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Professor Moyo savages Tsvangirai trip

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By Prof Jonathan Moyo, MP

While Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s three-week tour of some European countries and the United States has come and gone, it has left behind a lot of dust over its purpose and achievement, which are now the subject of political mystification and media hullabaloo.

Against this background there are six irresistible observations that stand out as having critically defined the Prime Minister’s mission and which, therefore, warrant critical scrutiny to help clear up the growing confusion and controversy over the tour.

The six compelling observations are these:

l What was supposed to be a Government trip led by the Prime Minister ended up as his ego-trip.

l The tour was hijacked by the United States and its European allies, who suddenly became new-born champions of the very same September 15 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) that they, in fact, oppose.

l While the trip was expected to raise critically needed financial support for the inclusive Government’s US$8,3 billion Short-Term Economic Recovery Programme (Sterp), it ended up as a fund-raising campaign for American and European-created NGOs in Zimbabwe that are linked to the MDC-T.

l The Prime Minister transformed the tour from being about seeking the re-engagement of Zimbabwe’s inclusive Government with Western governments to facilitating his own personal re-engagement with the governments of the United States and its European allies.

l To appease his European and American hosts at the expense of the suffering ordinary people in Zimbabwe who are now living like hunter-gatherers, Prime Minister Tsvangirai abandoned the core purpose of the trip which was to seek the removal of the devastating illegal economic sanctions imposed by the countries he visited; and

l The tour was poorly planned, premature and too long.

First, it is now quite clear that, viewed from the standpoint of the inclusive Government as a national body defined by collective responsibility, the Prime Minister’s tour did not have a strategic content that the public could readily identify with.

In fact, the tour came like a bolt from the blue without any visible advance planning or preparation. Added to this, the composition of the Prime Minister’s delegation was made up of novices and lightweights with no diplomatic experience that was necessary for such a high-profile tour with huge national interests at stake.

Rather inexplicably, the timing of the tour was premature, not least because it took place even before the start of the Zimbabwe-EU dialogue for re-engagement at ministerial and official level initiated by Zimbabwe to seek the removal of the illegal economic sanctions and to restore normal relations of mutual recognition and respect. The prematurity of the tour was made worse by the fact that it lasted for much too long.

While some MDC-T propagandists have celebrated the Prime Minister’s extended tour, they have hopelessly failed to appreciate that Mr Tsvangirai’s prolonged stay outside the country in a tour during which he has brought back home precious little and when nothing at home collapsed in his absence has served to dramatically demonstrate his irrelevance as a key player capable of making things happen for Zimbabweans in or outside the country. Any leader who can spend some three weeks away from his country globe-trotting without being missed is not at all important in the everyday scheme of things.

The second observation is that, given the worsening state of the economy that has robbed ordinary people of their national currency, there was no need for the Prime Minister to undertake his extended tour if its core objective did not, by definition, include that he would specifically seek the removal of the illegal economic sanctions that have broadened and deepened the country’s political and economic meltdown.

On this point, nothing would be gained by resorting to the false and discredited propaganda that the Prime Minister did not address the sanctions issue during his tour allegedly because they are an individual matter as they are said to be only targeted at Zanu-PF persons. Even if this claim were true, which it is not, the GPA is clear that all sanctions must be removed and that is enough to enjoin Mr Tsvangirai to uphold all and not just some provisions of the GPA as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

But more importantly, Prime Minister Tsvangirai was at the very least expected to seek and obtain from his traditional supporters overseas the removal of financial sanctions against Zimbabwe as a country, and sanctions against companies, some of them listed in various stock exchanges, imposed at the behest of the United States and its European allies directly and through multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The fact that he did not even talk about these sanctions during his tour and, instead, sought to hide under the false cover of sanctions that are allegedly only targeted at individuals, shows beyond doubt that he abandoned the core objective of his tour, given the on-going economic crisis in the country due to financial sanctions targeting the whole country and affecting some of its leading companies. This alone means that Prime Minister Tsvangirai cannot be trusted to represent at all times all Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliation.

The third observation is that, maybe because he was neither guided by the national interest nor by the principle of collective responsibility in the inclusive Government, Prime Minister Tsvangirai ended up changing the focus of his tour from being about seeking the re-engagement of Zimbabwe’s inclusive Government with Western governments to facilitating his own personal re-engagement with these governments that used to support him for regime-change purposes when he was the opposition leader of the MDC-T.

