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US Seeks Ways to 'Appropriately' Support Zimbabwe

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By Blessing Zulu & Patience Rusere

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who in comments to reporters before their conversation appeared to add some nuance to the well-established American position that Washington will not directly fund the operations of the Harare government without seeing broad and deep reforms.

Mr. Tsvangirai is scheduled to meet Friday with President Barack Obama.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said early this week that no major aid could be expected until the Harare government as a whole institutes significant reforms on human rights and the rule of law, and ends harassment of political and civic activists, seemingly underscoring the humanitarian-only aid policy that has been in place for months.

Clinton told Mr. Tsvangirai after praising him as a “longtime advocate” of human rights and economic opportunity that she was “anxious to hear about the plans and the work that your government is undertaking and to look for ways that we appropriately can be supportive.”

Her choice of the modifier “appropriately” reflected the dilemma facing U.S. officials who want to support Mr. Tsvangirai and the reform-minded program of his Movement for Democratic Change, but who do not under any circumstances want to see the injection of American development funds bolster his governing partner, President Robert Mugabe.

Following bitterly contested elections in 2008 which opened several months of deadly political violence, Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe along with rival MDC formation leader Arthur Mutambara signed a power-sharing pact and formed a government in February.

The Zimbabwean prime minister met later on Capitol Hill with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee whose Africa subcommittee chairman, Donald Payne, a Democrat, has been advocating increased American assistance to Zimbabwe.

“We do see some progress being made,” Payne told VOA following that session.

“Much more has to be done. We’re not certainly ready to remove any sanctions or anything like that, however we are going to explore ways that we can get assistance to the people of Zimbabwe” targeting the agricultural sector and the educational system.

“But we will be watching closely, we will be having guidelines and roadmarks to see whether the ZANU-PF government is cooperating with MDC in a real collaborative spirit,” he said.

Mr. Tsvangirai also met with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who in 2001 co-sponsored the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act restricting U.S. support for aid to the country by any international financial institution until democracy and the rule of law should be restored.

In a statement, Feingold “reaffirmed our country’s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe and new resources for critical services like education, health, water and sanitation.” But, he said, “I was clear with (Tsvangirai) that the United States will continue to maintain our targeted sanctions and restrictions on direct assistance to the government until we see real progress toward restoration of the rule of law, civilian control over a disciplined security force and respect for human rights.”

In a speech and news briefing Wednesday at the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Tsvangirai said there could be serious consequences if his government is unable to reinvigorate the economy, making the case for the United States to provide transitional funding.

The alternative, if the government failed for lack of funds, could be “ghastly,” he said.

In an interview with reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe this week, Mr. Tsvangirai described his approach to the U.S. government as a dynamic process.

For interpretation of Clinton’s comments Thursday and analysis of where Mr. Tsvangirai’s quest for funds goes from here, reporter Patience Rusere turned to two political analysts: Resident Fellow Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy in Washington, and independent analyst Bekhithemba Mhlanga in London.

Bate noted that Mr. Tsvangirai has been cordially received in Washington, but cautioned that whatever aid the United States may provide will come with strings attached.- VOA News

Fortune Muparutsa's body still stuck in the UK

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The body of ‘Kanda Matombo’ singer Fortune Muparutsa who died in the United Kingdom almost 8 months ago still lies unclaimed at a funeral parlour in London.

A close friend of the former Mutare based singer told Nehanda Radio no one from his family or friends had stumped up the 2500 to 3500 pounds required to fly the body to Zimbabwe.

It is also reported that the money needed for Fortune’s body’s repatriation was raised last year, but relatives are said to have used it for other things.

More shockingly its claimed hundreds of bodies of Zimbabweans who died in the UK are also unclaimed at dozens of funeral parlours.

Muparutsa started singing and playing instruments at the tender age of seven.

His career kicked off soon after leaving school when he joined his siblings to form a band called The Runn Family where he penned a number of hits including  Nhapitapi, Muchongoyo, Zino Irema among others. Muparutsa also played with the group Ilanga before he pursued a solo career.

Meanwhile efforts by the Zimbabwe Guardian website to reach Muparutsa’s wife, who has four kids with the singer and believed to be living in Northampton, proved fruitless. Muparutsa’s mobile goes to voicemail and his voice is still on.

