Could Jonathan Moyo be the next president? By
Chido Makunike
The official policy in Zanu PF has been that it is
sacrilege to even think about a successor to Comrade Mugabe as its
leader.
Until he himself decides to step down, to talk about
someone else carrying the baton has been tantamount to treason. In a
democratic organisation, the leader is accorded respect, but is not allowed
to rule like an infallible, immortal monarch. But Zanu PF is hardly a model
of a democratic mass movement.
So the position has been that
there is no succession issue, despite the president being almost 80 years
old. Individuals interested in being the next president must pretend to not
have any such ambitions.
Zanu PF has elevated Mugabe to such a
mythic, feared cult figure that even its intelligent members must act like
unthinking robots. Blind loyalty to the incumbent is the price for status and
a party position, even at the expense of the party's reputation, and one's
own legitimate personal ambitions. Step out of line by daring to suggest you
consider yourself worthy of filling his shoes, and you will surely be
ostracised, if not worse.
So party members who should have
protested against practices that made Zanu PF sink so low in public esteem,
merely sheepishly looked on as their party went to the dogs.
Now
Mugabe has given his regal permission for talk about succession. But don't
expect a flood of party members openly throwing their hats in the ring. There
is still the entrenched Zanu PF culture of absolute obedience and fear, and
the official dogma that Mugabe is indispensable to the party's existence.
There would likely be severe penalties for some brave, foolish Zanu PF member
openly coming out and declaring he wants to take over
after Mugabe.
In Kenya, previous president Daniel Moi expressed
his preference for Uhuru Kenyatta to succeed him, for what cynics carped were
self-serving reasons. Moi had been up to a lot of dirty stuff during his long
tenure and wanted a malleable fellow who would cover for him after he stepped
down. Things didn't quite turn out that way, but at least he
tried.
If Mugabe manages to leave office peacefully, he may try to
pull off a Moi-type stunt. Many have speculated that Mugabe fixer and aide
Emmerson Mnangagwa would be the choice to cover up Mugabe's messy
tracks.
I believe another strong contender for preferred successor
would be chief of propaganda and spin doctor extraordinary, the one and only
Jonathan Moyo. There would be howls of outrage from more senior party members
who secretly would like to step into Mugabe's shoes, but they could be
easily neutralised. Fully developed farms confiscated from white farmers,
grand sounding positions and German luxury sedans, even women could be thrown
at them to buy them off, in the time-tested, well known Zanu PF
tradition.
Moyo has a lot of qualities to recommend him as Mugabe's
successor. When Moyo was in trouble, being hotly pursued by the Ford
Foundation in Kenya, and Wits University in South Africa for alleged hanky
panky with their monies, Mugabe came to his rescue and appointed him
spokesman for the constitutional commission and then as Zanu PF general
election strategist. Although neither effort was successful, Moyo acquitted
himself well by his sheer ferocity against Mugabe's opponents, especially
when you consider that before his stunning reversal Moyo had been Mugabe's
harshest critic!
Despite the electoral debacle, Moyo was rewarded
with a ministerial position, as well as a senior portfolio in the party he
had attacked so forcefully and eloquently for years. Just as Mugabe has kept
the sharks away from Moyo, the latter could be counted on to keep the wolves
away from a retired Mugabe. "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch
yours."
Moyo has applied himself to his tasks with uncommon vigour.
He has liberally insulted individuals, organisations and even nations that
dare to question the stance of his boss on any issue. He was initially
ridiculed as a turn coat and Johnny-come-lately, but he has leapfrogged over
and silenced many of the party's longer-serving, more senior members. They
hate his guts, but are scared of him because of his closeness to the fierce
Mugabe. They would grumble were Moyo anointed successor to the throne, but
would be too chicken to do anything about it.
Once he took
control of Zanu PF and consolidated his power, which the no-nonsense Moyo
would probably do quickly and ruthlessly, it would not be difficult to go on
to the next logical step, taking over the country. If the entire membership
of all opposition parties, who "it is quite clear" are lackeys of British
imperialism were in jail for treasonously challenging the ruling party's
leader, he would be able to sail into the presidential palace with ease.
Elections in Zimbabwe are also notoriously fixable, and one would be able to
draw upon Zanu PF 's considerable expertise at this.
A lot of
Zimbabweans would moan and groan, but Moyo is a strong character, and is not
likely to be bothered by the minor nuisance of being deeply disliked, "not
least because" he is already used to being unpopular. Whether the private
Press would continue to exist under a Moyo presidency, I cannot say, but I am
doubtful of this.
Zimbabwe's relations with the world would plummet
to a new low given Moyo's harsh, undiplomatic language. A positive is that he
has such a hot temper and a sharp, withering tongue that no nation would dare
attack us for fear of being repelled and defeated by his strong rhetoric. In
Iraq, Saddam Hussein's propaganda chief, who was full of bombast, bravado and
hot air was embarrassed when the invading Americans easily walked over
Baghdad, but Moyo is in a league of his own.
Sanctions,
shortages and general misery may all worsen, but we are hardened and used to
being deprived under Mugabe now, so it would not at all be a difficult
transition for us to be ruled by Moyo.
An immediate crisis on Moyo
becoming president would be how to refer to him without being sent to jail
under his version of "rule of law" for being disrespectful. He is known to be
very tied to the title "Professor." While that shows off his "scholarly
prowess", it would no longer suffice for a head of state. Perhaps the safest
would be to call him "Your Excellency Professor President Moyo" in hushed,
reverential tones, eyes cast downward and head bowed.
His wife
would simply be 'Amai' like the present 'Amai Grace Mugabe'.
Some
say it is too soon after the liberation struggle to contemplate a president
who is not a war veteran. No problem. Even though Moyo is alleged to have
skipped training camp for the safety of groovy, psychedelic, laid back
California during the struggle, he has earned his war credentials by his
hot-headed "revolutionary" rhetoric against whites, the British,
the Americans, the opposition, the media; in fact against pretty much
everybody! We hereby confer on him the special title " honorary rhetorical
liberation war veteran of the Third Chimurenga for the land," complete with
all the perks due to real war veterans.
Those who may want to
ingratiate themselves to the possible future president are reminded that
based on his recent South African shopping spree, he is known to enjoy
polony. I am not sure whether he prefers the French or the garlic
variety.
THE former East Germany leader Erick Honecker attributed
his downfall in 1989 to lack of democracy in the then Communist Party,
intolerance of dissent, lack of open discussions, murder, economic collapse,
public resentment and crude media propaganda.
This is the
tragedy of Zimbabwe at the moment. The present predicament of our country is
starring us in the face and needs no repeating here save to say that the East
German situation is a replica of President Mugabe and the ruling Zanu PF
party.
If the concerted efforts of tomorrow's visit by the leaders
of South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi are to bear fruit, then committed and
patriotic Zimbabweans in Zanu PF must grab the bull by the horns and say
enough is enough.