It is common cause that the Prime Minister’s regime-change engagement with the power establishments in the Western countries that make up the anti-Zimbabwe alliance was dented when he signed the GPA on September 15 2008 and things got worse when Tsvangirai joined the inclusive Government some four months ago on February 13.

No wonder then that the Prime Minister and his hosts during his three-week tour took advantage of the opportunity to re-engage each other in the light of the new situation of the inclusive Government which has resulted in new political dynamics on the ground that they think require new strategies of seeking regime-change from within the inclusive Government.

As such, while nothing was achieved to re-engage the inclusive Government with the governments of the United States and its European allies, quite a lot was done to re-engage the Prime Minister and his MDC-T with the governments of the countries he visited. This is why Mr Tsvangirai’s hosts were happy to shower him with trinkets for the NGO community as if he had gone there as the Prime Minister of NGOs for whom he raised some US$202 million when we all know he went as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe under the auspices of the inclusive Government.

The fourth observation is that, as a direct consequence of his failure to be guided by the principle of collective responsibility within the inclusive Government, and because of his inability to rise above hostile foreign interests for the sake of all Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliations, Prime Minister Tsvangirai failed to raise even a cent for the inclusive Government’s US$8,3 billion Short-Term Economic Recovery Programme (Sterp).

Of course, the Prime Minister raised US$202 million for NGOs and when he was on his last visit in France on Thursday, he claimed that how that money he had raised would come to Zimbabwe or who would use it “was neither here nor there” as long as it was coming to the country.

But such a posture is, of course, not leadership material expected of a Prime Minister because it is manifestly juvenile and delinquent in a partisan way and is therefore irresponsible in every respect, however you look at it. Where does Prime Minister Tsvangirai imagine money for Sterp will come from when he was not able to raise even a cent towards the US$8,3 billion he has said the inclusive Government needs to turn around the economy?

The fifth observation is that the Prime Minister’s three-week tour was hijacked and abused by the United States and its European allies who, without any challenge from Mr Tsvangirai, turned it into a propaganda event to opportunistically pose as GPA supporters with Machiavellian pledges that they would consider supporting the inclusive Government only after some “outstanding GPA” issues had been implemented. Indeed, the same dodgy pledges found their way onto conditions for re-engagement that have been set by the EU on its dialogue with Zimbabwe.

What is instructive about this is that the public record shows that the United States and its European allies have never supported the September 15 2008 political agreement because of its unequivocal confirmation of the irreversibility of the land reform programme and its call for the removal of the illegal sanctions and the end of propaganda against Zimbabwe from pirate radio stations that are based in Europe and America.

It is also a public secret that America and Europe see the GPA as an unwelcome triumph of South African diplomacy, which they are determined to reverse even by hook or crook.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai should have understood that the notion that the United States and its European allies are eager to see the implementation of “outstanding” GPA issues before supporting the inclusive Government is akin to the devil quoting scriptures claiming to be eager to go to heaven!

The sixth and final observation is that, from the totality of the issues arising from the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that the Prime Minister’s three-week tour of some European countries and the United States, which should have been a well-planned strategic national trip on behalf of the inclusive Government in the interest of all Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliation, ended up being an unfortunate ego-trip that has left Tsvangirai exposed as a poor leader who just does not get it.

The unprecedented heckling that the Prime Minister suffered in London from a traditional MDC-T audience was because he falsely presented himself as the only person who has suffered the most in the so-called struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe.

For some reasons the Prime Minister does not get the fact that being in Government is not an individual thing but about being the custodian of the national people’s agenda as an expression of the legacy of the liberation struggle. There are no half-way points or half measures about that: you either get it or you don’t. Tsvangirai doesn’t.

Somehow, and this might turnout to be its only positive outcome, the Prime Minister’s tour has brought into sharp focus the fact that Zimbabweans have over-tolerated the mischief by MDC-T’s neo-colonial donors and media hacks who routinely treat the history of Zimbabwe as if it begins in 2000 and who claim that the worst atrocities in the history of the country have been committed only since and make nonsensical claims that the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe started in 2000 when people like Tsvangirai supposedly made unparalleled personal sacrifices as leaders of that struggle.