Warrant of Arrest for Diesel N’anga

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A Chinhoyi magistrate has issued a warrant of arrest against “diesel n’anga” Rotina Mavhunga who duped Mugabe’s entire cabinet into believing there was diesel oozing out of a rock in Chinhoyi. On Monday she defaulted on her scheduled appearance in court for judgment in her protracted case of ‘defrauding’ the State.

Magistrate Ignatius Mugova granted the warrant after prosecutor Herikiya Maromo indicated that neither Mavhunga nor her lawyer Chandavengegwa Chopomba of Mushonga and Associates had appeared in court. Mavhunga is reportedly unwell in Guruve where she is said to have swollen legs. This is the third time that she has failed to attend court after she was said to be at a cholera camp in her Guruve home area.

The State has closed its case and now awaits Mugova to deliver judgment. Chopomba confirmed that Mavhunga was not well, saying the court proceeded to issue a warrant of arrest despite indications to that effect. “I failed to attend court and my client failed because she is not feeling well,” he said. “She has swollen legs and there was no way we could have made it to court considering that she is in Guruve.”

She and her co-accused had been given until 2pm to appear in court before a warrant of arrest was issued. Martin Mazvazvido (38) and Lyton Munodawafa Tauro (48) who are jointly charged with Mavhunga were remanded to July 7 for judgment. The two were arrested in December 2007 after Mavhunga’s arrest two months earlier.

Charges against the trio arose when Mavhunga connived with the two and misrepresented to the Mashonaland West political leadership that, through her supernatural powers, she had discovered diesel oozing out of a rock at Maningwa Hills in Chinhoyi.

Mavhunga’s claims prompted a gullible Cabinet led by Mugabe to appoint a taskforce to ascertain her claims in what turned out to be a hoax that captured the attention of the entire nation.

Tich Mataz set for Zimbabwe Cricket job

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Controversy is brewing after Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) moved to appoint prominent radio and television personality Tichafa ‘Tich Mataz’ Matambanadzo as one of its five chief executives. The ‘Midas Touch’ is expected to lead the Eastern region of the newly created cricket franchise system.

But with Mataz facing a pending case for allegedly defrauding the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe the cricket board is heavily split over making the appointment. Matambanadzo who played a prominent role in promoting President Robert Mugabe with jingles for last year’s violent run-off election was arrested by police in March this year.

Police say Matambanadzo and Tendai Chamba – who are the directors of a private company, Family Choice (Subvented Solutions) (Pvt) Limited, failed to supply 1 551 food hampers to the RBZ under the BACOSSI programme after allegedly receiving payment in advance from the central bank.

Meanwhile in other appointments, advertising executive Hugo Ribatika will be CEO for Northerns, the largest franchise which is based in Harare while Stanley Staddon will run Westerns, who have requested to change their name to Matabeleland Warriors.

Givemore Makoni will take charge of Southerns, and Kenyon Ziehl will boss Centrals. Ozias Bvute, the ZC managing director said the appointment of the Eastern Region will be done in due course.

The new franchise system follows on recommendations by the International Cricket Council task team, which visited the country last year. The franchises will contract players and source their own sponsorship in addition to the  annual grant from Zimbabwe Cricket.  Staff Reporters/Radio VOP.

Interview: Sanderson Makombe on BTH

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Interview Broadcast 28 May 2009

Lance Guma: Hello Zimbabwe and welcome to another edition of Behind the Headlines. On the 15th April 2000 two MDC activists, Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika, were brutally murdered by CIO operative Joseph Mwale. On the day Mwale threw a petrol bomb into their car, burning them to death. One of the survivors of the attack, Sanderson Makombe, is the guest on Behind the Headlines and tells us what happened. Mr. Makombe thank you for joining us.

Sanderson Makombe: Thank you Lance

Lance: Now on this fateful day Mr. Makombe, like I’ve said you were one of the survivors. Can you just maybe for our listeners tell us what actually happened on this day?