Zimbabwe has the best educated population on
the African continent and quite a large chunk in Zanu PF. It is deeply
disturbing that we have nothing to show for this. All the bright people in
Zanu PF-where are you? Why are you letting buffoons and the Mafikizolos
determine the course of a party that has a proud and revolutionary
history?
We are perplexed and bewildered to see people who are
opportunists and literally brain dead with no history of sacrifice; of
political struggle and nationalistic politics, in the forefront taking
Zimbabwe to the edge of precipices. What was once a great party has been
destroyed by these mafikizolos. These political mongrels are doing a great
disservice not only to Zanu PF but to the country as a whole. President
Mugabe has become a virtual prisoner of these political
upstarts.
The current massive abuse of human rights, the very
critical state of public opinion and the depth of Zimbabwe's economic
difficulties must give any true and genuine cadre of Zanu PF cause for
serious thought. Things cannot continue like this. We are still at a loss to
find out why these true sons and daughters of Zimbabwe are quiet while the
country is burning.
No doubt they are busy looting and scrambling
for spoils in this Zanu PF-induced anarchic environment. But for how long can
they continue to defend their ill-gotten gains? Can you sleep easily at night
with your obscene wealth and extravagant prosperity in the midst of such
enormous suffering and terrible poverty? Can you be secure politically
and economically in such an environment?
These are the questions
that even the most diehard of die hards in Zanu PF must also ask themselves.
Men and women of goodwill who we know are still there in Zanu PF must ask
themselves these questions and each in their own way answer them honestly and
genuinely. It is never too late in life to change and do the right
thing.
People engage in politics to have life without scarcity. But
scarcity mentality confined to a few as opposed to abundance mentality
is counter-productive in the long run. The major challenge that face the
Zanu PF people with Zimbabwe at heart is to break ranks with the
Johnos, Chinoses, Chombos, Chinamasas, Mades, Chiyangwas etc and their
prisoner President Mugabe and join hands with Morgan Tsvangirai and
Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo and Bakili Muluzi who are genuinely
trying to find the best way forward for our country.
This is the
plea we are making as representatives of the general public of Zimbabwe. As
Zimbabweans, we have to get our house in order. Others including the leaders
of southern Africa, Britain, the EU, the USA and the Commonwealth can and are
assisting us but they do not owe Zimbabweans a living or happiness. In the
final analysis, prevention or cure, only Zimbabweans can solve their own
problems.
True, the only country in the southern African region
with the power to do something to stop the madness in this country is South
Africa. Many people within Zimbabwe and outside have said that South Africa
must exercise its power by giving President Mugabe a clear and unequivocal
warning to restore the rule of law or face sanctions and
ostracism.
That may well be in our interest as Zimbabweans but in
President Mbeki 's thinking, there are limits to South African power and
wealth. Hence, South Africa's policy of quiet diplomacy which has so far
failed. But with dogged determination, it is still pursuing this-with the end
result being a transitional government without Robert Gabriel Mugabe but with
a renewed and overhauled Zanu PF working with the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).
It is hoped that the fusion of the
renewed Zanu PF and the opposition MDC would generate incandescent energy for
the recovery of Zimbabwe's economy, freedom and democracy. It would appear
that the three leaders (Mbeki, Obasanjo and Muluzi) who will be visiting
Zimbabwe tomorrow for talks with President Mugabe and opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai are convinced about the promise and utility of such a
transitional arrangement.
Only time will tell. But what we can say
for sure is that Zimbabweans are grieving and the country is in great
difficulties. Uncontrollable events have taken control. The Zanu PF
government is no longer in the driving seat. It is now clearly locked in a
reactive mode, unsure which way to turn, how to respond and what solution to
try next.
It is in this context we welcome with open arms the three
Southern African leaders visiting Zimbabwe tomorrow. The pressure is
intensifying and this in itself is good. The task is huge for the three
Presidents. They need help from committed and patriotic Zimbabwe not
patriotism as defined by Zanu PF but in the true meaning of the
word.
Men and women of goodwill in both Zanu PF and the MDC must
surrender personal ambitions whatever they might be-in the interest of
Zimbabwe.
Zanu PF propaganda blitz backfires NEWS FOCUS
BY WALTER MARWIZI
RUFFLED by the two successful protest stayaways
that paralysed business in the country recently, the department of
Information and Publicity in the President's Office has launched a propaganda
blitz on the state owned media which is, ironically, sending a contradictory
message to a battered Zimbabwean audience.
The propaganda blitz,
meant to rubbish the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), appears to be
doing the exact opposite-it is now even endearing the opposition party more
with the long suffering masses of Zimbabwe who have endured hardships during
the past two to three years.
The set of adverts, flighted on
national television on a daily basis, incidentally popularise MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai who is shown making strong political statements to a nation
that is battling with the reality of a President who refuses to leave office
in the face of an economic meltdown.
In one of the adverts,
Tsvangirai is shown addressing a rally in Gweru where he predicted something
that Zanu PF failed to do: food shortages after the widespread grabbing of
commercial farms.
A fired up Tsvangirai is shown on the ZBC adverts
forewarning Zimbabweans of impending food shortages spawned by the chaos on
the farms.
The crippling food shortages, which were felt hardly two
months after Tsvangirai's "prophecy", were denied by Zanu PF officials, chief
among them agriculture minister Joseph Made, who lied to the nation that he
had seen, while overflying farming areas, vast hectarages of maize enough to
feed a country of over 12 million people.
In a clip played
relentlessly on ZBC, the MDC leader is given prime television space to try to
portray him as a leader without the interest of Zimbabwe at heart, but that
again backfires.
Tsvangirai is seen telling a huge audience:
"Munoti munoshaiwa chikafu... (interjections)...Mati madiyi, Muchashaisisa"
(You are talking about food shortages, you shall completely run out of food
supplies)."
While Zanu PF propagandists hoped that showing this
clip over and over again would convince people that Tsvangirai rejoices when
people suffer, it has emerged that the opposite is the truth.
Many Zimbabweans who have struggled to survive during the past few years
yesterday hailed Tsvangirai for being brave enough to forewarn the nation
about the looming disaster.
"Tsvangirai, like a fearless modern day
prophet, did his bit well. He warned everyone including the government and
unsurprisingly though, the Zanu PF regime chose to ignore this warning
pretending that everything was OK," said Johannes Makonya of Warren Park
1.
Virginia Moyo, a vendor in Samora Machel Avenue said thanks to
Moyo and his department, everyone could see Tsvangirai tried to wake them up
to the reality.
"Tsvangirai like anyone else with common sense
knew that after we grabbed farms from real farmers and after giving them to
lazy Zanu PF cronies, soon we had to run out of food. At least now anyone who
did not attend the rally now sees that Tsvangirai is a pragmatic man who
tells bitter truth unlike these ruling party crooks who say there is fuel
when all the service stations are dry," said Moyo, who confessed that she
hated Mugabe's regime.
In another clip, Tsvangirai is shown
making a speech which, contrary to the official viewpoint that it is
subversive, is viewed by many Zimbabweans who have borne the brunt of
violence perpetrated by war veterans, the Zanu PF militia, the army and now
the police as an act of courage .
