SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The drama surrounding Zimbabwe’s so-called “salary-gate” scandals has intensified, with the Finance Minister welcoming any challenge to the recent government imposed salary cap as a chance to debate the issue in a public forum.

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa last month issued a directive limiting the executive salaries at state-linked institutions and local authorities to $6,000 per month. This was in response to growing public anger at reports that exposed the shocking mega salaries executives were earning, while ordinary workers went without wages for months.

However many companies and local authorities are reported to have defied the directive, claiming it violates the country’s labour laws and constitution. Other authorities reportedly said they had not received any official communication from government, and could not comply on the basis of news reports.

But speaking to journalists at a press briefing in Bulawayo Wednesday evening, Chinamasa said he welcomed any forthcoming legal challenges as an opportunity for all stakeholders to be honest.

“We will very much welcome anyone taking us to court because it will give us a clear public platform to discuss these issues. If it is me who has been misled, I will make the apologies, but we must be honest when discussing these issues; we have not been honest to each other,” the Minister is quoted as saying.

Chinamasa explained that the $6,000 cap was only an “interim measure” meant to stop the “hemorrhaging” of state-institutions, and remuneration audits would be done for each entity to determine how much they can afford to pay in salaries. The recommendations would then need to be adopted by cabinet.

But the MDC-T shadow Minister for Local Government, Sesel Zvidzai, went further to describe executive salaries as “obscene” and “immoral”, insisting they have been used as a way to loot and rob the poor in the name of salaries.

Zvidzai told SW Radio Africa that according to the Urban Councils Act, only the Minister of Labour can adjust salaries of local authorities, not the Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo who he said is the power behind local authorities.

“These obscene salaries have been signed off not by the Minister of Labour but by Minister Chombo, which makes them unlawful and therefore can be reversed. These senior staff at parastatals are hiding behind the law. Government has made a directive and it must be accepted,” Zvidzai explained.

He added that executives at public institutions cannot hide any information about their conditions of service or employment, and anyone trying to so is simply admitting guilt and are trying to hide some illegal activity from the public.

Suspended chief executive Cuthbert Dube, who became the salary-gate poster boy, had been earning as much as $240,000 per month as head of the Public Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) before he was exposed and fired.

Zvidzai agreed with some observers who view the salary cap as an attempt by government to appease public anger over the salary-gate revelations, without sincerely intending to fix the institutions.

Almost every major parastatal that Zimbabwe was once proud of, including Air Zimbabwe, the national broadcaster ZBC and National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has been brought to financial ruin due to corruption, mismanagement and looting by senior staff.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Thousands of villagers who were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for diamond mining operations at Marange, now face an unfolding humanitarian crisis.

This is according to accountability group the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, which warned in a detailed report this week that the villagers “are sliding deeper into the abyss of abject poverty.”

In early 2009 the government announced that plans were underway to relocate almost 5,000 Marange families affected by the diamond mining operations there. The affected families were to be relocated to a farm formerly owned by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) at Transau in Odzi, about 24 kilometres west of the city of Mutare.

But almost five years later the commitments made towards the humane resettlement of the families have not been honoured.

“Observed from afar the new Arda Transau settlement portrays an aura of sophistication and affluence as it looks like a small urban settlement in the middle of nowhere. But behind this façade of affluence lies a community weighed down by the bondage of poverty and hunger,” the Centre warns.

Only a fraction of the families have been moved to Arda Transau, where housing facilities and developments like clinics and schools have not been completed. The families have also never been compensated for the loss of their homes.

The population at Arda Transau is slightly above 5,200 people, and consists mainly of women and children. The relocated people have no source of livelihood, and they depend entirely on the diamond mining firms, who facilitated their forced removal, for food handouts. But these food handouts have not been consistent and hunger has been a serious concern for months. The Centre for Natural Resource Governance said all the diamond firms, except one, have completely stopped handing out food.

The villagers are also largely unable to grow their own crops, because of an absence of suitable land and no access to irrigation facilities or other necessities for successful agricultural production. The report this week states that malnutrition is widespread and some villagers go several days at a time without eating. One 92 year-old-man said his family survived on eating salt-spiced anthill soil and a cup of water. The old man’s wife was clearly undernourished and the children showed clinical signs of kwashiorkor.

“Without food hand-outs we are doomed, and as we are speaking now some people who were relocated here have not received any food handouts for the past 12 months,” another villager revealed.

The health situation in Arda Transau has been described by one community leader as a “time bomb”, and according to the report this week, the local clinics are so badly resourced that people are expected to supply their own candles if they stay overnight.

The Centre’s Director Farai Maguwu told SW Radio Africa on Friday that the situation is “appalling.”

“There is serious poverty stalking this area and there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding. There are a number of recommendations for the government, but in the short term, the villagers need humanitarian assistance,” Maguwu said.

He also said that a redistribution of arable farm land was necessary, saying there is enough land owned by government ministers to give to the desperate Marange families.

“The government should make available some farms. Most Cabinet ministers have multiple farms, and yet the government has created a squatter camp for these villagers. They have been reduced to squatters,” Maguwu said.

Meanwhile about 4,000 other Marange families are still to be relocated from the mining area. The Centre’s report said however that this is looking increasingly uncertain.

“There are indications that companies are now reluctant to continue with relocations in light of the reported dwindling alluvial diamonds in Marange in recent months,” the report said.

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Fresh allegations of graft have surfaced at the scandal-prone Chitungwiza City Council, where four officials are said to have stolen $650,000 from the authority.

The managers have been named as finance director Evangelista Machona, chamber secretary Priscilla Vengesai, town clerk George Makunde and human resources manager Mary Rashamira.

In the latest con, the officials are said to have opened a bank account into which Machona deposited money on the false pretense that it was for salaries.

The money would then be transferred to personal accounts belonging to the senior officials, according to a Herald newspaper report Monday.

