Zimbabwejournalists.com
By Gideon Gono
FINE-TUNING
OF MONETARY POLICY
INTRODUCTION
The banking sector,
the corporate community and the general public
will recall that, in January
2006, the Reserve Bank announced that it was
adopting the half-yearly cycle
of monetary policy announcement in line with
statutory
requirements.
It was also clarified then that, quarterly updates
will be issued in
between the bi-annual monetary policy
announcements.
With the third quarter having ended on the 30th of
September, 2006,
this Statement seeks to fine tune the monetary policy
framework in line with
our announced cycles.
With inflation
reduction remaining the overriding objective of the
Central Bank, it has
become necessary that additional measures be
implemented, so as to stabilize
the economy in the medium term.
Against this background, the following
fine-tuning measures have been
introduced with immediate
effect:
2. MONETARY POLICY MEASURES
FINANCIAL SECTOR
STABILIZATION BOND
Following representations by players in the
banking industry, the
Reserve Bank has adopted the following policy
positions:
(a). Successive reduction of statutory
reserves;
(b). De-linking of capital requirements from the exchange
rate.
In order to ensure that the financial sector further
strengthens its
medium to long term asset position, the Reserve Bank has
introduced a 5 year
financial sector stabilization bond, which each licensed
institution will
hold as a performing asset in its books, with effect from
Monday the 16th of
October, 2006.
The features of this bond
are:
(a). It counts as a collateral asset for accommodation
purposes;
(b). The annual coupon rate is variable, as given
below:
Year 1: 500%
Year 2: 250%
Year 3:
100%
Year 4: 25%
Year 5: 10%
(c). The
holding thresholds on balance sheet size as at 30 September
2006, will
be:
Commercial banks: 10%;
Merchant banks: 7.5%;
Finance Houses: 5%;
Building Societies: 5%;
Discount
houses: 5%; and
Asset Management Companies: 2.5%.
BANK
BORROWING FROM INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATES
The Central Bank is aware
that, in their quest to evade paying
Statutory Reserves, some banks have
been found window-dressing their
liabilities position, by re-packaging large
deposits from corporates and
from certain wealthy individuals as "loans" to
the banks.
Such "loans" would, thus, be "creatively" excluded in the
calculation
of Statutory Reserves, effectively undermining the effectiveness
of monetary
policy.
With immediate effect, therefore, banks are
directed to cease any such
fictitious loans, which must be included in the
determination of statutory
reserves.
The Central Bank will, through
its Bank Licensing Supervision and
Surveillance Division, be conducting
audits and follow-ups. Where
non-compliance is detected, punitive action
will be taken to correct such
wayward behaviour.
INTEREST RATE
POLICY
ACCOMMODATION RATES
With immediate effect, the
Central Bank has raised accommodation rates
from 300% to 500% for Secured
and from 350% to 600% for Unsecured lending.
Please note that this
adjustment is not contestable in terms of the
'In-duplum Rule'. We
discourage any bank intending to contest this issue
from borrowing from the
Central Bank.
3. SUPPORT FACILITY FOR AGRICULTURE
Monetary Authorities reaffirm continued support for the funding of the
agriculture sector through Agriculture Sector Productivity Enhancement
Facility (ASPEF).
Dam construction and accelerated irrigation
projects remain high on
the Central Bank's funding agenda. However, projects
not supported by
vouchers, contracts and proper accounting records will not
receive funding
from the Reserve Bank.
It is also hereby made very
clear that payment in retrospect for work
done years back, shall not be
entertained.
4. LENDING TO OTHER PRODUCTIVE SECTORS
The Reserve Bank's interventionist approach and high involvement in
directing lending to agriculture has largely been a result of the
transitional lag of the implementation of the land reform programme and
bringing on board the 99-year leases.
With the Reserve Bank
having played a more dominant role in
agriculture, it is expected that banks
in the market tangibly demonstrate
commitment to the development of the
country through significant support to
other complementary sectors of the
economy.
Whilst it is not the intention of Monetary Authorities to
force banks
to lend to specific sectors, the minimum expectation is that
each bank's
lending asset portfolio must reflect a balanced presence across
the key
sectors of the economy, as exemplified below:
Recommended
Lending Asset Orientation
Sector Industry Average (actual July,
2006) Desired Concentration
Agriculture 25% 30%
Mining 3%
15%
Manufacturing 11% 15%
SMEs 0.01% 10%
Tourism 5%
10%
Rest of the Sectors 55.99% 20%
Total 100%
100%
It is not the intention of the Central Bank to go the
legislative
route to compel banks to lend to certain sectors.
It is
the expectation of Monetary Authorities that there will be a
balanced
sectoral support using the scarce resources available.
As Monetary
Authorities, we urge that priority should go to exports
but without
neglecting the non-exports sector.
The Central Bank will examine the
source and application of funds
including the application of provisions and
profits in all lending
institutions.
If it is deemed that the
industry is not meaningfully transforming its
balance sheet positions to
support productive activities in the economy,
appropriate remedial measures
will be adopted.
STOCK EXCHANGE
Activities on the
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange have become a cause for
extreme concern to Monetary
Authorities, as the ZSE has become a platform
for creating vast amounts of
paper-wealth without real productive activities
on the ground.
Through policy coordination with the Fiscal Authorities, appropriate
instruments will be developed to reorient the ZSE more towards productive
activities. In terms of the payment system, whose domain resides with
Monetary Authorities, the following measures have been put in
place:
ZSE Transactions
All stock exchange transactions
above $50 000,00 shall be through
Zimbabwe Electronic Transfer and
Settlement System (ZETSS), for both
individuals and corporates. All players
in the financial sector are expected
to abide by this new requirement with
immediate effect.
In liaison with Tax Authorities, Monetary Authorities
will soon be
insisting that every transaction above the $ 50 000,00 limit
contain the tax
payer's number.
The drawer and payee's tax
numbers are to be captured on the
instrument of payment, whether it be by
personal cheque, bank cheque or
RTGS. It will be mandatory to capture the
tax numbers, as tax authorities
reserve the right to enquire.
IDENTITY OF ZSE INVESTORS
All stock market transactions must
identify the actual investors and
where nominees are involved, stock brokers
must disclose the people behind
them. This disclosure is only to the Reserve
Bank and not to the public.
This requirement is for the purpose of
ensuring that people on the
international prohibited list (money launderers
and financiers of
international terrorism) are not given an investment
sanctuary in our
economy. Every so often, the Central Bank works in
collaboration with
worldwide bodies who circulate lists of prohibited
investors, under the
Global fight against terrorism and we are obliged to
comply.
In order to remove the veil of secrecy that is now prevalent in
our
Stock Market transactions and to avoid accommodating the adverse
fungibility
of certain share transactions, the Reserve Bank has fully
activated the
electronic surveillance of all financial transactions, whose
IT systems are
now in place and operational.
Limits for which
transaction disclosure to the Reserve Bank is
required are as
follows:
Investor Threshold
Individuals and nominees $100
000
Corporates $ 1 000 000
PRESCRIBED ASSET RATIOS FOR
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND PENSION FUNDS
The Reserve Bank will work
closely with the Regulators of the
Insurance and Pension Funds Industry to
ensure that at all times, the
prescribed asset ratios are complied
with.