Makombe: Oh in short you remember it was towards the 2000 parliamentary elections that were supposed to be held in April but were then moved to May. Ah..that time me and Chiminya had been instructed by the President of the MDC then Morgan Tsvangirai who was going to be the candidate for the MDC in the Buhera North constituency. He was supposed to address some rallies over the Easter period. Then he instructed me and Chiminya to go and do the preliminary work and the planning of the rallies, the transport and stuff. So what we did was to convene a meeting for all the structures that we had in Buhera North at Paradise Motel which is just a mile away from Buhera…….(inaudible).

The meeting lasted into the late afternoon probably around 4 or 5pm. Then after the meeting we were supposed to take some of the delegates back to their respective areas since they didn’t have their own transport. Chiminya then took the occasion then to take the people back to their respective areas. So he left me at the motel with one of the senior members of the MDC who was present Mr. Chiremba. On his way up north towards the Buhera District Offices, that’s were his first struggle or encounter with Zanu PF happened. Apparently what happened is that it took him so long to come back that we got so worried.

So me and Chiremba got into Chiremba’s car and we drove North looking for him. When we met him was shocked and very agitated and you know something really had happened. We asked him what had happened and he told us that a Zanu PF twin cab had followed him to one of the shopping centers when he was dropping the delegates and there was a scuffle between him and the members of Zanu PF who were in the Zanu PF twin cab. Apparently he was helped out because members of the public who were present came to support him, so he drove back.

So we all drove back the two vehicles to Paradise Motel then we decided that it was high time that we had to disperse. So we had to take the other delegates that were remaining, those who were nearer to Murambinda growth point itself. So we drove to the centre there with the two vehicles, probably we had twenty or so delegates in the two vehicles. It was really getting dark and when we got to the growth point we parked our cars and started singing, you know, just campaigning for the MDC and so forth and so forth. We attracted quite a big crowd. We were there for probably one and a half hours and when we were still there at the shopping center we received a report that one of our members had been assaulted by Zanu PF members and had been taken to Murambinda Hospital.

So we thought it prudent to go and check on his condition before we retreated back to our base. So we drove the two vehicles to the hospital but by the time we got there the visiting hours had already gone and so we were not allowed in. After negotiating with them, Chiminya was allowed in to go and check on his condition. When he came back you know he was very angry, agitated as well and he was holding a blood soaked MDC T-shirt which the guy had been wearing and he told us that guy was really in a bad state. Then apparently when we were there you know Talent Mabika informed us that she knew the guy who had been assaulted and they were related somehow.

So we decided to go make and lodge a complaint with the police. We drove the two vehicles to Murambinda Police Station where the Member in Charge was there and apparently I don’t know what happened a lot of the police officers had been mobilized and were just milling around the police station with cars and tear gases and stuff. So we made a complaint and asked what he knew. Apparently he knew such a thing had happened and we wanted to know what action was going to be taken and stuff. We were there at the police station for about 30 to 40 minutes then we decided that it was right for us to go back to our base. Apparently me and Chiminya were supposed to travel down to Muzokomba Growth Point which is in Buhera South. So the last aspect of it was that we were supposed to drop the remaining members whom we had before we drove to Muzokomba.

It was then when we drove out of the police station towards the Chivhu road going North in Buhera District when we were traveling along that road we noticed then a Zanu PF truck coming from one of the side ways. It was a white twin cab written Zanu PF Manicaland Province on its doors. Then they drove in front of us and they also turned left when we turned left and they were ahead of us for a couple of minutes. So we never thought there was anything going to happen you know.

After traveling along the tarred road for just a few miles they suddenly stopped in front of us, you know sort of blocking our way. Before we knew anything they had all jumped out of the vehicle and they were actually assaulting us, breaking the windows, the windscreen. So in front of the vehicle was Chiminya who was driving then in the middle was Talent Mabika and I was on the passenger seat, you know it was a pick up truck. So its only the pair of us who were left there cause all the guys who were in the truck had jumped and ran for their lives. So in the mayhem that was happening there I don’t know how I summoned the courage to go out through the window which had been broken, the side door window, you know. I just fought their guys who were there. Apparently they were not so much interested in me because it was just a short scuffle and they left me and I ran off into the bush.

