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

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The government has been asked to urgently remove laws that restrict the work of human rights defenders and repeal offensive sections of POSA that inhibit freedom of assembly. A report released by civil society organisations (CSO’s) in Harare on Friday was critical at the slow pace of the implementation of a number of recommendations, aimed at curtailing and improving human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The new constitution now provides for the establishment of a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) to deal with issues of healing and reconciliation. However legislation to align these laws into the new charter has not been done. Analysts say there has been little progress in implementing key aspects of the human rights recommendations, notably the need to repeal draconian laws and ensure accountability for past rights abuses. ‘The government must urgently facilitate the appointment of a secretariat for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and enact laws to operationalize the NPRC and the Gender Council.‘The government must also guarantee the independence of the Anti Corruption Commission and the Zimbabwe Media Commission as well as ensure that they are adequately resourced,’ the report recommnded. Abel Chikomo, the executive director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, launched the report which highlighted the need for the government to educate law enforcement agencies on the role and functions of CSO’s in a democratic society. The mid term report is a feedback on the performance of the government in implementing recommendations between 2011 and 2014. Three years ago, CSO’s, working in partnership with the United Nations Human Rights Council, presented the government with 177 recommendations, of which 130 were accepted and 47 rejected. However, CSO’s and NGO’s have complained that since the adoption of the new constitution in May last year, the ruling ZANU PF government has only implemented some recommendations on paper, with practical progress yet to be made.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

A team of international doctors and nurses who have changed the lives of hundreds of Zimbabweans through free facial reconstruction surgery, will be returning to the country once again in April. The Operation of Hope team, with the assistance of the Avondale and Borrowdale Brooke Rotary Clubs, will be offering the free surgeries to children and adults from April 7th. Parents and guardians of potential patients, or anyone afflicted with cleft palates or similar facial disfigurements, are encouraged to attend the screening day on April 6th. That screening process at the Harare Central Hospital will be used to determine the surgery days and times. The screening day starts at 8am and all potential patients will need to bring their relevant documents and medical records. The April surgeries will be the 14th mission Operation of Hope has undertaken in Zimbabwe since first coming to the country in 2006. More than 720 people have received free surgeries since then. The last mission in 2013 saw 42 people, mainly children, receiving new smiles. The Rotary Club’s Stewart Chipato, who has helped the international team during recent missions, described the transformations he has witnessed as “nothing short of miraculous.”“These surgeries transform the children completely, both facially, spiritually and mentally. It restores their looks, their spirit and their hope. It also restores the lives of their parents, so it’s very moving,” Chipato told SW Radio Africa. Operation of Hope meanwhile is also fundraising for the future surgeries needed by Zimbabwean, Blessing Makwera, who suffered extreme facial injuries after a land-mine accident in 2008. Blessing, just 14 at the time, accidentally put the mine in his mouth, not knowing what it was. The mine then detonated, obliterating his tongue, teeth & jawbone. The Operation of Hope team has been helping Blessing obtain the life changing surgeries he would never be able to afford alone. The latest fundraising efforts include Operation of Hope’s volunteer nurse and anesthetist, Lisa Rogien, who will run the Boston Marathon this April. All funds she raises will go towards Operation of Hope’s efforts. Lisa is also hosting Blessing in her home in Idaho, USA as he attends school awaiting the completion of the multiple and complex surgeries he needs.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Press freedom campaigners say the government should put political considerations aside in the ongoing licensing impasse that is denying rural communities a chance to have their own radio stations. Instead the government should consider the diverse interests, cultures, and voices that have a genuine need to be heard through community radio, delegates gathered at the Bulawayo Press Club heard Thursday. Speaking at the event, veteran broadcaster Tapfuma Machakaire said the State should consider the potential of community radio initiatives to feed national, urban-based media with real-time updates on specific community events. “Community radios are not a regime change weapon. They are a powerful development tool for marginalised groups and society as a whole,” Machakaire said. Turning to the recent flooding crisis which left scores of Tsholotsho villagers stranded, Prince Zwide Khumalo said the effects of the disaster could have been mitigated if locals had a dedicated station they could use to raise the alarm. Prince Khumalo said if Tsholotsho villagers had a community radio station, they would have used it as an early warning system to alert relevant bodies about the impending disaster. “The absence of such a community-based initiative meant that when disaster hit, information flow from the suffering masses was not there.