The Zimbabwean News

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 02380 879675
General: 07714736382
P O Box 248, Hythe, SO45 4WX, United Kingdom

Prepare to be arrested - Tsvangirai

BY GIFT PHIRI

MATOBO - Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday urged rural Zimbabweans in a dirt-poor settlement in Matobo to heed calls to join the planned biggest anti-government protests since independence to end President Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian grip on power and address the country’s deep political, economic and social crises.
The MDC leader said the opposition party was ready to roll out mass protests and that the leadership had “adequately consulted the length and breadth of the country.”
The leadership of the opposition party was expected to meet “soon” to review progress on the planned mass action and decide on the next phase of the protests.
Tsvangirai told his supporters in Matobo that he could not disclose the party’s finer plans for the mass protest, saying “appropriate structures are going to inform you on the nature and form of the Save Our Country Campaign.”
He said “everything is now ready” adding “communication mechanisms are being finalized.”
Party insiders said the MDC was working on “comprehensive measures” to confront Zanu (PF). They, however, did not indicate what measures the opposition party was planning to take.
But Tsvangirai said his party was not going to be “stampeded into action” by President Mugabe and his government “who want a hasty programme so that they could butcher innocent citizens for daring to express themselves.”
Tsvangirai said a critical mass of people was needed to dismantle the Mugabe’s dictatorship.
“We want to embark on democracy marches in every town and every workplace,”
he said. “We must be prepared to be arrested. We must be prepared to make a mark to
ensure that we will never again be oppressed.”
Mugabe warned during a Defence Forces commemoration speech last week against attempts to overthrow him through mass protests saying security agents would deal with “mischief-makers” and that soldiers will be given instructions to turn their guns on protesters.
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces has issued a statement threatening to attack
the MDC, and war veterans have said they will pulverise the opposition protests.
Political analysts said the outcome of the protests will either leave Zimbabwe close to change or as a reinforced bastion of tyranny.


Mutasa threatens prosecutor

HARARE – The Zanu (PF) hierarchy’s stranglehold of terror on Zimbabwe’s judiciary was highlight once again last week when Manicaland’s Area Prosecutor, Levison Chikafu, alleged he had been threatened by party heavies.
Zanu’s near-total destruction of the rule of law in Zimbabwe has, for almost a decade, put party officials and their sidekicks above the law. In the past, judges were mostly on the receiving end of the party thugs’ terror tactics. Several fled the country, others were arrested and forced to quit.
This month, not a single magistrate could be found in Manicaland brave enough to hear the corruption trial of justice minister Patrick Chinamasa. And now even the prosecutor has refused to present his final arguments in the case, because state security minister Didymus Mutasa has sued him for libel.
Informed observers say the Z$100 million lawsuit has no chance of succeeding as Mutasa is attempting to sue Chikafu for statements made in a court of law, which is subject to privilege (and therefore exempt from libel). However Mutasa is pressing ahead, in what observers say is intimidation.
Chinamasa is accused of trying to intimidate or coerce witnesses from giving evidence in a separate trial of public violence charges against Mutasa’s supporters dating back to 2002.
Mutasa’s lawyer Gerald Mlothswa has apparently given Chikafu an August 18 deadline to retract the alleged defamatory statements or face the lawsuit. The prosecutor was quoted by the media as saying Mutasa was a powerful person whose wings must be clipped. “The fact that he has not been brought to trial does not mean that he is not coming,” he is alleged to have said.
Constitutional law expert Dr Lovemore Madhuku told Newsreel that the timing of Mutasa’s lawsuit was clearly designed to put pressure on the prosecutor before Chinamasa’s trial ended. He slammed the suit as an abuse of the courts saying even the lawyers involved knew it had little chance of success. – Own correspondent/Lance Guma, SW Radio Africa