Through this collaborative effort, defaulters will be brought to
book
and stern measures taken to ensure compliance.
7.
PARASTATALS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
In light of our varied
experiences over the last 18 months, some
parasatals and local authorities
have developed seemingly perpetual reliance
on the Reserve Bank for support,
unacceptably surrendering their cash-flow
planning and survival needs to
us.
It has become necessary to institute stringent measures that
restrict
and forbid non-performing parastatals and local authorities from
accessing
Central Bank support.
Parastatals and local
authorities are hereby advised that their first
port of call for financial
assistance shall be their parent Ministry.
Those that immediately come
to mind are Air Zimbabwe, ZINWA, ZESA,
GMB, ARDA, and ZISCO.
Parent Ministries and management responsible for these institutions
are
hereby advised to seriously take note of this position.
We are,
however, happy that some of the institutions, such as the
National Railways
of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and Zimbabwe United Passenger Company
(ZUPCO), are
beginning to perform and self-sustain.
Banking institutions are
urged to play a complementary role in
instilling sound financial management
systems and corporate governance
standards in the parastatals sector as a
condition for lending.
8. BANK CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS
We
are pleased to report that all financial institutions declared full
compliance with capital requirements as at 30 September, 2006. Below is a
table showing the capital declared by each banking institution.
CAPITAL POSITION OF BANKS & ASSET MANAGERS AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER
2006
BANKING INSTITUTION CAPITAL REQUIRED DECLARED CAPITAL LEVEL AS
AT
30/09/06
COMMERCIAL BANKS(14)
AGRIBANK Z$1.0 Billion
4,965,000,000
BARCLAYS BANK Z$1.0 Billion 9,412,583,928
CBZ
BANK * Z$1.0 Billion 6,552,631,901
CFX BANK Z$1.0 Billion
2,587,300,993
FBC BANK Z$1.0 Billion 2,991,790,983
INTERMARKET
BANK * Z$1.0 Billion 138,727,231
KINGDOM BANK * Z$1.0 Billion
4,093,020,010
MBCA BANK Z$1.0 Billion 5,234,784,381
METROPOLITAN BANK Z$1.0 Billion 1,051,589,524
NMB BANK Z$1.0 Billion
2,244,245,391
STANBIC BANK Z$1.0 Billion 7,835,975,801
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK Z$1.0 Billion 6,243,805,033
ZABG BANK Z$1.0
Billion 2,440,281,633
ZB BANK Z$1.0 Billion 4,307,976,596
MERCHANT BANKS (5)
AFRICAN BANKING CORPORATION Z$750 Million
2,099,487,875
GENESIS INVESTMENT BANK Z$750 Million
1,459,252,499
INTERFIN MERCHANT BANK Z$750 Million
2,065,913,479
RENAISSANCE MERCHANT BANK Z$750 Million
2,831,083,126
PREMIER BANKING COPRPORATION Z$750 Million
3,421,662,831
BUILDING SOCIETIES (4)
BEVERLEY BUILDING
SOCIETY Z$750 Million 1,914,461,592
CABS Z$750 Million
11,721,526,640
FBC BUILDING SOCIETY Z$750 Million
3,861,358,159
INTERMARKET BUILDING SOCIETY Z$750 Million
2,444,468,978
FINANCE HOUSES (2)
ABC ASSET FINANCE Z$750
Million 1,311,410,689
TRUSTFIN Z$750 Million 813,097,974
DISCOUNT HOUSES (5)
DISCOUNT COMPANY OF ZIM Z$500 Million
1,045,798,559
HIGHVELD DISCOUNT HOUSE Z$500 Million
851,326,229
INTERMARKET DISCOUNT HOUSE Z$500 Million
1,172,708,739
NDH Z$500 Million 819,282,761
TETRAD Z$500
Million 862,643,392
Capital position is as at 31 August
2006.
ASSET MANAGER REQUIRED CAPITAL DECLARED CAPITAL
30/09/2006
ABC ASSET MANAGEMENT P/L* Z$100 Million 159,049,396
ALPHA ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 121,487,236
EQUIVEST NOMINEES
Z$100 Million 519,284,504
FIDELITY ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million
141,671,083
IMARA ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 350,191,519
KINGDOM ASSET MANAGEMENT * Z$100 Million 288,281,104
LEGEND ASSET
MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 107,189,797
PREMIER ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100
Million 194,623,879
PURPOSE ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million
493,720,449
TFS MANAGEMENT COMPANY P/L * Z$100 Million
191,917,776
MBCA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 136,136,322
SYFRETS ASSET MANAGEMENT * Z$100 Million 261,630,000
TN ASSET
MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 308,817,581
INFINITY ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100
Million 264,632,856
OLD MUTUAL ASSET MANAGERS Z$100 Million
249,537,585
CBZ ASSET MANAGEMENT Z$100 Million 1,780,734,546
ZIMNAT ASSET MANAGERS * Z$100 Million 164,375,157
* Capital
position is as at 31 August 2006.
The period between now and
December 2006, will see the Central Bank
concentrating effort on
verification of the declared amounts and stern
action will be taken against
an institution that will be found wanting in
this regard.
To this
end, we remind banks that the Central Bank does not have an
appetite for
Curatorships, which means that any institution in breach of the
regulatory
requirements on capital adequacy, asset quality, management and
board
deficiency, earnings deficit, liability mis-match and general
compliance
shortfalls of any nature will go straight into liquidation.
This stance
is borne from our previous approach which tried to nurse
ailing institutions
into perpetuity, via unwarranted curatorships.
9. CASH WITHDRAWAL
LIMITS
We wish to remind the banking public of the cash withdrawal
limits as
follows:
Individuals: $100 000,00
Corporates:
$750 000,00
In the case of demonstrable need for cash, such as
requirements by
farmers to pay wages in cash beyond the above set limits,
banking
institutions are advised to only issue such cash against auditable
wage
schedules showing national identification numbers of beneficiaries and
farm
owners and physical address.
All high value cash handlers in
urban areas (those transacting at
least $ 5 million a day), are required to
bank their money on a daily basis.
These companies are expected to keep
records of daily cash/cheque
transactions and bank deposits
thereof.
Special arrangements are being made for institutions like
Grain
Marketing Board (GMB), Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) and others
who
make large pay-outs to their clients to reconfigure their operations so
that
they use cash free modes of payment.
Such arrangements will be
made public once all the consultations are
finalized.
All other
companies who exchange cheques for cash in order to by-pass
the cash limits
are committing an offence and will be dealt with accordingly
for breaching
National Payments cash limits.
We wish to emphasize that if banking
players allow themselves to be
used as conduits for breach of these limits,
they would have themselves to
blame when stern corrective measures are
taken.
We are aware of certain corporates and individuals who are in
the
habit of withdrawing cash up to these limits on a daily basis from
multiple
banks for speculative purposes.
This habit must stop and
banking institutions must report all
suspicious high frequency cash
withdrawal transactions to the Reserve Bank
of Zimbabwe's Anti-money
Laundering and Promotion of Bank Use Division.
Penalties for any
such violations, including complicity with
offenders, will result in the
review of an institution's banking licence.