Unfortunately my other two colleagues were not lucky enough to escape because I think Chiminya was their primary target, you know and when I was in the bush I could see them destroying the vehicle. Then we heard them calling for petrol bombs. Within a few minutes the whole vehicle was in flames. They switched on the lights of their truck, the Zanu PF guys and they got into the truck and then drove down to Dorowa Growth Point. That minute I came out of the bush, then we ran to try and rescue our guys but then we could see them, they had actually opened the vehicle and they were running across the fields burning like balls of flame, you know. So when we got there Chiminya was already dead but Talent was still speaking. The only other person whom I still remember who was still there was the late Mr. Hwata and another boy called Richard Chikwinya.

Lance: From where you were Mr. Makombe how did you get help, what happened from there?

Makombe: We never got any help from anyone. Apparently the police vehicle was just parked a few metres down the road. Actually they witnessed everything that was happening. So when we got to the two bodies, I remember me, Chikwinya, Ricky, Hwata and Mr. Chiremba, it was just the four of us, you know and the Santana police vehicle came down to where the bodies were and they instructed us to put the bodies in the back of the truck and take the bodies to the hospital.

So the task was for us to lift our colleagues, you know, with our own bear hands, they were still burning, you know. Talent was still screaming, she was not dead yet, she had been badly burnt. Her whole body was black with smoke and soot, you know all that stuff. And you know their skins were peeling from their bodies and stuff but you know we just had to do it. So it was basically the four of us who lifted the bodies and just dumped them in the back of the police vehicle, who then took them to the hospital.

Lance: Why do you think Mwale and these other Zanu PF thugs, targeted your group. Was there a special reason for them targeting you?

Makombe: Well from a political view we knew that they really wanted Morgan Tsvangirai to lose the Buhera North constituency because he was standing there as a parliamentary candidate. So they had specific instructions to make sure that he does not win in that area. Besides me and Chiminya had done great work before in Makoni West where we had been camped for 2 months and they knew how good we were at organizing rallies and mobilizing people. So they had specific instructions to stop us doing the same things in Buhera North.

Lance: There have been several court orders for Mwale to face justice, several prosecutors have actually instructed the police to arrest him but he remains employed by the CIO, in fact he was promoted some say and drives a top luxury vehicle. How do you feel about this?

Makombe: Well its really a tragedy Lance that at this point in time almost 9 years after that incident that, that person who committed such murder and had been subpoenaed by the courts will never bother to attend the court, its basically contempt of court. Secondly he is still employed by the same government and is paid by us tax payers and yet he is a criminal. What makes it worse actually now is that there is an inclusive government that includes us members of the MDC. We are now part of that government, so we are actually employing him to do the work that he is doing now yet he is someone who supposed to be standing before the courts and being tried for the crimes that he has committed.

Lance: You talk about the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in one article that you wrote marking the 9th anniversary of this particular incident. What’s your argument there?

Makombe: Well my argument Lance was that Zimbabwe at this juncture has got an opportunity to resolve the issues that have happened in the last decade or so. But my premise was that to just call for forgiveness and reconciliation without bringing those who are known to have committed such serious crimes that are actually prohibited by international law is not good enough. What we need is a two way process were lesser crimes could go through reconciliation and forgiveness where the higher crimes, those that have a higher culpability should be tried through the courts, through the traditional justice system.

So one of the issues that I was talking about is people who committed such serious human rights violations, like arson, like murder, you know like sexual offenses, rape, you know. Those people, international law requires that those people be punished through the traditional court system. So that was the premises of the article that I wrote. I would very much love to see Mwale, not only Mwale, but all other people who have been involved in such atrocious human rights violations standing before the courts and being brought to justice.

Lance: And just quickly Mr. Makombe are these issues that you have tried to lobby through to the MDC?

Makombe: Well I do know that the article was read by a lot of people in the MDC through the feedback that they sent to my e-mail. Organizations also in Zimbabwe have contacted me to see if I could help with formulating policies on how we can deal with the past. So whether the party is prepared to go and take a step further, I don’t know. But as a person that’s what I feel. I feel that its one of the founding principles of the MDC as a party when we congregated in 1999 in forming the party one of the four issues was the return to the rule of law and I don’t see how these crimes that were perpetrated on the civic society and ordinary members of opposition parties can be excluded from that ambit? So it still remains a core value of the MDC and I would want to see the party standing firm on those core principles.

