SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Joseph Made

By Mthulisi Mathuthu SW Radio Africa 21 February 2014

Government has all but abandoned beneficiaries of its controversial land grab exercise, telling them to approach the banks as it will not fund this year’s winter crop season.

Reports this week said agriculture minister Joseph Made revealed to the Senate that the A2 farmers should not look forward to any assistance from the government this year.

According to The Source online newspaper Made said: ‘The financial resources are limited. There will be no support for A2 farmers. Go and kneel down in front of your banks.’ Made added that the government is currently paying back companies it owed for inputs, particularly fertilizer companies to whom it owes millions of dollars.

This must have come as a blow to the A2 farmers who the government has been supporting with inputs and equipment for about a decade. The A2 farmers are large scale farmers who were awarded the land seized from white commercial farmers under the controversial government exercise.

Economic analyst Masimba Kuchera said the development was symptomatic of the broader financial problems faced by the government. Kuchera said the government ‘clearly does not have money.’ He added: ‘It is a systemic problem cutting across the sectors. If there is no money to pay teachers then what it means is that there is no money to finance agriculture.’ Kuchera said the farmers will find it difficult to obtain money from the bank because the banks view the A2 farmer as ‘risky business.’

When the government seized the land from its original owners, the white farmers still retained the title deed, the legal document that gave them ownership of the farm.

The government then just handed out bits of land to various people and there has been no land audit, so no one knows who legally owns what.

It has been reported that the ZANU PF government has handed out some 99 year leases to A2 farmers in the belief that they will then be able to source loans from the banks. But these leases show that the land officially belongs to the state and so banks will not lend money to an individual who has no collateral to back up the loan.

It was reported last December that a ZANU PF report, made available to the party’s conference in Chinhoyi, said the farmers will have to wait before they use the land as security for borrowing loans. According to reports ZANU PF fears that if it converts the 99-year leases into ‘tradable security’ that would make it easy for the white commercial farmers to regain their seized land.

Last month Bankers Association of Zimbabwe president George Guvamatanga told legislators at a post budget seminar that money held by the banks belonged to depositors and it would be wrong to lend it to farmers based on a 99 year lease which he said exposes banks in the event of defaults on repayment.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

By Nomalanga Moyo SW Radio Africa 21 February 2014

President Robert Mugabe turned 90 years old Friday amid plans by his party to splurge at least $1 million on a grand ceremony scheduled for Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera.

Mugabe is away in Singapore for treatment but is expected back in time for the event, according to his spokesman George Charamba.

However reliable sources told this station that Mugabe will not be returning in time, once again raising questions about his health.

Traditionally Mugabe’s birthday has become a time when he is praised and feted by fawning party officials. Last year for his 89th birthday, Mugabe received special-edition gold coins, 89 cows from ex-central bank governor Gideon Gono, and a giant birthday cake weighing 89kg, among many other gifts.

This year the ceremony is expected to be even more lavish. According to the state media more than 50,000 local and foreign delegates and party supporters are expected to help Mugabe celebrate his birthday.

Most of the local delegates will no doubt be thousands of jobless youths and hunger-ravaged Zimbabweans bussed in to witness a rich 90-year-old waste $1 million on cake.

Many people have questioned where the money comes from to fund Mugabe’s costly birthday celebrations, at a time when 4,500 families are yet to be evacuated from the flood-hit Tokwe-Mukosi area and 2 million Zimbabweans are starving.

ZANU PF officials have said the party, and not government, is raising the money to host the weekend extravaganza.

But ex-finance minister Tendai Biti told a regional newspaper that he was certain that the money will come from Treasury.

Harare-based SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said traffic police had been roped in to raise funds for the event at numerous roadblocks set up across the capital city.

Muchemwa also said ZANU PF youths were reportedly demanding contributions from teachers and businesspeople.

On the streets of Bulawayo, several people told SW Radio Africa that ZANU PF and Mugabe were being selfish to spend such a significant amount of money on the celebrations.

“How can any right-thinking person celebrate at this time when the country is in tatters like this? Zimbabweans are experiencing hunger, and any responsible parent will not spend money partying when the rest of the family has no food,” Barbara Nyanyiwa told Bulawayo-based correspondent Lionel Saungweme.

Bulawayo resident Bekithemba Nyathi said Mugabe’s birthday celebrations amidst a sea of poverty are an insult to Zimbabweans.

“What exactly is he celebrating, a dying economy? Are we supposed to celebrate that people are hungry, civil servants have no money or that hospitals have no medicines?” Nyathi said.

“That money would go a long way towards repairing bridges, rescuing flood victims or even channelled towards preventing at least one company from closing down,” Grace Mathe said.

Crisis in Zim Coalition official Nixon Nyikadzino said Mugabe has over the years succeeded in replacing the positive things he did for the country, with the negative.

“He was instrumental in the liberation of this country and the education system he promoted during the early years of independence was second to none in Africa. Many people will give that to him.

“However, many people are most likely to remember him for unleashing violence on his own people just to remain in power. He will also be remembered for destroying one of the best economies on the continent, and also for pushing for a one-party state when everyone else was fighting for democracy,” Nyikadzino added.