Banking institutions are
also advised that, with immediate effect
their compliance record, discipline
and uprightness in observing the country's
laws and Central Bank regulations
including anti-money laundering and
anti-terrorism laws will be used as a
score card for the annual reviews of
their banking licences.
Banks are, therefore, expected to take fiduciary and negligence
responsibility over money laundering and speculative activities of their
clients under the "know-your-client" principles.
The onus will be
on the banks to prove that they were genuinely
unaware of their client's
illegal activities and source of wealth or purpose
to which frequent cash
withdrawals and bank cash deposits were going to or
coming from,
respectively.
Any form of pressure or threat which is brought upon bank
managers by
their clients or enticements to break the cash transaction rules
must be
reported to the Central Bank and the account concerned frozen until
such
freeze has been cleared by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and proper
client/bank relations and procedures re-established.
This means
that, with immediate effect, all banking institutions will
be required to
obtain a Certificate of Compliance annually, before 31
January of each
year.
The public will be advised through a notice to be published
within a
fortnight of 31 January and external auditors of banks will be
required to
include the compliance clearance certificate in their audit
reports to the
public.
No banking institution's accounts will be
complete or published
without this certificate which guarantees the
institution's continued
existence for business in Zimbabwe.
The
Registrar of Banking Institutions, reserves the right to withdraw,
cancel,
or temporarily suspend the operation of any bank that is in serious
violation of the relevant statutory or regulatory provisions caused by any
of its branches or in conjunction with associated companies such as Holding,
Asset Management and other institutions.
10. SUNRISE 2
The market is informed that the Reserve Bank is at an advanced stage
in the
preparation for Sunrise 2.
The recent distribution of vehicles to
various ministries should not
fool the banking public into thinking that the
matter is taking a back seat.
Phases of currency reforms will be
implemented for as long as would be
required until the job has been
done.
With the experience the Central Bank has had from Sunrise 1,
future
phases will be done at short notices.
11. FOREIGN CURRENCY
MOBILISATION
Considerable efforts continue to be made in the
mobilisation of
foreign exchange which has resulted in the procurement of
adequate
agricultural inputs for the coming season.
We urge those
charged with logistical responsibilities to ensure that
these inputs are
fairly and timeously distributed to the needy throughout
the country as the
weather waits for no farmer.
EXPORT INCENTIVES
With
immediate effect, the Reserve Bank has adopted a targeted export
incentives
scheme, based on the well-proven 80/20 rule.
The targeted support
framework will thus primarily focus on those 20%
of exporters who
collectively account for at least 80% of the country's
overall foreign
exchange inflows.
This approach which will be implemented without
necessarily relegating
the other exporters will, however, be based on actual
performance or agreed
projected export performance and guaranteed surrender
to the Monetary
Authorities outside the mandatory 25%.
Access of
the facility will be in the form of working capital support
at favourable
interest rates depending on values of currency delivered or
promised to be
delivered.
Tobacco and other agricultural players are already catered
for via
ASPEF and other delivery bonuses and retentions.
FUEL
AND ELECTRICITY: Energy Stabilization Fund
The country's energy
sector requires urgent redress so as to support
productive
activities.
Fuel, for instance, remains inadequate for everyone,
particularly for
leisure requirements, though there is enough for critical
elements of the
economy, such as agriculture.
Because of the
absolute necessity to guarantee electricity and fuel
availability, we should
ensure that the country has adequate fuel and power.
In this regard, it
is expected that 10% of all exports shall be
directed into an Energy Sector
Stabilization Fund whose modalities are being
worked out and will be
unveiled to the market in due course.
To ensure accountability and
transparency, the Energy Sector
Stabilisation Fund will be under the control
of an entity comprising the
Bankers Association of Zimbabwe, NOCZIM, the
Ministry of Energy and the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
In view of
the disparity in the fuel and electricity prices in
relation to the cost
procurement and with a view to ensuring a minimum of
breakeven pricing
status within these utilities. The Central Bank undertakes
to engage its
Principals in Government with a view to encouraging the
adoption of market
and consumer sensitive, economic and self sustaining
pricing
models
MONEY TRANSFER AGENCIES (MTA)
With immediate
effect, all MTA licenses are cancelled. All local
accounts for these
entities should be closed forthwith.
This withdrawal has been
occasioned by non-performance and defiant
behaviour by most players in this
sector.
The list of the MTAs are:
Fredex;
POSB;
Stanchart;
NMB Bank;
TransAfrik;
Dollarway;
CABS;
Stanbic;
ZIMPOST;
I and
F;
Pacific;
Banfords;
Currency King
(Kingdom);
CBZ;
Parlovan; and
Interfin.
Please note that where MTA's are linked to banks, this is not a
cancellation
of their bankers' licences or authorized dealership.
Existing
contractual arrangements with Zimbabweans in the diaspora
shall be dealt
with on a case by case basis.
Existing contractual arrangements between
these MTAs and Zimbabweans
in the diaspora shall be dealt with on a case by
case basis.
In the case of any aggrieved party seeking to appeal
for the continued
legal holding of above licences, such appeals will only be
entertained and
licence(s) reinstated on the basis of strict performance and
delivery
targets.
Such window of appeal remains open until 31
October, 2006 but for the
time-being, the public are advised that those
licences are no longer valid
from the date of this anouncement.
Stakeholders are, therefore, advised to deal with authorized dealers
only,
that is, commercial and merchant banks, as well as Homelink.
13. GOLD
DEALERS AND OTHER SMUGGLERS
It is known that gold dealers and other
smugglers of precious metals
have chosen to use the black market fuel and
DFI routes as channels to wash
into the economy, proceeds of their illicit
behaviors.
The appropriate arm of the law will soon catch up with
them.
Fuel dealers and service stations are urged to
"know-their-suppliers-well" first, like bankers are required to invoke the
"know-your-customer" well concept at all times.
14 GOLD
PRODUCTION
Over the past 12 months, performance in the gold sector
has been below
expectations, notwithstanding the positive developments on
international
gold prices and the increased FCA retention for large scale
producers.
In the case of some large scale producers, gold deliveries
to the
Central Bank have continued to fall, even when their consumption of
electricity and imported inputs has remained high.
It is for this
reason that with immediate effect, the Reserve Bank has
put in place a
system of intricate precious minerals audits which will be
conducted on-site
at each mine by well trained and experienced experts.
SUPPORT TO
SMALL SCALE GOLD PRODUCERS
Unlike large-scale producers who can now
keep 75% of their proceeds in
foreign currency accounts (FCAs), small scale
gold producers are paid in
local currency for 100% of their
deliveries.
Against this background, the Reserve Bank has, with
immediate effect,
introduced a tailor-made support framework that caters for
small-scale gold
producers with the following features:
THE SUPPORT
FRAMEWORK
(a) A cost build-up model for the average small scale
producer has
been adopted, which would track production costs per gram
delivered;
(b) Over and above production costs, each small-scale
gold producer
will be paid a cost plus 30% margin support price per gram;
and
(c) Periodically the cost plus support price will be reviewed
to
reflect developments on the ground.
Consistent with this
framework, with immediate effect, the support
price for small-scale
producers has been reviewed to Z$16000 per gram.
This price level is
expected to restore viability to the small-scale
miners, who are significant
contributors to the country's foreign exchange
earnings.
DR. G.