Tsvangirai said: "What we want
to tell Mugabe today is that please go peacefully. If you don't go
peacefully, we will remove you violently." After the speech, grainy images of
excited youths running around the streets, which do not resemble any town in
Zimbabwe, appear.
A small sign inscribed with the words "DRC" which
a casual observer might not notice, also appears near the tree branches
barricading the roads, betraying the true location of the street
protests.
"Jonathan Moyo or whoever cobbled up these images must
know that by showing Tsvangirai talking about violently removing Mugabe who
has boasted of his several degrees in violence is psyching-up people to
implement the idea," said one psychologist who preferred to remain
anonymous.
MDC warned against predatory Zanu PF By our
own Staff
ORDINARY Zimbabweans, battling to make ends meet in an
unbearable economic environment, say the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
should be wary of any dialogue with ruling Zanu PF party.
They
said the ruling party had a well-documented history of "swallowing"
opposition parties threatening its continued stranglehold on Zimbabwe's
political landscape and the current manoeuvres to meet the MDC could not be
trusted.
In a snap street survey conducted by yesterday, many
people noted that Zimbabwe could only be put on a path to recovery if Mugabe
left office.
They said the worsening economic situation in the
country was a direct result of Mugabe's failed economic policies and
therefore the 79-year-old President had to go without wasting time on useless
talks.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Thabo Mbeki of South
Africa and Bhakili Muluzi of Malawi are expected in the country tomorrow to
hold separate meetings with Mugabe and MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai,
apparently to craft an honourable exit plan for Mugabe.
The
African leaders will also try to break the impasse between the two parties
that has driven Zimbabwe into a political and economic crisis.
However their previous efforts have not brought any joy
to Zimbabweans.
Sixty-two year-old John Chitara, a Harare
vendor, dismissed the proposed talks as Mugabe's political gimmick to buy
time while tossing the MDC around.
"Mugabe and his party should
just leave office because they have failed us for the past 23 years, there is
no need for dialogue," he said.
Chitara said Zanu PF intended to
"swallow" the opposition through luring it into dialogue and render it
politically ineffective like it did to Zapu in the so-called Unity Accord of
1987.
Allan Mutambiri, a clerk with a local cement manufacturing
company, said considering the divergent views the two parties, success of the
talks were in doubt.
However, some interviewees said dialogue
was the only option left if the country's economic meltdown was to be
curtailed.
Said Michael Matsika: "We have reached a dead end now
and the only option left is for MDC and Zanu PF to sit down and resolve their
differences amicably, otherwise we will continue to suffer."
Mugabe in a televised interview a few weeks ago said that he was ready for
talks with the MDC leader, as long Tsvangirai recognised that he was
the President of Zimbabwe.
Suspended For Not Being Allowed To Work
overthetop By Brian Latham
THE mayor of a troubled central African
country's capital city has been suspended for not being allowed to do his
job. The surprising development came this week when a Zany politician decided
he'd had enough of the More Drink Coming mayor.
After a year of
depriving the mayor of the necessary tools to perform his duty, the Zany
party decided the mayor should go for... not performing his
duties.
In a policy most troubled central Africans said was
deliberate, the Zany party ensured the More Drink Coming mayor had no foreign
currency to import essential goods and no fuel to run his fleet of ageing
vehicles.
So when essential items weren't imported and the fleet of
vehicles was grounded, the Zany party suspended him.
Still, the
suspension caused some embarrassment to the Zany party
who forgot
that the mayor of an important German city was visiting the More
Drink Coming mayor. Just as the two were sitting down for a small cocktail, a
comrade from the Zany party summonsed the now angry and troubled central
African mayor and handed him his suspension letter, which he was told to read
at home.
The letter said he was being suspended for not delivering
essential services to the city, including clean drinking water.
But Over The Top is reliably informed that the city's water crises have been
caused by the Zany party's reluctance to provide essential foreign currency
to buy water treatment chemicals.
The move follows a series of
half-hearted demonstrations outside the mayor's city centre office. Zany
party cadres bussed in from various places, have demanded the mayor be
removed from office, despite his overwhelming popularity in the
capital.
Meanwhile the suspension sparked angry condemnation from
the rest of the More Drink Coming party who said Comrade Chump, who wrote the
offending and offensive letter, had no right to suspend the mayor. Even the
More Drink Coming party leader said the suspension was invalid.
The suspension also coincided with a visit by a group of confused southern
African parliamentarians to the troubled central African dictatorship. Most
of them said they were very happy with the way things were going in the
troubled central African country and hoped to initiate similar policies in
their own country just as soon as the rest of the world wasn't
looking.
The confused southern Africans said they were here to
study land reform, a political process that has seen dozens murdered and
raped, hundreds tortured and thousands displaced in the troubled central
African regime. Still, the confused southern African said they had spoken to
several Zany party people who told them everything was going swimmingly and
that was good enough for them. "We have much to learn from all this," they
said, sparking fears in the confused southern African country that a
similar bloodbath was about to be initiated.
Still, back in the
troubled central African capital, angry residents prepared themselves for
action to reinstate their mayor, whom they said was unjustly removed. And the
German mayor, promising to provide help with solving the city's water
problems, said that would only happen if a democratically elected mayor
governed the troubled city.
The threat led to a certain amount of
resigned shrugging of shoulders as residents of the troubled city said they
expected their water problems to last for some considerable
time.
Meanwhile unnamed political and economic analysts pointed out
that the Zany party had in three short years managed to bankrupt the troubled
central African nation, deprive it of once abundant food and lay waste to a
once strong infrastructure. If they could do that to an entire country in
just three years, they pointed out, it would probably take Comrade Chump
about three weeks to ensure there was no water, no rubbish removal and in
fact no services of any kind in the capital city.
Soldiers beat Epworth residents on May Day By
our own Staff
MARAUDING bands of armed soldiers allegedly assaulted
at least 30 residents in the sprawling high-density suburb of Epworth on the
eve of the Workers' Day holiday.
Victims of the beatings told
The Standard that the soldiers accused them of supporting the opposition and
said the assaults were the soldiers' "gifts" to the workers on their
holiday.
Said one of the victims who requested anonymity: "We were
waylaid in the streets at around 7 pm by about six soldiers while coming from
work. They were armed with rifles and led us to some spot where at least 30
other unfortunate people were being held and coerced to chant pro-Zanu PF
and anti-MDC slogans."
He added: "We were beaten
indiscriminately with clenched fists, booted feet and rifle butts and only
released after performing a song denouncing the opposition and encouraging
residents to walk around with their identification particulars."
Another victim, who sustained a fractured ankle and severe lacerations from
the attack, complained that the assault had worsened his financial plight, as
he could not afford to foot his medical expenses.
"They confiscated
my identity documents and the little groceries I was bringing home and yet I
had not done anything wrong or acted in any illegal fashion."