Lance: That was Sanderson Makombe one of the survivors of the attack by CIO operative Joseph Mwale. Mr. Makombe thank you so much for your time.

Makombe: Thank you Lance, you are welcome.

To listen to the programme: Click Here

SW Radio Africa

Shooting Stars fire coach Joey Antipas

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By Petros Kausiyo

AMBITIOUS Premiership side Shooting Stars have fired their coaching department — headed by Joey “Mafero” Antipas — with the Warriors assistant coach paying the huge price for the Wild Boys’ sudden plunge in form.

Antipas becomes the fourth Premiership coach this season to lose his job because of poor results after Dynamos’ David Mandigora, Beavan Gwamure of Underhill and Motor Action’s Lindile Dube.

The veteran coach had been in charge of Shooting Stars for exactly a year, having arrived in June last year and took them from the lower half of the log table to a decent fourth place finish last year behind champions Monomotapa, Dynamos and Njube Sundowns.

Antipas had, however, watched in horror as Shooting Stars slid from third position to 13th on the log table in the last month and yesterday the club’s chiefs wielded the axe on the Warriors assistant coach.

He was fired together with his assistants, Stanford “Stix’’ Mtizwa, Partson Ndabambi and team manager Charlie Jones. Shootings Stars also moved in quickly to appoint the seemingly inseparable pair of Lloyd Mutasa and Callisto Pasuwa as head coach and assistant coach.

The Wild Boys management retained goalkeepers’ coach Emmanuel Nyahuma while former CAPS United treasurer Ziyambi Ziyambi also made a surprise return to mainstream football administration yesterday when he was unveiled as the new Shooting Stars team manager.

Shooting Stars president Joel Sengeredo announced the reshuffle at the club and also introduced the new coaches to the players shortly after the Wild Boys’ morning training session at the University of Zimbabwe grounds yesterday.

Sengeredo said Nyahuma had initially been fired together with Antipas, Mtizwa and Ndabambi but the former Black Aces goalkeeper was retained following a recommendation by Mutasa to keep the soft-spoken coach.

The Shooting Stars president said Antipas and his assistants were dismissed purely on results, which have seen Shooting Stars manage just two points out of a possible 18 in their last six games.

After a promising start to the season during which their fine passing football won them the admiration of many neutrals in the league, the Wild Boys, who boast talented players like Pride Tafirenyika, Thembani Masuku and Elliot Matsika, and have somehow terribly lost form.

Shooting Stars have not tasted victory since April 27 when Matsika rose from the bench at Gwanzura to fire home a brace that gave them a 2-0 win over debutantes Eagles.

Antipas’ two other wins in 13 matches came courtesy of victories over ailing Black Rhinos and Mutare newboys Highway.

Sengeredo said Shooting Stars’ current position on the log table, in which they are 13th with just 14 points from 13 matches, had been cause for serious concern within their camp and after a “soul searching exercise’’ it had become inevitable to change their coaching department.

“We have made the necessary changes and the affected coaches have been informed and they have all accepted that this is what happens in football when the results are not coming.

“So with effect from today (yesterday) we have appointed Mr Ziyambi as our team manager, Lloyd Mutasa as the head coach assisted by Callitso Pasuwa and Emmanuel Nyahuma who remains the goalkeepers’ coach.

“We will see how we move from here but I must stress that this decision was necessitated by the poor results that we have been having and which everyone has seen.

“Our agreement with the coaches is that we look at the results and not faces because it is our ambition to win,’’ Sengeredo said.

The Shooting Stars boss, however, insisted that Mutasa and Pasuwa, who quit Highway in a huff two weeks ago, would not be put under immense pressure to immediately produce results.

“It is now up to the new technical team to work with this team and we will, as management, give them all the support that they need.

“The new coaches are not being given any specific targets, they have been given contracts right away and we will not set any number of games for them to win because doing so will put them into panic mode.

“In fact Lloyd and Callisto are qualified coaches who know what is expected of them.

“Their appointment is also not by mistake but it is a decision that has been reached after wide consultation and due consideration and if we gave the outgoing coaches 13 games, why should be giving these coaches a few games?