Zimbabwe Vigil Diary 19th August 2006
LONDON - Another big turnout to draw attention to the worsening situation in Zimbabwe. 88 people signed the register and no doubt there were some people who did not sign in. This made it one of the biggest Vigils in our four years exceeded only by those where demonstrations were held to mark special occasions. Our records show that on the same Saturday two years ago we had 43 people - so something is happening. When we joined hands in a circle to sing the national anthem at the end we took up the whole piazza outside the Embassy. Passers-by were magnetised. Some of them even joined the circle while others snapped away with their cameras.
We managed to avert a threatened downpour at the start by rushing to put up our tarpaulin when a few drops fell….. to be followed by a balmy afternoon. We were pleased to have many first-timers - some of them asylum seekers dispersed around the country and keen to be active but they are hampered by a lack of money to travel to London and no information about local organised groups. We try to put them in touch with others where they live hopefully if they meet other activists in their area they could start similar vigils as the one in Bristol. They can certainly rely on our help.
Wellington from Free-Zim Youth in Brighton told the Vigil of their new initiative to set up a meeting with the South African Embassy to discuss South Africa’s attitude to Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean refugees. They are waiting for agreement on a date at the end of September. They plan to have a demonstration outside the South African embassy ahead of the meeting, which we will certainly support.
We have evidence that the Zimbabwean is read avidly at the Embassy - a staff member we happen to know came by and asked for four copies.
For your information, local authorities in the UK are now updating their electoral registers. Believe it or not Zimbabweans are allowed to vote as members of the Commonwealth, even though Zimbabwe withdrew several years ago. (The British Government has yet to change the relevant legislation.) Wherever you are living you should consider being put on the register so that you can vote in both parliamentary and local elections. This will give you an opportunity to put pressure on your MP and Councillors. (Surprisingly we are in a more privileged position than residents from other EU countries, who cannot vote in parliamentary elections here.)
For this week’s Vigil pictures: http://uk.msnusers.com/ZimbabweVigil/shoebox.msnw.
REMINDER: Monday 28th August no Zimbabwe Forum because it is a public holiday.

Detention Watch from Zimbabwe Association

LONDON - Confusion about the issue of removals is swirling round the Zimbabwean community. Rumours of huge numbers of asylum seekers being removed before Christmas seem to have as much substance as the claims of a bumper harvest in Zimbabwe this year. Practically speaking and from past experience even when removals are in full force it is unlikely that more than ten Zimbabweans will be removed per week.
To put things in perspective the ZA has heard of one more Zimbabwean being detained recently. The person held a Malawian passport and was out of detention within three days because incorrect procedures had been followed concerning the removal (to Malawi). The total number of Zimbabweans in detention known to us at this time is less than ten.
As stressed Zimbabweans consider their next moves, we urge you not to be panicked into parting with large sums of money for legal help. All lawyers and registered legal representatives are required to tell you of the existence of legal aid and who is entitled to it. Paying someone is no guarantee that your case can be won. If you cannot get a lawyer with a legal aid franchise to take on your case, it may be best to consider paying for one hour as a private client with one of the top immigration firms in London. The cost would be approx £60 and for this you would get an accurate and reliable assessment of what is possible regarding your case. If your case has merit and you are eligible for legal aid, it may then be possible to be taken on by them as a legal aid client. If you have the funds to sign up with a private firm please check that the firm has a good reputation.
Be warned that some Zimbabweans who have been caught working on fraudulent documents have been given prison sentences of up to six months. At the end of their sentences they have been served with Deportation Orders. It is possible to appeal against these orders, but if you are removed under a Deportation Order you are prohibited from returning to the UK.
The Travel Fund for the Open Forum III which ZA is administering is only open to people travelling from within the UK.
To conclude, the ZA would like to express its sadness at the sudden death of Donald who gave us so much support and assistance over the years in a quiet and understated way. We greatly appreciated his help.
We can be contacted at the office on 020 7549 0355 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, messages may be left on the answer machine at other times, or by fax 020 7549 0356 or email: zimbabweassociation@yahoo.co.uk.