Epworth residents complained that the soldiers have been carrying frequent
assaults on residents since they set camp near Domboramwari Shopping Centre
recently.
Tapera Huni, a 27-year-old vendor, said: "The soldiers
came to my stall on Friday and demanded that I sell them my food at 1999
prices! I had seen them beat another vendor for overcharging. He was
threatened not to cry out or block their blows."
The government
last month accused the MDC of hiring army deserters to terrorise high-density
residents in an attempt to tarnish President Robert Mugabe's
image.
The 23 suspected "rogue" soldiers were paraded in what many
saw as an attempt by the government to absolve itself from mounting
accusations of state-sanctioned human rights abuses.
ZRP senior officers get military training By
Itai Dzamara
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police, which is expected to
assume a more prominent role to quell expected disturbances because of the
deteriorating political and economic crisis, has now started training its
senior officers in military combat, a Standard investigation can now
reveal.
The paper has seen a copy of a memorandum dated April 18
from Commissioner Augustine Chihuri's office that is directed to "All
Stations Class A", with lists of officers who have been nominated for the
first batch of military training at the Buchwa Training Centre in the
Midlands.
Although the memo says the subject of the Buchwa training
scheme was "developmental courses for inspectors and chief inspectors",
police sources told The Standard that the exercise was to train senior police
officers in military tactics.
Said a high ranking officer: "It
was made quite clear that communication came from high up in government to
brace for even more serious forms of mass action.
"It was
therefore decided that the chief inspectors as well as inspectors be trained
in military tactics, which they would most likely go on to impart to the
junior level police officers in their camps countrywide."
The
memo tells each officer attending the training course to bring firearms such
as a "CZ Pistol and magazine and FN/AK rifle and magazine".
Wayne
Bvudzijena, the police spokesman, confirmed that the ZRP was conducting the
Buchwa training programme but denied that it was meant to equip senior
officers with military tactics or to prepare them for
mass action.
"Indeed there is a training programme going on. But
it has nothing to do with military skills. And it has nothing to do with
stayaways. The purpose is to update officers with various skills pertaining
to leadership and responding to situations," said Bvudzijena.
When probed on the specified requirement for the officers to bring firearms,
Bvudzijena said that was a normal order within the ZRP.
"We have
many weapons, some even more deadly than the ones you talk about. There is
nothing unusual in us using them for training," he said.
Although
not stated in the memo, sources also added that the training programme would
also incorporate the use of anti-riot gear purchased by the government last
year from Israel.
Among the anti riot gear are deadly tankers,
which have already been deployed into townships and suburbs during stayaways,
and which are expected to play a leading role in quelling any violent mass
action.
While it could not be established who would conduct the
training, some sources said members of the Zimbabwe National Army would put
the police officers through their paces
The list for the first
batch of officers comprises 550 senior policemen from across all the nine
provinces and the memo emphasises that officers who failed to report on the
required date and time would face strong disciplinary action.
"No excuses will be entertained for late comers and disciplinary action will
be taken against officers who fail to comply," reads the memo.
Officers from the Police Support Unit, notoriously referred to by Zimbabweans
as the "riot police" and widely feared for their brutality, are also included
in the training.
President Robert Mugabe warned that he would use
the armed forces to crush the opposition if it continued to bother him after
it had organised a successful two-day stayaway in April.
HARARE'S first elected executive mayor Elias Mudzuri has
gone into hiding because he suspects state security agents are after him
following the government's announcement of his suspension on
Tuesday.
Mudzuri told The Standard from a location in the city
yesterday that he was being pursued by state agents following his suspension
by Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo.
Mudzuri, who has
clashed repeatedly with Chombo since assuming office more than a year ago,
called on the city's residents to defy the government and make a stand
against interferences in the running of the council's affairs by the
minister.
"I am confident of the residents' support. That is why I
would not want to make much noise about liars and mad men like Chombo," said
Mudzuri.
"Right now I need the security and support of the
residents of Harare because the state has become a threat to my life. I have
served this city selflessly and honestly and the only reason the government
is maligning me is because they are scared that I am about to expose a huge
can of worms of their corrupt activities."
Chombo braved the
expected ire of Harare residents and suspended the mayor on allegations of
corruption, abuse of office and of failing to deliver services to the city.
He said he would appoint a commission to investigate Mudzuri.
The mayor, who was spotting a wide-brimmed hat, challenged Chombo to set up
an independent commission of residents and lawyers to investigate the running
of the city during his 14-month tenure as well as the government's conduct
towards the municipality.
"I would like to challenge Chombo to fall
under the same knife of scrutiny he would want to put me and find out who
would come out dirty," Mudzuri said.
"My confidence is in the
people because I am an elected man and Chombo is not. What right does he have
to demonise me if the people appreciate my efforts?"
Mudzuri
overwhelmingly won the mayoral elections in March last year as the candidate
for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change against Zanu PF's Amos
Midzi, now Minister of Energy.
He has since then been on a
collision course with Chombo and the government who were angered by his
reformist programmes that they alleged targeted senior council officials who
are members of the governing party.
The government has retaliated
by blocking some of Mudzuri's projects and his administration from borrowing
capital finance and even refusing it enough foreign currency to import water
purification chemicals for the city' s water supply.
Other MDC
mayors yesterday expressed shock at the suspension of Mudzuri by
Chombo.
Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, the Mayor of Bulawayo said: "We were
together with other MDC mayors when we heard the news of Mudzuri's suspension
and we were quite stunned."
Meanwhile, the Combined Harare
Residents' Association says it is calling on city residents to protest
against Mudzuri's suspension by signing a petition it is drawing
up.
Association chairperson Mike Davies yesterday said the petition
would show that Chombo did not consult Harare's residents before his
unpopular decision to suspend Mudzuri.
Zim makes payment to avoid IMF action By our
own Staff
SENSING imminent suspension of its voting and related
rights from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next month, the Zimbabwean
government has finally made some token payment to the
institution.
The government paid US$68 745 as payment towards
interest to the IMF, which read the riot act to Harare authorities, last
month.
The payment was made on April 25 for net Special Drawing
Rights (SDRs) charges. Payment is made quarterly and the charges' due date
fell on May 1, beating the deadline by only five days.
The fund
issues SDR's which are a form of international currency to member countries
and are used mostly by developing countries.
However, despite the
interest payment, Harare's arrears to the fund amounted to about US$220
million as of the end of last month.
Economic analysts this week
said the interest repayment was a mere gesture and might not in any way stand
in the path of the IMF, which acts as the international commissioner of
oaths, from suspending Zimbabwe.
"That is a token payment and by
right we should have been suspended now," said one local
economist.
During the visit by the fund's mission in February,
government renewed an undertaking to make small quarterly payments of US$1,5
million and the recent interest payment could be a realisation of the grave
consequences of an IMF suspension.
Despite President Robert
Mugabe's vitriol against the Bretton Woods institution, Finance and Economic
Development Minister Herbert Murerwa attended the IMF and World Bank's spring
meetings in Washington last month accompanied by Reserve Bank Governor,
Leonard Tsumba, and other senior staff from the ministry and the central
bank.