Nyikadzino said Mugabe has tried throughout his 34-year presidency to turn himself into a demi-god.

“That is why even at 90 Mugabe is suppressing the succession debate. This is the time for him to be letting go of the leadership of the party and country but he is refusing to allow people to discuss what should happen when he is gone, and we will find ourselves faced with a crisis should he suddenly die in office.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Mugabe castigated ‘selfish people’ who were only interested in the party leadership

By Tichaona Sibanda SW Radio Africa 21 February 2014

President Robert Mugabe has admonished factional leaders in ZANU PF, insinuating the rivalry between Vice President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa has divided the party.

Speaking to the ZBC on the eve of his 90th birthday on Thursday Mugabe, without mentioning names, castigated ‘selfish people’ who were only interested in the party leadership for personal interests.

‘This is … and that’s why some of us never campaigned for that leadership or for any position at all. We left it to the party to decide.

‘It’s terrible even to have your name mentioned as leader of a faction. It’s shameful. You must go beyond that and say you belong to the people as a whole,’ Mugabe said.

His comments have been seen as a direct attack on Mujuru and Mnangagwa, the two party stalwarts who have been involved in a bitter and divisive battle to succeed Mugabe when he steps down.

Other sections of the media believe that Mugabe’s remarks spell the end of Mujuru and Mnangagwa’s political ambitions of becoming leader of ZANU PF and eventually president of Zimbabwe.

But political analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga told SW Radio Africa’s that Mugabe’s comments on the succession battle do not in any way shut the door on the two leading contenders.

Mhlanga emphasized that the ageing president was simply dousing the firestorms triggered by the factional infighting.

‘Mugabe knows the debate has become highly emotional and charged up, so he was telling the groups to approach the leadership debate with tact and strategy and not engage in open warfare that leaves the party in tatters,’ Mhlanga said.

The political analyst said he doubts Mugabe has the capacity or the means to shut the door on both Mujuru and Mnangagwa, individuals who have invested heavily and each have a legion of strong supporters.

In the same interview Mugabe made it very clear how he feels about any discussion on succession while he is alive: “But why should it (succession) be discussed when it is not due? Is it due?” he queried. “The leadership still exists that runs the country. In other words, I am still there.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

By Mthulisi Mathuthu SW Radio Africa 21 February 2014

The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has become the latest public entity to be rocked by allegations of graft, after it emerged Friday that the authority is embroiled in a $50 million dollar scam.

Reports said the cost of a hotel built by NSSA in the border town of Beitbridge grew from $17m to $50m, in suspicious circumstances. The Herald said NSSA, which was awarded the $17m tender to build Rainbow Beitbridge Hotel on the basis that it had the money to finance the project, ended up using pensioners’ funds to hire a construction firm.

The development comes at a time when NSSA officials were due to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on public accounts next Monday to answer questions on other issues. But committee member Paurina Mpariwa told SW Radio Africa that the latest scam will be ‘top of the agenda.’

‘We have a number of issues to ask on Monday but after reading this latest story we have agreed that the issues it raises will be top of the agenda,’ said Mpariwa. She added: ‘We want them to explain how the cost rose from $17m to $50m and how the lost monies will be recovered.’

But according to the report, NSSA General Manager James Matiza has said the contractor, Costain Zimbabwe, did a ‘shoddy job’ on the project forcing NSSA to contract another firm to correct things. All these setbacks led to further costs, claimed Matiza, who also said Costain was forced on them by the government because they submitted a low bid which in NSSA’s view was not consistent with the true cost of the project.

Beitbridge Town Council could also close the hotel because NSSA has failed to regularize documentation after an architect withdrew the designs over outstanding fees due to him. Moreover NSSA cannot get a certificate of occupation for the hotel because the overseer of the project, hired by NSSA, cannot sign for it as she is an unregistered engineer. A temporary three month certificate issued by the Beitbridge Town Council expires this month.

NSSA is also reported to have issued itself with a completion certificate which certified that the hotel was ready for use. This is against procedure as the normal practice is that an architect should issue the certificate.

According to the Herald NSSA investment director Shadreck Vera sits on the Rainbow Tourism Group as a NSSA nominee, when at the same time the hotel group is paying the social security authority $14, 000 in monthly rentals for the lease of the property, something which raises conflict of interest issues.

These details come at a time when various public entities are under the spotlight due to all kinds of scams including ‘corrupt salaries’ awarded to the top executives.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s embassies across the globe are poorly financed and are struggling with a debt of $13 million, a leading South African newspaper has said.

The Mail & Guardian reported Friday that this was revealed in a report by a parliamentary portfolio committee on foreign affairs, headed by former envoy and ZANU PF MP for Epworth, Amos Midzi.

So desperate is the situation that a part of diplomats’ salaries is ‘generally diverted to operational costs to avoid evictions and other associated consequences’, the paper said.

According to the M&G the situation is made worse by the fact that the embassies did not receive all the money allocated to them in the 2013 budget. Out of an allocated $63.2 million for the foreign missions, as of November 2013 only $35.2 million had been disbursed, the report said.