All the European and American leaders who hosted Prime Minister Tsvangirai during his three-week tour, notably Barack Obama, Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel, went to town pushing the neo-colonial line whose sub-text is that the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe is as recent as 2000 and its trophy is the return of “expropriated white land”.

If Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his MDC-T believe this neo-colonial hogwash and want to make it their own agenda, then they are totally doomed.

This is because the gods will never be as crazy as to allow mercenary politicians to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle by falsely claiming to be leading the struggle for democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe when its true leaders are former colonialists who have never accepted the consequences of their colonial pillage of our country.

Jonathan Moyo is the independent MP for Tsholotsho.

The Michael Jackson journey

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By Mutumwa Mawere

Each and every individual has a story whose real impact on others is regrettably only told in its true and proper perspective when one exists this world.

Michael Jackson (MJ), the legend, icon and superstar and, indeed, an African heritage point of light passed on last week and his exit exposed the complexity and meaningless of life in so dramatic a manner that one cannot ignore the lessons from the experience.

In life, MJ was truly a genius and a gifted artist.  On 29 August 1958, MJ’s journey began and the world may not remember his birthday but will forever remember the official departure day, 25 June 2009.

Yes, we had 51 opportunities to say to MJ, “Many happy returns” and yet many of us took for granted that the messenger will always be available to deliver the message that we have embraced through purchases of his music.

Is it not ironical that it is only at the time of death that people attempt to pause to reflect on the meaning of one’s life and its impact?  As the world reflects as it should on the life of MJ, there is no doubt that a universal verdict will declare that this was a man who dedicated his life to making a difference to the world through pop culture.

When Africa Heritage Society (AHS) www.africaheritage.com joined the movement to identify individuals of African heritage in whose hearts there is a light that shines beyond the confines of family and friends, I took it upon myself to contribute my thoughts on this important subject matter www.mmawere.com .

The universal outpouring of genuine non-racial emotions following the death of MJ tells a story about the 51 years of service to humanity so eloquently that we need to pause and reflect on the purpose of life.  Who really was MJ?  Was he properly understood?  Did the world embrace only his message and not the messenger?

MJ, like any icon, was less understood in life by the people who have in the millions embraced him at death.  His journey was and must have been a lonely one.

As people put him on a higher pedestal he ceased to be human and invariably became a prisoner to his work and fans.  We all want to be inspired by others but rarely do we take time to reflect on the costs we impose on the people we look up to.

MJ once said: “I am an instrument of nature” and indeed he was.  He has left a legacy and future generations will no doubt remember the man and hopefully the things that we did not do to make his life ordinary like we all want to enjoy with no intrusive and malicious interventions.

When he departed, the world froze to attention to express a universal grief and also to reflect on MJ’s truly remarkable journey filled with accomplishments but no doubt empty at the personal level.

However, when we pause to reflect what occupied the mind of MJ at the time of his untimely death we may never know but we may not be wrong to conclude that he was a lonely man whose childhood and life was alienated by fame from him.

From a young age, MJ became our collective property and he lost his freedom so that we could enjoy the message.

It is only when we broaden and deepen our understanding about the meaning of life and our individual and collective obligations to impact the world we live in that we can properly spread the burden to each and every individual in whose hands the future of humanity rests of being the change that we want to see.

Each birthday and the day of death should provide an opportunity to celebrate life and try to capture in life what the people we interact with mean to us and the world we live in.

MJ was forced by financial circumstances to return to the centre stage and almost a million tickets were sold for the 59 shows he was to perform in.  He needed the money and if one takes into account the millions who now grieve over his passing on it is not difficult to see the dilemma inherent in MJ’s complicated life.

We wanted more from him and never took time to invest in him in a sustainable way to ensure that the burden of life would never disable or challenge him.

The hours that the media has devoted to him after death and the kind of message coming from the discourse on his life suggests that we need to find a balance in reporting about our icons.

Ultimately, every individual has a point in his/her life.  This is not to say that we need to look for angels.  If this is the case, then we need to begin a new conversation that seeks to celebrate life and not celebrate someone after death.

