Newsreel 270209
NCA spokesperson arrested
Madock Chivasa, the spokesperson of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and the board chairperson for the Youth Forum, was arrested in Masvingo Thursday evening, together with 5 other youth activists.
George Makoni, Information Officer for the Youth Forum, said Chivasa is being accused of inciting violence, while the other activists were arrested after a scuffle broke out between the police and the members of the Youth Forum, who were trying to block Chivasa’s arrest. Several others were beaten up.
Makoni said Chivasa had just finished addressing the gathering of about 300 youth members on the role of youths in the transitional period, when police stormed the venue. Passers-by were caught in the scuffles and advocacy materials belonging to the group were confiscated.
The public meeting was dubbed: “The role of youths in the transitional period vis-à-vis national healing, peace building and conflict transformation.”
The Information Officer said they were being denied access to Chivasa and the others. He said Masvingo police were not giving them any information about where the activists are being detained and they feared the detainees will only appear in court after the weekend.
In other news, Frank Muchirahondo, the USAID employee who was arrested last month on allegations of attempting to assassinate the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshall Perence Shiri, was freed this week after a Bindura magistrate refused to place him on further remand. It’s reported Muchirahondo was beaten and tortured while in detention.
At the time of his arrest the US embassy said they had clear evidence that their employee was not anywhere near the scene of the alleged shooting. The USAID employee was arrested on January 22nd at the Mutare border. US officials said he had been on a humanitarian mission, monitoring food aid.
Meanwhile the five WOZA activists arrested this week in Harare are still in police custody. They were beaten and arrested during a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday as they tried to present a petition to new Education Minister David Coltart.
Consumers up in arms over huge foreign currency charges
Consumers are up in arms over what they term is daylight robbery by the country’s energy and telecommunications suppliers, following the dollarisation of invoices which has led to astronomical tariff hikes.
The Combined Harare Residents Association is also deeply concerned by reports that the Harare city council has asked residents in high density areas to pay up to US$35 for rates per month.
Oswald Nyakunika of Knight Frank, expressed his disappointment over development, saying there was no justification for the sudden increase in the tariffs, after his company received a shocking bill of US$4,600 from TelOne.
‘We got a huge bill last month and we were wondering whether it was realistic or not. Where in the world can anyone pay a US$4 600 telephone bill,’ asked Mr Nyakunika.
‘Zimbabweans should start appreciating the real value of foreign currency. We don’t produce US dollars in Zimbabwe and thus they are scarce. We can’t pay such high bills.’
Many are wondering why there are no officials in charge of monitoring the price of services provided, lamenting the fact that basic services in the country are extremely expensive, while prices have gone down in neighbouring countries.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce past vice-president, Charles Chiponda, expressed concern over the high bills charged. He said companies should charge rates that would allow businesses to remain afloat. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the price of making phone calls has continued to change everyday and providers are also selling or charging for services at a wide variety prices.
Economist Luke Zunga explained that there was no formula used to come up with the huge price increases in foreign currency.
‘It happens in any transition, but it also exposes what lack of competition can do to a country that doesn’t open up to other players. The companies that are doing this enjoy monopolies and therefore there is no other alternative but to go along with what they demand,’ Zunga said.
Other consumers have called for a price regulatory body to control the market, before the problem gets completely out of hand. A businessman lashed out at ZESA after receiving a US$1 200 bill for January. He said his company was not operating at 100 percent capacity and he couldn’t understand receiving such a high bill.
Earlier in the week ZESA Western Regional General Manager, Lovemore Chinaka, denied their bills were high but following many complaints, the new high tariffs charged were halted, after the intervention of energy minister Elias Mudzuri.
Mudzuri said domestic consumers will now pay a minimum of US$10 a month and industry and commerce pay one third of the amount on their bills.
New Information and Communications Technology Minister, Nelson Chamisa, said he had asked the phone operators to review the tariffs, following the huge public outcry. On Tuesday he met with the heads of the Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the state-owned fixed line network TelOne as well as bosses of Net*One.
‘I advised them to revisit the billing tariffs to address concerns being raised by the majority of consumers,’ Chamisa said.