The report also says that the foreign affairs department is saddled with ‘excess personnel’ after staff from the ministry of regional integration and international co-operation were transferred to the ministry of foreign affairs. That ministry was created in 2009 following the formation of the erstwhile unity government.

As a result the ministry is struggling to cope. School fees for staff children, utilities and rentals are going unpaid and some embassis are relying on ‘high-maintenance’ vehicles, with the embassy in France said to be using a vehicle purchased in 1996.

Zimbabwe’s foreign missions have always been dogged by financial problems. Last month foreign affairs secretary Joey Bimha told Parliament that the country’s envoys have gone for 10 years without a salary increment.

In 2009 another parliamentary report revealed that Zimbabwe’s envoy to Mozambique was walking to work because the government could not afford a car for him.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The Cold Storage Commission (CSC), once the leading meat supplier in Zimbabwe, is facing collapse due to mismanagement and corruption, the Herald reported Monday.

According to the report the CSC is left with only 600 cattle at its nine farms across the country. The report attributed the decline at the parastatal to mismanagement, corruption and lack of innovation to compete with private meat suppliers.

This development comes at a time when parastatals are in the spotlight due to numerous allegations of graft, with reports that some executives were earning ‘corrupt salaries’ running up to as much as half a million dollars a month.

The report said the state of the CSC’s Chinhoyi branch provides a glimpse into the extent of the company’s decline. Once manned by a workforce of 500 people the depot now struggles to pay its staff of 65. Moreover, CSC Chinhoyi no longer has beasts of its own but operates on a ‘service slaughter’ basis. This is when customers bring in their beasts and pay the CSC to slaughter them at its abattoir.

The depot slaughters about 300 beasts a month at a cost of $25 each. This means that the depot is only able to realize $7,500 a month from this service. CSC also sells hides for $22 each which adds an extra $6,600. All in all, the depot has a revenue of $14,000 per month leaving the company struggling to run smoothly, the Herald said.

The depot is reeling under a huge debt as it owes the Chinhoyi Municipality and other service providers, like Zesa, Zimra and NSSA, ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars.’ Electricity and water supplies have since been disconnected, forcing the depot to rely on a generator and a borehole. Bulawayo Agenda Executive director, Thabani Nyoni said the situation at the Chinhoyi depot was ‘not an isolated case’. Nyoni said a recent tour of the CSC Bulawayo depot revealed that the company as a whole needs ‘total revamping.’

Nyoni said: ‘The infrastructure is dilapidated; the equipment is rusty and looks like it was erected decades ago. The company has downscaled a number of its core activities and the management have never accounted.’

Nyoni said the company can only be saved if it is privatized and the management are hired transparently. ‘Cash injection alone will not serve CSC; we need total accountability,’ said Nyoni.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

More calls have been voiced for an early MDC-T congress to be held as soon as possible, to end the worsening infighting and leadership renewal debate threatening to tear the party apart.

Since last year’s highly disputed elections, there has been increased pressure for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step aside, with critics saying fresh leadership is the key to helping the MDC-T move forward.

The matter came to a head last month when the MDC-T deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma confronted Tsvangirai, detailing in a letter why the party President should step down. Tsvangirai then reportedly challenged the MDC-T national executive on the matter, but an early congress was ruled out.

However the factionalism has steadily worsened, with Mangoma bearing the brunt of anger from Tsvangirai supporters. Over a week ago, Mangoma suffered a bloodied nose and bruises during an attack by party youths who were gathered at Harvest House where a heated meeting of district heads was underway to discuss the restructuring of the party.

Police have since charged MDC-T youth leader James Chidhakwa with assaulting Mangoma after he was arrested on Friday. Chidhakwa appeared in court on Saturday morning after spending a night in police detention before he was remanded in custody.

Meanwhile, both the NewsDay and Daily News newspapers have quoted sources in recent days who have detailed the extent of the worsening factionalism within the party, with the Daily News pointing to international funding as an alleged key aggravating issue. The Daily News on Sunday reported that “MDC rebels, who are pushing for Tsvangirai’s ouster, have been holding secret meetings with diplomats and soliciting for funds to topple the opposition leader.”

NewsDay then reported that some Western diplomats privately met Tsvangirai at his Highlands home in Harare in a bid to “express their concern over intra-party violence and the need for him to allow open debate on leadership renewal.” The paper reported that British ambassador Deborah Bronnert met Tsvangirai at his Highlands home over the weekend to discuss the “unsavoury developments in the party since the violence that erupted at the party headquarters more than a week ago.”

Rodgers Mudarikwa, the Provincial Organising Secretary of the MDC T South Africa External Assembly, said the only way to end the fights and debates was an early congress.

“The only solution is congress…the people must decide the way forward, not individuals in the party,” Mudarikwa told SW Radio Africa.

Mudarikwa said that a democratic solution was the only answer and called for the matter to be resolved as soon as possible, in order for there to be a strong, united opposition force in Zimbabwe.

He said: “It is important to use this opportunity to form a single and formidable opposition. The MDC T must call for a convention like congress, where all its allies and other political parties can contest for positions and create one single opposition party. Opposition politics cannot survive the littering of talent that currently exists.”