“The government has all these systems and structures in place but the missing link is that the communication from the grassroots people that are exposed to the disaster to those supposed to provide the response and rescue systems aren’t there.“It is for that reason that we believe community radio stations should be licensed and made an official organ to service even remote areas so that when disasters of this nature take place, they can be adequately publicised,” added Prince Khumalo, who is also the vice-chairman of umbrella group the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS). The government recently announced plans to issue some broadcasting licences. However, campaigners say they are not holding their breaths because of the government’s reluctance to do so over the years. Already, there are strong indications that individuals with links to the ruling ZANU PF party will get the licences ahead of communities who really need them. Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, under which licensing body the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe falls, this week told a Canadian diplomat that the delay in licensing more radio stations was not his fault. “The Minister pointed out that there were limitations to the broadcasting spectrum allocated by the International Telecommunication Union although that spectrum can multiply itself under the digitalisation era,” the State-run Herald said Friday. But ZACRAS head Gift Mambipiri dismissed Moyo’s excuse as just one of many superficial reasons that the government gives to avoid issuing licences.“The real reason is that politicians do not want the general population to have platforms to speak and articulate their own issues, therefore they see community radios as political inconveniences.“This is about closing spaces that would allow alternative views to be expressed because politicians want to be the ones speaking to the people. If the lack of capacity is the issue, then they should go ahead and license the few stations that the spectrum can accommodate,” Mambipiri said. He said Moyo’s argument was nothing more than the Minister playing politics again. In January the broadcasting authority invited applications for 25 commercial radio licences. It remains unclear when the call will be extended to community radios. He said the delay to liberalise the airwaves was denying the rural communities the right to enjoy freedom of the media, freedom of expression and the rights of access to information. Regionally, Zimbabwe lags behind in the liberalisation of airwaves with countries like South Africa and Zambia already way ahead. South Africa has nearly 120 community radio stations while Zambia had its first in 1994.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Between 2009 and 2013 Zimbabwe’s parastatals and local authorities may have paid as much as $85 million in untaxed ‘corrupt salaries’ to top executives, tax experts have calculated. The Financial Gazette has reported that 181 executives of parastatals and local authorities were diverting $21 million in annual incomes to untaxed benefits, to dodge the taxman. The report said with the anomaly backdating to 2009, which is when the US dollar was adopted, this translates to more than $85 million. Tax expert Zack Murerwa told the newspaper that these are the amounts that could have been paid without being taxed. Murerwa said according to the Income Tax Act any benefit that is paid to a manager is taxable but ‘most companies were not taxing staff correctly.’ As a result tax evasion may have occurred and some benefits may have been paid through ‘secret payrolls’. According to the report, Murerwa said he believes that an audit of the concerned entities would reveal that there was ‘prejudice to the state’. He added: ‘There are questionable tax commitments from the listed firms, especially on benefits.’ Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who also chairs the newly formed cabinet committee on state enterprises, has said an audit is already underway. Salary schedules released by Chinamasa this week showed that local authorities’ bosses were earning a combined $520 million a month in untaxed benefits and a further $312 million in untaxed allowances. The bosses of parastatals were earning a combined one million dollars in monthly benefits. The MDC-T MP for Mufakose and chairperson of the parliamentary committee on public accounts, Pawurina Mpariwa, said her committee will be meeting with Chinamasa’s committee ‘soon’. Mpariwa said they will seek to input into the work of the committee by making recommendations. She said they will be formulating their recommendations next week after meeting with the officials from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA). The public accounts committee summoned NSSA executives last month after reports that the authority was embroiled in a $50 million hotel scam. Reports said the cost of a hotel built by NSSA in the border town of Beitbridge had grown from $17 million to $50 million, in suspicious circumstances. According to Mpariwa NSSA officials will again appear before Parliament next week. The issue of ‘corrupt salaries’ paid to CEOs has dominated public debate for much of this year and has caused indignation across the country. The situation is made worse by the fact that the concerned individuals and institutions are generally incompetent and underperforming. But while many state CEOs have been exposed in the ongoing revelations on ‘corrupt salaries’ few, if any, believe the ZANU PF government has the capacity and will to effectively deal with graft. So far a veil of secrecy has been maintained on the earnings of cabinet ministers.