30am the
following day. Sounds
unrealistic and stretching it a bit, but it is true.
According to the
commuter, a 30-minute journey took some nine
hours.
Some of the nightmares that commuters encounter when the train
gets to the
Lochnivar Control room have to be addressed by the NRZ.
Commuters wonder why
sometimes the train stops at the control room for
hours, with people sitting
in the dark, babies crying and there is no
communication from the relevant
authorities. Speculations are usually
rife.
In terms of finding alternative transport, the Lochnivar control
room is
located in a very difficult area. Although some commuters usually
disembark,
and walk in the dark of night all the way to Budiriro, Mufakose,
Crowborough
North, Glen View and Glenara, this is very dangerous. These are
people who
would have spent the whole day at work, after waking up at 3:30am
in order
to catch the 5:00am train. It is also very dangerous because people
can
easily be mugged, or even murdered. With the festive season around the
corner, NRZ needs to address these issues. Such incidents are very
frustrating and cause unnecessary discontent.
Delays always make one
hate the negative perceptions that "time in Africa is
elastic". However,
what has amazed me is the level of patience exercised by
commuters for the
delays are now a daily occurrence as all trains no longer
run on the
originally set timetables of 5:00am, 7:00am, 9:00am, 3:00pm,
4:30pm and
6:30pm.
The freedom train journey exemplifies a life full of ups and
downs, a life
where people despite the difficulties still manage a good
laugh, to share
and to be one big community on wheels. That the train
unifies commuters from
Mufakose, Glenara, Budiriro, Glen View, Crowborough
North, Kambuzuma and
Rugare suburbs is one big miracle. Unlike the commuter
omnibuses, which are
notorious for verbal abuse by the touts and conductors,
the atmosphere and
mood on the freedom train is different. It is homely in
most cases.
So it seems, the freedom train conjures up feelings of
unprecedented and
unfettered freedom in a sovereign and independent
Zimbabwe. I read and write
on the train when I do not feel like
chitchatting. The mood and feeling
invoked is so different from that on the
bullet trains in western countries
where people hardly talk to each other,
let alone laugh. The commuters look
so serious that first time riders would
be forgiven for thinking that they
are maintaining a vigil of some sort.
These are times when one appreciates
one's traditions, for the freedom
trains are an embodiment of Zimbabwe's
cultural norms and values --
economically, socially, politically,
technologically and
religiously.
It is a real community on wheels. I also tell myself how
negative mindsets
can easily erode value systems. The Harare urban commuter
rail service
trials were first conducted on July 27 2001, and Bulawayo
followed a month
later. Doomsayers were quick to point out that it was a
vote-buying gimmick
by Zanu-PF. Six years on, the freedom trains are still
running and trying
against odds to oil the wheels of an economy that has
been under siege for
the past seven years.
There have also been a
number of parliamentary, presidential, and urban
council elections in the
process. And, for the first time in years, the
heavily subsidised NRZ posted
a profit in 2007.
The coming of the rainy season makes me and other
commuters wonder how
people manage to go through the journey in the rain for
at least five
months. There are no shelters at the stations including the
main station in
the city. The footpaths used are dusty and muddy. But I tell
myself that if
they have travelled on the trains for the past six years in
pitch darkness
on the evening runs, then the journey will not stop, as the
popular ZTV
drama series Tiriparwendo implies. It will hit snags, but
stopping is beyond
the question.
As a JAG member or JAG Associate member, please send any classified
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JAG Classifieds: jagma@mango.zw - JAG Job Opportunities: jag@mango.zw
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Send all adverts in word document as short as possible (no
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1.
For Sale Items
2. Wanted Items
3. Accommodation
4. Recreation
5.
Specialist Services
6. Pets Corner
7. Social
Gatherings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
OFFERED FOR SALE
1.1 Generators & Inverters for Sale
The
JAG office is now an official agent for GSC Generator Service (Pvt) Ltd
and
receives a generous commission on sales of all Kipor generators
and
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all
those JAG subscribes who deal directly with GSC, rather than through the
JAG
office, clearly stipulate that they commission if for JAG.