To contact this reporter email [email protected] or follow on Twitter

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

More calls have been voiced for an early MDC-T congress to be held as soon as possible, to end the worsening infighting and leadership renewal debate threatening to tear the party apart.

Since last year’s highly disputed elections, there has been increased pressure for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step aside, with critics saying fresh leadership is the key to helping the MDC-T move forward.

The matter came to a head last month when the MDC-T deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma confronted Tsvangirai, detailing in a letter why the party President should step down. Tsvangirai then reportedly challenged the MDC-T national executive on the matter, but an early congress was ruled out.

However the factionalism has steadily worsened, with Mangoma bearing the brunt of anger from Tsvangirai supporters. Over a week ago, Mangoma suffered a bloodied nose and bruises during an attack by party youths who were gathered at Harvest House where a heated meeting of district heads was underway to discuss the restructuring of the party.

Police have since charged MDC-T youth leader James Chidhakwa with assaulting Mangoma after he was arrested on Friday. Chidhakwa appeared in court on Saturday morning after spending a night in police detention before he was remanded in custody.

Meanwhile, both the NewsDay and Daily News newspapers have quoted sources in recent days who have detailed the extent of the worsening factionalism within the party, with the Daily News pointing to international funding as an alleged key aggravating issue. The Daily News on Sunday reported that “MDC rebels, who are pushing for Tsvangirai’s ouster, have been holding secret meetings with diplomats and soliciting for funds to topple the opposition leader.”

NewsDay then reported that some Western diplomats privately met Tsvangirai at his Highlands home in Harare in a bid to “express their concern over intra-party violence and the need for him to allow open debate on leadership renewal.” The paper reported that British ambassador Deborah Bronnert met Tsvangirai at his Highlands home over the weekend to discuss the “unsavoury developments in the party since the violence that erupted at the party headquarters more than a week ago.”

Rodgers Mudarikwa, the Provincial Organising Secretary of the MDC T South Africa External Assembly, said the only way to end the fights and debates was an early congress.

“The only solution is congress…the people must decide the way forward, not individuals in the party,” Mudarikwa told SW Radio Africa.

Mudarikwa said that a democratic solution was the only answer and called for the matter to be resolved as soon as possible, in order for there to be a strong, united opposition force in Zimbabwe.

He said: “It is important to use this opportunity to form a single and formidable opposition. The MDC T must call for a convention like congress, where all its allies and other political parties can contest for positions and create one single opposition party. Opposition politics cannot survive the littering of talent that currently exists.”

To contact this reporter email [email protected] or follow on Twitter

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Flamboyant preacher Uebert Angel used President Robert Mugabe’s birthday bash Sunday to endorse the land grab scheme and to reveal his longstanding ZANU PF links.

Prophet Angel, as he is known to his followers, was seated with Mugabe on the front row, among the Who’s Who in ZANU PF, a NewsDay report said Monday.

“This country has land and there is no more land to be created. There is an opportunity the President has created for us and as youths, let’s take advantage and let’s be vigilant in getting what belong to us,” Angel said.

“Critics will be there and stories will be written (that) Angel has been swallowed by ZANU PF as if they know where I was before.

I was born to a ZANU PF father and we had a sister who campaigned for MDC, but we never fired her from home,” Angel is said to have told delegates at the party held in Marondera on Sunday.

After his presentation, Angel knelt before Grace Mugabe before he whispered an inaudible message to her and left the podium, the NewsDay reported.

Other ‘spiritual leaders’ who have openly sung Mugabe’s praises include the late ex-convict Madzibaba Godfrey Nzira and excommunicated Anglican Bishop Nobert Kunonga.

Angel’s fellow ‘prophet and founder of the United Family International Church, Emmanuel Makandiwa, has donated $10,000 towards the wedding of Mugabe’s daughter Bona, scheduled for March 1st. A few years ago, Makandiwa stirred controversy when he signed ZANU PF’s anti-sanctions petition.

Harare-based journalist Itai Dzamara said it was wrong for any religious leader to openly declare his political affiliation.

“A church leader has under his spiritual headship, people of different political persuasions and for that reason he/she shouldn’t openly declare nor actively support one particular political party,” Dzamara wrote on his Facebook page.

“Not to suggest a Christian can’t be a politician, but that a religious leader can’t actively participate in politics. The church must keep its distance from the political power, or government of the day to be able to play its role of oversight and ‘salt of the earth,’” Dzamara said.

Trevor Ndlovu, a Zimbabwean pastor based in Swaziland, told SW Radio Africa that in the Bible the role of prophets is to minister to people’s spiritual needs, while politics and leadership is the domain for kings and politicans.

“It is improper for a spiritual leader to publicly declare his political alignment because this can alienate congregants who hold a different political view,” Ndlovu said.

“The Bible says Christians must submit themselves to their rulers, but this does not mean aligning ourselves to those rulers and their political parties,” he added.

The mega-rich Angel dropped his family name Mudzanire after he founded Spirit Embassy church, whose doctrine centre on prosperity.