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is set to host the next regional Heads of State Summit in Victoria Falls, which will see Robert Mugabe taking over the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). According to a Chronicle newspaper report a preparatory meeting will be taking place next week with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the summit taking place in August. A local organising committee was formed this week ahead of the planning meeting, composed of representatives from a cross section of different government departments as well as the police, the army and the tourism sector. The hosting of the SADC meeting comes off the back of the ‘successful’ hosting of last year’s international United Nations (UN) tourism summit in 2013. That UN meeting, which took place in the weeks after the disputed electoral ‘victory’ by ZANU PF, resulted in international condemnation. The UN tourism authority was harshly criticised for endorsing the flawed Zim elections and the contested result, by going ahead with the Victoria Falls meeting. The SADC Heads of State summit meanwhile will coincide with Robert Mugabe’s ascension to the Chairmanship of the leadership body. He was appointed to the Deputy Chairmanship position last year, in a move that was also roundly condemned as a sign of SADC’s loyalty to the ageing ZANU PF leader. Dewa Mavhinga, senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, said the decision to appoint Mugabe to the SADC leadership was “an admission of failure of leadership” by the regional body. He also criticised the hosting of the summit in Victoria Falls while the rest of the country was suffering with a shortage of food, unemployment and a rapidly declining economy. “Victoria Falls is far removed from the reality in Zimbabwe. It is an elitist venue that is reflective of how disconnected the Zimbabwean leadership is,” Mavhinga told SW Radio Africa. Former Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth, whose attempts to have the SADC human rights Tribunal restored were dashed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights , meanwhile said he was “outraged” by the SADC developments.“We have a situation where the Commission allows the dictators of Southern Africa to get away with destroying the highest human rights court of the region, and these same heads of state are now making Mugabe, who is responsible for the destruction of the court, the chairman of SADC,” Freeth told SW Radio Africa on Friday. He added: “What we have clearly is a group of people who are not there with the aims of protecting the rights of its people, but who are only there to protect their own power. This summit in Victoria Falls just shows that they really don’t care.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe has appointed banker John Mangudya as the new governor for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), reports said Monday. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa confirmed the appointment on Sunday and said Mangudya’s term will start on May 1st. Mangudya replaces Gideon Gono who left the central bank late last year after ten years at the helm. Charity Dhliwayo has been acting as the governor since Gono’s departure. According to reports Mangudya is the chief executive at the CBZ Holdings, the country’s largest banking group by assets. He also worked for the RBZ for 10 years until 1996 and at the African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim) as its manager for Southern Africa. A brief biography posted on the Reuters website says Mangudya obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe. He also reportedly received a Doctorate in Philosophy in Business Administration from the Washington International University. Former finance minister Simba Makoni said he knows Mangudya at both a personal and professional level and he is confident that ‘he will measure up to the task.’ Makoni said: ‘I know he is competent and I know he does things on the straight and narrow.’ On Mangudya’s academic profile Makoni said: ‘I don’t know what certificates he holds and neither do I know which universities he went to; all I know is that he is competent and professional.’ However, Makoni said that Mangudya’s job will not be easy because of the political and economic challenges which the country faces. He said: ‘The question is will he be allowed to operate according to his competence and qualification or he will be interfered with politically, which has been the problem for his predecessor.’ He added: ‘The many challenges which the economy faces will without any doubt make his job very difficult and stressful.’ Tony Hawkins, who is an economist and RBZ board member, said the new governor will face a ‘restricted role’ because the country doesn’t have its own currency. Hawkins said while Mangudya is both experienced and ‘well trained’ the governor’s job is ‘seriously constrained by the dollar economy.’ He said ‘money supply is obviously out of the bank’s control.’ Zimbabwe discarded its currency in 2009 in favour of multiple foreign currencies which include the dollar and South African rand, in a bid to arrest hyper-inflation.