GONO
GOVERNOR
RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE
9
OCTOBER 2006
Zim Online
Tuesday 10 October
2006
HARARE - A Zimbabwe High Court judge
on Monday reserved judgment in an
application by the publishing company of
the banned Daily News newspaper to
be granted an interim licence to publish
the paper that was the biggest when
it was banned three years
ago.
Prominent Harare advocate Eric Matinenga, appearing for the
Associated
Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), told Justice Marie-Anne Gowora that
the court
should declare the publishing firm licensed to publish after the
Supreme
Court last year ruled that the state Media and Information
Commission (MIC)
that licences newspapers was biased against
ANZ.
Matinenga said the MIC was unfit to adjudicate over ANZ's
application
for a publishing licence after the Supreme Court
finding.
The lawyer said acting Information Minister Paul Mangwana
could - if
he had wanted to expeditiously deal with the Daily News matter -
have
appointed an ad-hoc committee to determine ANZ's application or could
have
asked President Robert Mugabe to use powers granted him under the
Presidential Powers and Temporary Measures Act to appoint such a
committee.
But Nelson Mutsodziwa appearing for Mangwana said ANZ's
appeal to the
High Court was "premature and should be dismissed" because the
Information
Minister has not yet had time to look into the publishing firm's
case.
"The minister has not been given time to look at the matter.
He must
be afforded time to look at the matter, otherwise if the High Court
grants
the order ANZ is seeking, that would be tantamount to seizing the
administrative powers he has," Mutsodziwa told the court.
Mangwana was appointed acting information minister last June after the
death
of then head of the ministry Tichaona Jokonya.
Mutsodziwa also said
Mugabe's presidential powers were strictly for
use on "national issues" and
not to grant licences to newspapers.
He also claimed that the
Information Ministry only became aware of the
need to appoint an ad-hoc
committee to look into ANZ's application for a
licence this year after
another High Court Judge Rita Makarau interpreted
the 2005 Supreme Court
ruling to mean that the MIC as currently composed was
too biased and unfit
to consider the publishing firm's application.
The ANZ lawyers
however were quick to rebut this claim, pointing out
that the Ministry of
Information was in fact the first respondent in the
March 2005 application
in which the Supreme Court later ruled the MIC unfit
to adjudicate over
Daily News' application for a licence.
A lawyer for the MIC, Mercy
Chizodza, told the court that it could not
grant a licence to ANZ because
the information supplied when the company
made its application in 2003 was
now outdated.
The privately-owned Daily News is just one of four
newspapers which
were banned by Mugabe's government in the last three years
for breaching its
tough media laws.
The other banned papers are
the Daily News on Sunday, The Tribune and
Weekly Times.
The
Zimbabwe government, desperate to keep a lid on dissension amid a
worsening
economic crisis, has also banned the few private radio stations
that had
attempted to open up in the country.
Zimbabwe has three daily
papers, two of them majority owned by the
government and one said to be
owned by the state secret service.
The government-owned Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) operates
four radio stations and one television
station all tightly controlled by the
Ministry of Information.
The very few privately-owned newspapers in the country are all weekly
publications and with a smaller circulation than government-controlled
titles.
The southern African country, which has laws providing
for the
imprisonment of journalists for up to 20 years for publishing
falsehoods,
was last year ranked by the World Association of Newspapers as
one of the
three most dangerous places in the world for
journalists.
The other two countries are the former Soviet Republic
of Uzbekistan
and the Islamic Republic of Iran. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Tuesday 10 October
2006
BULAWAYO - Poachers have killed
elephants in Chizarira national park
in northern Zimbabwe, which according
to conservationists has lost more than
50 percent of its game over the past
six years when villagers occupied
conservancies and decimated
wildlife.
The elephants, part of a "presidential herd" which
President Robert
Mugabe in 1991 undertook to protect from hunters and
poachers, were
slaughtered last week for their ivory by as yet unknown
people.
The police in Matabeleland North province under which
Chizarira falls
said an anti-poaching team disrupted about five people as
they were
dehorning the elephants. The poachers fled the scene leaving
behind a 303
rifle and about 22 tusks on the scene.
"Investigations are in progress and police are compiling information
that
would lead us to the suspects involved in the killing of the
elephants,"
provincial police spokesman Augustine Zimbili told ZimOnline.
The
government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management
said it
was yet to get a full report on the matter.
Poaching has been rife
in Zimbabwe since landless black villagers
began invading - with tacit
approval from the government - white-owned farms
and game conservancies over
the past six years.
In many cases farm invaders poached animals for
meat and also cut down
trees for sale as firewood mostly to people living in
urban areas.
Some of the country's biggest nature and game
conservancies including
Gonarezhou national park that forms part of the
Great Limpopo Transfrontier
straddling across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South
Africa have large parts
occupied by villagers.
There have also
been reports of illegal and uncontrolled trophy
hunting on former
white-owned conservancies now controlled by powerful
government and ruling
ZANU PF party politicians.
The government however denies
politicians are illegally hunting game
and insists it still has poaching
under control. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Tuesday 10 October
2006
HARARE - Zimbabwe 's troubled national
airline, Air Zimbabwe , has
resorted to "cannibalising" one of its three
Chinese aircraft for spares as
the crisis at the airline
deepens.
Sources at Air Zimbabwe told ZimOnline yesterday that they
will soon
resort to stripping parts from one of the three Chinese made
Modern Ark
(MA60) aircraft to fix one of the planes undergoing major
overhaul.
The national airline is battling to secure spare parts
from the
Chinese manufacturer after the Zimbabwean authorities bungled the
initial
deal after they signed a purchase contract without a spares back-up
service.
"We can't get any spares for the aircraft and so we will
ground
another aircraft. It's called cannibalism," said a senior official at
Air
Zimbabwe who refused to be named because he is not authorised to speak
to
the press.
"It wasn't a comprehensive contract as it didn't
come with spares," he
added.
Air Zimbabwe was one of the best
airlines in Africa in the early
1980s. But years of mismanagement and
corruption have nearly brought the
airline to its knees.
The
MA60 plies domestic and regional routes which include Harare ,
Bulawayo ,
Victoria Falls, Lubumbashi and Johannesburg .
Air Zimbabwe has in
recent months failed to service some routes or
delayed passengers because
planes could not fly due to a lack of spares or
fuel, blamed on an acute
shortage of foreign currency to pay foreign
suppliers. - ZimOnline
Zim Online
Tuesday 10 October
2006
HARARE - Zimbabwean women will today stage
demonstrations in four
major cities across the country over last week's
comments by opposition
legislator Timothy Mubawu which they say denigrated
women.
Mubawu, who is the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
legislator for
Mabvuku, told Parliament during debate on the Domestic
Violence Bill that
"it was against God's principles that men and women
should be equal."
He also said the Bill should have clear
guidelines on proper dressing
for women because "some of the dressing by
women is too inviting".
The comments were immediately condemned by
women's rights groups as
degrading and sexist.
Today's
demonstrations, which will be held in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare
and Gweru,
were being organised by the Women's Coalition, a grouping of 35
women's
rights organisations around the country.
Women's Coalition
vice-chairperson Regina Dumba said the MP's comments
were outrageous and
unbefitting especially coming from a legislator.