The one
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We are the official
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We have in stock KIPOR Generators from 1 KVA to
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we carry a full range of KIPOR spares.
Don't forget, advice
is free, so give us a call and see us at: Bay 3,
Borgward Road, Msasa.
Sales: 884022, 480272 or admin@adas.co.zw
Service: 480272, 480154
or gsc@adas.co.zw
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1.2
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A MAN MUST EAT
MEATY MEATS IS
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FOR YOUR
FREEZER.
WE ALSO HAVE PORK CUT AND PACKED. ALSO
AVAILABLE LIMITED SUPPLY OF LAMB AND
MUTTON.
ALSO AVAILABLE
WHOLE CARCASSES - IDEAL FOR FAMILIES TO CLUB TOGETHER AND
SHARE THUS BEATING
THE MEAT SHORTAGES.
ALL PRICES ARE P.O.A.
PAYMENT
WITH ORDERS SECURES DELIVERY.
CONTACT : 490847 (ANY TIME) OR jsteyn@mango.zw.
"SHOP EARLY
AND AVOID THE INFLATION GENERATED CHRISTMAS
RUSH"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3
PETS FOOD AVAILABLE
Pets Food available at Jag , 17 Phillips Ave,
Belgravia, on Tuesday 9.30am,
or 57 Court Rd on Friday at 8am.
Contact
claassen@zol.co.zw or
011-221088
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.4
CHRISTMAS
IS COMING SOONER THAN WE THINK - Why not buy your loved
one/parent/employees
a voucher for a Manicures ; Pedicures ; Full Body
Massage ; Destress Back
Massage ; Detox Body Massage ; Facial ; Hot Stone
Massage. Contact Debbie on
091 2 603 847 or
492519.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5
One
brand new out of the box 'Saltron' bread making machine plus 32kgs
various
types of flour, Cake, Brown,
Gloria Household etc. ZAR 2000.
Also
ditto Saltron Sandwich maker, ZAR 750
Phone 04-701940 or
011-649310
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6
ITEMS FOR SALE:
1. GENERATORS AND INVERTERS
Following
units ex stock:
Generators -
5 Kva Silenced, 15 Kva Silenced, , 40
Kva Silenced, John Deere 60 Kva Open
Frame, John Deere 100 Kva open
frame.
Units arriving in next two months in Bond SA
100 Kva John
Deere, 150 Kva John Deere, 180 Kva John Deere, 200 Kva John
Deere,
250
Kva John Deere - available on first pay first served basis
Inverters
-
1500 Watt complete with 1 x 100 Amp Hr battery and charger in
cabinet
5000 Watt complete with 4 x 100 Amp Hr Batteries and charger in
cabinet
Large Range of Generators available from 5 - 2200 Kva ex
import (some in
Bond South Africa)
Please
phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263 4 335848 / 307740
E-mail :
radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
2.
HARROW DISCS
We now have imported Harrow discs (24", 26" and 28")
available :
Please phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263
4 335848 / 307740
E-mail : radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
3.
FORAGE HARVESTERS
Single Row forage harvesters available ex
stock
Please phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263 4
335848 / 307740
E-mail : radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
4.
AGRICULTURAL SPRAYERS
Tractor Mounted 12 Metre / 600 Litre tank
Boom sprayers and Canon sprayers
in stock.
Please
phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263 4 335848 / 307740
E-mail:
radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
5.
D1SC HARROWS
Imported Offset disc harrows suitable for 80 Hp
Tractors currently on order
and will be available August / September,
2007.
Please phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263 4
335848 / 307740
Sean Bell: + 263 11 600389
Keith Lowe + 263 11
800859
E-mail: radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
6.
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT.