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Lawyers representing MDC-T activists, accused in the murder of a Glen View cop, began laying out their case in court on Monday, as the three year saga entered what they hope will be the final stages of their ordeal. Defence lawyer Jeremiah Bamu from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) told SW Radio Africa that activist Tungamirai Madzokere, who was granted bail in January this year after serving three years in jail, took the stand Monday afternoon and will continue giving more evidence Tuesday. Bamu could not give details of what transpired in court as the trial is still in progress, but he explained that the prosecution had already presented their case and the defence now has to provide their evidence. A total of 29 MDC-T activists and officials were originally arrested after Glen View cop Petros Mutedza was murdered at a local pub in May, 2011. Twenty-one of them were acquitted last year by High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, due to a lack of evidence. Three more activists were set free earlier this month after the state withdrew charges against them, also due to a lack of incriminating evidence. Two of them, Jackson Mabota and Tarisai Kusotera, were arrested one and half years after Mutedza’s death. The third Chenjerai Muchinenyika, was picked up two years after the alleged murder. Sadly Rebecca Mafukeni died while still in prison. The activists have insisted from the start that they were not guilty and were arrested on trumped up charges for political reasons. The trail has dragged on for three years, with state prosecutors and judges failing to turn up on several occasions. More evidence will be heard Tuesday.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The fallout over the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust intensified last week, as it emerged that Chiadzwa diamond miners could face perjury charges after they professed ignorance over the scheme. In 2012 the then Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere presented President Robert Mugabe with a $50 million cheque which he said was money pledged by five mining firms to ensure proceeds from diamonds benefitted local communities. Out of that amount only $400,000 was remitted, with officials from the mining firms distancing themselves from Kasukuwere’s claim that they had pledged $10 million each, when they appeared before parliamentarians two weeks ago. Some said they only pledged $1.5 million each, while others professed complete ignorance of the existence of the Trust. Former Mines Minister Obert Mpofu infuriated Kasukuwere further when he too expressed ignorance regarding the existence of the share ownership scheme. On Friday the State-run Herald newspaper published letters which it said showed that the State had written to the firms regarding their $10 million pledges. The letters were allegedly written by National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board head Mike Nyambuya, reminding the firms to pay up. Kasukuwere also reportedly wrote two letters to Mpofu asking him to ensure the miners met their obligations. But officials from Mbada Diamonds, Marange Resources, Anjin Investments, Jinan and Diamond Mining Company denied any knowledge of the letters to the Herald. Acting Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda has said if it is proved that the officials lied to the legislators they could be charged with perjury. Political and economic analyst Joy Mabenge said the whole saga summarises the dishonesty surrounding the diamond mining at Chiadzwa. “I am not sure who exactly between the mining firms and government ministers is being dishonest, but whatever the case is communities must benefit from the natural resources found in their areas.“This shows that there was something fishy about these community share ownership trusts. There was secrecy, lack of transparency and a lack of accountability and this is sitting right in the middle of what is happening in the country in general where there is pervasive corruption and dishonesty.” Mabenge said if ex-Mines Minister Mpofu was indeed unaware of the existence the community trust, this would be a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left was doing in the run-up to the 2013 elections. “But it’s not clear what exactly Mpofu was not aware of because this scheme was publicly launched by ZANU PF leader President Mugabe. So someone in ZANU PF is fooling the public.” Last week the government, through Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa and finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, threatened to get rid of all mining firms at Chiadzwa and possibly leaving just one body to continue operating. The ministers said this would help address the revenue loss at the diamond fields where Treasury has only received $500 million, with the rest unaccounted for. Observers have already dismissed the planned clampdown as window dressing, meant to pave the way for the planned takeover of the mining concessions by Mbada Diamonds, which is linked to Mugabe’s close ally Robert Mhlanga.“The State is already involved in the Chiadzwa diamond mining activities. State enterprises, including the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, have been heavily involved but still little revenue reached the national purse,” said Mabenge, who also heads the economic justice lobby group, the Zim Coalition of Debt and Development.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