“It means we will be changing coaches at every turn. We will rate the new coaches at the end of the season so there is no need to put them under any pressure,’’ Sengeredo said.

He said Mutasa’s appointment had also been made in time for the opening of the transfer window to afford the former Kiglon mentor a chance to bring in any additions he may need.

“We have also taken the view to change our coaching department in view of the fact that the mid-season transfer window is opening and have to reorganise because our current position on the log table is worrying.

“So Mutasa and Pasuwa will look at the players that we have, assess those they want, those they do not need and if there are any additions that they want to make to strengthen the squad, we try to assist them,’’ Sengeredo said.

Mutasa, whose first assignment is a tough task against CAPS United at Rufaro on Saturday, briefly addressed the players and called for unity in the dressing room. “I am very happy to join this institution and I think if we all work together we will succeed,’’ Mutasa said.- The Herald Sports.

The curious case of costly internet in Zim

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By Freeman Chari

One day I was watching a friend go through her Cisco simulations when something struck my head. She was drawing computers and routers trying to come up with something she called a network topology (whatever that is). When I asked what she was trying to do we ended up concluding that until there is a strategy to harness our brilliant ideas and transform them into action the poor will always be poor.

In an attempt to explain the concept of networking to me, she picked our internet connection. We pay our Internet Service Provider (ISP) and we also pay our telecoms provider for the line rental. Our ISP has a small network which we are also part of blah blah blah and here ended our original discussion but started another one which eventually inspired our realisation.

To access internet we pay an ISP, which in turn pays an upstream ISP for Internet access, this upstream ISP also pays another ISP which has a bigger network, which in turn pays another one and so continues the sequence until we reach a network that is called a Tier 1 carrier. A Tier 1 carrier is one that connects through the entire internet without paying for that access. There are about ten of these truly Tier 1 networks in the whole world. They include Sprint , AT&T, Verizon, Level 3 Communications (L3), TeliaSonera, Quest and Global Crossing. All the Tier 1 carriers are headquartered in USA except Global Crossing (Bermuda), NTT (Japan) and TeliaSonera (Sweden).

This brings me to the core of our observation. When I visit Quick n Easy Internet Cafe in Harare I will pay $1 to access the internet. Quick n Easy would take a chunk and pass another to its ISP which will get a chunk and pass the other chunk to somebody who will pass to somebody. There is 70% chance that a chunk of my $1 will end up shoring the USA balance of payments.

To those who have tried to own a website they may know that for you to have one you need to have an internet domain name. Unless you want to use a country code top-level domain like .co.zw then one needs to pay domain registrar to register that domain. There are five notable registrars in the whole world, the biggest being GoDaddy in USA.

The point I am trying to drive here is that, the advances in sciences that we embrace entrench certain levels of monopoly of the economic space by the rich over the poor. The technological advances demand that there be a computer. One cannot use a computer unless he purchases an operating system like Windows which was developed by Microsoft- a USA company.

This scenario does not embrace innovation from the lower end of the consumer ladder. This is present in most business atmospheres where regulatory agencies are created to put stringent measures which do not only curtail innovation but serve to entrench the dominance of certain powerful entities in such markets.

I will give an example. There is a man in Zimbabwe who has struggled for the past ten years to have his helicopter- which he built from scratch- fly in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean authority CAAZ has denied him permission to test his invention calling the chopper unworthy to fly. Instead of CAAZ rewarding such determination and innovation, they choose to let him be an object of ridicule. I am of the opinion that, had he been given necessary support by now Zimbabwe would have been able to build its own helicopter, or maybe a tractor.

I am sure if Daniel had been a Professor of Robotics from overseas he would have been allowed to try his chopper yet Bill Gates revolutionised the world despite being a school dropout! Daniel Chingoma, has got a brilliant idea but does not have the financial capacity sustain his idea. Unless there is somebody who has the finances and is willing to support him, it is possibility that his chopper will never see the skies. How many of us have got clear ideas but do not have the financial capacity to bring them into action?