An audit raised questions about the money transfers which occurred between January 2012 and this year.

Vengesai reportedly signed the ‘salary’ transfers, made into a special FBC Bank account, when in fact they were supposed to get their salaries in cash.

The officials carried out the theft at a time when the majority of the Chitungwiza municipality workers were not being paid, with service delivery at its lowest.

Details in the Herald report show that in January last year, revenue manager Ezekiel Chifamba had $2,635 transferred into his account yet his payslip reflected $1,739 as his salary.

That same month town clerk Makunde had $10,000 deposited into two personal accounts instead of the $4,084 reflected on his payslip.

Also in January last year, a person only identified as Mak benefited from a transaction involving $95,000, the Herald stated in its report.

The managers also ignored a recommendation from a probe team to suspend executive salaries in January 2012 and went ahead and paid themselves salaries of between $12,000 and $33,000.

Between January and March this year, Vengesai and Machona authorised a salary payment of $135,000 from the council salaries account into the slush account.

Another $280,000 was taken from council coffers without supporting documents, the Herald report said, quoting an auditing source.

Chitungwiza residents, who have been expressing concern over deteriorating service delivery at the dormitory town, say the extent of looting at the council runs into millions of dollars.

An official with the Chitungwiza Progressive Residents Association (CHIPRA) said residents raised the alarm in February and said the $650,000 cited in the media is a fraction of the funds looted from council coffers.

“We believe that at least $2 million has vanished and we are incensed at the way the council is being managed,” CHIPRA director Admire Zaya said on Monday.

“Residents have no water, dumpsites have mushroomed because refuse is not being collected, yet senior officials continue to pay themselves hefty salaries and allowances

“We have been asking to see a council salary schedule to help us ascertain how much is allocated to service delivery and how much goes to salaries, but our requests have been resisted,” Zaya added.

The Chitungwiza municipality has a workforce of 1,700 most of whom have not been receiving any wages. Not so with the 18 managers at the local authority who seem to have been paying themselves handsomely.

Zaya said it is well-known that ZANU PF, through Minister of Local Government Ignatius Chombo who appoints town clerks, is presiding over the rot in councils.

“Regardless of the revelations of corruption that have been brought to the attention of Chombo he has not moved to curtail corruption or financial mismanagement.

“But the opposition MDC-T party, which commands a majority in the council, is not doing anything to tackle corruption and improve service delivery at the council.”

The MDC-T is currently pre-occupied with the infighting that’s threatening to split the party and has failed to take a firm stand against widespread corruption in the form of salary scandals.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe should use his trip to the Vatican City to confess his sins, a former diplomat has said.

Mugabe left the country for Rome on Friday to attend a ceremony at which Popes John XXIII and John Paul IIwere made saints.

The president was accompanied by his wife Grace who was last month barred from Brussels as she is on the EU targeted sanctions over human rights abuses. The Vatican is not a member of the EU.

Former diplomat and Mugabe critic Clifford Mashiri said instead of just shopping and enjoying the attention of the new Pope Francis, who “last year raised his eyebrows, shook hands and bowed his head when he greeted him,” Mugabe should use this opportunity to confess his sins.

Mashiri says Mugabe should confess to at least 34 sins, which he has committed during his 34-year reign.

“These include accusing the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference in April 2011 of spreading lies when it condemned violence perpetrated by ZANU PF supporters.

“Mugabe also allowed his partisan bishop Nolbert Kunonga to wreak havoc in the Anglican Church, leading to the murder of 89-year old Anglican priest Jesca Mandeya by security operatives,” Mashiri added.

The former diplomat also accused Mugabe of intolerance, bad governance, imposing himself on the people in spite of losing elections, as well as tyranny and brutality.

“All these are sins against the people of Zimbabwe which he should confess during his stay at the Vatican,” Mashiri added.

Mugabe regards himself as a Catholic and has been in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II as well as his beatification in 2011.

Mugabe’s 34 sins, as outlined by ex-diplomat Mashiri 

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri has transferred about 1,000 officers, in a major shake-up aimed at minimizing corruption within the force.

According to a police internal communiqué, the transfers have been approved and are with immediate effect. A report in the Standard newspaper said the move saw junior and senior officers from the minerals unit moved from urban to remote areas and vice versa around the country.

The shake-up follows allegations that some senior officers were working hand in glove with criminal rings in the gold and diamond mining sector. Last month the head of the mineral unit, assistant commissioner Silence Pondo, told Parliament that the police were not obliged to hand over gold recovered from criminal scenes. It is suspected that police officers are taking advantage of the loophole to enrich themselves by selling the recovered minerals in the informal sector.

But observers see the move to transfer officers as an ineffective way to stamp out corruption within the police force. Questions are being asked why the corrupt officers have not been fired and brought before the courts.

The Combined Harare Residents Association spokesman Simbarashe Moyo said ‘Chihuri’s latest move is just a joke.’ Moyo said the affected officers will simply be inconvenienced but not deterred from indulging in corruption. He said: ‘Corruption within the police force has reached levels where it cannot be properly dealt with by the government.’ He said it was an ‘open secret’ in the country that corruption is ‘a way of life’ for most police officers.

Moyo added: ‘Corruption has become so rampant that the police now punish those who resist it. For example, if you own a commuter omnibus and you don’t bribe the police officers they will punish you severely and you will never make any profit.’

A few years ago the Anti-corruption Trust of Southern Africa found that Zimbabwean traffic cops were the most corrupt in the region. Last year Afrobarometer, a research project which measures public attitudes on socio-economic issues, found that Zimbabwe was the third most corrupt African country after joint leaders Nigeria and Egypt.

