The Zimbabwe Situation

Reuters

Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:58pm BST

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's party said on
Wednesday it would deploy more war veterans to campaign in some opposition
areas ahead of a presidential election run-off marred by violence.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai
accuses ZANU-PF of widespread attacks on his supporters ahead of the June 27
vote, but says he is still confident of victory after beating Mugabe in the
first round.

ZANU-PF officials in the southern Masvingo province, where the ruling party
lost several parliamentary seats in rural districts traditionally considered
safe, told Zimbabwe state television they had stepped up their campaign
against "troublesome spots where MDC structures had taken root".

"We are setting up units of war veterans to go to those areas to fan out the
MDC, to campaign for President Mugabe, to confront and talk to some company
managers who are openly supporting these MDC structures," said retired Major
Alex Mudavanhu, ZANU-PF chairman for Masvingo.

"We are going to tell people that ZANU-PF is not going to lose this
election," he said.

Mugabe's guerrilla fighters from the 1970s independence war and ruling party
youth brigades are regularly deployed as political shock troops against the
opposition and have recently been threatening another bush war if Mugabe
loses.

Mugabe's support has been eroded by the economic collapse of the once
prosperous country, which he has ruled since independence from Britain in
1980. On Wednesday, Mugabe's government announced tax cuts for the low paid.

Tsvangirai says Zimbabweans cannot afford Mugabe's rule any further. He
accused ZANU-PF activists on Tuesday of killing 66 opposition supporters to
try to intimidate voters ahead of the run-off.

Mugabe's party denies waging war on its foes and says "MDC thugs" have
killed a number of ZANU-PF activists, including war veterans.

SATELLITE DISHES

On Wednesday, the MDC said the government had launched a campaign forcing
Zimbabweans to pull down home satellite dishes so they could not get foreign
television stations and would have to rely on the state broadcaster. The MDC
says that is biased.

Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu rejected the charge.

"What I heard was that a lunatic war veteran was going around telling people
to remove their satellite dishes and we stopped him because the government
is committed to free flow of information," Ndlovu told Reuters.

Tsvangirai, detained twice last week during campaigning, unveiled a
75-seater bus he said would help to win votes.

"We are going to be in every town, in every village to meet the people of
Zimbabwe," the MDC leader told supporters.

The bus bore the words "A new President ready to deliver a new Zimbabwe.
Morgan is the one".

Zimbabweans hope the election will start recovery from economic ruin that
has brought 165,000 percent inflation, 80 percent unemployment, chronic food
and fuel shortages and has sent millions fleeing to neighbouring countries.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has come under criticism for his
softly approach in trying to mediate in Zimbabwe's crisis, said his team was
doing everything it could to avoid "major problems" in the run-off.

"We are at one with ... most of the international community that the
incidents of violence and reported disruption of electoral activities of
some of the parties are a cause for serious concern," Mbeki told parliament.

Mugabe, 84, says ZANU-PF cannot lose power to an opposition backed by "white
imperialists." He says Western countries want to oust him over his seizure
of white-owned farms to give to landless blacks.

(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

(Additional reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Nelson Banya; Wendell Roelf
in Cape Town)

Zanu-PF regime launches 'Operation Dzikisai Madhishi'

Sokwanele

The Zimbabwean government has announced the beginning of yet another
operation designed to oppress the people of Zimbabwe.

Under Operation Dzikisai Madhishi (Operation pull down your satellite dish)
the regime is forcing Zimbabweans to pull down their home satellite dishes
through which the majority of Zimbabweans have been able to access eTV,
SABC, Botswana Television as well some DSTV channels. The coverage of the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is generally poor outside of the
main urban areas. The overwhelming propaganda content of this state channel
has seen the proliferation of private satellite dishes in recent years.

This operation is a concerted effort by the regime to close all spaces
through which information can be disseminated, with the objective of
stealing the election.

Zimbabwe has descended into unparalleled levels of media censorship. The
regime is determined to cut off Zimbabweans from the rest of the world by
ensuring that they are unable to receive news from outside Zimbabwe about
what is happening in their own country.

Operation Dzikisai Madhishi comes after the launch of Operation Makavotera
Papi (how did you vote) which has seen the unleashing of horrendous acts of
politically motivated violence against MDC supporters since the March 29th
elections.

After the 2005 elections, the Zimbabwean government launched Operation
Murambatsvina to punish urban dwellers for their continued support for the
MDC and resulted in almost a million citizens being forced from their homes.

Operation Dzikisai Madhishi began in Matabeleland South last week and has
now spread throughout the country. It is being undertaken by elements of the
Central Intelligence Organisation, police, army and youth militia. (via an
MDC Press Release)

This entry was written by Hope on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 10:49 am.
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Comments
1.. Fish Eagle
June 11th, 2008 11:11
1
This is an obvious extension of the ZPF campaign. The next move will be on
phone and Internet links.

Those of you in the West should download PSIPHON.
link http://psiphon.civisec.org/

send your IP address plus password to trusted friends only.

2.. Faraway
June 11th, 2008 12:36
2
It's time to disable the propaganda machine. Go for ZBC transmission and
relay stations. Then the State newspaper presses. Be creative.
What is better; nobody knows what's going on or everybody being falsely
informed?