ADVICE LINE: Wednesday 2 5 pm
Asylum queries: 13 September
Support queries: 30 August, 27 September



Mkapa to negotiate exit plan?
BY GIFT PHIRI

HARARE - Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa is to visit President Robert Mugabe in the next few weeks to work out an exit plan for the ageing leader.
Mugabe hinted soon after landing from Maseru from the SADC summit on Saturday that he was considering stepping down because the land issue had been dealt with. He said there was nothing wrong with people openly debating succession, 19 months prior to the end of his current term.
The Zimbabwean has learnt that an agreement was reached to reschedule a meeting between Mkapa and Mugabe to discuss the matter. The new date has not yet been set.
High-ranking officials said Mkapa wanted to "keep the momentum going" following Mugabe’s "very positive signals last week."
Among other issues, the leaders are to work out a "safe exit plan" and immunity from prosecution for alleged human rights abuses committed during Mugabe's 26-year rule.
Mugabe is said to be particularly worried about the Matabeleland massacres during the 1980s.
The President is said to have made his first direct indication that he wants to retire at the SADC summit last week.
He was quoted in the official press in Lesotho saying: "We are getting to a stage where we shall say fine, we settled this matter (land reform) and people can retire."
Zanu (PF) sources say Mugabe is anxious about the repercussions of his departure.
"He wants to leave but his personal security fears, the fate of his family and property, his party's simmering succession problem . . . are his main obstacles," a senior party source said.
Local human rights groups have also been fuelling his apprehension by calling for his prosecution. And main opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai says Mugabe’s personal security, after he relinquishes power, can only be guaranteed in the context of a negotiated settlement of the Zimbabwe crisis.
Meanwhile, Mugabe has denounced "clandestine groupings" manoeuvring to take over. He said he was aware that his lieutenants were looking beyond him and plotting for a final assault on power. Retired army general Solomon Mujuru and party heavyweight Emmerson Mnangagwa are seen as the key individuals heading the rival factions.




BULAWAYO - Thousands of villagers on Monday stormed commercial banks and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) offices to exchange old currency for new money ahead of deadline by end of business.
The RBZ gave Zimbabweans up to August 21 to hand in old bearer cheques in exchange for new ones as part of sweeping currency reforms that also included a 60 percent devaluation of the local dollar. The new bearer cheques have less zeroes after the central bank slashed three zeroes from every banknote as part of the currency reforms.
"The RBZ mobile team operating from Gokwe was overwhelmed by the number of people exchanging the old currency and I had no option except to travel to Bulawayo to change the money," said a woman who only identified herself as Mai Chipo, explaining why she had travelled hundreds of kilometres from Gokwe to exchange her money in Bulawayo.
Other villagers said they had had to travel to Bulawayo because the RBZ's mobile teams operating in their areas were refusing to change amounts in excess of $10 million in old currency.
Sources in the towns of Gwanda, Hwange, Plumtree, Beitbridge and Lupane - all dotted across the vast Matabeleland region in the south-west of the country - told ZimOnline that hundreds of people last night slept in queues at banks and at temporary offices set up by the RBZ there as desperation crept in as the deadline to hand in old currency drew closer.
In Bulawayo, the RBZ office was open to members of the public on Saturday and Sunday but still did not manage to clear the long queues and hundreds of villagers slept in the queue outside the central bank's office hoping to be the first to be attended to when the bank opened for business on Monday.
"I own 10 public commuter omnibuses and over the weekend we were still accepting the old currency from customers and I came here early to exchange my weekend earnings for the new currency, the queues are very long but I have no option except to be patient," said Joseph Khumalo, who was at the RBZ office laden with canvass bags full of old money.
The same rush-hour panicking was visible in Zimbabwe's capital Harare where by mid-morning banks were full to the brim with depositors hurrying to literally dump their old cash in exchange for new money.
Some retail shops and public commuter operators in the capital city were reportedly refusing to accept old money, which however is still valid until midnight today.
A newspaper vendor who refused to accept old currency from a ZimOnline reporter said: "Why should I accept this old money when even the big supermarkets are refusing to accept it?" RBZ governor Gideon Gono has warned businesses and all financial
institutions to take old currency right up to the deadline but it appears the situation on ground is far different from what the central bank chief may be expecting to see. - ZimOnline