Reports of police recklessness have also increased of late. According to the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition traffic cops have caused three deaths this year in separate incidents during police chases in Harare. In 2013 one person died, while an elderly woman was knocked down. That’s same year 16 people were injured when a commuter omnibus overturned in Bulawayo under similar circumstances.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The jail sentence slapped on the editor of a Chinhoyi community newspaper signals an ongoing culture of media repression under ZANU PF.

This is according to exiled journalist Tanonoka Whande, who said on Monday that there can never be real change in Zimbabwe until there is an active, free media.

James Muonwa, editor-in-chief of the Western Star, was last week sentenced to a six month jail term for allegedly operating a media group without a valid licence from the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC).

Last Thursday, Chinhoyi magistrate Jele Singandu said Muonwa contravened Section 72 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which requires media houses to register with the ZMC.

The six month sentence was wholly suspended on condition Muonwa does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.

Whande told SW Radio Africa that the case “is proof that there is no media freedom or democracy in Zimbabwe.”

“There should be a lot more concern about the media situation in Zimbabwe. We are moving backwards and they (ZANU PF) should leave the media alone,” Whande said.

He added: “The media is still subservient to personal and political interests… you simply cannot have democracy without a free media.”

AIPPA, along with the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), were listed as two key pieces of legislation that needed reform as part of a roadmap towards democratic elections. Those reforms never happened before the disputed polls last July.

Instead, ZANU PF walked away as ‘victors’ with the repressive laws still firmly in place. The nature of the laws means anyone critical of the party, including media groups, activists and others, can still be targeted with arrest.

“Those safeguards that were meant to guarantee the freedom of the press and the freedom of the people are still not being dealt with. And now, no one can do anything, only ZANU PF can do what it wants,” Whande said.

Meanwhile, two journalists from the NewsDay newspaper were interrogated for several hours on Monday by the police, over an article that blamed the cops for the death of a three year old boy last week.

The child, Neil Mutyora, died last Tuesday after being knocked down by a commuter omnibus driver, who was fleeing police officers. NewsDay published an article titled “Chihuri, you are responsible”, stating that police chief Augustine Chihuri needed to take responsibility for the role of the cops in the child’s death.

NewsDay Editor Nevanji Madanhire and reporter Moses Matenga were questioned along with company secretary Sifikile Thabete, after they reported at Harare Central Police Station. They were interrogated for almost seven hours and accused of publishing ‘false statements prejudicial to the State’.

Madanhire and Matenga were charged with contravening the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and later released.

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The main opposition party in Zimbabwe, the MDC-T, has apparently split into at least two factions.

A faction, consisting of the secretary-general Tendai Biti, several MPs and provincial chairpersons, announced on Saturday that Morgan Tsvangirai was no longer president.

After a meeting in Harare they announced his suspension as party leader, claiming that he has become autocratic and unprincipled. Biti added that Tsvangirai and some other senior officials had ‘betrayed’ the MDC’s struggle.

However, party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora robustly defended Tsvangirai insisting that he remained the party’s legitimate leader.

The ongoing internal chaos in the MDC-T, which was predictable following the rate at which key members were ostracising each other since the party lost elections last year, is likely to deal a heavy blow to the opposition.

This weekend’s events are not only ill-timed but happening at a time when the opposition parties were allegedly mulling a merger, to form a strong coalition. Analysts said it is however evident that the MDC-T is again exhibiting its failure to coordinate its internal affairs, leaving many wondering if this is finally the end of the road for the MDC-T.

Former education minister David Coltart, who is a founding member of the original MDC, told the BBC over the weekend that Tsvangirai’s ‘suspension’, although not unexpected, was a bad thing for democracy in Zimbabwe.

‘I am concerned about this. What we need in the opposition is consolidation, not further splitting. Morgan Tsvangirai, for whatever can be leveled against him, remains a very popular figure and we really do need him as part of the overall democratic forces, Coltart said.

Many of the officials aligned with Tsvangirai said that while the party was drowning under the weight of disagreements, the move by Biti to suspend Tsvangirai and try to take over the party does not signal a split.

‘It is not a split. A split is when you have many people following you to form another party, but this is walk out by a few disgruntled members,’ said Obert Gutu, a Tsvangirai loyalist and spokesman for the Harare province.

Other analysts said the emergence of factions within the MDC-T is weakening the opposition party and threatens any chance of it winning the elections in 2018.

The complete disarray in the opposition comes at a time when the ruling ZANU PF is at its most vulnerable, due to the dying economy, the increasing corruption scandals and Robert Mugabe’s evident physical frailty.

But instead of focusing on this and using it to their advantage for the good of Zimbabwe, all the opposition leaders appear concerned with is battling each other.

For further reading

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The chaos that has engulfed Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC-T party reached a new peak this weekend as a faction that has been calling for leadership renewal held a meeting and voted to “suspend” party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and several other top party officials.

Led by secretary general Tendai Biti, who has been at the forefront of calls to replace Tsvangirai, the meeting was held Saturday at the Mandel Training Centre in Harare and attended by many party officials, including Elton Mangoma, Solomon Madzore and Sam Sipepa Nkomo, who chaired the meeting.

The MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora wasted no time responding to the ‘rebels’ actions, dismissing the meeting itself as “unconstitutional” and nullifying the resolutions made. Mwonzora immediately announced that they would notify parliament to remove all ‘rebel’ MPs who had attended the ‘unconstitutional and illegal meeting.’

But Sipepa Nkomo told SW Radio Africa that the meeting was legally constituted and Biti had the power to convene such a gathering. He said the meeting was attended by chairpersons from 9 out of the 12 provinces, as well 138 out of 176 National Council members who qualified to vote. This was enough to provide a quorum.

Sipepa Nkomo explained that the agenda was to discuss the current situation in the party, especially the violence, suspensions, abuse of power by top leaders and the economic crisis that has gripped the country.