I have always wanted to operate a Medical Laboratory that would have the capacity to diagnose such diseases like leukaemia and cancer in Zimbabwe. For the past four years I have been visiting banks and financial institutions within and without Zimbabwe. They all tell me that Brilliant proposal now what collateral do you have? I am just a 28 year old who does not even have a stand to build. So until I am able to amass wealth in immovable assets or am able to convince somebody with his houses to act as surety then this dream will die a stillbirth.

I work in a hospital, my salary even if I save it for ten years without eating anything it would never come near the amount needed to buy a BD FacsCalibur machine for such a laboratory. Faced with these challenges one begins to think of how he can surmount them, and many ideas and scenarios fly across. As a Zimbabwean who has been denied access to loans because I do not have title deeds one option is to also go and grab land like what ZANU PF bigwigs are doing.

This is a rational idea given that if I stand in a queue with Munangagwa and Mr Hirtchkens (a white farmer with 200 hectares of land) both of them stand a better chance of accessing the loan despite the fact that they both would not have a legitimate claim to the land they would be using as collateral. So why not grab too?

Like in the well knit system of internet business, the sugar business has an upstream cascade that makes it difficult for me as a common man to be part of. Triangle Ltd owns the canals that carry water from Tokwane-Ngundu dam to its fields, it owns the sugar milling company and has big claims in the sugar refineries. Even if I get land in Nuanetsi Ranch, I would not be able to farm sugarcane unless if Triangle allows me to use its water. In the event that it allows me, I may not be able to sell the sugarcane to its milling company unless it allows me to. Otherwise I have to sell the canes to people at Ngundu Bus Terminus.

Under these circumstances why not violently seize a part of this chain and start playing a part? After all it is situations like these which necessitated revolutions in Russia and China. Another option is to use our cumulative economic power to create a pool of resources which we can tap into if one of us has an idea that is worthy supporting. This is a concept that has been used by Indians much to their benefit. If I can save $5 and 1000 other people can do it every month. Each month we would be having $ 5 000 which can be invested.

In a year we would be having a relatively large pool of capital. Unfortunately the circumstances that we find ourselves in make this even harder. My salary is break even. My employer gives me enough to feed my family, pay rent and school fees. Where will I get the extra cash without straining myself?

I can go on and on but the situation that we the poor find ourselves in demands that we radically shift our gaze from what we are made to believe is happening and takes a deep stare at the machinations below. Otherwise we are going to get poorer and poorer whilst the world seems to be developing.

As I retire to bed, I cannot help listening to Thomas Mapfumos munhu mutema. Hona tingabhenga sei vamwe vakabhenga kare zvinotigumbura isu (How can we bank when others banked a long time ago, it frustrates!)

Great Hope and Optimism for Zimbabwe

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By Dewa Mavhinga

Recently I was at a function in London when, upon introducing myself as a Zimbabwean, someone ventured to ask me a question I have become very much accustomed to now, ‘so, what has changed with this new government?’

In response I explained that as far as I was concerned, there had been no fundamental change in political direction and that the levers of power remain firmly in the hands of those who wielded power in 1980 and as such, we are not really in a new political dispensation as yet.

The person who asked the question was clearly unimpressed, he pointed out that in fact he had information that ‘a lot of positive changes’ had taken place in Zimbabwe and cited the so-called miracle reduction of inflation from 231 million percent to just 1.1 percent as an example some of the positive changes that are not being highlighted.

He then noted that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora and international media have a tendency of reporting only negative news on Zimbabwe because, he quipped, ‘good news does not sell.’ It appears this is a generally held view among some international observers which I wish to address in greater detail here.

Well, I do not see how my grandmother in Bikita would take comfort in the miraculous reduction in inflation because she still does not have access to foreign currency. The switch-over to use of foreign currency which cured inflation in one stroke may be significant to political elites but certainly makes little difference to ordinary men and women in Zimbabwe who continue to suffer. It is like focusing on improving working conditions for those who are employed when 94 percent of Zimbabweans are unemployed!

Personally, and I am confident many other Zimbabweans share this view, I desperately desire to hold great hope and optimism that Zimbabwe’s future is bright and that political change has come. I want to be able to proudly tell the world that Zimbabwe is open and ready for business. I want to tell anyone who cares to listen that my country is a beacon of democracy and persuade investors to rush to Zimbabwe and do business with my countrymen.