As Zimbabwe forges ahead towards creating a Sovereign Wealth Fund, observers fear the ZANU PF government is not ready for such an undertaking given its history of economic mismanagement. Ideally the fund is supposed to be created through pooling together profits from the exploitation of non-renewable resources, such as minerals, into a savings pot for use by future generations. The idea is to harness excess wealth from depleting resources so that it can be enjoyed by future generations. According to ex-Finance Minister Tendai Biti, one of the people who proposed setting up the fund while serving in the unity government, the devil is in the detail. “The fund is created by harnessing profits from these resources and Zimbabwe is not generating any excess at the moment,” Biti told SW Radio Africa Monday.“The government cannot be thinking of creating a sovereign wealth fund when it cannot even pay workers or cover its recurrent expenditure.“This is a decent idea which is being implemented at the wrong time. What the government should be doing first is to get the economy working and creating the right conditions for any surplus to be produced.“Forging ahead with the fund at this time will do more harm than good as it will be another vehicle of ZANU PF’s system of patronage,” the former minister added. The sovereign wealth fund is currently at Bill stage and, once passed into law, will “support fiscal or macroeconomic stabilisation of the government, including its long-term economic and social development objectives.” The fund is also expected to supplement the country’s revenues “when these are prejudiced by fluctuations of prices of minerals.” Norwegian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bard Hopland however said “the fund should be understood as an instrument for saving and not a development or investment vehicle, but the establishment of mechanisms to set it up should never be tied to the needs of today.”“However, it is important that you have begun to talk about it. It is good that you realise that you need to save for future generations because these resources will not be there forever,” a Zimbabwe Mail Monday report quoted the envoy as saying. The ambassador was skeptical of the country’s indigenisation policy through which the ZANU PF government hopes to control the country’s resources.“We are of the opinion that Zimbabwe is going about the indigenisation agenda the difficult way. We allowed oil companies to flourish but took control of the profits. Zimbabwe wants to control the companies and I think it is not an easy thing,” Hopland added. Norway boasts the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, with savings running into almost a trillion dollars. Zimbabwe has vast mineral resources but continues to struggle to realise value from these because of inherent corruption, plunder and economic mismanagement by the ZANU PF government. Independent economist Vince Musewe told SW Radio Africa that the Sovereign Wealth Fund will just be another opportunity for ZANU PF to plunder the proceeds from the country’s vast wealth.“There is no transparent mining sector or economic regime in the country for the fund to be successfully implemented,” Musewe added.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The MDC-T must deal with its internal problems before seeking an alliance with other parties, a senior ZAPU official has said. ZAPU’s comments come after a Monday Daily News report quoted secretary general Strike Mkandla saying the party will ‘consider’ MDC-T’s proposal for a coalition. But in an interview with SW Radio Africa, Mkandla said while he is not ruling out a merger with the MDC-T it is ZAPU’s view that Morgan Tsvangirai’s party is ‘not yet ready’ for a partnership with other parties. Mkandla said: ‘The timing is not good on Tsvangirai’s side. If you are fighting with your colleagues it cannot be the right time to seek partnerships. He has to sort out his problems first.’ The Daily News said MDC-T national organizing secretary Nelson Chamisa called on ‘progressive forces including ZAPU’ to form a grand coalition ahead of the 2018 elections. The call was made a fortnight ago at a rally in Bulawayo where the MDC-T publicly readmitted former executives of the Welshman Ncube-led MDC formation, Edward Mkhosi and Siyabonga Malandu. The MDC-T has also readmitted former St Mary MP Job Sikhala and former Gweru mayor Tedious Chimombe back into its ranks. Sikhala was one of the notable figures who left the party during the infamous 2005 spilt. Almost 10 years on the MDC-T is once again embroiled in internal squabbles with fears that the party could be headed for yet another split. The problems arose after suspended deputy treasurer general, Elton Mangoma, wrote a letter to Tsvangirai urging him to step down and allow new leadership to take over. The Ncube-led MDC has already commented on the calls for a grand alliance saying Tsvangirai should make a formal approach if he is genuinely seeking to partner with other opposition parties. The MDC also said it would consider a pact with the MDC-T only if their bitter rivals ‘changed their ways’ and renounced violence. The comments followed an assault on Mangoma by suspected MDC-T youths outside the party’s headquarters in Harare over his call for Tsvangirai to step down. The National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku has ruled out any partnership with Tsvangirai saying his call for a merger was an ‘insult’. Ahead of last year’s election ZAPU snubbed the MDC-T’s overtures for a coalition and settled for a pact with Ncube’s party instead. ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa has previously admitted that his party partnered with Simba Makoni’s Mavambo/Kusile in the 2008 election, specifically to prevent an MDC-T outright victory.