"The statements he
made make a mockery of government's efforts towards
gender equality. We were
not expecting such a statement from a person of his
standing," said Dumba. -
ZimOnline
AI Index: POL 30/047/2006
(Public)
News Service No: 260
10 October 2006
Human Rights
Defenders from Iran and Zimbabwe receive 2006 Martin Ennals
Award
Akbar
Ganji, an Iranian investigative journalist turned activist, and Arnold
Tsunga, a lawyer and a radio commentator from Zimbabwe, will receive the
2006 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA)
tomorrow.
Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will
present the
award at a ceremony at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in
Geneva
(Switzerland) on Wednesday 11 October 2006, 17h30, within the
framework of
the International North South Media Festival.
The
Chairman of the Jury of the MEA, Hans Thoolen, described the laureates
as
"symbols of the human rights movement in their respective countries,
where
standing up for human rights and democracy is a dangerous activity;
they
continue to be involved in this struggle despite repressive measures
and
harassment".
Akbar Ganji was detained in 2000 after he wrote articles
implicating several
officials in a string of murders of opposition
intellectuals and writers in
1998. Later he was sentenced to imprisonment
for "collecting confidential
information harmful to national security and
spreading propaganda against
the Islamic system". He was held for 6 years in
punitive prison conditions
in violation of international human rights
standards. He was beaten by his
guards and placed in solitary confinement.
After a hunger strike last year
and a spell in hospital, he was
conditionally released in March. After a
short recovery, he started a tour
in order to introduce Iranian intellectual
movements and democratic circles
to leading philosophers, theorists, and
human right activists. He has
written extensively in reformist newspapers,
many of which were shut down.
While in prison, his writings were smuggled
out and widely distributed,
especially on the web. Most notably he wrote a
Republican Manifesto in six
chapters in March 2002, laying out his proposal
for a fully-fledged
democratic republic for Iran.
Arnold Tsunga is the chairperson of the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
(ZimRights) and trustee of the radio
station Voice of the People (VOP), and
one of the leading human rights
lawyers in Zimbabwe. In recognition of his
legal work on human rights and
strong reputation in his field he became the
new director of Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in early 2003.
Despite great personal risk,
Arnold Tsunga has been representing individuals
arrested under new,
repressive legislation, including individuals who have
been physically
abused in custody. For representing these victims of human
rights violations
and denouncing the legal system and the human rights
situation, he is
constantly harassed and threatened. He was arrested several
times and
recently released on bail. His courage and work are
internationally
recognized: last June he was requested to speak out on
behalf of human
rights organizations at the first session of the new United
Nations Human
Rights Council in Geneva.
Background
The Martin Ennals Award for Human
Rights Defenders (MEA) is a unique
collaboration among eleven of the world's
leading human rights organizations
to give protection to human rights
defenders worldwide. The Jury is composed
of the following NGOs: Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch, Human
Rights First, International
Federation for Human Rights, World Organization
Against Torture,
International Service for Human Rights, Front Line,
International Commission
of Jurists, Diakonie Germany, International Alert,
Huridocs.
The
previous laureates are: Aktham Naisse, Syria (2005); Lida Yusupova,
Russia;
Alirio Uribe Muñoz, Colombia; Jacqueline Moudeina, Chad; Peace
Brigades
International; Immaculee Birhaheka, DR Congo; Natasha Kandic,
Yugoslavia;
Eyad El Sarraj, Palestine; Samuel Ruiz, Mexico; Clement Nwankwo,
Nigeria;
Asma Jahangir, Pakistan; Harry Wu, China (1994).
MEA Patrons: Asma
Jahangir, Barbara Hendricks, Jose Ramos-Horta, Adama
Dieng, Leandro Despouy,
Robert Fulghum and Theo van Boven.
For media contacts and general
information on the MEA, please contact Luis
Marreiros, Coordinator
Tel.
+41.22.8094925 marreiros@martinennalsaward.org
/
www.martinennalsward.org
Public
Document
****************************************
For more information
please call Amnesty International's press office in
London, UK, on +44 20
7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web:
http://www.amnesty.org
For latest human
rights news view http://news.amnesty.org
VOA
By
Blessing Zulu
Washington
09 October 2006
With
another rainy season approaching, many of the estimated 700,000 people
made
homeless by Harare's 2005 forced eviction and demolition campaign are
still
living in the open in holding camps around the country. Recent reports
by
human rights groups have said that very few of those driven from their
homes
have been re-housed under the government reconstruction program called
Operation Garikai, or "Live Well."
Zimbabwean human rights
organizations have recently reported the resumption
of forced evictions and
demolitions in selected areas of Harare. Against
this backdrop, World
Habitat Day came and went last week with little fanfare
in the
country.
Reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe
interviewed Anna
Tibaijuka, director of the Nairobi, Kenya, based United
Nations Habitat
agency and the former U.N. special envoy whose report on the
2005 campaign
brought it to a halt.
VOA
By
Blessing Zulu
Washington
09 October
2006
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has said the ruling
party's membership
will be allowed to weigh in his succession during the
ZANU-PF annual
conference scheduled for December in Goromonzi, a town about
40 kilometers
east of Harare. But critics expressed doubt that Mugabe
intended to resolve
the matter as soon as that.
National
Constitutional Assembly Chairman Lovemore Madhuku, a prominent
figure in the
opposition, said ZANU-PF's annual conference does not have the
power to
select new leaders. Madhuku said that if President Mugabe were
sincere about
selecting his successor he would convene an extraordinary
congress empowered
to do so.
Madhuku added that if the issue is discussed at the conference,
ZANU-PF
youth and the war veteran wing would be likely to force nomination
of Mugabe
by acclamation.
Most observers consider Vice President
Joyce Mujuru to be the strongest
candidate to succeed Mr. Mugabe, who in
late 2004 pushed through her
nomination to the second slot and purged a
number of senior party officials
who opposed the appointment.
Acting
Chairman Simon Badza of the University of Zimbabwe political science
faculty
told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the
president is on the correct track in proposing to take up the issue at the
annual conference.
VOA
By
Irwin Chifera, Carole Gombakomba & Patience Rusere
Harare &
Washington
09 October 2006
Marking the seventh year in
existence of his opposition Movement for
Democratic Change, MDC founding
president Morgan Tsvangirai declared that
President Robert Mugabe and the
ruling party should not blame him and other
opposition leaders if
Zimbabweans take the law into their own hands to
remove Mr.
Mugabe.
Tsvangirai issued the warning and the implied challenge to Mr.
Mugabe in the
course of a political gathering in Harare. Correspondent Irwin
Chifera
reported from Highfields sports ground in the capital where the MDC
rally
drew an estimated 10,000 people.
But some political observers
suggested that the main opposition party has
ground to make up before it
will have recovered the position it attained in
2000, when it came close to
claiming control of parliament in the general
elections held that
year.
The rival MDC faction of Arthur Mutambara would seem to have even
more
ground to cover. Mutambara has been drumming up support around the
country,
but does not appear to have established a grass roots following on
the scale
Tsvangirai has.
Over the past year the MDC has been much
hindered and distracted by
divisions that split the party into two rival
factions following a
controversial internal party vote on October 12, 2005,
over whether to
contest November 2005 senate elections.
