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MDC-T President Morgan Tsvangirai and the ‘renewal team,’ a faction that has been advocating for his removal as party leader, have closed ranks and vowed on Tuesday to work together and embrace unity. Last Friday the party’s standing committee held a five hour ‘no holds barred’ retreat at which some members spent half the time dodging verbal hand grenades thrown at them. In the end both sides agreed to bury the hatchet. Party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora struck an upbeat note about the situation in the party now, saying it was improving and he hoped a united opposition will emerge to deal with the pressing economic, social and political issues, created since President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party ‘won’ last year’s elections. On Tuesday Mwonzora told SW Radio Africa that following a national executive meeting of the party those that were trying to drive a wedge between Tsvangirai and secretary-general Tendai Biti have failed. For the first time since the party was rocked by the infighting, Biti and other members of the renewal team attended a press conference addressed by Tsvangirai at Harvest House. ‘We’ve all put our egos and bruised feelings aside and come back and to do what is the right thing for our nation,’ said Mwonzora. He confirmed rivals have closed ranks, at a time when the party was shaken by three months of bitter infighting, triggered by a four-page letter authored by the suspended deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma calling for Tsvangirai to step down. ‘We must train our guns against Mugabe and ZANU PF, not at our comrades,” he said, adding that everyone in the top party leadership have given their assurance that they will support Tsvangirai’s leadership. Mwonzora said the coming four years will be crucial as the party gears up for the 2018 general election. ‘We don’t have any capital for party infighting. We should look at ways of revitalising ourselves and retain all members who left the party to join or form other political parties.’

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has received a $100 million loan from the African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) which will be used to set up an inter-bank market as the country struggles to solve its entrenched economic problems. The inter-bank facility is meant to ease the cash shortages that indigenous banks have been experiencing, by enabling them to borrow and trade with each other. “By so doing, the liquidity which is lying idle will be used to stimulate the inter-bank market. This is expected to have a multiplier effect on the circulation of money in the system,” Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said at the weekend. A statement from Afreximbank said the “decision to introduce the facility was motivated by its recognition of the serious constraints limiting the access of Zimbabwe’s trade finance banks to funding as a result of the liquidity challenge confronting the financial sector.” The loan will also enable the central bank to exercise some influence over market rates, a role it lost when hyperinflation forced Zimbabwe to adopt a multi-currency system in 2009. Analysts have welcomed the cash injection but say the facility is a cosmetic intervention that does not address the structural deficiencies in the economy. Financial economist and academic Bekithemba Mpofu said, in the short term the loan will help ease the liquidity crunch. “An efficient inter-bank market allows banks to lend to their clients who include companies who need capital to operate at full capacity and produce enough for the export market.“If companies can’t borrow they can’t produce or manufacture much and the country ends up importing more than it exports. Without export earnings, the country’s ability to service its debts is severely affected and this is more-so for a country like Zimbabwe that is dependent on a borrowed currency,” Mpofu said. Mpofu said the government should instead create a stable investment climate that will also stimulate economic growth. “We need an environment where companies can begin to operate at full capacity to sustain the economy because without this any financial aid the country gets will bring short-term results.“More importantly Zimbabwe needs a government that’s willing to implement sound policies that will not deter foreign investors. Without political will, we will keep discussing remedies and this does not solve the problem,” Mpofu added. Harare-based economist Prosper Chitambara said the loan will infuse some confidence into the financial market and give the central bank some relevance as “lender of last resort”.“But this is money that’s being injected into the financial system and not into the economy and so this does not exactly stimulate economic growth.” Chitambara said while it is necessary to stabilise the financial system it is also important to address the challenges that have led to the instability and seek to inject life into the economy as a whole. “Right now confidence levels in the Zim economy are very low, and there is a strong indication that we are in deflation due to continued de-industrialisation of the economy.“Unless the State deals with macro-economic issues these short-term measures will not lead to any sustainable economic growth or development,” said Chitambara. Another commentator, Lee Moyo, said the inter-bank facility is a good idea “provided ZANUPF doesn’t do what it knows best – looting”. He added that Zimbabwe has the resources to stimulate economic growth, the problem is that these are misused. The central bank – which will manage the inter-bank facility – is itself saddled with a debt of more than $1 billion which it incurred when ex-governor Gideon Gono looted foreign currency accounts belonging to charities and corporates. The money was used to fund the ZANU PF government. At the moment it needs up to $200 million to capitalise, Reuters news agency reported Monday.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Government coffers are so dry the ruling ZANU PF government has deferred payment of salaries for civil servants this month. The opposition MDC-T said this was a sign that ZANU PF has failed to run the country and does not have a clue how to turn around the economy. A statement last week from the Ministry of Finance stated that the date for salaries had been moved from 25th to 27th March. Economic analyst Luke Zunga told SW Radio Africa’s Speak Out Padare program on Tuesday that the deepening financial crisis has already eroded public services and there is a danger some of the services may shut down entirely if the government fails to find money to pay its wage bill. The country’s donor community is currently attempting to fill the many gaps created by poor public service delivery. Civil servants and teachers’ unions have already threatened to stop work if salaries are not paid on time.