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Elton Mangoma, the suspended deputy treasurer-general of the MDC-T, said on Monday he would go to court to challenge his suspension as he wanted to question the legality of the move. Mangoma’s lawyer Jacob Mafume told SW Radio Africa that he will file the application with the High Court on Tuesday, as it was their duty to point out the irregularities surrounding the suspension. He said the court papers will cite the party, its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Secretary-General Tendai Biti and national chairman Lovemore Moyo as the respondents in the case. However party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora downplayed the impending court challenge, describing it as ill-advised. ‘Mangoma is being ill-advised…he’s getting very poor quality legal representation. We will wait to see the application but before I even see it I know it’s an ill-advised job,’ Mwonzora said. He emphasized the court action will not stop them taking Mangoma to a disciplinary tribunal that the party set up to hear the case against the former Energy Minister. ‘We are determined to rein in on one of our own. We are determined to enforce the discipline of the party. How can they approach the external courts when they’ve not exhausted the internal legal processes?‘The tribunal has not sat down to hear the case. The three member body has not acted unfairly yet, they have not acted adversely against him yet and they certainly have not found him guilty yet…so how does anyone complain before the first justice has even rolled out? Asked Mwonzora. Mafume remained adamant they will seek remedy before the courts as they believe the party has acted improperly in trying to discipline Mangoma. ‘We are taking this case to the courts to test the measure of democracy in our party,’ said Mafume, adding that the body that suspended Mangoma was not properly constituted.‘The national council meeting was not done procedurally. There were people who were not supposed to be in that meeting and the atmosphere was intimidatory to an extent that no charges were read to our client,’ claimed Mafume. Mangoma was suspended earlier this month pending an appearance before an independent disciplinary tribunal, in terms of the constitution of the party. The party accused him of ‘provoking divisions and bringing the movement into disrepute’. This is the first time since the formation of the MDC that a member of the standing committee has been suspended.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s government is being urged to renegotiate mining agreements it has made with some foreign investors, who have been accused of using the country’s political crisis to take advantage of its mineral wealth. The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) said in a recent report that “a plethora of bad decisions and corruption have ensured Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth is benefiting other countries at its own expense.” The CNRG took aim at countries forming the BRICS international grouping, which includes Zimbabwe’s top three investors, China, Russia and South Africa. Other BRICS members include India and Brazil. CNRG executive director Farai Maguwu said Monday that the mining agreements with these countries were based purely on ‘political solidarity’ as a result of ‘isolation’ by Western nations. He said that the targeted restrictions imposed against the ZANU PF regime resulted in the party making ‘friends’ with nations like China and Russia, but not to the benefit of Zimbabweans.“BRICS investments in Zimbabwe over the past decade have been often highly controversial and of little consequence to employment creation and revenue generation. BRICS nations make up Zimbabwe’s top three investors: China leads with investments of $374.8 million approved by Zimbabwe Investment Authority in 2013, followed by Russia with approvals from it worth US$40.1 million and thirdly, South Africa with US$39 million,” the CNRG report states. Maguwu told SW Radio Africa: “We have seen an increase of extractivism in the country, and at the same time, a worsening level of poverty where the companies from these BRICS countries are extracting.” This includes Russian firm DTZ-OZGEO (Private) Limited, a joint venture initiative between the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) and a Russian company, Econedra Limited. This company is involved in gold mining in Penhalonga and diamond mining in Chimanimani, plus a number of other claims. Maguwu said the firm’s operations are not only leading to serious environmental degradation, but there is also no sign that the wealth being mined will ever benefit local communities.“The environmental catastrophe that is unfolding in Penhalonga is unprecedented in this province. And we don’t know where the gold is going,” Maguwu explained. He said similar issues of non-transparency and bad practice are also evident at other BRICS country run mining ventures. This includes the Chinese run Anjin diamond mining firm in Marange, where millions of dollars in diamond remittances are still unaccounted for. “Zimbabwe is losing out and if I was to make a recommendation, then government needs to stop these mining operations and renegotiate better plans,” Maguwu said. He continued: “The government engaged these countries without a plan. It was more for political solidarity than engaging with them at business level. So these guys took advantage of the international isolation of Zimbabwe to negotiate terrible deals, which allowed them to loot the country at will.” Maguwu said that reengagement efforts seen now by European and other western nations was an opportunity to ‘normalise’ relationships in the extractive sector, and negotiate deals that benefit Zimbabwe and its citizens first.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