The delegates voted to suspend party president Morgan Tsvangirai, vice president Thokozani Khupe, national chairman Lovemore Moyo, deputy national chairman Morgen Komichi and spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora. Organising Secretary Nelson Chamisa and his deputy Abednico Bhebhe were also suspended.

Sekai Holland, who served as Minister for Healing and Reconciliation in the unity government, was appointed the interim president.

MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora provided conflicting figures on the ‘illegal’ meeting, insisting in a statement that only 33 out of 195 members of the National Council had attended Biti’s meeting. He described the gathering as “an attempt at an awkward coup d’état by people who are apparently afraid to face the electorate at congress”.

The statement also alleged that the meeting was part of “a sustained programme of both overt and covert operations involving ZANU PF, state security agents, Welshman Ncube and the Zimbabwe Institute”. As such “no lawful and binding resolutions can derive from it.” (The Zimbabwe Institute is a donor funded, political think tank that “seeks to facilitate dialogue between the political parties in Zimbabwe, and thereby support a culture of multi-partyism in the country.”)

Sipepa Nkomo dismissed the allegations, saying: “Mwonzora has stooped down too low. During the liberation war Ian Smith saw communists behind every bush. Now they are seeing Welshman Ncube everywhere and it’s a cover-up for their own failings.”

Zimbabweans following these events were left with much confusion as the two camps both used the party constitution to defend their actions. Both have threatened legal action and insist their MPs in parliament are safe from removal.

The National Standing Committee of the Tsvangirai camp met on Monday to try to map a way forward. Meetings of the national executive and council were scheduled for Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU), the labour group that was key to the formation of the MDC-T and Tsvangirai’s strongest ally, moved to support him and to dismiss the rebels, saying they had “taken the road to political oblivion”.

Despite many attempts we were unable to contact Tendai Biti for comment.

For further reading

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Former Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has reportedly stated that only white Zimbabweans will be required to comply with ZANU PF’s indigenisation laws, as part of plans to ‘indigenise’ the Save Valley Conservancy.

Kasukuwere, who is now the Environment Minister in the new government, was quoted by the Cairo based news group Anadolu Agency, as saying that indigenisation is going ahead at Save Valley Conservancy.

“The ongoing discussions are basically about the inclusion of the rural communities who live in the areas surrounding the conservancy,” he was quoted as saying.

The minister stressed that only those properties owned by white Zimbabweans would be affected by the controversial indigenisation policy, which was originally meant to force foreign owned firms to give black Zimbabweans a minimum 51-percent stake in their shareholding. But in the Save Valley Conservancy, foreign owned properties will be protected.

“Foreign-owned properties will not be affected as they are protected under investment laws, but those [properties] of local whites will be,” Kasukuwere said.

National Parks in 2012 issued hunting permits to 25 so-called indigenous ‘farmers’ who were given land in the Conservancy under the government’s ‘wildlife based land reform’ exercise. The permits followed an invasion of the Conservancy by top ZANU PF officials, who were also beneficiaries of 25-year land leases in conservancies throughout the Masvingo province.

This included war vets leader Joseph Chinotimba, Major General Gibson Mashingaidze, Major General Engelbert Rugeje, Masvingo Governor Titus Maluleke, then ZANU PF Masvingo provincial chair Lovemore Matuke, then Deputy Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora, ZANU PF’s central committee member Enock Porusingazi, as well as ZANU PF MPs Alois Baloyi, Abraham Sithole, Samson Mukanduri and Noel Mandebvu.

Former Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth told SW Radio Africa that the situation exposes that the indigenisation campaign is nothing more than “a discrimination program taking place, on the basis of the colour of your skin.”

“It is very sad that just because you have a different colour skin that you are being targeted and you land and homes are given, to a large extent, to the chefs, to the people who are powerful in the party (ZANU PF),” Freeth said.

He added: “It is straight discrimination that goes against every human rights charter ever written.”

Freeth and his late father in law Mike Campbell led and won a landmark court case against Robert Mugabe and the land grab campaign. The SADC human rights tribunal ruled that the campaign was unlawful and inherently racist. That ruling, which still stands, has never been honoured or acknowledged by the ZANU PF government and instead the Tribunal has been hamstrung for daring to rule against Mugabe.

“(ZANU PF) have shown themselves to be people who will go against the law in any way, through murder, through genocide. This kind of discrimination is part of the way they have operated for a long time,” Freeth said.

He added that white Zimbabweans and their property and their rights are not protected anymore in Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe’s constitution and courts do not allow white Zimbabweans to protect themselves. And it is sad for the whole country,” Freeth said.

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has donated $4.2 million to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), the state media reported this week.

The donation, which will ‘fund various army projects’ was received by commander of the ZDF Constantine Chiwenga, on Monday. Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi said the two armies discussed ‘cooperation between China and Zimbabwe in the defence sector and the programmes for the future.’

Zanu PF’s relations with China date back to the liberation war era when Beijing sponsored the party with military training and equipment. The relationship continued after independence but was to intensify under the ‘Look East’ policy, developed in reaction to President Mugabe’s fall-out with the West.

So far Beijing has been the chief beneficiary of the controversial policy and as a result China’s presence is evident in all sectors of the economy. But it is cooperation in the security sector that has raised more concerns.

The ZDF is under western targeted sanctions because of its role in stifling democracy and in human rights abuses. But the Chinese feel no moral scruples in assisting the Zimbabwean army. In 2008 Beijing attempted to donate arms to Zimbabwe but the shipment was forced to return after workers in Durban refused to unload it in solidarity with Mugabe’s victims.

Zimbabwe Exiles Forum Director Gabriel Shumba said the latest donation was ‘questionable.’ He said China’s consistency in propping up the military shows that it is not interested in the welfare of ordinary Zimbabweans. Shumba said that if the Chinese were genuinely concerned about the ordinary people they would donate to the victims of the Tokwe Mukosi floods.