Fear the legacy of Murambatsvina
HARARE - Communities in Zimbabwe need to overcome their "accumulated fear of the government" if a way forward is to be found one year after Operation Murambatsvina according to a report by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. The NGO sent a group of four delegates from different social movements in South Africa to Zimbabwe, to examine the situation one year after an estimated 700 000 people were made homeless by Operation Murambatsvina.
The delegates, Philani Zungu, Nopasika Mboto, Ellen Chauke and Siphiwe Segodi, met with various community groups all over the country during their 10-day visit. They felt that the most formidable challenge faced by Zimbabweans in the wake of Murambatsvina was to overcome the political divisions in the country. They said many people needed to accept the fact that the Operation affected everyone, regardless of their political affiliation. They urged an increase in unity among different communities in Zimbabwe and said that those outside the country needed to "build solidarity with ordinary Zimbabweans and embark on campaigns that will bring meaningful and lasting political and socio-economic change to Zimbabwe".
The report also highlighted the fact that, despite government reports, there was some resistance to Murambatsvina and people were still being driven away from the cleared areas. It stated that "Operation Garikari has only benefited those with political connections" and "individuals who were meant to benefit…have long been forgotten". Furthermore, the number of units built under Garikari only constitutes a mere 5% of the buildings destroyed during Murambatsvina.
As a result of this report, Zimbabwean Civil Society organisations in South Africa have drawn up a petition to be presented to the United Nations (UN). It urges the UN Secretary General to "inform the world of the unfolding genocide in Zimbabwe as a result of Operation Murambatsvina" and "exert pressure on the government of Zimbabwe to mediate with its own people rather some imagined forces outside Zimbabwe." Own correspondent



Engines and pump for Hwange

HWANGE - Hwange National Park has received two "very generous" donations of goods from Duncan Paul of Dunadventures and Rob Melville and Syd Kelly of Valverite in South Africa. The donations included two brand new engines and a monopump which will go a long way towards helping with the efficient running of the park.
Collecting the goods however, was not without its problems. "I am very reluctant to confess that I made two trips to South Africa to collect these spare parts because the first time I went, the parts were wrong and had to be returned," said Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. "This was easier said than done because it involved obtaining permission from the Reserve Bank and Zimra to export the goods back to South Africa," he said.
With the drop in tourism and the economy spiralling out of control, Hwange National Park has become increasingly dependent on donations from various individuals and companies to keep it running.
Rodrigues said he now had enough spare parts to get all of the pump engines up and running in Hwange. "The only cloud on the horizon is the shortage of fuel. We will have to ensure a steady flow of fuel to the park and we are trying to raise funds for this," he said. - KJW



State media’s Mission Impossible making Operation Sunrise look good
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

HARARE The state-run media tackled its latest mission impossible portraying the chopping of three zeroes off the currency as some kind of recipe for economic revival with a mixture of the ludicrous and censorship.
The degrading body searches at roadblocks for currency were naturally not regarded by the regime’s media as being an abuse of human rights and probably unconstitutional, but as all part of a successful cleanup of unidentified economic saboteurs.
Coverage by the private media, including the private electronic media, was in stark contrast with the usual exception of the Mirror group whose reporting of the economic chaos resembled that of the state-run media.
The private media "continued to question the usefulness of the government’s ad hoc economic measures which they projected as doomed unless the authorities resolved fundamental economic influences that had caused the economy to slide in the first place," the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) said in its report covering August 7 13.
The Financial Gazette reported a planned challenge by civic organisations to the legality of the emergency powers used to search in at least one case to strip search people.
Studio 7 and the Zimbabwe Independent reported confusion and alarm over the phasing out of the old currency, particularly in rural areas where people cannot easily get to banks to change their money. Both also reported that state security agents had been placed on high alert for feat of riots as the deadline for exchanging the old currency approached.
"The government media censored these matters," noted MMPZ.
The private media also did not, like the state mouthpieces, view a marginal fall in inflation as a cause for celebration. Zimdaily accused Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono of trying to persuade the nation that Zimbabwe’s world-record inflation would drop to double digits by 2008 without mentioning that all the factors behind hyperinflation remain. This included, Zimdaily noted, the massive supplementary budget to be financed largely by printing more money, leading to even higher inflation.
The state media seized on the inflation drop and the money changeover, the so-called Operation Sunrise, with some pretty ridiculous stories, and carried no informed analysis. ZTV, Spot FM and Radio Zimbabwe in excitable stories, reported members of the public and analysts sensing "a sign of better things to come". ZTV and Radio Zimbabwe in Shona bulletins on August 10 also wrong translated the term inflation to mean firming of the Zimbabwe dollar.
ZBH epitomized the lopsided coverage that left its audiences aware of the things not even the state media can hide, such as shortages and the surging cost of living, and unaware of the causes or of the fact that zero-chopping on its own is the economic equivalent of a highway to nowhere.
For example, while the broadcaster projected members of the public as being delighted with Operation Sunrise and the searches, the people actually quoted gave the opposite view.