If you require any agricultural equipment
we can arrange supply and import
for you:
Disc Harrows, Ploughs,
Fertiliser Spreaders, Mowers, Trailers of all types,
Forage Harvesters, Dairy
Equipment, Generators, Planters and Drills, Chisel
Ploughs, Rippers, Full
Range of Equipment for Sugar Cane including,
Planters, Harvesters, Root
eradication unit etc etc - if you have any Ag
equipment requirement please
contact us.
Please phone:-
Radium Africa
Tel + 263
4 335848 / 307740
E-mail: radiumkeith@junglecomms.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.7
THE WEAVERY.(The African Craft Market)
Going Overseas or down South? Why
not take hand woven gifts for your friends
or family? These super articles
which are light,easy to pack, take or send,
and fully washable.Some of our
articles are to be discontinued(**); so don't
miss out! Christmas is not far
off!
Contact Anne on 332851 or 011212424.Or email joannew@zol.co.zw
Crocheted
oven gloves--$2,400,000.
Cotton oven gloves--$2,000,000.(**)
Crocheted
bags--$2,800,000.
Single Duvet cushions(open into a
duvet)--$12,000,000.(**)
Double Duvet cushions--$14,000,000.(**)
Queen
bedcovers--$16,000,000.(**)
Toilet roll holder--$1,600,000.(**)
Bath
mat--$3,000,000.(small rug).
Cushion covers--$2,400,000.(**)
Table
runner--$1,200,000.(**)
Small(approx.105x52cms) plain cotton
rug--$3,000,000.
Medium(approx.120x65cms) plain cotton
rug--$4,000,000
Large(approx.150x75cms) plain cotton
rug--$8,000,000.
Ex.Large(approx.230x130cms) plain cotton
rug--$16,000,000.
Small patterned cotton rug--$4,000,000.
Small rag
rug--$3,000,000.
Medium rag rug--$4,000,000.
Medium patterned cotton
rug--$8,000,000.
Large patterned cotton rug--$12,000,000
Ex.Large
patterned cotton rug--$20,000,000.
Small patterned mohair
rug--$8,000,000.
Medium patterned mohair rug--$12,000,000
Large patterned
mohair rug--$16,000,000.
Ex. Large patterned mohair
rug--$24,000,000.
PLEASE be aware that prices may change
without
notice and orders take some time as they have to be woven and sent
from
Gweru to
Harare.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.8
FOR SALE.
1. 1 x 750 litre fuel bowser on trailer with
landcruiser wheels. Can
buy empty or full of diesel. Price: ZAR 5,000
empty; ZAR 10,300 full
2. Trailers:
a. Bumi fiberglass (size: 1
m long x .800 m wide x .5m high), ZAR 3000
b. Box trailer with lid (size:
1.75m long x 1 m wide x .5 m high), ZAR
4000
c. Quad bike tandem
trailer, ZAR 3000
d. Flat bed ex-caravan trailer (size: 4 m long x 1.94 m
wide), ZAR 3000
3. Landcruiser Parts: usd 10,000 for all as listed
below
a. PZJ 75: perfect chassis, floor pan for cab, load bed, 2 x
back
axles with diffs
b. 1PZ: 5 cylinder sub-assemblies, 1 x cylinder
head, brand new clutch
fly wheel assembly
c. HJ45: body and mechanical
spares
d. Doors
e. Regular and long range fuel tanks
f. Numerous
other mechanical and body parts
4. 1 x 1PZ reconditioned cylinder head
with camshaft. Complete & ready
to be installed. ZAR 10,000
(negotiable)
Phone Alec in Beit Bridge: 086 22302, or 0912 264
459
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.9
For Sale (Ad inserted 15/08/07)
Various '94 Peugeot 405 body
parts
Windscreen - cracked
Rear window (with heater
lines)
Bonnet
Boot
4 Doors (one bit of a dent)
3 glasses for the
doors
Door panels
Headlights
Grill
Rear tail lights
Back
seats
Rims x3
Front & rear suspension
Boat
motors:
Mercury Blue line 40hp motor, running but needs minor attn,
complete with
controls, plus many spares.