Both Angel and his contemporary Makandiwa command a huge following as desperate Zimbabweans flock for ‘economic and health blessings’ which are not free, but hinge on ‘seed-sowing’.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe on Sunday claimed the MDC-T is closely associated with violence and should not be allowed to get into government.

He said this at Rudhaka stadium in Marondera during celebrations to mark his 90th birthday. The ageing ZANU PF leader celebrated the occasion with thousands of supporters on Sunday.

Mugabe’s attack on the MDC-T comes at a time when the opposition is facing criticism for what transpired over a week ago, when some of its youth members manhandled its deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma, for allegedly urging party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down.

“We cannot have a party of that nature coming into government — even allowing them to have seats to dominate possession of Parliamentary seats in our urban areas — Harare and Bulawayo. That is wrong,’ he said. Over the weekend police arrested an MDC-T youth leader accused of assaulting Mangoma, James Chidhakwa. He is the MDC-T secretary for security and defence in the youth assembly.

Victims of ZANU PF violence have come off a lot worse

Mugabe’s statement was immediately rebuked by many from the MDC-T and civil society organisations (CSO’s). Political analyst Hopewell Gumbo said while the Mangoma incident is regrettable, Mugabe is no saint when it comes to violence.

‘His party is not only violent, but its history is littered with numerous epochs of death, yet he is in power, in fact using violence to get power,’ Gumbo said.

The MDC-T MP for Mbizo in KweKwe, Settlement Chikwinya, told SW Radio Africa that Mugabe should be the last person in Zimbabwe to accuse anyone or any organisation of being associated with violence.

‘Mugabe has stayed at the helm of government due to violent antics. He has defined and redefined the political landscape of Zimbabwe as a violent fabric where only the law of the jungle prevails.

‘The President is in government as a direct beneficiary of violence. In 2008 Better Chokururama, Godfrey Kauzani and Tonderai Ndira and many other cadres were murdered for ZANU PF to achieve an opportunity to be accommodated in the inclusive government,’ said Chikwinya.

And no Zimbabwean will ever forget Mugabe and ZANU PF’s most extreme violent act, the Gukurahundi, in which an estimated 20,000 people lost their lives.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The million dollar party celebrating Robert Mugabe’s 90th birthday has been slammed as a disturbing sign of greed and waste of resources, in a country where the majority are struggling to feed their families.

The ageing ZANU PF leader was honoured with a lavish party at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Sunday, attended by an estimated 10,000 guests that included musicians and athletes as well as political and religious figures.

The Sunday Mail newspaper said a record 90 beasts were slaughtered to feed the guests and dozens more live animals were donated to Mugabe by the ZANU PF provinces. A huge cake was on display during festivities, where Mugabe claimed to be in good health, saying he felt “energetic like a boy of nine”.

Former Zimbabwean diplomat and commentator, Clifford Mashiri, disagreed, saying Mugabe was wheeled around the party on the back of a truck instead of walking to greet guests and supporters. This was unlike previous years when he made the rounds on his two feet.

Mashiri said the ageing leader had also exposed his frailty during an interview aired on state television Thursday, when he was seen struggling to speak and rambled on for long periods after each question.

Mashiri also blasted Mugabe and ZANU PF for spending so much on a birthday party, while the country was still dealing with the devastating effects of recent floods and many have nothing to eat. Mashiri said the event was nothing for them to brag about.

“Whether it was him who pooled together the money or it was his inner circle, it’s a waste of resources at a time when ordinary people are suffering, including civil servants to whom he made empty promises of salary increases several times. It is unfortunate Mugabe doesn’t show any sensitivity to that,” Mashiri explained.

Ahead of the stadium celebrations, Mugabe attended a party organised by his office staff at State House Saturday. This was soon after returning from Singapore where he allegedly had an operation to remove a cataract in his left eye, although most commentators felt it was more than that.

The highlight of the office party was reportedly a gigantic birthday gift presented to him by the staff, in the form of a 1.2 ton chair carved in stone and adorned with gold, diamonds, ivory and several animal skins.

Dubbed the “Simbahwe chair”, this throne took two years to make and was reportedly a labour of love to honour Mugabe, by three artists who demanded no fee. Mashiri questioned where the gold, diamonds and ivory came from and how his staff could have afforded such an extravagant gift.

“It’s most unfortunate there is a cult of personality in Mugabe and as such some people are worshipping him. This is also a serious contradiction in the fight to stop the poaching and abusive killing of animals in the country,” Mashiri said.

The party did not disappoint in drama either. In what Mashiri described as “sucking up”, Vice President Joice Mujuru reportedly praised Mugabe as an icon then turned to his daughter Bona and said: “Bona, you are not the first daughter, I am the first daughter.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Yet another Kwekwe company is facing collapse after it lost the bulk of its business due to the closure of a major mining concern in the Midlands city, reports said Tuesday.

Zimchem Refineries lost 75 percent of its business due to the collapse of Ziscosteel in 2008 and has never fully recovered. Ziscosteel used to supply Zimchem with coal tar which is used to manufacture chemicals like benzene and creosote. The steel giant also used to produce tar that is used in road construction.