An audit has revealed that the Mining Development Fund was systematically looted during the period when the ZANU PF MP for Umguza, Obert Mpofu, was the mines minister. The audit covered the year 2011 and the report is now being scrutinized by the parliamentary committee on public accounts. So obvious was the evidence of looting that the office of the auditor general has recommended an investigation into the operations of the Fund. A report from the auditor general’s office said the fraud was ‘perpetrated by ministry officials who took advantage of the weaknesses in the processing payments where cash was being used instead of using cheques.’ The audit found that the cash book in which expenditure was recorded was stolen. As a result it was difficult for the auditor general to establish the validity of financial statements provided by the ministry. Some listed items such as rentals, hire expenses, foreign travel, food and refreshments, printing and stationery incurred ‘unnecessarily high expenditures which were not commensurate with the size and operations of the Fund.’ The audit said as much as $1.6 million was unaccounted for and it was not convinced that the monies were used in pursuance of the Fund’s objectives. MDC-T shadow minister of mines Abedinico Bhebhe said the looting was made possible by the lack of monitoring mechanisms. He said: ‘The Fund is generally vulnerable to looting and I can tell you that the whole idea of setting up such a fund, without putting up monitoring mechanisms, was disastrous.’ Bhebhe said his own investigations have so far shown that some people were accessing the fund to run private businesses. It is not clear if Mpofu had any direct access to the Fund but the findings of this audit could further taint his image. Although Mpofu was already a businessman prior to his appointment it is said that he acquired vast properties in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls during his tenure as mines minister. But as the minister in charge at the time he should take full responsibility. So wealthy is Mpofu that a ZANU PF MP for Hurungwe West, Themba Mliswa, has called for investigation into how his colleague acquired the Allied Bank. It is widely believed that Mpofu, who calls himself President Mugabe’s ‘ever obedient son’, owes his wealth to his unquestionable loyalty to the ageing leader.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The brother of a ZANU PF minister who administered a government youth fund has been named as one of the many beneficiaries who have defaulted on loans, amid allegations that the scheme mostly benefited ZANU PF youth. Tongai Kasukuwere, whose brother Saviour Kasukuwere was Minister of Youth and Indigenization when the fund was established, is reported to have received $5,000 through his company, claiming it was for a horticultural project. But none of the money has been repaid and the project has not produced any results either, according to NewZimbabwe.com news site. Legislators were told last week that Saviour’s ministry was solely responsible for deciding who gets the loans and instructing the banks to disburse the funds. Testifying before the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Indigenization and Empowerment last Thursday, one of the bank executives said over seventy percent of the loans remain unpaid. Tongai Kasukuwere is a ZANU PF Secretary for External Affairs and his brother Saviour is now the Minister for Environment. NewZimbabwe said Tongai received the loan together with Cecilia Chivhunga, the ZANU PF youth league Deputy Secretary for Information. According to Tongai Matutu, who was the MDC-T deputy Minister for Indigenization under Kasukuwere, the youth fund was a ZANU PF political gimmick meant to boost their support base. Matutu told SW Radio Africa that an estimated 95% of those who got the loans were ZANU PF members and supporters, and the majority never meant to pay back the loans or use them for empowerment projects. “The Minister Saviour Kasukuwere exercised biased in favour of ZANU PF youth. More so those youth were not properly vetted. Those who went to collect money from the bank were referred either by him or through other political structures within the ZANU PF rank and file,” Matutu said. He added: “So it was not based on the profitability or bankability of the project but on political allegiance and affiliation. Hence those people are failing to pay because those projects were never properly assessed by the bank itself.” Tongai Kasukuwere, who got his loan “for horticulture purposes”, has allegedly failed to service the debt due to “poor planning and project management as well as unwillingness to pay”. As for Saviour Kasukuwere, Matutu alleged that the Minister used to distribute money from the youth fund to supporters at ZANU PF rallies, without vetting them or even asking what projects they were planning on spending it on. Matutu admitted that there were a few beneficiaries who presented sustainable projects and got the money “on merit”, but he estimated that 95% of those who received funding were ZANU PF. Many bought expensive suits and shoes and others simply went drinking and had a good time. The few success stories are also the only ones who have managed to repay their loans, according to the former deputy Youth Minister.