Motorbike for
Sale
Suzuki Bandit 400
Contact Tyron on 091 2 317 961 or 772156
for further
information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.10
FOR SALE
Swimming Pool Fence - 19 x 2m sections of steel fence
(painted green) plus
secure gate. Offers? Call Kate 332078 or
0912-211827.
Sony 32 Watt Stereo. Radio plus tape deck.
Detachable speakers. Call Kate
332078 or
0912-211827.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.11
DRINKING WATER COLIFORM BACTERIA TEST KIT
CHECK THE PRESENCE OF COLIFORM
BACTERIA IN THE WATER WHICH IS THE MOST
LIKELY SOURCE OF ACUTE WATER BORN
DISEASE. E. COLI BACTERIA AND OTHER
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS MICROBES ARE
COMMONLY FOUND IN OUR ENVIROMENT, BUT
THEY SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT IN OUR
DRINKING WATER. CASES OF BACTERIA ILLNESS
OCCOUR EACH YEAR, AND CAN CAUSE
SERIOUS ILLNESS, EVEN MILD CASES CAN RESULT
IN DIARRHEA, VOMITING, CRAMPS,
AND OTHER GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTONS, YOUNG
CHILDREN AND THOSE WITH WEAKER
IMMUNITY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED
THIS KIT IS EASY TO USE WITH
SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AND GIVES RESULTS IN 48
HRS FOR BACTERIA
THIS
TEST KIT CONTAINS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO FIND OUT SIMPLY AND ACCURATELY
IF
YOUR WATER CONTAINS UNSAFE OR UNDESIRABLE LEVELS OF COLIFORM
BACTERIA,
E.COLI
TESTS E.COLI, BACTERIA.
IDEAL FOR PUBLIC WATER
SUPPLY, PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY, BOREHOLE, WELLS,
CARAVANS, BOATS AND
MOTORHOMES.
US $ 40.00 EQUIVALENT
ADVICE IS FREE
PHONE MIKE
ON 496183 OR 0912853163
OR GORDON ON 496829 OR
023894597
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.12
1.
Kelvinator Monarch I and II
Consists of
eye level oven with
rotisserie
Overhead dual fan
Customized hob comprising
Two
gas plates
Two spiral plates
Two solid plates
Deep
fryer
Dimensions in mm:
Oven: 990 (H) x 700 (W) x 600
(D)
Hob:1475 (L) x 510 (W) x 170 (D)
Fan: 900 (L) x
150 (H) x 475 (D)
US 800
2. HP PSC 500 Printer, Scanner
& Copier
With installation cd.
US 400
3. Acer
Travelmate 4150
Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office 2003
Student addition
Intel Pentium M715 processor
(2MB L2 cache,
1,5GHz, 400 MHz FSB)
15, 0" XGA TFT LCD
Intel Graphics Media
Accelerator 900
40GB HDD
DVD/CD-RW Combo
512MB DDR2
(support dual channel)
802.11 b/g Wireless LAN
IR Port
4
USB Ports
Laptop Bag & Original Cd's included
US
1,400
4. Kipor KDE 6500 TW Diesel Generator &
Welder
2, 8/3, 0 KVA
50/60 Hz
240/120 V
Single
phase
US 1,500
Please contact Mr Botha orionat@zol.co.zw
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.13
FOR SALE
1 x SINGLE BED (Mattress & Base) - GOOD CONDITION
$15 MILLION
Contact - 497735 or 011 611360 e-mail - charlespat@zol.co.zw
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.14
POOL TABLE EXCELLENT CONDITION.