3.. Get Busy
June 11th, 2008 13:23
3
This state has turned so rabbidly brutal against its own people. By so
doing they are simply hardening the people, with dire consequences. See what
has happened in Matabeleland, has Zanu ever won a seat there? Once upon a
time the country was purged of political opposition activists who came from
one region and that did not matter, now it is wholesale and it will matter
indeed. They need to be reminded of the fate of KABILA. THEY CAN NOT FOOL
THEMSELVES TO THINK THIS WILL LAST FOREVER. Its a pity that these ZANU
people think they are invinceble. I can sense there being an in house job.

ZANU-PF death threats for WOZA activists

By Tererai Karimakwenda
June 11, 2008

There is deep concern for the welfare of the 14 WOZA activists who were
arrested 2 weeks ago and are being detained at Chikurubi and Harare Remand
Prisons. Lawyer Gift Mpisi, who is representing the WOZA detainees and
Shepherd Ndhlovu of the Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) were part of a group of
6 WOZA activists who attempted to deliver food to those at Chikurubi but
were blocked by ZANU-PF thugs in an official vehicle.

Ndhlovu said the incident happened at the prison entrance, where the thugs
approached in a twin cab with a ZANU-PF insignia and began accusing the WOZA
members of being MDC supporters. According to Ndhlovu the thugs said the
detained WOZA activists would be dead the next time they see them.
Ndhlovu is concerned because 12 of the 14 in detention were granted bail on
Wednesday but prison officials have not released them yet. Meanwhile
coordinators Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu were denied bail
Wednesday after the state claimed that they were likely to mobilise people
to demonstrate on the streets and cause violence ahead of the runoff
election.

The thugs ordered Ndhlovu and the others to follow them in their own car, to
Mabvuku Police station. Then they said they were taking them to the ZANU-PF
offices in Harare - a known torture centre where opposition officials and
supporters have been severely assaulted.

Lawyer Gift Mpisi said they had no intention of going to the ZANU-PF
offices, but pretended to comply. The ZANU-PF vehicle ran red lights at some
point and this caused a commotion with other drivers and members of the
public, allowing the WOZA members to escape. They immediately went to Harare
Central police station to report the incident.

There is concern for the WOZA activists because the government this weekend
announced new tougher measures meant to keep activists in detention for
longer periods. Deputy Attorney General Johannes Tomana told the state-run
Herald newspaper that bail would be denied to 'anyone suspected of
committing or inciting unrest.'

The WOZA activists first appeared in court on May 30. They were granted bail
but the state immediately appealed the decision and they were remanded in
custody until June 20, when they will answer to the charges. The bail appeal
hearing had already been postponed twice.

The activists are being charged with conducting activities likely to cause
public disorder. Williams is facing the extra charge of causing disaffection
among the police and with distributing false information.

SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

Urgent Appeal for Solidarity by Zimbabwean Women to African Women and Women All Over the World

Overview on the situation in Zimbabwe

On March 29,2008 Zimbabwe went to the polls to elect its next government until 2013.Results for the Presidential elections were announced a month later and people in Zimbabwe maintained peace .From 2 April 2008 the government organised a retribution campaign to target those who allegedly voted for the opposition and since then there has been terror in mostly rural Zimbabwe with youth militia under the command of the army and police confirmed to have gone on to unleash terror in a campaign to teach the rural people how to correctly vote in the forthcoming presidential run off supposed to take place on 23 May according to the law but whose date remains unannounced

As a result of the terror campaign by the military and the youth militia , the most affected are women and children as 80% of Zimbabwean women live in the rural areas. So far, over 800 homes have been burnt down, over 10 000 people have fled their homes ,over 40 people have been shot dead in cold blood ,over 7000 teachers have fled their schools as a number have been beaten in the eyes of parents and pupils, Doctors for human Rights report that over 2000 serious cases of physical torture and beatings have passed through their hands and a lot of those they treated have suffered serious fractures to an extent that most are permanently handicapped. The oldest victim of the post election violence is an old woman with 12 grandchildren all of them orphaned and whose son is alleged to have campaigned for the opposition. The youngest female victim is a 15 year old girl who was stripped naked together with her pregnant mother forced to lie down and beaten on the breasts and buttocks. Many women including the old have been forced to strip naked and beaten on the breasts and buttocks. 7000 teachers, a third of them women have fled their homes and several schools mostly in rural areas are closed .Several girls and women are feared raped. The youngest child seriously assaulted is only 3 years .Despite calls from all corners of the world for the violence to stop ,it has become worse and we fear more and more people are getting killed and buried

Our situation is such that an estimated 5 million Zimbabweans mostly professionals and the young have left the country .An estimated 3 million are in South Africa with half being illegal immigrants facing inhuman deportations daily. Women cross border traders cross over the crocodile infested Limpopo River and many have been allegedly raped .HIV and AIDS prevalence is 60% among women and girls and their life expectancy is 34 years. Domestic violence is rife with a woman killed or left for dead weekly. Unemployment is 80% and inflation is 165 000 % and the highest in the world.95% of women of the 200 000 women made homeless and jobless by the government 2005 Operation Restore Order which demolished their homes and markets that earned them an income has left them in the open cold and in commercial sex work since then and now the same women are alleged to have voted opposition and have gone through torture. At least 6800 girls get raped annually and with the current displacements the number is expected to treble .Most female teachers have been displaced and many have fled the country and a lot more have sought refuge in the cities. Access to the rural areas has always been a big challenge for humanitarian organisations but now that women in rural areas are held hostage by the militia and the army and the rural areas have been declared no go areas we have seen it almost impossible to assist. Women Directors of NGOs are on government hit list that seeks to arrest, detain and destroy the organisations .Zimbabwean women in rural areas constitute women abandoned by husbands and dumped in the rural areas because of HIV status, they have gone through the war of liberation in the 1960s and 1970s and war songs by the youth militias at their doorsteps have left them semi slaved .The worst is that they have been beaten because their husbands, brothers , uncles, boyfriends ,grandsons and other male relatives allegedly campaigned for the opposition. Old grandmothers struggling to feed orphans and sickly, women who are bed ridden, orphaned HIV positive children ,the poorest and weakest have been tortured, terrified, displaced from homes and the organisations that normally help them are denied access and with most of the leaders on the government hit list .