The Zimbabwean delegation held "several meetings with the
IMF's management and staff during which a useful exchange of views on
economic developments and policies took place", said a government
official.
Zimbabwe is in a tight hard currency squeeze that has
spanned over four years and has resulted in shortages of imported goods
including fuel, medicines, machinery, spares and foodstuffs.
The
hard currency problem has also caused the southern African country to default
on its loan repayments to the IMF and the World Bank.
Failure to
repay and Mugabe's chaotic land reforms, as well as the breakdown in law and
order, has resulted in the two Bretton Woods' institutions stopping their
technical support to the Zimbabwean government.
The IMF has gone
further to initiate a process to suspend Zimbabwe's voting and related rights
from the fund because of its failure to meet obligations to the fund and the
deteriorating political and economic environment.
Its executive
board meeting that will review Zimbabwe's position is tentatively scheduled
to take place on June 6.
The decision to suspend Harare's voting
and related rights in the fund will depend on the board's assessment of the
country's policies and on repayments made to the fund.
"All
policy measures taken and payments made until that date will be taken into
account. A suspension of voting and related rights would mean that Zimbabwe
would no longer be able to participate in the election of an executive
director and to cast its vote in the IMF's executive board on policy and
country matters," said an official in the fund's external relations
department.
Aids patients cash in on their condition By
our own Staff
SOME people living with HIV/Aids are now demanding
payment for any interviews that appear in newspapers or any media because
they say exposure is bringing them more trouble than solace, The Standard has
learnt.
This emerged after efforts by this paper to speak with some
Aids activists and people infected with the HIV virus that causes Aids
were repeatedly spurned unless they were paid significant amounts of
money.
A counsellor at The Centre, an organisation for people
living with HIV/Aids, agreed that some HIV-positive people she knew were now
demanding payment for interviews.
The counsellor said: "Some
HIV/Aids patients are indeed asking for money because they say it is a way of
making a living and providing for themselves as society has shunned
them.
"They also ask for payment because they say disclosure or
being reported about in the press placed them at risk of being outlawed by
their beloved ones."
Angeline Chiwatani, the national project
co-ordinator for the Network for HIV Positive Women in Zimbabwe, blamed the
government for putting up "half-hearted efforts" in the fight against Aids
and forcing desperation among some HIV-positive people.
"The
government should encourage people to come out more into the open in order to
halt the spread of Aids," she said.
Chiwatani added: "We need to
see more influential people and public figures, some of whom we know fully
well that they are HIV positive, to confess their status and help fight the
scourge."
She said stories of members of the public suffering from
the disease did not make much impact in effecting significant behavoural
change in the fight against Aids as much as those of well known
figures.
"Not much message is sent when the little people confess.
That is why ordinary patients are now asking for money to disclose their HIV
status because they stand to lose more from the confession than the little
money they get from baring their souls.
"We should all know that
the reason why Aids has ravaged this country this much is because all talk
about it is hushed," Chiwatani said.
According to UNAIDS, Zimbabwe
has an HIV prevalence rate of 34 percent which means that about 2.3 million
people are living with the virus that causes the dreaded killer
disease.
l Meanwhile, VictorAngelo, the United Nations Development
Programme's resident representative and humanitarian co-ordinator, this week
blamed the high HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe on the worsening economic
environment.
In an interview with IRIN, Angelo said: "We have
knowledge that the immediate consequences of the virus have been exacerbated
by the current humanitarian crisis.
"People queue for hours for
a loaf of bread at an unaffordable price and, because the government cannot
source foreign currency to purchase fuel, even just getting to work in the
mornings is a serious challenge to many Zimbabweans.
"In
developed countries, a person might be diagonised with HIV and continue to
live a very healthy and happy life for many years, but that is because those
persons have access to proper nutrition and medical care."
FARMERS produced an estimated 900 000 tonnes of maize this
year, up from 550 000 tonnes harvested the previous year.
The figure
falls far short of the 2 million tonnes consumed locally
every year.
It means therefore, that the government will have to
import 1,1 million tonnes to cover the deficit.
This comes at time
when non-governmental organisations, which have been feeding over seven
million people facing starvation, have indicated that they would stop food
aid schemes next month.
Davis Mugabe, president of the Indigenous
Commercial Farmers' Union said: "The country will produce about 900 000
tonnes, which is not enough to feed the nation for the next year. While the
food situation will improve, there is still need to import food."
The
importation of maize would put more pressure on the little foreign currency
reserves available.
As of November last year, foreign currency reserves
had fallen below two weeks' import cover.
While President Mugabe has
blamed drought for causing the current food crisis, farming experts attribute
it to the unplanned land reform.
Sources said the Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) should import maize as soon as possible to augment local
supplies.
Zimbabwe has been facing severe food shortages in the past two
years due to the drought and the chaotic land reform that disrupted farming
operations.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network Unit had earlier
predicted that Zimbabwe would produce 1,3 million tonnes.
"While the
mid-season rains benefited the late crop, generally the late crop does not
contribute much to the national output compared with the early crop," said an
official with one of the major farming organisations.
Large-scale
commercial farmers who contributed between 600 000 and 700 000 tonnes of
maize over the years, are expecting about 80 000 tonnes of maize enough to
feed the nation for 16 days.
"We used to have about 1 500 commercial
farmers producing maize and now they are down to 500. While the small-scale
farmers contribute about 60 percent to the national requirements, most of the
maize they produced will be retained for subsistence and GMB will get very
little maize inflows," the official said.
The Minister of Lands,
Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Dr Joseph Made increased the maize
producer price by 364 percent to $130 000 a tonne in March as an incentive to
boost deliveries to the GMB.
African Leaders Must Find African Solutions for Africa's
Problems
Sunday Times (Johannesburg)
OPINION May 4,
2003 Posted to the web May 4, 2003
Mathatha
Tsedu Johannesburg
TODAY marks the beginning of an important week of
attempts to find solutions for Zimbabwe. President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian
and Malawian presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Bakili Muluzi will travel to
Harare tomorrow for crucial talks.
Mbeki says it is unhelpful to
characterise the visit as being designed to effect a regime change, as it is
not the reason for going there. They are going, he says, to help restart the
dialogue between Zimbabweans - the dialogue which is the first step towards
resolving the crisis facing the country.
This is diplomatic-speak.
However, the President should not be too worried that the rest of us do not
share his sensitivities around the language used; he should use the language
he is comfortable with. It helps him achieve what he wants to
achieve.
Equally, he should allow the rest of us to see the effort for
what it is - an attempt to get rid of a despotic leader who has brought pain,
and more pain, to the people of that land.
For example, Zimbabweans
travelling back home in South African-registered cars have to pay pollution
tax, in rands. This is in addition to the other
difficulties of life such
as shortages of petrol and food and a general breakdown in
services.