A NewsDay report quoted Zimchem CEO Ben Mashangu confirming the development. Mashangu said after the collapse of Ziscosteel his company was left with only about 25 percent of its core business, which is sustained by coke from the Hwange Colliery and other imports. Mashangu added that Zimchem was failing to meet the local demand for creosote oil forcing timber industry players to import the product. Creosote oil is used to protect wooden products against rot and decay.

Ziscosteel, once the backbone of the local steel industry, was closed in 2008 due to mismanagement, corruption and obsolete infrastructure. At its height of production the steel giant had a workforce of over 5,000 and was a major producer of both iron ore and steel supplying the region and Europe.

Now operating under the name New Zimbabwe Steel, the company was expected to re-open in January, but that did not happen. Settlement Chikwinya, the MDC-T MP for Mbizo, said as long as the steel giant remained shut Kwekwe will continue to decline.

Chikwinya said when he approached the Minister of industry and commerce, Mike Bimha, on the issue two weeks ago the minister was ‘non committal.’ The Mbizo legislator added: ‘He said he did not want to divulge any information because it was going to lead to anxiety.’

Chikwinya said the deterioration in Kwekwe was apparent with youths resorting to prostitution, gold panning and other risky activities. Chikwinya said in the last two weeks four people involved in gold panning had died in separate incidents after mine shafts collapsed on them.

Kwekwe is faced with high employment rate following the closure of many major and small companies there. A fortnight ago Zimbabwe and Alloy Smelting Company (Zimasco) announced plans to retrench half of its three thousand workers in an attempt to streamline costs.

Residents who spoke to SW Radio Africa said thousands of families stood to be affected by the impending lay off at Zimasco. Almost all the households in suburbs like Chigago, New Town and Fitchlea, are directly dependent on the company.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Dennis Magaya, whom information minister Jonathan Moyo appointed head of the ZBC board and then fired within 24 hours, will be removed from his post as chief technology strategist for a major parastatal.

The Herald reported Tuesday that Energy Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire said Magaya’s ‘honeymoon’ at PowerTel Communications was over and he would be fired ‘in a day or two.’

According to the Herald Mavhaire accused Zesa Holdings CEO, Josh Chifamba, and the PowerTel board, of conniving to hire Magaya irregularly. Mavhaire said PowerTel, a subsidiary of Zesa Holdings, appointed Magaya and six other people in defiance of the State Procurement Board.

This follows revelations that Magaya is facing allegations of inflated consultancy fees at PowerTel. It is alleged that Magaya was controversially appointed as a strategy consultant at PowerTel. He is earning a monthly salary of $44, 000, almost the same amount as the suspended ZBC CEO, Happison Muchechetere. Newspaper reports said Magaya’s earnings, which include a bonus of $18,000, amount to $500,000 per annum.

Mavhaire said Magaya and his team were not bringing ‘any value’ to the company. Instead they ‘strategized’ to cheat the parastatal, said Mavhaire. The minister further said that had Magaya and his crew continued for a few more months they would have brought the company ‘to its knees.’

Magaya’s case came into the spotlight after Moyo appointed him chairman of the ZBC board two weeks ago. In a climb down Moyo fired Magaya within 24 hours, upon learning of the allegations against him. Something Moyo should have known ahead of appointing him. Magaya is one of the executives who have been exposed by the continuing revelations on corporate corruption, which many see as a red-herring from the economic problems the Zanu PF government faces.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The South African Presidency has been urged to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a previously hidden Zimbabwe election report, or risk giving credence to suspicions that Jacob Zuma’s office was deliberately keeping secrets about the state of the neighbouring polls.

The report, compiled by two South African judges on the 2002 polls, contained enough evidence to show the process was neither free nor fair. This was the ruling by South African High Court Judge Joseph Raulinga last February when he ordered the Presidency to hand over the document to the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

Raulinga has since revealed that the document, which he was keeping in his office, went missing earlier this month. Raulinga reportedly said he had suspicions and was investigating the matter. According to the Mail & Guardian Raulinga asked state attorney Petros Rakoatsi why he had made several unsolicited and unsuccessful attempts to access the report. Rakoatsi then wrote a letter rejecting any insinuation that he had knowledge of where the report was, or that he had a hand in its disappearance.

Joy Mabenge, the South African based regional coordinator for the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said a thorough investigation was needed and Zuma’s government must get involved. Mabenge told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that Zuma’s office was risking giving credence to speculation that the government was deliberating hiding information that proved the Zim polls were illegitimate.

“It is on record that the 2002 elections in Zimbabwe were marred by violence and the result raised a huge spectre on the legitimacy of the winner, Robert Mugabe. What worries us is the role that South Africa then went on to play in mediating the crisis in Zimbabwe. The role was supposedly being played on the basis that South Africa had clean hands,” Mabenge said.

He added: “It is disturbing to know of this disappearance, because it gives credence to speculation around the non-willingness of South African authorities to let Zimbabweans and other players know the truth about what happened in the elections in 2002.”

The report was commissioned the then President Thabo Mbeki, who sent the two judges to visit Zimbabwe and report back on the state of the elections that year. This report was handed over to Mbeki but never made public, although the former President insisted the electoral process was completely democratic.