Political
analyst Farai Maguwu told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's
Studio 7 for
Zimbabwe that both of MDC factions must refine their
strategies - and
reunite - if they are to pose a credible challenge to the
administration of
President Mugabe.
Much as expected, the ruling ZANU-PF party took both
parliamentary seats
contested on the weekend in the Mashonaland towns of
Rushinga and Chikomba.
In Rushinga, ruling party candidate Lazarus Dokore
hammered opposition
candidate Kudakwashe Chideya 13,642 votes to 1,801. In
Chikomba, Steven
Chiaurayi, beat Moses Giri of the MDC with 11, 247 votes to
the opposition
candidate's 4,243.
Despite these two resounding
defeats, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the
faction will continue to
contest such elections even though it is currently
putting more emphasis on
organizing what Tsvangirai has termed "democratic
resistance."
Analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya told reporter Patience Rusere
that although the
electoral process is flawed, it makes sense for the MDC to
remain part of
the process.
VOA
By
Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington
09 October
2006
Amidst a continued tight supply of wheat, flour and bread,
the Grain
Marketing Board of Zimbabwe said it has not yet received funds
from the
government to buy wheat from farmers though some producers are well
advanced
in their winter wheat harvests.
GMB Acting Chief Executive
Samuel Muvuti disclosed last week that the
Ministry of Agriculture and the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe have not yet
remitted the funds. Some fear farmers
could suffer losses if crops are
soaked by the rains now
arriving.
But GMB Finance Director Rangaridzai Chivasa said the agency
held a meeting
with relevant authorities Monday afternoon and that the funds
will soon be
available. He added that farmers can now deposit wheat with the
GMB and
receive payment.
In August, the government raised the
producer price for wheat to Z$218,000 a
tonne from Z$9,000 previously to
encourage the flow of wheat from fields to
depots.
But agronomist
Thomas Nherera, a former president of the Indigenous
Commercial Farmers
Union, told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7
for Zimbabwe that
delays in paying farmers could hinder maize planting in
the coming farm
season.
The Herald
(Harare)
October 9, 2006
Posted to the web October 9,
2006
Harare
HARARE'S water charges could go up 10-fold if the
Government approves the
proposed new water tariffs by the Zimbabwe National
Water Authority.
Zinwa argues that the new tariffs would enable it to do
away with
intermittent water cuts in Harare and its satellite
towns.
Although no official figures were readily available, The Herald
understands
that the price of one cubic metre would be above $100, up from
the current
$8.
Harare Bulk Water Supply -- a division of Zinwa which
sells treated bulk
water to Harare and its satellite towns -- is reeling
under financial
problems and might soon find itself unable to supply
water.
The water authority pegged the price of bulk water at $80 a cubic
metre, but
Harare City Council has been paying only $8 to Zinwa because of a
Government
directive that reversed the increases.
Only last week,
Zinwa was failing to pay salaries until it borrowed more
money.
Zinwa
board chairman Mr Willie Muringani yesterday said keeping water
charges far
below the cost of production was unsustainable.
"The right price will
guarantee the continued existence of water delivery
services. If we continue
to make a loss because of the unrealistic prices,
we will not be able to
provide water," he said.
Mr Muringani said he would not allow a situation
where other stations fund
the operations of Harare, as this would eventually
cripple the operations of
the other stations.
"Harare Bulk Water
Supply is failing to sustain its own water bill.
Government is looking at
that and we hope they will approve a viable price
structure that is not
lower than treating a unit of water," he said.
Mr Muringani's comments
come at a time when Harare residents were grappling
with water
cuts.
Mr Muringani defended the water authority against a public outcry
saying the
Government transferred water management responsibilities to Zinwa
because of
its track record in the provision of water.
Residents are
complaining that erratic water supplies disturb their domestic
chores and
social activities.
But Mr Muringani said Zinwa was proud of its track
record since taking over
water management from Harare City
Council.
"When given the mandate, we took it as a noble challenge. We
took it with
pride and vigour. We have been following our success in
comparison to
previous hardships," he said. He said Zinwa had improved water
output from
an average of 400 million litres a day to over 600 million
litres a day.
Mr Muringani said residents should also know that Zinwa was
not responsible
for burst water pipes and the doorstep deliveries and these
were the
responsibility of Harare City Council.
The Herald
(Harare)
October 9, 2006
Posted to the web October 9,
2006
Harare
A PRICING war between Harare City Council and a
company that won a tender to
supply and install solar powered traffic lights
is threatening to derail the
project.
The robot heads and related
equipment are gathering dust while the price war
rages on and motorists and
pedestrians complain over the continuously
malfunctioning traffic lights in
the city.
The company wants to be paid at the prevailing exchange rate
while council
insists it will only pay at the exchange rate prevailing when
the tender was
awarded.
Since last year, the city has floated several
tenders for the supply of
robot heads but nothing seems to have been
supplied, as the traffic light
signal problems are still
noticeable.
Officials from Pentrad Investments have been, for the past
few days,
knocking on council and Government doors to have their plea for
inflation
adjusted price agreed to but without success.
It also
appears indecisiveness and lack of legislation forcing local
authorities to
repair and replace malfunctioning traffic lights could be a
hindering
factor.
Pentrad Investments was awarded a contract to supply 62 three
aspect matrix
signal heads. The robots are solar powered but can be
connected to the
conventional electricity grid.
Some financial
institutions allocated the company foreign currency early
this year to
finance purchase of the robot heads from India after council
had declined to
make an advance payment. The consignment arrived in the
country at the end
of August.
But before the robot heads had arrived in the country, the
company had
requested that council pay in advance to hedge against
inflation, a request
that was turned down.
A Pentrad Investments
spokesman said the company had in principle agreed
with council that payment
would be made at the prevailing exchange rate.
At the time the contract
was awarded the exchange rate was one Z$100 to US$1
but now the rate has
shifted to one Z$250 to US$1.
The company wants to be paid at that rate
but council is asking for
justification.
Pentrad Investments has
already installed a set of the traffic lights on a
pilot project along Rekai
Tangwena Road in Harare.
Officials from the city works department have
confirmed the efficiency of
the solar powered traffic lights saying for the
past 22 months that they
have been in operation, council has not done any
repairs.
Motorists and pedestrians have always condemned council over the
non-availability of traffic lights at some major intersections.
A
number of traffic accidents have occurred in the city due to the absence
of
traffic lights. Some of the accidents have resulted in fatalities and
others
in the permanent maiming of motorists and pedestrians.
However, the new
price that council is refusing to pay is far much less than
what it would
pay in the event it approves new tenders for the supply of
robot
heads.
Three companies Pentrad Investments, CEM Private Ltd and Siemens
responded
to a new tender by council.
Siemens is charging $694 140 a
head while CEM Private Ltd is charging $520
000 for the Incandescent
(conventional robot heads). Pentrad Investments is
quoted $934 000 for the
solar powered heads.
The old price at which council is refusing to pay is
$350 000 a head.
According to available information, the solar powered
robots consume 90
percent less electricity. They are the ideal traffic
lights especially now
that the country is facing power problems.