It is my wish that l should tell the world that violence, human rights abuses, police brutality and repression belong to the past. Unfortunately, sadly, that would be untrue; I would be telling blatant lies if I were to lay claim to such things. Creating false hope and false images of change does not bring the desired change to Zimbabwe.

It appears to be that the desire to be ‘positive’ about Zimbabwe and project a positive image of Zimbabwe may have led some of our erstwhile colleagues who now occupy high political offices to massage the truth and polish the rough edges of reality in their presentation of the situation in Zimbabwe. All of a sudden, themselves victims a compromised and corrupt court system, because they are now part of government, they believe there is rule of law and that their colleagues who face various politically motivated charges must face trial by ‘impartial courts.’

One minister from the smaller MDC faction, when asked why farm violent farm invasions were continuing unabated responded, ‘government is broke, we do not have financial resources to deploy police to stop the invasions.’ Was this not precisely the same political excuse given by the police in 2000 when farm invasions began?

Clearly, but for reasons as yet unclear to me, many former advocates of rule of law and democracy who are now in government have become shameless liars quite ready and comfortable to sing from the same hymn book with those who once persecuted them.

Being frank and truthful about the minute changes that have taken place in Zimbabwe does not make one a pessimist. My great hope and optimism for Zimbabwe lies in the hope that there are many who will realize that the struggle for democracy and good governance does not end when one gets a seat at the high table; that is precisely when the struggle begins. Only the truth will set our leaders free, and, in the same vein, set us all free.

Dewa Mavhinga is a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer

Public Service to weed out ghost workers

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Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro has said government is carrying out an audit to establish the number of civil servants on its payroll. This comes amid reports that over 30 000 ghost teachers are receiving government allowances every month.

Minister Mukonoweshuro said the audit was expected to be completed by mid-July. He said the government took the decision to undertake the audit following discoveries that some of the workers were not genuinely engaged by the government, amid reports that some youth militia aligned to Zanu PF were receiving monthly salaries from the government.

The Ministry of Education has since discovered discrepancies in the number of teachers on its payroll. The three teachers’ unions have 60 000 members on their books but the education ministry showed that 90 000 members were on the government payroll.

“We are doing it meticulously and this is the first time that such an audit has been carried out.  In the past there have been manpower surveys but this exercise seeks to establish who is a genuine civil servant and who is not,” Mukonoweshuro said.

Youth Forum comments on Bashir visit

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The Youth Forum supports the initiative by four journalists Stanley Gama, Stanley Kwenda Valentine Maponga and Jealous Mawarire to challenge the legality of Media and Information Commission.

This does not only go a long way in advocating for democracy and good governance but also to enlighten the citizenry on these critical issues. We also condemn the denial of access of these journalists to the just ended COMESA Summit at Victoria Falls which was generally described as a gathering of dictators and criminals.

Al-Beshir the president of Sudan under International Criminal Court warrant of arrest felt at home in the midst of fellow dictators.

We are also against the way this whole event was covered by the state media since it emphasized on the assumption of chairmanship by President Mugabe at the expense of critical issues such as the overview of the body, achievements, failures and the significance of the body.

As Youth Forum we urge the state media to be more informative and educative rather than being a mere propaganda conveyer belt of ZANU PF and the government. We are shocked by the continued bias of the state media and hate speech contrary to the dictates of the Global Political Agreement.

As Youth we expect to be allocated time to also air our views as we have always been advocating for to the relevant authorities to no avail. We strongly feel that the government must put its house in order in terms of restoring human rights and good governance so as to bring about donor and investor confidence.

Glob trotting with a begging bowl and calling for the removal of sanctions before addressing the pertinent issues as envisaged by the Global Political Agreement will only help to humiliate the government of Zimbabwe and the nation as a whole.

It also goes a step further to legitimize ZANU PF argument that it is the MDC which called for sanctions hence the need for it to take charge in calling them off.

Youth Forum strongly feels that there is a great need to make great Reserve Bank reforms before acquiring funds to resuscitate the economy. Issues to do with the constitution, national healing, media reforms and information regarding the inclusive government should not remain a preserve of those in government as what is currently prevailing.

Such issues must be community driven in the exact meaning of the word.
YOUTH FORUM INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY

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