A lengthy court process has followed with the Mail & Guardian leading various efforts since 2008 to have the report released by the Zuma administration. Numerous orders have been issued by South Africa’s court to the Presidency for the release of the report to the newspaper, but each time Zuma’s office has appealed. Last February Justice Raulinga again ordered the release of the document, but Zuma’s office again stated its intentions to appeal. That appeal is expected later this year, but the disappearance of the report means the process is likely to be suspended.

At the same time, there has still been no sign of a similarly ‘damning’ report on Zimbabwe’s disputed 2008 elections, compiled by six South African army generals. That report has also been kept hidden by the Zuma administration.

The Crisis Coalition’s Mabenge said Tuesday that the situation supports the general belief that South Africa, the regional mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis, was willing to flout democratic principles and regional electoral laws to put the long-running Zim situation to bed. He added that this is particularly worrying in the aftermath of the disputed 2013 elections, which South Africa endorsed.

“The expectation for many Zimbabweans would have been for the South African government to stand on the principles of the truth as observed in the two election reports. Sweeping these reports under the carpet means burying these issues for good and gives credence, again, to the suspicion that South Africa’s interest has always been about seeing a stable Zimbabwe at any cost, even if it is a huge cost to Zimbabweans,” Mabenge said.

He added: “We still expect the South African government to investigate the disappearance of the report and give a timely response to the Mail & Guardian, South Africans and Zimbabweans, so the issue is concluded in an amicable way that does not have a negative effect on how Zimbabweans may perceive the role of South Africa in derailing the democratisation of Zimbabwe.”

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SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

All is not well in the MDC-T following a crackdown by the police on several members of the party, who are believed to have been part of a group that manhandled the party’s deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma recently.

The fallout from the violent scenes outside Harvest House 10 days ago has resulted in the arrest of James Chidhakwa, the Youth Assembly secretary for security and defence.

He was picked up by the police over the weekend on allegations of assaulting Mangoma. He appeared in court on Monday and was denied bail. He will remain in custody until March 10th, his next court date.

On Monday, police swooped on other individuals believed to have played some part in the disturbances, like sponsoring the youths who were calling for Mangoma’s head. The rowdy youths, some of them drunk, roughed up Mangoma and tore his shirt as he made a dash for his car.

The police have said they now want to interview those who bought the youths beer. This has apparently stirred up tension in the party as members believe the police are acting beyond their mandate. Two senior allies of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai were summoned to the police on Monday where they recorded warned and cautioned statements.

Harare central MP Murisi Zwizwai, and Dennis Murira, an aide to Tsvangirai, were interrogated for hours before they were released without charge. Zwizwai told SW Radio Africa he was disappointed that his name had been dragged in to the incident and blasted Mangoma for falsely accusing him of beating him up and suggesting he bought the youths some beer.

‘Soon after the incident, Mangoma gave interviews to so many newspapers alleging that he had been beaten up by party youths. As a person who helped craft the new constitution, Mangoma should know that at my age, I’m not a youth,’ said Zwizwai who is 54.

The MP said Mangoma implied that Tsvangirai was complicit in the attack against him, but the party leaders name was not mentioned on the police charge sheet.

He added: ‘This is despite the fact that Mangoma told the whole world that Tsvangirai may have played a part in the assault.’

‘I left the meeting hours before it was finished and I was never a witness to the disturbances. I only read about it in the newspapers and for someone to claim I beat them up with clenched hands and feet is just shocking.

‘It took Mangoma a week before he reported the matter, and during the period he convened meetings where he cherry-picked names to forward to the police,’ claimed Zwizwai.

Giles Mutsekwa, the party’s secretary for Intelligence and Security, told our weekly Speak Out Padare program that while they do not condone violence, it was not police business to fish out individuals who may have bought the youths beer.

‘I don’t think buying anybody beer, especially someone over 18 years, is a crime in Zimbabwe. Anybody who beat up Mangoma should face the full wrath of the law, but the way the police is conducting itself in this case leaves a lot to be desired,’ Mutsekwa said.

He said what is surprising is that the police actually encouraged Mangoma to make a report and were actually ready ‘itching to make arrests.’

‘Their eagerness to swing into action is worrying. We have a person like Joseph Mwale, a known murderer and ZANU PF activist, who roams scot free but the police have never made any attempt to arrest him despite his whereabouts known by the authorities.

‘We have skirmishes here and there in the MDC-T like any other political party, we are not all saints but the way the police want to portray us – like we have killed Jesus Christ.’

On Tuesday police summoned seven youths who include Harare provincial youth chairperson Shakespeare Mukoyi, the party deputy chairperson Morgen Komichi’s driver Steven Jahwi, Enock Mukandi, Rhino Mashaya, Francis Machidzofa, Paul Gorekore and Samson Nerwande, for questioning over the Mangoma incident.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Ex-Finance Minister and senior MDC-T official Tendai Biti’s house was petrol bombed by unknown assailants in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Biti was at the house during the attack, together with at least 9 family members who were all asleep. Borrowdale police are said to be investigating.