MUKWA SURROUND, TURNED LEGS, FULL
SET OF POOL BALLS, FOUR CUES, SCORE BOARD,
CUE REST. PRICE
$380,000,000-00
TEL 861825 OR 862295 OR E-MAILjimlyn@mweb.co.zw
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.15
ARE
YOU HAVING A PROBLEM TRYING TO GET DECENT, PURE, HEALTHY, DRINKING WATER
FOR
YOUR FAMILY, STUDENTS, GUESTS, EMPLOYEES AND PATIENTS ?
Help
your family, students or employees live, work or study in
healthier
environment. Fight off the bugs passed by water by purchasing a
WATERMAKER
Using the natural process of condensation coupled with
advanced filter
technology, the WATERMAKER provides high quality drinking
water for your
household, office, hotel, lodge etc.
Requiring
only electricity, WATERMAKERS use optimized refrigeration
techniques to
exploit the natural process of condensation to produce water
from the
humidity in the air. Following condensation, water is passed
through a
series of advanced filters which remove any pollutants and
microbes that may
be in the air, making WATERMAKER water the highest quality
drinking water
product available.
WATERMAKERS are used to provide pure water
where you need it when you need
it. The wide range of WATERMAKER units
available ensures that we can meet
al most any water need. They produce a
chemic al free water solution that
produces no waste products that are
harmful to the environment. In
addition, the filtration system ensures that
the water produced is of the
highest quality possible. Environmentally safe
~ NO chemicals ~ Low
operating cost. For use on residential drinking water
systems to large
industrial applications. If you are a health conscious
person DON'T delay,
order your WATERMAKER now !
Contact Debbie
on 091 2 603 847 or 492519 for more
information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.16
ITEMS FOR SALE 15 10 07 -some festive season gift
solutions!
Item, Description/Condition, Price in
usd
Upright Piano , Excellent Otto Bach.. 1800
Floor
polisher/vacuum cleaner combo, Good working Columbus...50
Bridge table
(folding legs), Nearly new, excellent baize.. 30
Tennis balls, 2 boxes of
3 balls.20
Ladies golf clubs/bag/trolley , Suitable
beginners..35
Tea Trolley, Needs puppy bites to be sanded
out...15
6 Tea cups/saucers/side plates & large plate, Excellent
condition; china
white with blue pattern...35
Tea set - early
morning, Teapot/cups/saucers/side plates for 2..15
Towel rack wooden
...15
Warming cabinet, 4 pyrex dishes with lids
excellent...25
Warming tray, Good condition... 10
Artist Easels,
Very strong...15 each
Artist's work table - wood , two drawers, shelf on
castors. .. 20
Punch Set, 1 large glass bowl, 12 glass punch cups, 1
serving ladle .. 35
Low chair/ladder combo, Good,
Casserole
Serving Large, lidless... 20
Casserole Large, With
lid..15
Casserole Medium, With lid...12
Casserole Small, With
lid..10
Ceramic Casserole, Large & Medium pair, with lids..
25
Curry Set, 6 bowls, 2 serving dishes.. 25
French Casserole Set,
Luminarc 3 with lids,..35
Coffee/Tea Glass pot, ..10
Vacuum
Flask,.. 5
Coffee Filter Set, Electric C/w filter papers
working..15
Automatic Jug kettle, working..15
Wok,
Electric..30
Ceramic Chicken Roaster...10
Assorted Mugs &
small Jugs..1 each
Ceramic cups & saucers set, 4
each..10
Ceramic Serving Bowl, Medium..10
Ceramic Bowls Small,
Lidless.. 4 each
Wooden Rolling Pin..5
Enamel Pie Dishes, Set 4
..20
Tin Trays, Set 3 round..15
Double Boiler..15
Glass
Fruit Bowl..10
Place Mats.. 7 each
Kenwood Whisk, Battery
operated..10
RNADO Whisk, Battery Operated..10
Seikosha Printer
SP-2000, Dot Matrix - working order..20
Punch Set, Large Glass Bowl, 12
glass cups, 1 serving ladle ..35
Kitchen stool/steps..15
Wing Back
Chairs, Pink Dralon, sprung, high back..25 each
Carpet , Golden brown
shaggy 3.6 m x 2.7 m..30
Carpet, 3.4 m x 2.7 m Red patterned
..30
The above prices are payable in Zimbabwe dollars at the
prevailing exchange
rate on the day that payment by RTGS or cheques (s) is
made.