‘The economy in Zimbabwe is doomed. The obstacle to revive the economy is Robert Mugabe. He has gone astray with his policies and everyone has followed him towards the destructive path he has taken,’ Zunga said. The analyst said he predicts a situation were the country will constantly struggle to pay public service salaries unless there is a complete rethink on where they’re going as a government.‘They are probably surviving on handouts to pay civil servants now. Unfortunately for political reasons, the unity government failed to implement recommendations contained in the Global Political Agreement that would have solved problems being experienced now by this present government,’ added Zunga. He warned that failure by the government to pay its uniformed forces will have dire consequences, not only in Zimbabwe but the whole region. “A security threat with regional implications will emerge when government fails to pay the army and police,’ said Zunga.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The upcoming summit between African and European Union (EU) leaders could be in doubt, with Robert Mugabe mulling a boycott if his wife is not granted a travel visa to join him. The fourth EU-Africa summit is set to take place in Brussels, Belgium, on the 2nd to the 3rd April under the theme “Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace”. Mugabe was invited despite remaining a target of the EU’s restrictive measures that prohibit European travel. The ZANU PF leader’s wife is also targeted with the measures, which were significantly reduced by the EU last month. But despite Grace Mugabe playing no diplomatic role in the upcoming talks, the failure by the EU to invite her and extend a travel visa to her has angered her 90 year old spouse. Grace is often referred to as the ‘First Shopper’ of Zimbabwe, and is known for her opulent spending sprees during overseas travel. The measures against her and husband are also commonly referred to as ‘shopping sanctions’ because they prevent the fashion conscious Grace from spending in Europe. EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’Ariccia, stated this week that the European bloc “invited those with a role to play at the meetings and the programmes of the meetings don’t have any role for spouses.” But Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba blasted the EU position, telling the state media that the stance was “strange”.“It’s very strange that the EU has not extended an invitation to the First Lady. What God has put together the EU is trying to separate. Do they expect the President to respect the EU and disrespect his own marriage?” Charamba was quoted as saying. Mugabe is reportedly also fuming over the EU’s decision not to invite his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, who faces war crimes and genocide charges before the International Criminal Court. Also left off the invite list is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an African Union (AU) member. This has also prompted speculation of a possible boycott of the meeting by Mugabe. It was originally unclear if Mugabe himself would be invited to the summit. But the EU appeared to give in to pressure from the AU which had threatened to withdraw from the meeting if Mugabe was not invited. This was stated shortly after an AU meeting in February where Mugabe was appointed to the First Deputy Chair of the AU. This puts him in line to take over as the AU Chair next year. Former diplomat and political commentator Clifford Mashiri said the EU’s repeated capitulations to accommodate Mugabe meant the bloc has lost credibility. He told SW Radio Africa that he wouldn’t be surprised if the EU gave in to the pressure to give Grace a visa.“The EU has created a problem for itself by even entertaining these African dictators. It has lost credibility and allowed itself to be swayed by its economic interests,” Mashiri said. Europe has been increasing its re-engagement efforts with ZANU PF ever since the party secured a contested ‘victory’ at last year’s elections. The efforts to ‘normalise’ bilateral relations have been spearheaded by Belgium, the diamond capital of Europe, amid criticism that the economic gains of the European nation were being prioritised over the democratic rights of Zimbabweans. The Antwerp World Diamond Council recently admitted it pushed for the removal of the targeted sanctions on Mugabe’s cronies to ensure it secured the rights to trade in Chiadzwa diamonds. Meanwhile, the London based protest group the Zimbabwe Vigil is still working out a plan to hold a demonstration against Mugabe’s presence at the EU-Africa summit next week. Vigil coordinator Rose Benton said Tuesday that they will wait to see if Mugabe decides to attend the meeting or not.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The MDC-T has accused the ruling ZANU PF party of deliberately withholding millions of dollars due to the opposition group, as part of plans to ‘destroy’ the movement. Zimbabwe’s Political Parties Finance Act stipulates that a party that garners at least five percent of the vote in a previous election is eligible to receive public funds. The MDC-T says it is owed $3 million, but that ZANU PF is deliberately not handing over the money. Douglas Mwonzora, MDC-T spokesperson, told the Daily News newspaper this week that although the party was aware that the ZANU PF run government was financially constrained, it should consider paying the opposition what it is due in batches. “During the Seventh Parliament, the MDC was entitled to about 41 percent under the Act and presently the party is entitled to about 33 percent but we have not received anything,” Mwonzora was quoted as saying. He added: “We suspect that government wants to ground the MDC financially.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The government’s $6,000 monthly cap on executive salaries has not been officially communicated to local authorities, amid reports that some authorities view the order as illegal. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced the salary cap at a press conference last week, following public anger at the mega salaries earned by senior officials at loss-making parastatals. Chinamasa ordered that all State-linked institutions and local authorities immediately cut executive salaries to $6,000, including benefits, while a probe into how the salaries were awarded was undertaken. But according to the NewsDay newspaper, some local authorities had defied Chinamasa’s directive saying it is against labour laws and the Constitution.“Everything has to be done according to the laws of the country. It’s not about agreeing or disagreeing, it’s about the law,” Wellington Chikombo, a human resources official at Harare City Council, told the newspaper. Kadoma Mayor Muchineripi Chinyanganya reportedly said that Chinamasa’s statement was populist and not “implementable”. Bulawayo Mayor Martin Moyo told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that councils had yet to receive the minister’s directive and, as such, they cannot implement that which hasn’t been officially communicated with them.“Local authorities are not defying any directive because so far what I have heard are announcements coming through the press. We do not know what would have been the rationale used to come up with the figures that are being thrown around,” the Bulawayo Mayor said. Moyo said the executive salaries should be a “negotiated matter” and government cannot arbitrarily pick a figure and apply it to everybody. The Mayor said doing so would lead to an exodus of highly-skilled council staff to places where they can get better salaries. Moyo said local authorities have in the past implemented government directives, including last year’s debt write-off order, but he said the government should do so through proper channels.“We need to deal with this in a sane manner, bearing in mind that this is a contractual matter which could see councils being sued by employees for violating agreements”. Harare-based lawyer Charles Kwaramba agreed with the mayor, and said Minister Chinamasa should brace himself for a legal fight. “The issue of salaries goes directly to the roots of contracts. It is an issue whereby parties confer rights on each other and either party cannot take these away unilaterally.“You can only vary someone’s contract with their consent otherwise that becomes an unfair labour practice,” Kwaramba added. But lawyer Tawanda Zhuwarara told the NewsDay newspaper that the government could get away with its directive, with no legal impediments. “Section 195 sub-section 1 of the Constitution says all companies and institutions owned by the State should abide by generally accepted standards,” Zhuwarara said. Zhuwarara argued that when an individual earns $500,000, as in the case of Premier Medical Aid Society boss Cuthbert Dube, “and the company can’t pay its workers, it’s not good corporate governance. It’s not just stupid, it’s illegal.”

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Relatives of Simbarashe Muchengeti, an alleged gold dealer and robbery suspect who police say shot himself dead in custody, are not convinced he took his own life. Instead they believe he was murdered in a ‘deal gone wrong’ by one of the police officers who interrogated him at Shurugwi police station. In an interview with our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme on the Hidden Story program, a relative explained that Muchengeti was not what the police claim he was. He was a businessman, according to his family. An accountant by profession the late Muchengeti had set up a mining company after buying some concessions recently. He had also resigned from his full-time job and relocated to Shurugwi were he was running an accounting consultancy firm apart from his interests in mining. The relative who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said contrary to reports that he had been arrested and brought to the station, Muchengeti surrendered himself to the authorities. ‘They went looking for him at his house and he was not there. When he got home he heard that police came looking for him and that he should report to the police which he did.‘When he got there he was immediately arrested and put into custody. He was able to communicate his arrest to his mother who lives near the station and who visited him in the morning. It was late in the afternoon when she went back to see him again that she was told he had shot himself,’ the relative said. He said nothing is making sense to them: ‘We believe before they put him in custody they did a thorough body search on him and took away his shoes, belt and wallet. He was actually handcuffed and to suggest that a man in handcuffs may smuggle a gun into a toilet is just preposterous,’ he said. His family said they are demanding a full investigation by the police or an independent body to look at circumstances that transpired before and after the shooting.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

There is rising concern for the future welfare and safety of Zimbabwe’s Presidential Elephant Herd, because of the takeover of a piece of land in Hwange, which serves as the herd’s home range. A woman who calls herself either Elisabeth Pasalk or Elisabeth Freeman has claimed ownership of the land in the Kanondo area, despite a 2013 directive by Zimbabwe’s Cabinet that offer letters for the land be withdrawn. The woman has claimed that she inherited the property from her late mother, who in turn was given the land by the government. The land, which is classified as State land, was identified and resurrected by the founder of the Presidential Elephant Conservation Project in 2009. The land in question includes key Presidential Elephant waterholes – Kanondo pan and Mpofu pan. But in what has been described as a case that “so reeks of incompetence and lack of care, of ignorance, of greed, of covering butts, of back-handers, and of the corruption that this country is supposedly, right now, trying to stamp out,” the Cabinet directive of 2013 has been ignored. Instead, the Kanondo land claimant has forged ahead with the building of a safari lodge. The new land ‘owner’ has also been blocking outside access to the land, including game drives full of tourists on photographic safaris in Zimbabwe specifically to see the Presidential herd. The caretaker of the Herd has also personally been threatened and manhandled for continuing to monitor the herd on the Kanondo land. The Kanondo area is now being referred to as the Gwango Elephant Lodge, which claims to be a conservancy opening for tourism business in April 2014. The claimant, Elisabeth Pasalk/Freeman is understood to be an American resident, but concern has been raised amid reports that she is the sister of a known Zimbabwean hunting safari operator named Rodger Madangure. Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), told SW Radio Africa that there is concern for the Presidential Herd, which is meant to be protected by a Presidential decree, but which could become the target of hunting safaris. “Photographic safaris and sightseeing tours are being blocked from going there. And once you close the area down like that, you know there is some hidden agenda. My concern is that these people will use this area as a hunting area. We believe there is an ulterior motive and this area will be used as a hunting concession,” Rodrigues said. The government is now under pressure to explain the situation and stop what Rodrigues called “the invasion of state land which is supposed to be preserved for tourism and non-hunting.” He called on the new Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to intervene. Meanwhile, an online row over the situation has been heating up, with the Gwango Elephant Lodge moving to ‘dispel’ what the owner says is misinformation. Posting on the social networking website, Facebook, Gwango Elephant Lodge says the information is a result of “opportunistic people who have personally benefitted from continuous, unmonitored access to our area by pretending to be concerned about Zimbabwe’s Presidential Elephants and the wildlife in Hwange.” The Lodge added: “There is nothing that Gwango is doing that will adversely affect the Presidential Elephant Herds. Our entire team is fully committed to conservancy and anti-poaching.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean civil society has diminished due to a combination of factors including a brain drain, reduction in funding and political manipulation and inertia, a prominent political researcher has said. Charles Mangongera was speaking on SW Radio Africa’s Cutting Edge programme. This followed a special seminar organized by the University of KwaZulu Natal to discuss the role of civil society in the post Government of National Unity era. Mangongera said civil society has over the years lost most of its best people to international organizations, something which has led to a leadership vacuum. He singled out Transparency International director for Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, and global director of programmes at the Open Society, Tawanda Mutasah. According to Mangongera, the situation has been made worse by infiltration and manipulation of civic groups by the state, political parties and corrupt individuals. As a result civil society was no longer as coordinated and not vibrant enough to spearhead change in the country. Mangongera said the opposition as a whole has ‘donated’ its role to ZANU PF and the party is using that to renew itself. This is apparent in the so-called anti-corruption crusade where the state media appears to be spearheading the crusade ahead of the opposition. He said: ‘ZANU PF has created an opposition within itself because they can see that the opposition is in sixes and sevens. So they are trying to capture the national mood and pretend to be spearheading the fight against corruption by exposing some of their own people’s corruption.’ Mangongera’s comments come on the backdrop of the revelations in the state media of massive corruption in parastatals. A fortnight ago, former finance minister and MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti decried the lack of ‘message’ from the opposition. Biti, who was addressing a seminar organized by the Southern African Political Economy Series Trust, said the opposition has ‘failed’ to capture the national mood. He said new civic leaders, of the calibre of the former Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, were needed.

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Masvingo City Council has spent close to $1 million dollars hiring vehicles for its executives while its own fleet rots at the Messenger of Court, press reports suggest. The council pays the Central Mechanical and Engineering Department $40,000 per month for the vehicles, which also include those used for refuse collection. In the past 17 months the local authority has spent $700,000 in ratepayers’ money for vehicles for its top officials, including the mayoral Mercedes Benz, the Herald reported Wednesday. Council has relied on hired vehicles since 2012, when a messenger of court attached the municipal fleet, comprising the mayoral Mercedes, front-end loaders, and tippers, following a $3.5 million wage dispute with municipal workers. The vehicles are with the messenger of court as the matter is still to be finalised. Some residents now suspect that some top officials may be benefitting from the hire scheme, saying this could be the reason why the council is seemingly not doing enough to resolve the dispute and recover the vehicles. Masvingo Mayor Hubert Fidze told the Herald that his council is “pained that a lot of money continues to be paid every month to hire vehicles for our operations.” However he said there was very little that they can do “since the case is before the courts. We have to wait for the court process to take its course though this is a very worrisome issue to us,” Fidze said. Last month, Masvingo residents demanded to be furnished with the payroll details of the Council, amid allegations that top management were receiving hefty salaries while ordinary municipal workers were going for months without being paid. Speaking to SW Radio Africa Wednesday, Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association coordinator Anoziva Muguti said the council was short-changing them. “For us the money that they are giving the CMED on a monthly basis is enough to purchase new vehicles for the council.“The council is failing to prioritise the needs of residents. Service delivery in Masvingo is appalling, roads are heavily-potholed, water supply is erratic, the sewer reticulation project started last year is still unfinished, yet the council prioritises hiring luxury vehicles,” Muguti said. Muguti said residents had tried to pressure the local authority to resolve the salary arrears court battle but were told that the Supreme Court is to blame for the delay. “Last week I visited the deputy sheriff’s premises and saw the vehicles. They are all in a dilapidated state and will not be fit for purpose, even if they are released,” Muguti added.