If you love someone then you are compelled to know him or her.  How much did the world really know about MJ?  MJ was black like me and yet his impact through pop culture was universal.  One cannot deny that his impact on the world advanced the cause of our heritage.  For those who focus on race, they will have discovered that MJ’s impact transcended the confines imposed by race.

He was a perfectionist and he worked hard at his craft.  This allowed the world to be his judge and the verdict if there was any doubt is now known but he is no more.  Even if the world wished otherwise, there is no mechanism known to mankind of changing the hand of fate.  When it is time to go and your departure number is called there is no choice but to go.

What we leave are memories and MJ left many to make it difficult to truly capture his real impact in one hour or even one day of non-stop coverage.  He touched so many lives.  The real question is whose lives have you touched.

Yesterday, I was a guest speaker at a gathering of Zimbabwean-born professionals who are now resident in South Africa.  They like many non-resident Zimbabweans wanted to discuss about the situation at home and see how best they can impact on the situation.  My message was simple.  I told them that they should seek to invest in the change that they want to see and should focus more on impacting the world they live in and in so doing they can have a bigger impact on others.

Many of us refuse to be the change that we want to see.  Instead of impacting on South Africa, it is easy often easy for non-resident Zimbabweans to occupy their minds on things they cannot influence and less on things they can do something about.  I told that that we need to reflect on how the colonial model worked and impacted on Africa.

A few settlers initially came to Africa and saw what the millions of native Africans could not see.  They saw the vast mineral wealth hidden in the continent’s belly.  They built communities in foreign lands and chose to be the change they wanted to see.

The mere fact that native Africans had to fight to regain their civil and economic rights shows that the colonial project had an impact because the settlers unlike non-resident Zimbabweans chose to identify with their adopted home.

Non-resident Zimbabweans are many in South Africa and yet they are not organized to influence the environment they live in because many still consider themselves as transit economic and political tourists and yet their children will grow up in the adopted home with a confused African identity.  I told them that it is important that a paradigm shift be invested in so that working together we can be the change that we want to see.

Zimbabwe can be changed if we change the way we look at life.  Let us not wait to celebrate the lives of the people who have a positive influence on our lives until they expire.

I do hope that we can learn from the MJ journey that the real measure of one’s impact is the reaction people have when you are no longer there to see.  Imagine if people had responded to MJ’s birthday as they have responded to his death.

What impact would this have made on MJ’s journey?  He is no longer with us to realize that he did make a difference.

What is left is for us to make our mark and for those who benefit from it to never allow a minute to pass without appreciating the impact.

On 18 July, we are celebrating the life of former President Kenneth Kaunda, Ambassador Andrew Young and many others.  On this day, Mandela was born and the world will also pause to reflect on the life of this remarkable man.

For those that see value in celebrating our heritage, please be the change by buying a seat or table at the Gala Dinner to be hosted by the 18 JULY COMMITTEE at the Sandton Convention Centre.  For more details, you can visit: http://www.africaheritage.com/calendar.php?id=44 and working together to showcase our points of light we can transform these points into a big point that will allow others to better appreciate our African brand.

If MJ can impact the world so can you.

ROHR & ZimVigil exploiting asylum seekers

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Editorial

Several days ago as editor of this website, I had to make the difficult decision of whether or not to publicise and expose allegations that human rights group Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) and its sister organisation the Zimbabwe Vigil were exploiting desperate Zimbabwean asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

In the end we decided it was in the public interest that these issues be raised and tackled. A few months ago Rose Benton who leads the Zimbabwe Vigil wrote to me thanking us for publicising their weekly diary. A perusal of our archives shows that we have covered Zim Vigil activities for over 3 years since this website was set up in June 2006.

It was therefore a cheap blow to see Benton describing us as a  ‘loud mouthed Zimbabwean exile website’ that is trying to destabilize the Vigil and ROHR. Such rank hypocrisy is amazing! A few months ago we were the best thing since sliced bread all because we were giving them good coverage. But all of a sudden we have challenged them on transparency and accountability we have become vicious spinners of lies.

For the benefit of those who missed the first series of articles here is a summary. ROHR is accused of making aspiring members pay £120 subscription fees (£10 per month) in return for letters of support for asylum claims. These letters are no longer worth the paper they are written on, but the organisation continues to mislead aspiring members that they will get their asylum status using these.