He added: ‘All that the Chinese want are our natural resources and hence their continued partnership with the army which is also looting in that sector.’

The Chinese are also involved with the army in Chiadzwa diamond mining and provided the $98 million for the so-called Zimbabwe Defence College. Anjin Investments, which is the largest company operating in the Marange area, is jointly owned by the army and the Chinese.

China’s support for the army is also seen as a way of thanking Mugabe for awarding more deals to Chinese businesses ahead of the West. Presenting the latest donation to Chiwenga on Monday General Qi said China admired Mugabe for standing up to the West. The Chinese general said Mugabe was a strong leader who is in the league of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Traditional leaders have added their voices to the on-going calls to the government to free up the airwaves and license community radio stations.

The leaders, who included chiefs and headmen from across the country, made the call at a conference hosted by the Zimbabwe Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) in Bulawayo on Monday.

They said locally-based radio stations would help foster unity, promote development and cohesion within their respective communities. They added that having community-specific radio stations would enable them to preserve their respective cultures, languages and help foster unity.

Headman Chisumbanje from Manicaland, said a Chisumbanje-specific station would be an ideal outlet to discuss the joblessness that’s blighting the community.

The headman said while the commissioning of the Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant located in the area had raised the community’s hopes, locals had not benefited much as the majority of the employees there were outsiders.

“If we had a community radio station, we would address the issue using this medium,” NewsDay quoted Chisumbanje as telling fellow delegates.

Speaking to this station, ZACRAS vice-chairman Prince Zwide Khumalo said the aim of the meeting was to involve chiefs in the campaign and to explain to them how they can benefit from community-based radio stations.

“We discussed how radio stations can be used to share information about farming methods, or to announce vaccinations programmes for example.

“If each community had its own station it will be easier for leaders to mobilise their communities by simply making an announcement on local radio,” Khumalo said.

He added that communities should be able to locally generate and share messages on issues of immediate concern to them.

Khumalo further lamented government’s lack of political will to ensure that communities have channels through which to articulate their issues.

He called on the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe to licence community stations, and criticised the government for its stance on who should fund them, which he said was retrogressive.

“The government has said community radio stations should not be funded by external donors, including by Zimbabweans based in the diaspora.

“Such policies make it hard for communities to set up radio initiatives. This violates Sections 61-2 of the constitution which guarantee citizens the right to access information and to freedom of expression,” Khumalo said.

Another ZACRAS official, Kudzai Kwangwari, also told SW Radio Africa that by denying would-be broadcasters licences, the government was breaking the law.

“Neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa have vibrant community radio stations and it is a pity that our government continues to see these crucial community initiatives as threats rather than development partners.

“People should be able to participate and contribute in national discourses through locally available channels and this is what democracy means”, Kwangari added.

Regionally, Zimbabwe lags far behind in the liberalisation of airwaves, with countries like South Africa and Zambia way ahead. South Africa has nearly 120 community radio stations and Zambia had its first in 1994.

Last month, Information Minister Jonathan Moyo claimed the delay in issuing licenses was due to the limitations in the broadcasting spectrum, allocated by the International Telecommunication Union.

Press freedom campaigners say this is not true, and blame the ZANU PF government’s repressive culture which has seen it licensing only those stations linked to the regime.

Without any independent community radio stations, the responsibility to provide an alternative to State media propaganda has fallen on exiled media such as SW Radio Africa and Studio 7. Zimbabwe has some of the world’s most repressive media laws which the ruling party uses regularly to persecute journalists.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The South African government is being urged to clarify how Zimbabweans can renew the special permits they were granted four years ago, before they expire in November.

Concern has been high ever since a cabinet resolution in March which stated that the permits, granted under the special dispensation period in 2010, would expire this November. Part of that resolution was an indication that the permits could be renewed, but only if the permit holders returned to Zimbabwe to do so.

Since then there has been little in the way of clarification from the South African authorities on how the renewal process will proceed, with many Zim nationals expressing fears of returning to Zimbabwe until there is a guarantee they can get the documents renewed in good time.

In an interview at the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, South Africa’s ambassador to Zimbabwe Vusi Mavimbela reportedly said there was no reason to panic.

“I can assure you that the programme will not only see permits being renewed, but will also be extended beyond those who got the first permits. The plan is to give an extra year to those who already had permits, while new applicants will be thoroughly screened this time and required to satisfy some requirements that are still being set by government,” he was quoted by the NewsDay newspaper as saying.

He did not clarify the resolution on people returning home to renew or reapply for permits, saying only that: “Talks are going on between the two governments on how to roll out the second phase in a manner that will benefit both countries.”

Fears about the future have intensified since Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs Minister said that South Africa’s permit plans had not been communicated to them. Minister Kembo Mohadi was quoted as saying that the ZANU PF government was not in a position to offer any permits for Zimbabweans based in South Africa.

“The government only issues permits for foreigners who want to work here in Zimbabwe, not the other way round. As far as I am concerned permits for Zimbabweans who want to work in South Africa are done in that country not in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Daniel Muzenda, the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Migrants Association said the authorities have not clarified the position since the cabinet resolution last month. He said that, with the country heading towards elections in May, Zimbabweans are being left to “wait and see” what is next for them.

“Zimbabweans here see this as an expulsion from South Africa, because they feel they will lose their jobs if they have to return home. We are trying to negotiate an extension of the permits and of the renewal process to see if there is a better way for people than to return home. But now we are waiting to see if a new administration will have a different approach after the elections,” Muzenda said.

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti has been expelled from the party following his weekend ‘plot’ to oust party leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a ‘palace coup.’

Biti’s deputy secretary-general, Tapiwa Mashakada, has been appointed the acting secretary-general until October this year when the party holds an early Congress to elect its new national leadership for the next five years.