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The deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe is exacerbating violence against women and children, leading historian Pathisa Nyathi has said. In recent months there have been several reported cases across the country, highlighting the brutalisation of women and children through rape or ritualistic killings. Last week three men from Gwanda appeared in court charged with murdering four women and cutting off some of their body parts for ritual purposes. ZANU PF activist Lillian Kandemiri was recently jailed for offering her 15-year-old grand-daughter as payment for a $40,000 debt. This week Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the State to compensate Mildred Mapingure who was denied an abortion after she was gang-raped in her home eight years ago. On Wednesday President Robert Mugabe said he receives “disturbing child sexual abuse statistics” and went on to call for a campaign against the rape “epidemic” saying stiffer penalties alone will not help. Speaking to SW Radio Africa’s Big Picture Programme on Thursday, Bulawayo-based historian Pathisa Nyathi said legislating against the general breakdown of the moral fabric will not work.“The exploitation, rape and ritualistic murders and violence perpetrated against these vulnerable groups are grounded in the country’s economic collapse.“Stiffer penalties will not work because as long as people are hungry they will engage in these anti-social behaviours and unfortunately women and children are the victims,” Nyathi said. He said that ritual murderers carry out their crimes in the misinformed hope that body parts that are associated with fertility will help improve their financial status. Nyathi also said the nationwide campaigns suggested by the president will not work in a deprived population. “Those in authority should sort out the economy first, create employment and ensure that people are able to fend for themselves, because deprivation is a source of frustration and for some people, this manifests itself through violent behaviour.” Abigail Matsvai, of the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association, said while the socio-economic environment can be partly blamed for violence against women and children, the real problem lies in the way Zim society understands gender relations. “The problem also lies in our perception of who has value and who doesn’t, and in Zimbabwe there is a tendency to think that women and children have little value,” Matsvai said. She also pointed out that the nature of the violence and brutality was becoming increasingly gruesome. “We want to encourage women and children to report these cases where they happen and increasingly we are seeing more and more of these cases being reported.“But also we are also seeing an increase in the magnitude of the nature of these violations,” Matsvai added.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

A recent Sunday Mail article quoting an alleged ‘exclusive’ interview with the MDC-T’s Roy Bennett has been exposed as a fabrication. The article titled “Bennett slams Tsvangirai” was published over the weekend and still remains on the Sunday Mail website. Written by journalist Simba Jemwa, the article repeatedly quotes Bennett as saying he and other members of the MDC-T had lost faith in party leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The article claims Bennett said Tsvangirai is “power-hungry” and “strong-handed” in resisting calls for leadership renewal. The article also claims that Bennett ‘spoke-out’ against the recent suspension of MDC-T official Elton Mangoma, allegedly calling it “unprocedural.” But Bennett, who remains exiled in South Africa, told SW Radio Africa by email communication this week that the Sunday Mail interview never took place. “I never made any comments nor have I done any interviews with anyone, I never have and never will talk to the ZANUPF propaganda machine. I am not doing any interviews on internal party issues,” Bennett said. The state media has been used for years as propaganda tool by the ruling ZANU PF party, and the MDC-T has most often been the target of stability shaking ‘reporting’. The partisan nature of publications like the Herald and Sunday Mail, and broadcasts by the national ZBC, mean such media channels are often called ZANU PF mouthpieces. The fabricated article comes at a time when the MDC-T is in a fragile position, with infighting and fresh leadership calls rocking the foundations of the party. The party has already this week accused ZANU PF of deliberately trying to destabilise it, by refusing to pay millions of dollars owed to the opposition under the Political Parties Finance Act.

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The chaotic nature of the land grab exercise is yet again being illustrated with prominent loyalists of President Robert Mugabe reportedly fighting over land in two separate incidents. Reports this week said ZANU PF Mashonaland West chairperson, Themba Mliswa, is fighting to take over a Norton farm from its owner in defiance of a court order. In Mashonaland Central, deputy chief secretary to the President and Cabinet, Justin Mupamhanga, is involved in a messy fight with his three neighbors over a Bindura farm. Pieter Nel has approached the High Court seeking an order barring Mliswa from taking over Kingsdale Farm and allocating it to illegal settlers. In 2013 the Constitutional Court ruled that the government had illegally acquired the farm. As a result 1,500 families settled there were rendered homeless, but it was later agreed between government and Nel, that the settlers would buy their allocated pieces of land. However, Mliswa chipped in threatening to seize the property on behalf of the settlers. From Bindura, reports are that Mupamhanga and his three neighbors are fighting over boundaries to pieces of land which were allocated to them within the Argyle farm. So messy was the fight that officials from the president’s office, land ministry and the police moved in to identify the boundaries. But according to Mupamhanga’s High Court application, Douglas Dhliwayo, Blessing Dombojena and Saul Gomwe are ‘defiantly refusing to move out of the partitions of land they were illegally occupying.’ Economic analyst Masimba Kuchera said the development on the farmlands was not surprising because chaos was inherent in the land grab exercise. He said: ‘The genesis of the land reform exercise was chaotic and opaque; so these continued conflicts and corruption are natural consequences. Just as it is not the first time to hear this it is bound to continue for a long time.’ Kuchera said the chaos on the farms shows that ZANU PF has not abandoned its disregard for the rule of law, property rights and the economy as whole. He said continued wrangles meant that there would no production and the economy would suffer more. He added: ‘The essence of the land reform was not production but possession and patronage and so these fights speak to that. These people are concerned about what they own and not what they produce.’ Mliswa and Mupamhanga’s cases follow yet another land saga in which the First Family has evicted a group of families from a stretch of land in Mazowe, allegedly to establish a game park. The developments also come at a time when ZANU PF zealots are calling for more land grabs under the pretext of economic empowerment.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Several staff members at Mbada Diamonds have been linked to a three million dollar scam in which they are alleged to have facilitated illegal diamond sales for a Mutare dealer who ended up in court. According to NewsDay newspaper, the scam was exposed when Indian dealer Mudassar Khan was arrested, after police received a tip-off that he was conniving with six Mbada Diamonds employees who facilitated his illegal diamond deals. Khan had reportedly bought top of the range vehicles for the employees to show his appreciation, including a $6,000 Toyota Chaser for his buyer in Chiadzwa, Tapfumaneyi Karingamupembe. Khan later confiscated the vehicle when he fell out with Karingamupembe over a $3,000 deal. It was revealed in court that Khan was using his company as a cover-up and that his license had in fact expired. Khan is facing 12 counts of unlawfully dealing in diamonds worth approximately $3 million. Khan was granted bail and is due back in court April 10th. His lawyer told the court he would not abscond, as he is co-director of a wholesale company, along with other family members who are all Zimbabweans. Meanwhile, a row has erupted over the traditional chieftainship in the Marange diamond mining area, where the current traditional chief is accused of overstaying his term, abusing his power for financial gain and violating the Constitution by participating in partisan politics. Political commentator Lameck Mahachi said all those who are looting and engaging in corruption and other “dirty things” are simply emulating ZANU PF because that is what the party does, from the top to the bottom.“ZANU PF has entrenched its tentacles, using money, power, intimidation and all the other tricks in the book. They are giving perks to traditional leaders and Chief Marange will never follow traditional rules. He is there because ZANU PF wants him there for their own interests,” Mahachi explained. According to the Daily News, Gilbert Marange was appointed acting chief after the death of Noah Ringisai Marange, a position that lasts for only two years until a successor takes over. But Chief Marange has held the position for six years now and other claimants to the throne are reportedly plotting to overthrow him. The Marange community is said to be angry because the diamond mining companies built a mansion for the Chief, ignoring villagers who are “wallowing in poverty”, the Daily News said. Diamond companies are supposed to benefit the local communities, but this has not happened in most cases. Marange’s rivals have also complained that he is abusing his authority by demanding livestock from subjects who hoped to get jobs at the diamond companies. The Chief was election manager for the ZANU PF provincial chairman Chris Mushowe in last year’s disputed elections and he is also accused of using his political influence to get rid of any village heads that resist his abusive authority.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

MDC-T President Morgan Tsvangirai and his secretary-general Tendai Biti have agreed to one-on-one talks, to deliberate the toxic issues that nearly split the party. A highly placed source told SW Radio Africa that contrary to reports that Biti was lately snubbing rallies addressed by Tsvangirai, he in fact avoided them because of concerns for his safety. The political rivals have publicly closed ranks after the party was shaken by three months of bitter infighting, triggered by a four page letter authored by the suspended deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma, calling for Tsvangirai to step down. But privately there are ‘burning issues’ that are still to be resolved. Like Biti, members of the faction that advocated for leadership renewal have also been snubbing recent party rallies, because of safety concerns. They said they felt their lives were in danger and didn’t want to expose themselves by attending rallies addressed by Tsvangirai. A source who attended Tuesday’s meeting, where the feuding factions closed ranks, said their safety was of paramount importance if the truce was to hold. The source said Tsvangirai and Biti’s indaba is likely to deal with all the outstanding issues like hate speech, violence, intimidation and unconstitutional meetings and suspensions.‘The meeting between the two is set for any day now as Biti is expected to attend his first rally in weeks in Mkoba, Gweru next week Saturday. For Biti and other members of the renewal team to attend these rallies they need Tsvangirai’s assurances that no harm will visit them,’ the source said. As an indication that Tsvangirai’s relationship with some members of the renewal team is thawing the MDC-T leader spent over three hours on Wednesday playing golf with Elias Mudzuri, the MP for Warren Park in Harare. Mudzuri sparked the debate on the leadership renewal last year when he suggested ways he thought would serve the beleaguered party. One of the scenarios he offered was that Tsvangirai steps down and becomes the godfather of the party, the “Nelson Mandela” of the labour-backed party. Although he did not ask Tsvangirai to step down, Mudzuri seemed to favour putting the issue to an elective congress where people would determine their preferred candidates. Tsvangirai has made inroads in attracting former foes to rejoin his party, following his call to pro-democratic forces to join hands and fight ZANU PF as a united opposition. During their Gweru rally next week as many as 30 members, who stood as parliamentary candidates for the MDC-N, will announce their return to the MDC-T. Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the MDC-T, wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday: ‘We are excited that the next few weeks will see over 30 leaders of one of the political parties coming to join hands with us.’‘Faced with the unity of purpose in the MDC, ZANU PF and the state agents are now busy trying to undermine the party unity in the MDC. We are determined to make sure that the efforts by President Tsvangirai to unite the party bear fruit,’ he said.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is suing police commissioner Augustine Chihuri and Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi for the alleged torture of two Bulawayo men by cops. According to the NewsDay newspaper, Fungai Moyo and Gugulezwe Nxongo say they were attacked by about eight cops who were on a night patrol along Luveve Road, near the Entumbane Shopping Complex. Moyo and Nxongo said on Sunday night the cops demanded IDs which the pair produced, but the officers proceeded to assault them without provocation. As a result the two are receiving treatment at Mpilo Hospital for the injuries sustained during the assault. The incident has since been reported at Entumbane Police Station. The lawyers group condemned the incident saying these sort of attacks ‘cannot be allowed to continue.’ ZLHR Matabeleland representative Lizwe Jamela said they were taking up the case and ‘instituting a civil suit’ against Chihuri and Mohadi, under whom the police force falls. Although ZRP provincial spokesperson, assistant inspector Abednico Ncube, has promised an investigation, it is unlikely that justice will be achieved. Police and state secret agents act with impunity.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The African Union (AU) has moved to back Robert Mugabe’s threat to boycott next week’s European Union (EU) Africa summit in Belgium, with the EU standing firm on its decision not to issue a travel visa to Grace Mugabe. The 4th EU-Africa summit is scheduled to take place in Brussels on 2nd to 3rd April 2014 and aims to bring together African and EU leaders under the theme “Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace”. The last summit of its kind took place in 2010 in Libya. But the summit remains in doubt with Mugabe leading calls for a boycott of the meeting. The 90 year old ZANU PF leader is understood to have been left fuming after his wife was not issued a travel visa to join him in Europe, despite Grace playing no role in the upcoming meeting. The pair both remain targeted with European restrictive measures, although the rules have already been bent to accommodate the presence of the ageing Zim President. Mugabe has reportedly also been angered by the EU’s decision not to invite his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, who faces war crimes and genocide charges before the International Criminal Court. Also left off the invite list is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, an AU member, with the African bloc accusing the EU of trying to undermine the AU’s authority and sovereignty. The potential boycott has now also been echoed by an organ of the AU, which has recommended this week that the entire African bloc not attend the summit. Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said a meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council held in Ethiopia Wednesday recommended that Africa boycotts the summit if the EU ‘insisted’ on determining the composition of country delegations.“The African Union Peace and Security Council took a decision that the European Union was in violation of an AU resolution that they do not have the right to determine the composition of Africa’s delegation,” he told the Herald newspaper. EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’Ariccia told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the European bloc is waiting for a decision from the AU, which will determine the fate of next week’s summit. He explained that Mugabe’s wife was not invited simply because she had no role to play in the summit, and it was not a deliberate snub.“It is a working summit where there is no programme for the spouses and the spouses are not invited. This was clearly laid out in the programme. When there was a request of issuing the visa to the First Lady, the host country had to follow the procedure for when an individual on the list of restrictive measure requires a visa. This means asking and receiving a unanimous decision from the EU members. This did not happen and the visa could not be issued,” Dell’Ariccia explained. He added that the boycott threat by Mugabe has not been officially communicated to the EU, but they were aware of the recommendation made by the AU Peace and Security Council this week. “There is an internal procedure that the African Union has to follow. There is a recommendation of the AU Council and so we will see how to proceed from there,” Dell’Ariccia said. The Ambassador also dismissed the claims that EU was not respecting Africa’s ‘sovereignty’ as has been stated by the AU Peace and Security Council.“It is in full contradiction of the spirit in which these summits have been established. At the Lisbon summit (in 2007), which was attended by Mugabe, we established a strategy which in turn established a partnership of equals,” the Ambassador said. He added: “There is no reason to conclude that we are looking down on the continent and not respecting the spirit of the summit. The purpose is to create a momentum to ensure this partnership of equals bears all the fruits it can bear. So I don’t see why there would be an assessment of the situation in another way.”