The Zim Vigil in trying to defend this outrage issued a statement on the 27th of June 2009 exposing their own exploitation of asylum seekers.

In the statement Benton says, ‘we do not have membership fees. We do not make any charge to committed supporters of the Vigil for letters. To people who have come less than 10 times but more than 5 (out of 350!) there is a fee of £10 to cover administration expenses for a detailed letter. To those who have come less than 6 times we are reluctant to say they are supporters but will write a one-line letter confirming they have attended. We charge £20 to discourage this.’

You do not need to be very educated to spot the contradiction in her statement. She claims they do not have membership fees and do not charge committed members of the Vigil for letters, however she admits the not so committed pay from £10 to £20 for the letters.  What sort of excuse is this, that they charge people to discourage them from asking for letters? This means our stories are spot on. The ZimVigil avoided commenting on the £120 ROHR ‘subscriptions’.

We at Nehanda Radio stand by the expose written by Brilliant Pongo and note that apart from being called all sorts of names, the issues raised have not been answered by the two organisations ROHR and the Zim Vigil. May I take this opportunity to announce that we will be running a series of follow up articles based on submissions from our readers, some of whom were exploited by the two organisations.

If Benton and Tapa think they can hide behind a mere ‘Mugabe Must Go’ slogan and pull the wool over the Zimbabwean community in the UK then they are in for a shock.

UK-Zim nurse struck off for abusing OAP

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A Zimbabwean hospital nurse working in the UK shouted at an elderly woman and stripped her naked in front of other patients, a hearing has been told.

Memory Musekiwa is accused of pushing the pensioner, who had wet herself, onto a commode in full view and then refusing to wash her.

If she is found guilty of the ‘brutal’ behaviour, the 35-year-old could be struck off the nursing register.

The patient, who was in her late seventies, ‘cried and cried’  following the incident at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) heard.

She cannot be named and during the hearing was referred to only as Patient A.

Musekiwa, from Walsall, West Midlands, shouted, removed the woman’s nightdress and then left her with no curtain around her, said Salim Hafejee for the NMC.

‘She then pushed Patient A on to a commode and told her to stay there while she went to get a mop,’ he told the panel.

‘When Patient A asked to be washed, she refused and put a clean nightdress on her.’

He added: ‘She failed to appropriately deal with a patient who found herself in a situation where she could not help herself. She did not protect this patient’s dignity.’

Fellow patient Julie Owen sobbed as she told the misconduct panel that she had been woken by the elderly woman asking for help that night, before hearing the nurse telling the patient off.

‘Then she took Patient A’s nightdress and underwear off and left her standing there while she went to fetch a mop and bucket,’ she said.
Worcestershire Royal Hospital

The woman was a patient at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital

‘At no point were the curtains put around her. Her dignity was completely stripped. There was no delicacy. No bowl was brought to wash Patient A with.

‘There was no cleanliness. She had wet herself and the nurse was putting clean clothes on an unclean body. I clearly heard Patient A say to her “don’t be so brutal”.

‘After the nurse had gone Patient A just sat on her bed and cried and cried.’

Musekiwa was reported to the NMC after Miss Owen made a complaint at the hospital in Worcester the next day.

The nurse is accused of shouting at the elderly woman, failing to promote her dignity, pushing her on to a commode and refusing to wash her.

She admits stripping the patient naked without closing the curtains around her in the early hours of November 12 2007, but denies the other charges against her.- UK Daily Mail

End Repression in Marange Diamond Field

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(Johannesburg) – Zimbabwe’s armed forces are engaging in the forced labor of children and adults, and are torturing and beating local villagers on the diamond fields of Marange district in eastern Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The military, which remains under the control of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the former ruling party, killed more than 200 people in a violent takeover of the diamond fields in late 2008.

The 62-page report, “Diamonds in the Rough: Human Rights Abuses in the Marange Diamond Fields of Zimbabwe,” documents how, following the discovery of diamonds in Marange in June 2006, the police and army have used brutal force to control access to the diamond fields and to take over unlicensed diamond mining and trading. Some income from the fields has been funneled to high-level party members of ZANU-PF, which is now part of a power-sharing government that urgently needs revenue as the country faces a dire economic crisis.