OUR URGENT APPEAL FOR ACTION TO AFRICAN WOMEN AND WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD

First we come to you because we have exhausted all channels and have failed to get help and urgent attention .Please help us find how best we can deal with the situation and appeal to anyone you know who can help victims get immediate help like medication, safe shelter, counselling and support leaders of women’s groups with security as they are also under threat and have been victimised and most of them are on the government hit list for those to be tortured and eliminated
Reach out to SADC and AU Countries to put in place measures to protect women and girls fleeing Zimbabwe to take refuge in neighbouring countries
Help us to see how we can use the AU protocol for women’s rights for protection of women and girls. Zimbabwe ratified the AU protocol
Help us get SADC and UN put in place a security and protection plan for women and girls and help demilitarise the youth militia and stop torture of ordinary citizens
Get our case on crimes against humanity taken to the UN security council. We have all the documented evidence since the terror started in 2000 to have the perpetrators brought to book
Mobilise female ministers and female vice Presidents to convene an urgent meeting in the region and make appeals to the Liberian President, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson to help us broker peace talks in Zimbabwe with leaders of women’s groups in the continent included
Help us set up African women in solidarity with Zimbabwe women focal point persons in African countries who go to their Presidents to lobby them to come to the urgent rescue of Zimbabwean women
Pass on this message to any networks you know and those who can assist should email

coalition@zol.co.zw or dakotareed07@gmail.com and we will refer you to all the women in Zimbabwe working in various areas

FROM WOMEN IN ZIMBABWE

13 MAY 2009 , MIAMI ,NIGER

ILO slams Zimbabwe for 'flagrant disregard' of unions' rights

africasia

GENEVA, June 11 (AFP)

The International Labour Organisation on Wednesday criticised the Zimbabwean
government's "flagrant disregard" for the rights of unions and called it to
accept an investigation into the issue.

In a report, an ILO commission slammed the "obstruction" by the Zimbabwean
government which for two consecutive years has refused to appear before the
ILO to be quizzed on whether it has applied international conventions.

During a special sitting on the situation in Zimbabwe held by the ILO's
annual congress, only Cuba's representative spoke out for the Zimbabwean
government, according to Jan Sithole, who is director general of the
federation of unions in Swaziland.

All other representatives from employer, employee and governmental
organisations criticised Harare's regime, said Sithole, who was speaking on
behalf of 11 African countries' unions, representing over 12 million
workers.

In an attempt to escape the judgement of the Commission, Zimbabwe's
government representative even left the conference hall for the public
gallery.

In the report presented on Wednesday, the ILO commission "regretted the
continual recourse made by the government to the Public Order and Security
Act (POSA) and lately to the Criminal Law Act of 2006, in the arrest and
detention of trade unionists for the exercise of their trade union
activities".

The ILO also noted with "deep concern" on the "surge in trade union rights
and human rights violations in the country and the ongoing threats to trade
unionists' physical safety".

In particular, it deplored the recent arrests of two union militants
Lovemore Motombo and Wellington Chibebe and asked all governments with
missions in the country to be present at the trial and "follow closely all
developments in relation to their case".

The UN agency also urged the government to "ensure all these basic civil
liberties, to repeal the Criminal Law Act and to cease abusive recourse to
the POSA".

In addition, it asked the government to halt all arrests, threats and
harrassment of trade unionists, and to drop all charges against them as well
as give them appropriate compensation.

Mbeki finally admits there is a crisis in Zimbabwe

By Tichaona Sibanda
11 June 2008

South African President Thabo Mbeki finally acknowledged there is a crisis
in Zimbabwe, when he told MP's in Johannesburg on Wednesday that violence in
the country was a cause for 'serious concern.'
Mbeki, who is also the SADC bloc's chief mediator on Zimbabwe, has always
downplayed the crisis in the country, even telling journalists in April
following the disputed harmonized elections that 'there was no crisis' in
Zimbabwe.

But on Wednesday, with the increase of political abductions and killings in
the country, Mbeki was forced to admit that the violence and disruption of
electoral activities needed to be addressed urgently.
'At the moment we are doing whatever we can to ensure that we do not
experience major problems in the presidential second-round elections, set
for June 27,' Mbeki said.

Elias Mudzuri, the MDC's organising secretary and MP elect for Warren Park,
welcomed Mbeki statement but believes he could have done more by calling on
Robert Mugabe to order his troops back into the barracks.

Soldiers, with the help of Zanu-PF militias and state security agents, are
being blamed for coordinating the crackdown on the supporters of the MDC.
The Joint Operations Command, a gathering of security and armed forces
chiefs currently in charge of the country, unleashed the armed soldiers
after it emerged that Mugabe and Zanu-PF had lost the March elections.

Speaking about Mbeki's statement, Mudzuri said: 'At this moment in time, we
cannot force him but appeal to his conscience that the person who is
suffering under his mediation is the common man on the street. As a result
of the absence of observers many people have unnecessarily lost their lives.'
He added; 'If he delays by another day to send observers, he's doing more
harm than good to all Zimbabweans because we cannot recover the lives of
people dying, we cannot recover the limbs of those maimed.'