The operators were in December granted permission by the government to charge tariffs in foreign currency, which has seen subscribers across the three networks – Telecel, Econet Wireless and NetOne – paying US$0,29 cents per minute on a mobile and US$0,30 cents per 3 minute on a landline.
MDC concerned about delay in implementation of GPA
The MDC has called upon the government to speed up the implementation of the Global Political Agreement and resolve all outstanding issues.
Nelson Chamisa said the party has taken note of progress made on the issue of provincial governors, in terms of the adoption of an allocation formula. The MDC-T will forward names of five governors, ZANU PF four and MDC-M one.
‘The MDC calls for timeous and immediate swearing in of these provincial governors to complete the formation of governors. While the party appreciates the progress made within two weeks, we note with concern the delay and gaps in the realization of the GPA,’ Chamisa said in a statement.
He issued the statement soon after the MDC national executive met in Harare to deliberate upon the report from party leader Morgan Tsvangirai on the progress, challenges and obstacles in the inclusive government.
The MDC urged the authorities to immediately address the release of all political prisoners, in line with the agreement by the three principals of the political parties.
‘The party also urges the inclusive government to put in place a framework that would allow for a people driven constitution to be in place. The government should ensure that the process of coming up with a new constitution takes on board all citizens and key stakeholders to make sure that it is beyond reproach and contestation,’
Members of the national executive noted with concern the fresh farm invasions which are affecting production and stability on the farms. The MDC called on the government to immediately intervene to stop these disruptions.
Meanwhile Tsvangirai, who was due to attend Robert Mugabe’s birthday celebrations in Chinhoyi on Saturday, is no longer going. Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi had said earlier this week that the Prime Minister had been invited and he was going to attend as an act of courtesy and in the spirit of national unity.
Last year Tsvangirai railed against Mugabe’s birthday celebration as ‘a gathering of the satisfied few’ in a nation crippled by food shortages.
Bennett case continued in High Court on Friday
Beatrice Mtetwa, the lawyer representing jailed MDC politician Roy Bennett, was in the High Court on Friday challenging the State’s decision to appeal against the granting of his bail. On Tuesday High Court Judge Tedious Karwi granted the Deputy Agriculture Minister designate bail, but he remains in a Mutare prison after the State opposed this.
Mtetwa was back in the courts Friday challenging the decision by the Attorney General’s office, saying they did not follow proper procedure. The defence team argues that the AG’s office had appealed, without seeking permission from the High Court judge. Apparently the State should have first sought permission from the judge to appeal against the granting of bail. One of Bennett’s lawyers Trust Maanda said the State has seven days to apply for this permission.
Bennett was arrested two weeks ago at Charles Prince airport, on his way to South Africa where he had been living in exile since 2006. He is being charged with the illegal possession of firearms for purposes of committing banditry, terrorism, insurgency and sabotage. He denies these charges and says he is being politically persecuted.
Meanwhile, Pishai Muchauraya the MDC spokesperson for Manicaland Province and MP for Makoni South, who has been visiting Bennett regularly in prison, said the official is still in good spirits despite the appalling and overcrowded conditions at the prison in Mutare. He said Bennett is being held in the D-Class section of the jail that houses dangerous criminals. Muchauraya said senior prison officers from as far as Masvingo have been deployed to Mutare because Bennett is being viewed as a ‘hardcore criminal.’
The MP said the prison conditions for all inmates are disturbing. The remand prison has a capacity of about 160 inmates but is said to be currently holding at least 300. Muchauraya said food is very scarce and six inmates have this week died in just two days because of starvation.
British bank accused of propping up Mugabe regime
A British bank currently operating in Zimbabwe has been accused of propping up Robert Mugabe, reportedly by transferring money directly to the dictator’s regime.
The accusations by the UK’s Foreign Office were made in internal British government emails last year, which showed concern about the involvement of Standard Chartered Bank in Zimbabwe. According to the emails, seen by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, an internal Foreign Office briefing document accuses the bank of diverting money directly to Mugabe’s government, through a loans scheme.