“The police and army have turned this peaceful area into a nightmare of lawlessness and horrific violence,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Zimbabwe’s new government should get the army out of the fields, put a stop to the abuse, and prosecute those responsible.”

In February 2009, Human Rights Watch researchers conducted more than 100 one-on-one interviews with witnesses, local miners, police officers, soldiers, local community leaders, victims and relatives, medical staff, human rights lawyers, and activists in Harare, Mutare, and Marange district in eastern Zimbabwe.

Those interviewed said that police officers, who were deployed in the fields from November 2006 to October 2008 to end illicit diamond smuggling, were in fact responsible for serious abuses – killings, torture, beatings, and harassment – often by so-called “reaction teams,” which drove out illegal miners.

“Three policemen on horseback raided us while we worked in the diamond fields and immediately fired their shotguns at us,” one miner told Human Rights Watch, in describing a “reaction team” raid. “I was shot in the left thigh. Two of my friends were shot and killed during that raid.”

The report also examines the army’s violent takeover of the Marange diamond fields in late October 2008 in Operation Hakudzokwi (No Return), which was an attempt by the military to impose order on the fields. The operation began on October 27, 2008 as military helicopters with mounted automatic rifles flew over Chiadzwa, a part of Marange, and began to drive out local miners. Soldiers indiscriminately fired live ammunition and tear gas into the diamond fields and into surrounding villages. On the ground, hundreds of soldiers indiscriminately fired AK-47 assault rifles, without giving any warning. In the panic and ensuing stampede, some miners were trapped and died in tunnels. Over three weeks, the military assault resulted in the brutal deaths of more than 200 people. Soldiers forced miners to dig mass graves for many of the dead.

One local miner said of the massacre: “Soldiers in helicopters started firing live ammunition and tear gas at us. We all stopped digging and began to run toward the hills to hide. I noticed that there were many uniformed soldiers on foot pursuing us. From my syndicate, 14 miners were shot and killed that morning.”

The police and military have been given access to Marange’s mineral wealth at a time when the government has struggled to pay their wages. Human Rights Watch’s research suggests that revenue from the gems has also enriched senior ZANU-PF officials and provided an important revenue stream for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which has underwritten some military operations.

Army brigades are still being rotated into Marange. Under military control, hundreds of children and adults endure forced labor for mining syndicates, while soldiers continue to torture and beat villagers, accusing them of either being or supporting illegal miners who are not working for the army.

One 13-year-old girl told Human Rights Watch: “Every day, I would carry ore and only rest for short periods. … We always started work very early in the morning before eight and finished when it was dark after six. All I want now is to go back to school.”

ZANU-PF, which was in sole control of the government until February 2009, has either failed to or decided not to effectively regulate the diamond fields while exploiting the absence of clear legal ownership of the gemstones. The party’s mismanagement of the diamond fields has taken place amidst failed economic policies that have resulted in astronomically high inflation rates in Zimbabwe, which has teetered on the verge of bankruptcy.

While Zimbabwe’s new power-sharing government, formed in February 2009, now lobbies the world for development aid, millions of dollars in potential government revenue are being siphoned off through illegal diamond mining, smuggling of gemstones outside the country, and corruption. The new government could generate substantial amounts of revenue from the diamonds to fund a significant portion of Zimbabwe’s economic recovery program if the diamond industry were legally regulated and operated with greater transparency and accountability.

Human Rights Watch urged the power-sharing government to remove the military from Marange and restore security responsibilities to the police, but ensure that the police abide by internationally recognized standards of law enforcement and use of lethal force. The power-sharing government should also appoint a local police oversight committee, open an impartial and independent investigation into the serious human rights abuses committed, and hold accountable all those found to be responsible.

Human Rights Watch called on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), an international group governing the global diamond industry, to press Zimbabwe, a participant, to end the smuggling of diamonds, and ensure that all diamonds from Marange are lawfully mined, documented, and exported in compliance with KPCS standards. Human Rights Watch said the KPCS should urgently review and broaden the definition of “conflict diamonds” to include diamonds mined in the context of serious and systematic human rights abuses.

Human Rights Watch also urged South Africa, both as member of the KPCS and as chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to press for speedy reforms and policy changes that will stop the export of smuggled diamonds from Marange into South Africa and other countries, given the serious human rights abuses involved.