Glen Mpani, regional coordinator for the Cape Town based 'Centre for the
Study of Violence and Reconciliation' said Mbeki should break his bond with
Mugabe and allow the crisis in Zimbabwe to be discussed at the highest
level.

Mpani said Mbeki could no longer pretend all was well in Zimbabwe when the
economic and political situation was deteriorating at an alarming rate. He
accused Mbeki of being complicit in protecting Mugabe throughout his entire
presidency, saying if he had spoken out against Zanu-PF's human rights
abuses years back, the situation could have been different .

'He cannot say violence in Zimbabwe is of serious concern when at the same
time he's playing a leading role in blocking the same issue from being
discussed at the United Nations. When people say Mbeki is in bed with Mugabe
this is what they mean,' Mpani said.

SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news

'Observers must go to Zim now'

IOL

June 11 2008 at 01:20PM

The extensive deployment of Southern African Developing Community
observers in Zimbabwe is needed immediately, the University of Pretoria said
on Wednesday.

"These observers should not focus primarily on monitoring the polls on
voting day, but should be put in place as soon as possible to cover the
period leading up to the elections and a reasonable period thereafter," said
the university's centre for human rights, housed in its law faculty.

The centre's director Professor Frans Viljoen said whether an election
was free and fair could not be determined by only observing voting day.

It needed to take into account the pre-election period and the period
between voting and the release of results.

"At the moment there are clear indications that the pre-election
conditions are not only making a free and fair election impossible, but are
skewed in favour of the candidacy of President Mugabe."

Reported harassment, arrests, detentions and even the disappearance of
activists and leaders, media restriction, fear and intimidation of the
population and non-governmental organisations all worked against free and
fair elections.

As many observers as possible should be allowed into the country, said
Viljoen. - Sapa

MDC calls for urgent deployment of SADC observers

The Zimbabwean

Wednesday, 11 June 2008 14:01
The MDC said on Tuesday it was perplexed by the absence of SADC
observers on the ground, with just 17 days to go before the crucial
presidential run-off on 27th June.
Despite the SADC bloc promising to send up to 400 observers, only
about 50 have so far arrived in the country.
Botswana became the first country from SADC to send observers, when 25
jetted in on Saturday. Another 25 will fly in on Wednesday. This other group
is from the SADC secretariat. There were 162 SADC observers during the March
29 elections.
A SADC Heads of State Summit held in April in Lusaka, following the
disputed March elections, agreed that the number of observers would need to
be increased for the run-off. The MDC Secretary for International Affairs,
Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro, said they had hoped that a heavy presence
would deter Zanu-PF from it's crackdown on MDC activists.
SADC has now blamed financial constraints for the delay in sending
observers, but the United States announced on Monday it had availed US$7
million dollars, to help ensure they travelled to Zimbabwe for the
elections.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in
Washington that the money was 'not only to ensure that there are proper,
sufficient numbers from countries that are going to supply the observers,
but that they have the resources to do their job on the ground.'
Last week South African President Thabo Mbeki, the region's chief
mediator on Zimbabwe, said in a television interview that SADC was
increasing the number of observers 'so that they can cover all parts of
Zimbabwe' adding that 'they need to go in as early as possible.' That
statement was made with less than a month to go to the runoff, so President
Mbeki's understanding of what is 'early' is not necessarily the same as that
of the victims of violence.
The intensity of the state sponsored violence has increased on a daily
basis and Mukonoweshuro said that since the March elections at least 60 MDC
supporters have been killed and over 50 000 displaced, in retributive
attacks by ruling party militias.
The MDC MP elect for Gutu South said Tsvangirai, who claimed he won
the presidential election in March, agreed to participate in the run off on
condition that regional and international observers were allowed in early
and without restrictions.
'Everyone is agreeing observers should come in early, we are having a
crucial election that could decide the destiny of the country and yet there
is no evidence of any electoral observers anyway in the country. Perhaps
they're observing from the comfort of their hotel rooms,' he said.
Mukonoweshuro went on; 'I don't want to be harsh, but one can conclude
perhaps they are waiting for more blood to be shed before they begin to take
note.'
SWRadio Africa

Jails Emptied to Take in Opponents

The Monitor (Kampala)

11 June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008

Kitsepile Nyathi
Harare

Zimbabwe is planning to empty its flooded jails of common criminals to make
way for people arrested for political violence amid fears President Robert
Mugabe's government will step up the persecution of opposition activists
ahead of the June 27 presidential run-off election.

Thousands of people, mainly opposition supporters have been arrested since
Mr Mugabe lost the first round of the election to Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai in March on allegations of
violence.

Although the United Nations and NGOs blame ruling Zanu PF supporters and
former fighters of the country's liberation war loyal to Mr Mugabe for the
violence that has killed more than 60 MDC supporters and left thousands
injured, the majority of those arrested are from the opposition.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, told state media on Tuesday that he had
made proposals for the amnesty to create space for those convicted of
political violence.

He said cases of politically motivated violence were on the increase
countrywide with a number of murders, abductions and cases of destruction of
property recorded. "We are proposing amnesty in order to create space for
those convicted of political violence," he said. "We recognise that
incidents of political violence are on the increase and we want to take
measures to stamp them out."

There are an estimated 20 000 people in Zimbabwe's prisons with a carrying
capacity of 18 000. But human rights groups suspect that the population has
swelled dramatically since the elections.