“I have no problem with someone petrol-bombing my car or myself but to target my family is unfair,” the former minister told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday.

This is second time that arsonists have thrown a bomb at Biti’s house, following another similar attack in 2011.

In the latest incident the explosive device, made from a beer bottle, damaged the perimeter wall and part of the electric fence. A security guard at the property discovered the damage.

Biti admitted that the attack had shaken him, but added: “I am feeling low but I will not allow myself to be broken but will look the beast in the face and carry on with the struggle for democracy.”

The senior politician was recently attacked by MDC-T youths amid serious infighting and a simmering leadership debate within the Tsvangirai-led party.

Biti however downplayed the link between the two incidents of violence directed at him.

“As a lawyer I will not rush to make accusations. But from what I gather the police do have some evidence to help them in their investigations, and I hope the culprits will be arrested soon.”

He said he had discussed the issue of violence with Tsvangirai, with both agreeing “on the need to normalise the situation in the party so that opponents of our struggle don’t take advantage”.

The MDC-T has unsuccessfully tried to distance itself from the thugs that attacked senior officials Biti, Elton Mangoma and Promise Mkwananzi, on February 15th  accusing them of trying to oust Tsvangirai.

Political commentator Ndaba Nhuku said the MDC-T had made itself vulnerable by failing to stem the intra-party violence and this has given ZANU PF enough ammunition to go after them.

“I will not be shocked if the insinuation by the state media, linking Biti to the National Social Security Association (NSSA) scandal, is part of ZANU PF’s plan to use the infighting and destroy the MDC-T leadership,” Nhuku said.

The Herald newspaper said Tuesday that the ex-Finance Minister “allegedly abused his position to direct NSSA to sink $20 million into troubled Capital Bank (then Renaissance Merchant Bank) despite indications that the project was not viable.”

The newspaper based its claims on a presentation made by NSSA general manager James Matiza before a panel of parliamentarians on Monday.

According to the report, Matiza said they had turned away two attempts by the bank to get the authority to invest but finally did so after Biti directed them to.

However, former board chairman Innocent Chagonda told the same paper that Biti’s letter did not influence the $30 million investment decision that the authority made.

“We did not go into Renaissance Merchant Bank pursuant to that letter. We went there after we were satisfied that it was a viable project after we received a presentation from (Mr) Regis Saruchera, the curator,” Chagonda told the Herald.

Biti denies exerting any influence, saying the authority invested in Renaissance because this meant they would gain access to lucrative shares in one of the country’s biggest property developers Afre (now First Mutual Life).

“That story is malicious, stupid, and wrongful and I am taking legal action against the Herald newspaper and the NSSA general manager (Matiza) for defamation, Biti told SW Radio Africa Tuesday.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

More questions are being asked about a Zimbabwe election report that has gone ‘missing’ from a top South Africa judge’s chambers, with observers calling for the report authors to speak out. The report was written by judges Sisi Khampepe and Dikgang Moseneke in 2002, after they were sent by then President Thabo Mbeki to report back on the elections in Zimbabwe that year. The report was never released to the public, although Mbeki endorsed the polls as a democratic process. The elections however were seriously marred by violence and other irregularities, and in 2008 the Mail & Guardian newspaper went to the courts to have the document released. It argued that the evidence contained in the report was of public interest. That report has now disappeared, a development that has coincided with plans by the Presidency to appeal against an order to release the document to the newspaper. That order, the latest in a series of rulings confirming the newspaper’s rights to access the document, was made last year by High Court Judge Joseph Raulinga. He is one of the few ‘outsiders’ who has seen the contents of the report after taking a ‘judicial peek’ at the document in 2012. Raulinga ruled that there was enough evidence in the report to show that the electoral process in Zimbabwe in 2002 was neither free nor fair. Political commentator Clifford Mashiri said Wednesday that the missing document should not delay the legal case to have the details released, saying: “In the age of the internet and computers, surely there will be more than one copy. Someone will have more than one copy.” Mashiri also echoed calls made by other observers for the report’s authors to speak out.“The judges could be called on to give a glimpse of what they wrote. The courts have ordered that the document be released, so I don’t see why the judges themselves can’t be interviewed or give their views,” Mashiri said. Efforts by SW Radio Africa to contact Sisi Khampepe and Mail & Guardian lawyer Dario Milo are ongoing.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe on Sunday showed how disconnected he is to reality when he blasted leaders for overstaying in power. During celebrations to mark his birthday at Rudhaka stadium in Marondera Mugabe, in reference to provincial chairmen in ZANU PF, said: ‘Those in leadership who have stayed long and have produced no results must now give way and allow other leaders to take over.’ Outspoken leader of the MDC99, Job Sikhala, said it is ironic that a man who has been at the helm of ZANU PF since 1977 can say that. ‘He has been leader of ZANU PF for close to 40 years now and that alone disqualifies him from asking other people to step down when he is still there,’ Sikhala said. He said Mugabe’s outburst could have been influenced by the factional infighting in the party, as he believed the provincial leaders had taken sides with the alleged factional leaders. The factional leaders are Vice President Joyce Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, two party stalwarts battling to outwit each other in the hope of taking over from Mugabe one day.