President Robert Mugabe has no new ideas on how to extricate
Zimbabwe from this mess. His party, Zanu-PF, is unable to produce someone who
can redirect the country as long as Mugabe is in office. He has said he
considers his mission of land transfers virtually complete and that "people
may now be able to retire". Indeed.
I do not think anyone is more
acutely aware of the seriousness of the situation in Zimbabwe than Mbeki, and
he has invested much energy, resources and time on the issue.
There
are, however, those who think that - because he has not been loud enough
about it - he has not done anything. There are times when I feel the same.
But the three presidents travelling to Harare to meet not only with Mugabe
but also with opposition leaders is an important development.
African
leaders carry a responsibility to help find African solutions to African
problems.
Mbeki has sent Nelson Mandela and Deputy President Jacob Zuma
to the Great Lakes region to help find solutions for the intractable problem
of Burundi.
And this week we witnessed what was difficult to imagine a
few years ago - Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, stepping down to make way for
Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, as Burundi's new transitional
president.
As this happened, the bitter-enders in fatigues who are still
in the bushes around the capital, Bujumbura, killed civilians in a
flag-waving exercise to announce that they were still active.
We must
accept that they will be doing this for some time to come. But it does not
mean that Burundi is not moving forward.
In South Africa's case, the
unbanning of many organisations in 1990 was followed by some of the bloodiest
killings in our communities. But sanity eventually prevailed.
In the
Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa invested much energy and time to
nudge a myriad combatants together. A day after the signing of a peace
agreement in South Africa three weeks ago, nearly 1 000 people were killed in
Drodro - again timed to announce that peace was not
everybody's choice.
The transitional arrangements in Kinshasa are
nevertheless going ahead, and DRC police were sent to remote areas where they
had not been seen for more than four years.
The road to the DRC's
peace began back in 1997 when the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko was persuaded to
accept that his time was up.
Today it is Zimbabwe's turn. A s the three
presidents fly into Harare, they must know that we are all watching and
waiting for a sign that will show progress is being made.
That
progress demands of the Movement for Democratic Change that it swallows hard
and withdraws its case challenging the outcome of last year's elections - not
because it is wrong, but because it is the key that will unlock more
important possibilities than an empty court victory.
In return, the talks
must re-open. But Zanu-PF must also accept that Information Minister Jonathan
Moyo cannot lead the talks. Moyo's fate is too welded to the continuance of
the status quo and he is thus not interested in change.
The court case
against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai must also fall by the wayside in the
fullness of time.
The key is that the three presidents can only help
Zimbabweans and cannot force a solution.
Leadership, maturity and a
preparedness to take risks is what is now required from Mugabe and
Tsvangirai.
Kevin Mitchell at Edgbaston Sunday May 4,
2003 The Observer
As protests go, this was not the Gordon Riots.
Andrew Hall, a training manager from Worcester sporting beard, shorts,
T-shirt and hiking boots in bloody-minded defiance of the elements, was a
leader of a party of two, his infantry consisting of Hari Blackmore, a
sixth-former from Bromsgrove, more sensibly rugged up in long woolly jumper
and wearing the look of the concerned universal soldier. Nevertheless,
they handled the four-pronged media onslaught with a dignity befitting their
serious purpose. They said it was better there were two of them than none at
all. Back-up was probably on the way and, by the time of the Tests, there
would be many more, said Andrew.
Andrew, who left Zimbabwe nine years ago
after 'falling out with Mugabe', did not think there would be any pitch
invasions today which, given the paucity of his resources (Hari), sounded
like sensible military strategy.
However Hari, more obviously from the
militant wing of the Birmingham Two, was annoyed that those people who had so
enthusiastically supported the attempt to remove Saddam Hussein had not
turned out here to get rid of Mugabe. 'Where are they?' he inquired. 'They
should get off their arses.'
Obviously the prospect of putting their
arses in front of the telly to watch Manchester United toy with Charlton
Athletic had proved a more attractive proposition than coming to Edgbaston on
a miserably grey Saturday to see Zimbabwe bowl at British
Universities.
In the morning session, the thought might have crossed the
Zimbabweans' minds, too, as they struggled to shift two students for 80. When
the rain hit seriously a little after 2pm, the score had crept along to 92
for two from 38 overs and, as the players withdrew to the warmth of the bar,
there was little to do but to wait in hope for the public announcement
signalling an end to hostilities for the day.
Meanwhile, the numbers
outside had swelled to 10, fallen back to seven and, at various points, were
on a par with those who had paid to come inside. It was generally agreed
those playing outnumbered those watching and those standing at the gates in
the rain. With the saturated electric scoreboard glowing in the gloom, the
picture of the summer game was complete.
While the tourists were looking
to shake loose the cobwebs in this first of possibly 18 matches, the team
organisers were directing their energies in other areas. Peter Chingoka, the
president of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, paid a visit to the press box and
was charm itself. He has need to be; this tour is a particularly hard sell,
given the terrible suffering that is the backdrop to it in
Zimbabwe.
If the public relations exercise has not gone perfectly - a
London-based Zimbabwean radio broadcaster, Georgina Godwin, was ham-fistedly
turned away by security staff from the opening press conference at Lord's on
Thursday - Mr Chingoka is trying his best.
Familiar with the ways of
the regime, Godwin suspected foul play; Mark Harrison, formerly with the
International Cricket Council, and signed up for the summer by the ZCU to
handle the team's publicity, put it down to a mix-up. Between the first Test
at Lord's, which starts on 22 May, and the final of the triangular one-day
tournament on 12 July, there will no doubt be opportunity for other
misunderstandings between this troubled team and the media.
Even
Godwin - whose brother Peter fagged for Chingoka at the posh Catholic school
St George's in Harare - concedes Chingoka is 'a decent man in a difficult
position'. But it is hard, none the less, to allay suspicions that the
tourists are walking on eggshells.
As the captain, Heath Streak,
confirmed, none of the players will be allowed to comment on anything but
cricket, which, given what happened to Andy Flower and Henry Olonga during
the World Cup (ostracised after their black-arm-band protest), seems to be
slightly missing the point.
The players selected, including Streak, are,
according to good sources in Zimbabwe, here because they are prepared to toe
the party line. They will keep their mouths firmly shut and, with a woefully
inexperienced squad, do the best they can to avoid being serially thrashed.
British Universities might not manage that. Although, on the evidence of some
handsome shots by the top order yesterday, they might go close.
The Zimbabwean cricket team
arrived in England on Thursday for a cricket tour that could end up being as
controversial as those by South Africa in the apartheid era.
Human
rights activists have promised to maintain "hit and run" protests against
President Robert Mugabe's government throughout the tour and some British
politicians have also spoken out against the visit.
Activists say
protesters could once again invade playing fields wearing black armbands or
cricket flannels covered in blood. But only a handful of protesters turned up
outside the Lord's cricket ground on the Zimbabwe team's arrival. They held
up placards with slogans such as: "No Cricket while Mugabe
kills".