In the run up to the March elections, where Mr Mugabe's Zanu PF lost its
parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in 1980 to the
MDC, the government denied reports that it was emptying jails to make way
for opposition activists.

Journalists, lawyers and MDC parliamentarians have been targeted in the
crackdown, which the opposition says is intended to cripple its campaign. Mr
Mugabe goes into the election as an underdog after losing dismally to Mr
Tsvangirai in the first round.

An official at the Attorney General's office said they had adopted a policy
of refusing bail to those accused of political violence.

UK Parliament Debate on Zimbabwe

11th Jun 2008 12:49 GMT
By a Correspondent

UK Parliament

House of Lords

Zimbabwe: Elections

Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they will propose at the United Nations the installation of impartial observers of the forthcoming election in Zimbabwe without delay.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown) : My Lords, we have already raised the need for an urgent deployment of international observers to Zimbabwe at the UN and with the UN Secretary-General. We note that some observers are beginning to deploy, but we continue to emphasise in our contacts with African and other international leaders that many more are needed and quickly.

Lord Blaker: My Lords, is the noble Lord aware of the report that the Americans and the European Union are proposing to send a message to the United Nations calling on it to send representatives to Zimbabwe? Can he confirm that that is the case and whether the message has gone? If it has gone that is certainly a very good thing, bearing in mind that many countries and organisations with great knowledge of the task have been refused admission to Zimbabwe. Is it not important that those who send monitors to Zimbabwe should have them remain there after the forthcoming vote to prevent a repeat of what happened after the previous vote? They would need to spend a long time there after the forthcoming vote to prevent what is happening now.

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, President Bush has called for observers, as have many European leaders. We are pressing the European Union to make the case again, as we have, to the UN and the UN Secretary-General, who has established a trust fund to support observers. Every step is being taken through the UN and the AU to get as many observers there as possible. Certainly, they should stay after the elections until the results are clear.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: My Lords, has the noble Lord had a chance to read the reports in today’s newspapers that a six year-old boy was burnt to death yesterday when soldiers attacked the home of an opposition local councillor just outside Harare? What assessment have the Government made of the reports that real power in Zimbabwe has now passed from the hands of Robert Mugabe into the hands of the military?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, I saw that tragic report, as I am sure all Members of the House did. This is not the first child or old person to have died in recent weeks in Zimbabwe, caught up in massive electoral violence intended to prevent the people of Zimbabwe exercising their democratic free choice. We continue to press to get to the bottom of this electoral violence and we will do all we can to contain and prevent it through international pressure.

Lord Morris of Handsworth: My Lords, is the Minister aware that in his lecture last night to the MCC on the spirit of cricket, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that Zimbabwe should not be allowed to tour England while the current regime is in place? Although I recognise that it might not be easy for the Government to ban the tour, are there any plans afoot to ensure that the Zimbabwean team does not receive visas to enter the United Kingdom?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, the Government’s reluctance to engage in sports boycotts is well known but it would be a complete travesty if a Zimbabwean team were to tour this country under the present circumstances. However, we very much hope that by the time this tour arrives a democratic Government will be in office in Zimbabwe.

Lord Avebury: My Lords, is it not clear from the story related by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, concerning the tragic death of not only a six year-old boy but his pregnant mother in an arson attack, and from the many other similar events happening up and down the country, that no matter how many election observers are deployed by the African Union, SADC or the UN, the result will be fixed by the military for its own purposes? Does the Minister not therefore endorse the advice given by the Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, that we should tell Mugabe that his time is up and that, whatever the results of the election, a strategy shall be developed to ensure that the will of the people prevails?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, there is no doubt that if this election were to result in a stolen result, not just the people of Zimbabwe but the international community would say, “Enough is enough. This cannot be allowed to stand”. However, the evidence we are receiving is that, far from being cowed by this violence, the people of Zimbabwe are being spurred by it to turn in ever greater numbers to the opposition. I suspect, therefore, that we may still see the spirit of democracy prevail in this barren, difficult, oppressive environment.

Lord Goodlad: My Lords, will the Minister confirm that the Government have protested in the strongest possible terms to the Government of Zimbabwe about the intimidatory treatment accorded to Dr Pocock, the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, and other diplomats? Will he acknowledge the extraordinary physical courage shown by our diplomats in that country as well as elsewhere?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, I have no doubt that the noble Lord’s words will bring much comfort to Andrew Pocock and to other British diplomats who are subjected to this kind of harassment. However, I suspect that if Her Majesty’s ambassador were standing here today, he would say that what he was subjected to—in this case what his diplomats were subjected to, because he was not personally involved in the incident last week—is nevertheless mild compared with the terrible violence that ordinary Zimbabweans are subjected to. We have protested about the treatment of him and his colleagues, but we have also protested repeatedly about the violence every Zimbabwean faces at the moment.

Baroness D'Souza: My Lords, as I understand it, the date of the next round of Zimbabwean elections coincides with the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela, for which there will be celebrations here in London. Could an approach be made to Nelson Mandela to speak out about conditions in Zimbabwe?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, I think that Nelson Mandela, like Archbishop Tutu and other southern African leaders, is in no doubt about the situation. No doubt they are taking counsel about when is the most effective moment to speak out against a Government whose leadership is prickly, nationalistic and deeply resistant to criticism even from their immediate neighbours and, if you like, spiritual and intellectual peers, such as Mr Mandela and Archbishop Tutu.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My Lords, over and above the point rightly made by my noble friend Lord Blaker about keeping on the monitors afterwards, does the Minister agree that, right from the start in this tragedy, HMG and indeed the whole of this nation have sought to do good and to have a positive policy for the people of Zimbabwe, and yet the most horrible rumours and anti-British propaganda continue to circulate throughout the whole region? Bearing in mind the difficulty of the excellent high commissioner in Zimbabwe, who has had great difficulties getting anything out in the media at all, would there be a case for our high commissioner in Pretoria being able to speak a bit more vigorously, and possibly with less quiet diplomacy, making the case we are trying to make, which is for liberty and the rule of law and not for any sort of backward-looking ideas about colonialism? Can we have a better and more vigorous case to put to the people of South Africa and Zimbabwe?

Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, I think that the people of South Africa are in no doubt about the regime that immediately neighbours them. The tragic incidents involving Zimbabweans and other immigrants in South Africa is the most violent expression of a much greater unease in the country about how this issue of Zimbabwe has been handled. We are seeing in the words of the ANC president Mr Zuma and other South African leaders an increasingly robust and forceful determination to ensure that democracy does prevail next door. Certainly we as British spokesmen need to contribute to that while ensuring that we do not overstep the mark and provide evidence that somehow we are thought to be inappropriately intervening in the affairs of Zimbabwe.

Emptying the Food Basket - We Know the Culprits

The New Times (Kigali)

OPINION
11 June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008

Rejoice Ngwenya
Kigali

Follow the spoor of Robert Mugabe's agricultural policies from 1999 onwards
and you appreciate why his recent posturing at the food summit in Rome was
nothing more than grandiose political gimmick.

Seven million of Mugabe's fellow citizens will soon have to face a bloody
and confrontational electoral run off on empty stomachs, yet Mugabe has
managed to expel humanitarian agencies from rural areas to safeguard his
receding political empire.

Poverty, political mileage and food are an inextricable conundrum of
survivalist patronage in Zimbabwe, understood only by those who are
collective victims.

The ageing dictator's self-serving ideological delusions that America,
England and EU are responsible for Zimbabwe's food woes surprisingly ring
tones of sympathy with many so-called anti-globalisation and
anti-neo-liberal converts who conspire to camouflage Mugabe's policy
deficiencies under a collective global banner.

Yet the facts are evident. Before his disastrous 'land reform' of 1999,
Zimbabwe was a net exporter of food. The abused white commercial farmers -
whose human resource policies were not half as demonic as the current
'indigenous' ones - merely paid the price of dabbling in opposition
politics.

If the current 'settlers' are Mugabe's cronies or eternally grateful
perennial praise singers, how different are they from their predecessors in
the context of democratic right of freedom of association?

At a closer look, Zimbabwe's beneficiaries of 'land reform', in US dollar
terms, have received ten times as much in input support than previous farm
owners.

Between 1980 and 1999, farming was considered a business, not part of a
complex web of political philanthropy. Investors went to seek loans from
commercial banks, traded and exported on the open market.

Nowadays, Gideon Gono, Central Bank Governor of Zimbabwe is complicit to a
broader scheme of highly politicised handouts of tractors, fertilisers, seed
and diesel that easily find their way onto the black market.

Meanwhile, this public charade of policy misdemeanours has driven inflation
beyond the two million percent mark and decimated Zimbabwe's food baskets.

If Horace Campbell, the acclaimed Pan-Africanist says "food riots in
Senegal, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Egypt, Somalia and Cameroon are the
outward signs of the stirrings of a new liberation movement where the
peoples of Africa are demanding food, clothing, shelter and access to proper
health care", I argue that in Zimbabwe, just restore the sanctity of
property rights and we will smile all the way to the grain silos!

The uncanny propensity of Africans to seek scapegoats for policy failures
has manifested itself in xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans by South African
hooligans, bankrolled with COSATU's socialist rhetoric.

Pan Africanist Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem says 'unpatriotic national leaders sell
Africa to anti-people globalisation and neo-liberal policies that continue
to impoverish Africans', but my question is, how can Zimbabwe, with so much
arable land, be poorer than Namibia with so many sand dunes?

I insist that African liberation and nationhood can co-exist with
globalisation, trade and privatisation. Otherwise how else can we fuel
economic growth and self-sufficiency?

Robert Mugabe and his fellow revolutionaries have studied Maoist dogma long
enough to remember that it is easier to control starving masses than an
enlightened well-off middle class.

Zimbabwean NGOs that have been, since 1980, covering up his policy deficits
are now criminalised for supplying food to starving citizens.

Bright Matonga, self-appointed minister for misinformation, alleges that
NGOs use food to buy votes for opposition to ultimately discredit Robert
Mugabe.

But when it comes to Gideon Gono's lavish 'farm mechanization scheme',
government spin doctors call label it 'food security'. Monumental hypocrisy!

Rejoice Ngwenya is a regular columnist for www.AfricanLiberty.org. He is a
Zimbabwean Freemarket Activist and Political Analyst based in Harare.

Diplomatically Quiet on Zimbabwe

Coalition Agreements...

AS this country sinks back into war, I re read the two coalition
agreements which got trashed, the last one on Feb 2. Had the two
MDC's fought the election together, we would not be in this position
we are in today.