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Nikuv International Projects, an Israeli company largely suspected to have assisted ZANU PF to rig the disputed 2013 elections, has resurfaced, this time around operating from the army headquarters in Harare, a leading newspaper has claimed. The security company, which claims to be specializing in population registration, elections and agriculture closed its Avondale office last year. This followed reports that it had manipulated the polls in favour of President Mugabe’s party. But according to the Zimbabwe Independent, which broke the story then, Nikuv is back in the fold and with indications that it is ‘consolidating its position in government.’ The newspaper said the Israeli outfit has now taken over the production of passports at the KGVI barracks production center. About 30 officials from the Registrar General’s office have already relocated from the Makombe Building to the new center, which will soon be commissioned by Mugabe. It is believed that under this latest contract Nikuv will produce and print the latest and sophisticated passports. The company will also install high-tech digitalized fingerprint equipment, among other things. Nikuv officials are paid by the state, sources say. Ahead of July 31st polls, reports said Nikuv was heavily involved in the electoral process and was operating from both its Avondale office and Makombe Building. However, since reports about the Israeli outfit emerged last year, Nikuv officials have steadfastly refused to shed light on the company’s role in the country. Harare-based SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa, said while many people don’t know what Nikuv does exactly its notoriety has added to the local slang. He said it is common to hear someone saying: ‘I have been Nikuved’ meaning ‘I have been cheated.’ He added: ‘The name Nikuv is subject of ridicule here. The company has a very bad image here and yet at the same time nobody really knows what it does. It’s all rumors but without official confirmation.’ Muchemwa said so secretive are the company’s operations that even some senior government officials are still in the dark. He said suspicion is rife that only Mugabe and his close lieutenants have the complete picture. There have been unconfirmed reports that Nikuv is also involved in Malawi, raising fears that the May elections will be manipulated in favor of President Joyce Banda. The fears are compounded by the fact that the Malawian Electoral Commission has already hired the discredited Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to provide both equipment and the expertise.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The High Court has reserved to Monday its ruling on the fate of the Mazoe villagers who were evicted from Manzou Farm by ZANU PF last week. Armed police destroyed homes and forced the villagers off the farm, allegedly to make way for President Robert Mugabe’s family, who want it for a game park. The more than 900 families were forced to abandon their maize and tobacco crops and the villagers say they risk starvation after losing the crop which was meant to sustain them until the next season. On Thursday the villagers filed an urgent High Court petition through their lawyers, asking that the evictions be halted to give them time to harvest their crops. The villagers also want the government to allocate them alternative resettlement land before kicking them off Manzou, since most of them have nowhere else to go. “We approached the courts to basically stop whoever is evicting them to stop doing so now until after the harvesting season is over,” lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara told the NewsDay newspaper Thursday. Bhatasara said the villagers are not resisting eviction but want to be properly resettled elsewhere. He said the Constitution states that “no person may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without an order of the court made after considering all the relevant circumstances.” Lawyer Gift Mtisi who is also representing the villagers, told SW Radio Africa that Justice Susan Mavhangira heard the matter Friday after the teams representing the villagers and the State failed to reach an agreement. “When we left the judge’s chambers Thursday it seemed that parties may reach an amicable solution but this did not happen and we then decided to stand by our Thursday submissions,” Mtisi said. The First family has a keen interest in the Mazowe area where they have been invading land and displacing people as they expand their property portfolio. About six months ago 50 other families of small-scale miners were kicked off a gold-rich portion of Manzou farm by Mugabe’s wife Grace, who was interested in taking over the mining claims. But Mash Central Provincial Affairs Minister Martin Dinha, who has tried to evict the villagers, has dismissed claims that the Mugabes are behind the evictions and last week said the villagers had settled themselves on the land illegally.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The race to win Saturday’s ZIFA chairmanship has turned nasty, with the incumbent boss Cuthbert Dube allegedly ‘kidnapping’ some councillors and putting them up at a secret location to cut them off from the rest of the people taking part in the poll. Dube, the former Public Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) chief executive, fears that if the councillors were to mingle with others at a Harare hotel, they might be influenced to vote against him. Such is the extent of his paranoia that he’s confiscated their mobile phone sim cards and replaced them, making it difficult for their friends and colleagues to communicate with them. Dube also ordered all ZIFA offices countrywide to close down until after the elections. He has summoned almost all ZIFA employees to Harare to work on his last ditch campaign, after realizing he stands a good chance of defeat, following the salary-gate scandal which left his image badly dented. The election will see Dube battling for the top job with outgoing ZIFA board member for marketing, Nigel Munyati, former ZIFA chairman Trevor Carelse-Juul and Harare city council football chairman Leslie Gwindi. Munyati, a marketing expert who has been involved with football development for 30 years, told SW Radio Africa on Friday that Dube’s antics will not help as numbers are against him. 58 people are eligible to vote on Saturday and the winner needs 30 votes to clinch the post.‘There’s no doubt the election tomorrow (Saturday) will ever be fair. Dube has got an unfair advantage…he’s using the whole ZIFA secretariat to support his campaign and some councillors are being held incommunicado, but these are the same people who vote for him anyway,’ Munyati said. Veteran sports writer Michael Kariati told SW Radio Africa that is it sad that Dube is using money to try to ensure he wins re-election, despite his disastrous four year tenure as the country’s top football administrator. There are allegations some councillors linked to Dube have been paid huge sums of money to vote for him. Out of 58 voters, at least 16 are known to be in Dube’s camp and he therefore needs an extra 14 votes to ensure he retains the chairmanship.