Some critics have suggested that financial concerns have
forced the England and Wales Cricket Board to go ahead with the tour. Earlier
this year England pulled out of their World Cup match against Zimbabwe in
Harare, but the ECB maintained the decision was made on security rather than
moral grounds and it now supports the Zimbabwean tour of
England.
England are reported to be keen to support Zimbabwean
cricket administrators. "I don't believe that it is our remit to make moral
and political judgments about the various regimes around the world," ECB
chief executive Tim Lamb told the BBC this week.
"We don't think
the Zimbabwe cricketers are any more the henchmen of Mugabe than the England
players are foot soldiers of Tony Blair. They represent their country at
cricket."
Henry Olonga who, along with teammate Andy Flower, wore a
black armband during Zimbabwe's first game in the World Cup to mourn the
"death of democracy" in his homeland, told the BBC he is supporting this tour
as well, as it would put the human rights abuses by Mugabe "in the
spotlight".
Olonga now lives in England on a six-month work permit
and will be doing TV commentary for Channel 4.
Former Zimbabwe
captain Andy Flower, who now plays county cricket for Essex in England after
retiring from international cricket after the World Cup, is also backing the
tour because he believes any protests could highlight the problems in his
country.
"That is a healthy thing for Zimbabwe because in the last
six weeks to two months that spotlight has not been on it because of other
world events."
"Please make
sure you do not leave any valuables in your car." This is a sign found in
many public parking places. But in Zimbabwe the equivalent sign may soon
read: "Make sure you drain all the petrol from your car."
Thieves are now
targeting fuel rather than cars and there is a greater chance of finding a
car empty than missing.
Motorists have resorted to draining the fuel
from their cars before going to bed.
Petrol in Zimbabwe has
increased from Z145.20 (about R16.50) a litre to Z450 (R51), while diesel has
risen from Z68 (R7.70c) to Z200 (R22.70).
While many of Zimbabwe's
garages are on the verge of running dry, a fuel boom has emerged in Harare's
townships. This probably explains why there has not been a significant drop
in traffic on the roads, despite reported acute fuel
shortages.
But in Harare's townships every fifth person you meet can
direct you to a house where you can fill up your tank. There are no queues,
but petrol costs about five times more than the official price.
At
any given time, containers holding up to 800 litres of diesel and petrol can
be found at these mini-service-station houses, especially in Highfield, Glen
View, Glen Norah, Mbare and Mufakose townships.
There is no rationing
as long as you are willing to pay Z1 200 (R136) a litre for petrol. Diesel
costs Z1 000 (R114). As the fuel is stored in containers ranging from 20
litres to 200 litres in size, the minimum a motorist can buy is 20 litres at
a cost of Z24 000 (R2 700) for petrol and Z20 000 (R2 270) for
diesel.
Fuel has become such big business in the underground market
that many people have abandoned other trades to deal in fuel. It is believed
they get fuel from garage owners who want to circumvent government price
controls. Another means is to steal from cars.
IN the rush to satisfy Jonathan Moyo's 75 percent local
music content, many young artists are resorting to plagiarism and outright
theft of songs.
The latest controversy involves popular hip hop
singer Dino Mudondo who is being accused of stealing his hit composition
Chirangano Chedu and refusing to pay the composer, even after police
intervention.
Songwriter Dickson Mandota told Standard Plus that he
penned the songs Chirangano Chedu and Taropafadzwa which have catapulted
Mudondo to great heights.
The songs are on Mudondo's hit album
Makorokoto that has made him popular among the youths.
"Dino
Mudondo approached me and said he needed the song Chirangano Chedu and I gave
him but up to now he has not paid me the whole amount that we agreed upon,"
said Mandota.
"We took the matter to the police and Dino was
ordered to pay me $100 000 but he has paid me half the amount yet he is
enjoying much publicity because of my songs;" an angry Mandota
said.
Mandota said he did Chirangano Chedu in 1997 with Noel Zembe
and Dino begged him to use the song on his cassette. Chirangano Chedu blazed
the airwaves last year and was in the run for the 3FM top slot in the hot
100.
Dino could not disagree that he worked with Mandota on the
song Chirangano Chedu but said Mandota was not the author though he put in a
lot of effort towards the track. "Mandota did the arrangements in a number
of the songs, he put in his ideas and melodies but I was the leader, he
was supposed to be an engineer and a backing vocalist," said Mudondo who
accused Mandota of trying to tarnish his image.
"On the song
Chirangano Chedu, I ended up singing with Willom Tight because Mandota was
not forthcoming and I also did the final production touches with Delani
Makhalima."
Mandota was supposed to sing the part that was finally
done by Tight, one of Zimbabwe's most exciting young musicians.
Mudondo could however not run away from the fact that Mandota had
done immense work in the album Makorokoto and said he had agreed to pay him
$100 000 of which he has only paid half of it.
"To me it is just
a token of appreciation for what he did. I had settled to give him $50 000
but when he took the matter with the police I agreed to pay him $100
000.
"I told him that I would give him the balance when I receive
my royalties from Gramma Records," added Mudondo.
Mandota added
that besides Chirangano Chedu, Dino had also stolen the song Taropafadzwa,
that he (Mandota) did with Millennium Blue in 1999.
"I was
astonished to see the song on his tape because I did not give him the green
light to use the song. I wrote the song and gave it to a certain lady called
Patience who is now based in London. Dino featured on the song but I was
surprised when he went on to record it."
Mudondo agreed that he had
worked with Mandota and Patience on the song but said that he had done most
of the work.
A disgruntled Mandota also disclosed that he helped
Dino on the instrumentals of the widely known track Makorokoto that Dino sang
and became an instant hit among the youths.
Mandota, who is also
a producer, worked together with Dino in a project for an album in 1999 with
Millennium Blue but failed to release the album that contained the songs now
at the centre of controversy due to financial constraints.
"I
once worked with Dino in the late 90s on an album that had songs Chirangano
and Taropafadzwa but failed to release because we could not raise the funds.
He then took the tracks and recorded them on his own,"
Mandota said.
"He still has got other songs such as Maringeni
and Zimbabwe that I penned which he has not yet recorded but I am sure he
will sing them," Mandota said.
Mandota has produced for Assegai
Crew and has worked with Tendai Mpfurutsa and Simon Chimbetu on the album
Panorama, but has taken a temporary respite from the music
industry.
"I am too stressed with what Dino did to me and I have
decided to rest for a while," he says.
ZIMBABWEANS living abroad can easily ensure their loved ones
in this crisis-ridden country are not starving - thanks to Sadza.com, an
online site that allows them to purchase groceries from local retail shops on
the Internet.
Outsiders with relatives and friends in Zimbabwe
can log onto Sadza.com and order groceries as well as gift vouchers from
local participating outlets such as Bon Marche, OK, TM, Jaggers and Farm and
City.
They then pay using credit cards or checking accounts and the
goods will be available in the branches of retail shops closest to their
relatives in 24 hours.
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject line.
Letter 1: Andre Snyman
Earn forex go
trucking, we sell International and Freightliner trucks, 8 ton rigid units
and trailers.Supply a full back up service through our workshops and
contracts to run on. Have a large stock of units in the country.