APRIL 2007 COALITION – PLUS MINUTES OF JULY 07 NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING REFERRING TO COALITION (PAGE 8),

FEB 2008 COALITION AGREEMENT THAT WAS REJECTED BY TSVANGIRAI – PAGE 11 (PAGE 17 HAS RATIOS OF SEATS BY PROVINCE)

Recognising that the differences which have arisen within the MDC must be put aside and that the two MDC formations should work together in the national interest;

Believing that meaningful change in Zimbabwe can come only through democratic, free and fair elections in which every Zimbabwean citizen has a vote and a reasonable opportunity to exercise that vote;

Appreciating the strong national sentiment for unity of purpose in confronting the dictatorial governmental structures within Zimbabwe;

Realising that active co-operation between the two MDC formations will greatly enhance the prospects of successfully contesting elections:

“Coalition” means the coalition formed by the two MDC formations in terms of clause 4, acting where appropriate through the structures established under this Agreement;

“Coalition structure” means a structure established in terms of clause 6, 7, 8 or 9;

“MDC formation” or “formation” means the formation led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the formation led by Arthur Mutambara respectively.

(2) References to clauses and subclauses are to the clauses and subclauses of this Agreement.

Each MDC formation fully accepts the independence and equality of the other formation.

The MDC formations agree that the principles enunciated in this Agreement provide a sound foundation for future co-operation between the two formations, and that these principles also constitute a sound basis for dealing with broader national issues.

(1) The MDC formations hereby agree to form a Coalition to be known as the Movement for Democratic Change Coalition.

(2) The MDC Coalition will be bound by and strive for the fulfilment of the values and principles set out in clause 5.

(3) The MDC Coalition will strive to achieve the goals and objectives set out in clause 6.

(1) The MDC Coalition will at all times be bound by the following general principles and values:

a) respect for the equality of all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, language, religion, political opinion and place of birth or origin;

b) respect for the inherent dignity of each and every person and in particular the right to life and bodily safety;

c) respect for human rights and in particular freedom of expression, assembly, movement and the right to liberty and protection of the law;

e) adherence to the principle of non-violence in the conduct of all political activity, including interaction between the two formations;

f) the pursuit of meaningful political change in Zimbabwe through democratic, peaceful, free and fair elections.

The MDC formations commit themselves to working together and supporting each other in the Coalition, in accordance with its values and principles, to achieve the following goals and objectives through the use of non-violent, legitimate means¾

(a) the replacement of tyrannical governmental and political structures in Zimbabwe by a new democratic order which creates a non-racist, non-tribalist, non-sexist and tolerant society which respects equally and fairly different ethnic, religious, cultural and political groups;

(b) the formulation, adoption and implementation of a new democratic constitution which has been agreed to through an inclusive and transparent process involving all the main political and civil society organisations in Zimbabwe;

(c) the formulation, adoption and implementation of a new electoral order in Zimbabwe which complies with democratic principles and international electoral standards.

(1) The MDC formations agree to establish forthwith a National Coalition Council composed of the national executive committee of each formation.

(2) Meetings of the National Coalition Council will be chaired on an alternate basis by the National Chairpersons of each formation.

(4) Meetings of the National Coalition Council will be called or convened at the request of the Coalition Executive Committee.

(5) The National Coalition Council will have power and authority, in furtherance of the Coalition’s objectives¾

(b) to assign or delegate functions to Coalition structures to enable them fully to implement this Agreement.

(1) There will be a committee of the National Coalition Council, to be known as the Coalition Executive Committee consisting of the following persons from the formations¾

(2) The Coalition Executive Committee will be responsible for devising effective joint political strategies, including strategies in relation to elections, to further the objectives of the Coalition.

(3) The President of each formation will preside as chairperson at alternate meetings of the Coalition Executive Committee, and will be regarded as chairperson of the committee from the commencement of the meeting at which he or she presides until immediately before the commencement of the next meeting.

(4) The Coalition Executive Committee may give directions to the Coalition Task Force regarding the implementation of strategies it has devised.

(5) The Coalition Executive Committee, through its chairperson, must keep the National Coalition Council regularly informed of its decisions and their implementation.

(1) There will be a committee of the National Coalition Executive Committee to be known as the Coalition Task Force and consisting of the following persons from the formations¾

(b) fund raising to support Coalition activities, including voter education and the organisation of MDC election campaigns.

(3) In consultation with each other, the Secretaries-General of the formations will be responsible for setting up a secretariat to support the work of the Coalition Executive Committee.

(4) The publicity functions relating to the Coalition’s activities will be performed by jointly by the Secretaries-General of the formations.

(1) There will be Coalition Task Forces at Provincial, District and Ward levels which will consist at each level of the following persons from the formations:

(3) If the boundaries of a province, district or ward, as recognised by one formation, differ from the boundaries recognised by the other formation, the Coalition Task Force will determine which boundaries should be recognised for the purpose of this Agreement.

(4) The functions of the Coalition Committees will be to ensure that this Agreement, and the policies and strategies devised by the National Coalition Council and the Coalition Executive Committee, are fully implemented within their respective provinces, districts and wards.

(1) Coalition structures, in consultation with each other, will meet at such times and places as they may decide from time to time.

(b) must convene a special meeting of the structure on the written request of not fewer than of one-third of its members, which meeting must be convened for a date not sooner than seven days and not later than thirty days after the chairperson’s receipt of the request.

(3) No business may be discussed at a special meeting convened in terms of paragraph (b) of subclause (2) except the business specified in the request for the meeting.