Biti’s renewal team met at Mandel training centre in Harare on Saturday and resolved to suspend Tsvangirai and six top officials for ‘fascist’ tendencies and failing to oust ZANU PF leader President Robert Mugabe. However at a meeting of the national council held at Harvest House, the party headquarters on Tuesday, the MDC-T council members voted to expel Biti.

Party chairman Lovemore Moyo said 162 out of 167 members in attendance voted in favour of the motion to expel Biti in terms of article 2 of their party constitution.

Nine MPs who attended the Biti meeting will be recalled from Parliament. The MPs include Biti (Harare East) Willas Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo, KweKwe), Solomon Madzore (Dzivarasweka) and Paul Madzore (Glen View South). All other members who attended the Saturday meeting, like suspended deputy-treasurer-general Elton Mangoma and youth assembly secretary-general Promise Mkwananzi, have also been expelled.

The MDC-T, sensing that the renewal camp might contest the convening of the meeting on Tuesday, went as far as recording proceedings on video, took photos of all delegates and had a register all of bona fide members of the council who attended the crucial meeting.

Addressing a press conference, Tsvangirai told journalists that the move to expel Biti does not constitute a split, but that they are individuals who decided to form their own party taking into account their actions on Saturday.

He said Mangoma and Biti have not personally betrayed him but the people of Zimbabwe. The media briefing was attended by Theresa Makone, Thokozani Khupe, Jameson Timba, Dr Henry Madzorera, Morgan Komichi, Nelson Chamisa and Mashakada, all members of Tsvangirai’s cabinet in the government of national unity.

A large crowd gathered outside Harvest House and at the end of the press conference the deputy national organizing secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, announced Biti’s expulsion to the crowd, sparking cheers and celebrations.

What happens now, no one knows, but this feud could end up in court.

Journalist and social commentator Tapiwa Gomo told SW Radio Africa’s Speak Out Padare program that the fresh crisis in the MDC-T is a manifestation of a natural process where different interest groups are beginning to emerge and showing their differences to the other faction.

He said the MDC has always been a coalition of people who are against ZANU PF, but differed ideologically in the way they approached politics.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Chingwizi transit camp

By Nomalanga Moyo SW Radio Africa 30 April 2014

Calm has returned to Chingwizi transit camp following violent attacks that took place there two weekends ago.

The attacks were attributed to a disgruntled group who were not happy that some of their fellow flood victims were taking up the government’s offer of 1 hectare plots.

The villagers say the government promised each of the families 4 hectares, plus $4,000 as compensation for lost homes and property but was now reneging.

Tired of the crammed unhygienic conditions at Chingwizi, some families are said to have taken up the smaller plots of land, which angered some people.

In an update to SW Radio Africa, flood victim Frank Masakadze said the displaced families had set up a committee to help resolve the differences.

Masakadze said that very few villagers were leaving the camp, adding that some women last week staged a roadside protest against the government’s reluctance to meet its obligations to the desperate families.

He said placard-waving women demonstrated at Ngundu, along the Beitbridge-Harare road, expressing their displeasure at what they said was the betrayal by the State.

“We hope that the pressure we are trying to put on the government will force them to reconsider their decision to resettle us on these 1 hectare plots.

“What is even more disappointing to us is the failure to give us financial compensation,” Masakadze added.

Some of the posters were denouncing Provincial Affairs Minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, who last week reportedly had to run for dear life after angry villagers attacked him and pelted him with stones.

The families accuse the ZANU PF minister of delaying their compensation payment and also of trying to force them to move to the smaller plots.

Earlier this month the MDC-T party said Bhasikiti had barred its leader Morgan Tsvangirai from visiting and donating to the flood victims.

Masakadze said life at the camp was difficult and the flood victims had resigned themselves to the hardships.

“Things are tough for us here. We thought we would be here for a short period of time and then be resettled permanently but that is not happening.

“We have lost our livestock, our goats, chickens and cattle are disappearing every day. Grazing land is becoming scarce because we are overcrowded and all we want is for the government to give us the resources they promised so we can rebuild our lives,” Masakadze added.

The government was forced to declare the flooding at Tokwe-Mukosi a state of disaster after thousands of villagers were rendered homeless, paving way for the evacuation process.

The villagers and most observers have criticised the government for its slow and shambolic response which saw most villagers losing property and being ferried using pushcarts.

See also

Flood disaster victims turn on each other at Chingwizi

Wind and heavy rain blow roofs off flood victims transit camp

Last batch of villagers from Tokwe-Mukosi to be evacuated Saturday

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

By Nomalanga Moyo SW Radio Africa 30 April 2014

Zim music luminary Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi on Wednesday visited Chingwizi camp, where the Tokwe-Mukosi flood disaster victims are temporarily sheltered.

On the trip with Tuku was gospel singer Charles Charamba and dozens of other local musicians who have been moved by the plight of the displaced villagers.

Tuku’s manager Sam Mataure told SW Radio Africa that this was a fact-finding tour and an opportunity for the superstar to interact with the displaced villagers, and see for himself the conditions they live in.

“We hope to see for ourselves what the situation is and then return to Harare where we will hold fundraising shows and use the proceeds to buy donations for the flood victims,” Mataure said Wednesday.

Mataure however ruled out any musical performance, on this occasion, to entertain the more than 3,000 villagers sheltered at the camp.

“Today’s trip is about seeing firsthand what the conditions are like and what the needs of these families are. Sometimes artists fundraise without really understanding why they are doing it.

“There is a difference between witnessing these disasters through pictures and being on the ground to see and hear for oneself what the issues are. So we will use this occasion just to assess the situation.

“We will then decide on the fundraising events or if we need to return again to donate and perform for the people at the camp,” Mataure added.

Since moving to the transit camp in February the flood victims have experienced many challenges, including overcrowding, lack of food and clean water.

At least 7 people have reportedly died as a result of the unsanitary conditions at the camp but the government is yet to demonstrate any real sense of urgency in solving the problem by at least resettling the families on permanent plots.