Cathy Buckle has recommended JAG to myself. ( My
uncle is a farmer in Wedza so I was very interested) I am in the process of
setting up a site called Borderpost (http://borderpost.com).
I am a
Zimbabwean living in Wiltshire in the UK. The site was set up on a two tier
basis. I had never been that impressed with the 'friends unite' sites I had
visited. Either the info was stale with the contact details no longer valid,
or it was very specialised e.g the OG site. I wanted to set up a site which
represented ex-pupils of all secondary schools in Zim (and later SA by a
range of links). That is taking time but I am getting there. The second
purpose was to have perhaps between 5 to 10 regular contributors to the News
section based on their opinions on particularly Zimbabwe at present. At
present, I have pages for Cathy Buclkle and Eddie Cross, and am corresponding
with Trevor Ncube, Brendan Tiernan and Jenni Williams. I would like to do as
much as possible to promote the situation in Zimbabwe. I don't know a huge
amount about JAG except what Cathy has told me. How can we be of benefit to
each other, even it amounts to just having links?
All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice for
Agriculture.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Justice
for Agriculture mailing list To subscribe/unsubscribe: Please write to jag-list-admin@mango.zw
The
purpose of compensation is to put the person who has some interest in the
land, in the same position, financially, had his property not been compulsory
acquired and had his legal and constitutional rights not
been infringed.
Claims for Compensation for Compulsory Acquisition of
land can be divided into two main categories.
1. Land and
Improvements 2. Consequential losses
Land and improvements does not
need any explanation and is the responsibility of the valuator fraternity.
All farmers must get a current valuation for the purpose of compensation for
land acquisition. This is different to other valuations.
A deal was
brokered with the valuators to form the Valuators Consortium and offer
special rates to farmers.
Consequential losses are more involved and need
further explanation.
Under Zimbabwean Law it is known as Other Losses and
are all other losses that the owner of the land experiences due to the
compulsory acquisition of his farm.
Historically it is described as
Disturbance Loss.
The purpose of Compensation is to compensate the owner
whose land has been Compulsory acquired to have the same value in assets as
before the acquisition. This is some times described as the principle
of equivalence.
Land may of course have a special value to a claimant
over and above the value of the land. Fair compensation requires that he
should be paid for the value of the land to him, not its value generally or
its value to the acquiring authority.
In practice it is customary and
convenient to assess the value of the land and the disturbance separately,
but strictly in law these are no more than two inseparable elements of a
single whole in that together they make up the value of the land to the
owner.
This means that, the valuators value the land and improvements.
The disturbance loss is assessed by means of formulas and description
and need to be audited. However the claim remains a single claim with
a holistic value to the owner, greater than the sum of the two
parts.
Persons entitled to Disturbance
Compensation.
Compensation is payable to the person that is expelled from
the land. (This could be the owner or the lessee that is resident on the
property. The lessee must have a long-term agreement e.g. Longer than one
year.) Where only part of the land is taken the claimant can only
claim disturbance for the part that has been taken.
All losses can be
claimed if;
(1) it is not too remote and is a natural and reasonable
consequence of the dispossession of the owner.
(2) there is a casual
connection between dispossession and the loss.
(3) the duty to mitigate
has been discharged.
Losses incurred before the service of notice of
acquisition may also be claimed.
A claimant must take all reasonable
steps to mitigate his losses. This duty is an objective
one.
Particular Compensatable Consequential losses
1.
Goodwill 2. Loss of Profits 3. Other business or trade losses 4.
Relocation or extinguishment (of business) 5. New premises and their
adaptation. 6. Removal expenses, legal costs and other fees. 7. Personal
time 8. Interest paid and charges. 9. General interference. 10.
Summary:
- The loss must be shown to have been sustained
- The
loss must be the natural and reasonable consequence of the dispossession;
and
- The loss must not be too
remote.
Additional
Payments
1.Legal costs and other fees and losses
2. Other
professional fees
1. Other losses (for farmers that have not been
displaced but have suffered
losses.)
Home loss payments
The
sum is in addition to any other compensation and is a small recognition that
a person is being compelled to leave his home. The costs of seeking other
accommodation are recoverable.
Farm
loss payments
A payment is due where a farmer has an owner's interest
(freeholder or tenant for a year, from year to year or greater), and resumes
farming elsewhere within three years of being displaced. The payment is equal
to the average profit from the farm over the three years ending with
the displacement.
Business
relocation
Where a business was operating from the land acquired the
following act as guidelines for claims.
1. Costs for the search for
new premises. Travel, telephone postage and fees paid to an agent. 2.
Costs of survey and Valuation. 3. All removal expenses 4. Costs of
notifying friends, clients or others of the change of address 5.
Costs of printing new stationary. 6. Costs of adapting to new
premises. 7. Losses from the forced sale of goods that could not be
removed 8. For businesses only the costs of directors or managers time
occupied in the search and relocation process. 9. Double overheads
where two businesses were run on separate premises. 10. Loss of business
profits, whether permanent or temporary.
The above points are guidelines
only and will differ from region to region and from individual to
individual.
The law demands a high standard of reasonable demands from
both parties and that the process is about compensating the claimant for all
losses directly resulting from the acquisition.
You have the right to
claim for all your losses but proper procedure has to be followed.
Our
Zimbabwean law has been corrupted over the past years to reduce the rights of
the individual. Our argument will be directed at the higher level of
governance where citizen's rights are acknowledged
and protected.
TO CLAIM FULL COMPENSATION FARMERS MUST FILL IN THE
CLAIM FORM FROM THE VALUATERS CONSORTIUM AND A FULL LOSS CLAIM DOCUMENT THAT
INCLUDES CONSEQUENTIAL
LOSSES.
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My
name is Bradley de Wet and I am married with a 16 month old daughter. I am
one of the displaced young Zimbabwean farmers. I am looking for a job
in farming that is challenging and exciting. I have 5 years
managing experience with tobacco, maize, seed maize, paprika, beef and with
some dairy and piggery. I am currently in the UK and want to get back farming
in Southern Africa because that is what I want to do. My qualifications
are not really useful to me in the UK. I am a Blackfordby graduate and
was about to start leasing my fathers farm before tragedy struck Zimbabwe.
If anyone would like to contact me please email me at desirehumpage@hotmail.com and I
can give you any other information you would like. Thankyou
I have sent repeated emails to two of the farming job
opportunities that you have been advertising for some time in England, with
absolutely no response from the people concerned. The adverts concerned are
to the addresses abrich@hotmail.com
and thomas.richardson@ukgateway.net
Consequently
I do not know if our emails have even been received by them or whether they
are just not replying. With the state of the email system and servers here I
would not be surprised if they have not been received.
Do you have phone
numbers for these two adverts or could you shed any light on the situation
for me. I sent the emails on behalf of my husband Craig Hughes. My email
address is ternanog@mweb.co.zw
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
(updated 2 May
2003)
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