Different faces different times

HARARE - At an inter-church meeting an enthusiastic Christian reported how overwhelmed she was when she witnessed at the recent National Day of Prayer the head of state dedicating the country once more to God.
"We want to remind those that might turn on the state that we have armed men and women who carry guns and are allowed to pull the trigger on them," he said in a speech on Armed Forces Day last week. He said it in Shona. It was not part of his prepared speech. But he said it. How do you reconcile prayer with hate speech?
If he wants to go the way of dialogue he must stop using threatening language. If he continues to rely on guns there is no point in talking. He must make a decision: he cannot have it both ways.Both the president and his partners in dialogue need to be quite clear about this.
Furthermore: people critical of the present government are not enemies of the state. They are merely exercising their rights, indeed doing their duty as citizens. Even beginners in civic education know: governments change, the state remains. Soldiers serve the state, not the government of the day.
Elementary, isn’t it? Except in our beloved country. Commentary, In Touch Jesuit Communications



Zimbabwe will never be a colony again

BY MAGAISA IBENZI

WARD 12, PARIRENYATWA HOSPITAL, HARARE - I can’t for the life of me understand why Mugabe insists on having Benjamin Mkapa as his mediator with Britain.
I mean, if it was left to me I would use all the diplomatic channels that exist for example Zimbabwe has an ambassador in London who I am sure is in regular contact with the foreign Office and other members of the British government, while Britain has a very able and highly respected ambassador here in Harare.
Their jobs as ambassadors are to relay messages to their governments from their hosts. If our ambassador to London can’t be trusted to handle such a simple thing as passing messages to Tony Blair, then I think it is a waste of foreign currency to pay him and his staff to sit in London, twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do except read The Zimbabwean and watch the Zimbabwe Vigil supporters dancing outside their offices every Saturday afternoon.
In any case, the British have already said on several occasions that they don’t need a mediator (munyayi). What can Mkapa bring to the table where everybody else has failed? What magic wand does he possess that is going to make a difference this time? Mugabe himself has refused to talk to the MDC. He continues to denounce Tony Blair at every opportunity and yet says he wants to build bridges with Britain.
In fact, I hope he’s not intending to invite the British to come and re-colonise us. Why should they be involved in negotiating these things on our behalf. We are a sovereign state aren’t we? We need to solve our problems internally and then ask the international community to come and help us achieve our goals.
He has refused previous mediation efforts by even his own best man Joachim Chissano and UN secretary general Kofi Annan. And Thabo Mbeki has thrown in the towel after five years of fruitless attempts at quiet diplomacy, which did not help anybody not even Mugabe.
He repeatedly rejects the resolutions of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights always on a technicality, never on the substance.
Surely he must realise that there is something seriously wrong now that even his fellow despots in the African club of dictators are distancing themselves from him as evidenced at the recent SADC summit in Maseru. By all reports he cut a lonely figure there and left early in a rage. The UN, of course, understands that he is a basket case but doesn’t seem to be able to do anything about it.
Backed into a corner, Mugabe has done what he does best he has resorted to insulting his fellow African leaders, calling them cowards for not standing up to the West. He always plays the anti-imperialist card and let’s face it, so far, it has never let him down. Even Tony Blair has been cowed into ineffective silence and activity by Mugabe’s vociferous anti-imperialist rhetoric. I know that those close to Mugabe are terrified to tell him any home truths to his face because they are terrified of his response.
But I, Magaisa, am not terrified. I will openly tell Mugabe: what is needed in our country is the restoration of democracy and the rule of law, a new constitution leading to fresh elections, respect for human rights and the abolition of POSA and AIPPA. That’s it. Then we are on the road to recovery. I don’t see what Mkapa or Blair or anybody else can add to this. It’s so simple. Mugabe must talk to Zimbabweans not to the British.