“A very clear statement by South Africa calling for a ban on Marange diamonds would not only protect Zimbabweans from abuse in the Marange diamond fields, but help South Africa to protect its own diamond industry,” said Gagnon. “South Africa needs to press Zimbabwe to improve the transparency and accountability of its diamond trade.”

Pop Star Michael Jackson dies

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Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing.

The paramedics performed CPR and took Jackson to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda said. Hundreds of reporters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on his condition. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said family members rushed to Jackson’s bedside, where he was in a deep coma.

The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Law enforcement sources said that Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide detectives have opened an investigation into the death, though they stressed that there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The detectives plan to interview relatives, friends and Jackson’s doctors to try to figure out what happened. The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived.

A doctor was in the house performing CPR on Jackson, said the source who asked not to be identified  because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Paramedics were called to a home in the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard.

Jackson rented the Bel-Air home — described as a French chateau built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater — for $100,000 a month. The home is about a six-minute drive from UCLA Medical Center. Jackson has three children — sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

Jackson, 50, died as he was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

In May, The Times reported that Jackson had rented the Bel-Air residence and was rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London’s O2 Arena. Jackson had won the backing of two billionaires to get the so-called “King of Pop” back on stage.

His backers envisioned the shows at AEG’s O2 as an audition for a career rebirth that could have ultimately encompassed a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, and even a “Thriller” casino. Such a rebound could have wiped out Jackson’s massive debt.  Source: Los Angeles Times

Mugabe pulls out of US trip, sends Mujuru

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By Never Kadungure

Reluctant to be outshined by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe pulled out of a trip to the United States and instead sent Vice President Joice Mujuru to New York last weekend.

Nehanda Radio has it on good authority that Mugabe’s advisors told him it would be a major miscalculation for him to travel given the red carpet treatment rolled out to Tsvangirai for the past two weeks, including a historic meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

Mujuru despite being on a list of individuals under targetted travel restrictions was instead left to attend the high level meeting on the global economic crisis. The travel bans are always waivered when it comes to meetings under the auspices of the United Nations.

The meeting meanwhile presented an opportunity for developing countries to meet developed nations to discuss the global economic recession and how it affects African economies.

Mujuru left the country on Sunday and was accompanied by the Secretary in her Office, Mr. Munesu Munodawafa, and directors from the ministries of Economic Development and Finance.

Two suspects held over Mushonga robbery

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Harare — POLICE in Harare have identified two suspects from the six-man armed robbery gang which last Thursday night raided Regional Integration and International Co-operation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s home and got away with her official Toyota Prado, seven cellphones and US$156.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday said investigations carried out so far had revealed the two suspects as Fanuel Zebediah Gwashu (37) and Charles Ganda Mbombo (age not given).

He said Gwashu, whose last known address is 4014 Tynwald North, Harare, was released from prison on May 9, 2009, while Mbombo — of house number 4261 Glen Norah — was released on April 24.

The two are out on bail.

“We are looking for the two suspects in connection with an armed robbery case in Mount Pleasant (Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s house) and another robbery which occurred the following day in Mandara,” said Snr Asst Comm Bvudzijena.

Police could not disclose information about the Mandara robbery, but the suspects were armed with AK rifles just like the gang that hit Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s home.

“We strongly believe that the suspects are part of a gang that is terrorising residents in and around the city,” said Snr Asst Comm Bvudzijena.

He said Gwashu, alias Tsano Zebe, and Mbombo were arrested in December last year for allegedly committing a spate of armed robberies.

After they were arrested, they helped police in clearing 13 armed robbery cases.

“Just before they were arrested, they had a shootout with the police at a popular food court in the CBD area,” said Snr Asst Comm Bvudzijena.

He said as police went about the city investigating that shooting incident, they got involved in another shootout with another gang of armed robbers.

This resulted in the death of two suspected armed robbers — Artwell Tome and James Arab Mamo. Gwashu was seriously injured in the shootout.

Last Thursday night, six armed robbers hit Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s home and got away with a Toyota Prado (without registration plates), seven cellphones and US$156.

They severely bashed her husband Dr Christopher Mushonga, the maid, a family friend and a police officer guarding the residence.