According to the Telegraph, the one email, dated August 25 2008, says: “Standard Chartered risks real reputational damage if seen as passing funds to the Government of Zimbabwe.” A further email from July last year accuses banks operating in the country of ‘propping up’ Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank, which has a notorious reputation for diverting funds to Mugabe’s cronies. The August email even suggests that Standard Chartered should close its operations in the crisis ravaged country, reading: “We should ask the companies to take a long hard look at what they are doing and with whom.”
UK leaders have been particularly critical of Mugabe and in turn, Mugabe has repeatedly voiced his hatred of such Western powers. However the emails will likely cause more embarrassment for the British government as the bank, up until last month, was run by the recently appointed UK Minister of Trade and Investment.
Standard Chartered Bank Zimbabwe is 100% owned by Standard Chartered UK, but because it operates as a Zimbabwean registered company, its operations are not governed by EU targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime – which effectively cut all financial ties with the dictator and his known associates and supporters. According to a British opposition MP who obtained the emails, British banks have been able to ‘circumvent’ the sanctions restrictions by operating through Zimbabwean based companies. The MP has said the revelations “demonstrate just how weak and inadequate the sanctions rules have been – and the hypocrisy of the Government.”
Farmers forced into hiding as arrests and invasions continue
A wave of fresh farm invasions and arrests has forced many of Zimbabwe’s remaining white farmers into hiding, to avoid the very real threats of arrest, harassment and violence.
In the past few weeks, farmers have come under siege in what is being described as a last-ditch effort by ZANU PF loyalists to complete the Robert Mugabe initiated land grab, which has already seen the white farming population cut to about 400 farmers. The offensive against the farmers came just days before Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister earlier this month. Almost 80 farms have since been seized in clear violation of the unity deal between the MDC and ZANU PF, which calls for the return of the rule of law and also says that farmers should be encouraged to produce food.
Commercial Farmers Union President Trevor Gifford, on Friday called the fresh farms invasions a ‘final assault’ against the remaining white farmers and described a clear “planned agenda by a third force in the government that is hell-bent on destroying the unity deal.” Gifford explained that, according to minutes of secret meetings seen by the union, Zimbabwe’s Attorney General Johannes Tomana has instructed police and magistrates to fast track farm evictions across the country, in a clear and coordinated effort that is already well under way.
“These are senior ZANU PF members using their offices to ensure ethnic cleansing can take place before the Prime Minister is able to stabilise the country,” Gifford said.
Tsvangirai on Wednesday ordered police to “bring the full weight of the law” down on the perpetrators of the farm invasions. But, on the same day, farmer Mike Campbell was ordered to leave his land, by the nephew of ZANU PF’s spokesman, Nathan Shamuyarira. Although the threatened seizure has not yet happened, Campbell and his wife have both left the property to avoid an attack. Campbell is still frail after a brutal beating when he was abducted by invaders last year. At the same time, farmer Paul Etheredge is behind bars in Chegutu after he was arrested, also on Wednesday, and invaders have reportedly taken over his Stockdale farm. Etheredge, along with Campbell and 77 other farmers, won a landmark farm test case that was taken to the SADC Tribunal in Windhoek last year, and the farm invasions are a blatant transgression of the protection supposedly offered by the Tribunal’s ruling.
The CFU’s president reiterated on Friday that the SADC ruling is being wilfully ignored, explaining that the Attorney General has instructed magistrates to ignore previous court orders protecting farmers and their land, and in particular to ignore the SADC ruling. More than 100 farmers have already been caught in the coordinated effort to seize the remaining farms, and reports of threats as well as arrests are piling up. A Chiredzi farmer, who spoke to SW Radio Africa on condition of anonymity on Friday, has already left his farm. He said that most farmers in his area have gone into hiding for fear of arrest and prosecution. The farmer described the invasions as a ‘witch-hunt’ and explained the charges being brought against those farmers already arrested, carry jail terms of up to 6 months.
“Everyone is just trying to lie and low and see what happens, but we don’t know how long we’ll have to wait?” the farmer said.
http://www.swradioafrica.2bctnd.net/02_09/newsreel270209.mp3