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By a Correspondent
LONDON - THE Zimbabwe
Vigil, which brings together Zimbabweans living
in the United Kingdom to
protest against human rights abuses and related
ills every Saturday,
celebrates its fourth birthday this week with a
petition to the United
Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Started in October 2002 with
a pledge to continue meeting outside
Zimbabwe House in London every Saturday
until internationally-monitored,
free and fair elections are held in
Zimbabwe, the vigil will present the
petition to Labour MP Kate
Hoey.
Hoey, the chair of the all-parliamentary group on Zimbabwe
and an avid
campaigner against human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, will accept
the petition
outside the House of Commons Thursday afternoon and pass it on
to the
appropriate UN representative.
Saluting Hoey's courage
in visiting Zimbabwe secretly last week, a
vigil spokesperson said
protesters will meet outside Zimbabwe House
lunchtime and walk to the Houses
of Parliament where the petition would be
presented.
Part of
the petition to Annan reads: "We are deeply disturbed at the
deteriorating
situation in Zimbabwe. It seems as if the international
community does not
care that a rogue government can hold its people
hostage."
"In
the past six years up to a quarter of the population have fled the
country.
Half of those remaining face starvation. Any dissent is stamped
on. The
UN's special envoys have seen this for themselves and condemned the
regime.
We urge the UN Security Council to take measures to help free the
suffering
people of Zimbabwe."
Hoey was recently in Zimbabwe on a visit that has
been criticised in
the harshest of terms by Didymus Mutasa, the state
security minister who
called the MP "sneaky". The Vauxhall MP met with the
leaders of the trade
unions who were severely beaten up by the police last
month during a workers'
protest. She also met other pro-democracy leaders in
the country.
"We will be marking the 4th anniversary of the
Zimbabwe Vigil on 14th
October by mourning the death of freedom and
democracy in Zimbabwe. We will
be wearing black armbands," the vigil
said.
The MDC UK, a member of the Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition, will
on the
same day celebrate their party's seventh year of
existence.
Meanwhile there will be a youth protest outside the
South African
embassy in Trafalgar Square on Saturday against the country's
softly
approach towards the Zimbabwe government. Free ZimYouth leader, Alois
Phiri
Mbawara says it is time the youth from Zimbabwe got together and got
involved in the politics of their country. He adds there is need for the
youth to express their feelings towards African governments they feel should
be doing more to help the Zimbabwean cause.
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By Selbin Kabote
AFRICA remains a continent enmeshed in poverty, lawlessness, greed and
related ills that should now be a thing of the past since we freed ourselves
from minority rule.
The story of Africa is a painful one but
the greater pain and
suffering is being afflicted on the continent by its
presidents and prime
ministers who feel they have the God-given right to do
as they please.
The overwhelming majority of leaders in simply
Africa lack vision and
have no other purpose of being elected except to
steal money and control
heavily centralised state apparatuses.
During the many years that I have been working as a journalist in
Africa, I
have observed that many African presidents are never hesitant to
use brutal
force and kill opponents in order to perpetuate their ruthless
and lawless
tenures.
During my tours of duty as a journalist in Africa, I have
witnessed
numerous major conflicts on the continent, which have resulted in
the death
of millions of people and left millions of others displaced in
regions like
Darfur in Sudan.
The death rate resulting from
conflicts that are a by-product of
corruption and misrule are equivalent to
the combined number of deaths in
the Vietnamese war, the First World War and
the massacres perpetrated in
Africa during the colonial era.
Some vivid historical examples of the corruption that is killing the
people
and the economies of Africa include stories such as the reported
issue in
which Moussa Traore's personal fortune in Swiss Banks was said to
be
equivalent to Mali's external debt. When he was forced out of office by
the
people of Mali, he ordered the army to fire on peaceful demonstrators,
thus
slaughtering hundreds of innocent people.
Another one is of the
former President of Zaire, now the Democratic
Republic of Congo, General
Mobutu Sese Seko. Once ranked amongst the
richest people on earth while
Zaire was going through the most cruel state
of deprivation, Mobutu Sese
Seko plundered the country like his own
vineyard.
Mobutu, who
died in exile in Morocco in 1997, held an iron grip on
Zaire for more than
three decades. He left the country in tatters due to
severe corruption. The
country is still trying to recover from his legacy
with historic elections
being held recently.
The former Emperor of the Central African
Republic, Jean Bedel
Bokassa, had a huge fortune and invested in castles in
France. Bokassa was a
close friend of the former French President, Giscard
d'Estaing.
The former French President supplied the Central African
Republic with
much financial and military backing. In exchange, Bokassa
frequently took d'Estaing
on hunting trips in Africa, and supplied France
with Uranium, a mineral
vital for France's nuclear weapons program. Also
billions of Francs that
were stolen from the Central African Republic were
lost to the benefit of
fat creditors of the western world.
Bokassa is an interesting historical figure for he symbolizes perhaps
more
than any other puppet in world history, the extent to which colonial
powers
were in a position to empower useless, uneducated and perhaps even
mentally
retarded Africans to maintain their domination. When the former
French
President, General Charles de Gaulle died on the 9th of November
1970, Jean
Bedel Bokassa was seen on French television crying uncontrollably
for his
deceased master.
Bokassa and his other counterparts in Francophone
Africa, namely the
former Ivory Coast President, Felix Houphouet Boigny and
the playboy Omar
Bongo of Gabon were known as regular contributors to the
funding of French
political parties during presidential elections in France.
Omar Bongo, who
has been in power for four decades, is popular for his love
of the high
life. He had a reputation of flying French call girls from
Paris, to the
lavish parties that he frequently hosted at his palace in the
Gabonese
capital, Libreville.
Even the late former Senegalese
president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, who
was credited as a democrat and an
intellectual with clean hands, used public
funds for his personal comfort
and to fund members of the ruling party and a
host of political
clients.
The cruel legacy that was left by some of these men can
present a lot
of lessons for the Africa of today.
In my opinion,
the lessons that can be derived from these historical
facts are that as long
as African heads of states are artificially
maintained in power by one-party
or corrupt multi-party systems, the
embezzlement of public funds will grow
in a level of magnitude directly
proportional to the growing number of
political protégés and clients, whose
votes and social influence must be
bought in order to maintain corrupt
authorities in place.
In
Zimbabwe, while the ruling elites live in luxury in leafy and
affluent
suburbs like Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant, Gunhill and other
residential
areas, the majority of Zimbabweans have been reduced to Stone
Age
scavengers.
Many people in Zimbabwe are struggling daily to make
ends meet in
Chitungwiza, Mbare, Epworth and many other places in Zimbabwe.
The residents
of "Porta extension" are reported to be threatened with fresh
evictions,
amid fears that they will be left without shelter during the
coming rainy
season.
Against this background, the other lesson
that is derived from the
state of affairs in Africa is that it is the
responsibility of civil society
and journalists to ensure that there are
checks and balances at judicial and
parliamentary level in order to control
the way the executive branch of
power uses public funds.
Heads
of states and government cannot judge themselves whether they
are honest or
corrupt citizens. This task should be left to duly elected and
honorably
members of parliament and to an incorruptible mechanism
independent of all
branches of power.
Also the incorruptible mechanisms that are
independent of all branches
of power, must ensure that the public funds kept
by African leaders in Swiss
bank accounts and other financial institutions,
are returned back to the
States of dead, toppled and living African corrupt
Presidents.