(4) The Secretary-Generals must ensure that every member of the structure is given at least forty-eight hours’ notice of every meeting of the structure, and the notice must specify the business to be transacted at the meeting:

Provided that where it is urgently necessary to do so, a Coalition structure may hold a special meeting even if its members have been given less than forty-eight hours’ notice of the meeting, but the reasons for doing so must be fully recorded in the minutes of the meeting;

(1) If for any reason the chairperson of a Coalition structure is not present within fifteen minutes after a meeting of the structure was due to commence, the other joint chairperson will chair the meeting, and if that other chairperson is also absent for any reason, the members present must elect one of their number to preside at the meeting as acting chairperson.

(2) A majority of the total membership of a Coalition structure will form a quorum at any meeting of the structure.

(3) Decisions of Coalition structures must be reached on the basis of consensus, and if a structure is unable to reach consensus on any issue, the issue must be referred to a higher structure for decision.

(4) Subject to this clause, the procedure to be adopted at meetings of a Coalition structure is to be determined by the structure itself, except where a higher structure has specified the procedure to be adopted.

(1) The MDC formations agree that if the Coalition decides to contest the next Presidential election, the Coalition will put forward a single candidate to contest it, and that candidate will be chosen by the formation led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

(2) If the candidate referred to in subclause (1) wins the Presidential election, he or she will appoint as one of the Vice-President a person nominated by the formation led by Arthur Mutambara.

(1) If the Coalition decides to contest the next general election on the basis of the current constitutional provisions (that is one hundred and twenty elected seats), the question of which formation should put forward a candidate to contest a seat will be decided as follows¾

(a) where a member of one of the formations holds a seat, or held it immediately before it became vacant, that formation will put forward a candidate, after consultation with appropriate organs of the other formation, to contest the seat;

(b) where a seat was not held by a member of either formation, each of the formations must, within the prescribed period of time, hold primary election to select a candidate for this seat. An Electoral College with thereafter be established to decide on which of the two candidates will be selected to contest that seat. The Electoral College will consist of 30 persons from each of the formations. The Electoral College may, as part of the process of selection, interview each of the candidates. In the event that the Electoral College is unable to reach a consensus on which of the two candidates to select, the matter will be referred to the Coalition Executive Committee. The Coalition Executive Committee will, by consensus, decide which of the two candidates to select. Its decision will be final and binding.

(c) in selecting candidates for the next general election in respect of whom clause 14(1)(b) applies the Coalition must ensure that each formation will have fifty per cent of the candidates.

(2) If a by-election for a seat in the House of Assembly is to be held before the next general election, the decision to contest it will be reached by the Coalition after a process of consultation, and if it is decided to contest the seat, the allocation of the seat between the formations will be determined in accordance with subclause (1).

(3) In the selection of candidates for a general election, the Coalition must try to ensure that 50 per cent of the chosen candidates for seats in the House of Assembly are women, but if that target is not possible it must ensure that at least 30 per cent of the candidates are women.

(1) If the Coalition decides to contest the next general election on the basis of the current constitutional provisions (that is fifty elected seats), each formation will be allocated fifty per cent of the Senate seats available.

(2) In the selection of candidates for a general election, the Coalition must ensure that 50 per cent of the chosen candidates for seats in the Senate are women.

(1) If the Coalition decides to contest a local authority election, the question of which formation should put forward a candidate to contest a seat will be decided as follows¾

(b) where a seat was not held by a member of either formation, the Coalition will agree upon an equitable formula for deciding which formation should put forward a candidate to contest the seat, taking into account such considerations as the prospect of winning the seat in question. The formation which is allocated the seat will put forward a candidate, after consultation with the appropriate organs of the other formation, to contest the seat.

(3) In the selection of candidates for local authority elections, the Coalition must try to ensure that 50 per cent of the chosen candidates are women but if that target is not possible it must ensure that at least 30 per cent of the candidates are women.

(a) there are changes to the law relating to the structure of parliament so as to increase the number of seats in the House of Assembly or Senate; and/or

(b) there are changes to the electoral system so as to introduce a system of proportional representation based on a party list system;

the Coalition Executive Committee must meet to devise upon an equitable formula for the distribution of seats that is consistent with the principles set out in this agreement. The Coalition Executive Committee will transmit this formula to the National Coalition Council for its approval.

(1) Subject to the Constitution, if the Coalition wins the presidential and parliamentary elections, the President will allocate Cabinet posts in consultation with the Vice President and the National Executive Council, taking into account the need for equitable distribution of posts between the two formations, regard being had to the importance of those posts:

Provided that the President may allocate not more than three of the Cabinet posts in his or her sole discretion.

(2) Subject to the Constitution and any other law, the President will make appointments to other Government offices in consultation with the Vice President and the National Coalition Executive Committee, taking into account the need for equitable distribution of posts between the two formations paying due regard to the principle of equality of the two formations and the need for equal representation.

If the Coalition wins the presidential and parliamentary elections and no new national Constitution has been brought into operation, the MDC Government commits itself to making the process of Constitutional reform its main priority, and in this regard it is agreed that¾

(a) the MDC Government will consider itself to be a transitional administration tasked with formulating and implementing a new democratic Constitution after thorough consultation with the people of Zimbabwe;

(b) the constitutional reform process will last no more than two years from the date on which the winning Coalition Presidential candidate takes office, and will culminate in fresh elections conducted in terms of the new Constitution which will be held not later than five years from that date.

If the Coalition loses the presidential and parliamentary elections, the National Coalition Council will meet to discuss the future of the Coalition.

Any expenses incurred in carrying out this Agreement, or in operating the Coalition structures, will be divided in equal shares between the two formations:

Provided that the Coalition Task Force may decide that any particular expenses will be shared in different proportions or will be borne by one or other of the formations.

Mugabe deploys more veterans to boost campaign