Phone Denise or Tim 339592 or 011 201 231 or for more
details e-mail the
above
address.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.17
FOR SALE:
Christmas is almost here. Buy the Wiztech 223 Super
Satellite TV Receiver as
a family Christmas present and watch satellite TV
for FREE by using your
existing DSTV dish! This is a one-of payment. NO SUBS
to pay. No hidden
costs. Watch SABC 1,2, 3, Botswana, e-TV, SA News
International, CNBC,
France24.com, Press TV, Trade and Tourisim, several
religious channels etc,
Radio stations like RSG, Radio Pretoria, SAFM, 5 FM,
2000 Fm, Good Hope FM
and many more. You can have extra dishes installed to
receive other
satellites too. Phone Joe Esterhuizen for details on Harare
339378 (anytime)
or 0912- 338414 or e-mail countryjukebox@hotmail.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.18
FOR SALE
CAT D4D BULLDOZER IN GOOD RUNNING ORDER -
15000
USD EQUIVALENT O.N.C.O
JCB BACKHOE / LOADER IN GOOD RUNNING
ORDER -
13000 USD EQUIVALENT O.N.C.O.
CHAMPION 720 GRADER
IN GOOD RUNNING ORDER -
20000 USD EQUIVALENT O.N.C.O.
VIEW
AT: INSTAMAC (PVT) LTD
9, NUFFIELD
ROAD,
WORKINGTON,
HARARE
754301/2091 2 754301
EMAIL: bbrown@mango.zw
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.19
"Rare
book,The Great Betrayal by Ian Smith,1st
edition,1st
printing,Blake,London,1997,near mint,with inscription by the
author,this
book is not only an important bit of history it is an investment
which will
appreciate dramatically in the next few years,US$400.00
equivalent,ONO,call
Mr Wallis 496829 or email zermatt@mweb.co.zw
"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.20
EXPORT SLEEPER FURNITURE
We have beds, side tables, dining
tables, coffee tables (with or without
glass)
Please phone Simon
Silcock 0912-233103 /
04-668843
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.21
FOR SALE:
DUEL VIEW DIGITAL SATELLITE DECODER <AS NEW> (we
have upgraded to a PVR)
CONTACT ANDREA OR WARREN ON 0912-289345/
0912-208836 OR LEAVE A MESSAGE
WITH LADY WHO ANSWERS ON
301889.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.22
Generator for sale..
15 Kva kipor silent geny, only done 150
Hours. $ 5000 ( about $ 7000
New )
Phone Alex, 091 2
261085
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.23
For sale square wheat bales
Contact : Email : devon@mweb.co,zw
Cell
: 011633190 &
0912498636
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.24
Pork products
Desperately needing grazing for 50 cows in
calf.
Wanted cold boxes, Please contact Mrs Claassen on cell
number 011 221088 or
claassen@zol.co.zw
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.25
RUNNERS WORLD
WE HAVE A LOVELY RANGE OF ASICS AND NEW BALANCE
TRAINERS FOR LADIES AND
MEN. WE STOCK RUNNING SHOES, TRAIL, SQUASH AND
TENNIS. I ALSO HAVE LIGHT
WEIGHT RUNNERS FOR TRIATHLETES AND A COUPLE OF
PAIRS OF RUNNING SPIKES.
IF YOU NEED A NEW PAIR OF SHOES FOR
RUNNING OR FOR THE GYM, PLEASE CONTACT
ME, JO COCHRANE, ON