The incorruptible mechanisms must also ensure that
countries with
governments guilty of financial scandals and misuse of public
funds should
not benefit from new loans given by some International
Financial
Institutions.
In my opinion, the argument that the
end result would be a
perpetuation of the suffering of innocent populations
does not hold.
Moreover, to act contrary to this principle, is tantamount to
sabotaging
African economies.
IPS
Kudzanayi
Shumba*
HARARE, Oct 9 (IPS/IFEJ) - Precious Nyoni, 35, resident of the
Gokwe
district in southwest Zimbabwe, surveys his garden. The vegetable and
sugarcane stalks are flattened, and half-eaten crops lie all around. This
was his only livelihood, and in one night, it is all
gone.
"(Zimbabwe's) liberation struggle ended in 1980. But now we have
another
war, with the elephants. We are not allowed to kill them, hence we
just
frighten them, but look, where am I going to get the food to survive
when
everything has been trampled by these creatures?"
"They are too
many and I believe they should be reduced through a culling
exercise. Just
recently, elephants destroyed 50 hectares of maize crop
belonging to some
villagers. It means that all of us need food assistance
even before we have
harvested," Nyoni said, looking as devastated as his
garden.
More
than 600km north of Gokwe, in the Omay communal lands of the Nyaminyami
district, farmers come down from a rickety treetop watchtower. They have
worked in shifts through the night, guarding their lands from being raided
by an elephant herd.
Southern African countries have been plunged
into an elephant management and
ecological degradation crisis that demands
urgent action.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the ivory trade decimated elephant
populations in
Africa as the giant mammals were killed for their tusks.
After the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora
and Fauna
(CITES) banned trade in ivory in 1989, depleted populations began
to recover
and now they are competing in some areas with humans for food and
land.
An estimated 600,000 elephants roam the African continent.
Fragmented
populations are to be found in 37 range states. Zimbabwe alone
has a sixth
of the total population; nearly half of these crowded into the
country's
most famous sanctuary, Hwange National Park.
Regional
governments believe a legal and controlled ivory trade could bring
substantial economic benefits without jeopardising the conservation of the
species, or a further loss of biodiversity.
That could include
halving the jumbo population to bring them to manageable
levels through
translocation or exporting live animals to countries that
need them, which
is approved by CITES. Also on the table is the
controversial culling method,
which Zimbabwe would like to see resume after
a hiatus of 17 years. The
practice was banned under CITES.
African countries have been divided over
elephant culling. Kenya and some
West African states are strongly opposed to
any resumption of the ivory
business, which they believe will provide cover
for an illegal trade derived
from poaching.
Namibia, Botswana and
South Africa are part of the pro-culling lobby. They
want to be able to
trade their significant stockpiles of ivory to fund
conservation
work.
CITES denied permission on Oct. 5 to the three countries to hold a
special
sale of 60 tonnes of unprocessed elephant tusks they have stockpiled
since
2002, a decision that will be reviewed at the 14th Conference of
Parties
(COP 14) to the Convention, to be held in The Hague, Jun. 3-15,
2007.
At the last CITES conference, held in Thailand in 2004, Kenya's
proposal for
a six-year moratorium on ivory trade was withdrawn, and
Namibia's proposal
for an annual export quota of two tonnes of raw ivory was
rejected.
However, permission was granted for trade in elephant hides and
hair goods,
as well as non-commercial trade in worked ivory, provided it was
accompanied
by a valid export certificate. South Africa also gained
permission for trade
in elephant hides.
Tapera Chimuti, operations
director of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife
Management Authority, said the
country was unlikely to ask for approval at
COP 14 to sell ivory.
"If
we were to ask for approval to sell ivory today, the whole world will be
against us for political reasons, although we have the best wildlife
management practice in place in almost the whole continent," said
Chimuti.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean authorities are encouraging the
participation of
local communities in elephant conservation efforts, through
the Community
Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources
(CAMPFIRE), in which
villages are part of the decision-making process, and
the main beneficiaries
of revenue earned from wildlife.
Based in
Harare, CAMPFIRE was initiated in 1982, after an amendment of the
Parks and
Wildlife Act (1975) that granted "appropriate authority" status to
popularly
elected rural district councils so that they could manage and
benefit from
the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.
According to the programme's
director, Charles Jonga, CAMPFIRE has succeeded
in reducing conflict between
people and wildlife, and has created
opportunities for sustainable economic
development in Zimbabwe's rural areas
through natural resources management.
Fifty-seven of the country's 59 rural
districts participate in the
programme.
"CAMPFIRE's impact on national income is at least 10 million
dollars
annually. If the multiplier on tourism activities is included,
CAMPFIRE is
worth 20 to 25 million dollars to Zimbabwe's economy each year,"
Jonga
calculated in a Sep. 26 report.
Jockoniah Nare, the CAMPFIRE
chairman, who lives in Beitbridge, nearly 500
km south of Harare, is of the
firm opinion that the more a community
benefits, the greater its interest
and investment in wildlife.
He recognised, however, that the social costs
of living with wildlife can be
particularly high. They include, crop damage,
threat to humans and
livestock, and the loss of land set aside for wildlife
that could otherwise
be used for growing crops or other
uses.
Elephants are responsible for up to 75 percent of all wildlife crop
damage
in communal areas, with between 30 and 45 cases reported per ward
every
season. Most rural communities are located close to rivers, and this
naturally creates competition for water with the wildlife.
Local
communities have lived alongside elephants for centuries. But over the
last
three decades, large numbers of migrants have come to the Zambezi River
area, attracted by the good farming conditions, and have captured
territories that are part of established elephant corridors, and around
waterholes.
Affected communities are not paid compensation by the
government. However,
rural district councils under CAMPFIRE have set aside
funds for loss of
property, crops and even death.
(*This story is
part of a series of features on sustainable development by
IPS-Inter Press
Service and IFEJ-International Federation of Environmental
Journalists.)
(END/2006)
Zimbabwejournalists.com
By a
Correspondent
HARARE - The Zimbabwe government signed deals
worth $300m Monday with
the Russian conglomerate Rusaviatrade for a range of
large-scale projects,
including a major upgrade of Harare
airport.
A Rusaviatrade spokesperson said memoranda of
understanding had been
signed that will see Zimbabwe pay for improvements in
the electricity
network, a rail link between Harare and the outlying suburb
of Chitungwiza
and a new runway for cargo planes at the international
aiport.
Yuri Panchenko, external affairs director Rusaviatrade said
that work
had already begun on the Buffalo Range airport
project.
"Right now our engineers are at Buffalo Range airport and
once
everything is complete, it (the airport) will be able to handle a 737
airplane," he told reporters.
Rongai Chizema, an official at
the state-run Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,
said it was important that all the
agreements were put into practice.
"Our objective is to create a
win-win situation for both parties," he
said.
The cash-strapped
government of President Robert Mugabe has been
looking eastwards for new
business partners since being boycotted by the
United States and European
Union over allegations of rights abuses.
Harare has strong
political links with Moscow dating back to its
pre-independence days and
Russia was the only European nation invited to
observe the disputed 2002
elections won by Mugabe.
Moscow has also been showing increasing
interest in possible
investment opportunities in the region.
President Vladimir Putin led a large business delegation to South
Africa
last month when a number of mining deals were signed.