The six — who were all armed with rifles and pistols — left Dr Mushonga and the police guard with serious head injuries.

Some of the domestic staff at the house and Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s friend, Ms Michelle Hakata, were also severely assaulted during the ordeal, which lasted for about two hours.

The robbery occurred in the absence of the Minister, who was out of the country on Government business. It is understood that the family is back home, including Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga, who returned from Europe where she was attending the European Union-Zimbabwe talks.

Dr Mushonga is said to have briefly left the house to allow workers to clean the mess left by the robbers.

Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga could not comment on the robbery when contacted yesterday, saying she was busy. In April 2007, Gwashu who was one of the suspects in the commission of armed robbery sprees in the city with notorious armed robber Luckymore Matambanadzo — appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing five counts of armed robbery in which property worth millions of dollars was stolen.

Police believe that the more than 45 armed robbery suspects who were released from remand prison on bail two weeks ago are behind the recent upsurge in criminal activity.

Police have said they will continue to release the names and pictures of the suspected armed robbers on their most-wanted lists. Source: The Herald

State admits Jestina was abducted by CIO

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By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe state prosecutors on Thursday conceded security agents had abducted and illegally detained a leading rights activist who asked the Supreme Court to stop her prosecution on terrorism charges.

Jestina Mukoko, a prominent rights campaigner is seeking a permanent stay of her prosecution on charges of recruiting or trying to recruit people to overthrow the government. More than a dozen other opposition activists face similar charges.

The case has raised tensions in a new unity government formed by arch-foes President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and is a test of the administration’s commitment to democratic reforms demanded by Western donors.

Mukoko says she was seized at dawn in her night dress by unidentified armed men from her home on December 3 last year and tortured before being handed over to the police 19 days later.

Her lawyer Jeremy Gauntlet told a full bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday that Mukoko’s rights had been grossly violated, including by being denied medication and a lawyer, and by being kept in solitary confinement.

“The process (of her arrest) is so contaminated that you should order a stay of prosecution,” Gauntlet told the court, adding that prosecutors were solely relying on evidence extracted from Mukoko during torture to prosecute her.

The court reserved judgment on the matter indefinitely. If it rules in Mukoko’s favour it would impact the other activists who have made the same application at the Supreme Court.

State prosecutor Fatima Maxwell, in response to a question from Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, said the state did not dispute Mukoko’s evidence and had not questioned the security agents who had abducted her.

Asked if she was conceding that Mukoko’s abduction and detention were illegal, Maxwell told the court: “Yes my Lord.”

On whether Mukoko had been tortured, Maxwell added: “The allegations as they stand and if proved are a clear violation of the three rights in the constitution.”

These are the right to liberty, protection at law and right from torture.

But Maxwell said the violations should not prevent Mukoko from being prosecuted but rather there should be a separate inquiry to investigate the allegations.

“We respectfully submit that yes the violations are serious, multiple and were protracted … the only meaningful redress in this case is a stay of prosecution,” Gauntlet said.

Tsvangirai calls for French aid

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Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has appealed to France for investment and political support, amid criticism that his coalition government is not moving fast enough to end his country’s economic and humanitarian crisis.

Mr Tsvangirai is meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Paris, the last stop in a long tour of the US and Europe aimed at shoring up international backing.

The Zimbabwean prime minister will meet Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, a group of leading French executives and with the director of the French Development Agency.

Zimbabwe has had the highest inflation rate in the world, thousands have died during a major cholera outbreak, and much of the population lacks food. Many blame Robert Mugabe, but have been increasingly critical of Mr Tsvangirai.

Mr Tsvangirai won presidential elections last year and is in a power-sharing agreement with authoritarian President Mugabe.

In Britain this week, Mr Tsvangirai insisted that his country’s coalition government is improving the dire humanitarian and economic crisis, and he urged exiles to return home to help rebuild. Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged 5 million pounds in new aid for food projects and textbooks, and said more funding was likely if Zimbabwe showed clear progress on reforms.

But, like other international donors, Britain said aid would be distributed by charities — not Zimbabwe’s government. The US and Britain want Mr Mugabe to step down, and are reluctant to offer Zimbabwe major aid, or to donate money direct to the country’s government. Press Association

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