Tuku is the first high-profile Zimbabwean to visit the flood victims who have been relying on western donors for their basic needs for the past three months.

From Chingwizi, Tuku will head to the capital on Thursday where he will mark Workers’ Day, spreading the cheer and saying ‘thank-you’ to staff at Harare Hospital.

“I will spend my May Day morning talking to nurses and patients at Harare Hospital and then I will give them a little performance as my way of saying thank you to them as representatives of all the workers of Zimbabwe,” Tuku said in a statement.

The musician’s manager said the hospital visit is just one of the humble superstar’s many philanthropic gestures, and added that they decided to make the visit public to coincide with Workers’ Day.

“Tuku knows, just like everyone else, how difficult things are in the country at the moment but on this Workers’ Day occasion he has chosen to visit Harare Hospital, spend time with the staff and the patients just to cheer them up.

“It’s also our way of encouraging Zimbabweans, to thank in whatever way they can those people they think work hard to serve the country.

“Our health facilities are in dire need of support and this will be another opportunity for Mtukudzi to see for himself what the needs of the hospital are.

“This will be followed by fundraising activities and appeals to fellow Zimbabweans to financially support the health institution,” said Mataure.

Popular musician Tanga Wekwa Sando, who was born at the hospital, is expected to join Tuku on the tour which will take place on Thursday morning.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Solomon Chikowero, chairperson of the Global Zimbabwe Forum

By Tichaona Sibanda SW Radio Africa 30 April 2014

The MDC-T ‘renewal team’ is facing accusations of stealing the idea of forming a United Democratic Front (UDF) which they intend to use as a new initiative to challenge President Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF’s 34 year rule.

The claim was made by Solomon Chikohwero, chairperson of the Global Zimbabwe Forum. He said the idea of a United Democratic Front was mooted during his tenure as chairperson of the South African based MDC Veterans Activists Association in 2011, after getting disillusioned by the dysfunctional government of national unity.

Renewal team spokesperson Jacob Mafume told the Newsday newspaper on Tuesday that they were in talks with the Welshman Ncube-led MDC, ZAPU led by Dumiso Dabengwa, civic society groups and others to come up with a winning team for the 2018 elections. This coalition of groups was to come under the umbrella of a UDF.

However, Chikohwero suggested the renewal team is attempting to take credit for his plans to form a grand coalition to challenge Mugabe. He told SW Radio Africa’s Hidden Story program on Wednesday that he drafted the UDF document with the help of economist and businessman Luke Zunga, who was the MDC activists association treasurer at the time.

‘I got the idea of UDF from a friend who works for COSATU who had also realized that the unity government in Harare was not moving things forward. That’s when he explained that in South Africa, the apartheid regime was brought down by a UDF initiative and not just the ANC or its armed wing the Umkhonto we Sizwe,’ he said.

The former Head of the MDC-T intelligence department said after realizing the answer to the crisis in Zimbabwe would not come from South Africa, SADC or the political formations in the country, he decided to craft the UDF project.

‘As I strongly believed that the answer to our crisis lay with the people of Zimbabwe, a collective movement of all the citizens, I roped in Zunga to draft the document and we sent it to Harvest House for consideration,’ Chikohwero said.

A member of the MDC-T national council, Tranner Ruzvidzo, was used as a courier to hand deliver the document to then party secretary-general Tendai Biti.

‘After it was hand delivered to Biti by Ruzvidzo we never heard anything of that document and presumed they didn’t like the idea since they were cabinet ministers in the GNU, until a few weeks ago when we started hearing murmurs about a new party to be called the United Democratic Front,’ claimed Chikohwero.

He said he was not against any progressive democrats using the idea, but wanted those using it to acknowledge where it originated from.

‘We are the rightful owners of that idea, so as long as they credit its source we have no problems with that. What we don’t want is for the idea to be used to advance ZANU PF and Mugabe’s chances of winning the 2018 elections because the project was all about uniting Zimbabweans to get rid of ZANU PF,’ Chikohwero emphasized.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

The CEO of Netone, Reward Kangai, enjoys one of Zimbabwe’s mega-salaries

By Mthulisi Mathuthu SW Radio Africa 30 April 2013

The MDC-T shadow Minister for Justice, Jessie Majome, has said the official crusade against corruption is mere ‘political posturing’ and people should not expect any positive results because the ‘whole government, including the president, are complicit.’

Majome’s comments come after it emerged that the high earning CEOs are still getting the same ‘obscene salaries’ and benefits whose details shocked Zimbabweans. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa had initially issued a directive limiting salaries of public executives to $6,000 per month and last week, Chinamasa said he was still awaiting any legal challenges to his order.

But Majome told SW Radio Africa’s Cutting Edge programme that Chinamasa’s threat was ‘empty rhetoric.’ She said as a lawyer Chinamasa was obviously aware that his order had no legal binding and was therefore ‘posturing.’

She said: ‘The minister is aware of the legal implications of contracts of employment and the labour law in general. You cannot just issue an order and say just because I am a minister stop this salary.’ She added: ‘It would have been an unfair labour practice to just stop people’s salaries arbitrarily. Processes that include consultations will have to be followed to stop these mega salaries.’

Majome said the process of scrapping the ‘obscene salaries’ should be accompanied by an inquiry into how they were approved. She said it was inconceivable that President Mugabe and his entire government were not complicit in the scam.

Three months ago the MDC-T MP for Makokoba, Gorden Moyo, said Zimbabweans should not expect any of the disgraced executives to be prosecuted because they were earning some of the money on behalf of the service chiefs and operatives in the President’s Office. Moyo said the CEOs were instructed to pass on some of their earnings to individuals in the army and the CIO, a move meant to ensure the loyalty of the secret services. Around that time Prosecutor General Johannes Tomana also said he would not prosecute any of the exposed executives because there was no case against them.

But according to Majome the salaries scam, in which some executives were found to be earning as much as $500,000, is ‘criminal.’ She said prosecution was achievable under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) which she says outlaws abuse of office. She said even if the salaries had been approved, the executives were guilty of failing to advise the boards to make decisions that are in the best interest of the public.

Majome further urged members of the Premier Service Medical Aid Society to seek legal advice and take action against former CEO Cuthbert Dube. Details of Dube’s salary of $500,000-plus stunned everyone. Majome said Dube’s salary was ‘untenable.’

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party should be challenged through protests to provide the 2 million jobs they promised Zimbabweans before last year’s elections, the MDC-T leader said on Thursday.

The opposition leader told a Workers’ Day gathering at Gwanzura stadium in Harare that the economic crisis may never be resolved if pressure is not exerted on the ZANU PF government.

Tsvangirai challenged the youths to lead the fight in demanding jobs telling to ‘wake up and act’ as ‘nothing will be addressed without action.’

Mugabe has however given a very stern warning to any protests against his government saying he is waiting to pounce on those who dare to challenge his rule.

Speaking at the national stadium to mark 34 years of independence last month, Mugabe warned that he may be 90 years old but his feast is 90 tonnes and will not hesitate to use it, amid reports of planned demonstrations.

‘If people are going to go out merely to create violence because they are being instigated….then they are mistaken in their belief. They must look at us and look at our history

‘If they see our silence and forget who we are and believe we are now dormant, we will make them dormant. I may be 90 years old but you see this fist of mine, its 90 tonnes and I will not hesitate to use it. My army is my fist and we will deal with you,’ warned Mugabe.

Calls by any political party for protests requires strong leadership, without this protests are unlikely to happen.

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

Skepticism has greeted news that ZANU PF will be overseeing South Africa’s general elections next week, with concern raised about the ‘erosion’ of democratic values in the region.

Robert Mugabe’s party announced this week that it is sending an observer mission to monitor the voting process in South Africa, after an invitation by the ANC government. In a statement, ZANU PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said the delegation left on Thursday and will be in South Africa for two weeks. Gumbo said the invitation demonstrates “confidence” in ZANU PF.

“ZANU PF and the ANC have a lengthy history of working together and both are part of the national liberation movements which helped bring freedom to the continent after decades of political and economic subjugation,” he said.

It is this history between the two parties that is widely believed to be the reason why South Africa never took a hard line with the Mugabe regime, while it was the regional mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis. It was under former President Thabo Mbeki’s mediation that ZANU PF was handed a lifeline in the way of the unity government, which allowed the party to cling to power despite losing elections in 2008.

It was then under current President Jacob Zuma’s watch that Zimbabwe’s general elections were held in 2013, despite a lack of reform that Zuma’s team had originally stipulated were necessary. Zuma and other regional SADC leaders then went on to endorse the Zimbabwe elections, despite widespread reports of irregularities and vote manipulation.

Tiseke Kasambala, the Southern Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, said the situation indicates how ‘problematic’ SADC’s position is.

“If you’re looking at SADC procedure, there’s nothing wrong with ZANU PF coming, because SADC endorsed the elections in Zimbabwe. But it says a lot about how SADC runs elections in the region. There are principles and guidelines that govern democratic elections, but it seems it (SADC) doesn’t hold itself to its own principles,” Kasambala told SW Radio Africa.

Botswana’s President Ian Khama is the only African leader to isolate himself from the endorsement of Zimbabwe’s polls, saying there is enough concern about the process to warrant an audit of the results. He has also said that Botswana will no longer take part in regional election observer missions, because the principles governing democratic polls had been violated in Zimbabwe’s case.

Kasambala said that Botswana’s position signals a wider loss of faith in the SADC leadership, which needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

“They are simply undermining their own principles in governing elections, and citizens have no faith in SADC endorsing elections as a result,” Kasambala said.

She added: “It is problematic that South Africa and SADC have lowered the bar when it comes to standards of democratic elections across the region. When they lower the bar for elections, it lowers democracy across the region.”

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

SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe

ZANU PF’s attempts to ‘soften’ its indigenisation approach have been linked to a recent visit to the country by former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, who is said to have warned Robert Mugabe about the potential dangers in the policy.

Mbeki was in Zimbabwe for an unexplained visit with Mugabe last month. It is now being reported that the former South Africa statesman advised Mugabe to tone down the ZANU PF indigenisation rhetoric.

ZANU PF has previously been unrelenting on the policy, threatening major firms across the country with a ‘comply or close’ approach. Under former Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s leadership, firms such as Zimplats and others were repeatedly threatened for not complying with the policy.

The implementation of the ‘empowerment’ programme appeared relentless, despite warnings from economic analysts that the plans are a major threat to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery, because they scare away potential investors.

But in recent weeks Mugabe himself and other members of the party have taken softer stance than usual on the controversial empowerment policy, which is meant to target 51% of foreign owned firms.

Since meeting Mbeki, Mugabe has made two public statements about how the policy has been ‘misinterpreted’, once at the Independence Day celebrations in Harare, and then again in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair last week.

A source quoted by the NewsDay newspaper said: “Mbeki came to discuss with Mugabe the country’s investment perception, especially by foreign players who are skeptical on whether their investments will be secure especially with frequent indigenisation rhetoric from his ministers.”

Mbeki’s intentions meanwhile are being questioned, with observers noting that the South African is a friend of Mugabe’s, but not Zimbabwe’s. He has been blamed repeatedly for helping Mugabe cling to power through a ‘softly-softly’ diplomatic approach, even crafting the unity government arrangement in 2008 to allow Mugabe to remain President despite losing elections. Critics say his presence in Zimbabwe now is likely to better secure personal interests than the national ones of Zimbabweans.

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